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White Sox Director Of Scouting Names Players Worth Watching From Late In The Draft

By
Matt Enuco
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Major League Baseball’s Rule 4 draft (amateur draft) is unlike any other draft in professional sports. There are 40 rounds of swift decisions and rapid draft announcements. It doesn’t feature roaring crowds of face-painted fans spilling their beer in excitement, although they have tried to make it less stodgy in recent years with top-rated prospects invited to a muted ceremony.

Adding more complexity to the process is the fact that many of the players won’t be offered contracts while international free agents offer a secondary (or primary) pool of prospects to add depth to farm systems.

So, yeah, it’s complicated. But there is a method to the madness for each team and conventional wisdom finds most teams selecting the best player available – albeit, this is a painfully oversimplified summary.

How did the White Sox do?

Depends on who you ask, but director of scouting Nick Hostetler had this to say about the draft as a whole.

“We were really happy with the way the draft played out for us in the sense of what type of players we were able to add,” said Hostetler. “We felt that we had a really good mix of solid good baseball players with the ability to be everyday players as well as guys with high upside.” He named Lency Delgado (SS/4th round), Cabrera Weaver (OF/7th round), Kelvin Moldonado (SS/11th round) and Gabriel Ortiz (C/19th round) as notable players with high cielings while adding that a few pitchers fit this description as well.

“It was a nice blend of both,” Hostetler explained about the variety of talent the White Sox grabbed in the draft. “It was something that we set out to do. We wanted to walk out of here today feeling like we had some floor and ceiling with the players in the draft as a whole.”

Most agree that the White Sox stole Nick Madrigal from Oregon State University with the fourth pick. Despite his stature, the kid can flat out ball. Steele Walker, an outfielder (like we don’t have enough of those already) from the University of Oklahoma rang in with the second pick while the third pick checked a massive box for the organization.

Konnor Pilkington is a left-handed pitcher and the Mississippi Ace. He was considered a possible top-10 pick last summer, but like Alec Hansen in 2016, slipped after hitting a few bumps in the road. I was able to speak to his college skipper on Thursday about his development, makeup, and stuff.

In total, the White Sox selected 20 pitchers, five catchers, 10 infielders and five outfielders.

Of the pitchers chosen over the three-day event eight were southpaws and two of them are highly unlikely to sign a contract. All of them are high school players, two of which lean towards favor-drafts than hard scouting decisions.

Among those five is Matt Klug whose touching story compelled Hostetler to reach out to his area scout in Georgia to see if the gesture of drafting the youngster was worth the pick. Klug won’t be offered a contract, but he will receive the encouragement of an entire organization that recognized his story and his courage after losing both his parents to illness.

Among position players taken on the last day of the draft, Hostetler points out Kelvin Moldonado from Ponce, Puerto Rico and Roman Gonzalez from the University of Miami. Both players are middle infielders and Hostetler pointed out that he loved Moldonado’s actions and room for physical growth. With a loose swing and plus run-tool, Hostetler is very happy with Moldonado.

Gonzalez was a name Hostetler mentioned as someone to watch from the later rounds. At 6’2 and 200 pounds, Gonzalez has some serious size and played third base for the Hurricanes. His numbers are not very attractive but it seems there is some serious pop in his swing. Gonzalez still has a lot of holes in his swing having struck out 60 times this season. But he seems to be a very good defensive player with room for growth.

This Matt Nagy Comment Shows He May Be the Next John Madden

By
Erik Lambert
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matt nagy

One of the most common trends in NFL history is teams trying to get as far away from failure as possible. The Chicago Bears offered the perfect example with their hiring of Matt Nagy as their new head coach. After seeing John Fox go 14-34 in his three years at the helm, it’s no surprise the team wanted to go in a totally new direction. Taking one look at Nagy and it seems obvious they got what they wanted.

