Jay Cutler and Earl Bennett — together again

Know who's the happiest man in Chicago right now?

Earl Bennett. Because his personal quarterback is coming to town.

When Cutler was starting his senior season at Vanderbilt with six total wins in 34 starts, Bennett joined his receiving corps as a true freshman.

He quickly became Cutler's favorite target, hauling in 79 passes for 876 yards and nine touchdowns. He caught the touchdown pass that put the Florida game into overtime in the Swamp, though Vanderbilt was going for two and the win until Bennett was flagged for throwing up the celebratory six-shooters in one of the worst calls in college football history. In the Kentucky game, Bennett caught five TD passes from Cutler, and against Tennessee he broke a long losing drought with 168 reception yards and the winning touchdown.

How good was Bennett? After Cutler left, he became the SEC's all-time leading reception leader in only two more seasons despite being constantly double-teamed and having Chris Nickson as his primary quarterback.

When he declared himself eligible for the NFL draft, Bennett called Cutler and asked him to be his quarterback at pro day in Nashville. Cutler agreed, even working out with him for three weeks leading up to the event. On pro day, Bennett caught every pass and impressed scouts.

"Anytime you play with a pro quarterback like Cutler it is great," Bennett said after that workout. "He throws great balls and once you get your timing down, everything is cool. I'm thankful that he came out here."

That day, Cutler said he was the one who felt the pressure.

"I was a little nervous today," Cutler said. "I think he was more relaxed than I was because I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders to give him good balls. He made some catches for me and it turned out really well."

"He is such a great kid," Cutler said of Bennett then. "He is a pro. In Denver we talk about being a pro and doing things the right way, and Earl does it on and off the field."

The Bears drafted Bennett in the third round. He struggled in his rookie season, making the active roster late in the year and failing to catch a pass.

Bet he catches quite a few this season.

Jay Cutler traded to Bears — Chicago now Vanderbilt North

About an hour ago, Jay Cutler was traded to the Chicago Bears, one of the two teams he wanted to play for — the Titans were the other.

Brian Urlacher says he has no problem with Cutler. Hey, that's a start.

Jay will be reunited with Earl Bennett, his favorite target when he was a Commodore. Bennett was a freshman back then and eventually became the SEC's all-time leading receiver in only three seasons despite the fact that two of those seasons he was catching balls from Chris Nickson and Mackenzi Adams, neither one of whom will ever play in the NFL.

Other Chicago Bears who played at Vanderbilt are linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer, a seven-year pro, and Chris Williams, the first-rounder who was a rookie last season. Williams is listed as a left tackle but the Bears just picked up Orlando Pace, the legendary left tackle who was released by the Rams.

That makes four Commodores on the Vanderbilt roster. Maybe five if the Bears pick up D.J. Moore. That'd be cool, huh?

Anyway, Cutler is a blue-collar guy with an attitude, and like so many people have said, he's a team guy through and through. I think he'll get along fine with Lovie Smith, and Bears fans will consider him a vast upgrade over Kyle Orton, who's headed for the Broncos, and Rex Grossman.

It'll be interesting to see what Cutler's presence will do for Earl Bennett, who struggled in his rookie season and still hasn't caught a regular-season pass as a pro.

Cutler moves closer to home — he's from Santa Claus, Ind. — and he finally has a defense. And we don't have to hear everybody try to psychoanalyze him anymore. And we can see if Josh McDaniels in Denver really can work magic with quarterbacks.

Yep, we'll see.