Trubisky’s next step a big one, and he’s ready

The Bears QB is bullish on the offense’s progress with training camp up next.

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Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky (talking with coach Matt Nagy at an offseason practice last month) is pleased with his progress this offseason. “I’ve got a lot better grasp of the offense,” he said.

AP

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky can’t wait to get started. 

He’ll take a five-week break from football activity after the conclusion of the veteran minicamp and offseason program Thursday at Halas Hall. But he’s ready for training camp now. If he woke up today, and it was July 22 — his reporting date in Bourbonnais — he’d take it. 

“Perfectly fine with that,” Trubisky said.

So while everyone needs to get a little break before the start of the grind of an NFL season, football and preparing for a much-anticipated season will still be a big part of Trubisky’s “vacation.” 

“Absolutely,” he said before practice Wednesday. “I’m thinking about football all the time. . . . This is what I love to do. This is what I look forward to doing. To have that mindset to get to where we want to go — the goals we have set this year — we want to practice all the time, get better, be around the guys, hang out and just play ball. 

“We’re living the dream, obviously, being able to come to work today and play football. For me, you just get to relax and take care of the body a little bit. But I’m always thinking about football and reporting to training camp July 22.”

While the experience from last season is the foundation of the quantum leap the offense is expected to take in Year 2 of coach Matt Nagy’s offense, Trubisky’s drive and focus are the catalyst. And he is driven to succeed like a quarterback should be. 

“I don’t want to call it OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder], but ask him about his schedule,” cornerback Prince Amukamara said. “I think he has it down to the minute for the offseason. Because I was asking him about coming to my camp, and he said, ‘Let me check my calendar.’ And he was like, ‘Monday, 8:30, 9:00,’ and he’s going through everything. That was pretty interesting.” 

Amid high expectations, Trubisky was pleased with the progress he has made in the offseason program. 

“I’ve got a lot better grasp of the offense,” he said. “We’re way ahead as far as timing, operation, getting to the line of scrimmage, getting in and out, adjustment on all of our plays and just knowing where to go with the football — especially against all of these different looks the defense is throwing at us. I feel we’ve done really well. I feel like I have improved my game. We just have to keep getting better.” 

His teammates have noticed the difference. 

‘‘I’m an offensive lineman, so I don’t know much about quarterback,” guard Kyle Long said. “But I will say that his command in the huddle, his ability to keep us on task with tempo [is the biggest area of growth].” 

“It’s confidence,” wide receiver Taylor Gabriel said. “Mitch is confident back there. He’s confident in switching the calls. We’ve got a lot of double moves out there. He’s confident in what he’s looking at. He’s not just trying to figure out what the play is. Now he gets to look up and look at the coverage. It’s just a drastic change from last year.”

Trubisky’s summer vacation begins Friday, but it won’t last long. Most of his plans were football-related. 

“Just taking a little time because we’ve been at it for so long,” he said. “Watch all the film clips from OTAs and detailing them out. Get my arm right and make sure my body is ready to go and continue to get ready for camp. My mind will be in the right place. Just going through this offense and staying on top of it and hit the ground running when we come to training camp.” 

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