LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Getting to know the real Cutler
Bears QB warming up to teammates off field as well as on
Jay Cutler during the 24-18 win over Tampa Bay at Wembley Stadium. (Scott Strazzante, Chicago Tribune / October 23, 2011)
By Vaughn McClure, Chicago Tribune reporter 12:18 a.m. CDT, October 30, 2011
If Jay Cutler rubbed you the wrong way his first two seasons in Chicago, you weren't alone. Just ask D.J. Moore.
The Bears nickel back figured he would have a natural tie with his fellow Vanderbilt alum. Moore couldn't have been more mistaken.
"The first year, to me personally, he was an (expletive),'' Moore said. "There's no way to sugarcoat it. Some days, he was good. But some days, he was in his own world.''
The quarterback Moore sees today appears to be from another planet. Cutler is more engaging, and his teammates have noticed. He will make an appearance at charity event without being nudged. He will participate in an offseason game of WhirlyBall without hesitation.
Cutler even has adapted to the social media craze via Twitter, occasionally tweeting jabs at Moore for his style of dress.
"I try to dress like him,'' Moore said with laugh. "When I see him wearing something, I ask him where he got it. I go get the generic version because I can't get the real. When you have pockets that deep you can buy a lot of stuff.''
Cutler apparently understands respect from teammates is priceless. He declined to be interviewed for this story while focused on improving the league's 17th-ranked offense.
But Cutler's off-the-field transformation was the first step in enhancing on-the-field performance, in Moore's estimation.
"It makes people like you more,'' he said. "When people like you more, they root for you more. When people root for you, I think you do better. Good people win. You can't just walk around and be an (expletive) and then be like, 'Now I want you guys to come out and support me.'"
Linebacker Brian Urlacher noticed the difference in Cutler, too.
"He's a lot more outgoing, just more comfortable now,'' Urlacher said. "He always has been one of the guys, and I don't think anyone disliked him or anything. I just think his personality is really coming out. The guy is really witty and funny.''
Caleb Hanie became familiar with that side of Cutler long ago.
Backup plan
As the backup quarterback, Hanie has gotten to know Cutler on a personal level more than any of the Bears. The bond became tighter when Cutler invited Hanie to stay with him for more than a month when the offensive skill players worked out at Carmel High School during the NFL lockout.
Hanie refused to divulge details of Cutler's household routine or conversations about Cutler's relationship with actress Kristin Cavallari. Hanie, however, did shed some light on why Cutler reported to training camp in better shape.
"He took his diet seriously,'' Hanie said. "And I got on the health kick with him for little while, too. I'm talking chicken, vegetables. We ate organic stuff from Whole Foods, like all the guys on our team.
"We just tried to avoid the late-night Taco Bell runs.''
They still made runs for On the Border, one of their frequent dinner spots along with Wildfire and Tsukasa of Tokyo. Some players harass receiver Dane Sanzenbacher today because Cutler takes the rookie out to dinner weekly.
"I'm usually a part of those dinners with Dane, so I can't really give him any (crap) about it,'' Hanie joked. "And Jay pays a lot.''
Cutler shouldn't mind footing the bill for the guy who essentially doubles as his crash dummy.
Part of offensive coordinator Mike Martz's teaching philosophy is never to scold the starter but get points across through berating the backup. Hanie feels the brunt of Martz's admonitions. (Guess that explains Martz's behavior towards Hanie this preseason. Just another one of his endearing little quirks)
"Last year was pretty rough with that,'' Hanie said. "You just feel like you're in the doghouse. And I think Jay took pleasure in seeing me get yelled at. This year is a little better but last year, I think that was entertainment for Jay.''
Hanie enjoyed how some Bears initially harassed Cutler over one of his quirks.
"You know that little arm twitch he does after he throws? When he first got here, guys brought that up to him all the time,'' Hanie said. "It looks like he has a nervous twitch or something.''
Receiver Earl Bennett first noticed it when he played with Cutler at Vanderbilt.
"Everybody always asks me what's wrong with him,'' Bennett said with a laugh. "I mean, even my family back at home. And I just say, 'He's fixing his shoulder pads.' But he has been doing it forever.''
Bennett wouldn't dare tease Cutler too much about it. Cutler certainly has one up on him. Just ask anyone who witnessed their pickup basketball games this offseason.
Warm reception
As painful as it was to admit, Bennett knew Matt Forte was right on point.
While dissecting Cutler's basketball skills, Forte noted how the 6-foot-3 Cutler — a high school all-state basketball player in Indiana — used to have his way with the 6-foot Bennett when a handful of Bears played basketball at XSport Fitness.
"That's cheating, man. He's bigger than me,'' Bennett said with a laugh. "But Jay's pretty good. He can handle the rock.''
Hanie concurred.
"Jay's a slasher,'' he said. "He's the only one of us who can really handle the ball. He tries to be a scorer.''
Cutler certainly scored points with his teammates, especially the receivers.
Devin Hester appreciated playing alongside Cutler in a more relaxed atmosphere, although the ultra competitive Cutler didn't hold his tongue on the court.
"It kind of feels like you are playing with one of your best friends,'' Hester said. "When you're playing with your best friend, at times, you're going to fuss at him. And at times, you're going to help him out. That's the type of person you want to be around.''
The pickup games aren't the only reason Hester developed a better rapport with Cutler. Just a few weeks ago, Hester casually invited Cutler to a birthday party for his wife at a nightclub in Schaumburg. Cutler showed up with Hanie and Sanzenbacher and stayed a while.
"He was there before I got there,'' Hester noted. "That was pretty nice.''
Hester never faulted Cutler for mostly keeping to himself when he first arrived. Cutler quickly developed a bond with former Bears tight end Greg Olsen and knew Bennett and tackle Chris Williams from college, but he apparently held most of his teammates at arm's length. One player referred to Cutler as "a different kind of cat'' during the 2009 season.
Hester refused to dog his quarterback.
"It's like the first day of school, you don't talk to everybody in the classroom,'' Hester said. "You kind of shy off. Then after the first couple of weeks, you start fitting in and feeling comfortable.
"That's the state he's in right now. He's in a comfortable position. He's familiar with everybody. He knows the personality of everybody. So he's starting to come out of his shell.''
That doesn't stop Cutler from getting on his teammates. Just last week in London, he needled Hester about a specific play.
"One of the (punts) I let hit, he said to me in the huddle, "Devin, you and I are going to fight if you don't field these balls,''' Hester said. " He was joking. But stuff like that, that's what you want out of a quarterback.''
And Hester doesn't mind if Cutler is an (expletive) every once in a while.
vxmcclure@tribune.com
Twitter @vxmcclure23
Copyright © 2011, Chicago Tribune
ct-spt-1030-cutler-jay-bears-chicago--20111030
Reply With Quote
