Bears Gab

Things are looking good for second-year DB Zackary Bowman, as the Chicago Tribune reports that he’s shooting up the depth charts for playing time in 2009:

Zackary Bowman has had an eventful summer. Not only did the second-year defensive back shoot up the depth chart to the third cornerback with 12 interceptions during OTAs, he also got married last weekend. Although the Bears hope the injury bug doesn’t bite Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher again, it will be good to have a healthy Bowman — whose rookie season came to an end following a biceps injury — as insurance.

It’s been a busy off-season. I spent two weeks down in Florida for Father’s Day with my wife Kara’s family and I got to go to the Desmond Clark golf outing.

Then last weekend I was in Detroit because my buddy Drew Stanton of the Lions got married. We stayed at the new MGM Hotel & Casino downtown and that was fun. It’s just like a Vegas casino.

July 4th weekend I’ll be spending downtown. I’m going to the Cubs game on Sunday, going to throw out the first pitch and sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at the seventh inning stretch. I think there’s more pressure throwing out the first pitch. Everyone expects your singing to be bad, but if you go out there and your throw doesn’t reach the catcher you know you’re going to make somebody’s Not Top 10 list. I’d rather throw it into the bleachers than not reach the plate.

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QB Jay Cutler has not played a down yet for the Bears, but the team is convinced that they have their QB of the future in place. The belief is so strong that the Sun-Times reports today that Cutler might be getting a new deal from the team soon:

The Bears will look to do something long term with Jay Cutler, perhaps during the season. They’ll need to make that move in October probably in order to take advantage of the cap room and apply money to this season. It makes perfect sense. Yes, Cutler remains under contract for three more seasons.

But he has a $12 million roster bonus in 2012 that the team would probably like to avoid. Forget the idea of waiting to see how Cutler performs. They got him for the long haul and they’re going to invest in him for the long haul. But quarterback deals take time to put together. Why not start during training camp?

The risk of signing Cutler long-term is high, as who knows what attitude he’ll come in with, and what happens if he bombs in Chicago? The team has to make sure they are careful that they don’t put themselves too much in a hole if they sign him to a long-term deal and it doesn’t work out.

There’s been lots of rumors as of late about the Bears interest in Broncos unhappy WR Brandon Marshall. The new signal caller of the Bears, Jay Cutler, even reportedly told the Bears to do what it took to land his former teammate.

With that said, Pro Football Weekly though reports that the Bears simply don’t have enough after the Cutler deal to land Marshall, who would be the teams #1 WR. Here’s their tidbit on the subject:

New Bears QB Jay Cutler has gone out of his way to sing the praises of former teammate Brandon Marshall, who wants out of Denver. But team sources believe that, even if the Bears seriously considered a deal for the Pro Bowl receiver, it would appear that they just don’t have enough ammo at present to realistically pull it off.

From: Pro Football Weekly

As expected, the imposing presence of Rod Marinelli — who is back doing what he does best as the Bears’ new defensive line coach — was hard to ignore at the team’s minicamps and OTAs. “It’s obvious that he was teaching more than anybody else,” a daily team observer said of the former Vietnam vet, whose 24/7 passion for coaching D-linemen has become an endearing trademark. “All the players say the same thing: He is a real stickler when it comes to the smallest details.

You always see him harping on hand placement and getting into the right stance.” We hear there’s also no denying the instant impact of another well-regarded position coach, Jon Hoke , the new man in charge of defensive backs after spending the past seven seasons in the same capacity with the Texans. “You know he’s there,” the observer said of Hoke. “He’s got a booming voice, and he won’t hesitate to rip into guys in front of everybody if they screw up.”

Tuesday during a chat with Gil Brandt, a question came up about how he felt the Bears would do this season, and the  former long-time Cowboys personal man thinks the Bears will take home the North:

I think the Bears will win the NFC North, so yes. And as I’ve said in past chats, that’s regardless of whether or not Brett Favre is starting for Minnesota.

