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Cutler at the beach: 'I'm ready to get started'
By Blake Schuster Tribune reporter
12:55 p.m. CDT, July 18, 2014
Sporting a beard that looked more suitable for the playoffs than the summer, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler strolled North Avenue Beach before his charity sand volleyball tournament Friday during one of his final days of the offseason.
Even on a picturesque day, Cutler wouldn’t let himself unwind.
“I don’t know how much relaxing I’ll do today,” Cutler said, acknowledging the work that goes into planning the event.
The tournament, which is sponsored by Tommy Bahama, benefits the Jay Cutler Foundation supporting children with Type 1 diabetes, and Cutler said they have already raised $100,000 this weekend.
Still, if Cutler can’t find any time to enjoy himself on the beach now, he’s going to have to wait awhile before he gets another chance. Every Bears player is well aware of what’s ahead at this point in the year — and it’s not just training camp with its first practice Friday.
Second-year head coach Marc Trestman has already sent out a detailed schedule for the season that goes beyond Super Bowl XLIX.
“Everything is planned out,” Cutler said. “The parade is planned out, the bus rides are planned out. He’s probably designing the rings by now.”
It might’ve seemed absurd when Trestman went through a similar routine last season, but the Bears have fallen in line with their coach’s style. The growing process isn’t exactly complete, yet there’s enough of a relationship established within the system for an easier work environment.
“With all the guys around me and the rest of the coaches in place from the last year, there’s definitely a comfort there,” Cutler said. “I think not only with me but with the rest of the guys as well.”
Of course, for Cutler there is some comfort in the offseason, too, and some drawbacks to leaving for camp.
As his oldest son turns two-years old, Cutler will be working out in Bourbonnais. It’s these sentiments that best exemplify the maturity Cutler has shown over his past few seasons.
“You don’t want to spend a lot of time away because they grow up too fast,” Cutler said. “They’re changing every single day. It’s going to be tough.”
That doesn’t mean he isn’t eager to pick up where the Bears left off last December. Cutler said there are still a few kinks to work out, yet with a retooled defense and a better understanding of Trestman’s playbook, even Cutler is buying into the expectations for the Bears this season.
Perhaps the playoff-looking beard is just a sign of things to come.
“I’m ready to get started,” Cutler said. “I’ve been talking to the guys the last couple weeks and I think everyone kind of itching to get back into it and see what we have. There’s a lot of excitement and buzz and there’s a lot of work to do.”
Copyright © 2014 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC
By Blake Schuster Tribune reporter
12:55 p.m. CDT, July 18, 2014
Sporting a beard that looked more suitable for the playoffs than the summer, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler strolled North Avenue Beach before his charity sand volleyball tournament Friday during one of his final days of the offseason.
Even on a picturesque day, Cutler wouldn’t let himself unwind.
“I don’t know how much relaxing I’ll do today,” Cutler said, acknowledging the work that goes into planning the event.
The tournament, which is sponsored by Tommy Bahama, benefits the Jay Cutler Foundation supporting children with Type 1 diabetes, and Cutler said they have already raised $100,000 this weekend.
Still, if Cutler can’t find any time to enjoy himself on the beach now, he’s going to have to wait awhile before he gets another chance. Every Bears player is well aware of what’s ahead at this point in the year — and it’s not just training camp with its first practice Friday.
Second-year head coach Marc Trestman has already sent out a detailed schedule for the season that goes beyond Super Bowl XLIX.
“Everything is planned out,” Cutler said. “The parade is planned out, the bus rides are planned out. He’s probably designing the rings by now.”
It might’ve seemed absurd when Trestman went through a similar routine last season, but the Bears have fallen in line with their coach’s style. The growing process isn’t exactly complete, yet there’s enough of a relationship established within the system for an easier work environment.
“With all the guys around me and the rest of the coaches in place from the last year, there’s definitely a comfort there,” Cutler said. “I think not only with me but with the rest of the guys as well.”
Of course, for Cutler there is some comfort in the offseason, too, and some drawbacks to leaving for camp.
As his oldest son turns two-years old, Cutler will be working out in Bourbonnais. It’s these sentiments that best exemplify the maturity Cutler has shown over his past few seasons.
“You don’t want to spend a lot of time away because they grow up too fast,” Cutler said. “They’re changing every single day. It’s going to be tough.”
That doesn’t mean he isn’t eager to pick up where the Bears left off last December. Cutler said there are still a few kinks to work out, yet with a retooled defense and a better understanding of Trestman’s playbook, even Cutler is buying into the expectations for the Bears this season.
Perhaps the playoff-looking beard is just a sign of things to come.
“I’m ready to get started,” Cutler said. “I’ve been talking to the guys the last couple weeks and I think everyone kind of itching to get back into it and see what we have. There’s a lot of excitement and buzz and there’s a lot of work to do.”
Copyright © 2014 Chicago Tribune Company, LLC
