Off Topic » He understands changes could be coming

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - Jay Cutler is ready for just about any scenario next week after the Chicago Bears dismal season comes to an end.He understands changes could be coming. The question is how sweeping.Coaches could leave, Cutler said Wednesday. Players could leave. I could leave. Thats part of it.The future of everyone from general manager Phil Emery to coach March Trestman to his assistants and the quarterback with a seven-year contract is in question with the Bears (5-10) last in the NFC North and the season ending at Minnesota on Sunday.Its quite a fall for a team that envisioned a playoff run.Instead, the Bears are missing the post-season for the seventh time in eight years.Cutler was at the centre of several issues late in the season.First, offensive co-ordinator Aaron Kromer admitted he was a source behind an NFL Network report criticizing the quarterbacks ability to identify when plays should be changed at the line of scrimmage. Kromer remained on the job, but Cutler got benched last week.Trestman decided a shake-up was necessary with Cutler leading the league in interceptions (18) and turnovers (24) even though the Bears were out of contention. So he started Jimmy Clausen against Detroit last week.The result was familiar. Chicago dropped its fourth straight, and Clausen suffered a concussion near the end of the game.Cutler left Soldier Field thinking he would be watching from the sideline again this week. It was not until later in the day that Clausen began experiencing symptoms, the team said.Its not clear who would have started this week had he remained healthy, but either way, Cutler is back in the Bears lineup.For how much longer? That remains to be seen.Cutler said he is not the one to answer that question.He is sure of one thing. This season has been unlike any other for him.Its a different season, he said. Its a weird season. A lot of things have happened, a lot of things that havent went our way for numerous amounts of reasons.Cutler said he hasnt had time to reflect on this season, what went wrong. He figures that will happen over the next few weeks.For now, the focus is on Minnesota, and he acknowledged its not easy preparing this week, with both teams out of contention.The guys in the locker room. The guys that have been in the huddle all year long, that Ive been with — those are the guys that Ill play for this week, he said.Kromer is not sure how the benching will impact Cutlers performance.Hes been focused this week and hes worked hard at it, hes worked with the guys, hes communicated and we expect a good game out of him, he said.The Bears were counting on a prolific offence along with a revamped defence to lead them to the playoffs for just the second time since the 2006 team made the Super Bowl.Instead, the defence continues to rank among the leagues worst. More costly, the offence took a huge step back in its second season under Trestman.The Bears have gone from second in scoring a year ago to 21st. Cutler, once again, has been a source of frustration for Chicago even though he is in some respects having his best season statistically.His rating (89.5) and completion rate (66.1 per cent) are career highs. He has stayed healthy, too, something that has been an issue in the past.But he continues to commit turnovers at inopportune times. His game management skills are under question, but the disclosure by Kromer and the benching have also turned a quarterback whose demeanour has been constantly analyzed over the years into a sympathetic figure to some.You know, hes always here early studying film, and (hes in) the protection meetings and going over everything multiple times, running back Matt Forte said.I talked to Jay last week, too, and told him not to get down in the dumps or anything like that. His spirits were still up and I think hes going to grow from what happened and be the best Jay that weve seen so far.Notes: Trestman on his future: I cant control anything other than helping this football team win. Were 5-10 right now and were going for No. 6 on Sunday. Thats where the focus is; it really doesnt go outside of that. ... DE Jared Allen (ribs), S Chris Conte (back), DT Jeremiah Ratliff (knee) and K Robbie Gould (right quadriceps) sat out practice. DE David Bass (knee), RG Kyle Long (hip) and WR Marquess Wilson (knee) were limited, while DT Ego Ferguson was a full participant after Detroits Dominic Raiola stomped on his right ankle during Sundays game.