The superfluous “n” in these names and the “s” at the end of pretty much any establishment name (Da Jewels) are pretty classic Chicago. Maybe it’s an indifference to accuracy or political correctness, but the same casual regard for proper names is applied to sports figures in our fair city.
In the heat of peak baseball season, fresh off the first Cubs World Series in over 100 years, sports fans are focused on the first pre-season game and the nonexistent quarterback crisis they face. Patrick Sharp re-signed with the Hawks, Derrick Rose will be playing with Lebron, and Willson Contreras might be broken for a month or the rest of the season. And yet, there’s equal time being given to whether or not Mitchell Trubisky should see some playing time in a season nobody expects the Bears to win.
Retooling in football is not the same process as it is in baseball. There’s no minor league system where you can groom and evaluate younger players, and injuries are much more prevalent. That said, Ryan Pace has addressed key needs each year so far.
What shines the spotlight on the Trubisky pick is the fact that there was a pretty solid safety on the board for the second (or even the third) pick. I agree with Bears fans who think getting a leader and solid player in that position could have had a greater short-term impact than a rookie QB with little or no pro-style play in his repertoire. We could have seen improvement this year at safety (and in the defense/team by proxy), or deferred improvement at QB with a placeholder in the meantime.
However, if Trubisky turns into a franchise QB, then this will be a long, fruitful run for Ryan Pace, and moving up to get his guy would be vindicated.
Nothing the Bears brass has said would indicate that they have any intention of playing Trubisky this season, and I think that’s best. Glennon has an excellent opportunity. If he plays well, either the Bears or another team will have to pay attention (see Josh McCown), and Trubisky could become trade bait.
If Glennon just holds the water, the offense has another year under the same OC to develop, and even if he’s not setting the world on fire, he’s setting the table for Trubisky to succeed. And, if the rest of the offense doesn’t hold up, that’s important (painful) information their high pick shouldn’t have to learn the hard way.
As fans, we should be hoping for Glennon to make Trubisky irrelevant. Get enough of Mitch on film to dangle him as bait, then get a piece or two for him where we still need help or depth. Realistically, I’ll be happy with a year where the defense isn’t ranked at the bottom of the league and the team looks like a professional outfit once again.
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