Based on the first week of practices for the Chicago Bears, most media members would probably give Mitch Trubisky the edge in the quarterback competition. In their eyes, he has looked a bit sharper and made fewer mistakes. That is not to say Nick Foles has looked bad. He just hasn’t been able to deliver a true breakout performance in practice yet.
Then again, it’s not like he’s been getting a lot of help.
Adam Hoge of NBC Sports reported on Saturday that the Bears held their first scrimmage-driven practice of camp. This is where the two quarterbacks executed game-like situations and ran full possessions. In his estimation, Foles edged out Trubisky in overall performance even though the latter probably had the best throw of the day.
However, something interesting stood out from the recap.
“Despite throwing the first official interception of training camp, Foles looked better Saturday. And he didn’t get much help from his receivers. Three well-thrown balls downfield were dropped, including one by Javon Wims in the end zone late in practice. Nagy also singled out a nice throw to Ted Ginn Jr. that was completed near the right sideline as an example of great anticipation.”
For those who haven’t paid close enough attention, this isn’t the first time Foles has seen a number of his better throws in camp wasted by receivers dropping them. It started from the beginning too.
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“Foles was hurt by a drop by Darnell Mooney after the rookie wide receiver beat cornerback Artie Burns, as well as another pass that hit wide receiver Reggie Davis in the helmet after a slow adjustment.”
Nick Foles is at the mercy of a still-unproven receiving corps
This is not anything new for the Bears. Last season as a team they had 25 total dropped passes. Good enough for the 3rd-most in the NFL. People talk about the quarterbacks being the biggest issue. Outside of Allen Robinson? Nobody in the wide receiver group showed they could consistently hang onto the football. The running backs and tight ends were no better either.
By the sound of things, Foles is having a hard time making a bigger impression because his targets aren’t doing their jobs. All he can do is put the ball in a good enough place for them to get it. He can’t catch it too. This is a reminder of how inexact a science a QB competition can be. The winner or loser is often at the mercy of those around them. One dropped pass or missed block can mean the difference.
Luck plays a bigger factor than anybody cares to admit.