Michael Lombardi is not a fan favorite in the Chicago area these days. A lot of that began when the former GM launched into a rant against the idea that people think Mitch Trubisky is any good as a quarterback. This not too long after his strong outing in 2018. So naturally, he caught a lot of heat for that. No doubt he was sipping his tea when the QB got benched back in September.
One can imagine how he’s feeling now that Trubisky is back and actually playing pretty well. In four starts since his return, the 26-year old has eight touchdown passes and three interceptions. The offense has averaged over 30 points per game. It’s made people start to wonder. Was Mitch ever really the problem or was it Matt Nagy’s stubbornness to not run a scheme that better fit his talents?
Evidence is piling up in that direction.
Evidence that Lombardi feels is circumstantial at best. During an appearance with Zach Zaidman and Mark Grote on 670 The Score, the longtime analyst and personnel man didn’t mince words. He is certain that what people are seeing is nothing more than a mirage. One brought on by a string of weak opponents rather than the light suddenly going on for Trubisky.
“Pace has been looking for a ray of sunshine. And these four games will be the ray of sunshine to be able to say, ‘I told you so.’ And here he comes back. No one has been objective…
…You just have to be objective. What is the No. 1 thing that costs teams in the National Football League from being successful? It’s their own bias … When you have bias within anything you do, you make decisions based on what you want the outcome to be, not what the outcome should be.
You got to be realistic. It’s three games against bad defense.”
What he is saying is that many Bears fans and even those within the organization want Mitch Trubisky to succeed so badly that they’ll let a string of productive games blind them from the truth. Chicago has played the 30th, 31st, and 23rd ranked defenses the past three weeks. Jacksonville this Sunday ranks 32nd. When since returning has the QB really been tested?
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Mitch Trubisky still has plenty of proving to do
Has Lombardi been unnecessarily antagonistic towards Trubisky in the past? Yes. That aside, what he’s saying here isn’t false. The quarterback has played well but he’s done it against cupcake competition. History shows he can have big games when the defenses aren’t that good. It’s when the opponent can actually play high-level defense that the cracks really start to show.
His worst performance of 2020 where he started and finished a game? That was against Green Bay who currently ranks 8th in total defense this year. His worst performance in 2019? That was against the Rams who ranked 13th. This isn’t an isolated event. Mitch Trubisky just hasn’t played his best against good teams. Nothing about this year has changed that narrative.
This is where the problem lay.
It’s difficult to identify if he’s actually turned a corner or not. The revamped offense has helped. Then again it’s an offense meant to take the ball out of his hands and put it on the running game. This is what the 49ers did with Jimmy Garoppolo and it’s what the Rams are doing with Jared Goff. The common denominator is neither team sees those guys as true franchise quarterbacks. Merely drivers of a high-performance vehicle.
If the Bears are okay with that? Then keeping Trubisky makes sense. If not? They need to not let hope sway them from the right decision.