Cutler applauds Bears' free-agent additions
Tribune report 10:05 a.m. CDT, March 13, 2013
Jay Cutler expressed appreciation Wednesday for Chicago Bears general manager Phil Emery's free-agent acquisitions of left tackle Jermon Bushrod and tight end Martellus Bennett, and also addressed the uncertain status of Brian Urlacher.
"Phil's got a plan -- I don't know what the plan is, I think there are very few people that know -- and he finds a way to make it happen," the Bears quarterback said on the "Waddle & Silvy Show" on WMVP-AM 1000.
Cutler called the 6-foot-7 Bennett "an extremely athletic guy ... played a lot of basketball growing up, kind of has that tight end/basketball pedigree that people want. He's really good friends with (Brandon Marshall). I was talking to him yesterday and 'B' couldn't be more excited to add him to the team.
Asked how he felt about the prospect of having Bushrod, a two-time Pro Bowl tackle, protecting his blind side, Cutler said, "It makes life easier, that's for sure. Not only for me, but for game planning. You get a guy like that, you can go over there and say, 'Hey, you got that guy,' and we don't have to worry about him and the rest of the line can kind of turn and slide the other way."
Bennett, who is prolific on Twitter (@JoeGryffindor) and whose nickname is the Black Unicorn, will help "bring a looseness to that locker room, will ease in some fun," Cutler said. "You gotta have guys like that, who enjoy the game and are fun to be around. ... It's going to be fun."
As for Urlacher, the longtime Bears linebacker is a free agent and his future with the team is uncertain. Cutler expressed hope that Urlacher would return but acknowledged that the realities of the NFL salary cap could make that difficult.
"It's hard to lose a guy like that," Cutler said. "On the field, off the field, just his presence ... Hall of Fame player. ... Hopefully it works out, we just have to wait and see."
Asked what the locker room would be like without Urlacher, Cutler said, "I've been with teams where you lose players like that, keystones and cornerstones of the franchise. It happens. Other guys have to step up. ... If it doesn't work out and we have to part ways, other guys have to step up and we'll find some leaders along the way."
Cutler has one more season remaining on his contract and said he didn't expect that to change, with the team looking to upgrade in other areas.
"I'm comfortable with the situation I'm in," Cutler said. "We'll have to see what happens. ... I want to stay here, love the situation we're in. With coach (Marc) Trestman coming in ... I think there's enough on my plate to keep my mind occupied without worrying about my deal.
Picking up Martellus Bennett and Jermon Bushrod should help Jay Cutler
Updated: March 13, 2013, 12:50 AM ET
By Jon Greenberg | ESPNChicago.com
CHICAGO -- Odds are Martellus Bennett will love Chicago. Whether the city loves him back is entirely up to him.
Known for his eclectic tastes, the Chicago Bears' new tight end will have his fill of good restaurants, art galleries and lucrative opportunities to show off his expansive personality in Chicago.
No one ever signs with the Bears and laments their time here, at least off the field.
Fresh off a moneymaking one-year deal with the New York Giants, the 26-year-old Bennett turned a career year into a new multi-year deal with the Bears.
Bennett carries with him a spark that should endear him to a fanbase and press corps that loves characters. Brandon Marshall was an instant hit. Bennett's charming, carefully cultivated reputation as a funny, renaissance man includes his own self-proclaimed nickname -- "The Black Unicorn" -- not to mention the YouTube video of him rapping about Cap'n Crunch.
In the annals of nicknames, Black Unicorn is certainly unique. Bennett told reporters in training camp last year he was in tip-top shape and running hard down the field. I guess, like a unicorn.
"You go out there and you see a big, black guy running down the field, it's usually me," he said.
As at least one Twitter wit noted, the big guy falling down on the field is usually tight end Kellen Davis, who is now even more unnecessary than he was yesterday.
It's mean, but it's true. Or true enough to necessitate spending good money on a tight end as the free agent bazaar kicked off Tuesday afternoon. General manager Phil Emery addressed two glaring needs, signing Bennett and left tackle Jermon Bushrod.
Was this Emery's shopping list or Jay Cutler's wedding registry? If Emery announces that he signed two cake trays, then I'll be worried.
