NEWSLETTER
Matt Nagy’s “BE YOU” mantra struck a chord with the 2018 Bears.
From players, to coaches, and even all the way into the fan base, the concept that everyone’s unique something came together to help Chicago put together a magical season made last year’s campaign special. And it got me to thinking if Mitch Trubisky needs to hear that again.
Trubisky made headlines this past week with an odd, off-hand comment about being told not to talk about Week 1’s loss to the Packers. Moving onto Denver should have been a priority for Trubisky, but he should not have needed a PR flack to put it in his head. Sometimes, I wonder if Trubisky is being fed too many talking points for his own good. After all, a quarterback who has admitted to having obsessive-compulsive traits probably needed to cool it after turning in a dud of a performance after months of preparation for Packers Week.
Sean Wagner-McGough (CBS Sports) noted how Trubisky simply couldn’t get out of his own way as his struggles piled up against Green Bay. Meanwhile, Rodger Sherman (The Ringer) underscored how Trubisky struggled to throw in every situation. Week 1 was disastrous … but it was just one game.
There are times when simplification can be good, and I feel like a Week 2 matchup on the road against the Broncos is one of those times. The Bears need Trubisky to play fast and loose, but also need him to do so while making sound decisions. Nagy discussed how some of his run calls got turned into pass plays because of how Trubisky read run-pass option plays. Maybe scaling back on those will ease up on Trubisky’s mind. Perhaps a free mind will allow Trubisky to play with conviction, something he really didn’t do in Week 1. Get him on the move and out of the pocket. Design some runs to get him into the game. Allow him and the running backs to establish the multi-purpose threats that should drive defenses wild.
If the Bears get back to basics and replicate the things they did well last year, they will likely emerge as winners on Sunday. And if they don’t, we’ll have some real discussions in the days to come about this team.
Game Info
Chicago Bears (0-1, 4th NFC North) at Denver Broncos (0-1, 4th AFC West), 3:25 CT, FOX-TV (Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth, Jennifer Hale), WBBM-AM 780 and WCFS-FM 105.9 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote)
Odds: Bears (-2), Over/Under 40.5, via the Westgate Superbook in Las Vegas.
Game Thread and Week 2 Preview
Your game thread is down in the comments, so let’s have some good, clean (safe-for-work) fun. And hopefully, the Bears can bounce back and give us something fun to talk about.
Your Week 2 Preview lives here.
Coaches
Matt Nagy (12-5) vs. Vic Fangio (0-1)
Starting Quarterbacks
Bears: Mitch Trubisky
Last week vs. Packers: 26-45 (57.8%), 228 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 62.11 rating
versus
Broncos: Joe Flacco
Last week at Raiders: 21-31 (67.7%), 268 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 105.3 rating
Bears Inactives:
Our inactives for #CHIvsDEN. pic.twitter.com/oLRkn3OVBm
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 15, 2019
Bears Expected Offensive Starters
Bears Expected Defensive Starters
Bears Specialists
Broncos Inactives:
https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1173309151172161536
