I Still Believe in Mitch Trubisky

I was in love with Mitch Trubisky coming out of college. Like way, way, way too much. I had him as my top quarterback as Watson’s inaccuracy worried me, and I had just been burned by a quarterback who makes plays and shines brightest in big games, because that also describes Johnny Manziel. When it came to Mahomes, I saw the talent but like nearly everyone else, I didn’t know how it would translate to the NFL level. This revisionist history on Mahomes is a little insane, because nobody thought that guy was a slam dunk. There were things to love about him but also a ton of uncertainty. Anyway, it turns out Mahomes talent did translate to the NFL level. You may have heard about it.

So now Mitch is the butt of so many jokes, and it hurts me each and every time, because I’m an insane person who still believes in him. Even I have fallen out of love, but I don’t see why he can’t be as good as Kirk Cousins, who is, and will always be, the 16th best quarterback in the NFL. Trubisky should still at least be able to get to that level.

I forgot how good he was in college. I know he didn’t start until his junior year, but he saw time in his sophomore season and completed 85% of his passes. It was over 47 attempts, I get that, but that’s still pretty damn good. His senior year was 68%, and he did it without a lot of talent around him. Ryan Switzer is a nice little slot receiver, but it’s not like he had a big wide receiver or a top-notch running back while there. Also, they were 8-5 with Mitch and promptly went to 3-9, and then 2-9 after he left. Mitch Trubisky was an impressive prospect, and that can never be taken away.

Obviously, things have not gone as planned with the Bears. In 2017, he had to learn under John Fox, and that was a disaster, but he bounced back in 2018 and made the Pro Bowl. He was definitely streaky, but there were some really positive signs in 2018. The man was fourth in QBR in the NFL that season (Kirk Cousins was, unsurprisingly, 16th).

Mitch was a young quarterback who showed plenty of promise and enough production to think that 2019 would be another year of improvement, and instead, everything fell apart. Instead of having more confidence, he had less, way less, and he just wouldn’t pull the trigger on throws. It was so frustrating to watch. Part of this was probably due to Mitch taking way more sacks as the offensive line took a massive step backwards this season, and I also think Trubisky was hurt significantly by the Bears lack of a reliable tight end in the offense. He just didn’t have that safety valve to rely on, especially with Tarik Cohen really struggling early this season. I also think the Bears would have been helped by Jordan Howard who just bulldozes into things, and even if he’s not a great back, he is a reliable option that can churn out a few 100-yard games each season. Still, Mitch SUCKED this year. There’s no way to sugarcoat that. Even with some things working against him, he should have stepped up more than he did. He still showed flashes, but they were fewer and further in between this season.

The Bears need to get some help on the offensive line and they either need to have a healthy Trey Burton or add some help there as well. I think the receivers are good enough, especially since Allen Robinson is a true #1 wideout. I think David Montgomery will be better in year two, and will also benefit from a better offensive line. Also, if they give the damn ball to Cordarrelle Patterson on third or fourth and short, they owe me a brand new television, because I will break mine if I have to watch that plan fail yet again. 

But why can’t he bounce back? Mitch has the talent, and nobody can deny that he’s shown flashes of brilliance in the pros. He seemed to be at his best in the two-minute drill, because he stopped thinking and just fired the ball down the field. If he can get that mentality again, he will be plenty good enough to lead this team. They even brought in John DeFilippo as QB Coach when two years ago, he was being interviewed for the Bears head coaching position because of his strong work in Philadelphia. I think a shakeup for Mitch is good, and I think Mitch is going to shake things up in the NFC North next year. 

I can concede that Patrick Mahomes would have been a better selection than Trubisky, but I still think there’s a chance that he can get on Deshaun Watson’s level (I’m a tad delusional, I understand that), but either way, it’s too early to call Trubisky a bust, because he still has enough time where the next time you mention bust and Mitch Trubisky, you’re talking about his induction into the Hall of Fame. 

Who Should Be The Chicago Bears Next Head Coach?

