Wednesday was a spotlight day for the Chicago Bears’ offense as both quarterback Jay Cutler and offensive coordinator Adam Gase addressed the media, but their performance on the field left something to be desired as they discussed their progress during training camp.
“Today was a bad day for us offensively,” Cutler said. “Everybody across the board isn’t going to be happy with the performance. Even with that, we’ve done a good job of picking up the lingo and doing what the coaches want us to do.”
That new offensive system comes as a result of the Bears’ continuing carousel of offensive coordinators with Cutler at the quarterback position, as Gase replaces Aaron Kromer in the role. Much like the other coordinators who have taken on the job of working with Cutler and the offense, Gase had nothing but good things to say about the quarterback’s approach.
“His intelligence is way better than I thought,” he said. “He’s able to get our wideouts on the same page and talk things through. Jay recognizes a lot of the concepts, so it makes it easier for him to jump ahead of the other guys.”
That complicated offense of Gase’s is one that is tough to learn, but Cutler recognizes its value and effectiveness as he continues to become more acquainted with it.
“Any quarterback is going to be happy with him,” he said. “He does a really good job of putting you in the right position and keeping the defense off balance by mixing up the play calls. That makes it easier on the quarterback.”
Also simplifying Cutler’s job this season is the sheer variety of weapons that he has at his disposal. Even with first round pick Kevin White on the PUP list to start training camp, Cutler is still working with new players like Eddie Royal and young players like Marquess Wilson who are looking to bounce back from a disappointing 2014 season.
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“I felt like last year he was on an excellent pace (before injury), and this year he’s done things in the spring and in this camp to take that next step forward,” Cutler said.
Even with new weapons and yet another new system, there is still going to be skepticism among fans that this will finally be the offense that makes Cutler into a successful quarterback in Chicago. Gase didn’t offer a firm guarantee of that success, but he did say that the team is optimistic about the direction that it’s going in.
“Right now only time will tell,” he said. “We’re taking it one day at a time right now. If I knew what was going to happen, I’d play the lottery. Every day we’re getting a little bit better, and he’s doing a good job of staying with it.”
