The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Trubisky, Peyton recall 2016 draft chat
Mitchell Trubisky recently said while growing up there was one quarterback he admired most:
“It was Bart Tanski,” Trubisky told The News-Herald before the preseason began.
Tanski was the 2007 Mr. Football Award winner from Mentor who led the Cardinals to back-to-back Division I state championship games in 2006 and 2007. Trubisky was a ball boy on those teams, and eventually went in to win his own Mr. Football Award for the Cardinals.
Flash forward more than a decade, and Trubisky is in his second year as the Bears’ starting quarterback. In the team’s second preseason game on Aug. 18, Chicago played at Denver, where one of the NFL’s all-time greats, Peyton Manning, finished his career.
Trubisky eventually became of fan of Manning, and the two met face to face Aug. 16 while the Bears and Broncos were practicing together in Denver, but it wasn’t the first time the two communicated.
In 2016, when Trubisky was a junior at North Carolina and contemplating forgoing his senior season of college, he reached out to Manning for advice. Manning discussed the conversation, via ChicagoBears. com.
“I could tell he was dealing with a lot of things that I was dealing with as a junior,” said Manning, who stayed for his senior season at Tennessee. “I was really impressed. He said, ‘Mr. Manning, I have about eight questions for you. I need about 20 minutes of your time.’ He was very organized.
“I did the same thing when I was a junior. I had a list of people to call, had some questions. I called Troy Aikman, who stayed (in college), called Drew Bledsoe, who left. So I could relate to what Mitch was going through. I think in a lot of ways he kind of
wanted to stay, but he had an opportunity to be a high pick and he made a great choice.”
Trubisky, who eventually left UNC and declared for the draft, also recalled the conversation with Manning prior to the 2017 NFL Draft, where he was the No. 2 overall pick of the Bears.
“It was just awesome to talk to someone with his experience and his knowledge,” Trubisky said. “One of the best pieces of advice he gave me when it comes to making decisions was when he said, ‘Gain as much information as you can with your brain, but make a decision with your heart and your gut.’ I’ve really carried that over into a lot of things I’ve thought about, just getting a lot of information about what you’re going to do and be smart about it, but it’s got to feel right in your heart and your gut when you’re making a big decision in life.
“I wrote my questions down before I was going to ask him. I didn’t want to waste his time. I wanted to
be productive when I was talking to him. I didn’t want there to be any dull moments or awkward silences. You can get intimidated talking to one of your childhood idols that you looked up to. We kind of have a relationship now and he says reach out whenever.”
Manning appreciated Trubisky being prepared for their conversation.
“It said a lot. He said, ‘I know you’re busy; if I can get 20 minutes of your time …’ You could tell he was going down his list (of questions). That really jumped out to me and I think that kind of discipline and eagerness to learn will help him be a better player.”
Manning was the No. 1 overall pick of the Colts in 1998, and played immediately. He played all 16 games, and threw for 3,739 yards and 26 touchdowns, but led the NFL in interceptions with 28. When Manning retired, he finished with 71,940 passing yards and 539 TD passes.
Trubisky also played as a rookie in 2017, and had
2,193 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in 12 starts. Manning said the experience Trubisky gained as a rookie will only help him in Year 2 under a new head coach in Matt Nagy.
“Playing as a rookie, as much as it can be tough and frustrating — I went 3-13 as a rookie and still hold the NFL rookie record for interceptions — but I know that I was a better player going forward because of that year whereas on the sidelines it’s hard to learn,” Manning said. “So I think he will benefit from that. Getting in a new system and getting comfortable with that will be a transition, but I know he’ll put in the work.
“Having a new system is always a new challenge. But having the head coach call the plays and Matt (Nagy) and the system he’ll bring I think can be really beneficial for Mitch. I pull for quarterbacks. In the NFL, we need good young quarterbacks, and I’m pulling for him.”