People can talk about arm strength, accuracy, ball placement, size and mobility for days. There have been many quarterbacks who’ve had all those things but still haven’t been successful in the NFL. Why? They didn’t know how to be leaders. Quarterbacks are expected to run the show on and off the field. It’s accustomed with playing the most important position in professional sports. That why Bears fans are anxious to know if the Mitch Trubisky leadership traits are strong enough to have an effect.
His quarterbacks coach at North Carolina, Keith Heckendorf was asked this very question during an interview with The Draft Wire. It’s a question the man has seen plenty variations of over the past few months. Each time he’s sworn by Trubisky’s ability to command both the huddle and the locker room. So this time, rather than just make a statement, he decided to tell a story.
The Mitch Trubisky leadership story
Amazingly enough, the story took place a year before Trubisky had even become a starter. It seems his tireless work ethic and team-first attitude had rubbed off on teammates long before his opportunity finally came. Yet when he did get his chances to play, he showcased why that confidence was well-founded.
“Here’s a good story that I’ve told people over the last couple of years. In Mitchell’s red-shirt freshman year, the 2015 season, we’re playing the University of Delaware and I think the score is something like 14-13, we’re down a point and we elect to put Mitch in the game. Mitch proceeds to go 17-20 in that game for 300+ yards and four touchdowns, and tears it up. In the course of the second half of that game, we had a third down and long situation come up and our defensive coaches are on the sideline already getting their guys ready to go back out and play.
It’s third down and long, we have to get ready to go back out there and our senior captain/starting middle linebacker looked at our defensive coach at the time and said, “Hey coach, we’re good. No. 10 is in the game.” Sure enough, we convert the first down and we rolled on [laughs]. That was the sense of confidence that our team had in Mitch and it started with what he did every day in practice and how he carried himself every day.”
Clarifying the story
In truth the coach might’ve been a little off on where the play occurred. North Carolina faced just one 3rd and long situation in the second half and that was converted via a running play. The pass he’s likely referring too came just before the end of the first half. The offense had bogged down at the Delaware 47-yard line. It was 3rd and 8. The score was still 10-7 at the time. So points were at a premium. Trubisky delivered a 35-yard strike to Quinshad Davis for a first down. UNC kicked a field goal to extend their lead 13-7 at halftime.
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That was all the momentum they needed for what came next.
For him to do all that coming off the bench? Pretty impressive work. Just another sign that the Bears made the right decision taking a chance on him. Sure it may end up not working out, but this is further validation that Trubisky has the capacity for greatness. Something Chicago hasn’t seen at that position for almost 70 years.
