In the past two weeks, Mitch Trubisky has faced two quarterbacks on opposite ends of the spectrum: arguably the greatest QB of all time in Tom Brady and rookie QB Sam Darnold.
Through Trubisky’s 19 starts, he has displayed moments that have resembled both.
But despite the ups and downs, which is expected from a young player, Trubisky is proving each game that he has the qualities to be a complete quarterback in the NFL.
Of course, looking at the numbers will be a good indication that Trubisky is progressing. Here is how Trubisky compares to Jared Goff in his second season through seven games:
Mitch Trubisky (2018) vs Jared Goff (2017) through 7 Games:
TDs: Trubisky (15) – Goff (9)
INTs: Trubisky (6) – Goff (4)
CMP%: Trubisky (64.6) – Goff (59.9)
Yards: Trubisky (1814) – Goff (1719)
Rating: Trubisky (97.8) – Goff (90.3)
Rushing: Trubisky (296, 2TD) – Goff (196, 0TD)— Da Bears Brothers (@DaBearsBros) October 29, 2018
Statistics don’t tell the full story, though. Trubisky has definitely left points on the field this season, but on the other hand, he has also generated plenty of positive plays.
Something that isn’t showing up in the stat sheet, but is also an important aspect that can’t be overlooked, is what Trubisky is doing before the ball is snapped.
This overlooked quality was on full display in last week’s 24-10 win over the New York Jets.
On the Bears’ first offensive series of the game, Trubisky demonstrated he could help the offense gain yards without running a play. With the offense facing a second-and-1 from the Jets’ 48-yard line, Trubisky used a hard count to draw defensive lineman Steve McLendon into a neutral zone infraction, which gave the Bears an easy first down.
That drive would later lead to Cody Parkey missing a 40-yard field. Still, Trubisky helped put his team in a position to score.
In the third quarter, Trubisky was given another opportunity to use his cadence to get free yards. On third-and-9 from the Jets’ 9-yard line, Trubisky raised his voice, gave a slight head movement and that caused defense tackle Leonard Williams to be flagged for the Jets’ second neutral zone infraction of the day.
So far this season, opponents have committed seven pre-snap penalties against the Bears (four neutral zone infractions, two defensive offsides and one encroachment). Plenty of credit has to be given to Trubisky for taking advantage of aggressive defenses, but the other 10 players on offense also play an important role in staying disciplined in those situations.
The next play after Williams penalty is what should have Bears fans most excited about Trubisky’s progression in becoming a complete quarterback: his ability to change the play at the line of scrimmage based off the defense’s alignment.
After advancing five yards, Trubisky surveyed the Jets’ defense and recognized they were playing zone, so he changed Anthony Miller’s route to a corner. With the audible called, Trubisky then targeted Miller for a back-shoulder touchdown towards the left side of the end zone.
Trubisky answered a question in his postgame press conference on what he saw from the Jets’ defense on that touchdown to Miller.
That is something we {Trubisky and Miller} talked about. They zoned us out down in the red zone as we expected,” Trubisky said. “And I gave him a corner route, changed his route, and the defender didn’t have eyes back to me … I threw it in a spot where only Anthony could catch it.
This was a play that couldn’t have happened in Trubisky’s rookie season because he didn’t have the reps or knowledge of what a defense could potentially throw at him. And even though he is only seven games into a new system with Matt Nagy, Trubisky is learning to make the proper adjustments, which shows how much he has learned in his young career.
When assessing whether Trubisky has what it takes to lead a franchise, don’t just look at the stats at the end of a game and come to a conclusion.
There are so many other components that are part of the makeup of being a great quarterback, and if Trubisky continues to show growth in each game, that assessment will be answered a lot sooner than many think.
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