Chicago Bears: What if Mitch Trubisky does not progress?
The NFL has always been a “what have you done for me lately” type of business. Could Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky be the next victim of that strategy?
I should preface this impending forum with the caveat that I think Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky has the potential to be a very good quarterback in the National Football League. No, Trubisky likely will never reach Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers status but Alex Smith seems to be the ideal comparison
Trubisky has 12 games in the NFL under his belt and I must confess that my opinion of the Bears’ quarterback has shifted since when the Bears moved up a spot in the 2017 NFL Draft to select Trubisky with the second overall selection.
At the time, the thought was that Trubisky is going to be the franchise quarterback of the Bears and there is not a price tag that can be placed on that concept.
After 12 games, it is understandable if there is regret beginning to creep in. Trubisky has a passer rating of 77.5 to begin his young career while averaging 181.1 yards per game along with 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Honestly, the stats really do not matter considering Trubisky has yet to play the equivalent of a full NFL regular season.
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What does matter is Trubisky’s inability to read the field. Lack of field awareness is Trubisky’s biggest weakness and that was on display during the Bears’ season-opening loss to the Green Bay Packers last Sunday night.
There were three glaring instances last Sunday where Trubisky’s lack of field awareness had a negative impact on the Bears. First, there was the play where Trubisky had tight end Trey Burton open in the end zone but by the time he made that read, a throw would have resulted in an easy interception. There was the play where Trubisky failed to see an open Kevin White (a rarity, I know). Lastly, there was the botched snap by Cody Whitehair where Trubisky decided to kill the play immediately even though he had time to escape the pocket.
These three plays are not the reason why the Bears fell to the Packers but they are the reason why some fans question if Trubisky can take the next step in his progress from quarterback prospect to being a star quarterback.
But what if Trubisky does not make that progress?
The short answer is that the Bears will be in trouble. Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace has gone all in on Trubisky. After sacrificing a bevy of draft picks to select Trubisky, Pace’s success in Chicago is directly tied to the young quarterback.
That is why Trubisky will have every chance to succeed with the Bears even if it means the Bears being stuck in football hell. And, if Trubisky fails to progress then the Bears would be simply wasting this year and the years coming in which they will have an elite defense.
The long answer is that the Bears would essentially be no better than the teams that they fielded with Jay Cutler. A team with a defense that can go to battle with any offense in the NFL but a quarterback that will ultimately lose more games for the team than he will win.
Chicago Bears need to be more aggressive. dark. Next
Bears’ quarterback Mitch Trubisky has shown positive traits but his flaws cannot be ignored either and eventually that could be a concern.