LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Start a new Far Side calendar. Schedule a physical. Rotate those tires. A new year is approaching.

A new year of the Jay Cutler Show.

Not the radio show, mind you, but the multimedia gravy train that keeps us all in business. Cutler won't do many, if any, one-on-one, bare-his-soul interviews, but once again he will be the most discussed athlete in town, including Derrick Rose.

With an offensive system and starting core that's intact from last season, Jay Cutler should feel more at ease. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

So get ready for a new year of Jay Cutler mind-reading, body-language speculating, performance pontificating. He's got a new contract, at least $50 million or so guaranteed, and Cutler will be the topic of 72.4 percent of sports conversations from August through January.

His facial expressions account for 18 percent of that estimate.

Training camp will be here before you know it, and after that, so will Cutler's sixth season as the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears.

That's right, his sixth season. It has been a long time. Cutler is 31 now, a husband and a father of two. His best days are still (still!) ahead of him, but those best days better come this season.

Cutler met with the media for the first time since getting that fat contract extension in January. He gently disputed coach Marc Trestman's assessment that he was bigger and stronger, but he wouldn't argue that he's more comfortable than ever as the Bears' quarterback. While he said last year it would take two or three years to truly master Trestman's system, I think everyone expects this season to be better than last season for him, and last season was pretty good.

"We're going into my ninth year. I think this is only the second or third time I've been in an offense multiple years," Cutler said.

Stop me if you've heard that before. Like 500 times. It's true, though.

That has been the running story out of Halas Hall for Cutler's entire tenure as the team shuffled through three offensive coordinators in his first four seasons. But there is no question after all the bad hits, all the sideline pouts and all the lost seasons, Cutler and the Bears have finally found the right mix. On offense, anyway.

From the streamlined group of offensive coaches to the front office's "Duh!" additions of big-play wide receivers and competent linemen, the Bears offense is, for once, the strength of the team. It is being hyped as one of the best in the NFL for next season.

Weird times.

"I think he's at a place now, because he's had so much experience on these plays, he can utilize the entire play to find the right answers," coach Marc Trestman said of Cutler. AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast

It has never been only about Cutler -- his potential and his problems -- but also the mix around him. I'm not one for making excuses for Cutler, but anyone who has been around this team during that span knew he was a poker player with a small pot, bluffing his way through hands.

On Tuesday, Cutler reminisced about the "hit parade" he endured his first four years and how it affected his game, mentally and physically.

Blame goes his way too, for sure, for dealing with his frustrations in unprofessional ways, but credit Cutler for forcing himself to be more of a team leader. It's probably not coincidental this has happened as the team's fortunes have picked up.

Last year, he had time and targets, and good things happened for him and his injury replacement Josh McCown -- who incidentally won another award: a "Good Guy" honor announced Tuesday from the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America.

Leave it to McCown to show up Cutler's day.

While Cutler played well last year in his first season under Trestman, he was overshadowed by McCown's breakout performance as his backup. Now McCown is in Tampa Bay and Cutler is rich in Lake Forest.

Trestman said Cutler has that "it factor" that quarterbacks need in this league. If that's true, it better show itself for another season.

The Bears have a three- or four-year window to win under Cutler's new deal. If the defense is truly fixed, they could be formidable in 2014. If the offensive line can block like it did last year, Cutler will be expected to perform at an All-Pro level.

Credit general manager Phil Emery and his front office for quickly building this group. The entire starting offense is returning from last season, with second-year Marquess Wilson expected to replace Earl Bennett as the third receiver.

The offense got together in Florida to hang out this offseason, joining Brandon Marshall's unofficial skills academy of Alshon Jeffery and Wilson.

All the good vibes this offseason can disappear with a few bad losses, but the Bears think the offense's familiarity with the system and each other will pay dividends in 2014, starting with No. 6.

"The beauty of continuity in football is learning the system and understanding where the problem lies on each play and each down and distance, and having the answer for that," offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer said. "The more you know about the play, the more you know about the offense, the more problem-solving you can do as opposed to just running the play.