One can imagine the last thing any Chicago Bears fan expected to hear was a Mitch Trubisky Tim Tebow comparison. Especially considering Tebow hasn’t logged an NFL snap in year. He’s busy trying to break into baseball. Yet that’s the world as it stand. Who is the man to thank for this wild occurrence? None other than head coach John Fox himself.
Best start at the beginning. Speaking to the media for the first time since the preseason opener, Fox was asked his impressions of Trubisky and his performance. The 62-year old admitted he was impressed and how he wasn’t surprised. There was a reason the Bears drafted the kid #2 overall. When the questions shifted over to the intense atmosphere at Soldier Field is where things got interesting.
When asked if he’d ever experienced a hype like it, Fox dropped the buzz-worth name.
#Bears coach John Fox on Mitchell Trubisky hype: "First time we threw Tim Tebow out in Denver was pretty similar."
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) August 13, 2017
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Mitch Trubisky Tim Tebow comp is all about anticipation
That’s a fair statement. Denver was practically bursting at the seams in 2011. Kyle Orton, a tall pocket quarterback (sound familiar?) was lumbering his way to a 1-4 start. The team wasn’t responding to him and fans were screaming for a change. Tebow had played fairly well in his three starts as a rookie. Why not give him a shot?
What followed was the now infamous “Tebowmania.” A stretch where the God-loving quarterback captivated the nation with his seemingly impossible late game heroics. Denver won six-straight games. During that stretch they won five via a fourth quarter comebacks. One of them was against the Bears at Mile High.
It all culminated in winning the division and shocking upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card playoffs. No one can deny to this day that Tebow was the spark the team (and the fans) desperately needed. Many feel it’s the same setup for Trubisky. Why play out the string with Glennon when everybody knows the rookie is the future?
Well Fox stuck with Orton for five games. Seems he’s likely going to give similar leeway to the veteran free agent. That may sound fair, but the NFL isn’t about what’s fair. It’s about what’s best for the team. If the poor play by Glennon continues, it can’t be justified to persist for long. Not without giving Trubisky his opportunity.
Sure there is the risk of putting him out there before he’s ready. That’s always a risk. Then again Trubisky will make mistakes regardless of when he gets on the field. Better sooner than later, yes? Guess they’ll keep us posted on that.
