When Mitch Trubisky stepped back in as the starter for the Chicago Bears after the bye, he had every right to be upset. Things had not gotten better from benching him. They got worse. It just took a few weeks to show. The offense was an absolute wreck with no signs of life. The defense seemed to lose its will to compete. It would’ve been so easy for him to vent his frustrations.
To his credit, that never happened once. Trubisky has remained classy and humble throughout what has been a difficult process. Now things may actually be looking up. After weeks of inactivity, the Bears offense has shown signs of life. They put up 25 points in Green Bay, had 30 against Detroit, and piled on 36 last week against Houston.
Trubisky has 7 TD passes and just two interceptions in that stretch.
So he’s played quite well. What has really stood out though is how the offense has changed since he took over. The Bears have started to run the ball a lot more, they’re using more play action and keep making a conscious effort to get him out on the move. There isn’t nearly as much of him standing back in the pocket and trying to making throws.
Where it gets interesting is what the quarterback said in his recent press conference. Apparently, this offensive scheme adjustment wasn’t entirely the brainchild of the coaches. It came from weeks of Trubisky constantly asking them to. More rollouts, more running the ball, more play action, and more utilizing the younger playmakers. Specifically Cole Kmet.
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#Bears QB Mitch Trubisky said they're doing things offensively that he's asking for. He made similar comments a few weeks ago about his input when he returned as the starter. He wants to be on the move, to run play action and to get Cole Kmet going.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 16, 2020
Mitch Trubisky: "This is just kind of some of the things I’ve been asking for. I feel like they are strengths of mine and also strengths of this offense. I just thought it was a good idea to get Cole more involved, to get David more involved, to get A-Rob more involved. …" https://t.co/pS7nMjUfoq
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 17, 2020
Did it really take that long for Mitch Trubisky to get his way?
People were on Matt Nagy going all the way back to 2019 for his puzzling offensive game plans. He seemed so reluctant to employ a more run-heavy approach while utilizing what Trubisky did best. This despite evidence it often worked. The head coach seemed so dead set on running the system he wanted. Hence the trade for Nick Foles and Nagy elevating him to the starting job after less than three games.
With Bill Lazor running the offense now though? It seems the staff is much more receptive to what Trubisky wants. The Bears offensive coordinator has experience with players of his skillset. He worked with Ryan Tannehill for two years in Miami. He and Trubisky share a ton in common in terms of mobility and throwing style. So it shouldn’t be a huge surprise the coach and QB have meshed well so far.
Their biggest test yet is still to come.
Chicago will travel to Minneapolis for a rematch against the Vikings. A game in which the offense scored just six points and ran the ball 17 times for 41 yards. It was a humiliation. One that spawned a host of changes including the elevation of Lazor and greater emphasis on Kmet and David Montgomery as offensive weapons. Thus far Mitch Trubisky has reaped the rewards.
Minnesota has frustrated him in the past. So if the QB can deliver a strong performance and more importantly a win? That will really turn some heads.
