On Monday morning, sources revealed to Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano of ESPN that Chicago Bears coach John Fox pulled the plug on the Mike Glennon experiment, naming rookie Mitch Trubisky the starting quarterback against the Minnesota Vikings.
After another road blowout that was over by halftime, this time against the rival Green Bay Packers, many people wanted this change. Bears players subtly hinted that they wanted this change. I expected this change. And I think I speak for all of Chicago, save for Glennon and his family, that we’re glad / relieved that this change came about.
My thoughts on this move that opens a new era of Chicago Bears football:
- As I said above: It’s Trubisky Time at last. There’s no doubt he’s the best quarterback on the roster, and should have started the season under center. I understand the desire to keep him on the bench, but they made the right call to switch now while a season is still salvageable. If Glennon, or even Mark Sanchez, were named the starter next week, John Fox would have lost the locker room, and Soldier Field would be deserted on game days.
- Let’s be clear about one thing – Trubisky may be the best QB on the roster, but he’s still a rookie. Growing pains are inevitable. No one should be surprised if Trubisky struggles against a Vikings defense on Monday Night that features a fierce pass rush and strong secondary. That doesn’t mean starting him was the wrong call. Not only does he give the Bears the best chance to win today, but any mistakes he makes this year are valuable and help ramp up the timeline for next year and beyond.
- I’m excited to evaluate the receiving corps with a quarterback like Trubisky under center. No, this group of pass catchers aren’t world beaters. But they’re not as bad as people think. Glennon’s accuracy and ball placement are subpar, and his mobility is non-existent. He rarely put his receivers in good situations to make plays. Trubisky is miles ahead in that department.
- Don’t be surprised if the defense comes out with a little extra juice on Monday Night. They arguably wanted this change more than Dowell Loggains or the fans did. Now they have something / someone worth playing hard for. I expect to see high energy and guys moving faster than we’ve seen before.
- While I expect that the offense will be dialed back a bit for Trubisky in his first start, I still expect the offense to be far more diverse, creative, and fun to watch on Monday Night than anything we’ve seen with Glennon. Trubisky offers far more flexibility as far as play calling goes; expect Loggains to take advantage of it.
- One person whose playing time I expect to increase a hell of a lot more with Trubisky starting? Adam Shaheen. Look for “Mini Gronk” to begin carving out a bigger role in the offense.
- Regardless of how Trubisky does this season and what record the Bears end up with, I don’t expect any result to be good enough to save John Fox’s job. He has repeatedly shown that he’s far too conservative – a trait that just doesn’t win in the NFL. It’s time for a change.
- Building on the point above, my guess is Ryan Pace & Co. will use the tape Trubisky puts out to see who will pair best with him. Don’t be surprised if that’s Dowell Loggains in some way, shape, or form. My guess is Pace's evaluation will also take into account what kind of offensive weapons to target next year in free agency and/or the draft.
- You can bet that Tanner Gentry will be on the active roster sooner rather than later. The chemistry he built with Trubisky in camp and the preseason can’t be ignored.
- I have nothing against Mike Glennon. From all accounts, he’s a heck of a person and teammate. He just sucks at playing quarterback, and that’s OK. With that said, I can’t imagine Glennon would take this benching too well, whether he deserved it or not. So, I’d look for Mark Sanchez to become the active backup on game days. I’m not sure if the Bears will flat out release Glennon. But from an optics perspective, there’s just no going back to him.
- Bonus Thought: Revised Week 5 Prediction: Bears 27, Vikings 23
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