One of the possible acts the NFL could be in the process of formulating is regarding the preseason. Due to teams not having minicamps or OTAs, it’s feared the lack of extended practice time could lead to additional injuries. So in an effort to increase the “ramp-up” period, there is a movement growing for the league to cut down the number of preseason games. Some speculating it could go down by half from four to two. One team that does not want this to happen is the Chicago Bears.
Or at least their coaches seem to think that way. Why? This team is about to conduct its first major quarterback competition in 25 years. Nick Foles will challenge Mitch Trubisky for the starting job. The problem is the team wants to make sure it’s fair. COVID-19 has made that difficult with such limited practice time. This is a big reason head coach Matt Nagy said they planned to use preseason games to help the evaluation process.
Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor echoed those sentiments. He seems to feel it is the only way to keep things fair. If the number of games drops from four to two though? That would complicate matters.
“You just have to let the thing play out. Hopefully, we have plenty of preseason games because I think that’s the most fair way, I think, for the guys, is to let them play on the game field. That’s the most fair. So hopefully they get an opportunity to do that.”
Chicago Bears will have to get really creative if that happens
One could say Trubisky already has a bit of an unfair advantage in this battle. Foles hasn’t been able to move from Florida yet due to the virus situation. In that time, he’s been working out constantly with teammates. That means Foles will be meeting those same guys for the first time whenever training camp starts next month. It is hard to form chemistry with other players in such a short span of time. He might need most of the camp just to get on the same page.
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If that happens and then he has maybe one preseason game where he can play with the starters? That is a lot to ask. The Bears know this and are likely preparing contingency plans in the event the NFL does as feared. They could get lucky and see just one game slashed instead of two. This would provide a little extra wiggle room.
Either way, keeping this competition fair isn’t nearly as easy as people think. Looking at where things stand, it’s little wonder Trubisky seems so confident the job will stay his.