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Nike Shoes Cheap Sale . -- Barry Bonds is all set to return to the San Francisco Giants. Nike Shoes Cheap Wholesale . According to bodog.ca, Cleveland moved up to grab the best odds to win the Larry OBrian trophy at 4-1 on Friday. By comparison, the Miami Heats odds plummeted from 3-1 favourites before LeBron left, to 50-1. http://www.shoesnikecheap.com/. Sundays race will be held at the Sepang circuit, adjacent to Kuala Lumpurs main airport where the ill-fated flight took off earlier this month. Authorities now say it is almost certain it crashed in the Indian Ocean, killing all 239 people aboard. Wholesale Nike Shoes China . Chris Capuano. Shane Greene. And now, Esmil Rogers. Nike Shoes Wholesale Free Shipping . According to USA Today the Finns have tapped forwards Jarkko Immonen and Sakari Salminen to replace injured forwards Mikko Koivu and Valtteri Filppula at the Sochi Games.LJUBLJANA, Slovenia -- Spain and France will meet in the semifinals of the European basketball championships in a rematch of their gold medal game two years ago. Spain won that final and is seeking to become the first team to win three straight European titles since Yugoslavia in the 1970s. Two-time defending champion Spain took a big early lead and routed Serbia 90-60 in Wednesdays first quarterfinal. Tony Parker then scored 27 points to lead France 72-62 past host Slovenia. "We havent done anything yet," Parker said. "Its a big win for sure but our team has other goals. We want a medal and we still dont have it." Point guard Sergio Rodriguez scored 22 points and forward Rudy Fernandez went 4 for 4 from the 3-point range in adding 19 points for Spain. Spain has won gold or silver at every major competition since it captured the 2006 world title, except for the 2010 worlds when it finished sixth. The Spaniards won silver medals at the past two Olympics. France went on a 10-0 run at the start of the third quarter and never looked behind again. Slovenia cut the deficit to five when Domen Lorbek made a 3-pointer at the buzzer of the third quarter and Lorbek made it a three-point game at the start of the fourth. But Parker had a jumper and Nando de Colos layup restored his teams 10-point lead with just under six minutes remaining in the game. "We all played good defence and we moved the ball well in the attack, we were able to put Tony in position," de Colo said. Goran Dragic, who finished with 18 points, made two free throws to get his team within seven with 1:21 remaining. Parker had two turnovers late in the game, but he cut inside to score with a layup and made one of two free throws to make it a 10-point game again with 41 seconds remaining. Spain led by as many as 40 points at one stage in the first of the quarterfinals and made 13 of 25 attempts from beyond the arc. "It was our best game of the tournament so far," Spain coach Juan Orenga said. "Our goal is to grow during the tournament and win the gold medal." Spain had struggled through the first two rounds, losing three of eight games. But it may have beenn saving its best for the most important games.dddddddddddd "We played aggressive, it was time to show everybody what we can do," Spain point guard Ricky Rubio said. Serbia struggled at the start and Spain quickly pulled away. Serbia went 1 for 11 from the field in the first quarter. "Our hands were just tied. Most of us had never played against a rival so strong as Spain," Serbia guard Nemanja Nedovic said. "They got a big lead early." By the time Serbias defence began to show signs of life, Spain had a comfortable double-digit lead and finished the first quarter with a 16-point lead. "We prepared very seriously for this game, we knew we had to play with energy from the start," said Rubio, who had six rebounds, six assists and four steals to go with five points. Rodriguez made a 3-point play, Serbia turned the ball over and Marc Gasol hit a jumper and put Spain up by 23. The lead grew to 43-17 when Fernando San Emeterio made another jumper. Pablo Aguilar made a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to leave Spain ahead by 25 at 48-23. Victor Claver scored the first seven points of the second half and Sergio Llull added a 3 as Spain dominated the Serbs, putting together a 10-0 run. It took Serbia 4:30 to score its first points of the third quarter, but soon it was 69-29 and a 40-point game. "It was a shame how we played today," said Serbias captain Nenad Krstic, who only played 13 minutes after being double-teamed by the aggressive Spanish defence. "Usually our outside shooters can compensate, but we didnt have our shot today." "We are a young team and we certainly lacked experience today," Krstic said. Serbia has nine newcomers with no experience of a major event. The Serbs play Slovenia on Thursday in the playoffs for places five to eight, with the winner qualifying for next years World Cup in Spain. The top seven teams will all qualify for the tournament, with Spain holding a direct slot as host. Serbia lost the 2009 final to Spain, was fourth at the 2010 world championship, but then flopped at the Europeans two years ago and failed to qualify for the London Olympics last year. ' ' '