It’s one thing to hear comments from all the experts regarding the drafting of Mitch Trubisky. Revisionist historians will say they always knew the Chicago Bears messed up with that pick in 2017. This despite a mountain of evidence proving said experts ranked him #1 or #2 on their boards. The reality is Trubisky was a risk and didn’t work out. Hearing their opinions on it is nothing new. So what about somebody who has been through that experience? The experience of not living up to the hype. Ryan Leaf can certainly relate.
The former Washington State star was at one time considered in the same category as Peyton Manning coming out of college. The San Diego Chargers took him 2nd overall in 1998. That is the same pick Trubisky went. With it came a huge burden of expectations. A burden Leaf was woefully unprepared for. He lasted just three seasons with the Chargers, going 4-14 with 13 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. He was out of the league before his 26th birthday.
Does he see Trubisky as a similar disappointment?
No. Leaf filled in as host on the Rich Eisen Show recently and the conversation of the former Bears quarterback came up. He believes the team isn’t nearly as crippled by that miss as they would’ve been prior to 2011 with the rookie wage scale. Beyond that, Leaf is of the belief that Trubisky wasn’t necessarily a bust. He feels the circumstances around him had a lot more to do with his demise than some would care to believe.
“When I busted in San Diego, it put the team down for a good 2-3 years. Now it allowed them to go get LaDainian Tomlinson and get Drew Brees which started the momentum forward but you can miss out on a quarterback. And I don’t necessarily think they missed on Mitchell Trubisky. I don’t think the team’s been very good. I think Matt Nagy is kind of hit and miss, and they play in a division with Aaron Rodgers, guys.”
This is an argument more than a few Bears fans and national media members continue to make. The flaws in that offense weren’t just about Trubisky. It was a combination of not being surrounded by the best talent and also some questionable coaching. Is he right? That depends on who you ask. Some will say the Bears’ talent was being held back by poor quarterback play. The same goes for the coaching. There is only so much Nagy could’ve done with below-average QB performance.
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Ryan Leaf isn’t wrong but he isn’t right either
That is what makes this so frustrating. It’s hard to know what is the truth. Mostly because this team hasn’t had a full-time new quarterback to work with. People can argue Nick Foles was that guy but he was hamstrung by a drastically trimmed-down offseason, having to come in cold as a backup, and then watched his offensive line get decimated by injuries. That is why the Bears ended up going with Andy Dalton.
He isn’t a star as quarterbacks go but many still believe he is top 15 worthy in this league. The epitome of average. Lots of people keep saying the Bears would’ve been so much better with even average QB play. Well, that theory is about to get tested. Will Dalton get more out of the talent on this roster than Trubisky could? Ryan Leaf isn’t so sure. Nagy, who will resume play calling duties, clearly thinks so.
That is what makes this upcoming season so compelling.
Answers will finally be had one way or another. Either Trubisky really was the problem or the supporting cast and coaching was overrated. Leaf isn’t under any illusions. His busting in San Diego was leagues above what Trubisky was in Chicago. What people want to know is did they really see the best of what he could do in the NFL? These next few months will tell all.
