What about Bob?

Jay Cutler apparently isn't very enamored with the Bears' stable of receivers (can you blame him?).

First, he reached out to Plaxico Burress via text message (though he refuted that report), and now he's talking up former teammate Brandon Marshall, who is reportedly seeking a trade.

In an interview with the Newport News (Va.) Daily Press, Cutler said that he would be happy to have Marshall as a teammate again.

"I played with Brandon for three years and I think he's one of the best receivers in the NFL," Cutler said Monday during an appearance at a youth camp at the College of William & Mary. "I think he can be one of the greatest ever to play.

"He's big and fast, and can do everything you want him to do, on the field and in the meeting room. I don't know what we're going to do. That's up to the guys upstairs. If we make a run at him, we make a run at him."

Marshall caught over 100 passes each of the last two seasons with Cutler, and was a Pro Bowler last year.

Cutler also had nice things to say about Devin Hester, who is slated to be the Bears' No. 1 receiver this season.

"I've watched every game from last year and seen him in action quite a bit," Cutler said. "It's a tough transition from (defensive back) to receiver. He's still learning, but overall I can't be happier with how we're working together and his progression.

"I think he's definitely a legitimate No. 1 receiver in the NFL."

Hester has shown glimpses of being a top receiver, but hasn't been consistent enough since moving over to the offense from the defensive backfield.

Denver is maintaining it will not trade Marshall, and even if that changes, it would want quite a bounty in return. That's a problem for Chicago, which gave up its first-round pick in 2010 in the Cutler deal. So they probably need to include an established player in any potential deal.

-Chris Mascaro

(AP Photo)

David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune reports that newly acquired Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is enjoying the night life in the Windy City.

Word on the street — Rush, Division, Hubbard, you name it in downtown Chicago — is that downfield might not be the only place new Bears quarterback Jay Cutler likes to take his shots.

When the Bears announced last week their 2009 schedule included five prime-time games, a smart aleck at Halas Hall considered it a good thing because Cutler plays so well at night. The buzz created by Cutler's social life, so to speak, is more amusing than alarming to the Bears, as it should be.

William "Refrigerator" Perry, who scored a famous touchdown in Super Bowl XX (see below), is in serious condition in a South Carolina hospital due to symptoms flaring up from Guillain-Barre syndrome — a disease in which the body's immune system attacks nerves in the extremities causing severe weakness and numbness — which he was diagnosed with last June.

Perry, 46, is expected to make a full recovery. However, there is no cure for Guillain Barre and it could come back at any time.

Said Parnell Perry, the Fridge's nephew: "They were making sure he was in pretty good health before they started treating him."

-Chris Mascaro

There'd been some buzz about Jay Cutler reaching out to Plaxico Burress in an effort to lure him to Chicago. But Bears GM Jerry Angelo, speaking to reporters this afternoon, said Burress is not an option, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times.

"He's got pretty strict laws up there [in New York] and what he did is looked at pretty seriously," Angelo said. "I can't really answer that right now in terms of how we view him. I'm not looking at him as an option."

According to the "whispers" section of Profootballweekly.com's site, newly acquired Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has contacted former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, according to a local sports talk radio station in Chicago.

According to Profootballweekly.com, it's unknown if Cutler made contact with Burress with the blessing of the Bears' front office ... according to said radio station.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Carol Slezak suggests that general manager Jerry Angelo's next move after acquiring quarterback Jay Cutler in a blockbuster trade should be signing former Giants wide receiver Plaxico Burress to a free agent contract.

The Giants dumped Burress after they couldn't come to an agreement on a restructured contract - not to mention less than a week after Burress' attorney requested and received a two-month adjournment on his case involving felony gun possession charges. Slezak now suggests that Da Bears bring in Burress to be Cutler's go-to guy on an offense whose biggest threat is returner/cornerback/receiver Devin Hester.

I suppose any team in need of a wide receiver ought to consider Burress. But surely not before his legal situation is cleared up. After all, what's the good of signing a big-time receiver when he might spend part or all of the 2009 season in the clink?

