INDIANAPOLIS – Bears coach John Fox didn’t spend much time monitoring his defense during the first of two shared practices against the Colts on Wednesday.
Fox had to watch his own offense take on the defense that knocked his Denver Broncos out of the playoffs last season.
“I pretty much know their roster and what they’re capable of,” Fox said, referring to the Colts’ 24-13 victory in the AFC divisional round in January, his last game as the Broncos’ coach. “They’re a good football team, and that’s all part of it, getting the extra work and watching how they do things.”
All of it is good for quarterback Jay Cutler. If all goes well, he can benefit from such an experience while learning another new offense. Cutler said he last practiced against an opposing team when he was with the Broncos from 2006 to 2008.
“It’s always good to break up camp, to see somebody else,” Cutler said after practice at the Indiana Farm Bureau Center.
Interestingly enough, Fox and Cutler said the speed of the Colts’ defense was faster than the Bears’. Neither meant it as a criticism of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s group, which is switching to a 3-4 scheme, but it’s significant for what the Bears are trying to be under offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
After the Bears’ preseason opener against the Miami Dolphins, Cutler said the offense still was working toward meeting the high-tempo pace that Gase wants. The Colts did end Gase’s and quarterback Peyton Manning’s playoff run last year after another outstanding regular season together.
“They tend to be a quicker and faster style of defense,” Fox said. “I thought that was good work for our guys to see.
“Obviously, it’s nice to hit on someone other than your own team. I thought it was good work and we’ll be able to coach off of it, watch the tape and hopefully get better.”
Cutler couldn’t agree more.
“They do a lot of the same things that our defense does,” Cutler said. “They run a 3-4, different type of guys, little bit quicker than some of our big guys.
“It’s good work; it’s good work for our [offensive] line, good work for me.”
The joint practice offered plenty of learning experiences, but Cutler didn’t throw any interceptions in team drills.
“They got after us, they won the day,” Cutler said. “We’ve got to fix a lot of things.
“We saw some different stuff. They got us a few times with some things that we’ll go back and correct, but all in all, it was a good day.”
It was good because it was against another opponent. The Bears can see themselves on film against different players, not the teammates they’ve been bumping heads with for weeks.
Plus, general manager Ryan Pace can get a more complete understanding of where his team actually stands against playoff-caliber teams. The Colts have made the playoffs in three consecutive seasons.
At the very least, the players enjoy the change in competition.
“It’s different than a regular practice,” running back Matt Forte said. “In training camp, we’re going against the same guys we’ve been going against since [organized team activities], and minicamp and all that. We practice against them every day and they kind of know how you play. They’ve studied you or whatever the most.
“When you play against another team, it’s kind of like a little bit more leading up to a game than a practice. It’s a little more intense. I think you get better work out of it.”
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Email: ajahns@suntimes.com
