First, it was minicamps. Then it was OTAs. Now the preseason is gone as well. The Chicago Bears had hoped to have a full offseason to conduct a proper quarterback competition. One that is fair and balanced. Instead, Matt Nagy and his new staff will have to pick between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles with what will be a limited amount of information.
It appears the NFL has no plans to make things easier for them. The league and NFL Players Association hammered out an agreement on everything needed to get the year started on time. This includes how training camps will begin. One thing that stood out is just how long players will have to wait before the pads actually go on.
According to Dan Graziano of ESPN, a mixture of COVID-19 testing, physicals, strength and conditioning work, and light practices will eat up the first three weeks of camp. Not until August 17th will the full pads go on. There won’t be that many of them either.
“Based on the proposal, a source told ESPN’s Dan Graziano, the training camp acclimation schedule will start with four days of COVID-19 testing and then two days of physicals. Days 7-14 will cover strength and conditioning work only and days 15-20 will involve practices in helmets and shells with no pads, the source says.
A maximum of 14 padded practices may be held, but none before Aug. 17. Additionally, there will be one off day per every seven days of work, the source told Graziano.”
Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles better bring their best stuff immediately
It’s clearer than ever that homefield advantage matters a ton in this battle. That goes to Trubisky since Foles has yet to even meet his new teammates in person. Can he be expected to come in, forge a connection with his receivers in a couple of weeks and outperform Trubisky in a decisive fashion across just 14 key practices to win the job? That feels like asking a bit too much.
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Remember that opening day for the Bears will be September 13th in Detroit against the Lions. So the QB decision will be may by September 6th at the absolute latest. That gives Nagy and his staff a maximum of three weeks to pick their guy. That is not a lot of time at all. Especially given how far behind everybody is in terms of offensive installation already.
This team has been dealt a rough hand.
