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Archive for the ‘Jay Cutler’ Category

Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News predicts that "[Jay] Cutler is going to throw for a lot of yards and a lot of TDs under [Mike] Martz, but dont expect his decision-making to improve. [...]

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The Josh McDaniels administration has chased off most of the disgruntled Denver Broncos players it inherited - Jay Cutler(notes), Brandon Marshall(notes), and Tony Scheffler(notes) have all been knifed out of the picture since McDaniels took over for the fired Mike Shanahan before the 2009 season. However, defensive end/linebacker Elvis Dumervil(notes), who was engaging in his own contract squabbles after finding himself stuck with a one-year, $3.168 million tender offer as a restricted free agent, now finds himself among the highest-paid defenders in the NFL.

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Denver Broncos fans can relax. Not so opposing quarterbacks: NFL sacks leader Elvis Dumervil agreed to a long-term contract extension Thursday night that includes guaranteed money that ranks among the most in NFL history for a defensive player.

The Bears have been pondering for months the addition of a quarterback to complement a depth chart that includes Jay Cutler, Caleb Hanie, and Dan LeFevour.They've finally found one.But he's not the veteran that the team's fans envisioned.  Instead, the...

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Jay Cutler at camp (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)This is the first of an ongoing series of articles that will follow the draft positions of fantasy football relevant Chicago Bears throughout the pre-season. The information below is pulled from Yahoo! Fantasy ...

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Contract possibly keeping WR in lead role

How much do WRs produce in Mike Martz-directed offenses? In 10 years of calling the plays as a OC or HC, No. 1 WRs under Martz have averaged 88.7 receptions and 1,256 yards. The No. 2 WR's numbers in that span are strong -- 68.6 receptions and 1,037 yards. Devin Hester likely would have reached 70 receptions last season if he had remained healthy. Interestingly, Martz compared him to former slot receiver Az-Zahir Hakim when he was first hired, a role player he used in St. Louis. Quickly, Hester was being talked about again as a starter and an outside deep threat. It remains to be seen if he can be above average in that role. (Chicago Tribune)

FF Today's Take: The Tribune goes on to speculate that the Bears didn't want to relegate Hester to a role as a slot receiver immediately under Martz because they paid him handsomely to be a dynamic playmaker. To do that, he needs to be on the field more. Despite Jay Cutler's admiration for Devin Aromashodu and Johnny Knox being locked in as a starter opposite Hester, expect the returner extraordinare to be the most productive WR of the bunch.

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Contract possibly keeping WR in lead role

How much do WRs produce in Mike Martz-directed offenses? In 10 years of calling the plays as a OC or HC, No. 1 WRs under Martz have averaged 88.7 receptions and 1,256 yards. The No. 2 WR's numbers in that span are strong -- 68.6 receptions and 1,037 yards. Devin Hester likely would have reached 70 receptions last season if he had remained healthy. Interestingly, Martz compared him to former slot receiver Az-Zahir Hakim when he was first hired, a role player he used in St. Louis. Quickly, Hester was being talked about again as a starter and an outside deep threat. It remains to be seen if he can be above average in that role. (Chicago Tribune)

FF Today's Take: The Tribune goes on to speculate that the Bears didn't want to relegate Hester to a role as a slot receiver immediately under Martz because they paid him handsomely to be a dynamic playmaker. To do that, he needs to be on the field more. Despite Jay Cutler's admiration for Devin Aromashodu and Johnny Knox being locked in as a starter opposite Hester, expect the returner extraordinare to be the most productive WR of the bunch.

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Filed under: Chicago Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings, NFC North

It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL. So what better time to start breaking down the upcoming season? From July 6-27, FanHouse will take an in-depth look at each division to help prepare you for training camp. We're calling it our Summer Scramble.

Coming July 16: AFC South Players to Watch

Burning Questions

Will Julius Peppers live up to his six-year, $84 million contract?

Peppers terrorized Vikings left tackle Bryant McKinnie late last season, forcing the Pro Bowler to the bench, while Peppers kept putting his mitts on Brett Favre. The Bears see Favre -- assuming he plays, which virtually everyone thinks he will -- and the Vikings twice. Can Peppers continue to create nightmares for the Vikings line? Will he be hurt by the Bears' decision to cut veteran Alex Brown, allowing him to sign with the defending champion Saints as a free agent? Peppers has been a pretty consistent force over his career, with the notable exception of 2007. The Bears shouldn't be excessively worried about injury or ineffectiveness, but the reality is there is a ton of pressure on Peppers and Brian Urlacher to resurrect this one-proud defense. If one or both falter, it doesn't matter what the offense does. It'll be another long year.

