Most people have tried to cram Mitch Trubisky into a traditional caricature. Somebody who fits a typical stereotype of a person as an athlete. They see him as an inexperienced kid whose happy-go-lucky personality has yet to harden to the realities of playing quarterback in the NFL. Typically, as is the case with most stereotypes and assumptions, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Did Trubisky join the Chicago Bears lacking experience? Yes. He’d only started 13 games in college. That’s far below the average for top five draft picks. However, it’s important to remember that inexperience and immaturity are two very different things. One means you haven’t quite grasped the speed and complexity of the game. The other means you haven’t quite grasped what it means to act and carry yourself like an adult.
Appearance by appears and interview by interview, Trubisky is showing that the latter concern is completely unfounded. If anything he seems almost wise beyond his years. He does charity work during almost all of his free time. He’s an avid reader carries himself like he’s 33-years old instead of 23.
If people really want to see how polished his viewpoint is, they should see his stance on what it means to be a leader.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Mitch Trubisky operates by a specific set of rules to lead the Bears
Tyler Dunn of Bleacher Report got a chance to sit down with the young quarterback recently for an interview. As the conversation covered a wide range of topics, the subject of leadership soon came up. This is one that Trubisky takes more serious than any other. So much in fact that he keeps a screenshot on his cell phone from one of his favorite books titled The Captain Class by Sam Walker.
In it, there is a list of character traits or rules that a good leader must operate by to have success and to get others to follow him.
“Read that,” Trubisky says, “and tell me you wouldn’t want your captain to be all those things.”
1. Extreme doggedness and focus in competition.
2. Aggressive play that tests the limits of the rules.
3. A willingness to do thankless jobs in the shadows.
4. A low-key, practical, and democratic communication style.
5. Motivates others with passionate nonverbal displays.
6. Strong convictions and the courage to stand apart.
7. Ironclad emotional control.
Adds Trubisky, “Not once does it say, ‘I want this guy to cuss his teammates out’ or give a big halftime speech.”
It represents a clear understanding that many of the cliches in professional sports that so often appear in movies aren’t accurate. Being a leader isn’t getting a man to jump up yelling and screaming in the locker room before heading onto the field. It’s getting that man to play through pain and exhaustion, giving every ounce of what he has in the name of winning the game.
Most athletes can’t abide by those rules, be it out of stubbornness or simple lack of understanding. It’s why Trubisky has the list so close to his heart. He believes every word of it and strives each day to put it in practice, on and off the field. This would explain why teammates have been so quick to embrace him since he took over as the starter last year.