Cutler: Marshall was speaking from the heart
In the ongoing aftermath of Brandon Marshall's postgame tirade/snap session/hissy fit/meltdown last Sunday, quarterback Jay Cutler, who's known Marshall longer than any Bears teammate, was asked to weigh in.
"He's an emotional guy," Cutler said. "Whenever he gets frustrated, he's going to get emotional most of the time. He's going to speak from the heart, and he's going to make sure that everyone else around him hears him.
"So it wasn't anything that caught us off guard or was off-putting. It was frustration coming out and him just letting us know that it's important to him."
Cutler refuted rumors that Marshall called him out after the 27-14 loss.
"He didn't come near me," Cutler said. "He didn't say my name. I don't think he attacked anyone personally with what he was saying."
Cutler added that he didn't believe Marshall's outburst would have a negative effect.
"I think some people are indifferent, and some people are responding well to it," Cutler said. "I don't think anybody's taking it negatively. It was a frustrating loss for all of us. I think once guys left the locker room, that's kind of where it died. We moved on. It was just one of those things."
Missing in action:
Five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen doesn't believe his limited playing time last week against the Dolphins is a harbinger of things to come. Allen played 45 of 70 snaps (64 percent), his least playing time of the season. For the first time, fellow defensive ends Willie Young (54 snaps) and Lamarr Houston (51), played more than Allen.
"It's probably an aberration," Allen said. "They haven't told me I am on reduced playing time. We'll take it for that. We haven't really talked about it. It is what it is. The rotation happened that way I guess. We'll move on to New England."
Allen, who has just 1½ sacks but is tied with Houston for the team lead with 14 quarterback pressures, was conspicuously absent during the Dolphins' 13-play, 83-yard TD drive, when he was on the field for just two snaps.
"It was an unusual series," defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said. "We had a lot of short-yardage situations. We didn't really get into third-and-long. We visited with him about it and we're ready to move on. We'll be fine."
Injury update:
Linebackers Lance Briggs (ribs) and Jon Bostic (back), tight end Martellus Bennett (hamstring), cornerback Kyle Fuller (hip/hand) and offensive tackle Jordan Mills (foot) were limited at Thursday's practice.
Defensive end Jared Allen (rest), safety Danny McCray and wide receiver Chris Williams (ill) did not practice. Safety Chris Conte (shoulder) practiced in full for the second straight day.
For the Patriots, defensive end Chandler Jones (hip) did not practice and is presumed out for Sunday.