 

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Filed under: Chicago Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings, NFC North

It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL. So what better time to start breaking down the upcoming season? From July 6-27, FanHouse will take an in-depth look at each division to help prepare you for training camp. We're calling it our Summer Scramble.

Coming July 15: NFC North Burning Questions, Bold Predictions

Chicago Bears -- Brian Urlacher

It's tempting to just write "Jay Cutler" here and let the lines go about interceptions, maturity, "the lack of receivers" and Mike Martz. However, we know Cutler's talented, we know what he's capable of when he's playing well (see: Week 16 vs. Minnesota), and we know what he's capable of when he's a tick off (see: Week 1 at Green Bay). What isn't known is how much of the Bears' 2009 defensive decline was due to Urlacher's Week 1 wrist injury that cost him the rest of the season. We also don't know how good he'll be as he tries to finish off another comeback from a devastating injury. At age 32, it's not going to be as easy as it sounds.

If Urlacher is actually the straw that stirs the drink for the Chicago defense, the Bears may face some serious struggles again. Lately, Urlacher has indeed been that straw. They're better statistically when he plays, and they're 7-15 without Urlacher since Lovie Smith took over as head coach. Like it or not, the Bears appear to go as Urlacher goes. That's why there is so much uncertainty in Chicago as the season approaches.

 

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During a tumultuous 2009 offseason, the Denver Broncos fired coach Mike Shanahan, replaced him with Josh McDaniels, and traded away quarterback Jay Cutler. With Shanahan now coaching the Redskins and Cutler heading into his second season with the Bears, McDaniels...

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One year after his sudden death, friends and family remember former Oilers/Titans and Ravens quarterback Steve McNair.

Filed under: NFL Notebook

Here's what's happening around the National Football League on Wednesday, June 30, 2010:

o. As Albert Haynesworth's tiff with the Redskins has dragged deeper into the summer, the Lions popped up as a potential trade partner with Washington -- the thought of combining Haynesworth with rookie Ndamukong Suh on the interior of its line at least briefly piqued Detroit's interest.

That's all in the past, though, according to NFL.com's Jason La Canfora, who reported that the Lions are no longer considering a trade for Haynesworth. The main reason behind that decision, a source told La Canfora, is that the Lions "don't want any negative influences" around Suh.

Haynesworth recently said in a statement that he plans to attend the Redskins' training camp, which begins in late July, despite sitting out all of the team's offseason workouts and OTAs.

o. Is eight-time Pro Bowler Kevin Mawae unemployed because teams think he's done at 39? Or is it because he's the president of the NFLPA in a particularly contentions labor climate?

 

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The Bears have no veteran quarterback to serve as the understudy to Jay Cutler.  They could have -- and if offensive coordinator Mike Martz had his way surely would have -- signed Marc Bulger.  While Bulger was on the market,...

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When asked Wednesday about adding experience behind starting quarterback Jay Cutler, Bears head coach Lovie Smith said, "We can't say that it's never going to happen," the Chicago Tribune reports. [...]

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Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler said he enjoys the offense that offensive coordinator Mike Martz has brought to the team, reports Jon Greenburg, ESPNChicago.com. "There's a lot to like about it. The ball's in the air. We're doing some great stuff in the run game. It's personnel-based so we're trying to get guys open, trying to find spaces for them, trying to find matchups," Cutler said.

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Jay Cutler had effusive praise for new offensive coordinator Mike Martz following the Bears' mandatory minicamp. "He makes you want to come to work every day," Cutler said. [...]

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Despite some speculation in Chicago that Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and Mike Martz wouldn't be a great fit, Cutler has been taking every opportunity lately to gush about his new offensive coordinator."He makes you want to come to work every...

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Cutler thinks that new offensive coordinator Mike Martz can "make me a whole better quarterback," and believes "he (Martz) is going to bring the best out of me as a quarterback on and off the field", CSNChicago.com reports.

Impacts: Cutler also went on to say that last year's problems can be attributed to being a new quarterback in a different offense (Ron Turner's) and throwing to new receivers, also citing issues with communications as well as execution. Expectations are already high, but with the addition of Martz coupled with another offseason to build rapport with his teammates, it's possible Cutler could be undervalued in 2010.

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Cutler thinks that new offensive coordinator Mike Martz can "make me a whole better quarterback," and believes "he (Martz) is going to bring the best out of me as a quarterback on and off the field", CSNChicago.com reports. [...]

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The Chicago Bears took the somewhat unusual step this offseason of having their quarterback, Jay Cutler, involved in the interview process before they hired Mike Martz as offensive coordinator. And in preparing for that interview, Cutler called around to hear...

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