There is no longer any debate that Mike Glennon is the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Ryan Pace said so during the introductory press conference. It was almost impossible to misinterpret them. He's excited about giving the former Buccaneers backup a shot to prove he was misused back in 2013 and 2014 when he started 18 games.
The question for fans isn't whether Glennon starts. It's for how long. Many remain skeptical that he becomes anything more than just a competent game manager. Somebody who makes a few nice throws, doesn't turn the ball over and feeds the running game. Good perhaps for the regular season, but few such types win a championship these days.
That of course remains the end game for Chicago. It's why there is widespread belief that Glennon is merely a "bridge" option. Somebody who keeps the seat warm until the actual driver is ready to go. If this is true, it raises suspicion that the Bears may have that somebody in mind. After all, there is still one slot open on the quarterback depth chart.
Peter King of the MMQB, one of the most respected football columnists in the business, liked the signing of Glennon. Specifically he liked how his deal was structured. It gave the young man a good pay day for 2017, but gave the Bears a chance to move on in 2018 if they wished. Thus this year is basically an audition for the 27-year old.
"I actually think the Bears did a good deal—relatively—with Mike Glennon, now that the numbers are out. It’s $16 million guaranteed in year one, and then only $2.5 million guaranteed after that in a three-year deal. Glennon has 2017 to prove he’s a good starter, or the Bears will go QB-prospecting again in 2018. And it’s no lock they won’t take a passer high in this draft either."Given the way the Bears have attacked free agency the past few days, it's difficult to see them going for a quarterback with the #3 overall pick. Not after signing Glennon and with John Fox having a reputation for never taking rookies QBs that high. At the same time when one digs a little deeper, a potential plan emerges. One that seems remarkably intricate. It involves a young man from Ohio named Mitchell Trubisky. Somebody that Charlie Campbell of Walter Football continues to insist is on the Bears' radar. Not only that, but also the fact that Glennon is viewed as merely the placeholder.
"The Bears grab a potential franchise quarterback to build around. There is scuttlebutt that Chicago loves Trubisky, and Mike Glennon could be their bridge quarterback until Trubisky is ready to play."There are several things that make this an interesting theory. For starters, the general consensus around NFL circles is that Trubisky might be the most complete of the quarterback prospects in this class. However, he also is the least prepared or experienced. Of the top four quarterbacks in this class, Trubisky comes in dead last with just 13 games started in his college career. Throwing him from that into the NFL fires as a rookie would be a death sentence. It will take a season at least to acclimate him to pro-level speeds and complexities. Thus it would be wise if a team interested in him had a veteran in place who could buy them time. Somebody like, say, a former backup with 18 career starts under his belt. From this perspective the signing of Glennon looks like a win-win move. At most he can be a surprise gem of a find who becomes a starter for years to come. On the other hand he can at least provide some experience and stability at the position while the team works to get the guy they see a future with ready to play. So why Trubisky? Sports Mockery has written a number of pieces on him to date already stating that of all the quarterbacks in this class, he is the best fit for Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. Two big reasons stick out the most. His ability to stand with poise from within the pocket and his accurate passing. People got a glimpse of how natural a passer he is at the scouting combine. An underrated quality of a top QB is being able to hit the last step of their drop back from center, turn and throw to a spot with timing and precision. Often before the receiver is out of his break. Trubisky flashed that quality a number of times. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Mitchell-Trubisky-North-Carolina-QB-2017-NFL-Combine-Highlights.mp4"][/video] Footwork is so vital to the success of an NFL quarterback and Trubisky seems to have some really nice feet. It looks easy on tape but if it were then it wouldn't be such a hard position to play. Several times at North Carolina he demonstrated some nifty footwork to navigate the pocket. He would sense pressure, shuffle the feet to avoid it and still maintain his mechanics to deliver a pass where only his receivers have a shot at it.
So. The inevitable question will come from many people. Why would the Bears do this? Why spend the #3 overall pick on a quarterback after just signing Glennon? They could easily grab a top defensive lineman or even one of those long-lost safeties they haven't had for a decade. Maybe even a top receiver to replace Alshon Jeffery. This is all true. There is just one problem. None of it matters until Chicago finds a quarterback. This is the one lesson the franchise has yet to learn. Nobody succeeds in this NFL until they have a QB who doesn't need a perfect situation to actually win football games. In truth there are any number of advantages the Bears could gain by adding Trubisky.
- If Glennon performs well they have a talented backup and valuable future trade chip.
- If Glennon doesn't perform well they have him waiting in the wings to take over.
- If Glennon does well but the team wants to go with Trubisky, they have an experienced backup on a cheap deal that becomes very tradeable.
