Chicago Bears: Who fans really want Mitchell Trubisky to be

Who do Chicago Bears fans really want Mitchell Trubisky to be?

Ever since the Chicago Bears drafted Mitchell Trubisky in 2017, the quarterback out of the University of North Carolina has been under a microscope. He has been dissected, scrutinized, hyped up, knocked down, and called everything from a franchise quarterback to a humongous bust.

This debate has certainly captivated Bears fans, in addition to fans across the league as well as national pundits. It’s almost impossible to get on social media these days without coming across a thread devoted to the debate over how good Mitch Trubisky is as a quarterback.

It’s no wonder he went dark for the entire 2018 season. The debate, which can seem hyperbolic at times, is more often rooted in emotion than facts. It also becomes impassioned and vitriolic, leading to some nasty exchanges on Twitter and other platforms.

As I’ve encountered these threads, I’ve often wondered what or who it is Bears fans want Trubisky to be. That’s because the arguments often seemed rooted in a desire to prove to other fan bases that “our shiny toy” is better than “your shiny toy.” In other words, it truly is about whether Trubisky is a better quarterback on individual performance only.

However, the reality is this is a team game, so what should matter is whether Trubisky is the right quarterback for this team and whether he is capable of winning a Super Bowl. I truly believe the answer to both of those questions is a resounding ‘yes.’ If correct, then personally the debate over who has better stats, or more MVPs, or Pro Bowl appearances falls by the wayside.

But I wondered how many fans felt that way. What did other fans value more — the individual performance, or team success? It led me to pose a question on Twitter asking which quarterback’s career Bears fans would rather have for their team — Dan Marino or Eli Manning?

There is not a more accomplished quarterback to never have won a Super Bowl than Dan Marino. For all of his records and accomplishments, Marino would likely have traded it all in for just one Super Bowl victory.

At the other end of this spectrum, you have Manning who had only three seasons with more than 30 passing touchdowns. During his career, he also mixed in some unmitigated disasters of a season. However, he is considered by some as a borderline Hall of Fame quarterback with two Lombardi trophies on his resume.

When I posed the question, I expected a fair number of fans to choose Marino. As I mentioned, what I observed was that some seemed more concerned with being able to say that “our quarterback is better than yours.” But I didn’t expect it to be as high as one-third.

Now granted, this is by no means a scientific poll or even a large enough sample to be considered legitimate. However, anecdotally, it seems to be in line with what appears on social media, so maybe there is some truth behind it.

Again, maybe it says nothing at all. Maybe the question was confusing. I’m not sure. But what I do know is when Trubisky’s career is over, I’d rather it look like Eli Manning’s than Dan Marino’s since as a fan, team success is still the priority. Feel free to disagree — I know you will.