Jay Cutler

(+) Jay is reunited with one of the best wide receivers in the game…who coincidently is also one of his best friends (Brandon Marshall)

(+) During the Marshall/Cutler era in Denver, Jay put up some of the best numbers of his career including in 2008 when he threw for 4,525 yards and had the third-most QB fantasy points in the league

(+) Matt Forte proved to be one of the leagues best backs when healthy providing both a solid rushing attack as well as one of the best pass-catchers out of the backfield in the game today

(+) The running threat of the Forte/Bush combo will give the Bears more of an opportunity for play-action passes

(+) The Bears offensive line should be much improved this season in terms of both health and experience

(+) Mike Martz is gone, Mike Tice is in

(+) Tice not only will be removing the seven-step drop for Cutler, but will also allow him to audible (which he wasn’t allowed to do before), give him more roll-outs (which he likes) and generally put him in a much better position to succeed

(+) Bringing back Jeremy Bates, who was his QB coach in Denver, will be big for Cutler’s confidence as the Bears passing game will ultimately have Bates’ stamp on it

(+) Kellen Davis (6’7”), rookie Alshon Jeffrey (6’3”) and Brandon Marshall (6’4”) give Cutler maybe the tallest Red Zone-threat trio in the NFL

(+) No Johnny Knox means fewer chances for Cutler INTs

(+) Hester’s reduced role should mean more specific plays designed for his skill-set…which could mean more big plays for Cutler

(+) The Bears are going to need to score big to win games in the NFC North

(+) From a fantasy point of view, you gotta love his gunslinger mentality

(–) Will the offensive line finally be able to put it together and keep Jay upright long enough for him to flourish?

(–) Only threw for two 300-yard games last season (played 10 games due to injury)

(–) Didn’t throw for more than two TDs in any single game last season

(–) If Jay becomes INT-prone again, he might actually get hurt having to make tackles every game

(–) Could start off slow while getting used to playing with both the rookie (Jeffery) and his buddy (Marshall) again

(–) If he couldn't adjust to Martz's offense, how will Daddy Cutler adjust to diaper-duty and breastfeeding in public this season? (Fiancé Kristin Cavallari is due in August)

What a polarizing season “My Left Nutler” had in 2009, as he turned out to be even more of a bipolar player than Sexy Rexy was (is that possible?). When he was good, such as the game against the vaunted Vikings at the end of the season when he picked them apart for 4 TDs in an overtime win, he was unstoppable.  But when he was bad, like when he threw 5 interceptions against the 49ers, including that dreadful duck on the last play of the game from the 12-yard line that could have won it, you almost had to feel embarrassed for him both as a player and as a man.  However, it shouldn’t have been too unexpected, as it was just his first year under center with a new ballclub.  Plus, he was working with a receiving corps that was not even 1/3 as good combined as Brandon Marshall is alone.  That said, his final 2009 statistics put him on the cusp of fantasy starter status regardless of the fact that he threw the most interceptions in the league (26) and most since Favre threw 29 in 2005.

~ Set career bests in passing TDs (27), interceptions (26), and sacks taken (35)

Not that Cutler would ever be considered a sleeper, but after the year he just had, that might be exactly what you have to call him in 2010.  The Bears brought in Mike Martz, the most QB-minded offensive coordinator the NFL has seen in the past decade or so (aka the man who made Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger), so that alone should get the juices flowing for Cutler owners.  He still has one of the best arms in the league, and combined with the speed of the Bears receivers and Martz’s game-plan, it’s possible Cutler shoots back up into the top 5-10 fantasy QBs in the league.  His desperado tendencies are what give him the potential to both prosper and fail at the same time, but no matter which way the river ends up flowing; you know it will always be exciting to watch… especially if you took the chance on him as your starting fantasy QB.

~ With Mike Martz in town, Cutler will be given every chance in the world to put up career numbers in 2010

~ Matt Forte and Chester Taylor are both very good at catching balls out of the backfield

~ The offensive line should be much improved under the tutelage of the Bears new O-Line coach, Mike Tice

~ As we saw in the last few games, Chicago's no-name receivers came into their own and really look for them to improve in 2010

Jay Cutler (@JayCutler6) can be followed on Twitter at  http://twitter.com/JayCutler6

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Cutler was on the right end of a terrible call, check it out:

In the middle of the 2009 season, the Bears inked Cutler to a five-year, $49.77 million contract that included $20 million guaranteed, a $7 million signing bonus, almost all of his 2009 income ($10.035 million), and $3.3 million of his 2010 salary.  He can also earn $500,000 in workout bonuses for each year from 2010-2013.  AWOW!  The rest goes like this:

2010 - $7.5 million

2011 - $8.1 million

2012 - $8.2 million

2013 - $8.9 million

2014 – Free Agent

Caleb Hanie is currently the handcuff for Cutler.  Because Mike Martz is in town, he might even be worth the risk at the end of your draft

• Offensive Line


• Offensive Scheme


• Major Off-Season Moves


• 2010 NFL Draft

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