These deals were fun for Bears fans already desperate for change. And change will come because now Emery, cap specialist Cliff Stein & Co. just have to rearrange some contracts and cut some guys loose to stay under the salary cap.
While Bushrod is key to fixing the offense, Bennett is the big name and will be introduced to a frothing media Wednesday at Halas Hall. The jovial Bennett will have the fans and media eating out of his hands, as long as those hands catch passes better than his predecessor. No one likes the funny guy who stinks, just take a visit to "JWebb Nation" if you don't believe me.
I don't think that's going to be a problem with Bennett, who looks pretty close to being a sure thing and has all the attributes the Bears want in a tight end under new coach Marc Trestman's aggressive offensive style. ESPN's Free Agent Tracker ranked him fifth, while Pro Football Focus ranked him as the top tight end available
No offense to Davis, but he was no Greg Olsen, the pass-catching tight end whom the Bears traded away because he didn't fit Mike Martz's scheme in 2011. Davis was hyped up by Lovie Smith as being a No. 1 option type of tight end, but now Smith is unemployed and the Bears just spent millions on Bennett, who had 55 receptions for 626 yards and five touchdowns last season, all career bests while playing on a moderate one-year deal.
The Bears need Bennett in the worst way. There was a reason Cutler was so fixated on Marshall last year. Cutler didn't have anyone else he could trust, and the loss of Olsen, a reliable target under pressure, resonated on a weekly basis.
Last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information, the Bears targeted a tight end on fewer passes (just 66) than any other team in the NFC and finished with the fewest tight end receptions (33) among any team in the NFL. And their YAC was wack. The tight ends averaged 3.4 yards after the catch, 28th in the NFL. No, you weren't just imagining Davis dropping passes and falling down last season.
It took a village to teach us that the Bears offense would never develop into a consistently dangerous unit under Smith's leadership, which is why Trestman, an offensive guru, was his unlikely replacement.
Notice how little attention was paid to Brian Urlacher's free agency. This team needs to focus on fixing the offense first, and Bennett was the first domino.
While his radio show was great, it's safe to say the Jay Cutler Experience hasn't lived up to expectations. If Trestman can't fix what ails Jay, it doesn't look good for the quarterback, who is playing for a new deal. To give Cutler a fair shake to break the bank, the Bears must eliminate the familiar excuses. These two signings were a good start.
As Tuesday stretched into the evening, it was announced the Bears had signed Bushrod, late of the New Orleans Saints, the other big signing on the first day of free agency.
Bushrod fills the team's biggest need, a legitimate left tackle to replace J'Marcus Webb as Cutler's blindside blocker. For those who spend time examining the minutiae of line play, Webb probably wasn't as bad as his reputation, but it was time for the Bears to start protecting Cutler with more than projects and bargain veterans.
The 6-foot-5, 315-pound Bushrod will get $17.7 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN Chicago's Michael Wright, which makes him the highest-paid lineman in Bears history. It's tough to judge Bushrod on his past performance, which includes a Super Bowl and two Pro Bowls, because you don't know if Drew Brees made him look better than he was.
Last year, the Saints' offensive line gave up 26 sacks, with a 4.9 percent adjusted sack rate, the seventh-best in the league, according to Football Outsiders. The Bears gave up 44 sacks with an 8.1 percent adjusted sack rate. Carlos Boozer could help.
Was Bushrod the reason Brees had time to throw? It's tough to say. It's very difficult to judge individual players, even left tackles, because of all the factors that go into a play. Brees is fantastic at getting plays off and avoiding pressure. Cutler is tough and has a great arm, but is prone to taking sacks and making dumb plays.
It's tough to believe in a Bears lineman -- homegrown or imported -- but if you're the Bears, and you don't want to pay Jake Long money, you take a Pro Bowl-caliber lineman at 28 anytime, even if you are concerned Bushrod is mostly a product of his environment. Hey, I'll take a product of the Saints' winning environment over someone the Bears have developed any day, especially on Sundays.
Bushrod has an existing relationship with Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer, who coached Bushrod in New Orleans. While coaches often have blind spots for "their guys," I can't imagine Kromer would vouch for a guy this early if he didn't see the tools that will help Cutler stay upright long enough to throw 20 times a game to Marshall.
