Cutler can't do it alone

scott stewart~sun-times ; The Bears were less than 15 minutes into the offseason when Lovie Smith, unshaken by a loss in a game that would have returned him to the playoffs, declared the Bears ''close.'' If they were near anything, it was mediocrity, and some figured they already had arrived after their once-vaunted defense choked away a 10-point lead and surrendered more than 450 yards at Houston with the postseason at stake. Four days until players report to training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., for the organization's eighth summer there, the losers' lament by Smith looks more like a prophecy. If you go to the well often enough, or you trade for a Pro Bowl quarterback, anything is possible. Some are labeling the Bears the favorite in the NFC North and giving them a shot at the conference crown. What a difference Jay Cutler makes. Cutler mania will launch when he takes the field Friday for the first time in front of fans. His powerful right arm and playmaking ability are going to make him the main attraction, but Cutler alone can't deliver the Bears to their third division title in Smith's six seasons. There is plenty more going on -- such as these 10 issues facing the 2009 Bears : 1 IT'S LOVIE'S DEFENSE It's either coaching or personnel that has been behind the Bears' slide on defense since Super Bowl XLI, right? If we can agree on that, and if you believe the issue was coaching, then maybe it's fixed. Smith added the unofficial title of defensive coordinator to his office door when he announced in January that he would take over play-calling responsibilities. Now the man who traces his roots to the formation of the Tampa-2 as an original member of Tony Dungy's staff will have direct input on each snap. If the issue wasn't coaching, then the Bears might be in a world of trouble. That would mean Brian Urlacher is done, Adewale Ogunleye is on his way out, Tommie Harris is injured and the secondary is one big mess. That's not a quick-fix problem a title change and new position coaches at each level of the defense can solve. 2 PIN BACK THEIR EARS The only way the defense will return to form is if the pass rush, which barely was propped up by the blitz a year ago, is rediscovered. The key to making the scheme work -- the most difficult thing about the defense -- is generating consistent pressure with the four down linemen, and this is where the team needs Harris to perform like the player who was given a $40 million extension last summer. He's the trigger man as the under tackle, and new line coach Rod Marinelli is the best man out there to work with him. Critics have attacked Marinelli for his record in Detroit as the head coach, but it's doubtful they're going after Dick LeBeau in Pittsburgh for his lousy resume as a head coach in Cincinnati. Ogunleye has the motivation of a contract year in front of him, and Marinelli thinks highly of right end Alex Brown. Getting this group straightened out -- the line made 36 of the team's 40 sacks in 2006 -- will make Urlacher and Lance Briggs better. If the front isn't playing well, the secondary will be exposed, too. 3 SETTING THE PACE New left tackle Orlando Pace doesn't have to be the Orlando Pace of eight years ago, he just has to be the Ruben Brown of five years ago. The Bears are hoping the blindside protection for Cutler that was signed within hours of the trade for the quarterback can enjoy the kind of career renaissance Brown did when he came from Buffalo in 2004 and eventually added another Pro Bowl to his accomplishments. The Bears had all five linemen start 16 games last season, and they're expected to have three new starters with Chris Williams manning right tackle and Frank Omiyale projected to land at left guard. That's turnover, and it's a good thing because the line needs to be better than it was in 2008. 4 CATCHING ON If Darryl Drake says he's got the receivers he wants to work with enough times, maybe the position coach will start to believe it. The Bears are a work in progress when it comes to having some big-play wideouts for Cutler. Devin Hester still is being miscast as a No. 1 receiver, and Earl Bennett appears headed from no catches as a rookie to starting in Year 2 by virtue of the team's refusal to bring in any proven candidates. Tight end Greg Olsen should anchor the passing game and could improve dramatically on a solid second season of 54 receptions and five touchdowns. But Cutler needs some other options. Hester made progress you could see, not progress measured only in coachspeak in the second half of last season, so he should be better. But he has to get help across from him, and that means the combination of Bennett and rookies Juaquin Iglesias and Johnny Knox must step forward, along with Rashied Davis, who will benefit with a return to the slot. Brandon Rideau deserves a real chance to make the roster. 5 PLAYING TO HIS STRENGTHS Cutler's game isn't complete yet, and it can't be until he guides a team to a winning record and the playoffs. With supreme arm strength and the supreme confidence that comes with it, he'll attempt throws he shouldn't at times and force the ball into places it shouldn't go. With a running back such as Matt Forte and a defense that is expected to be improved, it's his job to reduce those risks. The Bears aren't going to change their idea of game management, which is based on field position and a positive turnover ratio. They don't want Cutler to lose his aggressive flair, they want him to be better in his decision-making. 