NEWSLETTER
Mitch Trubisky touched on a variety of subjects in his media session at Halas Hall on Wednesday, but there was a particular focus on things that fell under the category of “being a work in progress.”
Two regular season games under first-year Head Coach Matt Nagy, and Trubisky still has much to learn (and address) moving forward. Here are some of the highlights, as well as some additional commentary.
Mitch Trubisky Explains How/Why He Over-threw a Wide-Open Taylor Gabriel
It’s late in the first quarter, the Bears have a seven-point lead, and are looking for more. Trubisky drops back, spots an open Taylor Gabriel and over-throws him by quite a bit.
Here’s how it looked:
One of the things Mitch Trubisky must improve is his accuracy on passes over 20 yards. We’ve got a detailed report on what Trubsiky needs to improve coming up. pic.twitter.com/mYWwrvilDt
— Bears Barroom (@BearsBarroom) September 19, 2018
If you’re seeing this and went “yikes” just know that you’re not alone. Trubisky’s misfire was a missed opportunity to hit on a chunk play and possibly score a second first-quarter touchdown. It’s a mistake that can’t continue to happen if the Bears are going to fully take advantage of the awesome defense that has been assembled. So how did this happen?
“I think I just got a little too excited and didn’t trust my timing, so the ball came out a little sooner than it should have been. If I just stayed on time with my footwork, and it kind of happened a little bit on the first interception as well, just rushing my throws a little bit or doing a little too much with my eyes. I just got to continue to trust my timing and get the ball to the playmakers like I know how.”
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Trubisky over-throw a receiver early in a big game, so I wonder how much of this issue can be tied to being a little too tightly wound or amp’d up. There is no doubting Trubisky’s talent, it just that he still needs to work on the mechanical issues that will help him slow the game down.
Big Plays are Coming, But They’re a Work In Progress
As we saw above, there are explosive plays to be made … it’s just up to Trubisky to make them happen. Coaches are scheming players into open spots and players are making their proper cuts, which leaves Trubisky as the key component to get it together. The big plays will come, especially if Trubisky takes advantage of the middle of the field being open and forces the defense to make that adjustment.
“I think we have good timing and chemistry. You see a lot of completions out there and I’m being pretty efficient with the ball. I just got to continue to take care of it. They continue to give us the underneath stuff and I’m going to continue to take it, but we got to continue to find ways to push the ball down-field, create explosive plays, get guys open, and it’s not just me. It takes all 11 guys, it takes a whole offense to create explosive plays. Guys finishing blocks, running great routes, me trusting my timing and putting the ball exactly where it needs to be. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s nice to work on those things especially after a win. It’s a new week.”
On Learning From His Mistakes
A valuable lesson Trubisky is learning (and frankly, one we should all working toward) is how to learn from your mistakes. Trubisky’s made some notable ones in his first two games, but part of this learning process is putting that stuff on film so the player and his coaches can work on making those mistakes a thing of the past.
“Always study your mistakes, positive plays and bad plays. I look at those two plays and see what I could have done better and then definitely put it behind me. No one game or one play is going to define me as a player, and what I’m most proud of is just moving on and helping my team throughout the rest of the game and just doing my job and doing what I know how to do as a quarterback. So study that, wrote down a bunch of notes on what I can do better, talk to the coach about it, and just continue to get better and stay within the growing process.”
Trubisky and Nagy Working to Come Closer Together
The best football relationships are the one where the player is an extension of the coach. But let’s just say the Nagy-Trubisky tandem has some work to do (obviously, because they’re entering just their third regular season game together) before they’re where Bears fans want them to be.
“We’re getting closer and closer. It’s going to be a process. The more time we can spend together, the closer we’ll be with it. The communication between me and Coach Nags (Ed. note: Hey! A new nickname for the coach!) has been awesome. Just watching film together, talking through the plays, telling him what I’m comfortable with, what I like, what plays he really loves, and how he’s seeing the defense as well. Communication and trying to become one brain wavelength so we’re thinking the same thing and going through the same thought processes. It’s a work in progress, but it’s going really well.”
Bill Belichick-Tom Brady, Bill Walsh-Joe Montana, and Brett Favre-Mike Holmgren immediately come to mind when I think about what the perfect coach-quarterback relationship looks like. Yep. Trubisky-Nagy are a long way from being in the same stratosphere as those aforementioned greats, but they’re not going to get there by standing pat.
“Process Never Stops”
What stuck with me from Trubisky’s press conference was the common theme of process. It’s something he never really discussed (and if he did, it wasn’t in much detail) as a rookie. New coaches, assistants, and players around Trubisky were going to put things in a new light for him. Hopefully, this new perspective will bring better results in the future.
“Progress and process never stops. There’s no end result. It’s just trying to maximize your potential as a player and person. Just continue to get better every day and embracing the grind and hopefully years from now, look back at proud of all the work you did. But just realizing it’s a never-ending process.”
