When the Bears welcome the Detroit Lions to Soldier Field in Sunday's Week 10 battle between the two worst teams in the NFC North, quarterback Mitch Trubisky can count on at least one person admiring his game: Lions coach Matt Patricia.
Trubisky's become accustomed to a chorus of boos from Bears fans this season, and let's be honest, he's deserved it. His 58.5 grade from Pro Football Focus ranks 51st among quarterbacks in 2019. This, in a league that features just 32 starters. At this point, he's playing like a fringe backup and even that's a stretch.
Just don't tell that to Patricia.
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“This guy, he’s a good player,” Patricia said Wednesday of Trubisky. “He’s athletic, he’s strong, he can get out of trouble, he can extend plays, he can scramble, he can run, he can throw. He’s got deep balls, he’s got great skill guys, so that’s the major issue that we have to deal with. He’s a great player, and we got to start there.”
Are we sure Patricia isn't watching tape from 2018? In fact, is he watching any tape at all? The one word that least describes Trubsky at this point is 'great.'
Maybe Patricia is trolling the Bears. Maybe he's being sarcastic. Maybe he's just not paying attention.
And that brings us to the sad reality of the quarterback position in Chicago. When a rival coach's praise feels more like an SNL skit than something that should be taken seriously, it's probably time for a change.
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Unfortunately, that change won't happen until the offseason. Maybe that's good news for Patricia, who can admire Trubisky's greatness for another eight games.