Mitch Trubisky era has begun for Bears; John Fox: ‘I think he’s ready’

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Bears rookie Mitch Trubisky had a 106.2 passer rating in the preseason, with three touchdowns and no interceptions in four games. (Brian O’Mahoney/For the Sun-Times)

Though Bears coach John Fox has insisted that Mike Glennon is just “one of 11” players with a hand in the team’s offensive woes this season, he couldn’t ignore the reality that the quarterback has the biggest hand of all.

So following a debacle in Green Bay on Thursday night that dropped the Bears to 1-3, it was not surprising that Fox — calling it “a decision [that] had to be made” — said Monday that rookie Mitch Trubisky will replace Glennon as the starting quarterback when the Bears host the Vikings on ‘‘Monday Night Football’’ next week.

The move was much anticipated after Glennon had a hand in four turnovers — two interceptions and two fumbles — in the discouraging 35-14 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field. Glennon had eight giveaways in four games as the starter. At 1-3, Fox is looking for a spark from an offense that ranks 29th in the NFL in scoring. The team was told of the move Monday morning at Halas Hall.

“Obviously [there was] disappointment for Mike, but I think there’s some excitement for Mitchell,” Fox said on the Bears official radio show Monday night. “Just a decision I thought had to be made. We had 10 giveaways in the first four weeks of the season — you can’t win football games that way. Not that they were one guy’s fault. But . . . we’re going in a different direction.”

The move to Trubisky puts the rebuilding Bears on a course many thought they should have been on from the start of the season. The Bears traded three draft picks to move up one spot to take Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft. The rookie from North Carolina was impressive in the preseason, completing his first 10 passes and sparking a 17-point rally — against the Broncos in his NFL debut and finishing with a team-best 106.2 passer rating — completing 68 percent of his passes, with three touchdowns and no interceptions. But the Bears had promised Glennon that 2017 was his year and Trubisky has been the No. 2 quarterback until now.

Trubisky will be the Bears’ first rookie to start at quarterback since Kyle Orton in 2005.

“It’s definitely going to be a challenge. Minnesota at least in my tenure has been very salty on defense,” Fox said. “But I think he’s ready. He’s worked hard. He’s grown quite a bit. I think the four games he’s sat and prepared . . . you see him in practice, how he operates — his confidence level. I think he adds a dimension [of mobility]. We’re excited to see how he does.”

Still, the quarterback change is more a reflection of Glennon’s substandard play — and the Bears’ need for hope — than anything else. Bears general manager Ryan Pace was insistent that Trubisky would sit behind Glennon for the entire season.

That the situation devolved so quickly is a disappointment at Halas Hall. Glennon showed few of the attributes Pace touted when Glennon signed a three-year, $45 million contract (with $18.5 million guaranteed) in March. And his immobility quickly became a particularly acute liability.

Glennon had a 76.9 passer rating in his four starts. He completed 66.4 percent of his passes, but

averaged less than 6.0 yards per

attempt, with four touchdowns and five interceptions. In the Bears’ lone victory, he threw for just 101 yards, as the Bears rushed for 220 in a 23-17 victory over the Steelers. Fox said Glennon would be the No. 2

quarterback.

“[Mike is] obviously disappointed,” Fox said. “It’s four games — that’s not a huge sample size. But we didn’t give ourselves a chance in two games. So we have to change all that. Is it all his fault? No. But he did have his hand in it. Now we’re going to see how Mitchell does.”

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@MarkPotash.

Email: mpotash@suntimes.com

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