Cutler-mania hits Bears camp (cont.)

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• Of all the Bears I watched Tuesday, nobody was more impressive than second-year cornerback Zackary Bowman, who is getting first-team reps opposite Nathan Vasher while incumbent starter Charles Tillman recovers from recent arthroscopic back surgery.

I had never really heard of Bowman, a fifth-round pick out of Nebraska, before Tuesday. But he's the kind of player who can fall off the radar screen easily, given that his draft status suffered in 2008 due to having incurred a pair of knee injuries in college, and then his rookie season was cut short by a biceps tear after just one game. But what a game it was. Against the Vikings in October, Bowman recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown on special teams, and later, after tearing his biceps, returned to the game and sealed the win with an interception. For the effort he was named NFC special teams player of the week.

Better watch out, Mr. Tillman, or Bowman might just Wally Pipp you. Bowman is a 6-1, 193-pounder with great ball skills and anticipation, and I saw him pick off Cutler in the right corner of the end zone Tuesday. Bears officials rave about his ability, and say only consistent health stands between him and much bigger things.

"You see him flash out there, and everyone who watches him sees him flash," Smith said. "We're trying to keep him a secret."

Not for long, Lovie, if Bowman keeps this up.

• I wrote a note about this on draft weekend, but the Vandy contingent in Chicago is out of control. There's Cutler, Bennett, offensive tackle Chris Williams, linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, and rookie cornerback D.J. Moore. That's five Commodores, enough to start a new pop band.

"We even had [Vandy] coach [Bobby] Johnson at practice the other day," Bennett said. "I'm not sure if he was here trying to get a job or what. [He was joking.] But yeah, it's exciting to have guys I played with here going through camp together. There's a lot of Vandy here."

• Just got a few quick glances of him, but Bears rookie defensive tackle Jarron Gilbert sounds as if he's found his way into Chicago's offensive backfield a time or two so far in camp. You remember Gilbert. The third-round pick out of San Jose State?

Maybe this will refresh your memory: He's the guy who became a You Tube sensation this spring by being featured in that video of him jumping out of the shallow end of a pool. C'mon, you've seen it.

I checked, but there are apparently no pools at Bears camp. Maybe he's reduced to jumping out of whirlpools.

• Had a nice lunchtime chat with ex-Lions head coach Rod Marinelli, who Smith quickly snapped up as the team's assistant head coach/defensive line coach once he was fired in the wake of Detroit's winless season.

Mark my words, Marinelli will have a significant impact on the Bears defensive line this season, because he remains one of the best teachers in the game. I asked him if he was happy to get back to the teaching part of coaching, which head coaches rarely have the time for.

"I love it all," said Marinelli, one of the NFL's nicest of coaches. "All of it. As long as it has a ball in it, I love it."

• As Smith mentioned, get ready to see Olsen moved all over the field this season. Teams are going to try to take him away in the Bears offense, and Chicago will have to be creative to ensure that doesn't happen.

"We're going to have to do a lot of things with Greg," Cutler told me. "Move him around the field, because teams are going to key on him. We can put him outside, put him in the backfield, and keep putting him in different spots, because he's a weapon. He creates some matchups that a lot of guys can't."

• Here's one thing that should really help Cutler's game in Chicago: While the Bears don't have the 2006 version of their defense anymore, what Cutler got used to in Denver was a team that played virtually no D. In other words, Cutler shouldn't have to put 38 points per game up in order to win.

"It's great, because I'm not going to throw the ball 38 times a game either," he said. "We can get a more balanced attack and control the clock a little bit more. Let the defense and special teams work for us."

Hester offered a fairly safe but still sizable prediction about his new quarterback: "If he has a long career here, he's going to be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in Chicago," he said.