It's never an easy thing to harp on Jay Cutler. That's because he was a polarizing quarterback during his time in Chicago. Some people loved him. Some didn't. He had his share of critics. The question always was what did they dislike the most about him? The decision-making? The surly disposition? For many it was the accusation that he wasn't taking his role as leader of the team seriously. That experience had many thinking what the Mitch Trubisky leadership would be like.
The thing about Cutler wasn't that he wasn't totally negligent of his responsibilities. He did certain things expected of a leader. He got teammates together to workout in offseason, text messaged new draft picks and free agent signings, welcoming them to the team. Whenever former players came out to criticize him he never fired back, taking the high road.
At the same time there were grumblings about his style. Rumors persisted that he treated some teammates well and others "like idiots." He was rarely seen encouraging teammates on the field or the sideline. In fact more often he was spotted giving them stern glares of disappointment. He was never the motivational type, and that may have been his greatest shortcoming.
Is Trubisky any different? Boy is he ever. (continue to next page)
Mitch Trubisky leadership is already showing up and having effect
Anybody who's kept a pulse on the Bears over the past couple weeks has to sense it. The energy around this Bears team is changing. Slowly but surely. Signs have increased each week. Players offer instances of Trubisky behind the scenes. His hard work. The tireless effort to improve himself. The coaches can't seem to sing his praises enough. They laud his talent but more importantly his unusual selflessness to do whatever his team needs him to do. If fans were looking for a crystal clear example, the rookie just provided it. During his Tuesday meeting with the media following the Bears' victory in Baltimore, he was asked about how he felt throwing just 16 passes in that game. Most QBs would've been upset not being allowed to do more. Trubisky shrugged it off. For him it doesn't matter as long as they win."As a quarterback, you want to be throwing the ball but as a competitor and a leader of this team you're going to do whatever it takes to win. If it's running the ball, if it's passing the ball, whatever it is that's what we're going to do. I didn't feel any type of way at all about how many times we ran it or how many times we passed it. Just excited to come away with the win and how we stuck together. Always awesome to see."
Trubisky showcased that unselfish attitude during game
A lot of quarterbacks say that sort of stuff but don't always back up their words. NFL Fillms covered the Ravens game on Sunday and had exclusive access to the Bears sideline. During the late stages of the game they caught the rookie talking to his teammates on the bench. Was he telling his receivers to get open? The offensive coordinator to call more passes? Nope. He with his offensive line telling them that if the Ravens defense continued to give them the same looks, they'd continue to make checks and "run it down their throat." [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Trubisky-Howard-Help-Bears-Steal-a-Win-Against-the-Ravens-Week-6-NFL-Turning-Point000241.456-000434.064.mp4"][/video] A quarterback freely embracing the run because it's what is best for the team. That is rare. Trubisky comes across as such a confident, almost cocky young man. Yet he's able to balance that with an understanding that what he wants and what will help his team win aren't always the same thing. Keep in mind he understands this at just 23-years old. Time will tell if he's truly a franchise QB or not. One thing is clear. He's the leader they haven't had at that position in a long time.Comments
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