Bender looks good in practice because he knows he won't get hit. The kid is doomed playing behind our o-line.
Yep, I agree, but I think it's more about him being forced to make a split second decision without time to go through all of his reads in a real game time situation than it is about the contact from being hit. Yeah, the contact being brought by the DE running full speed at you in a real game forces that split second decision, but I don't think he's afraid of the contact like Christ appeared to be for example. His decision making ability appears to deteriorate exponentially in that situation more than your average QB.