National Football League
Offensive struggles don't faze Cutler
National Football League

Offensive struggles don't faze Cutler

Published Aug. 31, 2010 11:43 p.m. ET

Jay Cutler understands the angst. He also has a message - relax.

Whether it's breakdowns on the line or just poor execution overall, the Chicago Bears aren't getting what they envisioned from their starting offense.

Good thing for them it's just the preseason. The games don't count until Sept. 12, when Chicago opens against Detroit, meaning there's time to figure it all out.

With a new offensive coordinator in Mike Martz, Cutler said the Bears are running plays ''just to get it on film'' so he's not too worried about what he's seen so far.

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The line has been shaky, and the points simply aren't coming. The starters were held scoreless in last week's 14-9 loss to Arizona, drawing boos from antsy fans who have seen the Bears fail to make the playoffs since the 2006 team's Super Bowl run.

''Is there a reason for concern? Maybe, maybe not,'' Cutler said. ''I'm not concerned. I don't think anybody in that locker room is really concerned of where we're at. I think we're happy where we're at. There's room to improve, absolutely, but I think we'll be ready.''

The Bears have scored on just three of 16 drives with Cutler, getting a field goal from Robbie Gould along with an 89-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte and TD pass to Johnny Knox.

Gould also had one field goal blocked and another hit the upright against Arizona, but it wasn't exactly a smooth performance for the offense, either.

Cutler was 10 of 20 for 129 yards and intercepted twice by Greg Toler while being sacked four times. He was taken down five times the previous week. On one of the sacks against Arizona, he tripped, but the pass protection was better.

Even so, he admittedly was skittish. And the offense again was out of sync. It didn't help, either, that Cutler had some problems with the audio. Even so, Martz was ''a little surprised'' by some of the mistakes he saw.

Cutler acknowledged that the Bears were a little too tense and insisted the mistakes are a matter of small tweaks rather than major fixes.

''Guys have a really good feel of what we're trying to do, what their routes should be,'' he said. ''We don't have a lot of mental mistakes out there of guys lining up wrong or guys running the wrong routes. It's just minor things: not getting the depth, cutting too soon, missing if it's single-high or middle of the field open. Just little things right now.''

Those ''little things'' loom large in a system that relies on precision and timing, and they will go a long way toward determining the team's success.

There's little room for error this season. Coach Lovie Smith and general manager Jerry Angelo are operating on a win-or-else mandate, and the Bears made some big changes during the offseason, acquiring Pro Bowl defensive end Julius Peppers and running back Chester Taylor while shaking up the coaching staff.

Martz brings a successful track record, not to mention a playbook that's as thick as a lineman's waist. He also has receivers who at times struggled to grasp former coordinator Ron Turner's system, a quarterback with a gunslinging mentality and a line with question marks.

Yet, there's potential - potential for big results or big failure.

''It's pretty tough at the beginning, but once you get down the concepts and all the minor details - which are very important - you'll pick it up,'' said receiver Earl Bennett, who returned to practice this week after being out with a pulled hamstring.

It might not matter, though, if the line doesn't block.

Martz said the protection improved ''remarkably'' in the third preseason game, particularly with left tackle Chris Williams doing a better job after he got outplayed Oakland's Kamerion Wimbley.

''Each week, that group grows together and gets better and better,'' he said. ''I was very pleased with the progress, particularly in the protections.''

So was Cutler, who's been sacked 10 times. And he remains confident the offense will be clicking by the opener.

''It has to be,'' he said. ''We don't have a choice.''

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