Where Fox was an older coach with a deep background on defense and a somewhat passive personality, Nagy is younger with an offensive expertise and known for his animated and aggressive mentality. Hell, the Bears even hired him from the Kansas City Chiefs, the sworn enemy of the Denver Broncos whom they got Fox from three years prior.

All joking aside, there may be another underlying factor in why the Bears targeted Nagy. One that has to do less with background and more with mindset. There was no greater revelation of this than during Nagy’s most recent press conference wrapping up the mandatory team minicamps before summer break.

Matt Nagy prioritizes swagger over a fear of mistakes on his team

If there was one word that defined Fox during his time in Chicago, it was cautious. He loved to play things close to the vest. Run the ball, play good defense and above all limit the number of mistakes whatever the cost. It sounds nice in theory, but it comes with consequences. Players are often so afraid of making a mistake, they don’t take risks.

Fewer risks may limit mistakes but it also limits big plays. Winning in this NFL can often be decided by big plays. Don’t believe it? Of the 12 teams who participated in the playoffs last season, seven of them ranked in the top 15 for big plays (number of plays going 25 yards or more). Among those teams? The Kansas City Chiefs at #3. The same team Nagy coordinated. This might explain why he’s a bit more lenient when it comes to taking chances.

Nagy seems to have a mindset similar to John Madden.

The Hall of Famer talked about his somewhat unique coaching style with the Oakland Raiders back in the 1970s. It was a team known for its somewhat undisciplined player but also one that had a ton of success. Madden explained his methodology.

“These are the greatest athletes in the world. They’re like artists. If you take their creativity away from them by making them robotic? Then they’re going to play like robots. But if you give them individuality and if you give them some freedom? Then they can be and play the way they are.”

This sounds a lot like the message Nagy is trying to preach. It’s hard to argue with it. Madden still has the highest winning percentage for a head coach in the modern NFL era, claiming victory in 75.9% of his games. Don’t forget Nagy is a student of Chiefs history now, and that team was the arch-rival of Madden’s Raiders. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if he studied up on the man at some point.

Either way, it’s little wonder the players have rallied behind him so quickly. Madden was beloved by his player in those days. If Nagy does indeed exhibit similar traits, then getting the team motivated won’t be difficult at all.

Chicago Bears Add Another Piece To Their Pass Rush

By
Erik Lambert
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REPORT: Iowa Cubs Pitcher Suspended 100 Games

By
Aldo Soto
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This is now the third time pitcher David Garner has violated the Minor League drug policy and it’s the second time in the past three months.

Back in March the 25-year-old was popped 50 games for his second violation and on Thursday afternoon Garner was handed a 100-game suspension.

During his minor-league career, Garner has pitched in 141 games, recording a 4.07 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 199 innings. In 2017, he had a 3.25 ERA, with 51 strikeouts in Double-A and Triple-A.

Garner was picked in the seventh round of the 2013 MLB draft by the Cubs out of Michigan State. He was in spring training with the Cubs and even caught the attention of Joe Maddon.

Willson Contreras Side Steps MLB Uniform Rule In Hilarious Way

By
Gus
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A little over three weeks ago, the MLB issued a warning to Cubs catcher Willson Contreras to stop wearing an arm sleeve decorated in his native country of Venezuela’s colors. If you’re unaware, the MLB has uniform policies that should belong in the 1930’s when the game of baseball was very different and they love telling players what they can and cannot wear.

The MLB wasn’t only after Contreras’ sleeve, they also went after numerous player’s cleats (including Ben Zobrist) because the cleats broke the rule of,

“At least 51% of the exterior of each Player’s shoes must be the Club’s designated primary shoe color and the portion of the Club’s designated primary shoe color must be evenly distributed throughout the exterior of each shoe.”

I’m probably the last guy to comment on how stupid this rule is because I’m all for letting players express themselves any way they see fit. Contreras started wearing the Venezuelan sleeve to support his war-torn country and that notion literally impacted nobody in the MLB front offices. However, the MLB issued Willy a statement telling him to remove the sleeve because it violated uniform policies.