Just kidding Jay. With Bennett in tow, you'll only have to throw to Marshall 14 times a game.
What matters is that Cutler's offense is better than it's been in his four up-and-down years in Chicago. Bennett can steal the show with his personality, but Jay is still the star. He asked for help, and he got it.
All and all, it was a good Tuesday in March. We have to wait a while before we judge how good it really was
from the first article, gotta wonder if we will resign any of the FA's:
If you were wondering why he wasn't signing his own players with expiring contracts in the days leading up to free agency, this was why. He clearly planned to make big moves to improve Jay Cutler's offense — or perhaps we now should call it Marc Trestman's offense.
There will be a price for these signings, though. It is very likely the Bears will be bidding farewell to a number of their free agents. Salary-cap math demands as much.
Lance Louis seems likely to be sacrificed. Israel Idonije might be a goner. Perhaps this is the end for Brian Urlacher.
But those are teardrops for another day. On Tuesday, you can bet there were high-fives at Halas Hall.
He's got a point, these 2 guys might have cost the Bears the ability to resign anyone of their own FA's....although I don't think they are done cutting and restructuring yet, which will help in that regard.
2nd article, Cutler has a lot of good things to say, pretty slighted comments about Webb's ability compared to Bushrod, paraphrase, Bushrod is a guy that you can put out there and say that guy's yours and he's going to get them. Also he makes my life easier.
On Uralcher, it will suck to lose him, ecspeically as a leader in the locker room, but that's reality in the NFL, and other guys are going to have to step into his role if he's not back.
On Marty B, he a big b-ball type TE player that teams are looking for, and BMarsh has a lot of good things to say. Said he'll lighten things up in the locker room.
3rd article:
Bears general manager Phil Emery not only saw the same sinkholes in the offense that we saw, but he did something about it before Cutler and his potential were killed. I didn’t think the Bears would be able to land both a left tackle and a tight end in free agency. I figured the salary cap would force them to choose one one.
Emery chose both.
Point is, Emery's actions have set up Cutler to fly or die on his own. It will be on him, not his supporting cast. Or at least, not as conveniently as it was.
When in doubt, blame the offensive line. Failing that, point to the spot where actual tight ends used to be. Next, call out the lame wideout corps that included an over-promoted kick returner who still doesn’t know where to line up.
I did it. You did it. Because it was right. The Bears roster didn’t help a quarterback the way the Packers roster helped Aaron Rodgers. Worse, the Bears quarterback wasn’t close to the Packers quarterback when it mattered.
Plus, the Bears offensive coaches still had no clue how to block Green Bay’s blitzing defense. It was a running joke that finally got Lovie Smith and his staff run out of town.
The more moves that Emery makes, the easier it will be for Emery to decide whether to spend $15 million a year on Cutler after this season.
A ton of good points. The GM and coaching are going to make this team work for Cutler at all costs, it cost JA and Lovie and their staff their jobs, and we now have a GM and coach and a staff that will make this work.
4th article:
These deals were fun for Bears fans already desperate for change. And change will come because now Emery, cap specialist Cliff Stein & Co. just have to rearrange some contracts and cut some guys loose to stay under the salary cap.
While Bushrod is key to fixing the offense, Bennett is the big name and will be introduced to a frothing media Wednesday at Halas Hall. The jovial Bennett will have the fans and media eating out of his hands, as long as those hands catch passes better than his predecessor. No one likes the funny guy who stinks, just take a visit to "JWebb Nation" if you don't believe me.
I don't think that's going to be a problem with Bennett, who looks pretty close to being a sure thing and has all the attributes the Bears want in a tight end under new coach Marc Trestman's aggressive offensive style. ESPN's Free Agent Tracker ranked him fifth, while Pro Football Focus ranked him as the top tight end available
I agree, IF Bennett is the guy he turned into in NY he'll be a key to the team and the media is going to love him. If he turns into that guy in Dallas, he'll be the TE version of JWebb nation and he's not going to like his time here quite as much. But Bushrod is what is going to make this FA time work or fail.
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