The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Trubisky downplays date with Browns
Mentor graduate said Browns game will not be emotional for him Sunday in Chicago
If Mitch Trubisky has Dec. 24 circled on his calendar, it is only as a reminder to make sure the Christmas presents are wrapped.
The rookie quarterback of the Bears on Christmas Eve will lead his team against the Browns, the team Trubisky rooted for while growing up in Mentor, in a game at Soldier Field in Chicago.
How big a deal is that for Trubisky — going against his hometown team, the team that could have taken him with the first overall pick in 2017 but chose defensive end Myles Garrett instead? It could be an emotional game on both fronts for him.
“I don’t think it will be emotional at all,” Trubisky said on Dec. 20 during a conference call from Chicago. “I’m an even-keeled player so I’m not going to get too high, not too low. Just another opportunity for me and my team to go out there, do what we do and try to come out with a win.
“No added pressure. It’s not going to be emotional for me.”
“I don’t think it will be emotional at all. I’m an even-keeled player so I’m not going to get too high, not too low.” – Mitchell Trubisky on facing his hometown Browns
“I just want to go out there, do my job and enjoy playing the game of football.”
The Bears had the third pick and moved up in a trade with the 49ers to take Trubisky with the second pick. The first pick will be trying to sack the quarterback the Browns could have drafted, but they are happy with Garrett and the Bears are happy with Trubisky.
“I really wasn’t sure about the whole process,” Trubisky said. “I wasn’t sure what the (Browns) needs were or what they really thought of me as a quarterback.
“I knew that they needed (a quarterback) and they were potentially looking for one, but I didn’t really go into it with any expectations. I just prayed that I would end up in the right spot, and I thank God I did. I just love being here in Chicago and the opportunity I have in front of me now.”
It has not been a fairytale rookie season for the Mentor High graduate, but it has been one that shows promise of a brighter future. Trubisky is 3-7 since Coach John Fox named him the starter in the fifth game as the replacement for Mike Glennon.
Trubisky ranks 30th among NFL quarterbacks, five slots ahead of Browns rookie DeShone Kizer. He has thrown seven touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
Fox decided it was better to bring Trubisky along slowly. Trubisky was 12-of25 passing in his first start, a 20-17 loss to the Vikings, and then 8-of-16 against the Ravens and 4-of-7 against Carolina the next week. The Bears won both games.
“I think a lot of it every week is about matchups,” Fox said on a conference call. “The (seven-attempt) game was at Baltimore, which historically is not a very friendly place for rookie quarterbacks.
‘I think he’s done a tremendous job since we inserted him as the starter. This guy is a tireless worker. He’s first in, last out in our building. Like any young player, they’re going to make mistakes. What’s been impressive about Mitch is he doesn’t make the same ones twice.”
Trubisky has been sacked 25 times. The Browns know he can run. Trubisky has 33 carries for 202 yards and a touchdown. The game plan is to keep him in the pocket and swamp him with the pass rush if they can.
“He’s athletic, in my opinion,” linebacker Christian Kirksey said. “He’s dealing with the growing pains just like any other quarterback who’s a young rookie player.
“We just have to make sure we make it as difficult for him as possible. He’s playing at home. We want to make sure that we are giving him different looks and not letting him see what we are in, disguise a lot. Just different things like that. I think he is a good player. He is going to continue to develop as a quarterback.”
Trubisky said the game with the Browns won’t be emotional for him, but that doesn’t mean he has severed ties from home. He followed the Mentor football team’s march to the Division I state championship game closely. The Cardinals were beaten by Pickerington Central.
“It was awesome,” Trubisky said. “I have a little brother (Mason Trubisky) on the team, so I was following it pretty closely. My parents went to all of the games. I thought they were going to win it all this year, but unfortunately, they fell short. They had a really good season.
“I love following them — my little brother, (Mentor High School Head Football) Coach (Steve) Triv(isonno) and the rest of the coaches there that believed in me from a young age. It was good to see the hometown Mentor Cardinals go to the state finals.”
Mitchell Trubisky said advice he got from Trivisonno early in his playing days at Mentor stays with him.
“From a very young age, he always told me to believe in myself and believe in my abilities and what I’m able to do,” Trubisky said. “He said ‘You’re always going to have naysayers and people say you can’t do this or that,’ but he has had my back ever since a very young age and I think he saw something in me before I saw something in myself. I have always had this dream to get this opportunity. He said just to keep pushing and good things will happen.”
Good things have already happened for Trubisky, and he’s hoping even better things lie ahead.