With Mike Tice replacing Mike Martz as the Chicago Bears' offensive coordinator and Jeremy Bates aboard as quarterbacks coach, Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune reports Jay Cutler will be afforded a luxury he hasn't had the last two seasons: the ability to change plays at the line of scrimmage.
The inability to audible under Martz received national attention last October when Cutler was displeased with the coordinator's play-call and NBC's overhead cameras caught the quarterback directing an expletive at Martz as the Bears approached the line of scrimmage.
In his two seasons under Martz, Cutler passed for over 5,500 yards and 36 touchdowns in 25 games, but his accuracy and production steadily declined while his sacks and games missed due to injury increased.
Cutler has been reunited with Bates, who called the plays in the quarterback's final season with the Denver Broncos in 2008, when he went to his one and only Pro Bowl.
The Bears also added wide receiver Brandon Marshall, Cutler's top target from his Broncos days. Bates said he plans to get back to those Broncos techniques, erasing the backpedal from center under Martz, with plans to make Cutler a moving, mobile target.
