Bears’ Mitchell Trubisky in an apparent healthy place

Taking over the reins as a franchise quarterback is never easy. Add in the pressure and burden of doing so with a team in a city that hasn’t seen competent quarterbacks for decades. Now, fail to live up to expectations. Scratch that. Never mind astronomic expectations. Fail entirely. Disappoint outright. Shutter the heaps and heaps of faith once placed, without question, in you.

After three years of up-and-down play, that’s the impossible situation Mitchell Trubisky finds himself in with the Bears, already backed up against a wall, already retreating into his shell.

The only problem is it appears this former No. 2 overall pick is doing anything but cowering into the exoskeleton of a snail.

Friday afternoon saw the 25-year-old Trubisky speak in public for the first time since Chicago’s 2019 season finale in January. An off-season marked by a trade for direct competition in the form of Nick Foles, stacked on top of angst directed toward Trubisky for forcing the Bears’ hand come and gone, this summer springs hope eternal. There’s a quarterback portraying himself as a man seeking greener pastures. (Or at least, he and his agent feeding statements and comments are managing such a goal together.)

His future in doubt, with no contract or meaningful legal language binding him to Chicago after this upcoming fall, presents Trubisky a limited set of alternatives. A true football Kobayashi Maru, where winning or succeeding under traditions will prove to be impossible no matter what. To his credit, he’s taking this reality in stride. It’s not as if any contrary thought would work or help him process a straddled cliff.

They do say desperate animals are the most dangerous.

General notes

On a tenuous future with no fifth-year option and no contract:

“It wasn’t really a big surprise to me, because I kind of felt like I had it coming. I put myself in their shoes … and I feel like the way I played last year didn’t merit that.”

Regarding the acquisition of one Nick Foles:

“It was kind of interesting to me. That’s the business that we’re in. I think I was pissed off in a good way. I’ve been motivated ever since.”

Where progression in a complicated offense might have failed him, and what lessons could be derived:

“Seeing the mistakes, what coverage it actually was versus what I was seeing on the field, and where Coach Nagy thought the ball should’ve went and where it actually went.”

“Just fixing my mistakes in the film study and doing different visualization and communication things with coach to get us on the same page … He challenged me and I fully accepted it as well as knowing the offense really, really well. I’m just watching a lot of film and studying it like the back of my hand. I’m excited to be a lot better in that area this year.”

A supposed fresh approach:

“I just feel like I’m in a good mental space right now,”

“I’m very driven and motivated to do a lot more than I did last year, to push myself in ways I haven’t pushed myself before, in the film room, knowledge of the offense, mechanics and footwork, and holding myself to a whole new level so I can play at a different level, so I can not make mistakes and play the way that I believe I’m capable of playing.”

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