When the Chicago Bears hosted the Miami Dolphins for a joint practice back on Aug. 8, it certainly appeared as if Chicago broke Miami after an absolutely dominant outing from the Bears (specifically the defense) that even prompted two Dolphins players to fight each other on the sidelines.
Now, two weeks later, Dolphins offensive guard Aaron Brewer is still hung up on the frustrations of that joint practice with Chicago — but he’s not exactly owning it. Brewer told reporters Thursday that the Bears had “fake physicality” and were tackling like it was a real game during that practice.
Advertisement
“They were out there playing tackle football and everybody else was play 7-on-7,” Brewer said. “The fake physicality. You kinda seen that when we went out there and played in a real game.”
For what it’s worth, the Dolphins might’ve played their starters briefly, but the Bears didn’t play theirs, which is why it looked different on game day than joint practice, as it was Chicago’s starting defense that really brought the intensity and physicality.
Interestingly, Brewer discussed Miami’s emphasis on physicality and the importance of dominating during practice, which didn’t go their way against the Bears (although Chicago perfected it). Plus, head coaches Ben Johnson and Mike McDaniel met before the joint practice to discuss how they were approaching this practice, so it’s unlikely the Bears would’ve approached this practice that way without prior discussion.
Advertisement
The game itself was more underwhelming. While the Dolphins played their starters for a series, the Bears rested their starters — and Miami still failed to come away with a touchdown, thanks to the heroics of linebacker Noah Sewell, who had a tackle for loss on fourth-and-goal.
The Bears and Dolphins ended with a 24-24 tie that didn’t exactly move the needle. But there was always an emphasis, at least for Chicago, on that joint practice and replicating a game-like environment. And it’s pretty safe to say the Bears won that one.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Dolphins’ Aaron Brewer takes shot at Bears for ‘fake physicality’