Grading the Bears Mitch Trubiskys Accuracy a Question Again After Loss to Eagles

The word "honest" became a buzzword for the Bears in December, and it will remain one as they evaluate everything about their team after an 8-8 season.

Coach Matt Nagy started using it first, particularly when it came to his relationship with quarterback Mitch Trubisky.

General manager Ryan Pace then mentioned it during his opening statement Tuesday, saying the decisions he'll face over the next several months will require "a real, honest assessment of our roster and our entire football operations."

Bears president/CEO Ted Phillips used it, too, expressing his desire for an "honest analysis" and an "honest assessment" from Pace and Nagy through "honest conversations."

But is it difficult to reach honest conclusions about a roster — particularly a certain quarterback — when there are emotional investments made in people and players?

"It's all about the kind of people you bring in," Phillips said. "And I think with Matt and Ryan, they have stayed true to who they are as individuals, high character guys. Low egos.

"We've all got egos, but they have low egos in terms of making sure they make objective decisions. They are solution-based. They are focused on finding solutions, and I'm confident they will."

It will start with soul-searching discussions about Trubisky and his future. Hope and honesty are two different things. How the Bears disconnect them and evaluate Trubisky wasn't going to be discussed in extensive detail during a 35-minute news conference, but it's what matters most.

The disappointing debut

In training camp, veteran Chase Daniel said having a next-play mentality was repeatedly stressed inside the quarterbacks room. In his 11th season, he said it still wasn't easy for him.

But it was a message directly intended for Trubisky, who is a harsh critic of himself and welcomed the burdens of being the Bears' franchise quarterback.

The Bears were proactive. The 2019 season would be different for Trubisky, starting with the Super Bowl expectations. It also would open on a grand stage against the Packers. Everyone would be watching.

Then came an absolute dud.

Trubisky completed 26 of 45 passes for 228 yards and a game-ending interception — to former Bears safety Adrian Amos of all players — in a 10-3 loss at Soldier Field. He had a 62.1 passer rating and was sacked five times.

After all the offseason hype, Mitch Trubisky fueled his critics' fire after the season opener against the Packers. (Robin Alam / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

When Trubisky stepped to the lectern after that season-opening loss against the Packers, he didn't dress in the suit that he wore to the game. It was a visual break from his norm. His tone changed.

People noticed. That season-opening loss was simply difficult for Trubisky to shake off.

Talking last week, Mark Helfrich — the Bears' offensive coordinator who was fired on Tuesday — revisited that concern.

"The train wreck that happened the first week, like I said at the time, we didn't handle it great," he said. "Some of that stuff is stuff you just need to immediately flush and move on. Some of it is an issue.

"Again, that's players and coaches, not just one guy. But it's the same song and dance of some things here that we need to flush and some things that (Trubisky) needs to trust a little bit more and build a little more on. It's hard in the scope of how the season has gone to trust that. That's hard."

Overcoming everything

Inside Halas Hall, no one was under more pressure to produce and perform than Trubisky. But he embraced it.

Trubisky pushed Nagy to challenge him in training camp and, of course, everyone loved it. How could the team not? Trubisky wanted to be great.

Throughout the Bears' stay in Bourbonnais, Trubisky threw interceptions. But the Bears were OK with it. They pushed him to push the envelope. He also had the right answers for most of them. What they heard was viewed as progress.

"He's got better answers to questions and better questions to me," quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone said at the time.

But the season-opening loss to the Packers changed that.

It opened up Trubisky to more questioning, his answers to more interpretation.

In today's modern world with social media, you can only insulate yourself so much. From turning to the team's director of media relations when asked about the Packers to a tongue-in-cheek comment about turning off the TVs at Halas Hall, some of his answers were blown out of proportion.

But it's also partly why there was an intense focus on Trubisky's mental state — including from Ragone and Helfrich — and questions from the media about his confidence.

It was serious scrutiny, something unique to this particular high-pressure situation.

"Could you imagine playing quarterback in this market?" said a former Bears player who remains close to the team. "It can't be easy."

Play calls vs. players

On Tuesday, Nagy went back to a play and a decision from Week 3 against the Redskins when discussing Trubisky's room for growth.

On third-and-12 from the Redskins' 26 in the third quarter, Trubisky opted to throw a checkdown to tight end Trey Burton instead of waiting for receiver Anthony Miller's wheel route to develop.

Despite good protection, Trubisky quickly turned to Burton, while Miller came open for a potential touchdown.

"I can say this to you because he knows this and I think for you all to understand the growth of him understanding how we think in that moment, when we have a nice big lead to get to a situation to end the game," Nagy said Tuesday. "And we didn't in that scenario early in the season.

"As the season went on, he grew from those. There's times where, like I said, a touchdown-to-checkdown mentality where he did that. I think that's the growth as we go here and seeing those types of scenarios that we're learning. I could go on and on with different scenarios, but that's just one for you all to understand."

Nagy's play calling deserves scrutiny after this season, but only to a point. There are examples of throws that were either missed completely or not even attempted. The error is with the quarterback, not the call.

