Cutler praises tall target
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler said this week that he would be like to see more of wide receiver Devin Aromashodu, who caught his first pass with the team at San Francisco.
At 6-foot-2-inches tall, Aromashodu offers a bigger target than Bears receivers such as Devin Hester (5’11”), Earl Bennett (6’0”) and Johnny Knox (6’0”).
“Yeah, I’d like to see him,” Cutler said. “He’s a different type of receiver for us. A little bit taller, [but he] still has got the speed. He just presents a different target for me.”
Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner said Aromashodu could earn more playing time Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Yeah, possibly,” Turner said. “We’ve talked about that. Last week, we talked about that, getting him in to spell Devin Hester a little bit, and getting him in the rotation somewhat. We could do the same thing this week.”
***
TV star: During a conference call this week, Eagles coach Andy Reid was asked whether he thought his good friend, former Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, could stay out of coaching.
Gruden recently signed a contract extension with ESPN to remain part of its “Monday Night Football” broadcast. Many observers assumed that he might coach a team in the NFL next year.
“Listen, we just had a Monday night game not too long ago,” Reid said. “John and I are good friends. The son of a gun has lost 25 pounds and looks like a movie star. He’s got to know his kids better and his wife better, [and] play a little golf.
“You know what?” Reid said. “He’s pretty doggone good at what he’s doing there. He’s with a great team with ‘Jaws’ [Ron Jaworski] and Mike. Those are two great guys. I think he’s happy. And I think they’re happy with him.”
***
Grab a seat: Reid also was asked about whether it was tough to bench his star quarterback, Donovan McNabb, during a game late last season.
Reid apparently thought the Chicago media was trying to build a campaign to bench Cutler.
"Listen, I’m not going to go there," Reid said. "I know kind of the direction you’re going here, and I’m not going to get into all that. Go to the next question."
McNabb was far more affable while discussing his short-term benching last season.
"Nobody wants to be benched," McNabb said. "I’m sure you guys don’t want to be pulled from writing your great articles that you guys write, and you’re on suspension for a week or two. Then you’ll probably be outside kicking old papers and sitting on the bench, drinking coffee, and feeling like nobody loves you."
-Tom Musick
