Mitch Trubisky isn’t making believers out of many people these days. The third-year quarterback is certainly working hard and trying his best. Yet nothing has really gone right for him to start the 2019 season. Through two games he has less than 400 yards passing total with zero touchdown passes. He looks nothing like the player that finished the previous year, throwing for over 300 yards against Philadelphia in the playoffs and coming a missed field goal away from knocking them out.
That version seems so far away now, replaced by someone who looks confused and gun shy at times. What makes it so baffling is he’s entering the second year in this offense under Matt Nagy. Typically as experience in a system grows, the better a young quarterback should play. For Trubisky it’s been the opposite. This makes one ask the difficult question. Is he simply incapable of grasping the complex details of a modern NFL offense?
Some have pointed the finger of blame at Nagy himself. They feel he’s not doing enough to help his young quarterback. Yet if one watches the film, the reality is he does plenty and Trubisky just can’t take advantage. This is due to his erratic decision-making and poor field vision. There’s only so much Nagy can do. To his credit, the coach has not wavered in support of his embattled quarterback. That is unlikely to change.
Still, there is something that neither he nor anybody else will readily admit about this entire situation. Nagy was hired to help Trubisky by the Bears. That technically doesn’t mean he would’ve been the coach’s choice for a quarterback.
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Nagy liked Mitch Trubisky but would he have picked him?
Much of the Nagy-Trubisky connection was born out of reports that surfaced from before the 2017 draft. The North Carolina QB visited the Kansas City Chiefs where he conducted a six-hour interview with the coaching staff. Nagy, being the offensive coordinator, was part of it. The coach reportedly liked Trubisky. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid believed that undoubtedly played a big part in why Nagy was hired as head coach in Chicago.
“I’m sure they knew or at least found out that he had a good visit here and that they got along. I think that’s important for a quarterback, and you’re getting him while he’s still young.”
Yet there is one question that probably wasn’t asked back then but should’ve been. A highly important one. If given a choice, who would Nagy have taken with the #2 overall pick the previous year? Would he have gone with Trubisky or would he have gravitated to Patrick Mahomes like the Chiefs eventually did when they traded up to get him?
That answer would’ve spoken volumes at the time.
Nagy no doubt felt when he was hired that he could work with Trubisky. Him being a quarterback expert, he had good reasons to feel confident he could make it work. At the same time, he also knows that some guys just don’t have it. While he accepted the challenge of coaching Mitch, he didn’t really have a choice in the matter. If he was going to get the Bears job, that was part of the package.
What we don’t know in all of this is whether Trubisky would’ve been Nagy’s first choice for a quarterback if he’d had a say in the first place. If one looks back over recent history, the most successful head coach-QB tandems are those where the coach had a say in the QB’s acquisition.
- Bill Belichick drafted Tom Brady
- Sean Payton helped sign Drew Brees
- Pete Carroll drafted Russell Wilson
- Doug Pederson drafted Carson Wentz
- Andy Reid drafted Patrick Mahomes
There are exceptions to every rule. Sean McVay inherited Jared Goff and it turned out well. However, cases like his aren’t entirely common. Sometimes the quarterbacks aren’t quite good enough. Look at Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. Both have suffered inconsistency throughout their careers. Both teams have chewed through three different head coaches trying to fix them. Believe it or not, a lot of the time the quarterback is the problem.
Teams just aren’t willing to accept they might’ve made a mistake.
Again, Nagy accepted responsibility with Trubisky when he took the job. That was his choice. That said, it’s fair to wonder this question aloud. How different would this offense look if he had a quarterback who he had a personal stake in?
