Unless you have undergone your own Zero Dark 10 style of unplugging from social media, you know that Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky has plenty of detractors. Fortunately, he also has a legion of fans rooting for him to succeed.
At the head of the Trubisky support table is Bears legend and 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Brian Urlacher. Not a bad guy to have in your corner if you ask me. Urlacher first expressed his public support in July 2017, sharing his high hopes for the then-rookie quarterback. Late in Trubisky’s first season with the team, Urlacher made a push to become the President of the Mitch Trubisky Fan Club. And after Trubisky’s first season under Head Coach Matt Nagy, Urlacher isn’t slowing down.
“Beyond the way he plays, I love the way he handles himself,” Urlacher said, via Larry Mayer of the Bears’ official website. “You watch his interviews and when they win, who does he give credit to? Everybody else. When they lose? He takes the heat. That’s a leader right there.”
Urlacher praised Trubisky’s excellent running skills, improved passing ability, and expressed a belief that the best is yet to come for the quarterback-head coach tandem currently installed in Chicago. But for Urlacher, it all starts with Trubisky being a natural leader who puts it on his shoulders like any good boss. Because while arm strength and athleticism are very important to the position, leadership skills matter. And so long as Trubisky has “it” … then the Bears are going to be in good shape, so long as the arm talent catches up with the high-end mobility.
Urlacher isn’t the first to applaud or take note of Trubisky’s skills as a front man. Trey Burton noticed the necessary leadership qualities in June and Kyle Long said Trubisky was “as poised” as any young player he’s ever seen a month later. Whatever “it” factor Trubisky has from a leadership perspective was on display ahead of the team’s playoff game against the Eagles when an ESPN writer was given a behind-the-scenes look at what makes Trubisky tick.
Trubisky started gaining alpha dog status in August 2017 and his potty mouth earned him some respect later in November as a rookie. Even though the way the previous staff coached up Trubisky did him no favors, at least it helped him develop qualities that would serve him well as the head honcho when his time was coming. Trubisky wanted it to be his team in 2018, was ready to embrace those duties, and it looks like he made the most of those skills.
If Trubisky truly has the necessary leadership skills that brings teammates together to play for each other and win, then he has checked a pretty important box on the quarterback development check list. And while there is still so much more Trubisky needs to do from an athletic standpoint, the arrow is still pointing in the right direction.
Urlacher’s Bears didn’t have the best leadership under center. But if the Bears have found that guy in Trubisky, then it could go a long way toward these Bears avoiding the same fate Urlacher’s squads did back in the day.