Herein lies some of the Bears' frustrations, too. Trubisky, for the most part, had good practices. It just didn't translate enough to games.

Trubisky's overthrown deep ball to receiver Allen Robinson on first-and-10 from the Bears' 46 in the second quarter of their 26-3 loss to the Chiefs is an example, too.

Nagy indicated as much after reviewing the film. He called it because he saw it work in practice. Instead, Trubisky missed a potential touchdown with the Bears down 10-0. It could have — should have — changed the game.

"Mitch knows that he can make that throw," Nagy told reporters on Dec. 23. "He's made it in practice. Again, his reaction after the throw, you knew that he would've wanted it back."

Mitch Trubisky's matchup with fellow 2017 draftee Patrick Mahomes was bound to disappoint Bears fans. (Mark Brown / Getty Images)

Fixing the fixable

Depending on whom you ask, some of Trubisky's struggles are rooted in his inconsistent mechanics. Overthrown deep passes have been a theme of the Trubisky-Nagy era.

One of Trubisky's worst came in the Bears' 17-16 loss to the Chargers in Week 8. Before Eddy Piñeiro missed a game-winning field goal, Trubisky missed a game-sealing throw on first-and-10 from the Bears' 42 in the fourth quarter.

Receiver Taylor Gabriel beat his favorable matchup against a linebacker and was wide open over the middle and streaking toward the end zone.

"Maybe threw it just a little bit early," Trubisky said after the game. "But I thought it was there. It felt really good when it left my hand. Missed."

One NFL evaluator with an expertise in quarterbacks said that Trubisky's problems can be fixed with footwork. It would improve his timing, his accuracy and cut down on airmailed passes. It just takes time to fix it.

"Consistently erratic," the evaluator said.

Most if not all quarterbacks work with private coaches in the offseason. Trubisky did last offseason. In 2020, it will be interesting to see if his coaches, along with his efforts, change.

On Tuesday, Nagy said that he wants to see Trubisky's footwork improve when it comes to stepping into the pocket and trusting it, where "he's not drifting out."

"It worked for us on fourth-and-9 at the end of the game last week (against the Vikings)," Nagy said. "But there were times throughout this year where (it's) focusing on trusting the center of that pocket, pushing forward. And now he's a running threat. He becomes a runner.

"So if they want to play two-man (coverage) or they want to play different coverages, where he can take off with his legs, he can do that."

Nagy said that mechanics-wise he is fine "shoulders up."

"It's more so just footwork," Nagy said. "The other thing with this offense is it's all about timing. So routes are matched with the footwork of the quarterback and so mastering the footwork mechanics of knowing, 'Is a guy pressed, is it off, etc.?' That's huge."

Keeping a team together

In late October, during the Bears' four-game losing streak, it looked like frustrations might boil over, especially for the Bears' receivers.

The signs were on social media, in liked tweets and deleted tweets.

And then it stopped.

"We have a lot of high character and strong culture in our building and they all understand it's a growth process," Pace said. "There are a number of NFL teams that are going through this with young quarterbacks, and it's just part of it. But again it's not all him. We're growing in a lot of areas throughout our whole roster."

It started with Nagy, who relentlessly searched for ways to get his quarterback going. Nagy's messages against finger-pointing and fracturing came early. Accountability would be widespread. It wasn't just Trubisky.

Nagy's assistants were armed with examples, too. There were missed blocks and blown assignments up front. Players ran wrong routes at times and didn't keep two feet in bounds. And there were drops — a lot of them.

The Bears were down to their fourth, fifth and sixth tight ends by the end of the season — players who weren't even on the 53-man roster in Week 1.

"(Trubisky) knows he needs to be more consistent," Pace said. "He knows he needs to play better. We know that too. It's not all one person. I know everybody wants to make one person the villain. It's not all just one person's fault. There's a number of factors in play here we've got to sort through."

When the flashes from Trubisky came, some of the celebrations with his teammates became emphatic. His teammates would later point to all the work they saw Trubisky put in week after week.

Removing the intangibles from an on-the-field evaluation of Trubisky might be difficult, but the Bears have to do it. The expectation now is that growth will come through adversity for the entire team. Everyone should feel challenged.

"You learn a little about yourself," Trubisky said last week. "You learn about the people around you and just how people react when you're going through adversity, through tough times. What are you going to do to change it around, to stay even more positive? Are you going to continue to believe in the process and who has really got your back along the way? Family, friends, coaches, teammates. When stuff isn't going perfectly or to plan or when things are going really bad, who's got your back and who's in your corner? You really see who really does throughout that process."

Flashes to frustrations

At one point in the second half of season, Trubisky got angry. Maybe it was the media coverage or getting pulled late against the Rams in Los Angeles on national television because of his hip injury. Either way, his play clicked. There was a belief that he was finally taking his season into his own hands.

The Bears' second three-game win streak of the season became a source of optimism. There were flashes galore. Trubisky completed 75 percent of his passes for 582 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions for a 116.9 passer rating in victories over the Lions and Cowboys.

