LAKE FOREST, Ill. – There was one seemingly innocuous moment during his meeting with Jay Cutler Saturday in Nashville that new Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz won’t soon forget.

Diagramming a play on a chalkboard in a small classroom at Vanderbilt University, Martz marveled at the 26-year-old quarterback’s knowledge of the game and attention to detail.

Jay Cutler passed for 3,666 yards with 27 TDs, 26 interceptions and a 76.8 passer rating in his first season with the Bears.

“I put up a play that was designed specifically for the Tampa cover-two [defense] and I told him, ‘This is how we put it in and hit a touchdown on it,’” Martz said during a teleconference Monday, a few hours after he was hired by the Bears to succeed Ron Turner.

“[Cutler] asked a question about a wide receiver split that just kind of stopped me dead in my tracks and just showed that he is so far ahead and on top of that type of thing. Veteran quarterbacks generally don’t even ask that. I got real excited about that.”

Martz felt that he hit it off with Cutler much like he did when he met then-Lions quarterback Jon Kitna. In Martz's first season as Detroit's offensive coordinator in 2006, Kitna passed for a career-high 4,208 yards at the age of 34. 

"It was really interesting," Martz said of the time he spent with Cutler. "It was even better than I anticipated. There was an instant connection. We were just on the same page with so many things."

Martz can’t wait to begin working with Cutler and his teammates in Chicago. The Bears offense ranked 23rd in the NFL in total yards, 29th rushing and 17th passing in 2009. But the unit features promising young players at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and on the offensive line.

Martz is especially impressed with the receivers he inherits in Chicago. The group surprised critics in 2009 by combining to catch 185 passes for 2,334 yards, the highest output in those two categories since Bears wideouts had 192 receptions in 2002 and 2,363 yards in 2001.

“Boy, they’ve got some speed,” Martz said. “And that really is kind of a diamond to me. When you look at that group, they can be a real strength of this football team. With [Devin] Aromashodu, and [Johnny] Knox is really a diamond to me, and Hester, what he can do whether he’s outside or in the slot, the match-ups on these guys are extreme.”

Martz isn’t bothered that outsiders don’t hold Bears receivers in the highest regard. After all, when he arrived in St. Louis, Rams wideouts Isaac Bruce, Az-Zahir Akeem and Ricky Proehl all were perceived to have flaws. “That’s three-quarters of 'The Greatest Show on Turf,'” Martz said.

“I think there’s plenty of talent there [with the Bears],” he continued. “I’m real excited about their speed and the potential. What we’ll do is give them every opportunity to explore that and not make a definition on what any one of those guys can do, but let them prove to us and put no limits on them.”

It should be intriguing to watch how running back Matt Forte is utilized in Martz’s offense. Though it’s obviously unfair to compare Forte to former Rams star Marshall Faulk, the two share more than the same initials. They also possess similar skill sets, especially when it comes to catching the ball out of the backfield.

Forte has 63 and 57 receptions in his first two seasons—the two highest totals by a running back in Bears history.

“There are so many things you can do,” Martz said. “He has the same kind of abilities as Marshall. He has the soft hands, the change of direction in pass routes, [he’s a] good route runner, he’s a very unselfish pass blocker, so he’s willing to stick his nose in there. We know what he has done as a rusher. He’s the complete package.”

Martz is also positive about the Bears offensive line and is especially eager to work with new position coach Mike Tice. The former Vikings head coach joined Lovie Smith’s staff on Jan. 15.

“What I know of him as a coach and being able to visit with him, I think this is just a terrific hire and a major reason that I was interested in this job,” Martz said. “This guy will get this group squared away and going good. 

"It’s a tough, physical group, and they’ll be attentive to all the little details. This will be a very well-coached group. He’ll get everything they’ve got to give and I think there’s plenty of talent to get it done.”