Why Bears can't waste any more time before turning to Trubisky
Thank you for your four games of service, Mike Glennon. And that win last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers? Much appreciated.
But early in a season that was deemed Glennon's year, it's already well past the time the Chicago Bears turn to rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
Four days after that upset victory over Pittsburgh - which Chicago largely won in spite of his 101 passing yards - Glennon coughed up four turnovers in a blowout loss to the hated Green Bay Packers. Just a quarter of the way through the campaign, he's committed eight turnovers.
Trubisky can't possibly be much worse.
In fact, the second overall pick in this year's draft outperformed the fifth-year pro in the preseason.
| Comp. | Attempts | Yards | Comp. % | TDs | INTs | QB rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trubisky | 36 | 53 | 364 | 67.9 | 3 | 0 | 106.2 |
| Glennon | 26 | 44 | 243 | 59.1 | 2 | 2 | 70.5 |
Going into the season, the plan was to give Glennon $16 million for the year and allow Trubisky to learn from the sidelines. Plans change, however, and the Bears should be turning to Plan B after their starting quarterback's latest performance.
It should be noted that Glennon isn't the only one at fault for Chicago's 1-3 record. He had to go forward with one of the most depleted receiving corps in the league - missing his top two options in Cameron Meredith and Kevin White - while the healthy pass-catchers have been plagued by drops and mistakes.
The running game hasn't been much better. Jordan Howard ran for 140 yards against the Steelers, but aside from that performance, he's had games of 52, 7, and 53 yards on the ground.
The reality is Trubisky will have the same problems. He'll have Kendall Wright, Josh Bellamy, Deonte Thompson, and Zach Miller to throw to, and perhaps even more defenders in the box loading up to stop the run. But he comes with far more upside and the added ability to escape the pocket when it breaks down and create plays with his legs.
Now two-and-a-half games behind the Packers in the loaded NFC North, the Bears have little reason to be thinking playoffs in 2017. So there's nothing keeping Glennon under center aside from a preseason promise from the front office.
Trubisky was taken well before fellow rookie quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and DeShone Kizer in this year's draft, yet he's had to watch while the others take their lumps. Meanwhile, if there's any player who needs game reps, it's Trubisky, who has just 13 career college starts under his belt.
If Trubisky sits for the entirety of his rookie season he will have started 13 games of football between 2012 and 2018.
— Cian Fahey (@Cianaf) May 11, 2017
Trubisky proved in the preseason that he has the talent; he just needs an opportunity to display it. He's done more sitting and learning than most college prospects. It's time for some action.
Having played on Thursday night, the Bears have 11 days before their next contest, which falls on a Monday night against Minnesota. That's more than enough time to get Trubisky ready for his first NFL start.
There will be growing pains, but it's far better to go through them with the quarterback of the future than with a player who doesn't figure into the team's long-term plans.
Head coach John Fox admitted Friday that his team needs "to make a lot of changes." It needs to start at the quarterback position.