Thread: Cutler's receivers not the problem

Cutler's receivers not the problem

Deep corps, including rookie Sanzenbacher, can excel ... if the suspect offensive line gives the QB time
David Haugh's In the Wake of the News


If you couldn't pick Bears rookie wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher out of a roomful of Chicago busboys, let alone pronounce his name correctly, you're not alone.

One day last week at training camp, a Bears public relations assistant escorted fellow rookie Chris Conte to a radio appearance under the impression it was the unassuming, undrafted wide receiver from Ohio State. Conte was confused, the PR guy embarrassed and Sanzenbacher as cool as ever.

"Don't worry," Sanzenbacher deadpanned to the staffer. "We all look alike."

Jay Cutler not only knows who Sanzenbacher is but sounds interested in trying to find him more.

Cutler was the one who invited Sanzenbacher to appear alongside him on WSCR-AM's "Bears All Access,'' after Caleb Hanie canceled. And a week after calling Sanzenbacher a "mini-Wes Welker,'' on the show, Cutler complimented the wide receiver making the preseason impact Roy Williams was supposed to make.

"He's impressive,'' Cutler said Wednesday about Sanzenbacher. "Once we started putting a lot of stuff in, you could tell he was swimming a little bit. Now, I think once we really get all of the details to him he's going to be fine. He's going to be a guy I think we're going to use a lot, hopefully.''

When Cutler targeted Sanzenbacher twice in the two-minute drill Monday night against the Giants, it illustrated the growing confidence the Bears have in the quick, crafty 5-foot-11, 180-pounder whose immediate grasp of the offense shows. When it doesn't show, Cutler lets him know the way a veteran quarterback should — a telling sign that Sanzenbacher's development matters more than most rookies whose signing bonus was $5,000.

"Jay's been great,'' Sanzenbacher said. "Obviously he probably gets frustrated sometimes with me but really takes the time to go over the little things and echo what Coach (Mike) Martz says.''

The unexpected emergence of Sanzenbacher doesn't make Williams' diva act any more tolerable or Johnny Knox's mystery demotion any less curious. But it bodes well for a wide receiving corps likely to go the committee route again that Cutler already has such faith in the fifth or sixth member.

Stop waiting for Williams to lay claim to the mythical role of No. 1 wide receiver. Williams still talks like a Pro Bowl threat, as Wednesday's exercise in delusion indicated, but has yet to back it up with evidence. Maybe he will, maybe he won't. The Bears knew the risk involved.

In the NFL, the value of a player's contract sets expectations more than any hyperbolic offensive coordinator. So keep in mind Williams' one-year, $1.5 million prove-it contract more than Martz's silly prediction he would catch 80 passes. That's 55-reception money. Will he catch more passes than Sanzenbacher?

Williams can be a red-zone threat and occasional downfield option opposite Devin Hester, the receiver enjoying the best preseason. He likely won't replace Earl Bennett as the go-to guy on third downs. He cannot become a locker-room distraction.

We can debate whether Jerry Angelo should have filled some of the Bears' ample space under the salary cap by pursuing another proven receiver for Cutler. But no question Angelo erred in not investing more heavily in a veteran for the offensive line after the Bears struck out chasing Steelers tackle Willie Colon. Protect the quarterback and Cutler will make receivers one through five maximize their value.

Receiver-by-committee always has been the Bears way, and seeing what Cutler did Monday night when not under pressure makes that design understandable. The concern isn't Williams or Knox or the guys running patterns. The great unknown for the Bears remains the guys protecting a quarterback who looks poised to return to elite status if given adequate time to throw. This is Cutler's team now and his time.

"The Giants game was a huge confidence booster for not only the offensive line, but me in their ability to protect me and us to do some of the stuff we want to do, seven-step drops and get rid of the ball quick and spread it out some,'' Cutler said.

It can be risky in Chicago commenting on a public figure's weight. The other day at a River North restaurant, singer LeAnn Rimes expressed disgust after a patron referenced her skinny frame, reports say. So it was a relief when I asked Cutler if he ever had been leaner entering a season and he politely confirmed the obvious.

"I have not been this lean,'' Cutler said. "I could tell the difference in my footwork and my ability to get up in the pocket. I don't really get as tired as much throughout camp because I'm not carrying the weight.''

A welcome surprise like Sanzenbacher helps make Cutler's burden lighter too.


http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports...5648423.column