Meanwhile, profootballtalk.com's Mike Florio suggests that there is indeed a buzz about some teams having interest in Burress.

David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune thinks the former Broncos' quarterback has what it takes to give the Bears some star power at quarterback.

Here's how Haugh (triple alliteration, btw) views Cutler:

If an impressive first day at Halas Hall proved anything, it was how natural of a leader Cutler is and Bears players will have to adjust to him more than he will to them. This isn't an experiment, guys. This is a culture change.

Fellow Tribune columnist Rick Morrissey, who used to work in Denver, had a somewhat different take on Cutler, and wasted no time in getting to the heart of the issue. Morrissey's lede:

If Jay Cutler doesn't raise red flags, Bears fans, you are color blind. From all appearances and indications, he has the maturity level of larva.

Morrissey, who is one of the most mild-mannered individual you'd ever want to meet, yet clearly takes his angry columnist pills before writing, described the trade thusly:

The Bears on Thursday traded their first- and third-round picks this year, their first-round pick next year and Kyle Orton to the Broncos in exchange for Cutler, a 2009 fifth-round pick and a six-pack of baby formula.

Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Sun-Times reminds us of that nugget in his thorough analysis of the Bears' trade for Jay Cutler, the biggest quarterback blockbuster in franchise history.

The Bears have been known as a running team that prides itself on great defense, but GM Jerry Angelo and coach Lovie Smith have gambled that Cutler is the answer to their punchless offense. Kind of like Luckman was the big weapon on their offense in the days before Neil Best was born.

Mulligan also mentions in his piece that a Cutler-for-Brady Quinn trade as discussed, but that Cutler would have had no part of it because of Brett Favre's experience last year in New York with Eric Mangini, who is now the Browns coach. Agent Bus Cook represents both Cutler and Favre.

Mangini has denied that a Quinn-Cutler deal was ever discussed.

- photo courtesy of Pro Football Hall of Fame

Stunning news, really.

The Bears are known as an organization that doesn't take a lot of risks, but they've taken a huge one here.

They give up two first-round picks, a third-rounder and quarterback Kyle Orton in exchange for the Broncos' disgruntled 25-year-old Pro Bowler and a fifth-round pick next year.

An awful lot to give up for a kid who doesn't seem to have his act together.

An interesting read from the Chicago Tribune's David Haugh, who suggests that the Bears' head coach will need a big season to keep his job beyond 2009. There's been no formal win-or-else edict from general manager Jerry Angelo. But Haugh suggests that Angelo's belief that the team doesn't need a makeover - and thus won't dive into free agency in a big way - means that the heat's on Smith to turn the team around this season.

Yes, that's right. Somebody has hired Rod Marinelli.

All kidding aside, I have said that I think Marinelli will do a nice job improving Chicago's underachieving defensive line and I stand by that.

In other news, Browns offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski is interviewing with the 49ers for the same position. Eric Mangini is expected to promote quarterbacks coach Brian Daboll to O-coordinator.

There was a Joe Theismann-esque quality to Bears quarterback Kyle Orton's lower leg injury he suffered during yesterday's game against the Lions. You know, the kind of injury where you just can't look because of the grotesque nature of the limb-twisting episode.

Good news for Orton, though. It appears he suffered a severe ankle sprain - and nothing worse - and should be back within a month or so. Whew.

As for the Theismann injury, I was an eyewitness to the career-ending broken leg he suffered when he was brought down by Giants linebacker Lawence Taylor in a 1985 game at RFK Stadium. It was awful at the time, and I still have to turn away when replays are shown.

If you have the stomach to watch, it's right here.

Bears fans will be delighted to learn that Rex Grossman won't be their starting quarterback this season. Or at least until Kyle Orton either plays his way out of the job or is forced out by injury.

The Bears wasted little time telling Cedric Benson what they thought of his second alcohol-related arrest in a little over a month.

Buh-bye.

No wonder Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner was gushing over the weekend about running back Matt Forte. Turner probably knew it was only a matter of time before Benson would be 86'd and the Bears would be looking for a successor.

