Jay Cutler to work on durability for 2014
By Cory Buck
Jay Cutler hasn’t played every game in an NFL season since the 2009 season — his first in Chicago. It appears he’s taking that figure to heart this offseason and doing everything he can to change that. If he succeeds (and gets a little lucky) then the Bears just might find their way back in the NFC playoffs for the first time since 2010.
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Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune writes that Chicago Bears head coach Mark Trestman has noticed an uptick in Cutler’s dedication to physical preparation for the upcoming season. “He has really focused on staying physically well for the entire season. That’s No. 1 — we’ve got to keep him standing, keep him safe,” said Trestman.
The Chicago Bears sported the 5th most passing yards in 2013 and it will be no secret in 2014 that the team hopes to build on that foundation built by Trestman and his staff. Injuries smacked this team hard throughout the lineup, but Jay Cutler is priority no. 1. With proven backup Josh McCown having left town, the Chicago Bears will go as Cutler goes.
Chicago has been consistently in the mix for their division title in their time with Cutler as QB, but they have continually fallen short of their Super Bowl aspirations thanks to annual injuries to their quarterback. Even when the team did make the playoffs and managed to host the NFC Championship Game, the Bears ended up losing after Cutler left the game with a knee injury.
It’s hard to blame a player for an injury. It’s mostly a matter of luck as far as who avoids them, but Jay Cutler isn’t going to leave anything to chance, and that’s to be admired. If the Chicago Bears can avoid the same injury bug that swept through their roster last season, look out for the team to once again compete for the NFC North title.