The Bears performance Sunday night in Denver is about the most encouraging preseason this side of the Saints marching up and down the field on the Oakland Raiders.

Between Jay Cutler leading the offense on a 98 yard touchdown drive, Devin Hester recapturing the magic with a 54 yard punt return, and the first team defense limiting the Broncos offense to 3 points in the first half all three phases were at the top of their game.

Now the Bears can simply coast through their final preseason match-up and head into Green Bay feeling like they can handle a 3-4 defense and a hostile crowd.

However, between now and then “the Bears” will consist of 22 fewer players as Lovie Smith and Co. make the finals cuts down to 53.

The personnel moves started yesterday when the Bears signed Rod Hood, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals and recently released by the Cleveland Browns. To make room for Hood they sent seventh round pick Derek Kinder packing and it’s probably not a good sign Trumaine McBride who struggled mightily Sunday night.

So who are the guys squarely on the chopping block?

Hunter Hillenmeyer: A steady performer for six years in Chicago, Hunter regularly made up for his athletic deficiencies by being the most disciplined player on the team and always knowing an executing his assignment. But after injuries robbed him of his starting job last year the coaching staff looks comfortable with going in another direction.

As a backup – unless the Bears decide to keep seven linebackers – Hillenmeyer’s limitation as a special teams contributor make him expendable. While injuries to Jamar Williams and Nich Roach give him an outside chance of sticking around the writing was on the wall when the Bears chose to resign Darrell McClover.

Adrian Peterson: He runs hard, he’s a steady special teams contributor, and his story as a division II running back who’s overcome a sever stutter is a great one. The problem is the serious number crunch on the offensive side and Garrett Wolfe’s surprising emersion on coverage units. He can still contribute in a number of ways but is so unlikely to see the field at this point.

If the coaches decide against going with four tight ends or feel too strongly that they can’t lose his veteran presence maybe Peterson makes it back for another season. At this point it’s not that he can’t play but that he simply doesn’t have a role on the team.

Trumaine McBride: It’s been a while since one poor preseason game cost someone their roster spot like McBride’s play did Sunday in Denver. During his two years with the Bears McBride has always been undersized but now he is also underperforming. The injuries to Tillman and Bowman provided him with more than enough opportunity, but Thursday night will almost certainly be his last in Chicago.

Brett Basanez: Last year the Lovie Smith wanted to carry just two quarterbacks in the regular season but Caleb Hanie’s play during the preseason made it impossible for him to do that. To say the least the ex-Wildcat Basanez has not made a similar impression starting with his three interception debut in Buffalo. Barring the unexpected Baz will be back on the open market Saturday.

Michael Gaines: His fate may be fully intertwined with that of Adrian Peterson. Peterson has the track record and history with the team, but Gaines ability to backup at fullback and the number of two tight end sets the Bears run gives him a lot more utility.

Whether Gaines get cut or not will probably also say a lot about Kellen Davis’ progress as a blocker and if coaches feel they need to have someone else in there on goal line and short yardage sets.

Josh Bullocks: Both Bullocks and Craig Steltz have been buried on the depth chart since training camp opened. Bullocks brings more to the table athletically but the Bears touted Steltz as the presumed starter at free safety all offseason. Either will fill the role of fourth safety and be a mainstay on special teams so this is where draft status will probably give Steltz the edge.

Brandon Rideau/Devin Aromashodu: I list them together because the Bears are only keeping six wide receivers at most and – assuming they won’t give up on Rashied Davis’ special teams contributions – one of these two have to go. Rideau has to be caught off guard by this position after entering camp as the #3 and earning rave reviews early, but we haven’t heard much about him lately and have seen even less production on the field.

Aromashodu appears to have the advantage of franchise quarterback Jay Cutler in his corner and the most impressive catch of the preseason against the Giants. Additionally, if Cutler leads him inside a little more he probably pulls in a touchdown grab against the Broncos. Neither guy is going to make an impact outside the offense and that means only one can stick around.