Once he lost the sleeve, he started to find alternate ways to incorporate the red, blue, and yellow into his everyday attire.

In addition to his bats, he has since switched to an all red sleeve but that hasn’t stopped him from finding yet another way to show his support for Venezuela.

Notice it?

I’m sure the fun snatchers in the MLB offices will send another letter to Willy asking him to explain why there are hints of yellow on his chest protector. Either way, I’m a fan of him finding every loophole he can to essentially tell the MLB’s garbage rule book to go f*ck itself.

Mississippi State Head Coach Explains What The White Sox Drafted In The Third Round

By
Matt Enuco
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White Sox 3rd Round pick Konnor Pilkington
White Sox 3rd Round pick Konnor Pilkington

Mississippi State head baseball coach Gary Henderson said on a phone call Thursday that White Sox third-round pick and Mississippi State ace Konnor Pilkington has all the tools to be a successful professional baseball player.

“He can create all the pitches that need to be created with me or his next pitching coach in the pen,” Henderson said.

Henderson Pilkington’s growth may take some time, but he is confident he will get there. Besides the fact that coaches know their players better than anyone, Henderson draws on decades of coaching some of the most elite pitching talents in the country to formulate his conclusions.

Pilkington checks a lot of boxes for the White Sox. He was ranked as the No. 60 prospect by MLB.com and stirred up a fair amount of interest leading into the 2018 season as a few publications speculated he could become a top-10 pick. “We were very excited to have the opportunity to take him and add a premium starter like this in the third round,” White Sox director of scouting Nick Hostetler said.

After speaking with Henderson, it appears the White Sox stole the southpaw in the third round. According to Henderson, Pilkington isn’t going to blow the doors off of hitters (he will show low to mid-90s stuff early and settle in around 89-92), instead, he will carve you up with fastball command and speed changes. Fastball command is the strength that Henderson hailed most in our conversation.

Strengths

“Elite fastball command for about the first six weeks this year,” said Henderson.

Pilkington’s pinpoint accuracy tapered off over the season and Henderson speculates that an erosion to average accuracy and lack of a stifling secondary pitch contributed to his fall in draft status. But by no means does he feel Pilkington has peaked. If anything, he sees plenty of room for development in the secondary pitches to compliment his surgical command.

So how accurate was Pilkington early in the season? “Goofy numbers,” Henderson said. “Near [Casey] Mize numbers.” Through Pilkington’s first six starts he logged 35 2/3 innings and only gave up four free passes. He faced good teams over that stretch as well including Louisiana, UC Santa Barbara, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt and Missouri.

Henderson added that he led the SEC in called third strikes and that that is “all about fastball command for him. … He can switch sides of the plate late in the count and guys are looking at it. And if the umpire gives him more than a ball in [or] off the plate it’s a tough pitch for the hitter.”

The intangibles are big-league grade with Pilkington. He is tall and lanky with a solid trunk that has allowed his delivery to stabilize. He was more wiry in high school but has packed on serious core strength while maintaining the loose nature of his delivery. A post-season Cape Cod Baseball League all-league nod in 2016 and strong performance with Team USA in 2017 elevated his stock leading into 2018. Most importantly, Henderson noted his “off-the-charts” makeup.

“He’s a country kid,” said Henderson. “Ultra-responsible. Off-the-charts accountable. As good as anyone I’ve worked with.”

Henderson explained that Pilkington is an excuseless player. He doesn’t blame the mound, the umpire, the wind or the stars for his failures.

“None of the BS,” Henderson continued, “which serves him really well because when you start blaming other people or other things you don’t change. You accept responsibility for what you’re doing, and you start getting right into making adjustments.”

Developmental Targets

Henderson did not demure from sharing that his ace southpaw is battling through a rough patch at the moment.

