The Bears exhausted as many options as they could in and around the NFL but ended up “settling” for the right man to coach their quarterback and coordinate their passing game: Jeremy Bates.

For those that will point to Bates’ tenure as offensive coordinator in Seattle as a negative I say the following: who cares? Bates will not be coordinating the Bears offense. He will not be charged with installing an offensive game plan each week or with orchestrating halftime adjustments in the locker room. His job will be simply to tailor to the passing game to the strengths of his friend and former pupil Jay Cutler. His job will be ever more simply to make Jay Cutler happy.

This was the smart move.  For those in the media who once again wrongly wrote that Cutler and Bates were not as close as reported, time to check your sources. For those who yelped about Tice and Bates not being able to co-exist, time to check your information. Cutler has his man and the quarterback has taken another power step with the Chicago Bears franchise.