NEWSLETTER
Mr. Biscuit, Pretty Boy Assassin, Money Mitch, Trubiscuit, and Tru are among the nicknames attached to Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
So what’s one more if we add Mr. 3,000 to the list?
Welcome to the club, kid. pic.twitter.com/gaQMpCNx9P
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 23, 2018
Trubisky is now one of just six quarterbacks in franchise history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season and the first to do it since Jay Cutler. The others on the list to reach this milestone are Rex Grossman, Erik Kramer, Jim Harbaugh, and Billy Wade. It’s like Murderer’s Row, but if they were Bears quarterbacks! But still … this a stepping-stone milestone for Trubisky, who was destined to reach this mark once his head coach and offensive coordinator green-lighted the use of the forward pass in the offense.
Joining the 3,000-yard club wasn’t Trubisky’s only accomplishment on Sunday:
So get this: Mitch Trubisky completed 25-of-29 passes today, 86.2%. That’s the best completion percentage for a Bears quarterback with 16+ pass attempts in a game (since at least 1950).
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) December 24, 2018
Hey! That’s not bad. And to further drive home that things are going well for the second-year quarterback, Sunday marked the first time he went without throwing an interception in back-to-back games all year. Just seeing zeros in that INT column makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Now, let’s go to Trubisky’s passing chart:
Mitchell Trubisky's Week 16 pass chart. A lot of green… #Bears pic.twitter.com/o2MnSxzpgY
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) December 24, 2018
First thing that comes to mind is that graphic is loaded with short passes. That Trubisky was able to average 8.5 yards per attempt when so many of his throws were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage must make Matt Nagy some sort of wizard for his ability to scheme receivers open.
But let’s not take it for granted that Trubisky was on the money on so many short throws. Remember when accuracy on short and middle throws was viewed as a Trubisky strength coming out of North Carolina? Well, it was on display on Sunday and that’s a good thing. There were times earlier in the year where that accuracy wasn’t there for him and it wasn’t a good look. HOWEVER, if this helps Trubisky re-discover the high-end accuracy that made him a top prospect in his draft class, it will only help his development in the short term and over the long haul.
It was refreshing to see Trubisky take what was given to him underneath because it was clear with how the 49ers were defending the pass that beating them vertically through the air wasn’t going to happen. So for Trubisky not to force it down the field into a coverage baiting him to throw an ill-advised pass is a sign of progress we’ve been waiting to see. And while there has been some criticism of Trubisky (and to an extent, his head coach) for easing up in the vertical passing game, I wouldn’t go down that path because the counter argument to that is that Nagy devised a game-plan to counter what the defense threw at his quarterback and that Trubisky played smart and within himself. I mean, would you rather him do that or throwing risky passes that lead to interceptions that ultimately put his defense at a disadvantage?
Some might feel as if Trubisky’s reliance on short passes on Sunday as some sort of gotcha! moment and proof that he isn’t as good as the numbers suggest, but still had to complete those attempts. Trubisky’s inconsistency in making easy throws was a spot of criticism for some earlier in the season, so it’s probably unfair to knock him for making those throws successfully later in the year. You really can’t have it both ways.
Trubisky will get a better test in Week 17 against a Vikings defense that stifled him in Week 11. After seeing Trubisky successfully make adjustments in his second time around against the Packers, it would put a nice ribbon on the 2018 regular season to see him do it again in Minnesota.
