People have offered lots of solutions as to how the Chicago Bears can get more out of Mitch Trubisky as a quarterback. They need to run the ball more often. Use play action and bootlegs to get him out of the pocket. However, one of the most popular theories that persist? Matt Nagy needs to embrace more of the no-huddle offense. Don’t let Trubisky think too often and just react. This is when he’s at his best.
Is that true though? After digging into the numbers courtesy of Sharp Football Stats, the reality may not be what people want to hear. In 2018, the Bears threw a total of just 40 passes from the no-huddle. While Trubisky did average a healthy 7.8 yards per attempt, he completed just 54.54% of those throws with one touchdown and two interceptions. Good for a 65.1 passer rating.
In 2019, it didn’t get much better. Without the benefit of a stable running game, the Bears actually employed the no-huddle much more often. They threw it 147 times in hurry-up. Unfortunately, the results weren’t much better. Just 60.52% of the passes were completed at 6.0 yards a pop. Worse still, it resulted in just one touchdown to three interceptions. A 71.4 passer rating overall.
Findings? The no-huddle isn’t a magic fix for Mitch Trubisky
Sorry to burst the bubble, folks. Contrary to popular belief, Trubisky is considerably better out of the huddle than he is running without it. The reality is this idea the no-huddle allows the QB to not think as much and just react? That’s just not true. If anything, it requires them to think even faster. To know what play to go to from quick snap to quick snap and understand where he has to go with the football.
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Does that sound like something Trubisky would handle well?
Not based on what people have watched in the past two years. Being asked to think fast has rarely worked out in his favor, leading to either indecision or mistakes. Neither of which helps the Bears. This is why they traded for Nick Foles. While he might not be the talent Trubisky is, he has experience and by all accounts the far sharper mind. If Trubisky wants to keep his job, he’ll have to change that narrative starting next month.