Pro Bowls don’t matter. That’s what most critics and experts keep trying to say. Most of them do so because they want to make themselves sound smart. Does the Pro Bowl game matter? Of course not. It’s a slightly more physical flag football contest most of the time. Playing in it isn’t what attracts players. It is more the nod of approval that comes with admission. An accolade that rewards their hard work. The more Pro Bowls a player reaches, the better he’s viewed in the NFL hierarchy. Mitch Trubisky understands this.
There was a reason he was so excited when he received the news that he’d been given the green light to go. This after Jared Goff bowed out due to the Super Bowl and Aaron Rodgers because of injury. Trubisky and Russell Wilson took their places. While his performance in the game itself was forgettable, the young Bears quarterback didn’t lose his enthusiasm. He was especially thrilled that he, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson all made it the same year.
Validation that the “weak” 2017 quarterback class was alive and well.
Chicago Bears cornerback Prince Amukamara told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times that people aren’t seeing the hidden benefits of Trubisky getting that nod of approval. Not only was it a good experience, but it also did something else.
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“Even though some people might say Pro Bowl honors don’t matter, I think they do,” cornerback Prince Amukamara said of Trubisky, who was an injury replacement in the game. “I think they help with their confidence. And it was well-earned, well-deserved, what he got last year. And I’m sure that’s helped his confidence a little bit, because he’s been great this offseason.”
Mitch Trubisky has looked so much more self-assured thus far
The comment that seems to come across from teammates, coaches, and even Bears beat writers to this point is how much more confident Trubisky appears. His answers to questions are far more genuine and detailed than they were last season. He doesn’t seem as nervous as he once was. Word out of practices is that he’s in total control of the offense, looking far sharper. It’s gotten to a point where he’ll literally interrupt head coach Matt Nagy in meetings to make corrections on how he wants routes run.
It isn’t Nagy’s offense anymore. It is his offense. Trubisky understands the full potential of the system goes through him and he must do everything to ensure its success. The fact he isn’t shrinking from this challenge is a welcome sight. If people were to step back and examine how he got here, it shouldn’t be that big of a surprise.
Trubisky overcame a rough rookie season by posting the most efficient passing campaign in Bears history with a 95.4 passer rating in 2018. He went 11-3, won a division title, made the Pro Bowl, and then delivered one of the best passing performances Chicago has ever seen in a playoff game. If not for a missed kick, he would’ve been the hero in that loss to Philadelphia.
He knows he can play in the NFL. Now it’s about accomplishing the next goal, which is a championship.