“I’d say his last seven starts, five times he’s had rough rhythm in the first inning,” Henderson noted. “Just one of those stretches.”

The skipper added that early exits are a function of high pitch counts more than anything else. He explained that it’s not uncommon for Pilkington to have a 30-pitch first inning and last through the sixth, but he’s been beaten up a bit recently.

Part of this issue according to Henderson, and something that is likely to be a target for revision with White-Sox coaching staff, is the rhythm in his delivery. This isn’t an uncommon problem with pitchers. Sometimes it takes an inning or two to get the feel for the moving parts of the delivery from day to day. It’s a constant tug-and-pull to strike the balance between not overburdening oneself in the bullpen before the game and getting to the point where players feel like they’re in sync.

In fact, translating stuff from bullpen to the game is something Henderson highlighted as well. He shared that occasionally Pilkington demonstrates great life on his two-seamer and changeup in the pen but becomes muted when he reaches the game.

Run on his two-seam fastball was an area that Henderson thinks Pilkington can add dimension to his dominance. He also added that his curveball and changeup will need some work. Henderson said Pilkington’s curveball has more slider action to it than 12-6 depth and consistency will be a point of emphasis for this pitch as well as his changeup.

Strangely, Pilkington’s statistics regressed each year in college with his earned run average peaking at 2.08 as a freshman in 2016. Henderson rationalized this as evidence of a weekend starter the last two seasons.

This season, the southpaw logged a career-worst 4.61 ERA but has demonstrated maturity in the face of adversity. Pilkington hurled 108 innings in 2017 in 17 starts while posting a 3.08 ERA holding opposing lineups to a .199 batting average. His unusual statistical pattern may have caused several teams to pass on Pilkington in the first two rounds.

And if you want irony and tested mettle, Pilkington has well seasoned when it comes to anemic run-support as Henderson noted his team struggled to push runs across for the ace early in the season. This is something we all know White Sox pitchers must battle from time to time.

Every Baseball Nerds Head Exploded After The Cubs Dramatic Win Last Night

By
Gus
-

There are games that you look back on and think, “that’s a turning point,” and last night’s dramatic 7-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies was one of those moments for the 2018 Cubs. What made the win even sweeter was the fact that when you look at all the weird shit that occurred last night, the Cubs had no business winning that ballgame.

Baseball nerds across America watched the game and probably had the biggest panic attack when the game ended with Jason Heyward walking off the Phillies with a grand slam home run. In case you’re unaware, baseball nerds are the new group of writers/fans who get huge baseball boners for sabermetrics (launch angle, exit velocity, wRC+, FIP, WAR, BABIP, etc) and want to base every baseball decision on numbers and numbers alone.

This new wave of baseball was inspired greatly by one of my favorite movies, “Moneyball.”

I’m also saying the phrase ‘baseball nerds’ with no disrespect so please don’t gather in your dungeon to plan my demise.

I’ve said it time and time again, I’m a fan of sabermetrics and fully appreciate how they’ve changed the game but you also have to understand at the end of the day, they are just numbers. I feel the good managers in the game have the perfect balance of analyzing numbers but also knowing their players on the field.

Last night’s game was the perfect example of that.

Pitching

The Cubs were up against a perennial All-Star, Aaron Nola, who came into last night’s game tied for second in the NL in wins, third in WHIP, fifth in ERA, and seventh in strikeouts. Critics of the Cubs for the past three years have bitched that the Cubs can’t hit “good pitching” so facing Nola would be an uphill battle and the odds of the Cubs doing anything against him weren’t very good.

So, of course they put three quick runs entering the fifth inning.

Add to that, the Cubs were throwing Jose Quintana who has struggled big time at Wrigley Field this year which is reflective of his 6.00 ERA at the Friendly Confines. Granted, he was facing a Phillies offense who has struggled to put runs on the board lately but as a team, Philadelphia isn’t as bad as they seem. They ranked 11th in the NL in both home runs and OPS and and just put up five runs the other day against Kyle Hendricks so it appeared the offense was coming out of their funk.

