Mitch Trubisky has a lot of Rex Grossman in him. When conditions are just right — a clean pocket, a productive running game, a strong defense and special teams — he’s everything the Bears thought he could be.
Grossman was a classic wind-at-your-back quarterback. At the start of the 2006 season, when everything was going the Bears way, Grossman was an MVP candidate — he was third in the league in passer rating (100.8); threw 10 touchdowns to three interceptions, was sacked a league-low four times in five games; and the Bears were 5-0.
But when things started to unravel a bit and a dominant defense lost a bit of its edge and the protection wasn’t quite the same, Grossman became a hit-and-miss guy. He had passer ratings of 137.4, 114.4 and 105.7, but also 10.2, 1.3 and 0.0. He struggled to overcome adversity — but still made it to the Super Bowl that season.
Therein lies the hurdle for Trubisky to clear at an early crossroads in his career. He can throw three touchdowns against the Lions when the pocket is clean and a bad defense is playing man-to-man. But can he be equally efficient against the Rams and their 11th-ranked defense, led by the great Aaron Donald, that isn’t as likely to play into Trubisky’s hands?
Trubisky’s 131.0 passer rating (16-of-23, 173 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions) against the Lions’ 23rd-ranked pass defense was his eighth game with a 100-plus passer rating in two seasons under Matt Nagy. And six of those have come against pass defenses that rank in the bottom 10 in the NFL.
His three touchdown passes were accurate throws on clean-pocket plays — the pinpoint 18-yard pass to Ben Braunecker in the end zone, where only Braunecker could catch it; the well-placed swing pass (trickier than it looks) to Tarik Cohen for a nine-yard touchdown; and a nice touch throw to a wide-open Taylor Gabriel in the end zone for a 24-yard score.
But even Trubisky seemed to have a finer appreciation for his best throw of the day — the 33-yard pass to Allen Robinson to the Lions 40-yard-line on the second play of the third quarter. Not only was it another perfectly thrown ball that allowed Robinson to beat Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay downfield, but there was a degree-of-difficulty with Trey Flowers bearing down on Trubisky that forced him to make a key decision — does he avoid the pressure, or hang in there to take his shot?
That he hung in there to make that play was not lost on Trubisky.
“The pocket’s not always gotta be clean,” Trubisky said. “It’s the quarterback’s job to stay in there and try to buy as much time as possible. You gotta stand in there with courage and deliver the ball.”
Ding, ding ding. Despite the emphasis on Trubisky making plays with his feet — an element of mobility and escapability Grossman did not have, by the way — it’s those courage throws that will make or break him. That pass to Robinson proved more than any other he made against the Lions that Trubisky has it in him to make a nuanced play and be a quarterback and not just a Nagy robot.
But it’s the same old thing: Can he do that on command? Can he do it instinctively? And can he do it when Aaron Donald is bearing down?
“You see a lot of the really good guys around the league are doing that — they’re able to put the ball in a good spot even when they’re taking hits or the pocket’s not clean,” Trubisky said. “You gotta do more of that.”