Along with those veterans there are also an unusual number of draft picks who will be sweating out the final cuts. Here are a few guys whose future with the Bears may be on the practice squad:

D.J. Moore: After the draft Angelo really talked like he’d gotten a steal who could provide immediate depth at cornerback. While the steal part still might be true there is going to be nothing immediate about Moore’s impact on the Bears.

After recording one pass break up against the Bills, Moore has been virtually invisible and has lost playing time to less known players Woodny Turenne and Rudy Burgess. Moore is trying to overcome the same size issues as Trumaine McBride and so far has been unable to do so.

Marcus Freeman: If the Bears are seriously considering letting a player of Hunter Hillenmeyer go –and it’s a safe bet they are – then someone like Freeman really doesn’t have much of a chance. Despite his interception Sunday in Denver and his blog over at chicagobears.com Freeman’s impact has been limited.

Freeman has gone from a projected second round pick two years ago to a practice squad candidate. With Jamar Williams potentially a free agent after this year – pending a new collective bargaining agreement – the coaching staff can hope a year with the organization can have Freeman ready to step in and step up next summer.

Henry Melton: As a converted running back out of Texas everyone knew that Melton was going to be a project. Unfortunately given the number crunch along the defensive line the Bears really can’t afford to carry a project on the 53-man roster. Thankfully it’s unlikely anyone else can either and Melton should make it through the waivers process.

With a year of tutelage from Rod Marinelli while on the practice squad Melton could be someone to watch. With the impending free agency of Adewale Ogunleye and Mark Anderson, Melton could be provided with a unique opportunity to make a serious impact next season

It would probably be considered putting it lightly to say that was not what Bears fans expected from the first appearance of their new franchise quarterback. In fact, if not for Kyle Orton’s own disastrous – three interception – debut with the Broncos there might have been a few twinges of regret.

But for all the disappointment surrounding the overall up and down nature of Jay Cutler’s first 14 snaps as the Chicago Bears quarterback, two days later all the attention is focused on one particular snap, one particular throw, and one particular comment after the game.

Watching Jay Cutler step up in the pocket and heave an ill-fated pass down the left sideline that landed in the hands of Buffalo corner Leodis McKelvin instead of Devin Hester probably made more than a few fans flashback to their Rex Grossman nightmares.

Then hearing Cutler after the game classify Devin Hester as more of a “go-get-it guy” and not a “back shoulder, or jump up and get it” guy gave me a flashback to Rex Grossman standing on Soldier Field after being dismantled by the Green Bay Packers on New Year’s Eve and admitting he wasn’t prepared for the game.

A word to the wise Jay: wing and a prayer, 50-50 deep passes and a little too much candor and honesty in your post-game interviews are probably not the path to success as a Bears quarterback.

Trust me on this.

In the end though, more might never have been made over a single preseason interception.

A strong-armed, aggressive quarterback tried to make a big play in a game that essentially means nothing and yet the world seems to be coming to an end. In this quarterback starved town that is the inevitable burden of being labeled “the franchise”.

Was the pass a poor decision? Yes. But considering how little preseason generally equates to regular season success fans should probably take a deep breath and relax. It was a small step in a long process and should only cause worry when it becomes a pattern instead of an anomaly.

Even worse has been the reaction to Cutler’s comments after the game. Ever searching for scandal and the signs of discontent a simple observation was turned into throwing a teammate under the bus.

What was so untrue about Cutler’s comments? I don’t foresee the 5’11” Hester leaping high over cornerbacks to pull in spectacular downfield grabs, do you? Hester is a guy who’s going to get behind defenders and beat them on quickness and what I read from Cutler was simply that observation.

Members of the media and fans are often hypocrites when it comes to their cries for players to answer questions with and display candor, honesty and personality. This is exactly why they don’t.

When a simple answer to a question gets blown this out of proportion it’s a wonder why every Bears player doesn’t adhere to the Lovie Smith guide to dealing with the press.

For so many reasons Jay Cutler’s first go-around as starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears was a learning experience. Perhaps just most surprising is that the person he probably needs to learn the most from is Rex Grossman and not repeating his mistakes.

