How could they do it? How could the Chicago Bears have convinced themselves to draft Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson? This is the question that continues to haunt fans as they're forced to watch Mahomes and Watson pile up the stats every week. This while Trubisky remains mired in mediocrity, still without a touchdown pass through two games this season. This is not to say Trubisky is a complete bust. He isn't. Still, it's hard not to see him as a disappointment at this stage.
Thus the question lingers. What convinced the Bears that Trubisky was the best of those three quarterback prospects? This despite numerous red flags, most notably his lack of experience (started just one year at North Carolina). There are plenty of theories. Most of them center on GM Ryan Pace simply falling in love with him. However, it isn't quite that simple. While it's true that Pace made the ultimate decision, he did it under a larger context of his situation.
One name who never gets enough credit for that pick is former head coach John Fox. Most people will deny his involvement thanks in large part to a report by ESPN's Chris Mortensen that the Bears management didn't tell Fox they were drafting Trubisky until right before it happened. Most assumed this was a sign of the disconnect between Pace and Fox that had begun to manifest after the Bears' bad 2016 season.
Later reports though indicated it was done more out of fear that Fox might reveal the Bears' interest before the draft by mistake. This due to his outspoken and chummy nature. Pace wanted absolute secrecy and he got it. What nobody knows for sure is whether Fox had a strong hand in Trubisky's drafting or not. What can be said for sure? He definitely influenced it.
Mitch Trubisky fit Fox more than any top QB in that draft
The fact of the matter is Fox was the head coach. Pace had zero assurances that he'd be able to hire a replacement if the Bears endured another losing season. Team president Ted Phillips even admitted there were some discussions after the 5-11 campaign about whether they should keep the general manager or not.
“I SAID, ‘WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT RYAN BEFORE WE GO GET A HEAD COACH BECAUSE HE ONLY HAS TWO YEARS LEFT [ON HIS CONTRACT],’” PHILLIPS SAID. “EITHER HE’S OUR GUY OR WE NEED TO MAKE ANOTHER CHANGE THERE, TOO.”
They eventually saw Pace was doing good things and so gave him the authority to hire Fox's replacement. In 2017 though, Fox was the guy. Pace couldn't have drafted a quarterback for a coach he didn't even know existed yet. That means his evaluation process that offseason was geared towards this aim:
Who is the best quarterback to fit this offense?
If one looked at the top three choices, Trubisky was the guy. Why? There were likely several factors but the big one was protection of the football. Fox made no secret of his distaste for turnovers. No surprise being a defensive-minded coach for decades. He would want a quarterback who looked to keep the giveaways to a minimum. Trubisky had shown during the 2016 season that he was the most dedicated to doing this.
Watson had 17 interceptions for Clemson that year. Mahomes had 10 and a number of others that were dropped. Nevermind his long-established reputation at Texas Tech for being a gunslinger. Trubisky only had six interceptions for North Carolina while still managing 30 touchdown passes. He was athletic and accurate with the ball. While Fox may or may not have been deeply involved with the evaluation process, the fact remains that the evidence points to Trubisky being selected to fit the head coach.
Fox believed in him. That much was certain.
So while Pace gets a lot of the heat for this current Trubisky tension, it's fair to ask this question. Would he have made the same choice had a different head coach been in charge? Fox may be gone, but it would be wrong to minimize his influence on current events even two years later.
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