The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Trubisky, Hunt set for action
Mitchell Trubisky dazzled in his NFL debut. Kareem Hunt didn’t get many opportunities in his.
How the rookie duo performs in their second preseason game will be revealed Aug. 19.
Here’s what you need to know about the upcoming games for Trubisky (Mentor) and Hunt (South):
Chiefs at Bengals
WHEN » 7 p.m., Aug. 19 TV » Tape delay on NFL Network on Aug. 21 at 10 a.m. WHEN HUNT COULD PLAY » Hunt did not get many opportunities in the team’s preseason opener against the 49ers. The South grad had one carry for no yards and one reception for 9 yards. Expect Hunt to get more than one carry vs. the Bengals. The team’s depth chart this week has Hunt No. 3 at running back, but that wasn’t the case in the preseason opener as Hunt entered the game with the second string.
Spencer Ware continues to be the Chiefs’ starting running back, but Hunt might be gaining on the No. 1 spot.
Reports from training camp say Hunt has been taking more reps with the first unit.
Consider these comments from Kansas City running backs coach Eric Bieniemy:
On Ware: “No. 32 (Spencer Ware), he is obviously a workhorse. He is what he is. It is not anything special, he is just a consistent professional player.”
On Hunt: “We have young Kareem Hunt who has been doing an outstanding job picking up the offense, doing a great job of running the football, doing a great job of learning how to protect the proper way. Also, he is doing a great job of catching the football.”
Bears at Cardinals
Forget about preseason game No. 2. The Chicago Sun Times is already looking ahead to the regular season. The Sun Times wrote a story this week quoting oddsmakers on whether veteran Mike Glennon or the rookie from Mentor will start Week 1. In case you were wondering, the odds are 2-3 Glennon will start the season as the starter, and Trubisky 2-3. It’s fair to say Mitchell Mania has taken over in the Windy City.
Trubisky was put in the game late in the second quarter after Glennon and Mark Sanchez, and played the rest of the game. He completed 18 of 25 passes — including his first 10 — for 166 yards and a touchdown.
Trubisky expects all situations vs. the Cardinals to be more intense, and it started this week in preparations.
“It’s tougher in practice than it was in the last game just because I don’t think in the preseason they wanted to throw a lot at us,” Trubisky told the Chicago Tribune. “But in practice I’m seeing a lot of different blitzes and I think game-planning on a weekto-week basis will help picking up the blitzes and everything.” Despite his solid debut, Trubisky remains at No. 3 on the team’s depth chart. At the worst, Trubisky should be in there by the third quarter. As for Mitchell Mania? “I don’t know what hype you’re talking about,” Trubisky said in response to a question from a reporter.