For all intents and purposes the Bears roster is set. While fans and even players might dream of the addition of Plaxico Burress or another veteran wide receiver, GM Jerry Angelo doesn’t seem to share that vision and seem content to go with this roster.

So during this lull, where few changes are likely to be made, it’s a good time for reflection and self-evaluation. Breaking down this roster and trying to determine what the biggest questions facing this team still are.

Over the next few weeks I am going to ask some of those questions and do the best I can to answer them. Most of them are obvious, but there are a few that might surprise you. The first question revolves around the man thought to be the great answer: Jay Cutler.

Will Cutler’s interceptions keep him from significantly improving the Bears’ offense?

It seems blasphemous to suggest that the great savior has a flaw, after all considering what’s been trotted out under center for the Bears most of the last 20 years Cutler really might seem perfect.

But lost in all the character assassination of Cutler – with NFL experts and journalists calling him a party boy, prima donna, and questioning his leadership – has been a stunning lack of analysis of other parts of Cutler’s game.

Everyone knows about the 4,000 yard season, the 25 touchdown passes, and the Pro Bowl appearance. Everyone talks about the big arm and surprising mobility. But far too many have neglected to mention the 32 interceptions over the last two seasons, or that he posted a QB rating under 80 in half of his starts last year.

Most of Cutler’s struggles, such has his career 17-20 record, have been explained away as the result of Denver’s terrible defense the last few years. Supports say he’s 13-1 when he’s team holds their opponents under 21 points.

That all may be true but he’s also 2-6 over the last two seasons when throwing more than one interception in a game. Cutler also has only nine interception free games over his last 32 starts and only three of those came in 2008.

KC Joyner – the football scientist – has even gone as far as to suggest Cutler will remind fans of Rex Grossman. While that may seem insulting Joyner has also been quick to remind people that Rex also quarterbacked the Bears to a Super Bowl.

Now KC isn’t suggesting that Cutler is suddenly going to be fumbling snaps, throwing off his back foot and taking terrible sacks, but Jay’s arm strength – like Rex’s – is both a blessing and a curse. It allows him to make big plays and fit balls in tight spots, and it also encourages him to throw passes he shouldn’t.

That was something the Bears could overcome in 2006 as offensive mistakes were quickly erased by a dominant defense. However, over the last two seasons the Bears have stayed afloat by not making mistakes and forcing other teams to drive the length of the field.

Without a dominant 2005 or 2006 style defense it does seem reasonable to raise the question of whether or not the Bears will be able to overcome Cutler giving opponents a short field. Because for all those deep balls fans are envisioning landing in the arms of Devin Hester, there are going to be a few that also end up in the hands of defenders.

Cutler is still a young quarterback and maturity and a stronger supporting cast could lead to less risk taking and fewer turnovers. Matt Forte will provide a strong running game and Ron Turner will ensure he won’t be asked to carry the entire offense as he was in Denver, but all that is not going to curb Cutler’s affinity for the big play.

Given his current status as savoir Cutler will get a much longer leash than Rex ever did. His lows won’t be as low and his highs will be just as high, if not higher. But while a slow start would be explained away by new teammates and a new system, it might be a different story if three interceptions cost the Bears a game in November.

In the end Cutler’s ability to make the offense significantly better will likely have more to do with how few passes he throws to the other team instead of how many he throws to his own.

Define irony: a guy you fired three years ago because you thought you could do a better job without him coming back to take your job because you couldn’t do it without him.

Maybe not poetic enough for Alanis Morissette but it could be a reality for Lovie Smith.

Lost in the high and residual buzz of the Jay Cutler acquisition was the January decision of Smith to take over the defensive play-calling. That decision officially started the clock on Lovie’s head coaching tenure in Chicago.

What Lovie announced with that move was “I [Lovie] the defensive guru can fix this with coaching rather than changing players.” This season is now a referendum on Smith’s coaching ability.

What happens if the defense doesn’t turn it around? What happens if the Bears don’t make the playoffs?

It might seem crazy to suggest that the Bears wouldn’t make the playoffs in ’09. After all they were 9-7 last year and upgraded the two most important positions on offense with Cutler at QB and Orlando Pace at LT, they have to get better.

