Chicago Bears: Narrative of Mitch Trubisky’s readiness starting to turn?

After Mitch Trubisky’s impressive debut, and Mike Glennon’s struggles, in Preseason Week 1, the narrative about Trubisky’s readiness to play seems to be shifting. Is he closer to starting games for the Chicago Bears than we thought?

When the Chicago Bears drafted Mitch Trubisky second overall, the mantra drilled into everyone’s head was one of patience and lower expectations.

After all, Trubisky couldn’t possibly be ready to start in the NFL after just 13 college starts at North Carolina. Plus, the Bears had just signed Mike Glennon to be the team’s starter this season. As such, the rookie was going to take a badly needed redshirt season before facing the fire. Otherwise, the results could be devastating for the prized future of the franchise.

Might people be starting to change their tune?

Reports coming out of Bears training camp right now are starting to acknowledge that Trubisky has a better chance of overtaking Glennon for the starting job than people were willing to admit at first.

For months now, local and national media have largely propped up Glennon as the clear starter at Trubisky’s expense, even following this game. Of course, these reports largely stem from a desire to curb over-enthusiam about a small sample size. And, in some cases, perhaps a few guys could be attempting to stay ahead of the curve in case Trubisky does struggle.

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What a Difference a Week Makes…

And yet, doubt has finally started to creep into the minds of those watching the two quarterbacks every day. Sure, each man has only played in one preseason game. But what people saw in that game appears to back up what many of being quietly observing in Bears’ training camp practices.

For instance, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, while acknowledging (like everyone else) that it was only one preseason game, also let slip what many have tried to gloss over in praising Glennon’s leadership qualities and experience: he’s just not that great of a quarterback.

"…The starting quarterback needs to be able to lift the team, make a throw on third down to move the chains when the group is scuffling and make those around him better. The Bears haven’t consistently seen that spark from Glennon in practice…"

While one exhibition performance won’t change the grand plan just yet, the juxtaposition of Trubisky’s strong play, coupled with Glennon’s struggles, has complicated things.

On one hand, Trubisky obviously played far better than Glennon last Thursday, even if it was generally against third-stringers. And yes, everything could rearrange itself on Saturday: Trubisky could play poorly while Glennon rebounds. He certainly seems to have come out aggressively on Saturday after his poor performance and played well in practice.

But after Thursday, it’s impossible not to wonder if Trubisky has already surpassed Glennon as the best quarterback on the team. He already possesses the best arm talent of any Bears quarterback by a wide margin. How much longer before his mind catches up enough for him to clearly end up as the Bears’ best option?

Trubisky Winning Practice, Too?

Furthermore, Biggs’ piece highlights another point that could turn the tables in this argument: Trubisky has, at several points, outplayed Glennon in practice.

So wait: where are those reports stating that Trubisky is clearly inferior to Glennon? Oh, you mean that hasn’t really been happening? How interesting…

To be sure, Trubisky has produced several notable plays in practice, from special throws on the run to connecting on deep balls. And based on the reports, he does very much more consistently than his competition.

Those minimizing the rookie’s performance because practice evaluations matter too may have just lost one of their crutches.

Overall, though, the plan won’t change after just one preseason game. Glennon remains in line to start Week 1 despite his struggles, as well he should (for now). If nothing else, the Bears are loath to play their future star before he’s ready, whether they think Glennon’s good or not. And, as I mentioned before, Glennon could prove much better off on Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals.

Next: PFF names Mitch Trubisky best QB from Week 1

But if he falters again and Trubisky shows more promise, this could get way more interesting than we anticipated. Because it’s not just the fans that think the young quarterback should get his shot sooner rather than later. Others more closely associated with the team than we are can sense a change in the wind as well.

And if they can see that Trubisky could be breathing down Glennon’s neck, you know the Chicago Bears coaching staff can see it too. Will it be enough to get Trubisky on the field by Week 1? I’m not sure about that. But by the end of the season? Most definitely.