Column: Trust in Mitch Trubisky is dwindling. For good reason. David Haugh
By DAVID HAUGH
CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
SEP 18, 2019 | 8:00 AM
Chicago must stop making excuses for Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky and start accepting reality.
Mitch has hit a glitch.
Trubisky has done nothing this season to deserve anybody’s unconditional love or unwavering support. Coach Matt Nagy said so Sunday — without saying a word.
A dramatic 16-14 victory over the Broncos in Denver included Nagy’s loudest statement yet about his dwindling trust in Trubisky.
Nagy called 29 running plays compared with 27 passes, a deafening vote of no confidence in his quarterback. The Bears’ downfield passing game was as threatening as a blue sky with tight ends and running backs targeted 17 times. A Nagy offense once described as dynamic and dangerous has morphed into something clunky and careful. And everything starts with the quarterback, who appears to have regressed.
In fairness, Trubisky made the game’s biggest play when he stepped up in the pocket on fourth-and-15, threw a 25-yard strike to wide receiver Allen Robinson and showed the presence of mind to call timeout with one second on the clock. That left enough time for Eddy Pineiro — as in hero — to kick the game-winning 53-yard field goal and save the Bears from a dreaded 0-2 start. But nine seconds of elation hardly erased 59 minutes of frustration for an offense going backward with Trubisky.
Before that desperation play, Trubisky had passed for only 95 yards. He overthrew Taylor Gabriel and underthrew Tarik Cohen. He locked in on his primary receiver too often. He demonstrated the inaccuracy that has become his most defining characteristic as a passer.
Nothing about the way Trubisky stood in the pocket projected poise. The Bears offense had little rhythm. This was a tentative quarterback executing a game plan as conservative as a gray suit, as if Trubisky had strict orders to not screw things up. This was a former No. 2 pick beginning his third year as an NFL starter looking too much like a rookie for team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Is this who Trubisky is?
I wonder if that question keeps Bears general manager Ryan Pace up at night. With so many young NFL quarterbacks emerging as the long-term answers for their franchises, Pace must feel somewhat impatient about Trubisky regardless of the happy face he projects publicly.
Trubisky’s sample size no longer is small, not with Monday night marking his 30th NFL start. After 31 NFL starts for the Bears — simply as a point of comparison — Rex Grossman already had worn out his welcome in town and defined himself as quarterback whose wild inconsistency kept his production from catching up with his potential.
It’s not too late for Trubisky to alter the arc of his NFL trajectory, but the expectations surrounding him make that more challenging. So do the realities of what the Bears require most from Trubisky if they want to return to the playoffs.
The revised 2019 job description for the Bears quarterback: Trubisky simply can’t beat the Bears the way opponents will continue to dare him. The Bears can fool themselves into thinking Trubisky is something he isn’t — a polished passer who shows command in the pocket — and force the issue or adapt their thinking to fit where he is in his career. Sunday suggests they will choose the latter.
Like the Packers, the Broncos defended Trubisky by setting an edge intended to limit his mobility. The book on Trubisky had spread around the league before Broncos coach Vic Fangio devised a similar game plan to what the Bears saw Week 1. Fangio knew from experience what Packers cornerback Tramon Williams announced to the league: “We wanted to make Mitch play quarterback.’’
The word is out on Trubisky, and Nagy reducing him to a game manager “playing quarterback” against the Broncos only will reinforce that belief.
The numbers say it’s hard to blame Nagy for showing such little faith in his quarterback. Trubisky ranks 31st in passer rating (65.0), 29th in passing yards per game (174) and last in average yards per attempt (4.
— the most glaring statistic underscoring the safe approach. According to Pro Football Focus, 27.8% of Trubisky’s passes have been uncatchable — the second-highest rate behind Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. With the NFL’s best defense, all Trubisky needed to do was be a middle-of-the pack quarterback in 2019, yet he finds himself among the worst in the league.
The statistical evidence is as overwhelming and damning as the videotape. This isn’t the steady incremental progress Trubisky sought the day he reported to training camp. This is alarming ineptness. At this point, Bears fans can only hope Trubisky plays well enough to justify conversation next winter about a nine-figure contract with the team, but that’s an inappropriate topic until further notice.
To respond to the new reality, the Bears face some difficult decisions. They built a finesse roster full of offensive weapons to diversify Nagy’s scheme and complement Trubisky’s talents. But teams that rely on the run as much as the Bears did Sunday to protect their quarterback typically have a fullback under contract and more blocking tight ends on the depth chart. Quality depth at wide receiver means little if the quarterback can’t throw the deep ball. Forget about getting speedster Anthony Miller more touches against the Redskins; will blocking tight end J.P. Holtz be active?
The Trubisky challenge looms for Nagy, who famously has “BE YOU” written on his play sheet. Is Nagy being true to himself as a play-caller the best thing for this Bears team and this version of Trubisky? The Bears have scored 34 points in their last three games, including the playoff loss to the Eagles. They have averaged fewer than 20 points per game since midseason last year. Something’s broken.
Something needs to change — starting with the play of a quarterback who’s testing everyone’s patience.
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