Bears rookie Mitch Trubisky ready to be 'face of the franchise'

Bears rookie Mitch Trubisky ready to be ‘face of the franchise’

By Adam L. Jahns

North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky reacts after being selected by the Bears. (AP)

Bears rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky might be Ohio’s Mr. Football, but don’t get him going on the Browns’ seemingly never-ending run of quarterbacks.

“There is a lot of them,” said Trubisky, whose hometown of Mentor is just outside Cleveland. “I like to watch other quarterbacks, not necessarily the Cleveland quarterbacks.

“I try to watch the great ones. But you have Bernie Kosar, who had a lot of success in Cleveland. But I like the Peyton Mannings, the Tom Bradys, trying to learn from the best to ever do it.”

Time will tell if he’ll be anything like those superstars. The Bears are banking he will be after giving up extra picks to draft him.

At the very least, Trubisky — who was officially introduced by the Bears on Friday — seems to understand the magnitude of his arrival in Chicago.

“You’re the face of the franchise,” said Trubisky, who started one season at North Carolina after being named Mr. Football in 2012 after his senior season at Mentor High. “Everything you do is going to be under a microscope, so I’m just going to do the right things like I’ve always done.

“[I’ll] stay true to myself, and you’ve got to be a leader. You’ve got to be the first one in the door and last one out. You’ve got to be the hardest working guy. You’ve got to be the most knowledgeable, and you’ve got to be competitive. I don’t think anyone wants to win more than I do. Hopefully, I can bring that to this organization.”

Trubisky is eager to play but ready to learn. He already understands his place for next season. He had no problem calling Mike Glennon the starting quarterback.

“I’m very excited to work with him and the rest of the quarterbacks here,” Trubisky said.

To his credit, Trubisky doesn’t shy away from the scrutiny and pressure he’ll face. He attended the Bulls’ playoff loss to the Celtics on Friday night and received a mixture of boos and cheers when he appeared on the video board. But he wasn’t bothered.

“Much love Chicago, thank you!” Trubisky posted on Twitter.

Overall, Trubisky said he’s not afraid of the criticism that comes with being the face of a team.

“If the coaches say it to the media or they know what they’re talking about, then I’ll listen to what you guys have to say,” Trubisky said with a laugh. “But if it doesn’t come from the coaches, I know how to block that out. I’m going to stick to what I know and what I do and just continue to learn from the coaches and the rest of these players in the league.”

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Email: ajahns@suntimes.com