Bears Urlacher and Cutler exchanged jerseys at close-of-camp

On Chicago Bears Thursday close-of-camp rite, star linebacker Brian Urlacher and new quarterback Jay Cutler exchanged their bears jerseys, shooting down reports of a rift between the No.54 and No. 6.

In the rite, players on the rosters all swapped jerseys as a mark of the final day of training camp, which was held at Olivet Nazarene University. An interesting interaction although at first it took some time for everyone to get used to seeing No. 54 taking snaps from center.

“I had a little bit of trouble at first seeing Urlacher in Cutler’s,” coach Lovie Smith said. “They kind of look alike, both of them big stature. But you know, that’s the tradition with our players right now. There’s nothing like the last day of training camp for the players and of course the coaches.”

Swapping jerseys among players may also mark better understanding with each other, which was also a main factor in improved teamwork. Especially for Cutler and his new offensive teammates, better understanding will be important in leading the game to better results in Saturday’s game against the New York Giants than in the preseason opener against Buffalo.