Andy Reid could be considered the top quarterback specialist in professional football. He’s certainly done enough to earn the honor. Donovan McNabb went to six Pro Bowls under his watch. Alex Smith went to four. Patrick Mahomes threw 50 touchdowns and won league MVP in just his second seasons. This isn’t even counting smaller successes with the likes of Jeff Garcia and Michael Vick.
The guy knows what good quarterbacks are supposed to look like. That’s why it was enlightening to hear from Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy that Reid has a high opinion of Mitch Trubisky. Nagy is currently down at the owners meetings in Arizona along with GM Ryan Pace and the rest of the team brass.
He took a moment to talk about the state of the team, his plans for the coming season, and what happened last year. He stated he keeps in regular contact with his mentor Reid and did so throughout his first year coaching the Bears. Never did he require more guidance than after the difficult playoff loss to the Eagles back in January.
Rather than lament the defeat itself, Reid focused on the positives. None more so than the progress of the Bears’ young quarterback.
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Matt Nagy & Andy Reid wait 24 hours before calling each other after games. Nagy broke the rule after the playoff loss & called Reid on his way home.
Nagy: Reid “saw the growth in our QB. He’s telling me what a great job Mitchell did throughout the year & that was comforting."
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) March 26, 2019
Andy Reid isn’t wrong about Mitch Trubisky showing major progress
His statement has plenty of basis in fact. One can examine the numbers. Through his first eight games, Trubisky completed 64.8% of his passes at 243.62 yards per game with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Over the final seven including the playoff loss, he completed 68.8% of his passes at 225.28 yards per game with nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
That may seem like a downturn at first until one realizes that Trubisky didn’t throw an interception in five of those final seven games. This after throwing at least one in five of those first eight. It’s clear his efficiency improved by a wide margin. Never mind that several of those final games came against either a top defense or a playoff team.
Given the circumstances, whether it was playing in a brand new offense or coming off a shoulder injury, he made a good account of himself. When somebody like Reid says so, it’s okay to take him at his word. His long history with the position gives him more credibility than anybody else out there. More proof that the Bears are pointed in the right direction.
