Mitch Trubisky doesn’t have a lot of supporters outside of Halas Hall these days. The national media have pretty much abandoned ship. Several Chicago Bears fans are about done with him as well. There are still several holdouts who remain optimistic he can turn things around. Yet facts are facts. Whenever Trubisky has been confronted by good, well-coached defenses? More often than not he comes across as underwhelming.
Now some NFL players can be later bloomers. It takes more than the usual three years to get off the ground. That’s why the team remains patient with Trubisky. He came into the league with so little experience to begin with, starting just 13 games in college. His mind wasn’t ready to process the complexity and speed of the pro level. Defenses have since figured out his Achilles heel. They’re forcing him to stay in the pocket and throw.
It isn’t working out too well. Trubisky hasn’t had a passer rating in a game over 90 since before Christmas of 2018. At what point does patience have a limit? This team is capable of winning a Super Bowl. They have a dominant defense. Their kicking situation appears to be resolved. The offensive line and cast of weapons are solid. They should be doing better than 9.5 points per game. Like it or not, that falls at the feet of their quarterback.
Mitch Trubisky is still more athlete than quarterback
Michael Lombardi is among the most notorious critics of Trubisky. The former Cleveland Browns GM blasted him during an interview last year, saying Bears fans were crazy for buying his jerseys. As much as it stings, what he said still holds relevance. Lombardi wrote a piece for The Athletic recently talking about why the Bears, specifically GM Ryan Pace, need to make a decision on Trubisky sooner than later. Otherwise, they’ll waste an excellent roster they’ve put together.
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He illustrated where the young QB remains inadequate and how Pace may have fallen into a classic trap young GMs tend to with that position.
“Trubisky is not fluent in playing quarterback, he lacks overall instincts for the position, accuracy, and when the game speeds up, he slows way down. He is a great athlete with a strong arm playing the position, not a great quarterback with high-level instinctive skills. Pace fell in love with the the athlete, the arm, the movement, and he forgot about the traits that are essential to play the position.
Instincts matter more than anything; being quick-minded is way more important than being quick-footed. If you watched Trubisky and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady work out, without knowing their history, you would pick Trubisky every time. But Brady knows how to play the position, Trubisky doesn’t.”
It’s a harsh assessment, but a fair one.
If only because the recent tape backs up his points. Trubisky isn’t seeing the field well. He can’t process things fast enough to make his throws on time and accurately. Matt Nagy gets blamed for not crafting plays to help him more. The thing is many of the plays called would work if Trubisky saw them better. He hasn’t. Nagy will likely adjust the offense to fit what he does well, but it’s not going to be the offense it should be.
Unless the light comes on at some point soon, Lombardi is right. Pace will have a decision to make.
