*SMASHES KEYBOARD FURIOUSLY*
Video of Mitch Trubisky playing ping pong and holding a toddler with his right arm might have #BearsTwitter going nuts (or at minimum, feeling better about Trubisky’s immediate playing future, but the latest official update regarding QB1’s status for Week 14 is a non-update:
Matt Nagy on if Mitch Trubisky will be full-go this week: “I hope he is, but I can’t say that for sure.”
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 3, 2018
Trubisky is still day-to-day in the eyes of his head coach and his playing status for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams will be determined as things unfold this week. Progress has been made in recent days with Trubisky being medically cleared to throw in practice on Friday and then letting loose and throwing at MetLife Stadium before Sunday’s loss to the New York Giants. And yet, that still doesn’t give us an inkling of to how he’s feeling one way or another.
QB1 can throw as much as he wants between now and Saturday, but if he isn’t throwing without pain and he hasn’t rebuilt the necessary strength in his throwing shoulder, then how much help can he be to his team? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve asked myself how much better Trubisky at less than 100 percent is Chase Daniel at full strength. But I can’t bring myself to do it, because so much is still unknown about the health of Trubisky’s shoulder as we’re still so early in the process. Remember, he JUST started throwing. (Michael: And also remember, the plan is to keep this guy healthy in the longterm, too. That is a non-zero consideration, no matter ho good of an opportunity the Bears have.)
To be clear, news that Trubisky is throwing is certainly better than the alternative, but we’ve seen the types of throws Trubisky needs to make to get this offense playing at full potential. We’ll feel better about things once we see those on the field, but as impatient fanatics, we’re willing to settle for reports that he looks good slinging it in practice.
As the legendary Tom Petty once put so eloquently: waiting is the hardest part. And while I know Petty wasn’t singing about practicing patience regarding the return of his favorite team’s starting quarterback, the message applies.
We probably won’t know how Trubisky’s throwing shoulder is feeling until after Wednesday’s practice. So if you’ve been on the patient path, then keep on keepin’ on. Perhaps our patience will be rewarded with good news sooner, rather than later.