Rookie Scouting Portfolio contributor Mark Schofield reveals what’s behind quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s sudden outburst of production in Chicago.
After a somewhat sloppy start to his second year in the NFL, Mitchell Trubisky was facing criticism in Chicago. Lots of it.
There were some corners of the Midwest calling for head coach Matt Nagy to make a move to backup Chase Daniel. But the rookie head coach implored with members of the media: The breakout is coming.
Over the past two games, it certainly seems that Nagy was right. Trubisky threw six touchdown passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and followed that up with a three-touchdown performance last week against the Miami Dolphins, albeit in a game that the Bears lost in overtime.
What is behind this sudden outburst?
Some of it can be traced to confidence and competitive toughness in the young QB. Nagy has gone to great lengths to instill a sense of confidence in his second-year QB, including a return to play designs that Trubisky missed on earlier in the season — or even earlier in the same game — to show his young quarterback that he still believes in him. This was apparent on a critical play in the game against Miami.
This aspect to Nagy’s play-calling has paid off in other areas, as you can see to this point in his season a growth in Trubisky’s confidence, which translates to faster and more aggressive decisions from the pocket. If you are a Bears fan, these are the kind of plays you want to see from your signal-caller. This video puts together some of Nagy’s play-calling with even better execution from Trubisky:
As discussed in the video, you can look for these elements of playing the position when studying collegiate quarterbacks. Note how their coaches and coordinators handle them. Do they return to designs in a similar manner, trusting their QB to work through mistakes, or do they take such plays out of the playbook? Competitive toughness can be the mark of a great quarterback, and it is something to certainly look for when studying QBs.
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