Pressure on Bears to devise proper game plan for Mitchell Trubisky
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears’ decision to bench quarterback Mike Glennon in favor of Mitchell Trubisky was the right call.
The Bears could no longer live with Glennon’s mistakes — he had eight turnovers in four games — and expect to win.
But don’t expect Trubisky to a savior in Year 1.
The Bears preferred Trubisky to sit behind Glennon for a reason. With only 13 career starts at North Carolina, Trubisky is still a raw prospect. To say Trubisky is 100 percent ready to take over is overstating it.
The onus is now on offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains to craft the proper game plan for Trubisky on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears have to keep it simple.
Chicago is incredibly weak at wide receiver. The Bears have dropped eight passes as a team this season, tied for third most in the NFL, and four of those drops have come in the red zone, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Bears’ leading receiver this season is Kendall Wright, who currently ranks 69th league-wide in receiving yards.
The wide receiver situation is unlikely to improve.
• Statistics
• Scoreboard
• 2017 schedule, results
• Standings
The Bears need to overcome that by allowing Trubisky to attack the edge against the Vikings. Trubisky showed during the summer that he’s capable of making plays outside the pocket; therefore, the Bears should roll out Trubisky whenever possible to cut the field in half.
The Bears have to push the ball downfield more often with Trubisky. The offense was very predictable in the first quarter of the year because there was no threat of Glennon beating the defense deep. In fact, the Bears barely even attempted to stretch the field vertically. That needs to change with Trubisky, and it probably will; at least an effort will be made to occasionally take the top off the defense.
Of course, the Bears must maintain the identity of a running football team to help Trubisky.
The good news is that the Bears are averaging 4.6 yards per rush this season, good for seventh best in the NFL, and Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen each rank in the top 25 in rushing this season.
The important thing to remember is that Trubisky’s NFL debut won’t be flawless. Without question, the second pick will make his share of mistakes against a very good Minnesota defense. Trubisky will be only the sixth quarterback taken in the first-round to make his first career start on Monday Night Football.
Talk about pressure.
But the franchise has to move forward. Glennon was living on borrowed time anyway.
Trubisky is the only one that can usher the Bears out of the NFL abyss.
