Jay

Cutler

So much for Bradlee Van Pelt being ahead of him. Don’t expect Cutler to compete for playing time until next off-season though.

Cutler, who saw the bulk of Denver’s quarterback reps, was especially sharp on a six-play, 42-yard scoring drive as the second quarter came to a close. Jake Plummer finished 3-of-4 passing for 33 yards.

Jake Plummer threw three interceptions in Sunday’s regular season opener. Expect Plummer to get at least a few weeks to turn it around.

Cutler took three sacks and avoided many more, and his yards per attempt (6.6) took a beating as a result. When the line wasn’t getting beat, it was committing false starts -- nine total. Mike Martz refuses to help out his struggling offensive line with protection schemes, and under that approach it’s safe to expect more of the same from Cutler and Chicago’s pedestrian receiver corps. Things won’t get easier with Jared Allen next on the slate.

Bates was Cutler’s QBs coach his final year in Denver, where he threw for a career-high 4,526 yards. “We’re going to use his feet,” Bates said. “He’s athletic, he can throw on the run, he can see downfield on the run.” Bates also plans to have Cutler roll out more as opposed to the rigid dropbacks favored by former OC Mike Martz. Bates, Brandon Marshall, and Alshon Jeffery’s additions are all promising developments for Cutler’s fantasy value.

Bates was Cutler’s QBs coach for his final two seasons with the Broncos. ''I’ve been a fan of him since I left Denver,” Cutler said. “When I left Denver, I told him that somewhere down the line hopefully we can work together. This was a good situation for us.’' Cutler also admitted he hopes the Bears land a “big receiver” this offseason. ''Anyone over 6-2 at this point is going to look good.”

Cutler resumed throwing in late December, and will be all systems go for the Bears’ offseason program. Last season was the first time since Cutler’s rookie year (2006) that he failed to appear in at least 15 games.

The recovery time from this kind of surgery varies greatly, depending on how patients respond to the pins and screws in their thumb. “It could be that I’m done for the season,” Cutler said. “I don’t know. I just have to be smart about it. I have to realize there is a long-term picture here.”

Cutler did do some light throwing prior to Week 14, but he admitted he was “shot-putting” the ball more than throwing it. He still has pins in his hand. At this point, we’d still be surprised to see Cutler before Week 17. Players are usually overly optimistic about their status.

Jay Cutler has enough velocity to play through the elements, but it’s another factor that will be working against him. The Lions have a top-five pass defense and allow an average of just 194 passing yards per game. He’s a mid-level QB2. Johnny Knox, Roy Williams, and Devin Hester need to be downgraded for their lack of involvement on inside routes.