Mitch Trubisky has returned to the starting lineup for the first time since September. He’ll take over the offense just in time for probably the most pivotal game of the season. It’s the Green Bay Packers. It’s Sunday Night Football. The Chicago Bears are 5-5 with the season hanging in the balance. Fans are eager to see him come out and play well. Chief among them being his former teammate Kyle Long.
The ex-Pro Bowl guard became fast friends with Trubisky when the QB arrived in 2017. They were seen hanging out together often. So one can only imagine how Long felt when head coach Matt Nagy made the decision to bench the 26-year old back in September. He already wasn’t a huge fan of the coaching staff. That move only increased his hatred for them. So when the news dropped that Trubisky was starting again?
Long celebrated in proper style.
Ok I’m late to hearing that Mitch is the starter. This one is for you Mitch pic.twitter.com/CWcK2oAyBL
— kyle (@Ky1eLong) November 27, 2020
This isn’t some new thing. Long has voiced for months that the problems on offense have much less to do with Trubisky than people kept saying. He’s been an outspoken critic of Nagy’s scheme since he left, declaring it was doing nothing to take advantage of the quarterbacks’ strengths. Where was the dedicated running game? The bootlegs and play action. All things Mitch excelled at.
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💯 https://t.co/QSRbo2v44t pic.twitter.com/qwzsQbeGNf
— kyle (@Ky1eLong) November 27, 2020
Nagy has established himself as a coach who relies heavily on his instincts. When something isn’t working, he won’t stick with it for long. He will try something else. That is why when Trubisky struggled in Atlanta against the Falcons, he made the decision to bench the QB. It’s the same with his play-calling as well. Even when things work he doesn’t always stick to them. No doubt a reason why Long quickly became disillusioned with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSZj7ksgleM&ab_channel=Skip%26Shannon
Kyle Long can’t wait for Nagy to get fired
It really does feel like the 31-year old is begging the Bears to fire Nagy. His constant potshots at the head coach over the past few months are proof enough of that. Long has also shown he’s getting himself back up to his playing weight. A big indication he may wish to return to playing. He even said he’d return to the Bears in a heartbeat. Provided Nagy was no longer the coach.
At the same time, nothing would seem to please him more than seeing Trubisky go off down the stretch. An opportunity is certainly there. All six of the remaining opponents for Chicago have a defense ranked 17th or worse in the NFL. It won’t be a monumental challenge to put up some points. Then again, everything has been a challenge for this offense.
Can Trubisky change those fortunes?
Kyle Long certainly hopes so. Nothing would please him more than seeing his guy prove everybody wrong. To show that it was never him who was the real problem with this offense. Why he can be a good NFL quarterback, but maybe not a good Bears quarterback. He’ll be tuned in on Sunday night just like everybody else for sure.