NEWSLETTER
New Bears WR Ted Ginn Jr. is entering his 14th year as a professional football player. And when you’ve been around as long as he has, you’ve likely caught passes from one long list of different QBs. With that in mind, I’m not sure if there is a player better equipped to understand the gravity of the upcoming Chicago Bears quarterback derby than Ginn.
Since the start of the 2013 season, Ginn has been a part of some stable quarterback rooms, headed by Cam Newton and Drew Brees. But he’s also hauled in TD passes from Cleo Lemon, Chad Pennington, Chad Henne, Alex Smith, and Teddy Bridgewater throughout his career. So, yeah … he’s seen some things.
So when Ginn was asked about Chicago’s QB situation on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” program, it should come as no surprise that the new Bears pass-catcher provided a unique perspective on the matter.
“You’ve always been trained to go out and make the quarterback right. And that’s what I’ve been taught and that’s what I’m going to do,” Ginn explained. “I’m going to go out and make every quarterback right no matter who’s behind the wheel.”
That’s a really smart response. I hadn’t really thought about it that way. Sure, I think about how whomever is under center impacts the receivers out in patterns, but I’ve not really considered how the receivers themselves could impact the QB competition. It’s a two-way street, to be sure.
Alright, so who’s gonna be the dude, Ted?
“Right now, I believe that (Mitchell) Trubisky is going to be our starter,” Ginn said. “We’re going to fight as much as we can for him. We’re going to fight as much as we can for any quarterback that’s back there. I think that’s why you bring in your leaders and your veterans to help that guy out, no matter if it’s Nick (Foles) or Trubisky. I’m willing to fight for whoever it is, I’m going to play for whoever it is, and that’s all you can really do.”
There is going to be a focus on Ginn saying Trubisky is going to be the starter, but we should point out some obvious caveats. For one, Ginn believes Trubisky is going to be the starter “right now.” It’s June. Plenty of things can change between now and when Week 1 rolls around. And as Head Coach Matt Nagy has pointed out, this competition won’t be won in a Zoom meeting.
For another, fighting for Trubisky isn’t a foreign concept. Nor is it one that’s difficult to comprehend. Trubisky has been lauded as a hard worker who says the right things and has the mindset and desire to be great. It’s just that the effort and will haven’t turned into desired results on a consistent level (yet). Even still, players are going to work hard when they see the guy next to him putting in the hours.
But in the end, the name of the Week 1 quarterback doesn’t matter, because Ginn is going to fight for whomever that happens to be. Whether it’s Trubisky or Foles, the job of the wide receiver is to make the QB look good. So, ultimately, the winner of the great quarterback derby of 2020 will be the one who gets the ball to their playmakers in the most efficient way to allow them to make plays. It’s as simple as that. So let’s get it on!
Ginn touched on a bevy of topics in his interview with GMFB. So if you have the time, I encourage you to check it out:
.@TedGinnJr_19 joined #GMFB to talk about his first season with the @ChicagoBears, the QB competition, and HC Matt Nagy.
**PLUS
We play a game of Name that QB. Which QB would Ted want to sing a karaoke duet with? He tells us ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/M9NAjqON6K
— GMFB (@gmfb) June 24, 2020
