The Mitch Trubisky Debut: Will It Determine His NFL Career?

The Mitch Trubisky debut is at hand. After a month of inaction the #2 overall pick in the 2017 draft is finally set to become starter for the Chicago Bears.

He will get his first action against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. This has plenty of people nervous. It’s Mike Zimmer, one of the most respected defensive coaches in the league. His units are always difficult to attack because they’re talented and disciplined. It can make life tough on a young quarterback who isn’t used to seeing complex coverages and having to make adjustments.

Some Bears fans are afraid it could be a rough night for the rookie and that might set the tone for the rest of the season and maybe even his career. It’s typical pessimism from fan base that has been tortured at the quarterback position going back decades. They’ve watch one man after another crumble under that pressure in Chicago while having to watch hated rivals perfect the art.

So what about it? Does the debut for a highly-touted rookie have a lasting impact on their careers. To help answer question I went back through every notable 1st round pick who accomplished some things in the NFL and saw how they did in their first career starts. By this line of logic it would have to mean they all did pretty well right? Yeah, no.

Michael Vick

• 4-of-12, 32 yards, 1 TD, 2 rushes for 4 yards
• W 20-13

Carson Palmer

• 18-of-27, 248 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
• L 31-24

Eli Manning

• 17-of-37, 162 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
• L 14-10

Philip Rivers

• 8-of-11, 108 yards, 1 TD
• W 27-0

Ben Roethlisberger

• 12-of-22, 163 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
• W 13-3

Alex Smith

• 9-of-23, 74 yards, 4 INTs
• L 28-3

Aaron Rodgers

• 18-of-22, 178 yards, 1 TD
• W 24-19

Jay Cutler

• 10-of-21, 143 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
• L 23-20

Matt Ryan

• 9-of-13, 161, 1 TD
• W 34-21

Matthew Stafford

• 16-of-37, 205 yards, 3 INTs
• L 45-27

Cam Newton

• 24-of-37, 422 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 8 rushes for 18 yards and 1 TD
• L 28-21

Andrew Luck

• 23-of-45, 309 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs
• L 41-21

Robert Griffin III

• 19-of-26, 320 yards, 2 TDs, 9 rushes for 42 yards
• W 40-32

Teddy Bridgewater

• 19-of-30, 317 yards, 5 rushes for 27 yards and 1 TD
• W 41-28

Jameis Winston

• 16-of-33, 210 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
• L 42-14

Quite the array of different results, and none of them that could be called spectacular. Cam Newton threw for 400 yards and accounted for three touchdowns. Teddy Bridgewater had 300 and a rushing TD. Aside from that though it was a mix and match of good and bad. Alex Smith, who currently leads the NFL in quarterback rating this year, threw four interceptions in his debut. Things seemed to have turned out pretty well for him.

One game is not going to determine the course of Mitch Trubisky’s career. It will be the games he will play moving forward and whether he can learn from them. Learn to play smarter, faster and more poised. That is what separates the great ones from the busts.