What I have been saying -- Article on Mitch's development
Nov 7, 2017 11:06:18 GMT -6
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2017 11:06:18 GMT -6
State of the Bears: Mitchell Trubisky's development
With hope of a young quarterback, comes responsibility. The Bears aren't handling the latter well.
by Robert Zeglinski@RobertZeglinski Nov 6, 2017, 3:00pm CST
For most fan bases, NFL football is that of a continuous frustrating loop of failure.
It is perhaps the one major sport where you can indeed count more than half of the league following as suffering. For every fan base that thinks it has it bad, there's still another football city in a similar loop. Think about it. Aside from the Bears, you can historically and reasonably also include the Lions, Vikings, Cardinals, Falcons, Panthers, Eagles, Chargers, and more among the snakebitten. Parity certainly exists, but only in small spurts, such as the year to year shuffle in playoff spots. Most of the time, the cream of the crop rises by the end of January's postseason i.e. the franchises with the most quarterback stability like the Patriots, Steelers, and Packers.
So when an organization reboots with a new quarterback, the primary reason for most of this consistent incompetence and failure - particularly as the normally inept Bears have "enjoyed" - hope is at least temporarily restored.
The Bears are currently in an interesting spot because of what they could have in Mitchell Trubisky at quarterback. Interest and faith in the organization should be at its estimated highest in six years simply because of the prospect of what Trubisky could offer. That's how this equation works. A light equals potential that this man is finally the man to make Chicago football fully relevant.
From the opposite cynical perspective, all of this somewhat restored goodwill is lost if the Bears demonstrate they can't develop Trubisky. That they have no idea what they're doing with him. That they're taking him along the improper path and ruining an opportunity to become a real contender before they're even starting. As Trubisky currently sits with the 34th highest passer rating in the NFL at 66.2 in a beyond limited offense, the question must be asked of whether these Bears can be trusted not to waste their new lifeblood.
More than anything, Trubisky's future and growth will define the Bears' ultimate destination in the coming years. After taking a look at where the Bears stand after eight games, this second part of an evaluative discussion by the WCG staff centers around the most integral piece of Chicago's future.
2. Are the Bears doing a disservice to Mitch Trubisky's development thus far? How pleased are you with his and their progress here?
From a pure statistical perspective, regardless of the concrete reasons why, Trubisky is currently one of the very worst quarterbacks in the NFL. As mentioned, he has a 66.2 passer rating (Mike Glennon had 76.9 in his four starts). He's averaging a minute 128 passing yards a game. And, he's completing just 47.5 percent of his passes. A rookie quarterback that isn't exactly lighting the league on fire. Far from it, in fact.
The Bears are clearly doing Trubisky no favors, which we'll get to, however, in a point of view seemingly no one wants to touch on, I would be remiss to completely absolve him of fault. He's still missing throws and open receivers more often than you'd like. He's not going through his full progressions. And his mechanics go a bit out of whack when under pressure.
Yes, Trubisky is the Bears' "Golden Boy." But he's still really raw.
Even if the Bears had a better plan and weapons for the rookie, I'm of the opinion Trubisky's performance still wouldn't be that of a savior that turns the Bears into a playoff team this year. He leaves too many plays on the field regardless of the marginal game plan and talent around him. When he makes a mistake, it is not purely the fault of John Fox, Dowell Loggains and company. It is a raw, inexperienced player looking exactly like the raw, inexperienced player he is.
With all of that in mind, these current Bears are still doing everything possible to put their green quarterback in a position to fail. In limiting Trubisky's passing attempts from game to game which makes him afraid to make mistakes - a big no-no in retrospect - and putting almost all of the onus on the 23-year-old to save the offense from predictable play calling, they're putting an unnecessary crutch on a young player with dynamic playmaking ability.
The Bears' ceiling with a great running game and elite defense will be the same ceiling they've had through almost of their history in the modern game - ultimately falling short to a superior, more balanced team when push comes to shove.
Trubisky needs to be trusted with the ball in his hands. Chicago's offense itself needs to be opened up, even at a small degree. If the Bears can "learn to win" and attain seven to eight wins out of the 2017 season, nothing still matters more than how Trubisky progresses through the rest of the year. The staff has forgotten that, and as the Bears defense has begun to turn it on of late, seemingly half of the city has as well.
If Trubisky is indeed the player Ryan Pace believes that he drafted, the Bears' best window for a championship will be the next four years - when he is at his cheapest before a payday. After the rookie receives his second contract, it will be that much more difficult to win as a team to be taken seriously. The good old salary cap at work.
So, the clock is already ticking. Given the rise of second-year quarterbacks such as the Rams' Jared Goff and Eagles' Carson Wentz turning their respective teams into playoff contenders, there is no excuse for Trubisky not to be at minimum, at the relative same level of play in 2018. He's the player that will differentiate the currently unbalanced same old Bears. No one else possesses that power.
Conservative quarterback play does not win titles, which the Bears must be in position to do so starting next year. Stop playing "Fox-ball." Give Trubisky the keys to this car. Let him make mistakes. And let him flourish just the same. Let him play football.