Look around the Chicago Bears media landscape and there is an air of pessimism. Concerns from multiple beat writers that neither Mitch Trubisky nor Nick Foles has been able to establish themselves as a clear favorite in the ongoing competition. Not enough big plays. Too many miscommunications. Neither guy is able to find a true groove in drills.
In their minds, this means the competition itself is looking more and more like a waste of time.
Is that fair? Maybe, maybe not. It’s easy to forget the circumstances these two men face. Foles didn’t actually start throwing with his receivers this offseason until he arrived at camp. Trubisky saw his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach both get changed. On top of that? They’re still going against a top 5 defense every day in practice.
Demanding more from the offense this year is fine. Expecting more just a week into training camp? That seems a bit premature. One thing is becoming clearer though. Foles, while hardly dynamic, might be starting to catch up with Trubisky.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Nick Foles is proving that steadiness may win this race
The general word on Foles is he’s been “fine.” He looks like a veteran who makes good decisions, takes what the defense gives him, and will take the occasional shot downfield. He hasn’t produced a lot of big plays but he shows a sense of timing and anticipation Trubisky has historically struggled with. He also has fewer errant throws. A problem that seems to have resurfaced for his younger counterpart.
There are still two weeks to go before Matt Nagy has to make a decision. Don’t forget Foles entered this conversation ice cold. No minicamps. No OTAs. He didn’t start throwing to this receiving corps until training camp began. Of course, he was going to look a little off at the beginning. It was a matter of time before he started to settle in. The big question was could Trubisky seize control of the job in that limited window?
By the sound of things, the answer is no.
