Hester: 'Now I know'

They say seeing is believing, so count Bears wide receiver Devin Hester as a full-fledged believer in quarterback Jay Cutler's arm strength.

Hester made the mistake of slowing down to try to catch a pass from Cutler in Saturday's preseason game against the New York Giants. Even though Cutler had scrambled outside of the pocket, his throw traveled more than 60 yards and landed beyond Hester's reach.

"I thought I was too far out," Hester explained Wednesday. "Even the defenders that were guarding me slowed down and started going back toward Jay. He threw it over all of our heads. So I was like, yeah, now I know. Don’t stop. Just keep going."

Cutler said he had confidence in Hester as his No. 1 wide receiver target.

"He’s fine," Cutler said. "He’s doing a great job. He missed a couple routes. I put him in some bad spots a couple of times. He’s going to be explosive out there. He’s going to get a lot of balls. I look for big things out of him this year."

Meanwhile, Cutler's chemistry with tight end Greg Olsen continues to develop.

"He’s a good player," Cutler said. "He gets open a lot, so it’s hard not to want to get him the ball and let him get the ball in space. But we’ve got a lot of other guys that have made some plays, too."

One player that Cutler will not be able to turn to this season is Brandon Marshall. The Broncos wide receiver caught 104 passes for 1,265 yards and six touchdowns last season, but he wants a new contract and has requested a trade.

Would the Broncos dare to deal Marshall and Cutler in the same season?

"I don’t know," Cutler said. "He’s a really good player. You look and he’s had some problems off the field, I think everyone knows that. But you get him on the field, he makes plays. Knowing Brandon, he’s a good guy. I know him well personally, and I’ve always liked him. I liked being around him. So I don’t know what they’re going to do out there."