So with a Cubs pitcher who struggles at home and a Phillies offense that was poised to break out of their slump, what happens?

Q was DEALING.

Play The Odds

Shit didn’t get weird until Quintana left the game in the top of the sixth with runners on 1st and 2nd. He appeared to be laboring a bit and had just put on two base runners. His pitch count was sitting right below 100 so theoretically Quintana probably could have stayed in to get out of the inning. Cubs manager (and numbers wizard) Joe Maddon had other plans.

Maddon turned to the best reliever in the Cubs bullpen this year, Steve Cischek, to come in to end the Phillies threat in the sixth. With a three-run lead and the tying run at the plate, Maddon made the right call by bringing in Cischek for one simple reason — Cischek hadn’t given up a home run since July 22, 2017.

Baseball nerds everywhere rejoiced with the Maddon decision. Play the numbers, no way Cischek gives up a game-tying home run at this spot in the game, right?

Wrong.

Aaron Altherr took Cischek’s first pitch to dead center to tie the ballgame and baseball nerds threw their Dungeons and Dragons figurines across the room.

So with the game tied at three entering the ninth, Maddon called on his closer Brandon Morrow to shut down Philly which would give the Cubs a shot to win it in the bottom of the ninth. Morrow has been lights out for the Cubs this season and is arguably the most consistent pitcher in the Cubs pen. Like Cischek, Morrow keeps opposing team’s hits in the ballpark and hadn’t given up a long ball in over 71 innings which dated back to September 8, 2016.

Baseball nerds rejoiced again.

That is until Dylan Cozens golfed a 2-1 fastball from Morrow into the basket rimming the left-field bleachers. It was Cozen’s first Major League home run.

What Is Happening?

So going into the bottom of the ninth, let’s recap quick. Two Cubs pitchers who ranked 1st and 3rd in longest homerless innings (regular season) gave up a game-tying and what appeared to be a game-winning home run. Nerds across the country heads were spinning because statistics failed them not once, but TWICE.

Here comes lucky number three.

The Cubs were able to load the bases in the bottom of the inning but with two outs, Jason Heyward was at the plate. If you’re a Cubs fan and you say you had confidence in Heyward before his at-bat last night you are a goddamned liar (and I LOVE Heyward).

Let’s look at some numbers before his at-bat shall we?

  • Heyward was hitting .139 against left handed pitchers
  • He only had two grand slams in his career previous to the at-bat
  • Phillies pitcher, Adam Morgan, hadn’t given up an extra base hit to a lefty all year
  • Lefties were 8-27 against Morgan
  • Heyward hadn’t hit an extra base hit off a lefty all season
  • The Cubs had zero walk-off wins in 2018
  • Heyward hadn’t hit a home run off a lefty since June 13, 2017

I’m sure baseball nerds were screaming at Maddon to pinch-hit for Heyward because the numbers backed their theory. Heyward had other plans.

Absolutely incredible.

Maddon summed it up perfectly after the game when he was asked about how strange of a game it was last night.

“That’s baseball.”

Yes it was, Joe, and even though the numbers were thrown out the window — I loved every damn second of it.

 

Pinwheels And Ivy: New Podcast Made For Chicago Baseball Fans

By
Aldo Soto
-

Hey, hey you, what’s up. So, I was told to write this introduction and have it published last Friday. Oops. Honestly forgot, but also c’mon Chris (Sports Mockery’s CEO Chris Burhans) a Friday news dump?!?! Let Buffalo Wild Wings do damage control after getting hacked on a Friday.

We have huge things going around here. This is serious business.

This is big news damnit. Well you know, big news in the local blogsphere.

Anyway, back to the point, Sports Mockery, your favorite place for Chicago sports news, rumors and Blackhawks stories that make everyone hate the site, (forgive us? maybe? OK) is introducing a brand new podcast!!!!

