Maybe Jay Cutler is really tough or his ribs aren't as bruised and battered as first thought. Either way, it was a good sign that the Bears quarterback fully participated in practice on Thursday.

And it was a full practice for the Bears.

The Bears defense is off to a brilliant start this season. But they certainly aren't overlooking the struggling Carolina Panthers offense.

"Last year, that was probably our worst game of the season," Bears defensive end Julius Peppers said, referring to his current team's 34-29 victory over his former team. "We really didn't play well at all against those guys last year. They really took it to us. We're actually looking forward to getting back out there and getting another chance at redemption against them."

Peppers said the Panthers' offense "outplayed" the Bears defense.

"They pretty much did whatever they wanted to do," he said.

Peppers is right; the Panthers had a franchise-record 543 yards with then rookie quarterback Cam Newton completing 27 of 46 passes for 374 yards and running for another 35 yards. All told, he accounted for three touchdowns.

In addition, Steve Smith had eight catches for 181 yards and the Panthers piled up 169 rushing yards.

Newton appears to be in a sophomore slump, with nine turnovers and struggling in the fourth quarter of games.

Is Gabe Carimi getting any better?

The former first-round draft pick who missed most of last season with a knee injury is leading the team with eight penalties, including two holding calls against the Lions on Monday night.

It's always difficult for us laymen to judge offensive linemen, but especially in Carimi's case. For one thing, what's the measuring stick? Should the expectations be high because he's a first-round draft pick? Or should they be low because he missed most of last season with a knee injury?

Asked to evaluate Carimi's performance this season, Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice used 271 words to say five: ''He's a work-in-progress.''

''I told you when we moved Gabe to the right side [that] Gabe -- not to insult him -- is not the type of athlete I see that should be on the left side. When Gabe's plays are ugly, they're ugly because of that reason.

''And, he wants to kill guys. He gets himself so overextended over his feet because he's trying to knock guys out, that the second move -- on the [first] holding call, on the down block -- he was going to murder that guy.

''He gets himself out of whack because he's being a little overly aggressive. So, we're going to settle him down, make sure he brings his feet with him on some of these blocks where it does look ugly or he's getting those penalties. But he plays extremely hard. They're all playing hard right now, but he plays very hard. But his ugly plays are ugly.''

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera enjoys watching tape of the 2012 Bears defense.

"Kind of neat to see those guys flying around," he said.

Especially since he worked with some of those players, including linebackers Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher and cornerback Charles Tillman and defensive end Israel Idonije. But Rivera said this year's defense could actually be better than the 2006 unit he was the defensive coordinator of.

"Compared to the 2006 one that we went to the Super Bowl with, I think this group can be better. I really do," Rivera said. "Because the front four is probably better (than 2006), and it really begins with those guys up front."

"I think their front four can rush as well as anyone in the league. They can get after the quarterback with just the four guys."

Rivera added that the linebackers play downhill football and that the defensive backs are "opportunistic."

"You look at what Charles Tillman does, and the way he's redefining stripping and knocking the football out," Rivera said. "It's really a true testament to that defensive philosophy that's been there for quite some time.

Continuity, though, is also a key to the success of the unit, Rivera said.

"They've been doing it a long time. And the rest of the guys pick up off their lead," Rivera said. "It's an exciting bunch to watch. I enjoy watching tape as we break it down against these guys, and we have some common opponents."

Jay Cutler says he'll be good to go for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. The only question is just how good that will be.

Cutler bounced back after suffering bruised ribs on a vicious -- but legal -- takedown by Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in the Bears' 13-6 victory on Monday Night Football. But he wasn't sharp. Cutler was 7-of-15 for 77 yards and a 64.8 passer rating after suffering the injury.

''It was really tight,'' Cutler said Wednesday at Halas Hall. ''Just getting my backside through the ball. I wasn't kind of coming through exactly how I wanted to. I thought Mike did a good job of managing. I missed some throws I'd like to have back, but that's part of it.''

Before he was introduced Tuesday night at his charity event, Brandon Marshall had a video played featuring prominent sports personalities Warren Sapp of NFL Network and Stephen A. Smith of ESPN.

In the clips, Sapp calls Marshall a "retard" and Smith says that Marshall has multiple personalities.

Marshall has been clinically diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, which affects at least 14 million in the United States.

"Our goal is to break these stigmas," Marshall told the crowd at Lucky Strike. "Borderline Personality Disorder is the most stigmatized disorder. I think it's a shame.

"If we raise awareness, we will see a change in our communities and in our lives."

The fundraiser Tuesday night was for Project Borderline, Marshall's non-profit. Teammates Jay Cutler, Brian Urlacher, Devin Hester, Johnny Knox and Israel Idonije were showed up, along with other sports celebrities like Gale Sayers and Dan Hampton.

