Chicago Bears Mandatory Minicamp: Day 1 Notebook

Jun 11, 2013; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman during minicamp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Since there is just so much news out there from Day 1 of the Bears mandatory minicamp, I thought I’d handle it with a notebook of bullet points, commentary and healthy cynicism.  Here we go:

Have you seen this movie before?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before.  Quarterback gushes over new offensive guru.  New offensive guru gushes over quarterback.  Whether it’s been Mike Martz or Mike Tice or now Marc Trestman, Jay Cutler spent at least part of his post-practice commentary throwing bouquets at the feet of his latest offensive coordinator.

"“He does a great job,” Cutler said of Trestman. “I really enjoy working with him. He understands quarterbacks. He understands how to protect quarterbacks. He’s able to get into your mind and see what you’re seeing and think what you’re thinking and give you the best possible solutions."

Not to be outdone, Trestman was equally effusive in his praise of his quarterback:

"“He’s very bright,” Trestman said. “The meetings have gone very smoothly. There’s intelligent interchange between himself, Matt [Cavanaugh], myself and the other quarterbacks. I love our meeting room. We’re getting a lot done quickly. The guys understand the game.“Jay’s been in so many different offenses recently and I’m just totally impressed at how he’s handled a little bit of new language, a little bit of a new way of looking at things. There are a lot of different ways to do things and this is a little bit different for him, but I think he’s handled it extremely well.”"

Let’s hope this movie has a better ending than it has the last couple of years.

Tempering Expectations

I don’t know if Jay is feeling a little overwhelmed or under-prepared at this stage of the offseason program, but you heard a rare moment of hesitation and a lack of confidence from the Bears QB:

"“Right now we’re just trying to learn the basics of the offense,” Cutler said. “It’s a three-year process to learn an offense. It takes time. It’s hard to go out there Year 1 and blow the doors off. But we’re going to do the best we can with the time allowed and we’ll see where we’re at.”"

I don’t know if I should be mad at that comment because it sounds like Cutler isn’t 100% confident in where they are or glad that we’re getting a rare splash of realism.

I had to double check to see if Cutler had actually been anywhere under one offensive system long enough to know that it takes 3 years to learn a system.  He lasted exactly 3 years in Denver before the revolving door of OC’s made their way through Chicago.   Let’s hope Trestman and Cutler are around long enough to complete the installation of Trestman’s offense.

Adding Reinforcements

The Bears bolstered the depth of their defensive line by adding veteran nose tackle Sedrick Ellis.  Ellis was a first round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints in 2008 and accrued 12.5 sacks over five seasons.

By adding Ellis, it pretty much closes the door on Israel Idonije coming back to the team.

Off the Scrap Heap

Gabe Carimi practice at right tackle with the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins claimed disgraced fullback Evan Rodriguez.  Hey, from what we hear, he knows his way around town and has some friends with local law enforcement.  What could possibly go wrong???  Lock up the liquor cabinet Dolphins!

Injury Bugs

• Here’s another one that might shock you – second year receiver Alshon Jeffery is sidelined with a bad hamstring.  Jeffery missed 6 games in his rookie campaign with a fractured hand and a knee injury.
• Brandon Marshall had declared himself 100% last week, but was still a little limited in minicamp.
• Offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer has sidelined while recovering from hip surgery.
• Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune’s Vaughn McClure wrote about Shea McClellin’s plantar faciitis.  Today, McClellin declared himself fine.  It’s a miracle!  You sure the Bears didn’t sign Tebow?

Stay tuned for more updates on the rest of minicamp and all your Chicago Bears news.

BEAR DOWN!!!