Trick Plays, Trubisky Does His Thing, Shaheen’s Future, Cohen’s Stardom, and Other Bullets

Dec 28, 2017

We don’t know who the Chicago Bears’ next head coach or offensive coordinator will be, but I hope this is in their playbook:

Fake kneel run by Purdue. That was great. pic.twitter.com/x3AIuTByxk

— Kevin Marchina (@kg_holler) December 28, 2017

While Dan Bernstein (WSCR-AM 670/CBS Chicago) believes that the Bears are firmly in the market for a new coach, he seems to guess that no one on John Fox’s staff will be the one to replace him. Indeed, all signs point to the Bears starting fresh in 2018, to which I say, “Good idea.”

Did you know Mitch Trubisky has a 97.0 passer rating when targeting Josh Bellamy this season? Let’s use that fun fact to weave in Bellamy’s postgame commentary regarding the Bears’ rookie quarterback from Sunday. “He played great. He always plays like that, when you just let him take the wheel, when you let him do his thing,” Bellamy said, via Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “He’s a playmaker. He’s an athlete. You can see what he can do with his legs. He can run the ball. He can throw the ball. He’s a great quarterback. He’ll be real good.”

Re-reading “He always plays like that, when you just let him take the wheel, when you let him do his thing” really stands out. The Bears offense has shown some things in recent weeks when the playbook has opened up and Trubisky has been allowed to take some more risks downfield. They’re no juggernaut, but the group inconsistently flashes signs of being a competent pro style offense. With every play, it grows more clear that this group is a good coaching hire and a pass-catching upgrade away from taking a significant step forward.

Over at the Sporting News, David Steele pens a piece with the headline “Mitchell Trubisky’s rise to franchise QB timed well for Bears in 2018, beyond” that might leave you feeling tingly. Trubisky hasn’t had a Deshaun Watson-like breakout (yet), and that might have to wait until 2018 anyway. But the anecdotes provided from Steele’s piece via center Cody Whitehair as a first-hand witness to how Trubisky has evolved should put some things in perspective. If anything, it should leave Bears fans feeling good about how this season is ending.

Let’s keep the good vibes coming with a piece by Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune, who writes about Tarik Cohen – another rookie who has made all sorts of strides this season. Cohen has grown into a fan favorite, so much so, the North Carolina A&T product has a bit of a cult hero status that has made him a popular figure everywhere he goes … even at Wal-Mart.

Perhaps Adam Shaheen will get that kind of love in 2018. Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times writes the Bears still see a ton of upside in their large tight end, even if we’ve probably seen the last of him in 2017. It’s been an up-and-down year for the Ashland University product, but, in my opinion, the good outweighs the bad. Shaheen stood out in training camp, struggled to gain traction in the preseason and early in the regular season, then was the recipient of inconsistent playing time. He played his best ball when given an opportunity while Dion Sims and Zach Miller were out with injuries. Hopefully, he put enough good stuff on tape to warrant an expanded playbook from the next coaching staff.

Moving on to the game ahead of us, Ben Goessling of the Minnesota Star Tribune writes things aren’t going to come easy for the Bears just because the Vikings have wrapped up a playoff spot. As we discussed earlier in the week, Minnesota is playing for a first-round bye – and unlike the Los Angeles Rams or Kansas City Chiefs – aren’t expected to rest players ahead of the postseason. Because the Vikings have something to play for, Sunday’s game provides another opportunity for Trubisky and the Bears to take another step in the maturation process before the season ends. Bring it on.

It’s a bit crazy to think that the Vikings who entered Week 5 are the same team among the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. But here we are. Over at ESPN, Courtney Cronin recalls how Minnesota’s win on Monday Night Football sparked the team’s run to the NFC North title and into the playoffs. More than anything, I’m curious to see how Trubisky responds in his second look at a superb Vikings defense. Things didn’t go all that great the first time Trubisky got a second look at a NFC North foe, throwing three interceptions in a loss against the Detroit Lions. Then again, John Fox believes that was one of Trubisky’s best performances of the year. No, seriously.

I’m not sure I want history to totally repeat itself on Sunday, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the greatest trick play in the history of two-point conversions again.

written by

Luis C. Medina

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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