NFL Exec Wanted Mitch Trubisky, Saw Him as Next Steve McNair

It seems a lot of the haters are quiet lately on Mitch Trubisky. After 10 games of almost pure misery for Chicago Bears fans, people were ready to blow it all up. Just get rid of the quarterback, head coach Matt Nagy, and GM Ryan Pace. Start fresh. Nagy and Pace continued to urge patience. Trubisky was struggling but he was a tireless worker and no less talented than last year. If given time, he could figure it out.

Facing a 4-6 mark, things looked bleak. They hit a low point when the 25-year old was benched late in the 17-7 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Many felt that could be the end of Trubisky. It wasn't. He started the next week against the Giants and the first half was more of the same. New York intercepted him in the 1st quarter and forced a punt on every other offensive drive before the final one of the half.

Then something just seemed to click. Trubisky went right down the field in the first drive of the second half and found Allen Robinson for a 32-yard touchdown. On the second drive, he led a field goal march and then on the third he capped the quarter with a two-yard touchdown run. A week later he had his best game of the year in Detroit, throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns.

Whatever, right? He played two bad teams. Then Thursday night came. The Dallas Cowboys arrived with their top 10 defense and plenty of motivation to halt their recent skid at two games, thus all but locking up the NFC East. Trubisky wasn't on board with that idea. He delivered what may be a career-defining performance, accounting for 307 total yards and four touchdowns in a 31-24 victory to push the Bears to 7-6.

Not everybody was shocked by Mitch Trubisky last night

As it turns out, Trubisky still had his share of believers outside the confines of Halas Hall. Jeff Hughes, the longtime owner of Da Bears Blog, has a friend who keeps a high-ranking executive position in the NFL. Apparently his team was big believers in Trubisky. However, they also felt he wasn't ready to start. It would take a couple of years.

"There was another team that desperately wanted Trubisky in the 2017 NFL Draft. A prominent member of their front office, who I often refer to as [REDACTED], told me they believed Mitch was a three-year project. That’s how raw his tools were perceived to be. He also told me his team was going to operate on “The McNair Model” if they drafted him. Steve McNair didn’t become the full-time starting quarterback of Tennessee Titans until his third season."

For those who haven't yet done the math, Trubisky is nearing the conclusion of his third year. So that timeline is matching up. Steve McNair was drafted by the Houston Oilers 3rd overall in 1995. Over the next two years, he started a total of just six games as the team worked him in and out of the lineup. Not until 1997 did he finally take over the job. The next two seasons saw him continue to grow and then by 1999 he led the team to the Super Bowl. In 2000, he made his first Pro Bowl. By 2003, he finished with a 100.4 passer rating and earned co-MVP honors.

McNair was proof that a talented QB can pay off with patience.

The Bears understood that Mitch Trubisky had it in him to be a playmaker at that position. Last season proved that much. It was a matter of whether he could work himself into being more of a professional passer than just a runner who happened to throw the ball pretty well. We might be seeing that evolution take place before our very eyes. Just like the Titans did years ago with McNair.