After losing a dozen starts to injury over the past three campaigns, Jay Cutler is beefing up.
Chicago Bears coach Marc Trestman recently emphasized the work his quarterback has put in to squelch a four-season streak of missing at least one game due to his health.
"Jay has really worked hard in the offseason, and he has always been a hard worker in his conditioning and his training, but he has really amped it up," Trestman told SiriusXM NFL Radio this month, per the Chicago Tribune.
"He's bigger, he's stronger than a year ago, and he has really focused on staying physically well for the entire season. That's No. 1 -- we've got to keep him standing, keep him safe. And we see the improvements he's made in working on different issues in his mechanics, and I think he's feeling very comfortable back there in Year 2."
Cutler missed five tilts last season due to a groin injury and high ankle sprain, giving way to backup Josh McCown, who stole the show with a 13:1 TD-to-INT ratio, 66.5 percent completion rate and 109.0 passer rating. Lost in McCown's leap was Cutler's own fine work under Trestman before he was hurt.
The difference last season was Trestman's renowned quarterback whispering combined with an offensive line that improved its sacks per pass attempt from 27th in the NFL two years ago to fourth in 2013.
"I thought that we took pretty darn good care of him," Trestman said. "I think he would agree."
Keeping Cutler upright is the key to Chicago's playoff hopes.
McCown's heroics were an aberration. Teams can't expect their backup to light up starting defenses annually. With a combination of Jordan Palmer, Jimmy Clausen and David Fales behind Cutler, we can't help but recall Dr. Z's old formula of 2.25 losses for every new passer rolled onto the field.
The end to the latest "Around The League Podcast" is full of shock and awe.