Welcome to the Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast everyone.

What’s this podcast all about? Thanks for asking!

Short answer, this will be a weekly podcast posted every Friday morning that focuses on the Cubs and White Sox and other happenings in baseball, but mainly sticking with the Chicago angle. Get it, pinwheels because the White Sox have pinwheels at their park and there’s ivy at Wrigley Field? Yeah, you get it.

No, we won’t drown you with endless minutes of reading off stats, but I will happily sit down and discuss how Kyle Schwarber was at one point the best defensive player in baseball this season.

Yes, we’ll keep you informed every week on all the big stories from both the North and South side, but we’ll sprinkle in a few more things that should deserve more attention and bring a fan’s perspective to it.

That’s the big thing here. We’re just fans talking about the teams we love, discussing the rubber, balls and the wood. Hmmm, never realized how sexual baseball is.

Plus you know, it’s just baseball, let’s not get too serious. We’re just having fun and hopefully it’s a fun listening experience for you as well.

I keep saying “we’ll” and you’re probably thinking who the other part of we is. Well, alongside me, Aldo, sup, Matt Zawaski and Matt Enuco will be hosting the Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast.

If you’ve followed Sports Mockery for a bit you should be familiar with both, but for everyone here’s a quick background on the two Matts. (Shoutout to my parents for not naming me Matt like 1 out of every 3 kids amirite?)

Matt Zawaski (Zo)

Take that Ben Zobrist, here’s the original Zo of Chicago. So, Zo over here is a White Sox fan and right now he’s probably trying to figure out where Matt Davidson lives so he can go massage his back. (This is also an invite to Matt Davidson to come on our show, we’ll keep Zo away)

I think I’m supposed to put some other generic shit in here, but I just wanted to make a joke about Zo’s creepy infatuation with Matt Davidson. It’s on par with Hawk’s love affair with Todd Frazier.

Anyway, Zo’s going to be the first voice you hear, as he’ll drive the show every week.

Matt Enuco (Nuke)

There was so many Matt’s at Sports Mockery last year, when Matt joined that he got the nickname Nuke. Not sure if he likes it or not, but he’s stuck with it. Fun fact about Nuke, he was drafted by the White Sox!

Back in 2006, big names like Clayton Kershaw, Evan Longoria, Andrew Miller, Brandon Morrow, Tim Lincecum, Max Scherzer were drafted and so was Matt Enuco. So, I mean, that’s pretty freaking cool.

Nuke will give us the player perspective and get into some of the details of the game throughout the show, but he’s a fan too and let me tell you, he may only be in his 30s, but Nuke has a little, “this new generation sucks,” in him and well that should make for some very lively discussions.

Aldo Soto

And then there’s me. Pretty uninteresting. I’m a Cubs fan, have been since 1998 and yes it was because of Sammy Sosa. (Bring him home already, Tom Ricketts) Anyway, I guess I’m bringing the Cubs perspective to the show and if you haven’t noticed by now I’m a sarcastic jackass, so hopefully that gets Zo riled up every week.

I’ve used anyway way too much, so hopefully the transitions in the show are A LOT better than in this post.

The three of us want to make this podcast as interactive as possible. Any suggestions, topic ideas, questions? Let us know!

That also means we want to hear all the good, but most importantly all the bad. You think some segments need some work, or just flat out don’t work? Tell us. We want this to be enjoyable and not just put out a crappy hour every week.

So, it’s time to tell all your friends and family to subscribe on iTunes and on Google Play and every other podcast app you may use.

We’re on Google Play Music too! SUBSCRIBE HERE!

Oh and you too, subscribe to us por favor.

First show is this Friday, June 8. Don’t miss it.

Here’s some bullshitting Zo and I did a few weeks ago when Manny Machado was on the South Side.

I got a new microphone, don’t worry the audio will sound delicious!

JUNE 8 DON’T MISS IT!

