After being promoted to offensive coordinator in Chicago, Mike Tice says he’s in constant contact with quarterback Jay Cutler, whom Tice sees as a perfect fit for what he wants to do offensively.
“The biggest strength we have is a quarterback who can make all the throws,” Tice told the Chicago Tribune. “We text, we talk on the phone, almost daily. Extensive texting. He’s asking a lot of questions and I’m giving him straight up answers. He either likes the answers or he says, ‘Oh, OK,’ which means he doesn’t like some of the answers. Right now, we have a great understanding of what our philosophy is going to be. And, all of the stuff that we are going to do, he has done. So that is a good thing.”
Tice said he will use the same terminology that former offensive coordinator Mike Martz used, but that the Bears’ offense will look more like the offense that Tice ran as head coach of the Vikings from 2002 to 2005.
“I am tailoring what I am doing to what I’ve done, which is common sense,” Tice said.
The Bears’ offense was playing well before Cutler and Matt Forte were hurt last season, so the most important change in Chicago would be keeping the key offensive players healthy. Any improvement the Meathead can bring beyond that is gravy.