Surprising Player Came To Defense of Trubisky After Quiet Game

Mitch Trubisky is his own worst critic. He hasn't shied away from how he's played over the first few weeks of the season. There haven't been excuses. Even in the midst of victories he hasn't been smiling that much. Why? He's a competitor. Winning the game is most important sure. At the same time a competitor wants to contribute to that win. Not be along for the ride. Unfortunately against Thomas Davis, Julius Peppers and the Panthers he was exactly that. Trubisky and the rest of the offense took a back seat to a Chicago Bears defense that is emerging into one of the best in the NFC, if not the league. For 60 minutes they harassed Cam Newton and the rest of a talented Carolina offense. They forced three turnovers, collected five sacks and scored two touchdowns. Trubisky made one notable contribution to the effort. He lofted a beautiful 70-yard bomb to Tarik Cohen that set up the final score of the afternoon, a chip shot 19-yard field goal. The rest of the game was marred by frequent pressures and just a general lack of rhythm. Perhaps a product of being on the field for only 38 plays. One person however believes people are being too hard on the rookie. (continue to next page)

Julius Peppers believes Trubisky did what was asked of him

Despite having not played football for the Bears in four years, Peppers has never lost his love for playing defense in Chicago. He's also one of the most respected veterans in the league and a future Hall of Famer. So it might be interesting to hear his own personal take on what he saw from Trubisky during the game. It might surprise some to hear he came away impressed.

“I thought he was solid, you know,” Peppers said. “Obviously, he has a ton of ability. The thing I was most impressed with was his poise, his composure. He didn’t mess it up for them today. That was the thing I thought he did well.” Having spent four seasons with the Bears, Peppers knows what it’s like to see the quarterback mess things up, right? “You said that,” he replied with a chuckle. “Like I said, I think he is solid, very solid. Nice kid. Ton of talent. I am looking forward to watching him. I wish him well.”

Of course that was a reference to Jay Cutler, who had a reputation for carelessly committing turnovers and putting more pressure on the defense as a result. Players like Peppers always appreciate a quarterback who can protect the football. This explains why he signed in Green Bay after he left Chicago in 2014. One of the most difficult things to learn as a pro quarterback is not to get frustrated when the passing game isn't clicking as hoped. That can often lead to taking more risks, too often leading to turnovers. Trubisky, to his credit, hasn't done that. Peppers no doubt thinks the rest of the issues will work themselves out if he keeps this up.