Bears coach Fox on his QBs: 'We don't do comparisons'
BOURBONNAIS - In the two-minute drill near the end of Sunday's full-pads practice, starting quarterback Mike Glennon nearly got the first-team offense into the endzone against the first-time defense.
But rookie No. 3 quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who was taking the second-team reps because Mark Sanchez was out with an ankle injury, threw a touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Brown. That score was set up by Trubisky's deep sideline completion to undrafted rookie wide receiver Tanner Gentry that barely eluded leaping cornerback Cre'Von LeBlanc.
"We don't do comparisons," Bears coach John Fox said when asked to compare the hurry-up drills of the two QBs. "We've just got to evaluate how they did. (Trubisky) did have a successful scoring drive in two minute. (Glennon) got down there pretty close with the first unit. We just continue to evaluate practice; not just games, but the whole practice, and (Trubisky) is continuing to get better."
Fox was asked if he was aware of the buzz around town and talk radio regarding Trubisky's impressive preseason debut.
"I can't say that I am," Fox said. "I don't really pay that much attention. We're excited about him, so I imagine that people on the outside are excited."
Asked to compare Trubisky's debut to another quarterback, Fox didn't have to think back too far.
"The first time we threw Tim Tebow out there in Denver," Fox said, "it was pretty similar. That brought quite a bit of attention."
Fox said Sanchez's injury is not an indication that Trubisky could move up to No. 2 in Saturday's second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Just kickin' it:
Kicker Roberto Aguayo was claimed off waivers and will compete with incumbent Connor Barth.
Aguayo was a second-round draft pick (59th overall) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2016. At Florida State, he was the third-most accurate kicker in NCAA history, making 88.5 percent of his field-goal attempts and all 198 of his extra point tries.
Three days after drafting Aguayo, the Bucs cut Barth, who had been their kicker in 2015 and also from 2009-12.
Aguayo was cut after he missed an extra-point attempt and a 47-yard FG try in the Bucs' preseason opener, and he hit just 71 percent (22-for-31) of his FG attempts as a rookie.
After long-time kicker Robbie Gould was abruptly cut by the Bears a week before the start of last season, they signed Barth, and he went 18-for-23 on field goals (78.3 percent) and is a career 84.0 percent on FG tries.
Aguayo takes the roster spot of fifth-year veteran wide receiver Rueben Randle, who was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.
Injury report:
Speedy wide receiver Markus Wheaton, who had just returned to full practice after an appendectomy in late July, left the field with a broken pinkie finger Sunday.
"I felt bad for the guy," Fox said. "Hopefully that won't be too big of a setback. He's a great kid, he works really hard, he's a great teammate, and he does have downfield speed that we saw early in the off-season. Hopefully we'll get to see (it) really soon."
Quarterback Mark Sanchez (ankle), wide receiver Josh Bellamy (ankle), linebackers Jonathan Anderson (ankle) and Nick Kwiatkoski (concussion), running back Ka'Deem Carey (thigh), safety Harold Jones-Quartey (ankle) and defensive linemen Akiem Hicks (Achilles) and Jaye Howard (hip) did not practice.
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