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The Bears Are Still Confident in Mitch Trubisky Even Though No One Else Is

By William Pitts | Nov 24 2019

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 17: Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears waits for the play against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on November 17, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Chicago Bears v Los Angeles Rams | Meg Oliphant/Getty Images

When Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy benched quarterback Mitch Trubisky near the end of last week's 17-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, it seemed the Bears had realized what the skeptics had long figured out - Trubisky isn't a great pro quarterback.

The numbers will back this up. His 175.6 passing yards per game are the fewest in the league among eligible quarterbacks, and his league-low 9 yards per pass completion point to both a drop in throwing accuracy and a serious lack of confidence in deeper throws.

The team's explanation that he had suffered a hip injury was suspicious, and seemed like a convenient excuse to bench the struggling quarterback and send in Chase Daniel. Suspicions only increased when Trubisky's name disappeared from the injury report, meaning that he will start this week's game against the New York Giants.

NFL insider Ian Rapoport points to "serious confidence from this organization" in Trubisky. Though he didn't cite anyone in particular, his source shifted the blame to the rest of the offense, and to quote Rapoport, "They have pre-snap penalties, receivers running the wrong route, running game issues, coaching issues..."

However true this may be, if an entire team is forced to publicly make a vote of confidence in their quarterback, it can't be a good sign.