With the official kickoff of the 2013 NFL Regular Season only five weeks away, I thought I would take the time to bring you 36 days of football trivia, knowledge and in-depth story-telling to build some excitement for the season. On day five, I will try to mix it up a little bit and talk about a different team. The Chicago Bears have a storied history, one which includes a terrifyingly-good 1985 team and a multitude of great players like "Sweetness" himself Walter Payton, Mike Ditka, Brian Urlacher, "The Fridge" William Perry and Dick Butkus. Today, I will talk about a current duo - Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall.
I am familiar with Brandon Marshall from his playing days in Miami, but he was never really able to break out in South Beach. There is no doubt he has the talent, but he needs a strong-armed quarterback to get him the ball. And that's just what he has in Chicago with Jay Cutler.
Although last year was a disappointment for the Bears - missing the playoffs despite a 10-6 record - there are many who think that the combination of Cutler and Marshall can be deadly in the NFL this upcoming year, and they should.
Last year Cutler was reunited with Jermey Bates - a former coach for the Broncos - who stepped in as the quarterbacks coach and allowed Cutler some mobility in play-calling. For the first time since joining the Bears in 2009, Cutler was able to audible at the line of scrimmage and it paid dividends.
With the Vanderbilt product under center the Bears were 10-5 - Cutler ultimately missed a game due to an injury, but was still able to throw for 3,000 yards and 19 touchdowns. The bad news was, he was sacked 38 times - the second highest total in his career.
This year with added depth throughout the offensive line, Cutler should be able to get more time to throw to his favorite target.
Catching 41-percent of your team's passes is a ridiculous stat in itself. Marshall accomplished that feat last year while setting franchise records in receiving yards (1,508) and total catches (118). Those were also career-highs for Marshall and he set a career high in touchdown receptions with 11. Marshall's 118 catches was also 89 more than the next best receiver on the team - Earl Bennett (29).
Marshall also became just the fourth wideout ever to have at least four 100-catch seasons in a career joining greats Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison and Wes Welker. He was named to the Pro Bowl last season marking the first Bears' receiver to earn that accomplishment since 2002 and just the second since 1971.
After establishing their chemistry in Denver for many years, Cutler and Marshall have become Chicago's match made in football heaven and 2013 should be fun to watch for Bears' fans.
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