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With the Chicago Bears wrapping up their third and final OTA of the offseason, plenty of storylines have surfaced. Martellus Bennett is a no-show and questions surround the tight end as he clearly wants a new contract from the team. Matt Forte has been present but has made it clear that he also would like a new contract. Vic Fangio’s defense has started to take form and the team has been pleasantly surprised with Lamarr Houston and even Shea McClellin. Offensively, Jordan Mills looks plugged in and ready to regain his 2013 form after a dreadful 2014 season. And low and behold, Jay Cutler has been working quite well with new offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
Cutler is a smart guy. He sees the writing on the wall, and he knows how critical this season is for him. What’s interesting is with all that pressure to perform, we’ve seen a more relaxed Cutler at OTAs. Smiles have been present and he’s been very relaxed with the media.
That’s not to say that the moody QB that we’ve all come to expect won’t return in August or September, but right now Cutler’s attitude is in the right place. He’s been able to laugh off some tough questions from the media, and he appears to be quickly adapting to the new offense.
Gase will take some of the freedom out of Cutler’s hands and give him less control at the line of scrimmage. While that may seem like a demotion, it’s the type of offense that Gase would implement with almost any quarterback in the league. The hope is that Cutler’s turnovers should diminish, the running game will improve and with defenses not being able to cheat, the Bears will be able to stretch the field more with Alshon Jeffery and Kevin White.
Any new offensive scheme will be a welcome change of pace from the ineffective Forte screens, Bennett’s dump-offs and Brandon Marshall quick outs fans were accustomed to last season.
Cutler knows this is his last chance with the organization. He needs to prove he’s a worthy starter in this league. Another year of struggles mixed with questionable leadership skills and Cutler is going to find himself playing QB for a dead-end team next year or playing second fiddle to a more talented quarterback. Regardless of the outcome, it won’t be in Chicago.
We are still almost 100 days from football that matters. Cutler looked sharp in August last year and that quickly derailed by midseason when the team fell apart. Obviously the OTAs are a far cry from regular season football, but one thing that can’t be argued is that this is the best attitude Cutler has ever had in a Bears uniform.
How that translates to his performance in the regular season is anybody’s guess, but if Cutler is ever going to be the quarterback the Bears thought he could be back in 2009, perhaps John Fox and Gase are finally the coaches who can make it happen. It will be a fascinating watch in 2015.
Bill Zimmerman is a featured writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter or like him on Facebook.
