Mitch Trubisky isn't feeling too comfortable lately. That's what happens when you return from a shoulder injury and play one of the worst games of your career. The 25-year old came into 2019 with so much momentum. He'd produced the best passing season a Chicago Bears quarterback had in decades. He threw for over 300 yards in the playoff loss to Philadelphia. People were starting to believe the former #2 overall pick was getting it.
Then the season started. Through six games, of which he's played four, he has just five touchdown passes. Two of them coming in garbage time against the Saints last week. For some context, Mason Rudolph who only started three games this year has seven. That paints a pretty clear picture of how much Trubisky is struggling. Some are already calling for a change to be made. If not at the upcoming trade deadline then certainly in the 2020 offseason.
More than ever it feels like his football livelihood is on the line. If he doesn't break this slump soon, the Bears won't have any choice but to answer those calls. So is there anything that can be done? History says yes, and luckily for the team they don't have to do anything. The mainstream media is already taking care of it.
How?
Significant proof exists Mitch Trubisky plays better angry
September 30th, 2018
True heat began to fall on Trubisky following the Bears' narrow 16-14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. A game in which the quarterback threw for just 220 yards and an interception. He was particularly ineffective in the first half, constantly unable to make even easier completions. The firestorm of criticism began to pick up and it got ugly at times.
Trubisky had to hear about that all week. He'd looked bad through the first three games of the season and some were wondering if he just couldn't grasp the new offense. It was clear he was tired of hearing questions about it by the fourth game against Tampa Bay. So he went out and threw six touchdown passes. The best statistical game a Bears QB has had since the 1950s.
November 4th, 2018
Trubisky's next encounter with the haters came two months later. He had another rough outing on the road, this time in Buffalo against the Bills. Despite the defense playing lights out and the running game with Jordan Howard humming, he still only managed 135 yards with one touchdown and one interception. After the game, former GM Michael Lombardi declared Bears fans insane for thinking he was their franchise guy.
"It's a joke. I was in Chicago this week and all I saw was Trubisky jerseys. I was thinking you people are crazy! You're going to be selling them in three years.
"When they have to play somebody tough, I think it's a real problem…I think the Bears are overvalued."
Again the questions were loud enough to where Trubisky couldn't possibly tune them out. So he went out the next week and had arguably his best overall game, throwing for 355 yards and three touchdowns against the Detroit Lions. He also ran for another touchdown, one that saw him scream to the heavens as if venting his frustration.
September 15th, 2019
Another season, another rocky start. Trubisky delivered a clunker on opening night against Green Bay which included a brutal interception in the end zone. Then a week later in Denver, he manages just 120 yards passing. Needless to say, the boo birds were out in force again, pointing out how incredibly inefficient he was and unable to produce big plays.
"NFL Next Gen Stats classified a league-high 40.7% of his targets as "wide open," meaning there was no defender within 5 yards. And he had two of the top-six easiest incompletions for the week."
A week later on the road in Washington, the frustration appeared back. Trubisky was seen talking in an animated fashion to Matt Nagy on the sidelines. It got heated enough to where the head coach actually had to (allegedly) tell him to "Shut the fuck up."
Minutes after that exchange, Trubisky threw three touchdown passes in the space of that quarter. It's clear that the young man responds far better to criticism and harsh discipline than he does to a friendly pat on the shoulder bads and encouragement that things will be fine. By the sound of things at his most recent press conference, Mitch Trubisky has found his way back into that dark place.
If he sticks to the script and plays well on Sunday against the Chargers, the Bears would be wise to keep him there.
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