Mitch Trubisky is off to arguably the best start of any season in his NFL career. Not only is he 2-0, he also has five touchdown passes to just two interceptions. Both of those INTs could be pinned on the wide receiver making a poor play too. All things considered, it’s been an encouraging start for the 26-year old and people have begun to take notice.

Yet it hasn’t been perfect.

One thing that became clear almost right away was the drastic shift in offensive philosophy by head coach Matt Nagy and his reworked staff. They’ve implemented far more plays from under center and are utilizing a heavy dose of running the football with play action built in. The results haven’t been ideal, but they are promising.

Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky has taken notice. He feels this shift has benefitted Trubisky in a number of ways and likes the improvement. However, a lingering problem remains. One that you wouldn’t think to be a huge issue back when the kid was drafted in 2017.

Couple thoughts on @ChicagoBears tape
-OL is one of the most improved units in football. Especially in pass protection.
-The tipped ball interception is 100% on Robinson. He stops running & fades away
-QBs feet are still very poor-gets away with/hurts them on and off
-D very good

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 22, 2020

It shows itself the most when in shotgun

Drop backs are consistently fine
PA are consistently fine

He’s so much more committed in those. Shotgun it’s ugly.

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 22, 2020

Mitch Trubisky issues in shotgun are real

It sounds crazy to think that Trubisky’s primary issues are in the shotgun. He played in it almost exclusively at North Carolina. One would think that’d be the strength of his game.

Yet if one reviews the stats? This is the honest truth. Since entering the league, he actually has a lower passer rating from the gun (84.4) compared to his time under center (84.8). It’s far more pronounced this season. Trubisky has an 87.2 rating from the gun and a 104.4 rating under center. For whatever reason, his footwork is just so much better there.

Here’s an example from the Giants game. The Bears go empty set with Trubisky in the shotgun. He looks right and wants Anthony Miller. Instead of feeling the pocket, he slides to his right directly into the closest New York rusher. He doesn’t follow through on the throw and Anthony Miller never even has a chance.

Here is another from the Lions game. Watch his feet. Watch how they start dancing around after he hits his back step. If Trubisky had trusted the progressions, he’d have found Allen Robinson beating his man over the middle. That should be a touchdown. Instead, Trubisky panics and starts to run. This leads to an incompletion where Robinson has to try making a tough catch.

To his credit, Trubisky isn’t ignorant of this.

The quarterback stated from the beginning of the offseason that footwork was his primary focus. That is why he spent tons of workouts with longtime QB tutor Jeff Christiansen. A noted specialist in that area of the game. In fact, the two are still working together.

The work is never finished. pic.twitter.com/axgWVoHAv7

— Jeff Christensen (@J_ChristensenQB) September 21, 2020

Yet with this being his fourth season, it’s fair to wonder. Is this just who Trubisky is? Can he ever figure out how to play with disciplined pocket presence? Maybe. Early signs aren’t encouraging. For whatever reason when the actual games unfold, he can’t keep his feet under control. This is why he still struggled with erratic passes from time to time.

He has 14 games left to figure it out.