Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?
I always like the Chicago Bears. And I like this match-up.
What’s Next For Mitch Trubisky?
Let’s update last week’s areas of focus.
- The Roll Right, Cross-Body Throw. This was the most prominent “mistake” he made in his debut and he made it differently each time, culminating with the game-ending interception. (All three, interestingly, were throws to Zach Miller on plays that has essentially broken down.) Biscuit has to understand how much steam those throws lose and how quickly NFL defensive backs close on the football. Often the smart play is just tuck it and get a few yards with your legs or throw the ball into the sixteenth row.
Grade: A+. Trubisky had a half dozen opportunities to make throws that were not there but chose instead to fling the ball to the sideline. Solid signs of maturity for a kid making his second professional start.
- The Left Side of the Field. Trubisky did most of his work to the right half of the field which, if you read this blog, was fully expected. But Baltimore defensive coordinator Dean Pees has been DC for Nick Saban (Michigan State, mid-90s) and Bill Belichick (New England, mid-2000s). Those men approach defensive football the same way. They want to take away the thing their opponent does best. Trubisky should have to open up the field Sunday.
Grade: INC. The Bears did very little work on the left side of the field in the passing game because they did very little work in the passing game. They will not be able to run it 50+ times on this Carolina defense so Trubisky’s development will be entirely about how much more of the game is placed on his shoulders.
- Cadence. The offensive line never looked comfortable Monday night partly due to their being off the snap. They also had a few pre-snap penalties, with Charles Leno clearly not knowing the count on several plays, including the strip sack of Trubisky. Are those on the quarterback? Possibly. Only the players actually know. But it’s now on Trubisky to get this group comfortable and that only happens with time and experience.
Grade: B+. The Bears took 80 offensive snaps in this game and were better pre-snap (zero penalties) and getting off the snap. Remarkably, as Brad Biggs reported, the Bears ran for four yards often on first down, even when facing run looks from Baltimore. That speaks to the toughness of Jordan Howard’s running but also the push from the guys up front.
In Summary
Unless the Bears open the playbook and let the kid do more, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to see Trubisky develop beyond the basic fundamentals of playing the position, which include leadership. On that note…
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