If Chicago Bears fans listened to the national media, they’d swear the team just summoned a demon from the depths of Hades to play quarterback. That is how vile a response the team got when they made the decision to start Mitch Trubisky for a fourth season. That is how much the former #2 overall pick is hated. People are begging the Bears to just move on. It’s over. Done.
Head coach Matt Nagy heard that noise and chose to ignore it. So that just makes him crazy, right? Well, maybe not entirely. Look there is no doubt Trubisky was bad in 2019. He deserves his share of the blame for what went wrong. That being said, there are many who believe he’s shouldering way too much of it. All because he’s the quarterback.
When a series of NFL scouts were asked about the prospects of the Bears in 2020, a couple of them spoke out in defense of Trubisky.
“Mitch Trubisky didn’t have a great year, but the Bears didn’t have a great year. He took a lot of blame. I think that was a little bit unfair. It didn’t all fall on him.”
A vocal minority has said the same thing. GM Ryan Pace also alluded to it. The problem on offense for the Bears went beyond the QB. Their running game was atrocious (27th in the NFL). Receivers dropped 25 passes. There were a lot of penalties and the protection was a serious downgrade from where it was last season.
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Another scout went even further, directing his criticism less at Trubisky and more at his play caller.
If they play smart ball and Nagy doesn’t feel like he’s got to be the smartest guy in the division and say, ‘OK, I’m going to throw the ball regardless,’ then they have a chance. If he decides I’m going to show everybody ‘I’m the smartest man in the division,’ then guess what? They’re not going to have a chance.”
Mitch Trubisky has no room for excuses anymore
What they say is true. Trubisky was only part of the offensive debacle in 2019. Was he the biggest reason? One could make that argument but putting it all on him is incorrect. That being said, it’s small comfort to him now. The 26-year old is staring down a gauntlet over the next four months. He can’t afford the same frequency of mistakes. Not with Nick Foles looming in the background, ready to take his job.
The excuses are exhausted. Chicago has done everything they can to help him find success. They overhauled their coaching staff with more QB-friendly faces, they upgraded the tight end position with nice big targets and even added more speed at wide receiver. It may not be perfect but it should be enough to score some points every week.
If Trubisky still can’t do that, then the Bears will resume their search for somebody who can.
