Chicago Bears: 3 players who would benefit most from Pat Shurmur
By Ryan Heckman
2. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky
The most important player Shurmur can potentially influence is, of course, the quarterback. Mitchell Trubisky will be entering his fourth season as a pro, and he’s endured some pretty low lows while having some strong outings at times, too.
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Bears fans can find solace in the fact that Shurmur has plenty of experience with mediocre quarterbacks. Last year, in New York, he allowed rookie Daniel Jones to let it fly. Even though Jones turned the ball over quite a bit, he was still given the green light to chuck the football — that has to happen with Trubisky, no matter what. The offense has to be opened up.
Going back further, though, Shurmur has had success with two guys who are, at best, average quarterbacks. Both Nick Foles (back in 2013) and Case Keenum (in 2017) had their best season as a pro under Shurmur as offensive coordinator.
We know how Keenum has fared since parting ways with Shurmur. Foles, on the other hand, was able to have that magical second run with the Eagles.
In 2013, Foles threw for 2,891 yards, 27 touchdowns and just two picks while starting 10 games. Chip Kelly was then the Eagles’ head coach, but Shurmur was his coordinator. In 2017, Keenum tossed 22 touchdowns to just seven interceptions while throwing for over 3,500 yards.
Both squads were playoff teams in those respective years.
If Trubisky has any hope of turning things around, Shurmur is absolutely the guy to help his cause.