Bears to start rookie quarterback Trubisky
The Chicago Bears are going to give prized rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky a try.
The second overall draft pick from North Carolina will start against the Vikings on Monday night after Mike Glennon struggled in the first four games. The team announced the move Monday.
It’s hardly a surprise that the Bears (1-3) will go with Trubisky, considering how badly Glennon has struggled. He has five interceptions and three lost fumbles. He threw two interceptions, lost a fumble on a sack and had a snap that ricocheted off his knee for another lost fumble in Thursday’s 35-14 loss at Green Bay.
The Bears had envisioned this as sort of a redshirt season for Trubisky, even though they made a bold move by trading up a spot with the 49ers to grab him on draft night. He started only 13 games at North Carolina and worked primarily out of the shotgun in a spread offense with few similarities to Chicago’s scheme.
He started third on the depth chart behind Glennon and Mark Sanchez. But with his mobility and arm strength, Trubisky progressed quicker than expected. Trubisky sparked a debate over who should start with a strong performance in the preseason opener against Denver, though he was more ordinary in the next three exhibitions. Mariota strained hamstring: Tennessee head coach Mike Mularkey said that quarterback Marcus Mariota is day to day after an MRI exam showed a hamstring strain. Mularkey compared the injury to running back DeMarco Murray’s recent hamstring injury, which kept the Pro Bowler out of a couple of practices but not a game.
Mariota, who ran for two touchdowns, aggravated his hamstring in the first half of the Titans’ 57-14 loss at Houston on Sunday. Mariota has a passer rating of 79.8 with three touchdown passes and three interceptions, and he has completed 66 of 110 passes for 792 yards. Mariota threw two interceptions against the Texans, the second coming after he hurt his hamstring.
The Titans (2-2) visit Miami (1-2) on Sunday, and Mularkey said backup Matt Cassel likely will get as much work in practice as possible. Cassel was 4-for-10 for 21 yards with two interceptions after replacing Mariota. Cook has ACL tear: Dalvin Cook — third in the NFL with 354 rushing yards — became the latest integral offensive player lost by the luckless Vikings when it was confirmed that the rookie running back tore his left anterior cruciate ligament Sunday, ending his season.
Head coach Mike Zimmer confirmed the diagnosis, signaling the switch to former Raider Latavius Murray as the primary ballcarrier. Cook will have reconstructive surgery once the swelling subsides.
The Vikings are essentially still recovering from the dislocated left knee suffered by quarterback Teddy Bridgewater last year and the domino effect it had on the roster. Bridgewater remains on the physically unable to perform list. His replacement, Sam Bradford, has missed three straight games because of a sore left knee. Briefly: Seattle running back Chris Carson suffered a fracture in his lower left leg when he was pinned in a pile in the fourth quarter of the Seahawks’ win over the Colts on Sunday night. ... Arizona linebacker Markus Golden has a torn ACL in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season. Golden, a thirdyear pro whose 12½ sacks led the Cardinals last season, was injured while rushing the passer in overtime of Sunday’s 18-15 win over the 49ers . ... Buffalo receiver Jordan Matthews and linebacker Ramon Humber are out indefinitely because of broken thumbs . ... Tampa Bay running back Doug Martin was activated after completing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancers. The twotime Pro Bowl selection expects to play against the Patriots on Thursday night.