by Chris Cwik

The Cubs are in first place, the White Sox just added Jake Peavy, and baseball is all the rage in Chicago. However, no player made a bigger impact in Chicago this year than Jay Cutler. So, I decided, what better way to spend a Sunday than to head down to Bourbonnais and take in Chicago Bears Training Camp? Armed with nothing but a camera, I had to see what all the fuss was about at Camp Cutler. ...

The Positives
Jay Cutler - The QB was everything that you would expect. On one of his first passes of the day, he rifled a slant to Devin Hester. He displayed a really strong arm and a knack for looking off the defensive backs all day.

Devin Hester - Hester looked great.  He ran his routes pretty well, and he didn't drop a pass all practice. One of the most promising signs was the chemistry he had already developed with Cutler. Hester and Cutler connected 3-4 times during 7 on 7 drills. Cutler also connected with Hester on a deep bomb pretty ealry on in practice. It was one of the prettiest deep passes I have ever seen, Hester didn't even have to break stride.

Earl Bennett - Cutler's favorite target in college showed why the Bears drafted him in the 3rd round last year. He, like Hester, didn't drop a pass the entire practice. Bennett's biggest highlight came when he beat press coverage from Nathan Vasher and hauled in a deep pass from Cutler. This was probably the best play of the day.

The Play Calling - In the early drills, the Bears seemed to be toying with some new formations. On the third huddle of the day, the Bears came out in the Wildcat with Cutler split out wide. This drew both laughs and applause from the fans. On another play, they called a direct snap to Forte who handed off to Kevin Jones. They also called a reverse to Hester in which Cutler was the lead blocker. I'm all for the Offense getting a little creative, just please don't get Hester killed.

The Negatives
The Rookie Wideouts - Both Johnny Knox and Juaquin Iglesias were yelled at early on for being out of position on certain plays. However, both also showed some flashes during practice as well. Iglesias rebounded by performing pretty well in 7 on 7s, and Knox showed some great speed. All in all, it was an up and down day for the two rookies. 

The Defense - Maybe the Offense was just that good today, but the D wasn't totally up to speed yet. This was especially evident when the D was in the Cover 2. Cutler and Caleb Hanie consistently found players in the seams and connected with some nice passes. As the day went on, however, the QBs did have to check down more often and the D seemed to be cracking down.

Lance Briggs - I don't know what was up with Briggs today, but he must have been a little dinged. He didn't take part in any of the drills today, however, he was fully suited up. This is probably a minor issue, but the Bears need a healthy Briggs come the pre-season.

Random Notes
-Rashied Davies made a great move on Daniel Manning in 1 on 1s and then proceeded to drop the pass. Afterward, Davies did 10 push-ups to make up for his gaffe.
-Caleb Hanie looked pretty good in his back-up role. He seemed to have a good understanding of the offense and showed some promise today. He told one of the rookie wideouts that they weren't lined up properly and made sure they were in the right place before the ball was snapped.
-Charles TIllman was unable to practice as he continues to recover from back surgery. He was at practice sporting a floppy hat and hanging out with the other Defensive Backs.
-Nathan Vasher and Earl Bennett were also seen fielding some punts. Perhaps the Bears will have a few options at Punt Returner this year?
-Rod Marinelli had the D-line looking aggressive. Even though the linemen were on pretty far away from where I was standing, you could hear the linemen yelling as they went through their drills.

Those are my news and notes from practice today. Overall, the team looked pretty good. The Offense is coming together pretty quickly. The main players seem to be on the same page. The D could use a bit of work, but it is pretty hard to judge the Defense when they aren't allowed to hit. All in all, it looks like this team, and Jay Cutler, is the real deal. If the Offense continues to play at this level, the Bears could be playing late into the Winter.

How will the Monsters of the Midway fair in 2009? Share your thoughts below!