The way things are shaping up, the Chicago Bears team likely won't get together for the first time until late next month when training camp begins. This in an effort to protect their players and coaches as much as possible from the coronavirus outbreak. While a wise decision, it has had some consequences. Especially in regards to the quarterback battle between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles.
One thing that is lost on people is that Foles hasn't moved to Chicago yet. He's getting his affairs in order down in Florida and hasn't had any contact with current teammates outside of Zoom calls. While he's reportedly absorbing the playbook at a rapid pace, that isn't quite the same as building connections with his offensive line and wide receivers on the practice field.
Something Trubisky is already exploiting as Allen Robinson explained in his recent video conference call with Bears media.
“I’ve been able to get on the field with Mitch quite a bit. We get on the field about four times a week. Just being able to get on the field with him and also being able to do different things on my own conditioning-wise and (inaudible) wise, being able to still maintain a very good regimen of what I’m doing.
“I feel in great shape. I feel I’ve been extremely productive throughout this quarantine and throughout this offseason. I know for a fact that my best days of football are ahead of me. I’m still trying to stack these workdays in the bank so I can bring that to the table once the season comes.”
Mitch Trubisky has proximity to his advantage and is wise to use it
It's easy to understand why a lot of people see Foles as the favorite to win this upcoming competition. He's more experienced than Trubisky and more proven. The guy won a Super Bowl. He knows several of the coaches on this staff quite well including Matt Nagy. They all know exactly what he's capable of in this type of offense. That said, it's hard to show this capability when he can't build any sort of connection with the weapons he's supposed to utilize.
This is where Trubisky has his biggest advantage. Simply being in Chicago in close proximity to those weapons has made it far easier to arrange and conduct workouts. It allows him to solidify those connections that were already established two years ago. Not to mention build new ones with recent arrivals like Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet.
It means he might come out looking far sharper and better prepared when camp starts. Will Foles be able to forge efficient bonds in such a short span of time without minicamps or OTAs? It's possible, but far from easy. This is why it isn't wise to declare anybody a winner just yet.
