"The NFL is a quarterback-driven league," said tight end Greg Olsen, whose ability to stretch the field vertically fits perfectly with the strong-armed Cutler's ability to go deep. "Look at the Cardinals. They made that (Super Bowl) run pretty much because of their ability to make plays (in the passing game). At this level, with our defense, if we can just put some points on the board and have a guy to throw it, with guys who can help him out and make plays, that's a recipe for success, and that's kind of the path we're taking."

Olsen has proven his ability to make plays since he was drafted in the first round in 2007. He was second on the Bears last season with 54 catches and 574 receiving yards, and he led the team with five TD catches. Olsen made significant strides from his rookie season, when he caught 39 passes for 391 yards with two touchdowns, and his production should continue to increase with Cutler at quarterback.

"Obviously he's regarded among the guys as one of the top quarterbacks in the entire league, (regardless) of age or experience," Olsen said. "He made the Pro Bowl last year and was top three in passing yards. For a young guy at 25 to have those kind of statistics, I think he made a lot of guys around him better."

--WR Devin Hester can't wait to get on the field with Jay Cutler, even though he wishes Kyle Orton the best with the Broncos.

"This was a piece that everyone was looking forward to, even though my prayers go out to Kyle," Hester said. "He was just starting to get into his prime, but it's a business, and he moves on, and we're looking forward to Jay coming in and being the man."

Hester made major progress last season in his switch from defense to wide receiver, more than doubling his receptions, from 20 to 51; and his yardage, from 299 to 651. He's looking for similar improvement in '09.

"I want to be better than what I was last year," Hester said. "My goal in whatever I do is to be twice as good as I was last year. Last year was pretty all right, but this year I want to be double than what I was last year."

--New QB Jay Cutler is anxious to dispel any notions that teammates or fans have about his character.

"I think I'm going to be a great teammate first," he said. "That's going to be one of the first things I do is earn the trust and respect of my teammates. If you can't respect your teammates or you can't trust them, you don't have a chance on the field. That's one of the first things I want to get across to these guys is I'm going to do everything possible to help us win ball games. To the fans, more of the same. I grew up watching this organization. I love being a Chicago Bear, it's always been something that I've dreamed of doing."

--CB Charles Tillman was honored as the Bears' recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, which is given to the one player on each NFL team who best exhibits professionalism, strength and dedication.

During the Bears' 2008 training camp and preseason, Tillman was forced to confront a personal crisis when his infant daughter, Tiana, received a heart transplant for a life-threatening condition.

Tiana was suffering from dilated cardiomyopathy, which causes the heart to weaken and enlarge, disabling the heart's pumping system. As a result, Tillman changed the focus of his foundation from education to improving the lives of critically and chronically ill children.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I'm going to be as good as the guys around me. I can't do it by myself. The quarterback position's hard enough. You've got to have guys around you to make it happen. We struggled with the run game last year (in Denver), and we didn't make the playoffs." -- Bears new quarterback Jay Cutler.