Fumbling vexes Bears QB Trubisky
BOURBONNAIS, Ill. — An energized crowd settled in Saturday at Olivet Nazarene for the Bears’ first padded practice of training camp. For most fans in attendance, it was an opportunity to get their first glimpse at No. 2 overall draft pick After practice, the quarterback also spoke with reporters for the first time since arriving at camp.
But Trubisky had major struggles handling the snap from under center.
In the offense's first 11-on-11 work, the rookie quarterback mishandled his first two snaps from center putting both balls on the grass and sending groans through the bleachers. A smattering of sarcastic applause followed when Trubisky secured the third snap and successfully handed off to But two snaps later, Trubisky again fumbled the exchange, offering a snapshot into some of the basics he still is trying to master as he begins his NFL career.
“I just lost focus there for a period of time,” Trubisky explained. “And then I was starting to overthink it and couldn't get it.”
Trubisky owned his fumbling mistakes and dismissed the explanation that his lack of experience under center caused Saturday’s hiccups.
“It was frustrating because that was uncharacteristic of me,” he said. “I have to handle that. They were just wasted plays. I wasted a team session right there and I didn't allow myself or my teammates to get better. You just have to block that out and bounce back.” NASHVILLE, Tenn. —
insists he feels fine and is fully recovered from the broken right leg that ended his season early last December. That's not stopping the Tennessee Titans from protecting him as much as possible.
Oh, the quarterback practiced fully Saturday as the Titans kicked off training camp, and Mariota took part in team drills after being limited to individual and 7-on-7 passing drills during the offseason.
Fans eager to see Mariota really take off running likely will have to wait until the season opener Sept. 10 against Oakland. Pro Bowl tight end
sums up the concern the Titans have about their franchise quarterback, even though the veteran says he can't tell watching that Mariota ever broke his leg.
“Every play I'm asking him, ‘Are you good?’ ” Walker said. “He's like, ‘I'm straight. OK, I'm just making sure. I can't tell.’ And I know he's a fighter, and he probably wouldn't say nothing if he didn't feel good. That’s why I’m always checking on like, ‘You good?' At the end of the day, he's out there making the throws, running around, so I feel like if he says he's good, he's 100 percent.”
Even better, the Titans made sure the biggest weapon they added for Mariota this offseason will be on the field Sunday. They announced about 30 minutes into practice that
the first wide receiver drafted at No. 5 overall, had agreed to terms. The 6-foot-3 Davis from Western Michigan was the last draft pick in the NFL to get his contract wrapped up.
Mariota did have one new target he connected with on a couple of nice passes in veteran
The Titans signed the seven-year veteran after the offseason program ended in June, and Mariota started working on building chemistry with Decker a couple weeks ago when several receivers joined the quarterback working out around Nashville. Davis, busy with a wedding, missed out.
“He's savvy,” Mariota said of Decker. “He understands routes. He understands how to find ways to get open, create separation, so I think the way he was able to come out today and make some plays says a lot about him. And again, we're excited.”
But perhaps, nobody is more excited than Mariota. The No. 2 pick overall in 2015 had his second NFL season ended Dec. 24 when he broke his right leg trying to escape the pocket in a loss at Jacksonville.