A DELICATE SUBJECT
Mitch has license to run, but is reward worth the risk?
decent man out of Notre Dame, after an awkward slide when Trubisky was on the turf and legally down. Still, Smith followed through in the old-school splatter technique that sent many a runner to the injury list. He got hit with an unnecessaryroughness penalty and a $10,026 league fine for it.
Does it matter that it was a late hit? No. Bleep happens.
And you can count on bleep happening when an NFL quarterback heads upfield. Defenders find such intrusion arrogant, demeaning and sneaky. And they adjust their legal and late hits in accordance. Another lesson?
A team’s offense goes into disarray when a starting quarterback is replaced. From the center snap to handoffs to the timing on passing routes, everything is a little off-kilter.
Daniel was solid against the Lions — 27-for-37, 230 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, 106.8 rating — but the Bears’ defense did the yeoman’s work, and let’s not push our luck here.
The Bears need Trubisky. Still, his athleticism and running ability actually might work against his longevity.
It wasn’t in the NFL, but on Friday, UCF star quarterback McKenzie Milton took off running against South Florida and was hurt so badly on the tackle, with his knee bending at a horrific angle, that he suffered serious nerve and blood-flow damage. Even after immediate surgery, he still needs another significant surgical procedure to make his leg work properly.
In the NFL, you need look no farther than the demise of 2012 Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III after he basically ran himself into so many injuries that his value as a quarterback became almost nil.
Running backs can play with bad shoulders. Linemen, too. Just about everybody can, until the pain becomes too much.
But quarterbacks can’t. Their throwing arm, shoulder, even their knees, are critical for making accurate passes. And remember, this is Trubisky’s throwing shoulder that’s hurt.
So do you let him run — which he does so well, and which helps the offense so much — when he returns?
Bears coach Matt Nagy says yes. “That’s definitely a part of football; that’s where we’re at,” Nagy said after the Vikings game. “I think you see it in every game with quarterbacks that can run. That’s a part of the risk-reward.”
And Nagy believes the reward is worth it. For now, at least.
You might recall that the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers used to run all the time. Now, at age 34, not so much. Former quarterback Michael Vick took off at the drop of a pin and was as hard to tackle as any running back. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.25 seconds — the fastest time for a quarterback — and he still ended up getting steamrolled.
Vick rushed for more than 1,000 yards in 2006. In his last four years in the league (2012-2015), he rushed for only 890. He wised up.
Immobile quarterbacks such as the retired Peyton Manning and the ageless Tom Brady seem less likely to get blasted and injured.
It’d be demoralizing to see Trubisky become just an old-school pocket passer. But it would be even worse to see him get badly hurt running.
Tough game. Tough choices.
Hope the Bears make the right one.
Let’s say this about Chase Daniel. He did a nice job against the Lions. He should take a bow. He’s everything you want in a backup quarterback.
Now, please return to clipboard duty, friend. Three starts in nine years is about right.
Which brings us to Mitch Trubisky, the Bears’ starting quarterback who has an injured right shoulder suffered against the Vikings 10 days ago.
Will he play against the Giants on Sunday at the Meadowlands? It’s possible, but as of this posting, we don’t know. At Halas Hall on Tuesday afternoon, it was business as usual, except for Trubisky’s rehab work.
Trubisky is frisky, for sure. He’s young. He likes to run with the ball. He was very edgy and eager on the sideline during the win over the Lions on Thanksgiving, even though he was in street clothes. Let’s say he was wearing an Anti-Cutler Face.
But there are multiple lessons to be learned, or at least reinforced, after Trubisky’s first limiting injury in his two NFL seasons.
The first is that quarterbacks who run with the ball are going to get hurt. It happens.
Helmets are as lethal as the hulls of speedboats. Shoulder pads are similar weapons. The ground, against which all runners eventually will get pinned, is, well, hard as ground.
Trubisky was hammered by Vikings All-Pro safety Harrison Smith, a seemingly