Trubisky must change in 2nd chance
First-round draft picks always get a second chance— usually a third and fourth— and every so often highly drafted players manage to shake a bust label attached to them.
The Bears missed on Mitch Trubisky when they traded up to select himNo. 2 in 2017, a mistake made muchworse by the meteoric rise of PatrickMahomes and DeshaunWatson, the two quarterbacks selected after him.
It’s a mistake that will haunt the Bears until they finally resolve their decadeslong pursuit for a savior at the position. The franchise’s track record for finding and developing quarterbacks means that could be measured in decades or generations— not years. What is exasperating for everyone involved— fromownership to management, coaches, players and, yes, fans— is that the Bears haven’t been able to coax middle-ofthe-road play out of their quarterbacks this season to complement a defense that is playoff-ready.
The Bears don’t needMahomes orWatson— although they surely could use either — to be a threat in the NFC, but they can’t be dragged downweekly by lousy play at the game’s most important position. That’s where they are after a fluky 5-1 start has turned into a 5-5 season with no more room for error. Which brings us to Sunday night’s game against the Packers in Green Bay and a new opportunity for Trubisky, who will start nineweeks after being benched in the third quarter against the Falcons inAtlanta when the Bears trailed 26-10.
As tempting as it might be to fantasize about a storybook comeback, it seems less likely than just about any of the other shots the Bears have taken on a quarterback over, oh, the last two or three decades.
Nick Foles is sidelined with a hip injury, and coachMattNagywon’t say where this is headed because he has no idea. But ifTrubisky can spark an offense that is near the bottom of the league in far too many categories, it will be his gig for the final six games.
Don’t underestimate what this could do for Trubisky with free agency on the horizon. He says his right shoulder, injured on a carry against theNewOrleans Saints onNov. 1, is fully healed. To a degree, he can change the narrative the league has about him in what amounts to a showcase for 31 other teams.
To do that, time spent on the sideline needs to have made Trubisky a different player. He has to make the kind of transformation Derek Carr made in LasVegas. The Raiders brought inMarcus Mariota, another bust, this offseason, and no one loves to recycle quarterbacks more than Jon Gruden. Carr has been more confident this season, more decisive and aggressive with the willingness to cut it loose.
Carr too often last season took the underneath option, getting the ball out of his hands quickly when guyswere open over the top. The Raiders brought inNelson Agholor, who has rediscovered his game, and draftedHenry Ruggs, who runs a 4.2 40-yard dash, and the offense has changed. The Raiders never are going to be a 40-passa-game team by choice with Gruden. But they needed a quarterback whowas willing to take the shots when they’re available and make strong, decisive throws. That’s what Carr has done. He also clearly has improved in the pocket. When he felt pressure in the past, he bailed the pocket and tried to make a second-reaction play. Nowhe’s manipulating the pocket. He’s climbing. He’s sliding. His eyes are down the field, and he’s ripping the ball off.
It’s anyone’s best guess if Trubisky can make that kind of transition in two months of observing. Whatever he says really doesn’t matter— it’s all about what he does— but one comment he made Fridaywas interesting.
“I did feel during those fewweeks that I got better as a player, just testing different throws, leading the offense and seeing a lot of good looks fromour defense and going against them,” Trubisky said of his scoutteam experience. “Itwas tough, itwas an adjustment, but Iwas always hopeful for another opportunity.”
Trubisky challenging himself with throws he otherwise might have passed on could be a positive if he does that Sunday. He has been too cautious and too uncomfortable in the pocket. Nowif there’s a tight window downthe field, challenge it. What’s the worst thing that could happen? He throws an interception? He has a good defense, and the Bears are not going to put inTyler Bray. They need explosive plays, and Trubisky has to findways to deliver them.
It might be too much to askTrubisky to reinvent his game in a matter ofweeks, but the Bears are running out of buttons to push. They’ve revamped the offensive line and could have moremoves in store Sunday. They’ve changed play callers. Itwas time to change quarterbacks whether Foleswas available or not.
“You have to have mental toughness as a quarterback,” said former Bears quarterback JimMiller, nowan analyst for SiriusXM. “When Alex Smith left the (San Francisco) 49ers and arrived in Kansas City, hewas a different quarterback. Mentally he just turned the corner and said, ‘I don’t care what people say about me. I knowI am the No. 1 overall pick. I knowI’m good. I led the 49ers to a championship game.’ And that dude is mentally Teflon. I think Carr is that way right now.
“You knowwho else is thatway? Ryan Tannehill. He got kicked around in Miami and then he goes to Tennessee, and I think he knew itwas just a matter of time before he’d be in front ofMariota, and he’s just playing at a different level than hewas, playing with a lot of command. He’s tough. He doesn’t care what people think about him.
“Jon Gruden is the best thing that ever happened to Carr. He got him to a point where that dude is so far advanced in the command of that offense that he’s playing with confidence. You see him go up there, he’s audibling, he knows what coverages the defense is playing and he’s quickly going through his reads and he couldn’t care less what the outside talk about him is.
“For Mitch, I don’t knowwhere his mental toughness is. He’s tough physically. But I’vewalked in his shoes. I knowsome of the vitriol that can be said about the quarterbacks inChicago and I got to the point I couldn’t have cared less either. I got to a good mental spot where nothing fazedme. Places like Chicago, other places likeNew York, you have to have a certain mental makeup, and if you don’t have that, it’s going to be very difficult if you’re sensitive about what is being said about you.”
Nagy professedTrubisky’s time as aNo. 2 has been a benefit. We’re about to find out.
Trubisky’s second chance has arrived. It’s a big spot for him— and the team. He has to prove it.