The Chicago Bears are in need of a head coach after firing John Fox this week. Although people may not love the John Fox era, it wasn't harmful to the organization as a whole, so I really can't complain with the outcome. The Bears were not going to be Super Bowl contenders during these last few years no matter who their coach was, and Fox was a professional football coach, which was totally fine.

But now it's time to get someone exciting. Most importantly, it's time for the Chicago Bears to put in a coaching staff with a strong offensive mindset that can help develop a quarterback as Mitch Trubisky showed plenty during his rookie year, but two things he was missing was any sort of offensive ingenuity and, oh yeah, talented receivers who could actually get open and catch footballs. The Bears have plenty of money and draft opportunities for the latter, so let's look at who can fill the void with the former.

Without further adieu, here are my top three coaching candidates, unless Sean McVay is available, in which case we should definitely get McVay.

Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels is a retread coach as his first head coaching sting did not go as planned in Denver. But I think it was more a case of too much, too soon as opposed to the guy having no potential as a head coach. He definitely should not have been in charge of personnel decisions without ever proving himself as a head coach; it was simply too much on his plate.

But really, if you take out the head coaching stint, isn't this a guy to be excited about? He's had super successful offenses and has found all sorts of different ways to be successful depending on the talent he had on hand. I understand that Belichick assistants do not have the best track record, but most of his assistants had shorter track records and/or had tons of talent to work with. Admittedly, McDaniels has Tom Brady, but the variety of players that have found success with the Patriots is impressive and shows that McDaniels can adjust to his talent.

But, he also had that Rams stint where they had the worst offense in the league, which makes me think he's not quite a miracle worker. He might be the new Belichick, but he might also be Charlie Weis; that's why he's only third on this list.

John DeFilippo
If you want to look at careers with challenges faced, it might be tough to compete with John DeFilippo and the various places that he has coached. He has been a quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders under Lane Kiffin, New York Jets, San Jose State, Oakland Raiders again before becoming offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns in 2015 where they went 3-13, and although that may not sound impressive, it is triple the amount of wins they have had the last two years.

But his most important stint is his last two years as QB coach for the Philadelphia Eagles where he has overseen the development of Carson Wentz. Wentz was far more raw than Trubisky coming out of college, and he may have won the MVP award this year had he not gotten hurt late in the year. Wentz also succeeded without a superstar receiver, as he spread the ball around and found different impact players every game. This is the type of thing the Bears will likely have to do next year, as even though the weapons will improve, the receiving corps will not be fully fortified in a year.

DeFilippo has faced a number of challenges, and although he only has one year as an NFL offensive coordinator, he is at least worth an interview for head coaching positions. It would be risky, but it also might be the right call.

Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy is the current offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was formerly a quarterback at the University of Delaware. He also played professionally, although never at the NFL level, before getting into coaching as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles. He slowly worked his way up and followed Andy Reid from Philadelphia to Kansas City where he became quarterback coach before taking over as offensive coordinator in 2016.

Andy Reid is a head coach who likes to have a lot of say in his offense. He is known for still handling play calling which would seem to worry some about Nagy's actual input in the offense. But with the Chiefs struggling this season, Reid gave up play calling duties, and Nagy helped guide the team's offense to the success they sustained early on in the season.

Another huge positive for Nagy is that the Chiefs do not have a traditional number one wide receiver. This has given them a chance to show their creativity. They find different ways to use Travis Kelce, get the ball to Tyreek Hill in space, and provide enough misdirection to make Kareem Hunt look like one of the best running backs in the league despite not being a blue chip talent coming out of college. And he does all of this with a quarterback who has less than ideal physical traits.

The Bears have Adam Shaheen, who is not going to be Travis Kelce but can still provide matchup problems with his size. They also have Tarik Cohen who may not be as explosive as Hill, but he can definitely do some damage in space. And they also have Jordan Howard, who has already showed he can be a stud running back, and this is without much creativity in the Bears play calling. On top of that, the Bears have a quarterback with all of the necessary physical traits who could take Nagy's scheming to the next level.

But let's face it, the Bears are going to bypass all of these guys and go with Jeff Fisher, because sports are dumb, and the Bears will never be good.