The coronavirus is a scourge on humanity these days and something that must be erased if possible. Nobody ever wants to say a person profits from the existence of this modern plague. That said, some people have benefitted from its impact on society. That goes for the NFL world too. One of those people might end up being Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Ask anybody in the know and they'll say the same thing. While the Bears are telling the truth about making this upcoming competition fair, pretty much all agree that Nick Foles has the inside track to start this coming season. He has deeper connections to the coaching staff, more experienced, and a steadier track record. It would take a significant sign of improvement from Trubisky to hold Foles off.
Head coach Matt Nagy may present him with an opportunity. One problem that the coronavirus presents is a lack of offseason work. No minicamps. No OTAs. This makes offensive installation a real challenge. That might force Nagy to scale back the volume of the playbook when the team finally does convene.
“In a good way, it’s going to make you as a coaching staff probably limit the amount of volume that you usually try to get in in a normal situation. I look at it as a positive.”
Mitch Trubisky is at his best when he doesn't think
A constant belief last season is that one problem Trubisky faced was being overwhelmed by too much information. Nagy's offense is complex and requires a lot for a quarterback to master it. This is something the third-year quarterback wasn't ready for and it showed. That is why Nagy eventually scaled things back, limiting reads and having Trubisky play more by instinct.
It worked out to an extent. The QB had some strong performances down the stretch against Detroit and Dallas and played well in a hostile Green Bay. It wasn't always pretty, but it was at least signs of a pulse. Going into training camp with a scaled-back playbook could work in his favor, allowing him to think less and just use that obvious talent he's had.
If nothing else, it would level the playing field that currently appeared skewed in Foles' favor.