Hmmm. Wonder if GM Jerry Angelo is second-guessing himself by trading Thomas Jones to the Jets before last season.

I'm not saying that.

Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner is saying that.

So, why bring up Matt Forte one blog post after Cedric Benson? Because Forte might be the answer to the question: If the Bears whack Benson, who will take his place?

Turner has been gushing about Forte since the Bears drafted him in the second round in April. And with Benson coming off a second arrest for excessive drinking, Forte could be the guy.

But from the sound of things, he might not be with Chicago much longer.

In the wake of a second arrest within the last month for excessive drinking, the former first-round running back is on thin ice with the Bears. This time, he was nabbed for driving while intoxicated. Last month, it was boating while intoxicated.

Not sure there are many more vehicles applicable for these kinds of arrests, although I did hear about some bozo arrested last month for driving his lawn mower while intoxicated. He was wearing a tuxedo at the time of the arrest.

... knuckleheads, one and all.

After all, Bears RB Cedric Benson was busted this morning on charges of driving while intoxicated in Austin, Texas.

That's on top of his recent arrest for boating while intoxicated.

Our word of the week to describe Benson's situation, as well as all the other off-field crap the NFL has had to wade through this week: oy.

.
Rex Grossman.

Or Kyle Orton.

Head coach Lovie Smith won't decide between the two until late in training camp. Maybe even the week before the regular season opener.

It's certainly not the most enviable quarterback situation in the league. We all know about Grossman's issues - see: interceptions, lots of them. And Orton showed a few things three years ago in Grossman's injury-related absence. But he was certainly nothing to write home about.

In a word: oy.

... not!

The Bears' fourth-year running back, whose recent arrest for boating while intoxicated did little to endear himself to fans or teammates, decided to skip yesterday's workout with his teammates.

Ah, the beauty of voluntary off-season workouts.

Bears general manager Jerry Angelo has heard the outcry over Cedric Benson's arrest on May 3 on charges of boating while intoxicated. And Angelo has heard all the calls for him to simply release Benson, who has been a bust on the field and hasn't done himself any favors off the field with this latest incident.

But Angelo says he's not cutting Benson, and that he'll simply wait for the legal system to play out.

Smart call.

The Bears have invested far too much in Benson to simply release him over this incident (reminder: the charges were misdemeanors and will almost certainly not result in jail time). Besides, there are enough questions about this case expressed by people who were with Benson at the time that at least make it conceivable Benson ought to get the benefit of the doubt.

Benson will never win a popularity contest in the Bears' locker room, where teammates have questioned his leadership. But last week's won't determine whether he stays or goes. That will be up to his performance.

If the past three years are any indication, things don't look too bright for the former Texas star. But you still don't just toss the guy on the street. Especially not if you're the general manager who staked his reputation on the guy in the first place.

You let things play out on and off the field, and then see where you stand.

For those of you with a morbid fascination for things like this, here's a video of Cedric Benson being booked last weekend on charges of boating while intoxicated.

The fourth-year running back was arrested over the weekend for boating while intoxicated, but a woman who was with Benson at the time tells a far different story that might ultimately show Benson was not being as disruptive as police reports indicate.

See for yourself.

There has been plenty of sentiment from fans that the Bears simply release Benson, who has been a major disappointment on the field and a questionable chap off it. But that simply doesn't make sense, even in the wake of last weekend's incident. First, the charges are misdemeanor and will almost certainly not result in jail time. Second, if the woman's statements are accurate, Benson might not be in the kind of hot water the team initially feared. And third, he's the starting running back for a team one year removed from a Super Bowl run.

Rock sent us an e-mail last night that temporarily sent shockwaves through the Glauber household.

He wrote that Archuleta was sent packing, a reference we initially took to mean that David Archuleta was somehow out of the competition at American Idol. This in spite of the fact that last night's competition hadn't yet begun.

Rock was being silly, of course, and sent a link that Adam Archuleta had been released by the Bears, a transaction the Idol-obsessed Glaubers could care less about.

