Most Chicago Bears fans might not remember that Victor Cruz actually played for the team for a brief period last year. He was on their roster for both training camp and the preseason. While his stay didn’t last long, having been cut before the regular season, the time there left him with a lasting impression. Not so much with the city or the coaches, but with young quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
The veteran receiver had a front row seat for the #2 pick as he began his NFL journey. It didn’t take him long to get an impression. Fast forward over a year, Cruz has become a regular on the popular sports talk show ESPN First Take alongside Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman. Sure enough, the topic of his former quarterback inevitably came up.
The crew was posed a simple question. Who do they think is going to win the NFC North after the latest slate of games on Sunday? Kellerman put his stake in the Minnesota Vikings, still believing them to be the most well-balanced team. Then for good measure, he reminded everybody that he is and probably never will be a believer in Trubisky.
Cruz? He did not agree.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Victor Cruz not wrong to believe Trubisky is growing
With all due respect to Kellerman, who’s a good sports mind, he never actually played professional football. Cruz has. Not only that, but he was directly tied to the quarterback position as a receiver. He knows how that position works and what it takes to play it at the highest level, having seen Eli Manning do it for years in New York. So maybe the guy knows what he’s talking about.
The stats are starting to back it up for sure. Trubisky has completed 72.02% of his passes for 670 yards, 9 touchdowns and 1 interception for a 138.55 quarterback rating in the past two games. He’s the first Bears QB in history to have 300 yards and 3 TD passes in two-straight games. Currently, he’s on course for 4,035 yards and 35 touchdowns.
A lot of it has been helped by the offensive system and having better weapons, but the growth has been obvious. He’s making more big throws each week. Perhaps it’s time to stop piling on the kid for not being great right now.
