The Facts: The Bears are saddled with Cutler for at least another season, but the tune surrounding the quarterback has changed after the team's brass didn't seem to want him last offseason. Now HC John Fox is embracing the enigmatic signal-caller. "I thought Jay had an outstanding year," Fox said.

Diehards Line: The coach then offered an excuse for some of the remaining struggles, including the team's 6-10 record. "It wasn't ideal. Alshon (Jeffery) wasn't healthy the whole season," Fox said. "Kevin White did not play. I'm not knocking any of the guys that did play, but a lot is always made of the quarterback, and his supporting cast is critical. ... There's a lot that goes into it besides one guy, although that guy gets a lot of the magnified glass. So if you saw what Jay did last year, I'm expecting good things again." Cutler put up a career-best passer rating (92.3), threw 21 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions and completed 64.4 percent of his passes in 15 starts. While we don't know yet how well he'll succeed in Chicago without Matt Forte, Dowell Loggains' promotion to OC (replacing Adam Gase) was made with Cutler in mind. "It was critical to keep Jay comfortable," Fox said. "Everything comes through the quarterback, so keeping Jay in the same system is best for us." In addition, if Jeffery and White remain healthy, they have one of the best top-end receiving rotations.