Chicago Bears: Opportunity for Mitch to hit the reset button

The Chicago Bears against the New Orleans Saints presents a golden opportunity for Mitch Trubisky.

As Mitchell Trubisky, the Chicago Bears quarterback gets ready to take on the New Orleans Saints, he finds himself in a weird but potentially opportunistic spot.

First the weird. The second overall pick in 2017 has been the most heavily scrutinized player of the class, mainly because of the two quarterbacks taken after him and how well they have played thus far in their careers. But since he injured his shoulder on the opening drive against the Minnesota Vikings, he has been the subject of not just scrutiny but disdain.

He’s heard or read everything from Chase Daniel is a better quarterback, to the Bears already know he’s not their future quarterback, to the team should bring in Eli Manning this year. Despite doing everything in his power to be the best quarterback he can be, including his attempt to go back in the Vikings’ game with a dislocated shoulder, fans have grown restless and impatient.

But now to the opportunity presented by the situation he’s in. After two weeks to step back, evaluate his play and consider his approach for the rest of the season he can simply say “F it.” And honestly, who would blame him? He literally has nothing to lose. Very few people in this town still believe in him, despite history being filled with examples of quarterbacks who took a few years to develop. Calls for his replacement have already begun, so why not throw caution to the wind and let it all hang out?

While the discussion lately has been around Mitch’s need to “relax,” we called that out weeks ago as the most important thing he could do to improve his play. No one disputes his work ethic. In fact, there may not be anyone on the team who puts in more time, effort, and energy during the week. And he clearly has the talent — he wouldn’t have been selected No. 2 overall if he didn’t have the ability.

However, work ethic and ability have to translate to on-the-field performance. But when a player has the two most necessary components to being successful (work ethic and talent) but is still struggling, you start to wonder if it’s something more intangible than that. In this case, I believe it is. Mitch needs to relax and throw caution to the wind.

At this point, who cares if he launches it down the field and it falls incomplete or is intercepted? Isn’t that what most fans already expect anyway? So what’s the worst that can happen? Look, attempting 5.5 yards per attempt, like Trubisky is, is not going to get it done. He needs to cut it loose and give opposing defenses something to think about.

With nothing to lose, he might just do that this Sunday. Now we just need Matt Nagy to get on board with this approach and call the game accordingly, because if he continues to hold Mitch back, they might as well pack it in now.