NEWSLETTER
You could try and sell Mitch Trubisky on the idea that preseason results don’t matter, but I’m not quite sure he would buy it.
“Every snap matters. Every practice rep, every preseason game matters,” Trubisky said while meeting the media after Thursday’s joint practice between the Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos. “We’re coming out here and competing every day and we’re always trying to get better. No matter what it is, if it’s on a practice field, if I’m in the back yard by myself, or if it’s a preseason game, we’re trying to get better and we’re trying to move the football because that’s what great players do, that’s what great teams do.”
Trubisky touched on a handful of interesting things as we approach the team’s third preseason game. You can check out Trubisky’s thoughts in their entirety below …
… but first, here are some of the highlights that deserve additional insight and commentary.
Be Prepared for More Aggressive Looks
A constant thread throughout the offseason has been the idea of the Bears being more willing to push the envelope on offense than they have in the past. Trubisky threw a solid deep ball as a rookie, but wasn’t asked to do it often enough to keep most defenses honest. That said, few teams pushed the ball through the air vertically like the Kansas City Chiefs when Matt Nagy was the team’s offensive coordinator, so maybe there’s a lesson there. It’s just practice, but there’s a certain vibe that hints that we’ll see this kind of aggressiveness throughout the 2018 season.
“We’re going to keep taking shots. We’re going to keep being aggressive because it opens up everything else when you can hit those shots. The key is just to be consistent with them, hit them, and then it really stretches the field, opens up the run game, opens up the intermediate throws as well. So we’re going to continue to be aggressive, which I love.”
May the dink-and-dunk offense of the past stay in the past.
Last Year’s Offense Left Us With So Many Questions, This One Might Have Answers
If watching the Bears offense in 2017 left you feeling like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯, trust me when I say you are not alone. After all, the whole point of bringing in Nagy and a whole new offensive staff (save for the return of QBs Coach Dowell Loggains) was to find answers to the things that plagued one of the league’s least productive and most puzzling offenses. The way Trubisky sees it, it sounds like answers are on the horizon.
“We’re not always going to have the perfect play call for the perfect coverage, but there’s always somewhere to go with the ball. There’s a lot of things we can do. It’s a lot of studying, a lot of film work so I can make the right decision at the line. If they don’t give us the right look, there’s always an answer to go somewhere with the ball, so I just got to keep grooving through.”
Let’s not lose sight of the perspective from Trubisky. Because even when the perfect call isn’t made, there is always a play to be made. Somewhere. This is why every rep – whether they come in practice or a game – matters for Trubisky and the offense. Practice makes perfect isn’t just a saying, but it’s something that can really open up your eyes to the many different scenarios that can unfold in a given play.
Trubisky Isn’t Worried About Cody Whitehair and the Poor Snaps
There have been some tough days for center Cody Whitehair, whose struggles snapping the ball have come to light once again. Last summer, we spent a good chunk of time worried about Trubisky handling the center-quarterback exchange from under center – something he didn’t do much of while at North Carolina. A year later, shotgun snaps seem to be an issue. So much so, the idea of James Daniels pushing his way into the lineup as a starting center has become a hot topic. But still … Trubisky has nothing but support for Whitehair, who remains as the No. 1 center on the depth chart.
“Cody knows I’ve got his back. Cody cares more about this team and this game pretty than pretty much anybody. So if you guys knew how much Cody loved this game, this team, there wouldn’t be any questions about it. So I’m not worried about one bit. … He’s been practicing and we’re going to get it down, so I’m not worried about Cody one bit. He’s a heck of a player and I love having him on our own line and as our center.
There is Plenty of Love for the Bears’ Tight Ends
Trubisky sharing some positive reinforcement for his struggling center is a sign of leadership for the second-year quarterback. On top of that, he is showing signs of admiration for his group of tight ends. That position group reportedly stood out during the two-day joint practice event in Colorado, and their performances stood out to Trubisky.
“We’ve got an awesome tight end room. They create mismatch problems for the defense and we’re gonna try to continue to utilize that all year long. They continue to run routes, they understand the offense, spacing, and everything like that. They’ll continue to get the ball and they’ve done a great job of separating and when we get a linebacker or a safety on them, we feel like that’s a mismatch for this offense. We just gotta continue to take advantage.”
Trubisky posted a 93.8 passer rating and completed 63.1 percent of his passes thrown to Dion Sims, Daniel Brown, and Adam Shaheen last season. There’s something about Trubisky throwing to big-bodied pass catchers that seems to work. You can count on the Bears’ tight ends being a major factor in whether or not the offense is successful in 2018.
Old (and New) Friends Expected to be at Trubisky’s Side on Saturday
Allen Robinson, Jordan Howard, and Tarik Cohen have combined to play one preseason snap for the Bears, but that figures to change this weekend. Robinson is expected to make his preseason debut on Saturday against the Broncos, while the Bears’ top two running backs could get in some playing time, too. With the band starting to get together, Trubisky definitely has reason to be geeked up about getting a chance to continue to build toward the regular season with his new running mates.
“It’s definitely exciting to have those guys out there. We continue to create that chemistry in practice. My job is just get the ball to the playmakers. So the more playmakers we have on the field, just continue to get them the ball and let them do what they do. We just need to roll as an offense, really get on the same page, and just everyone do their job, lock in, and go out there have fun and execute. It’ll be nice to see those guys with the ball in their hand this weekend.”
