Bears coy about QB, but it doesn't faze Seahawks

John Fox doesn’t have to rule Jay Cutler out, by league rule, until Friday. So he won’t.

Instead, the coach continued to be vague about the status of his quarterback, who did not practice Wednesday while rehabbing a hamstring he strained against the Cardinals.

“He’s taking it day to day,” Fox said.

Sources said Monday that backup Jimmy Clausen would start Sunday against the Seahawks.

Cutler attended practice in a T-shirt and sweatpants, and was seen during the open portion of practice helping to coach pass-catchers, including tight end Martellus Bennett, on a route.

“The best thing we can do for Jimmy this week is, everybody know their assignment and do their job,” Bennett said. “So that he can relax and do his job.”

Share Events on The CubeFox said that David Fales, who was promoted from the practice squad Tuesday, was “probably about as caught up as most third quarterbacks in this league are.”

Fox being coy about the starter doesn’t seem to bother Seahawks coach Pete Carroll. He knows the pecking order — “Dude, Jay’s the starter,” Carroll said — but knows that health will determine who does Sunday.

“Jimmy’s been around enough,” Carroll said. “He knows how to play the game, too. He’s a cool competitor. He’ll be all right if he jumps in there.”

Seattle cornerback Richard Sherman said it’s not a competitive advantage to know either way.

“To say anything less,” he said, “is to say that Jimmy Clausen isn’t a good football player, and we don’t respect him.”

Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley

Email: pfinley@suntimes.com