John Fox Explains What Went Into Naming Mitch Trubisky Starter and Benching Mike Glennon

News of the Chicago Bears promoting Mitch Trubisky into the starting quarterback role came as a bit of a surprise because it came on an off day, and head coach John Fox discussed the move for the first time on his weekly radio show on WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS 105.9.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • As for making the call to make the change, Fox said it was a decision that needed to be made for the team to reach its potential. “We had 10 giveaways in the first four games of the season and you can’t win games that way. It wasn’t just one guy’s fault, but we need to move in a different direction.”
  • It’s clear the turnovers have irked Fox, though he did make it a point to emphasize the team has to put an end to it. It was also evident Fox was looking forward to trotting out “a different style of quarterback” in Trubisky. Fox mentioned being able to move the pocket because of Trubisky’s mobility and accuracy as his two favorite traits in his starting quarterback. Still, Fox cautioned Trubisky’s presence wasn’t going to fix things immediately. “Not one of us is going to wave fairy dust on it,” Fox explained. “We’ve still got to go out and execute.”
  • Fox mentioned self-inflicted mistakes on multiple occasions, with the most high-profile miscues coming from the quarterback. The head coach said he believed the constant mistakes stunted the growth of the offense.
  • Along with physical tools, it seems like Fox is sold on Trubisky’s intangibles, too: “He’s got that maturity and confidence you have to have at that position.”
  • As for Glennon, he’ll slide into the role of QB2. Fox said he talked to Glennon and Trubisky about the move the night before. Glennon will remain captain, with Fox calling the former starter a “well-respected” member of the locker room who he expects to take the demotion “as well as anybody possibly could.”
  • As far as I’m concerned, Fox’s assessment of Glennon’s struggles hits it all on the nose: “It’s not a huge sample size, but we didn’t give ourselves a chance in two games,” Fox said. “We never gave ourselves a change, so we had to change that. Is it all his fault? No. But he did have his hand in it.”
  • Fox said he sensed disappointment from Glennon, but (obvious) excitement from Trubisky. The Bears head coach insists he has seen improvement and growth from Trubisky, adding he has a better sense for NFL defenses after watching from the sidelines and running the scout team.
  • The head coach has received some criticism for not playing Trubisky in the team’s lopsided losses to the Buccaneers and Packers, but at least there was some kind of explanation. Fox said Trubisky had no prior practice reps with the starting group during the quick turnaround, adding he would rather have 10 days to work with Trubisky on a game plan against the Vikings than thrust him into Thursday’s game.
  • As expected, GM Ryan Pace had his hand in making this decision. Fox said he and Pace were in “constant communication” and making “constant evaluations” at the quarterback position and throughout the roster. In the end, both agreed this was the right move to make. “You’re always discussing things across the personnel side and I think everyone was in agreement.”
  •  

    written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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