6 TAILORING THE PLAYBOOK Along with Cutler refining his game, offensive coordinator Ron Turner needs to find what is best for his quarterback. They spent time watching Denver film to get a feel for what Cutler did and didn't like, and that needs to be integrated into the offense. They have the foundation with Cutler, and it's time to build around him. 7 SAFETY PATROL If the Bears had as much turnover at quarterback as at safety during Smith's tenure, they just might pull out all the stops to acquire a quarterback of the future. When Cutler starts the opener Sept. 13 at Green Bay, it will be the 13th change in starting QBs since Smith arrived in 2004. In that span, he has switched starting free safeties 16 times and starting strong safeties 14 times. Jon Hoke -- the fourth secondary coach in six seasons -- will try to sort out a situation that will draw plenty of attention but won't have the impact of the work on the line. Kevin Payne is in position to return as the strong safety and Craig Steltz might crack the lineup at free safety, even though he's been viewed as a better fit for strong safety. A cause for concern? Sure. Something that could be the undoing of the defense? No. 8 MOST EXCITING PLAY IN Football Now that Hester is accustomed to the demands of being a starting wide receiver and working on special teams, the belief is he will settle back into the role as a punt returner that made him one of the most electrifying players in the league almost instantly as a rookie in 2006. The Bears ranked eighth in the league in special teams last season, but they were poor on punt returns. Hester never found a groove, and a cast of new players around him didn't find one, either. Sure, a punt return is just one score, but teams that get a punt return for a touchdown win the game more than two-thirds of the time. The thing is, you won't find out if he's up to the task until the regular season. 9 DUAL-THREAT BACKFIELD There is a theory that when a running back hits 370 carries in a season, he'll break down faster than Mark Prior. While Forte didn't have that many carries last season, he did have 379 touches (316 carries, fourth most in the league, and 63 receptions) as a rookie, a workload that took a toll on him by the end of the season. No one is suggesting the wheels are going to come off Forte; quite the contrary, in fact. Entering his second year, he's one of the better dual-threat backs in the league. But a fresher Forte will be more effective -- and to achieve that, he's got to come off the field more after being in on 84 percent of the offensive snaps last year. Kevin Jones is now far enough removed from ACL reconstruction that he can be relied on in a complementary role. The thing is, the Bears talked about getting other backs more involved last season all the way until Sunday, then stuck with their workhorse. Talk will be cheap this time around. 10 CLASS OF '06, YOU'RE UP The Bears don't have a single player from their 2005 draft class left after trading Kyle Orton. The 2006 group looked like a foundation for years to come en route to Super Bowl XLI. Like they say, it takes three or four years to evaluate a draft class. But other than Hester, this group hasn't contributed much lately. Danieal Manning, Dusty Dvoracek, Jamar Williams and Mark Anderson are in contract years and could help the team and themselves with a strong season. Manning needs to lock down the nickel cornerback job and remain electric on kickoff returns. Dvoracek has to stay healthy to be in the tackle rotation. Williams is going to be hard-pressed to see the field but could play a bigger role on special teams. Anderson has to provide a spark as a situational pass rusher. The best pick of '06 not named Hester? Try departed special-teams ace Brendon Ayanbadejo, who was acquired in 2005 for a seventh-round pick this year. It's time for someone else to step forward. Comment at suntimes.com. COUNTDOWN TO CAMP The Bears return to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Ill., for training camp for the eighth year, and an agreement between the organization and school for next summer already has been reached. The first practice is scheduled for Friday. Admission and parking are free. Olivet Nazarene is a tobacco- and alcohol-free campus. All times and dates are subject to change. Seating for night practices at Ward Field is limited. For more information, go to http://www.chicagobears.com/team/TrainingCampSchedule.asp. - Tickets for Family Day, which is sponsored by the Sun-Times, are $7 and are available through all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets may be purchased in groups of four or more for $6 each through Friday. All seating will be reserved. Comcast is offering customers a buy-one-ticket, get-one-free promotion. Activities outside the stadium will begin at 10 a.m.; gates open at 10 a.m. Preseason schedule Directions to camp Take I-90/94 south to I-57. Take I-57 south to Bradley/Bourbonnais exit 315. Follow the exit ramp as it curves to the right onto Route 50 south. Turn right onto Armour Road. At the second traffic light, turn left onto Convent Street, which also is Route 45/52. Follow the curves past the side entrance to the campus on the left and continue to the main entrance, which is lined with flags.