Mitch Trubisky is one of the most polarizing quarterbacks in Chicago Bears history. He reached the Pro Bowl in 2018, even if it was as an alternate. That made him the first QB since Jim McMahon to accomplish the feat. At the same time, his rapid decline after that season made people realize he was never going to reach the same heights as his 2017 draft mates Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. It appears the narrative has shifted again.
Trubisky signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers this off-season. Expectations are he’ll serve as the starter while 1st round pick Kenny Pickett sits and learns on the bench. That is fine. Under reasonable circumstances, Trubisky has shown he can at least be a serviceable quarterback. Except Steelers fans already seem to be talking themselves into something bigger. It started when former defensive back Darius Butler played a Blind Take Test on Good Morning Football. In it, show members must read a take they hadn’t prepared for and defend it. Butler got a big one.
“Mitch Trubisky is a dark horse MVP candidate.”
“Of course, why wouldn’t he be? The Steel City, I don’t even know what the stadium is going to be named. Big Ben’s out of there. I mean, he’s going to live up to being the number one pick. All of the Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Blah, blah, blah. Mitch Trubisky steps up, Mike Tomlin, he never loses, never has a losing season. He’s going to put him in a great position. He’s going to keep the rookie on the bench. MVP is next, it’s only right!”
That by itself is no big deal. Nothing more than a fun segment.
Except, some Steelers fans already seem ready to talk themselves into the idea. CJ Lester of Steeler Nation was one such example. After reading that quote, he offered this line in a response article he wrote.
“Look, I know the group was probably being sarcastic, but think about it. This is the best position Trubisky has been in in his entire career. He was able to take a year off competing for a starting role while learning under Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen last season.”
Bears fans have seen this before. They know what it’s like to talk yourself into a quarterback. The Steelers are used to a certain level of play at that position after so many years of Ben Roethlisberger. Unfortunately, they are likely in for a rude awakening this season, no matter how talented they think their offense is. They neglect to recall the unit finished 23rd overall in the league with that same talent.
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The Mitch Trubisky illusion will vanish quickly.
Pittsburgh faces one of the most brutal opening schedules of any team in the NFL. Five of their first six games will be against the Bengals, Patriots, Browns, Bills, and Buccaneers. Four teams were in the playoffs last year, and the other (Cleveland) had a top five defense. People keep talking about how Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. It always helped he had a Hall of Fame quarterback his entire career. That isn’t the case anymore. His career hovers around the .500 mark without Roethlisberger on the field.
History shows that Mitch Trubisky rarely shows up when it’s against quality opponents. The likely outcome in this scenario is that he’ll be replaced by Pickett around midseason rather than competing for the MVP trophy. Besides, there is no way he’ll outperform the likes of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow.
The Steelers mystique is strong, but it can’t perform miracles.
Trubisky is an easy guy to root for. He works hard and is a fantastic teammate. Sadly there is enough evidence to suggest that he has a ceiling in the NFL. That ceiling falls far short of Most Valuable Player. He is a quarterback that a team can win with, not because of.
I wish him the best, but the Dude could only read half the field. When he was getting (deserved IMHO) negative press he made the bears turn off all the tvs in the training complex. What happens when the Steelers nation start clamoring for Pickett? He’ll fold like a cheap suit again.
I can’t really judge Trubisky. I didn’t see him in Buffalo and every starting quarterback the Bears had (Trib, Foles, Dalton and Fields) underperformed under Nagy. But, another thing I’ve always wondered. Pace didn’t just pick Trubisky over Watson, he avoided even kicking the tires with Watson. Do you think Pace knew about Watson’s recreational proclivities?
He’s NEVER received a day of Coaching while he was with the Bears … not sure a Season in Buffalo will help, maybe he’s learning how NOT to be a QM, that’s all Nagy had for him!
I do recall a six TD game.
Honestly I hope he absolutely balls out……what he did with the discombobulated offense we had was downright good.