Bears: It all comes down to 480 minutes for Mitch Trubisky

The Chicago Bears quarterback has limited time left to show he can be a starter in this league.

The season has come to a metaphorical and literal crossroads for the Chicago Bears. They have reached the halfway point of their schedule, having gone 3-5 over their first eight games in what can only be described as a monumental disappointment.

For quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, it has been a half a season he would like to forget about. With each passing week, calls for his job have grown louder and louder seemingly shaking his confidence more and more.

But that is all ancient history — or at least that’s how Mitch must approach the second half of the schedule. Because the reality is he has 480 minutes to prove to the coaching staff, general manager, and fans, that he’s capable of being this franchise’s quarterback.

It’s actually kind of crazy — and somewhat symmetrical — if you think about it. Mitch is eight games into the season and has eight more remaining, (which is comprised of 480 minutes or 8 hours) to prove he isn’t a bust.

Eight hours is exactly one business day. Imagine you had one day at work to prove to your employer that you were worth retaining after the day was over. But that is essentially what Mitch has left.

Whether he can muster up enough to get the job done remains to be seen, but as a fan, there is nothing that would please me more. The reality is missing on Mitch could mean years of football purgatory, so it’s in everyone’s interest for him to be “the guy.” Plus, by all accounts, he is an incredibly hard worker who is beloved by his teammates for his commitment and work ethic.

However, the NFL is a results-driven business, so no matter how revered you are in the locker room, if you’re not producing on the field, it won’t matter.

So what does Mitch have to do to prove he can be the guy? Well, something he hasn’t done yet in his entire career — show he can consistently play at a high level. And he has to do it right out of the gate.

The biggest risk for the Bears is that Mitch tears things up for a few games at the end of the year when there is nothing left to play for. Ryan Pace may be bamboozled into thinking he can be the guy. Pace loved Trubisky coming out of college, so if he gives him any sign of hope, he could fall in love all over again. However, he has to really look at it objectively or risk extending Mitch the same way the Jacksonville Jaguars extended Blake Bortles after he flashed for a short period of time.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating — picking the wrong franchise quarterback in the draft can set a franchise back years. Failing to realize the mistake could set them back a decade.