Bears Blitz

Published by Gabe Salgado on April 3, 2013
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

So far this offseason, the NFL has seen quite a bit of transition among its teams. The Chicago Bears have seen more than their fair share of transition, especially within in the past couple of months. A new coaching staff, the departure of Brian Urlacher (among other big-name players) and the pains of the salary cap have really hit this franchise full force.

Caught in the middle of this is new head coach Marc Trestman. He will have quite the hill to climb come September. Aside from bringing a new philosophy for both offense and defense, Coach Trestman will also have to gain the respect of the players who cared deeply for Lovie Smith.

It’ll be interesting to see how his style of football, combined with the new faces on the team and the backlash that could come with it, will shape this franchise for the near future. I think that the biggest task ahead of Marc Trestman will be working with his new quarterback.

Trestman no longer has the trustworthy CFL veteran Anthony Calvillo under center. Instead, he has the brash and cocky personality of Jay Cutler. Trestman turned Jake Plummer into a 3,700-yard passer, coached Rich Gannon to an NFL MVP award and even worked with Hall of Famer Steve Young.

While Trestman has the list of names and recommendations on his resume, Cutler will be a much tougher task to tackle. It’s no secret that Cutler has had issues with coaches and offensive coordinators during his tenure in a Bears uniform.

It’ll be interesting to see what type of approach Trestman will take when he works with Cutler for the first time when mini-camp comes around. The good thing is that Cutler and Trestman have already communicated with one another during the offseason. It’s a good start, but how can the new head coach capitalize on those conversations?

Jay Cutler is not afraid to speak his mind. This is evidenced by his choice words for former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz on Sunday Night Football during the 2011 season.

Jay Cutler has also snubbed his coaches in the past—just ask last year’s offensive coordinator Mike Tice. The biggest issue that Trestman will have to overcome is Cutler’s tendency do things his way. The former Vanderbilt standout has been known to ignore his coaches, take on that “gunslinger” mentality and start throwing the ball at will.

When that happens, his throws are off and inaccurate, and they have gotten him into trouble on numerous occasions. There are some who blame the offensive line’s poor play for Cutler’s mistakes, but he has made his own mistakes as well.

The relationship between Cutler and Trestman will be under a microscope over the next few months.

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