One of the things that previous regimes just didn’t seem to understand with the Chicago Bears rested with who they had in Jay Cutler.
Yes, he has personality quirks that rub people the wrong way and he’s been prone to bad decisions. That’s for the sports psychologists to figure. No, this is in reference to the same thing so many experts can’t help but bring up time and time again like an iPod on repeat or a skipping record.
His rocket right arm. Even at age 33 most feel Cutler still has one of the strongest guns in the NFL. A man who can throw the ball 50 yards flat footed and 70-80 if he gets his full body into it. That is a long way to throw a football and it’s fair to say there may not be a wide receiver in the game he can’t reach down the field. The problem is the Bears have never tried to take advantage of this.
Not until now.
Going into the 2016 season, Chicago has assembled a receiving corps with a nice mix of different talents from size to agility to hands or quickness. However, another trait many of them share is the simple ability to run really fast. Here is a breakdown of every receiver on their roster and what their timed 40-yard dash.
- Alshon Jeffery – 4.48 seconds
- Kevin White – 4.35 seconds
- Eddie Royal – 4.39 seconds
- Marquess Wilson – 4.51 seconds
- Daniel Braverman – 4.47 seconds
- Marc Mariani – 4.48 seconds
- Deonte Thompson – 4.31 seconds
- Josh Bellamy – 4.47 seconds
- Cameron Meredith – 4.42 seconds
- Nathan Palmer – 4.39 seconds
- Kieren Duncan – 4.25 seconds
- Marcus Lucas – 4.60 seconds
- Derek Keaton – 4.55 seconds
- Darrin Peterson – 4.49 seconds
For those unfamiliar with the process, generally a 40-yard dash time of 4.5 seconds is considered the minimal desired for a wide receiver. So any time in the 4.49 to 4.4 range is above average. Any in the 4.39 to 4.3 is very fast and those at 4.29 or lower is viewed as blazing.
Looking at the list above the Chicago Bears have just three players on the depth chart who are above the 4.5 threshold. The remaining 11 are at least above average and some of the most prominent ones are in the “very fast” range. It’s clear this was a stated goal by the team brass from the outset. They wanted receivers who could stress defenses down the field, but more importantly find targets that could finally run under the bombs Jay Cutler can throw.
It’s worth noting that the time period Cutler experienced his greatest success in terms of winning football games came during the 2010 and 2011 seasons. He went 17-8 across that span and made the playoffs once. One of the keys to note about them is they were the two years where he had the highest Yard Per Completion numbers of his career at 12.5 and 12.7 respectively. A big reason for that were two of his primary receivers.
Devin Hester, their dynamic return man clocked a 4.27 in the 40 while Johnny Knox added his 4.34 to the mix as well.
If the Bears have receivers who can get down the field, Cutler has shown he has the arm to reach them. Those types of big plays can put a defense on its heels, making life so much easier for the rest of the offense and thus leading to more points and more victories. Good to see a front office and coaching staff that understands such logic.