The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Trubisky’s friend weighs in: ‘He’s motivated’
Mentor grad McClure says Bears QB ready to compete with Foles
It’s been an interesting offseason for Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
The Mentor graduate’s upand-down 2019 had Bears fans frustrated during an 8-8 season, and the offseason had further developments. The team made a trade for quarterback Nick Foles, and shortly after that it declined to pick up the fifth-year option on Trubisky’s rookie deal.
Meanwhile, Trubisky has yet speak publicly with the media about all of that.
He did make a recent appearance on ex-teammate Chase Daniels’ podcast, and the most notable reveal was Trubisky saying he feels 100 percent after offseason shoulder surgery.
Bears coach Matt Nagy also weighed in — a little bit — on
Trubisky for 2020 during a recent Zoom conference with Mike Tirico, Rich Eisen and Colin Cowherd. On the looming QB competition in training camp between Trubisky and Foles, Nagy said this:
“Any person, when that happens, you’re just going to feel like, ‘OK, how do I make this better?’ “said Nagy. “And for probably a day or two, he was that way. After that and ever since, he’s been really good. And I appreciate that about him.”
How the competition plays out will be a key NFL storyline if and when training camps begin because of the novel coronavirus pandemic. According to one of his good friends from Mentor High School, expect Trubisky to be ready when it’s time for training camps to begin.
Kade McClure, a White Sox pitching prospect who graduated a year after Trubisky at Mentor, said he’s been in contact with him this offseason. The vibe he’s feeling from Trubisky is all positive. All of that despite the fact Foles in now in Chicago and the team declined to exercise a fifthyear option on Trubisky’s original deal.
“I texted Mitch right after all of that, and he was like, ‘Let’s go! Let’s go!’ “McClure told The NewsHerald. “Mitch is a competitive and confident guy. I don’t think he’s too worried about Nick Foles. He’s motivated more than ever, and definitely not going to bow down to (Foles). I know this, Mitch will fight and compete.”
There’s no denying the third-year QB regressed from 2018 — Trubisky’s second year in the league — to last season. Most of his passing statistics in 2019 dropped from the previous season.
In 2018, he completed 66.6 percent of his passes, then 63.2 last season. He threw for 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns two seasons ago, and then 3,138 and 17 in 2019. His passer rating also fell from 95.4 to 83.0. Trubisky did throw two less interceptions — 10 (from 12 in 2018) — last season.
“Mitch knows he had a down year,” said McClure, who played football and basketball with Trubisky at Mentor. “But his confidence is at an all-time high.”
That’s because McClure knows this about his longtime friend: “When Mitch goes quite, he’s in full football mode.”
The Bears are scheduled to open the 2020 season Sept. 13 at Detroit. The team’s first prime time game of the season is Oct. 8 on a Thursday night at home against Tom Brady and Tampa Bay.