Bears quarterback Jay Cutler is clearly impressed with Lions wideout Calvin Johnson, just as he loves having Brandon Marshall on his side.
But that doesn’t mean he thinks it’s the best way to do business.
In discussing Johnson’s record-breaking season, Cutler advocated a broader-based approach to passing the ball.
“It’s impressive what they’re doing,” Cutler replied when asked about Johnson, via Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times.
“A lot of balls going his way. A lot of balls going B’s way. I think in an ideal world you’d like to get some other guys in the mix. If you can have three guys at 70, four guys at 50, 60, 70, and really spread it around.
“I think it makes defenses a lot more honest.”
Marshall leads the Bears in every receiving category by a wide margin. His 113 catches for 1,466 yards dwarf second-place Matt Forte’s 42 receptions for 319 yards. Marshall also has 11 touchdowns, and rookie Alshon Jeffrey is second with three.
That’s an even bigger spread than in Detroit, where Johnson’s numbers (117-1,892-5) are complemented by tight end Brandon Pettigrew (57-556-3).
The Bears have no tight end threat to speak of, after trading Greg Olsen to Carolina. Jeffrey has shown flashes for the Bears, but will have to stay healthy and be more consistent if he’s ever going to be the kind of player to make Cutler look away.