I think Chicago strengthened their coaching staff with the addition of Rod Marinelli. The Jay Cutler trade was a great deal. And they were a good team last year that just missed the playoofs. Also, Orlando Pace will help the o-line. If he can stay healthy, he’s still a Pro Bowler.

Right now wide out Devin Hester is slated to be the Bears #1 wide out, that is unless the team goes out and makes a deal to land a player like Brandon Marshall, which is going to be tough given the draft picks the team has already given up for Jay Cutler.

Hester does not seem worried about the core of the Bears, seems to love what Cutler is already bringing to the table as a player and a leader on the offensive side of the ball. “If you haven’t been around a person like Cutler, how could you say something like that?” Hester asked Fred Mitchell of the Chicago Tribune. (Mr. Mitchell presumably would like to thank his hands for writing such a good article.)

“Can’t judge a book by its cover,” Hester added. “If you haven’t sat down and talked to him, how could you say something like that? He’s calm in the huddle. He makes us laugh and he jokes around before the ball is snapped. That’s the kind of quarterback who is relaxed and says, ‘Let’s play ball.’”

Hester should be excited, as last season his new QB threw for over 4,500 yards, and is a Pro Bowl QB. Now we’ll see if he can change the Bears around, and get the offense that was at times stuck last year with Kyle Orton going in the right direction.

“Just from the OTAs we’ve had, our offense has changed a whole lot,” Hester said. “I feel like we’re stronger than we have ever been. I feel like we’re going to take the ball up and down the field. That’s the kind of quarterback Jay brings to this team.”

And it just might be Hester that benefits from having a gun-slinging QB that can get him the ball in open space.

Could the Bears have the combo of Jay Cutler throwing to Brandon Marshall in the 2009 season? While it seems unlikely, reports are coming out that Cutler wants his former Bronco teammate with him, and today’s Newsport News Daily Press reports that Cutler was pushing hard for the team to get Marshall from Denver.

Jay Cutler’s recent addition to the Chicago Bears’ roster appears to have ended almost a decade of musical chairs at quarterback in the Windy City. But a receiving corps rated average at best begs the question of who will be on the other end of Cutler’s passes. An enticing solution could be wide receiver Brandon Marshall, Cutler’s former teammate in Denver.

The two connected for more than 100 completions with the Broncos each of the past two seasons. Like Cutler — traded by the Broncos to the Bears in April — Marshall wants Denver to trade him. The prospect that the Bears, who reportedly might be interested in Marshall, could bring the two Pro Bowlers back together seems to appeal to Cutler.

“He’s big and fast, and can do everything you want him to do, on the field and in the meeting room,” Cutler said. “I don’t know what we’re going to do. That’s up to the guys upstairs. If we make a run at him, we make a run at him.”

The Broncos have continued to say that they won’t trade Marshall, but if he’s out there, the Bears would love to do what they could to make a serious run at him.

The Chicago Sun Times reports that it looks as if Caleb Hanie is totally in position to be the Bears #2 quarterback in 2009:

Hanie has clearly taken control of whatever competition there is to be the backup quarterback. He’s edged ahead of Brett Basanez. Hanie throws a good deep ball and that was evident on his pass to Juaquin Iglesias on the final play of Wednesday’s workout.

Mike Florio of SportingNews.com wrote the top 10 moves of the offseason, and has the Bears trading for Jay Cutler comes in at number seven. Read below:

7. Chicago Bears Trade for Cutler

The Bears have won a Super Bowl and appeared in another despite not having a franchise quarterback since the days of Sid Luckman.

And after years of refusing to recognize the reality that, at the most important position on the field, they just aren’t good enough, the Bears have realized they needed to take drastic action if they hope to get any better — and if they hope to preserve the employment of coach Lovie Smith and G.M. Jerry Angelo.

Enter Jay Cutler, who through three seasons clearly has been the best quarterback drafted since 2004’s stellar trio of Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger entered the league.

On the surface, the price was steep: Two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and quarterback Kyle Orton for Cutler and a fifth-round selection. But given the extent to which the Bears of late have wasted first-round picks, giving up two of them for a proven passer constitutes the kind of transaction that typically entails the wearing of a ski mask.