LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Cutlermania engulfed Soldier Field at the Bears Expo Sunday as several fans praised general manager Jerry Angelo during a Q&A session for acquiring the Pro Bowl quarterback.

About the only concern raised during the enthusiastic give-and-take with Bears management involved an inexperienced group of wide receivers. But Angelo staunchly defended the team’s pass catchers.

The Bears are counting on second-year pro Earl Bennett to contribute this season.

“We like our receivers,” he said. “Our receiving corps will not be the weak link of our football team. If things don’t materialize the way we want on offense, I don’t feel that it’s going to be because we felt like we shorted ourselves at the receiver position.”

Angelo is confident that 2008 third-round draft pick Earl Bennett will excel in his second season and that converted cornerback Devin Hester will “take another step" in his third year as a receiver.

The Bears general manager also stressed that tight ends Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark and running back Matt Forte are all valuable contributors in the passing game. Last season Forte led the team with 63 receptions, while Olsen and Clark combined to catch 95 passes for 941 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Angelo revealed last month that the Bears discussed a trade for disgruntled Arizona Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin during the draft. But after that did not come to fruition, they selected wideouts Juaquin Iglesias in the third round, Johnny Knox in the fifth round and Derek Kinder in the seventh round.

The Bears are always looking to improve their roster and still could possibly add a veteran receiver at some point. But with a quarterback the caliber of Jay Cutler, they don’t feel that it’s a necessity.

In addition to Hester, Bennett and the three draft picks, other Bears receivers include Rashied Davis, Brandon Rideau, Devin Aromashodu, John Broussard and undrafted rookie free agent Eric Peterman.

“If we go to camp with the hand we’re dealt right now, we feel very confident about it,” Angelo said. “Really it starts with the quarterback.”

One player the Bears are counting on this season is Bennett, who didn’t get much of a chance to contribute as a rookie. The 6-foot, 203-pounder is the SEC’s all-time leader with 236 receptions after playing three seasons at Vanderbilt, where he teamed with Cutler as a freshman.

“[Bennett] has had an awesome offseason,” said coach Lovie Smith. “He was pretty excited having his old quarterback become a Bear. But he is a good football player.

“Sometimes as rookies you don’t really get an opportunity to prove what you can do. But we saw him improve a lot the latter part of last season and we’ve seen the same things right now, and I think he’s a guy that will come onto the scene and everyone will like quite a bit.”

The same could be said for Cutler, who hasn’t missed an offseason workout since being acquired by the Bears April 2 in a blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos.

“Jay has a track record,” Smith said. “He’s mobile. He has a strong arm and he’s the type of guy that you can believe in, and that’s what I’ve seen. He’s had a chance to work with our receivers, our running backs and just our entire football team, and he’s making the entire team a lot better right now.”

Bears president and CEO Ted Phillips told fans that the acquisitions of Cutler, perennial Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace and others have created an unprecedented buzz.

“The energy level in the office—the players, the coaches, the staff—after what we’ve done in the offseason has never been at a higher level in the 26 years I’ve been with the club,” Phillips said. “We can’t wait for the season to get started and I’m sure you can’t either.”