Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has gone out of his way to praise former teammate Brandon Marshall. Marshall, who wants out of Denver, had good on-field chemistry with Cutler while the two were teammates with the Broncos. Sources indicate that even if the Bears were serious about making a play for Marshall, it's unlikely that they'd have enough to get him from Denver.

Bears wide receiver Devin Hester has come to the defense of new quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler has been criticized for not being a good enough leader. "If you haven't been around a person like Cutler, how could you say something like that?" Hester said Monday night. Former coaches Tony Dungy and Mike Ditka have knocked the quarterback lately. "Can't judge a book by its cover," Hester said. "If you haven't sat down and talked to him, how could you say something like that? He's calm in the huddle. He makes us laugh and he jokes around before the ball is snapped. That's the kind of quarterback who is relaxed and says, 'Let's play ball.' "

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has been criticized a fair amount, but he claims that the negativity doesn't bother him. "I'm fine with everything they said," Cutler said. "I haven't played a game here. I'm yet to step on the field and throw a pass. There is a lot of stuff out there and there is a lot of questions. They are all good questions. I think once the season gets going we'll have some answers to some of those. But I'm enjoying it here. I'm having a great time. I'm having a great time with the Chicago Bears. I'm looking forward to the season." Tony Dungy and Mike Ditka have been critical of the quarterback.

Tony Dungy questioned the maturity of Jay Cutler and Chicago's reasons to acquiring him on Thursday. "[The Bears] took a risk [trading for Cutler]. I think they took that risk specifically with beating the Green Bay Packers in mind," Dungy said according to the Chicago Tribune. "I really think Chicago gave up a lot to get a quarterback who they believe is going to be the final piece of the puzzle. But I am not sure he has won enough to merit that yet." Dungy says Cutler's maturity level remains to be seen. "That remains to be seen. He is a very talented guy who can throw the ball very well. But quarterbacking is so much about leadership and so much about doing things under pressure. There is going to be a lot of pressure on him," Dungy said. "We'll see about his maturity level. That's what I would question. And some of the things that happened leading to him leaving Denver ... that would concern me as a head coach," Dungy added. "He can make all of the throws, but quarterbacking is much more than just making throws."

The Bears would like to add Plaxico Burress, especially Devin Hester and Jay Cutler. "I feel pretty comfortable with what we have here right now," Hester said. "If we added Plaxico Burress, that's only going to build confidence even more. Why wouldn't he help us?" On Wednesday, Angelo kept open the possibility of fortifying the position. "I can't say that it's 50-50 or anything like that," he told the team's Web site. "We plan on going into training camp with what we have right now."

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has already begun alienating fans in Chicago, according to the Tribune. Cutler has apparently begun refusing to sign autographs for fans while attending baseball games at Wrigley Field. "His lack of appreciation for fans will be his undoing in Chicago," a reader said in an e-mail to the Tribune's David Haugh.