In the first of nine position previews in advance of training camp, coach Pep Hamilton discusses the Bears quarterbacks:

What are your thoughts on how quickly Jay Cutler gained a grasp of the Bears offense?

He’s put the necessary time in to pick up the offense and more importantly gain a grasp of it and be able to take the information from the classroom out onto the field and execute the offense. He’s worked very hard in the classroom, meeting with coach [Ron] Turner and myself to gain a grasp of the offense.

The Bears acquired Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler in a blockbuster trade April 2.

In a lot of cases, some of the pass concepts that we run in coach Turner’s offense are somewhat universal and similar to other teams such as the Broncos and the offense they ran last year. They ran a hybrid of the West Coast offense, so some of the verbiage and the reads are the same. It was just a matter of him understanding our applications and methodology on the things that we do here. He’s going into his fourth year in the NFL, and having started for a few seasons, he has a sense of the pro passing game as a whole.

What are your impressions of Jay as a player and a person?

As a player, he’s a gym rat. He loves football, and he’s a tremendous competitor with an extremely talented arm and surprising athleticism and mobility. I’m still getting to know him as a person, but it seems like his life revolves around football and being the quarterback of the Chicago Bears. He has to be the quarterback and the leader of the franchise both on and off the field, inside and outside Halas Hall. When he leaves the building, he’s still the quarterback of the Bears, and he seems to have taken on that responsibility and he’s handling it well from what I gather.

What’s it been like working with Jay one-on-one?

Like I said, he has rare arm talent, and when it’s all said and done in this league, it seems like talent prevails. It’s exciting to have an opportunity to work with and observe a guy with his type of talent, coupled with his athleticism. He’s a young guy who’s ascending, and he’s ready to take the next step.

With Cutler and the weapons he has, how dangerous will the Bears offense be this season?

Only time will tell. It’s exciting to see that we have some pieces and have some guys who have made plays in this league. We just hope that everybody stays healthy and it all comes together. Devin Hester is coming along and he has another year under his belt. Greg Olsen is continually progressing and is just wowing everybody with his athleticism and physical stature. Add in the acquisition of veteran offensive linemen Orlando Pace, Frank Omiyale and Kevin Shaffer in free agency, and it seems like the pieces of the puzzle are coming together and being put in place.

With Cutler’s ability to throw the deep ball, how much more will the Bears take shots down the field than they have in the past?

Just in my time here, when there’s been an opportunity for us to take a shot down field and make a big play, coach Turner has seized that opportunity. We had a lot of chances last year to make some big plays down the field and for whatever reason we didn’t. Jay’s arm talent and his ability to throw the deep ball is an asset, so I’m sure with Devin Hester’s game-breaking speed and his ability to get behind the secondary, I wouldn’t be surprised to see that play called a few times during the season.

How did backup quarterback Caleb Hanie perform in OTAs?

He did a lot of good things. He showed the poise that he’s shown since he’s been here. Being given a chance to get reps versus the first and second team defense was important for him. It gave him a chance to get a feel for what the play speed would be like during the regular season. But he’s still working at it. Training camp is going to be important for him. It’s going to be big. It’s going to be important that he comes into training camp in great shape and has the appropriate mental approach and perspective. But he’s coming along. He’s a young player who has a lot of potential. He’s just got to keep working at it.

What are your impressions of backup Brett Basanez?

He’s a hard-working guy. Brett is always at Halas Hall after hours studying film and going back to critique himself after practice. On the field, he’s shown some mobility as well as the ability to make the necessary throws. Brett doesn’t have a lot of play-time reps, but the potential is there. Both Brett and Caleb can make plays with their legs. They’re both athletic, and they can extend plays. Both guys have a lot of common traits. They’re smart kids who work hard. It’ll be interesting to see how the competition between them ultimately ends up.