We’ve all seen the flashes from Trubisky.
The arm strength, the mobility.
But there is a mental block preventing him from becoming the quarterback Ryan Pace thought he drafted. At this point, it certainly seems like that mental block will keep Mitch from being the guy who ends the franchise’s historical quarterback drought. But crazier things have happened, haven’t they?
Because while the trade for Nick Foles means the Super Bowl window should be open for the 2020 Chicago Bears, the club’s best chance at keeping it open longer is still dependent on Trubisky’s development, barring the team selecting a new “quarterback of the future” in the second round of the upcoming draft.
It just doesn’t always happen right away.
There is no tangible reason to think Trubisky will beat Foles out for the starting job.
But there are plenty of reasons to think he can.
Foles is simply the better player right now, but there’s no question the fourth-year North Carolina product has the talent to be what we all thought he would become not all that long ago. The league is littered with examples of late bloomers.
- The Chargers clearly didn’t think Drew Brees was going to make it after his third season when they drafted Phil Rivers.
- The Packers used a second-round pick on Brian Brohm the year Aaron Rodgers was set to take over for Brett Favre.
- Matthew Stafford had one of the worst seasons of his career in his fourth year.
A year ago at this time, it wasn’t considered crazy to say Trubisky was going to be a franchise quarterback.
The Bears liked what they saw throughout the 2019 off-season and training camp. They liked it so much they didn’t bring in any insurance and built their entire scheme for the young QB. As a result, the 2019 season tanked because Trubisky was bad. That’s what angered people inside the building. They felt duped by Trubisky.
Fool me once…
Foles can run this offense at a very high level, but he is also in his 30s and has had some injury issues in his career. The new quarterback is certainly a top-level backup and a capable starter who can get hot, but he’s not the kind of quarterback teams build around. Every team that has tried has quickly come to that realization.
Not being named the starting quarterback as a sophomore at North Carolina pissed Trubisky off. Whenever he got into the game, he torched the defense, completing 40-of-47 passes with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. Now he is going to get expert coaching with four quarterback specialists on staff and now his back against the wall. After coddling him for the last two years, Trubisky is going to be pushed. It’ll either make him or break him.
Perhaps what Trubisky needs to get over the hump is someone to push him.
Perhaps a career-defining competition will make Trubisky into the quarterback the Bears desperately need him to be.
Or, perhaps he’ll just go away.
