The NFL Route Tree............

Hawk I understand your desire to keep defending the kid.  I'm hoping like hell we haven't got another wasted pick on our hands too.  But it's also a well know and commonly accepted fact that they never asked him to run the entire route tree at WVU from even one receiver position let alone two or all three.  If it's not a lack of knowledge and understanding by now then it's a lack of focus so the result would be about the same.

I don't know it for a fact as far as the Bears go but typically when a pass play is called in the huddle the QB specifies the routes.  So if he calls X-Curl.....Z-Out.....Y-Seam and White is the Flanker or Z on that play then he's being told to run an out at whatever depth is standard for that play.  All he really needs to know is the proper way to run that out and to not stop, round it off or cut his route short.  The QB is gonna throw to the spot he expects the receiver to be at.

BB also brought up the need for all of the WRs to learn to make sight reads and I admit that may be where he struggles and gets confused but I don't believe those are as much a part of this offense as they were with Trestman's where he wanted Cutler to throw more prior to the receivers breaks.  With Cutler's arm strength he seems to be more comfortable seeing his guy make that break and come open them deliver a cannon shot throw to the guy.

If you go back and watch that TD pass to Royal you can see just how fast that ball got to him once Cutler saw he was isolated on one DB and the DB was playing outside leverage on him.  He threw for Royal's back shoulder and got it there before the Safety could close on the throw.  Jay is one of the few QBs I've ever seen who can throw into windows like that successfully.  Rodgers is another.

We'll see how it goes in the next few games.  I'm hoping Cutler doesn't lose confidence in him but if he does then they should bench him until he gets it because he's only hurting the team until he does.  That's just my opinion on it.