Chicago Bears: Preseason Debut Proves Little For Trubisky
By Erik Lambert
Mitch Trubisky showed his intelligence and savvy when he told reporters flatly that he’s proven nothing yet for the Chicago Bears.
Sure his preseason debut against the Broncos was fun to watch. He completed 18-of-25 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. That’s good stuff for a quarterback. For a Bears quarterback? That’s cause for celebration, something fans did plenty of despite the team losing the game. One can understand. Chicago has been more snake-bitten at the QB position than any franchise in the NFL. That’s just a fact. No Pro Bowler since Jim McMahon in 1985. Just one Hall of Famer in Sid Luckman, who retired in the 1950s.
After years of being tortured by names like Rex Grossman and teased by names like Jay Cutler, the fanbase is dying to know what having a true franchise QB is like. Trubisky could be that guy. Still, has a preseason debut consistently told the future for highly drafted quarterbacks? Quick research into every top five pick dating back to 2010 tells an interesting story.
Chicago Bears can’t read TOO much into Trubisky debut
- Sam Bradford: 6-of-13, 57 yards
- Cam Newton: 8-of-19, 134 yards
- Andrew Luck: 10-of-16, 188 yards and 2 TDs
- Robert Griffin III: 4-of-6, 70 yards and 1 TD
- Blake Bortles: 7-of-11, 117 yards
- Jameis Winston: 9-of-19, 131 yards, 1 INT, 1 rushing TD
- Marcus Mariota: 7-of-9, 94 yards and 1 INT
There are examples of the trend holding true. Andrew Luck was outstanding in his debut and went on to become a star. Robert Griffin III did well and became a Pro Bowler his first year before a knee injury derailed him. Sam Bradford also held true from the other direction with his inconsistency. To be fair though preseason debuts just didn’t end up telling the full story. Cam Newton struggled and struggled and became an MVP anyway. Blake Bortles looked solid and is now a disaster.
Trubisky needs to string good performances together before it can feel safe to buy in on him. The NFL is a diverse place where nothing is the same with each opponent. If he can perform well against different defenses with different looks, then it will offer proof that the opener wasn’t a fluke.