The advanced numbers liked what he did, too. Trubisky had QBRs of 64.3 and 81.9 — his best two marks of the season — against the Lions and Cowboys, respectively. He averaged more than 8 yards per attempt.

It just didn't last. There was another dud against the Packers at Lambeau Field. This time, the Bears' faint playoff hopes died with it.

How did Nagy and Pace's conversations about Trubisky change with Phillips throughout the season?

"I think there is a lot of belief in Mitch," Phillips said. "It's really a consistency issue. I think we all saw the flashes and that gave us hope and then he would regress a little bit."

It was extremely disappointing — especially coming against the Packers.

Phillips continued his answer to the above question by citing Nagy's call for Trubisky to become a "master" of opposing coverages and how they're disguised. The concerns about his decision-making are rooted in it.

"I think he'll be able to do that," Phillips said. "He's got all the ability in the world."

But the team's confidence in Trubisky only will be fully renewed through consistency.

"(Pace and Nagy) have both never wavered from their belief that Mitch can be a very good starting quarterback in the league," Phillips said. "It's just a matter of him doing what he does well more consistently."

The Bears expressed confidence in Mitch Trubisky publicly. Privately, they may be more guarded. (Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images)

Message of the day

Officially, the Bears picked up the fifth-year option for Leonard Floyd on May 1. But Pace said he was planning to do so on Jan. 14, the day he met reporters after the Bears' 2018 season ended against the Eagles.

Trubisky didn't get the same treatment Tuesday.

"We're not at that point right now with the season ending just two days ago, so we're not at that point right now," Pace said. "And when we will we'll let you guys know."

It was a more notable answer than Pace saying "yes" to a question about Trubisky being the Bears' unquestioned starter for 2020.

Beyond a price tag that will exceed $20 million for 2021, the team has optics to consider. Not picking up the option — even immediately — sends a message to Trubisky.

The Bears had a similar approach with cornerback Kyle Fuller. They wanted to see more and he responded well. Fuller was eventually retained after the Packers signed him to an offer sheet.

The current reality for the Bears is that Trubisky is their unquestioned starter on Dec. 31 because he's literally the only starter under contract for next season.

Things will change in the Bears' quarterbacks room in 2020. Pace hinted at it by mentioning that Daniel and Tyler Bray will be unrestricted free agents. He actually brought up Daniel three times.

"I think with all of our free agents we're saying 'OK, how do we feel about that UFA on our team versus what's out there in the marketplace?'" Pace said. "And that will be part of the process"

It's an ongoing one, too. The marketplace for quarterbacks always is volatile, but it hasn't been determined. The scouting combine in Indianapolis — the unofficial start of free agency — is in February.

Two months ago, there were rumblings in various league circles that the Bears had stepped up their efforts in scouting quarterbacks in the NFL and college.

Some of the quarterbacks who could be available are on playoff teams, including the Saints' Teddy Bridgewater and Titans' Marcus Mariota. Others are injured and waiting out decisions from a major regime change — i.e. the Redskins' Alex Smith.

"The quarterback room is critical," Pace said. "It's important for us. We're always going to try to make it better. But as far as who it is, what we're going to do, we're not there yet."

Giving hope a chance

Seeing the success of the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Texans' Deshaun Watson might irritate Phillips and chairman George McCaskey, but they know Trubisky's story is different. From the beginning, patience was needed.

"When Ryan drafted Mitch, we all knew he had only one year as a starting quarterback in college and then after Matt came in, that was another year prior to that that he had a different offensive system," Phillips said.

"I think now with Matt facing adversity he did this past year, that between he and his staff and Mitch having the adversity he faced, that they're going to be able to kind of rally and get the best out of him that we can this year. I'm confident of that."

In some ways, the Trubisky era was rushed in 2017. He didn't have an Alex Smith to spend a season behind or a head coach with an offensive background or even quality receivers.

For now, the Bears take solace in grouping him with other young quarterbacks not named Mahomes or Watson. Trubisky is going through what the Jets' Sam Darnold, Browns' Baker Mayfield and Giants' Daniel Jones are going through. Mayfield and Jones will have new head coaches in 2020, too.

"If we go back and look at a lot of young quarterbacks in the league, historically, these moments have occurred," Pace said. "It's just part of the growth process sometimes. As much as we don't want to hear that, it happens."

Especially three years into that quarterback's career.

But here the Bears are. What they do next — and what they do in their attempts to fix it — will be more telling than anything said at a news conference.

"I mean, 8-8, no one's happy," Pace said. "We sit here disappointed. We're not dejected. We're working on solutions but there's a multitude of factors. The word that comes to my mind this season is regression. And why did we regress in so many areas? We need to figure that out. We still had the young foundation that won the division last year. What happened this year is going to be part of the process that we're going to go through."

(Top photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)

scottreatunat.blogspot.com

Source: https://theathletic.com/1502271/2020/01/02/where-things-went-wrong-with-mitch-trubisky-and-how-the-bears-plan-to-fix-it/