Former Pro Bowler Blown Away Watching Trubisky at Bears Practices

Chris Spielman used to be one of the biggest enemies of Chicago Bears fans everywhere. He was a four-time Pro Bowl linebacker for the Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1995. During that span the Lions beat the Bears seven times. So yeah he was a major thorn in their side, one step below Barry Sanders of course. Since then the man has made a successful transition to calling games from the booth. In a rare occurrence his team drew not one, not two but three separate Bears games over the past month. Hardcore fans might think Spielman was drudge up old rivalries and show bias against Chicago. In truth that's not the case at all. He was fair and honest in his evaluations during all three games. In fact the former defender has become a big fan of Bears rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky. Spielman witnessed three of his starts to this point, but being an announcer is afforded even more access others don't get, including to practices. His impression of the 23-year old?

Chris Spielman shocked at how hard Mitch Trubisky works

A popular saying is that games in professional sports are often won at practice. Teams that practice the hardest tend to have the most success. Having viewed Trubisky three different times in a practice setting, Spielman gushed about how relentless the rookie's work ethic is. He said so during the "Spiegel & Parkins" show on 670 The Score.

"The past few weeks that I've been out to (Bears) practice he's always there and he's never leaving. He's always working. So when the defense is up and the offense is off the field, Mitchell Trubisky's grabbing wide receivers and tight ends and working on foot work and routes in drills. He never stops. So he doesn't like take a knee and watch the defense practice. He's over there wanting to get better. He has the mentality, he has a presence about him. I think he has the respect of his players and at least from the Monday Night game against the Vikings until last week I think we've seen tremendous growth."

This would go a long way towards explaining how much Trubisky has improved since his first start. His quarterback rating through his first four games was 75.7. Over the past two weeks, both against division rivals, it's 92.5. His final drive against Spielman's Lions was the latest indication of how good he's getting. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Mitch-Trubiskys-4th-down-conversion-was-ridiculous1.mp4"][/video] Making a believer out of an ex-defender is one thing. Making one out of an ex-defender who'd once been hardwired to hate the Bears? That's something else entirely.