You’re still here. Follow us on Twitter and IG too.

@PinwheelsIvyPod 

@pinwheelsivypod

New Crawfod Mask Is A Great Sign That He Is Ready To Play

By
Marc-Louis Paprzyca
-

Everyone knows that there are not guarantees in life but Corey Crawford commissioning a new mask is a good sign he may be back. At least in his opinion. Last week Craword’s artist Stephane Bergeron gave a sneak peek of the new mask and unveiled the whole thing earlier today.

It is a pretty standard Crawford mask design featuring his number 50, the crossed tomahawks secondary logo and of course the feathers. It’s classic, simple and tasteful.

I’d be more curious to see what the inside of that mask looks like though considering Crawford’s reported head injuries.

Whatever it is, I’m just happy that Crow seems to be on the right track to getting back on the ice. I just hope that he comes back as the elite goaltender he left as.

Follow @Pappy_Hour on Twitter for more Blackhawks and hockey musings. 

Mitch Trubisky Has a New Comparison and It’s Controversial

By
Erik Lambert
-
chicago bears

Mitch Trubisky stated during his latest press conference that he doesn’t pay attention to comparisons with other quarterbacks. He’s focused on just helping the Chicago Bears win. Meanwhile, he has guys like new teammate Trey Burton calling him the next Carson Wentz or the media proclaiming him another Jared Goff. There are certain reasons behind each comparison but none have delved deep into who he is as an actual player.

Reports from NFL sources a while back stated that Trubisky reminded them most of Rich Gannon. That one made the most sense of all the names mentioned. In terms of size, arm strength, and athleticism the former MVP and four-time Pro Bowler exhibited a similar game that the Bears quarterback possessed. Not bad.

Well, now another prominent expert has thrown his hat in the ring. Andy Benoit of the MMQB is noted for his heavy tape study. He’s examined Trubisky extensively from all his starts last season. After careful examination, he sees a different QB the second-year man emulates. One that may irritate or excite Bears fans depending on perspective.

Mitch Trubisky could be an upgraded Kirk Cousins

What happens when the name Kirk Cousins is brought up to NFL fans? A fierce fight breaks out, that’s what. No, not literally but more on social media and comments sections. There are two camps. One who believes Cousins is a legit starter in the league among the best and others who feel he’s overrated and a system guy. So it must’ve created a small firestorm when Benoit compared Trubisky to him.

“For what he can be: Trubisky has a strong enough arm, but he’s not Brett Favre. He’s a good athlete, but he’s not Michael Vick. His greatest attribute is his ability to throw on the move, both by design (rollouts, bootlegs) and improvisation. Like many mobile righthanded QBs, he’s particularly proficient outside the pocket to his right.

But in the NFL, on-the-move passing can only be an offense’s side dish, not the entrée. And so Trubisky’s success, like every pro QB’s, will come down to how well he plays within the pocket. Given his good-not-great arm strength, this means how well he can develop as a timing and rhythm passer. Think of Trubisky as a potentially better version of Kirk Cousins.”

Cousins has thrown for 4,000 yards each of the past three years. He carried the Washington Redskins to two winning seasons and a playoff berth in that span. He also soundly beat the Bears both times they met. At the same time, he’s constantly come up short in big games. He managed just 18 points in his playoff debut against Green Bay and held a mere 8-14 record against the NFC East upon leaving in free agency this year.

So both the praise and criticisms are fair.

The question is hand is what exactly is a “better” Cousins? If this means Trubisky will throw for 4,000 yards every year AND perform at a higher level against the division, then that should be what Bears fans want. Nobody ever said he had to be Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers. What was desired is a capable quarterback who can deliver some victories himself when the team isn’t quite up to the task. That’s what franchise quarterbacks do.

Cousins isn’t perfect but the Minnesota Vikings shelled out $24 million a year to get him. He’s good and they feel he can direct them to a championship. That’s what Bears fans should focus on with this comparison.

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