Mitch Trubisky goes from week to week with people saying there’s no way he can possibly get worse. Then the former #2 overall pick finds a way to top himself. Against the 21st ranked pass defense in the NFL this season, the 25-year old completed 10-of-21 passes for 125 yards. No fewer than 53 of those yards came on one play. So it could’ve been a lot worse than it was. Either way, it was another case of the quarterback failing to step up when his team needed him.
The mistakes were the usual: inaccurate throws, an unwillingness to go deep, bad footwork, and a clear lack of confidence in his execution. Yet that might not be the worst of it. Keep in mind Trubisky is in his third year as an NFL quarterback. Usually around this time, a guy has a firm grasp of how to read defenses and determine what they’re trying to do before the snap. After the game, he was asked about a particular play in the 4th quarter.
Facing 3rd and 9 at the Eagles 44-yard line with a huge chance to score a and take the lead after falling behind 19-0. Trubisky lined up under center and rather than attacking for the 1st down, went play action and inexplicably threw it to tight end Adam Shaheen in the flat that never had a chance. After the game, the quarterback openly admitted that he completely misread the situation and failed to adjust.
Mitch Trubisky just can’t grasp the speed of the NFL
That admission may seem minor, but it carries a ton of weight. It offers further proof that Trubisky, for all his physical gifts, can’t read NFL defenses. They’re proving too diverse and too complex for him to unravel fast enough. This is why he continues to look lost for stretches of time every week. His head his swimming and he can’t keep up. The Bears clearly have put too much on his plate and he’s crumbling. Their only course of action outside of benching him would be to remove his option to audible outright and just have him run plays that are called.
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Either way, it’s further evidence that the kid isn’t equal to the task thrust upon him. The Bears needed him to be better this year and instead, he collapsed under the burden of the expectations. It’s not the first time this has happened to a young quarterback. It’s just that it seems to happen to the Bears more often than any other franchise out there. Some people are ready to give up. Sadly, there is little option but to move forward.
Trubisky will remain the starter over the final eight games barring an unexpected change by Nagy. After that, odds are growing his time as the man in Chicago will be over.
