Chicago Bears: Mitch Trubisky Faces Another Overlooked Challenge

There are many reasons why the Chicago Bears have had quarterback problems over the years. Talent. Bad systems. Limited weaponry.

All of those things have played a part. Yet there may be one overarching issue that not enough people are addressing. That is the ability for one quarterback to stay on the field for an entire season. People don’t understand how big a thing this is for the Bears, so here’s a stat that will put it all in perspective. Since the 1970 merger, Chicago had a starting quarterback make it through an entire season eight times.

That may sound like a decent number until you realize that the Bears have played 47 seasons between 1970 and 2017. For the math geeks out there, that’s a mere 17% of the total number of seasons where a Bears quarterback made it through without getting injured or benched. Jay Cutler is a perfect example. He started eight years in Chicago and managed to make it the full 16 games just once. That was his first year in 2009.

By comparison, Philip Rivers has gone 12-straight seasons without missing a game for the Chargers. For those who think this doesn’t matter? Keep this in mind. The Bears finished with a record of .500 or better in five of the eight seasons where a QB went the distance. Never underestimate the value of stability.

Mitch Trubisky is hoping to reverse that trend and has help

Now we come back to the man of the moment:  Mitch Trubisky. He knows exactly the sort of situation he’s walked into. He knows the poor legacy Chicago has at quarterback and all the reasons for it. The kid wants to play well. That’s a given. However, he also wants to build something other QBs haven’t had. That’s a level of trust from the fans. Playing well does that, but so does staying on the field.

The good news is he has a lot of help now to make this a possibility. He has new weapons at receiver and tight end who will get open more often, allowing him to not hold the football. He has an offensive line coach in Harry Hiestand who is among the best in the business. Last but certainly not lease, he has Matt Nagy at head coach. If anybody knows the value of keeping the quarterback healthy, it’s a man who’s played the position.

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In five years with the Chiefs, Alex Smith started at least 15 games every year. Most of the times he missed a game was because the team was already in the playoffs and he was being kept fresh and safe on the bench in the finale. This is a coach who knows how to construct a system that will keep the quarterback out of harm’s way.

If this can be the case for the first time in ages for the Bears, there’s no telling what good things may come of it.