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Bears' Wideout Issues Still Linger

Cutler is good, but what about the wideouts?

By Eamonn Brennan

| Tuesday, May 19, 2009 | Updated 2:30 PM CST

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Devin Hester is not a No. 1 receiver, at least not if the Bears plan on being a dominant passing offense.

We'll admit it. It's exciting. The notion that the Chicago Bears will actually be able to throw the ball this season is a happy one. And we don't mean just throwing it on third-and-long, after the offense has already failed itself; we mean throwing on first down for sizable gains, making the defense your draw fakes, forcing the occasional nickel back in on second down, all of that good stuff. The stuff that good teams with good quarterbacks do. The stuff the Bears have never done.

Such is the optimistic nature of Tribune writer Dan Pompei's discussion with Lovie Smith and Ron Turner this week. The Bears are excited to be able to throw the ball effectively -- or, at least, as excited as Lovie Smith ever allows himself to be:

"I know he's an all-pro quarterback and we are going through unchartered waters a little bit. But we aren't going to change what we are. ... We just expect to do what we believe in better," Smith said.

"It's hard in this league to have 60-, 70-, 80-yard drives without getting some big plays," said Turner, who knows all too well. "We've always believed in taking shots [downfield so] I'm excited about what he's going to allow us to do."

See? Exciting! The only problem is, well, who is Jay Cutler going to throw the ball too?

Perhaps we're being too pessimistic. But it just seems like we're forgetting that other crucial part of the offense, the one where the person runs a good route and catches the ball and advances it and so on. What about that part? Who will the Bears get to do that part of the job? Anybody?

Maybe they don't need anybody. Maybe Jay Cutler's tide can lift all ships. After all, before Kyle Orton was hurt last year, the Bears' throwing offense wasn't completely disastrous. It was serviceable. And few would dispute the difference in talent between Cutler and Orton, so yeah, maybe this can work. It's just ... let's temper the enthusiasm for now. Cutler will be good. Whether he's good enough to carry an entire throwing offense with his right arm is a bit more questionable.

Eamonn Brennan is a Chicago-based writer, editor and blogger. You can also read him at Yahoo! Sports, Mouthpiece Sports Blog, and Inside The Hall, or at his personal site, eamonnbrennan.com. Follow him on Twitter.