The Chicago Bears are about to embark on the most notable summer in recent memory. They haven’t featured a true quarterback competition since 1994 when Erik Kramer and Steve Walsh did battle. Now Mitch Trubisky will try to hold off new arrival Nick Foles from Jacksonville. People already have their assumptions on who the winner will be. Some people think Trubisky survives for one more year. Others say the Bears didn’t guarantee Foles $20 million to sit on the bench. So what does Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner think?
Carmen and Jurko of ESPN 1000 got the chance to ask him. Warner is no stranger to quarterback competitions. He lived through a number of them during his career. His educated opinion might offer some insight into how the Bears view this process playing out. The answer he gave might come as a surprise.
“I think it’ll be Mitch’s job to start, but I think he’s going to have to hold onto it. He’s going to have to prove that what he did a couple years ago that he can do that again. That’s the real question. I think Nick is a great leader. He’s going to bring a great presence and he’s obviously going to have some respect because of his background and what he’s done. Winning the Super Bowl and doing all those things. You walk in with a different air about you when that’s the case and people look at you a little bit differently.
So Mitch is probably going to be more scrutinized this year than he’s even been in the past with everything Chicago did to go up and get him. But again, I think it’s always a good thing. He’s in that stage or that point of his career where you got to prove that you belong. You got to be willing to compete with anybody and everybody and show that you’re the real deal and belong as a starter.”
Kurt Warner envisions a Titans scenario playing out
Based on Warner’s assessment, he seems to think the Bears are mirroring what the Tennessee Titans did last season. They brought in Ryan Tannehill as insurance via trade from Miami to help push Marcus Mariota. Mariota ended up starting that season but eventually got benched. Tannehill stepped in and played well, helping Tennessee all the way to the AFC championship game. No doubt the Bears would hope that one of two scenarios play out. Either Trubisky elevates his game or Foles steps in and does what Tannehill did.
There is a difference though. Tennessee made it clear from the outset that Mariota would start that season. There was no competition. This won’t be the case in Chicago. Head coach Matt Nagy made it clear that Trubisky and Foles will be on equal footing when training camp starts this summer. Each will work with the first-team offense and each will see action in the preseason. That means Trubisky will have to outexecute Foles in an offense the latter won a Super Bowl in.
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Maybe Warner is right, but it feels like the deck is stacked against Trubisky a little more than he might realize.
