Keith Heckendorf may be young by coaching standards, but the guys knows what good quarterbacks look like. He should. The current North Carolina quarterbacks coach played the position in college himself. It’s really been his job since he was a teenager. Every waking moment since that time has been devoted to understanding the makeup of the position. So if anybody knows if Mitch Trubisky success in Chicago is possible, it’s him.
He sat down to continue a recent interview with The Draft Wire to continue talking about his former pupil. Certain topics were brought up such as Mitch’s comparison to other recent top five draft picks like Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston. Or whether his having a strong arm or not was important at the pro level.
The most interesting segment though came when Heckendorf talked about the overall makeup of Trubisky. Specifically the traits that he possesses that give him the best possible chance to excel against the best in the business.
Mitch Trubisky success hinges on work ethic and decision-making
Heckendorf began by describing what separates the top quarterbacks in the NFL from the rest of the pack. Why is it teams fear those guys but not so much others? It can’t be physical talent. There are plenty of QBs more gifted than Tom Brady. Yet he has five rings and a bust waiting in Canton. So what’s the deal?
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“When you start looking at how guys transition to the next level, there has to be a hunger about them. They have to be able to walk themselves into their new building and go get it. They have to have an attitude about them, especially at the quarterback position, and Mitch possesses that.”
Trubisky has made it clear from the start his priorities are centered on the team. Every time people have brought up other subjects like his hobbies or his contract, the 22-year old shrugged them off like snowflakes. Over and over again he made it clear his attention was on immersing himself in the offense. Nothing else matters. That’s the sort of laser focus people expect from the quarterback position.
Did Jay Cutler have it? Maybe, but it never really seemed that way. Regardless, Heckendorf is confident Mitch has the drive. So what about the tools?
The Big Three
There are plenty of traits great quarterbacks must have to make it in the NFL. Then again, most experts today agree that there are three core elements. If they are missing just one of them, the chances of success drop significantly. The coach laid them out in detail.
“Competitiveness is the first one. I need to have a guy who’s the ultimate competitor because he should be the one who influences everybody else around your football team. I think the quarterback has to be a guy that understands football; he has to have the ability to process information at a high level and in order to do that, you have to love the game because you have to spend a lot of time studying in the off-season, even when you’re away from the field.
Finally, he needs to have the ability to place the ball where you want it. You have to be accurate. Those windows open and close really fast in that league [NFL] and you’ve got to be able to put it where you want it on time. The ability to do that on a consistent basis is key.”
Look at the top quarterbacks in the NFL these days and those qualities stand out in a big way. In fact there might even be a way to measure them out with statistics. For competitiveness it could be their late-game heroics and fourth quarter comebacks. The football processor how fast they unload the ball. Lastly is turnover ratio for accuracy.
Tom Brady
- 4th quarter comebacks (career): 39
- Average time to throw: 2.57 seconds
- TD to INT ratio: 28 to 2
Drew Brees
- 4th quarter comebacks (career): 28
- Average time to throw: 2.42 seconds
- TD to INT ratio: 37 to 15
Aaron Rodgers
- 4th quarter comebacks (career): 10
- Average time to throw: 2.87 seconds
- TD to INT ratio: 40 to 7
Derek Carr
- 4th quarter comebacks (career): 12
- Average time to throw: 2.49 seconds
- TD to INT ratio: 28 to 6
Matt Ryan
- 4th quarter comebacks (career): 25
- Average time to throw: 2.64 seconds
- TD to INT ratio: 38 to 7
So how does Mitch Trubisky measure up to those big names, at least in terms of his brief college run? Well he had two fourth quarter comebacks in 13 games. He threw 30 touchdowns to just six interceptions. His exact time average time to throw is unknown since college stats don’t cover that but most agree he’s got the necessary quick release.
There is still a ton of proving to do and the Bears have must do their part to help him thrive. That means getting as many good blockers and receivers as they can possibly muster. If everything goes according to plan, this could be the best investment the team has made in decades.
