Mitch Trubisky knows the score right now. His 2019 season couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. Every notable stat category is trending downhill and he’s dead last in the NFL in yards per pass attempt. Baffling to think about for a quarterback who led the league in completions of 50+ yards in 2018. Suddenly a job he had a firm grip on back in January appears to be slipping away. Many have already begun to speculate who the Chicago Bears might try to find to replace him.
So that begs the question. What in the world happened?
There is plenty of speculation about where things went wrong for Trubisky. Some blame Matt Nagy’s play calling and the lack of a consistent running game. Others blame the offensive line. Then there are those who believe Trubisky was never that good and defenses have adjusted to take away what he does best. While there is probably a kernel of truth in all of those theories, Trubisky himself has one too.
It came when Nagy instructed him to rewatch the broadcast of the Chargers loss last Sunday and watch his facial expressions and body language. The quarterback came away startled by what he saw.
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“It was mostly just like a guy who looks super serious, kind of tense. And that’s really not me. Especially when you’re going out on the field and playing the game you love. You should be out there having fun, which I usually am. But I’m not showing that.”
Mitch Trubisky is indeed playing tighter than ever
He’s not wrong. Everything about how Trubisky has played this year looks like a young quarterback who has lost his confidence. He’s not operating with the same calm he was at the end of last season. It feels like he is trying so hard to be perfect and as a result, his entire game is suffering. He doesn’t want to make mistakes and therefore is making too many of them. The unwillingness to use his legs more often is the most telling part of this.
Trubisky even said last week that his job is to be a passer first. This is why he’s not seizing the opportunity to run more often. This despite clear evidence it was such a big part of the offense’s success last season. This looks nothing like that quarterback. Unless he’s able to rediscover that form soon, it could have catastrophic repercussions for his entire career. Nine games remain. That is not a lot of time and he knows it.
