Aug. 20--The offensive half of the Bears' practice against the Colts on Wednesday had a familiar feel. Think 2014, with the many dinks and dunks.
Quarterback Jay Cutler spent most of team drills checking down and otherwise throwing short. That might have been by design for practice, but overall the Bears' did not stretch the field.
Such is life without top receiver Alshon Jeffery (strained left calf) and seventh-overall draft pick Kevin White (left shin stress fracture), who watched from the sideline. Cutler continues to settle into the new offense, and as he showed last season, he's comfortable taking what's available short.
"They got after us," Cutler said of the Colts defense. "They won the day. We have to fix a lot of things, I have to fix some stuff, O-line, receivers -- so we'll have some good film to watch tonight. We'll make some corrections for tomorrow."
Cutler and coach John Fox appreciated the defensive challenge the Colts provided. Generally speaking, their 3-4 defense is a bit smaller and faster than the Bears' new 3-4.
"It's good work for our O-line, good work for me," Cutler said. "Every game, every team you see something different. They're no different than anybody else. We saw some different stuff. They got us a few times with some things that we'll go back and correct."
The first-string offense is out to build on the two series they played in last Thursday's exhibition opener. Without running back Matt Forte or Jeffery, the Bears went three-and-out on the first series, followed by a 12-play, 66-yard field-goal drive.
Cutler was 4-of-7 passing for 42 yards, with one of those incompletions occurring on miscommunication with wideout Eddie Royal on a deep throw near the left sideline.
"I thought (Cutler) had a good outing," Fox said Wednesday about the exhibition opener. "I'm sure he wants to have a better one and would hope so every week. He's working at it, done everything we've asked. Work ethic's not a problem; just 'we' have to perform, not just Jay."
rcampbell@tribpub.com
