Bears' Cutler calls Arians 'a guys' guy'
Part of Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians' interview for the Bears' job that he didn't get in January of 2013 included a sit-down with quarterback Jay Cutler.
"I remember him being just a guys' guy," Cutler said. "You could see easily why players would be attracted to him; why players would enjoy playing for him, just in the quick hour I was with him.
"He loved football. He had an energy about him, he had enthusiasm. I could see why him (standing) in front of a football team would be a good thing."
Arians said he would have fit his offensive scheme to Cutler's skill set.
"We always tailor it to our quarterback," Arians said. "Everything we do is built around what he can and cannot handle. Just to put him in our offense and see how much we can use. It would have been up to Jay.
"Jay still has to make those decisions, just like any quarterback. You can't play for them; you can only put them in position to play."
Familiar foes:
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has a long history defending Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer from their days competing in the AFC North and NFC West. Palmer spent the first seven years of his career (2004-10) with the Bengals, while Fangio was a defensive assistant for the Ravens from 2006-09. Palmer has been with Arizona since 2013, while Fangio was the 49ers' defensive coordinator from 2011-14.
"He's always been one of the best quarterbacks in the league," Fangio said. "I coached against him a bunch when he was with Cincinnati, then saw him the last couple years when he was with Arizona. He's a great passer, throws a great deep ball, which is something Bruce (Arians) really likes."
Palmer is 14-2 in his last 16 starts with the Cardinals.
"He's got good command of their offense," Fangio said. "You can tell that he likes their offense. He thinks it fits him and I think it does, too. Back in the day, he was a good scrambler, and he still can to some degree. He's a complete quarterback; always has been."
Rush to judgment:
Coach John Fox isn't ready to designate anyone on defense as a "playmaker" with 15 games left.
"It's just one game," Fox said. "It's like picking the most valuable player after one week. We're kind of waiting to see. We're in a production-based business. There were plays made that were good and bad, hopefully they are good plays.
Fox had a similar answer when asked about the "identity" of the defense.
"We still have a pretty significant body of work ahead of us," he said. "I don't like (determining) who wins the race when we've barely gotten out of the blocks yet."
Injury update: Linebackers Pernell McPhee (wrist/knee) and Jon Bostic (ankle) and cornerback Tracy Porter (hamstring) did not practice Thursday. McPhee was limited on Wednesday.
Defensive tackle Ego Ferguson (knee) was limited. Linebacker Sam Acho (illness) and cornerback Sherrick McManis (thigh) returned to full participation.
For the Cardinals, running back Andre Ellington (knee) did not practice and is not expected to play Sunday. Guard Mile Iupati (knee) and safeties Deone Bucannon (groin) and Tony Jefferson (hamstring) were limited.