BOURBONNAIS – In a perfect world, Bears coach John Fox’s starting offense has a perfect start in its very limited debut against the Miami Dolphins in preseason play at Soldier Field on Thursday.
“I’d like to see about a 12-play drive and score – that’s what I’d like to see,” Fox said Tuesday after practice at Olivet Nazarene University. “We’re excited. We haven’t seen these guys play live.
“We’ve seen them on tape and seen them in practice, but we haven’t seen them against an opponent yet and in live football conditions in the NFL.”
The Bears’ starters on both sides will be limited to 12 to 15 plays, based on how the game is going.
Fox said there’s a “strong likelihood” that defensive players making position changes will see more plays, but some, particularly those coming off serious injuries, could be held out.
Outside linebackers Willie Young (torn Achilles) and Lamarr Houston (torn anterior cruciate ligament) are coming off major surgeries, but Fox declined to mention which specific players will sit or play more.
“I’d rather wait, but there are a couple injury guys that may not see action Thursday night,” Fox said. “[It’s] just being smart, and having been through it before, you know maybe they’re not quite ready for that yet.”
Quarterback Jay Cutler said the offense started game-planning for the Dolphins on Monday night.
“Technically, you want to do well, but you don’t want to show all your cards,” Cutler said. “So it’s kind of a chess match of how much you actually do.”
Follow me on Twitter @adamjahns
Email: ajahns@suntimes.com