Adam A. has largely been a bust through a once promising NFL career, and we suspect he won't amount to much after being kicked to the curb by Lovie Smith, his former mentor in St. Louis.

As for David Archuleta, the future is bright. We're thinking Jason Castro gets the boot from Idol tonight, which would leave David A., Syesha Mercado and David Cook as the final three. Then again, there have been some shockers at this point in previous Idol competitions. If Castro somehow makes it through, it means there's a problem.

The Bears' fourth-year running back admits there was alcohol on his boat when police arrested him, but he said he was not drunk, that he passed field sobriety tests, and that police unnecessarily used pepper spray to subdue him.

"They gave me a field sobriety test, told me to say my ABCs and told me to count from 1 to 4 up and down," Benson told the Chicago Tribune. "I'm thinking, I passed all the tests, did everything right. Then the officer told me we needed to go to land to take more tests. I politely asked him why we needed to go to land to take more tests when I took every test. Then he sprayed me with mace, on his boat. I'm not handcuffed. I'm not under arrest. I'm not threatening him. I'm not pushing him. I'm not touching him. And he sprays me right in my eye."

Benson said by that time, he was far removed from the family and friends left on his boat, a group that included his mother.

"Nobody saw what he did to me," Benson said. "I started screaming for my mother to come. That's when they put me under arrest. And the officer threw a life jacket over my head.

"Once we got to land, the Travis County police grabbed me and kicked my feet from under me. So I landed on my back while I was handcuffed. They held me down and held the water hose over my face. I couldn't breathe, I'm choking, I'm begging the cops, 'Please stop. Please stop.' Then they picked me up and dragged me backward toward their car. And I'm still being polite, asking them, 'Sir, could you please allow me to walk like a man to your cop car?' They just kept dragging me on."

His arrest for boating while intoxicated, coupled with the fact that police had to use pepper spray to subdue him, makes for further troubles for the Bears' former first-round pick.

As we noted in a previous post, Benson is part of a 2005 draft that was absolutely horrendous at the top of the first round.

It will not surprise me in the least if this is Benson's last year in Chicago.

But he did tell a reporter earlier today that he has no plans to retire or demand a trade from the Bears, contrary to a previous report.

Among the draft prospects the Bears will visit with is Illinois running back Rashard Mendenhall, one of our faves in this this year's class.

With all the running back talk centering on Arkansas star Darren McFadden, Mendenhall is one of those under-the-radar players (if you can actually be under the radar in the first round) who we think will be a fine all-around pro.

And if the Bears take him in the first round, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, especially with all the doubts surrounding former first-round pick Cedric Benson.

Ok, so he isn't a household name like Randy Moss. Or even Plaxico Burress, for that matter.

But I'll be very interested to see where Bears receiver Bernard Berrian winds up in free agency.

The Bears would love to re-sign him before the free agency period begins in a few hours. But with slim pickings on the open market, Berrian has decided he'll get more cash by shopping his services in the coming days.

I suspect there will be some suitor willing to match his asking price. Berrian is a terrific speed receiver, which is so hard to come by these days in the NFL. He's still young and is still subject to occasional drops. But what receiver isn't?

Former Bears All Pro safety Shaun Gayle found out yesterday morning his pregnant girlfriend was shot to death in a suburban Chicago condominium after police responded to a neighbor's call about screams coming from the home.

Gayle, a member of the Bears team that won Super Bowl XX in 1985, was not considered a suspect in Rhoni Reuter's death and went to the Deerfield Police Department when he learned of the shooting, police said in a statement.

Rhoni, 42, sustained multiple gunshot wounds, and was pregnant when she died, said Lake County Coroner Dr. Richard Keller. Gayle was the father of the unborn child, police said.

Giants fans best remember Gayle in a 21-0 loss to the Bears in the 1985 playoffs. At blustery Soldier Field, Giants punter Sean Landeta missed a punt after a gust of wind moved it away from his foot. Gayle scooped up the ball and ran it in for a five-yard touchdown.