Eight games. That's all that's left for Mitch Trubisky to resurrect his Bears career. He'll likely be on Chicago's roster next season regardless of his performance down the stretch, but if he wants to remain the starter, he needs to string together some of the best games of his life.
The question is, do you think he's capable of that? There are plenty of Trubisky doubters in football media, but NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms is still on the fence. He told NBC Sports Chicago that he doesn't think Trubisky is a lost cause.
"I do think he’s salvageable, but I think it’ll take a little bit to build him back up," Simms said. "Then, of course, you probably have to change a little bit of the identity of the offense, and Matt Nagy would have to figure out some different ways that make sense not only for the offense but for Mitchell Trubisky to have success on that side of the ball. But it is teetering on the edge here."
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One thing Nagy could (and probably should) focus on is letting Trubisky play free. Let him get to the edge, make plays on the move, use his legs. He doesn't have to be a pocket passer to succeed; we've seen enough evidence to suggest that won't work.
But success as an NFL quarterback takes more than just physical ability and offensive scheme. It also requires mental toughness.
"The public pressure, the perception starts to become the reality in the locker room where players start to hear all the noise outside too and they start to question, man can this quarterback deliver, and all those things," Simms said. "I was a big defender of him last year, it’s hard for me to defend him right now.
"It’s not good. It’s missed throws, it’s bad decisions, it’s in the pocket, I don’t know what he’s looking at times, he’s not running around and making plays that way which he used to do when all else failed, so I’m a little worried about Mitchell Trubisky and his future, I definitely am."
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Simms is all of us right now. On one hand, Bears fans want to believe Trubisky can turn it around. But the evidence screams otherwise. How many passes does it take before finally throwing in the towel on a guy who was selected so high in the first round? Will Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy let their ego stand in the way of logic?
We'll all know the answer soon enough.
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