But that 9-7 easily could’ve been 7-9 or 6-10 given how poorly they played over certain stretches. And both the Packers and Vikings are primed for playoff runs themselves, rarely do three teams from the same division make it.

So put yourself in Jerry Angelo’s shoes. You’ve just put the team right back into full fledged win-now mode with the bold trade for Jay Cutler, you’ve got 4 years remaining on your own contract and are dealing with a defensive coach who can’t get the defense together and hasn’t made the playoffs in three years.

Would you stand pat under those circumstances? I am not sure Angelo would.

So if you let Lovie go, with two years left on the contract he signed after the Super Bowl season, you know the McCaskey’s aren’t shelling out big bucks for a Mike Shanahan or Bill Cowher. That limits the options.

And on the West Coast there is an ex-Bear player and coach who could be leading the Chargers defense on a Super Bowl run. A former linebacker, who looked to be a head coach candidate just a few years ago, was forced to step back to linebackers coach, and is now on the rise again. A coach, who knows our personnel and has the utmost respect of the established veterans on this team.

Ron Rivera sure would sound like a good option for this team, and as a first time head coach he would come cheap.

Maybe Lovie leads the defense to a bounces back season.

Maybe the Bears — with Cutler at the helm — make a deep playoff run.

Maybe none of this comes to fruition.

But don’t fool yourself, the clock is running on Lovie’s time leading the Monsters of the Midway. If he can’t get it done the logical replacement would be the guy he fired 2 years ago. Isn’t that ironic.

Rex Grossman…His name alone brings about a staggering variety and range of emotions that just might match the peaks and valleys in his play. He is the most polarizing Chicago sports figure of the new millennium, and maybe any millennium for that matter.

Not an easy task when you consider that Sammy Sosa went from helping the Cubs get to within five outs of a World Series to more or less run out of town after the following season.

His fall from grace might have been one of the roughest and most brutal ever for an athlete who didn’t break a rule, law, or get involved in some sort of crime/sex scandal.

As one of the last off the Rex bandwagon I can personally attest it was a bumpy ride.

How did he go from NFL Offensive Player of the Month for September 2006 and starting Super Bowl XLI to:

* Having his agent twitter about him just to make sure everyone knows he’s still around and didn’t secretly retire or give up football.
* Watching Kyle Boller, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dan Orlovsky, Patrick Ramsey and Joey Harrington all find jobs before him.
* And have his name surface as a possible try-out candidate for a new four-team football league that might last slightly longer than the XFL.

Where exactly is the rock that stops this bottoming out?

This is the end result of all the injuries, fumbled snaps, interceptions, constant media and fan scrutiny. A player with obvious talent, that once exuded unshakable and infectious confidence, being so broken that he can’t find a job in a league that employs the likes of Brock Berlin, Ken Dorsey and Marques Tuiasosopo.

But it’s easier to look back on Rex’s tenure in Chicago now, now that we’ve got Jay Cutler.

What was once a painful nightmare, an open wound, is instead just scar. Something fans can look back on with the confidence of someone who’s climbed the mountain and has a begrudging respect for all the trials and stumbles along the way.

The way Red Sox fans can embrace Bill Buckner.

The way Cubs fans will apologize to Steve Bartman—and they will once the Cubbies win it all.

Fans can look at Rex Grossman now and with wistful sympathy say, ‘He was simply over-matched.’ Injuries that derailed his development left him unprepared for the pressure of filling the most important position for the most important team in Chicago, especially during a title run.

Kyle Orton couldn’t do that. Jay Cutler can.

Jay Cutler makes it possible for a fan to suggest bringing Grossman back to be the veteran back-up this team needs and having people in the room pause just long enough to escape without bodily harm.

The Bears may never bring him back for an opening coin toss or to make an appearance at the fan expo, but at least people won’t go out of their way not to mention his name. Jay Cutler has done that.

And whether he plays in the NFL this season—as Rosenhaus insists he will—or not Rex will be remembered differently this year than anyone expected. Maybe he should send Jay a thank you card.