"I was supposed to go to the Bieber concert tonight," Urlacher jokingly said. "He does a good job in the community. It's a good cause, and it's Brandon."

As Jay Cutler continued to publicly downplay the hard hit by Ndamukong Suh Monday night, Bears receiver Brandon Marshall insisted the Detroit Lions defensive tackle crossed a line.

"Listen, I'm around Jay every day, and I'm going to stand up to this. Jay doesn't want to create any controversy," Marshall told the Sun-Times Tuesday night from his Bowling for Borderline event at Lucky Strike. "Was it the worst hit? No, it wasn't the worst hit. But I've never seen someone play the game like that.

"For a wrestling move to be accepted on the football field is ridiculous. It was illegal. It wasn't borderline illegal. It wasn't suspect. It was illegal. It's bad football."

Tuesday morning, a league spokesman said the play was legal and "not a foul."

During his weekly appearance on "The Waddle & Silvy Show" on WMVP-AM (1000), Cutler said his bruised ribs wouldn't hold him back from playing next Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and again defended Suh's play.

"It was a tough hit,'' Cutler said. ''He caught me just right. It was an awkward fall more than anything and kind of caught me on his knee and the ball a little bit. I'll be all right."

Asked why he was so insistent on speaking out, Marshall said he was defending the "integrity of the game."

"But it does hit home harder when it is your buddy. We don't want to see that," he said.

Marshall pointed to teammate Johnny Knox as an example. Knox is trying to recover after major surgery following a vicious hit to the back last season.

"You see what he has to do everyday to get his body back in a position to play again," Marshall said. "You see guys going down every year. You pull for guys. You don't rejoice when you see guys go down."

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, who suffered bruised ribs and was temporarily knocked out of Monday night's victory over the Detroit Lions when he was sacked by Ndamukong Suh, said he's feeling the effects of the hit but will be ''good to go'' for Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers at Soldier Field.

''It was a tough hit,'' Cutler said Tuesday on ''The Jay Cutler Show,'' his weekly appearance on ''The Silvy & Waddle Show'' on WMVP-AM. ''He caught me just right. It was an awkward fall more than anything and kind of caught me on his knee and the ball a little bit. I'll be all right.''

Cutler said he does not plan to take any painkillers this week. ''I'm just tight,'' he said. ''Everyday movements I'm all right. We have to throw on Thursday, s it'll be a little bit tight. I'll be good to go by Sunday.''

With the exception of receiver Brandon Marshall, other members of the Bears didn't seem to have any issue with Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh's hard sack of Jay Cutler.

Neither does the NFL.

"Legal play, not a foul," a league spokesman said in an email from London.

Cutler and coach Lovie Smith also didn't have any problem with the play, which bruised the quarterback's ribs and forced him to head to the locker room early.

It looked like a takedown move straight out of the WWE. But it was just the Detroit Lions' Ndamukong Suh doing what he does and that's playing violently.

The massive defensive tackle with a nasty reputation grabbed Bears quarterback Jay Cutler by his left arm and shoulder and then drove him hard into the ground, bruising his ribs in the second quarter.

Cutler lay on the ground for a few moments, giving the Bears and their fans a huge scare just before Halloween. But he ran off on his own power, was later checked out in the locker room and returned for the second half.

But was Suh's hit on Cutler dirty?

It's debatable. You can see it either way.

The Bears and their fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when quarterback Jay Cutler returned in the second half of Monday night's game after enduring a violent takedown by Detroit Lions brute Ndamukong Suh.

Cutler wasn't his usual self after getting his ribs bruised, but he was effective -- and tough -- enough to maintain the Bears' lead in the 13-7 victory on "Monday Night Football." He'll be re-examined this week as part of "normal" protocol, Bears coach Lovie Smith said.

We're hitting the streets of Chicago with Bears Cornerback Peanut Tillman today. Want to congratulate him on the huge Bears win yesterday? We'll be live-blogging here so check back for clues on our whereabouts and you can come out to meet him. The whole thing starts at 11:30 a.m. today.

Here's the clues:

First stop: We're going to bring our own party to this dealership on Randolph:

Second stop: Just do it: Swoosh into this store on Michigan Avenue and pick up some Bears gear for Peanut to sign.

Final stop: Forever hungry? Sample some "Peanut" butter fro-yo and "peanut" butter hot chocolate with Peanut Tillman at this Frozen Yogurt place in the Gold Coast.

How to find us:

Follow @Suntimes, @PeanutTillman and @SeanKJensen on Twitter to find out where we are. Use the hashtag #CSTStreetTweets to join in on the fun. Anything could happen!

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