Jay Cutler's status for Sunday's home game against the Raiders remains uncertain after he practiced on a limited basis Thursday for the second straight day.
The Bears quarterback is recovering from a hamstring injury he sustained Sept. 20 late in the first half of a Week 2 loss to the Cardinals at Soldier Field.
"I think we're doing well," Cutler said. "We didn't really put a timetable on it, just kind of day-to-day. We'll see how it goes. We've still got a couple days left. I don't think we're exactly where we want to be. But no one really is 100 percent healthy right now."
Cutler acknowledged that "if you've got to move, you've got to use your hamstring," and knows all about the risk of aggravating the injury by playing before it heals.
"If you do come back on a hamstring earlier than you want to, it's definitely going to be in the back of your mind because there's that slight pull," Cutler said. "It's an instinctual game out here. You're doing things on the run without thinking. To have to worry about a hamstring and moving around is something that can weigh on you."
Quarterback Jay Cutler's status for Sunday's home game against the Raiders remains uncertain.
With uncertainty about whether Cutler or backup Jimmy Clausen will start against the Raiders, offensive coordinator Adam Gase is working closely with both players.
"For me it's just having a plan for whoever coach [John] Fox tells me is going to go," Gase said. "It's not a thing of what play we're really calling, it's just kind of the style we're going to play for that particular game.
"So you put your plan together and then you just be ready to move some things around as far as what you're going to do to open up the game and how the flow of the game is going to go, how things will change during the game. Each guy has a different skill set and whatever one goes, we'll use that guy's best assets."
Playing the first game-and-a-half of the season, Cutler passed for 345 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a 78.5 passer rating. He guided the Bears to four TDs on 12 possessions, while Clausen has failed to produce any TDs on 19 drives.
With Clausen operating a run-oriented offense last Sunday in Seattle, the Bears punted on all 10 of their possessions and crossed the 50 only once in a 26-0 loss. It was the first time they had been shut out since a 15-0 defeat to the Buccaneers in 2002.
"That's an extremely tough place to play," Cutler said. "You look at the last couple years there, nobody really does well in that situation. New offense, new group of guys, it's extremely loud … Jimmy was in a tough spot.
"If I would've played out there in Seattle against that defense, you're not going to have a lot of success there. They're a very good defense that's been there for a while playing those coverages and doing it very well. If Jimmy goes this week, guys are 100 percent behind him and he's going to be successful."
Speaking to the media Thursday for the first time since last Sunday's loss, Gase explained what the Bears were trying to accomplish on offense.
"We wanted to be aggressive in the run game as far as pound them and take it to them and try to take a little bit of their speed out of the game," Gase said.
"If you get into a throwing contest with them—unfortunately I've been in a couple with that team—they will make you pay. You will see sack/fumbles. You will see interceptions. There's a reason why they've lost two games in three years at home.
"So what we did in that game I felt gave us the best chance, especially with what we were asking Jimmy to do. The one regret I do have is in that second half I wish I would have pulled the trigger maybe a little bit sooner as far as being more aggressive on some of those first- and second-down calls."
