NEWSLETTER
The Athletic’s Mike Sando shared a piece in which he checked in with 55 NFL coaches, talent evaluators, and executives who ranked the league’s starting quarterbacks into one of five tiers. As has often been the case with quarterback rankings, Chicago Bears quarterback Trubisky checked in among the “average” tier, being ranked 25th among the 32 qualifying quarterbacks. But one former NFL general manager’s reasoning for why Trubisky ranked where he did really doesn’t hold much water.
“When you get to the playoffs and things get tough, I’m not sure,” a former GM told The Athletic. “When he has to win the game for you, I’m not sure.”
Here’s the thing about that assessment: Trubisky did this everything in his one playoff game ever to win the darn thing. When facing a one-point deficit with 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Trubisky engineered a six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to give the Bears a 15-10 lead. Then when facing a one-point deficit with 48 second left in the quarter, Trubisky marched the Bears offense into field goal range. It’s just that Cody Parkey didn’t finish the job.
So in case you’re wondering how important could a kicker be, let’s remember that one successful 43-yard try could have been a narrative-changer for Trubisky and the Bears.
To be clear, there are plenty of valid reasons to critique Trubisky’s performance. But when the Bears got to the playoffs and things got tough, he did everything you could have asked for him to do to win his first ever playoff game. Full stop.
Despite Trubisky landing among the “average” tier and ranking in the mid-20s, the reviews were more positive than one would expect for a player whose ranking is as low as it is.
One offensive coordinator said Trubisky “has a really good arm, he can make the great throw, he is a good deep-ball thrower, he is not afraid to stand in the pocket, he’s not afraid of the noice, which is a good sign.” Indeed! Those are all good qualities to have in a quarterback. Then again, it’s concerning when the same coordinator also questions if Trubisky knows everything that is being thrown his way. Another offensive coordinator hears good things from the outside, expressing a belief in Trubisky’s ability and shares encouraging reviews about his ability and leadership skills.
All things considered, Trubisky might have been on the short-end of the stick with this release of rankings, but the consensus seems to be that he won’t be hanging in this tier for long if his production catches up with his talent level.
