Moments before the whistle blew to signify the end of the third quarter in the Colts' preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals Saturday night, quarterback Jason Bean was pushed out of bounds just two yards away from the end zone.
Bean, known just as much for his speed as his arm – the rookie quarterback ran a 10.36-second 100-meter dash in high school – had just tried to scramble past the Cardinals' defense to score the Colts' third touchdown of the evening. It didn't work.
In the time between quarters, the Colts had a chance to regroup and reset in preparation for what they hoped would be a quick and easy score to start off the fourth quarter. The only question was, would it be via a pass or a run play?
Bean was looking to throw.
"I wanted to throw it to somebody and try to get a passing touchdown," Bean said after Saturday's game, which the Colts won 21-13. "But I was just taking what the defense gives me."
The defense gave him an open route to the end zone. How could he not have taken it?
When Bean saw the route – a path that led him off to his right, giving him space to just barely cross over into the front corner of the end zone – he didn't hesitate to turn on the jets. It was a welcome sight, and a different version of Bean than the one who first came on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium during the second quarter of the game.
In the first drive Bean led, he was sacked five plays in. One play after that, he threw a pass that was intercepted and ultimately paved the way for an Arizona touchdown, which gave the Cardinals a 7-3 lead. But Bean didn't waver, leading a 10-play, 75-yard drive on the Colts' following possession that ended with a rushing touchdown from running back Zavier Scott.
If Bean had any doubts about what he could do before, they were gone after that.
"I feel like every time, Bean gets better and better," wide receiver D.J. Montgomery said. "Each snap, it's like he gets better and better, and more comfortable."
Bean isn't the most vocal guy when he's out on the field – Montgomery said he's still "in his shell" a little bit – but that doesn't mean his presence goes unnoticed – not by a long shot.
"(His confidence) radiates, we all feel it," Scott said. "Everybody feels the energy, we feed off each other. That's the game, it's a team game, and that's kind of how it has to be. And it's good to see that, feel that, even without words being said."
It's not just Bean's persona on the field that helps build the Colts up, though. It's also what he can do with a football.
"I feel like Bean can do a lot of everything," Montgomery said. "He can run, he can pass. It's good to have a mobile quarterback."
With starters resting after joint practices earlier in the week, Bean had his time to shine Saturday night. He played for the final four-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter, the entirety of the third quarter and a couple minutes of the fourth quarter.
Bean rushed for 14 yards and threw for 94 yards with a completion percentage of 77.8 percent in his time on the field. He was also not afraid to hand off the ball to his running backs – Scott was a prime beneficiary of this, scoring his first NFL touchdown with Bean at the helm – and is willing to do "whatever the coaches need" when he's out there.
"He made a ton of plays," head coach Shane Steichen said. "Two touchdown-scoring drives, had the big fourth-and-one conversion, had a big third-down conversion. It was exciting. He did a lot of good things for us today for sure."
Bean's versatility and willingness to do whatever his coaches need from him is a great quality for him and arguably an even better asset for the Colts.
"That opens the game up for us, we open the game up for him," Scott said. "So it's just a win-win situation, and you've gotta love win-win situations."
Win-win situations are especially nice when they actually end in a win. So, with a victory and his first NFL touchdown under his belt, Bean has one more chance next week during the Colts' joint practice and preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals to prove what he's capable of. And he'll go into it with confidence.
