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Judging by the way Jay Cutler’s(notes) passes traveled from his right hand to his intended receivers, almost as if connected by a clothesline, the Bears’ new quarterback is already getting in sync with his targets, but that’s just part of his role as the new field general.

“A quarterback’s got to be a coach on the field,” Cutler said after his first OTA practice Wednesday (May 20) at Halas Hall. “And you’ve got to get the best out of every single player. It’s a delicate process. I can yell at some guys, and you can lightly push other guys. It’s a tiptoe act. I’ve got to feel out the guys and kind of see what their pressure points are and how much you can push them, and that’s going to come in time. I’ve tried to do as much on the field and hang out off the field with these offensive guys and just get a feel for what makes them tick.”

The on-the-field stuff doesn’t figure to be a concern. Of Cutler’s first 40 or so passes, only one ball hit the ground, and that was a drop by Rashied Davis(notes), his only one of the day. Most of the routes were being run against air, but even on throws to the far sideline or 50 yards downfield, receivers rarely had to break stride, and they never had to wait very long for the ball.

“His arm strength is incredible,” Devin Hester(notes) said. “The first couple days (during voluntary workouts) everybody’s eyes were wide open and saying, ‘Wow.’ We’re getting used to it.”

Even on the deep balls, Cutler doesn’t need to put much air under his throws to get them there, like the one he flipped 60 yards in the air to Hester behind the secondary in seven-on-seven drills.

“He’s got a lot of velocity on it, and there’s not a lot of trajectory,” offensive coordinator Ron Turner said. “The ball gets there in a hurry. Just his arm strength, I’ve never been around anything like that before, and he’s shown very good accuracy the little bit I’ve been around him.”

That’s the idea, and that’s why the Bears gave up their own starting quarterback, Kyle Orton(notes), two first-round draft picks and a third-rounder to get Cutler. Bears receivers have already learned that his passes arrive with plenty of giddy-up on them.

“It takes a little time to adjust,” Turner said. “They know they better get their head around and get their hands up because that ball’s going to be there. Receivers want that, coaches want that, everybody wants that.”

And they all expect Cutler to provide it, which is fine with him. The 26-year-old has been making the rounds of the city’s hot sports spots and maintaining a busy social schedule, so he’s aware of the great expectations that arrived with him from Denver.

“I knew coming into it,” he said. “Anytime a team wants to make a trade like that and give up what they gave up, it’s going to be a lot of pressure, a lot of high expectations, and I welcome it. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a good challenge. I’ve got a lot of time to work with the guys and get ready for Game 1.”

Leading the Bears to a victory in that one would shoot Cutler’s popularity through the roof. The opener is a Sunday night against the Packers in Green Bay.

Former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Refrigerator Perry was released from the hospital after a month long stay.

He was being treated for the rare nervous system disorder Guillain-Barre Syndrome.

Fans will always remember The Fridge for his 9 year NFL career which included becoming a Super Bowl XX Champion with the 1985 Bears

To leartn more about William Perry click here.

GO BEARS!

For all you football fans the preseason isn’t too far away. One game I can’t wait to see in preseason is the Bears vs Broncos.

For many reasons this will be a good game but the biggest thing I think everyone will have on their mind is Jay Cutler playing his old Broncos. The Bears have made some significant changes this year such as adding Pro-bowl QB Jay Cutler. They have also expanded their receivers line up and are very confident in the promising young wide receivers, not to mention Hester and Cutler will make a great duo.

Cutler received a rousing ovation at his introduction at the annual Bears Expo, but Lovie still insists the Bears will still rely on thier defense and special teams just as they have the last few years.

With everything shaping up for the Bears this could turn out to be a great season for Bears fans.

For a look at the Bears full schedule for 2009 click here.

May 11, 2009
Bears agree to terms with tight end Michael Gaines
By: Larry Mayer

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears on Monday agreed to terms on a one-year contract with tight end Michael Gaines.

The 6-4, 277-pounder has appeared in 73 games with 41 starts in five NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers (2004-06), Buffalo Bills (2007) and Detroit Lions (2008).

