Hoge's Notes: Bears Not Committing To Cutler Return Vs Browns
By Adam Hoge-
HALAS HALL (CBS) — Having returned to practice this week, Jay Cutler appears to be on track to play against the Cleveland Browns Dec. 15, but Bears head coach Marc Trestman is not committing to that date yet.
"I can't say that. It's week-to-week," Trestman said Saturday. "I can say that he did very well this week in the first part of this getting back into it type of thing. And he didn't have any residual effects this morning. There was no soreness or anything like that, which is good, and he worked at it pretty hard yesterday. We can be optimistic but we can't be definitive right now."
Cutler will be evaluated by doctors before Monday's game against the Cowboys and Trestman said, "then we'll see where we are at Tuesday and go from there."
The bottom-line is that Cutler needs to be cleared by doctors to play and that has not happened yet.
The quarterback did not practice Saturday, but did go through a few drills. The decision not to practice was made by trainers and Cutler.
"It was a short practice today and a good time to just have a chance to bounce back a little bit," Trestman said. "But he was out here moving around, did some drills and things like that, but he didn't do the scout team work that he normally would do."
Wright To Start
Bears safety Major Wright practiced in full Saturday and will return to the starting lineup Monday night after missing last week's game with a hamstring injury.
There was some speculation that Craig Steltz might start even if Wright was healthy.
"Major will be starting," Trestman confirmed. "We need everybody right now. Craig is such a big part of our special teams. We lost him last week with special teams. So we're getting the most out of everybody, and certainly we need them both on the field. They'll both play extensively. Certainly, Major will start in the back end and Craig will be ready to go but we need him on a number of special teams and we'll get him back for that and that will be good."
Dealing With The Cold
The Bears have downplayed the impact the cold temperatures will have on Monday's game, but they are taking measures to get ready for it. Not only have they practiced outside the last two days, but they are encouraging players to increase their carbs and caloric intake Monday. Extra fluids and salts will be a part of the diet as fluids in the body move from extremities to the core of the body to keep warm. Chicken broth will be provided on the sidelines to help.
Notables
- Reserve safety Anthony Walters is listed as questionable as he continues to recover from a groin injury.
- Right guard Kyle Long (ankle) and wide receiver Brandon Marshall (quad) practiced in full Saturday and are listed as probable.
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.
