Mitch Trubisky Wants to Catch TD Passes (Seriously) and Other Bullets

May 25, 2018

It’s a holiday weekend, so I hope everyone takes some time to reflect on what Memorial Day means and what not. But first, today’s Bullets.

Tarik Cohen can do-it-all, but Mitch Trubisky does not want to be out-done:

“I’d definitely like to catch some passes and touchdowns.” – Mitchell Trubisky when asked about the potential of trick plays in the #Bears offense.

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) May 23, 2018

Allen Robinson is going to catch his share of touchdowns from Trubisky, though it would be kind of neat to see him return the favor and wing it to an open quarterback. You know, like the time the Eagles stole a certain play out of Dowell Loggains’ playbook. So while Robinson signed a multi-million dollar deal in the offseason, the talented wide receiver has yet to step onto the practice field. But as we discussed earlier, that’s not much of a problem. Even though Robinson hasn’t been able to build that necessary bond with Trubisky just yet, JJ Stankevitz of NBC Sports Chicago writes about how the Bears’ big free agent addition is still finding a way to make a good first impression.

Perhaps the Bears’ new offensive coordinator will help facilitate that request with some trickery this season. Mark Helfrich enters his first year running the Bears’ offense, and Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune writes about how the former Oregon head coach will draw on his experience developing quarterbacks in college to mold Trubisky.

Things didn’t end well with Helfrich at Oregon. The program’s slide from national relevance and Pac-12 powerhouse ended with a thud as Helfrich was canned late in his final season. Still, that doesn’t mean he was a bad hire by the Bears. In fact, Helfrich is probably better positioned for the role he is in now as the Bears’ OC. He won’t be burdened with heavy lifting or play-calling responsibilities. Instead, Helfrich’s primary jobs will be to teach Nagy’s offense and help Trubisky grow as a quarterback. If he does those two things well enough, the Bears offense will take the necessary steps forward in order to compete in 2018.

I think I speak for everyone here in saying I’m looking forward to not re-living the Bears’ 2017 offense. Specifically, this:

Highest percentage of checkdowns last season:

Mike Glennon
Brock Osweiler
Joe Flacco
Blake Bortles
DeShone Kizer
Tyrod Taylor

— Steve Palazzolo (@PFF_Steve) May 22, 2018

Worth noting: The Bears were rumored to have interest in Tyrod Taylor in free agency and were often connected to DeShone Kizer in the pre-draft process. There might have been a short-lived Brock Osweiler rumor at some point last offseason, though I don’t think it went anywhere serious. Thank goodness.

And to wrap up some loose ends from up there, Joe Flacco told reporters in Baltimore that picking a first-round quarterback “means something” and I’ve gotta say he’s onto “something.” Flacco stopped short of going full Glennon and claiming it’s his year, but that sound you hear is the clock ticking on Flacco’s career with the Ravens.

The Bears’ defense is ahead of the offense at this point of OTAs, writes John Mullin of NBC Sports Chicago. It’s not much of a surprise, especially when you consider how many contributors from last year’s top-10 defense are returning for another run.

Not only does a returning defense present an early challenge for Trubisky and the offense, but also something for the new offensive coaching staff to attack and conquer. Quarterbacks Coach Dave Ragone is the only returning offensive assistant from last year’s team, and that’s probably a good thing because continuity can be beneficial for Trubisky. In the end, the Bears’ offensive coaching staff could be viewed as something like a work in progress because of all the new faces working with a slew of new talent. There is quite the getting-to-know-you period that the players and coaches are tackling simultaneously. I hope everyone is wearing a name tag.

Speaking of the new guys, Bears rookies got their first look at Soldier Field today:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjNPc9hH7nP/?hl=en&taken-by=chicagobears

Happy Birthday to a Bears legend who has seen the Soldier Field turf a time or two:

Have a Hall of Fame-style birthday, @BUrlacher54! pic.twitter.com/CSzBNOvH9G

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 25, 2018

As if I needed an excuse to share some Urlacher highlights:

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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