Get ready for the Mitch Trubisky comparisons, but don’t fall for them

The truth is that none of us know how Mitch Trubisky’s career will turn out.

There’s plenty of promise but there’s also a lot of unknowns. Trubisky has 12 games under his belt and he played in an offense that limited his opportunities to make plays.

Going into his second season, Trubisky’s in an offense that caters to his strengths and will put him in situations to maximize his potential. However, it’s no sure thing that he is going to succeed.

That’s why when during last Saturday’s preseason game against the Denver Broncos, commentator Jim Miller’s comparison of Trubisky to Hall of Famer Steve Young caught me so off-guard.

From the Chicago Tribune’s Phil Rosenthal:

“See Steve Young. That’s one of the greatest scramblers of all-time. Look at how similar Mitchell is. See the getaway quickness. He’s able to pull away, make guys miss, very elusive when he tucks the football and runs.”

And then Miller’s broadcast partner, Adam Amin, referenced the quarterback for the Bears’ rival to the North, invoking Packers quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers:

“I’m not making the comparison, but guys like Aaron Rodgers have that skill,” Amin said, sure sounding like he was making the comparison. “That’s a skill Mitch Trubisky has.”

In this Patrick Finley Chicago Sun-Times article from June, players invoke quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan when talking about Trubisky’s growth and leadership skills.

There is a need, in sports, particularly the NFL, with the whole scouting process, to compare players to other players. It’s a natural part of being fans, but I am warning you to be wary of this.

It is way, way, way too early to start talking about Trubisky in relation to other players with much longer careers and far more experience. Even qualifiers such as “that’s his ceiling” or “it’s what he could be” aren’t enough to make the exercise absurd.

Despite Bears general manager Ryan Pace having brought up Drew Brees as the template for which he scouts his quarterbacks, it’s unfair to Trubisky to put that kind of pressure on him in his second year. It seems like we know enough about Trubisky to realize he has the mindset to be able to minimize these comparisons, and not let them become distractions or make him think he’s better than he is.

That isn’t the point.

We need to sit back and enjoy Trubisky for being Trubisky, whatever that is. It seems like it could be very good and that this offense could create something that is fun to watch.

Maybe Trubisky’s game does have elements of certain Hall of Famer or future Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Getting bogged down in these comparisons means we risk missing Trubisky for being Trubisky.

What if there is no comparison to Trubisky? Just sit back and enjoy the development as he becomes his own player. This is still a young quarterback with 12 NFL starts to go with 13 college starts, and is now in the first year of an offensive system.

There will be head-scratching moments, struggles, and games that won’t go how as planned. That doesn’t mean that it’ll be fair to compare him to Rex Grossman or Jay Cutler in those moments, either.

Let the comparisons come in a couple more years. Until then let Trubisky be Trubisky and enjoy the ride.