Gaines is a strong inline blocker who’s athletic enough to also line up at fullback. He is similar in playing style to ex-Bears tight end John Gilmore and could fill the same type of role.

“It’s an unreal moment for me right now, just because of who the Bears are, what the organization is and the winning tradition,” Gaines said. “It feels good in that aspect.”

Gaines has caught 79 career passes for 810 yards and 5 touchdowns. Last season he had 23 receptions for a career-high 260 yards and 1 TD in 16 games with six starts for the winless Lions.

Gaines, who entered the NFL in 2004 as a seventh-round pick (232nd overall) with the Panthers, was also drawing free-agent interest from the New York Jets. But he chose to sign with the Bears, even though he will be behind Desmond Clark and Greg Olsen on the depth chart.

“I never thought I’d be playing for Chicago because of the situation they have,” said Gaines, a 29-year-old Central Florida product. “But this is a privilege that they see me in so many different ways.

“The Bears had a plan for me. You can’t beat that when people have a goal and a plan mapped out for you at your position. If you put both [the Bears and Jets] together and looked at them on paper, the Jets made sense. But like I said, the Bears had a plan for me and there was just something about Chicago.”

The Chicago Bears are looking to do things right this year and many people are very pleased with what we have seen so far.

When you hear the name The Chicago Bears most fans think DEFENSE, well this year guess what, they are going to have an offense as well.

The Bears started off by picking St.Claire from the Browns, who by the way is a monster and probably eats dirt for breakfast, lunch and dinner topping off with a raw elephant.

Then the Bears pull off signing the 25 year Broncos QB Jay Cutler and picking up Orlando Pace.

Now they find out they will have five nationally televised primetime games, that’s awesome.

If only we can add another receiver to the mix, opposite of Hester, the Bears are going to have a line up that looks good enough to really have a great season.

Most doubt a Super Bowl this year but then again not many people expected the Giants or the Cardinals to make it the Super Bowl, much less have the Giants win.

Go Bears, we love you!

It has been confirmed by Bears Coach Lovie Smith that the Bears will be lead by Kyle Orton at QB next season.

Orton threw for 2,972 yards and 18 TD’s out of his 15 starts last season.

Now that they have a "QB" at least for now, the Bears need to add to the receiving game, Hester is solid but the Bears could use another strong receiver, get some height and some speed in the mix.

Then as long as Orton can deliver the Bears might turn next year into a great year for the Bears. Lets hope for the sake of Bears fans everywhere that Ortons the man and we can keep a QB around for a little while.

Citing economy, Bears freeze ticket prices for next season

Associated Press

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — With the economy struggling, the Chicago Bears say they’ve decided not to raise ticket prices for next season.

It’ll be the first time since after the 2000 season that the Bears won’t boost prices in some form. Friday’s announcement also means the Bears will collect less ticket revenue than last season because the city of Chicago raised the amusement tax from 8 percent to 9 percent.

The Bears are the city’s first major professional team to announce a freeze on ticket prices.

The Chicago Cubs raised them on many seats and added a fourth ticket category for 14 of their most desirable games next season. And the White Sox raised season-ticket prices by $1 to $2 per game.

The Bears’ club seat prices will remain $245 to $350, while non-club seats will continue to range from $68 to $108.

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears has shown at times that he play at the level of some of the greats and at the end of the 2008 season that’s exactly how he was playing. In the last six games of the ‘08 season Hester pulled in 25 passes for 347 yards, if he can keep his momentum for ‘09 then he should have a great season, and might step up to be one of the NFL’s super star receivers.

There has always been the issue of the Bears needing a QB, they have had the longest QB search in the NFL. But now there is talk about the Bears Defense lacking consistency being the reason the Bears didn’t make the Playoffs. Orton is not a bad QB but I feel he has still to show a lot more to really show he can be a solution to the QB search. Just as Jerry Angelo put it “We’ve got to get the quarterback position stabilized. We’re fixated on that I don’t want us to lose sight of that. That position has to get righted.”

Many Bears fans and even haters would have to agree the Bears need a QB if they are ever going to be the team they can be.