Packers vs. Bears Q&A: Examining Mitch Trubisky’s inconsistent play

This Sunday, the Green Bay Packers face off against their arch rivals, the Chicago Bears. Robert of Windy City Gridiron was kind enough to answer some of our questions about the Bears and provide some insight into their strengths and weaknesses.

APC: Perhaps no quarterback’s play has fluctuated more week to week than Mitch Trubisky, who has finished six games this season with a passer rating below 80 and two above 140. Certainly, his shoulder injury has affected him in recent weeks, but how do you account for the season-long variation in his performance?

I’m not going to rationalize Trubisky’s play this year. He’s disappointed me more often than not, especially early on when he continued to make the same mistakes from week to week in September. A lot of pundits originally pointed to how he was on pace to break many Bears quarterback statistical records as something to be celebrated. Bears passing records aren’t exactly a high bar, and to me, those early numbers were heavily inflated by the modern passing efficiency of the NFL.

That being said, quarterback development isn’t linear. No one young quarterback’s career trajectory is the same. There are so many situations he hasn’t yet seen or experienced enough to determine exactly what kind of player he is, and where his ceiling is. I’ve seen enough progress from Trubisky this year to believe he’s, at worst, a serviceable starter.

Like his coach, the best thing that Trubisky does is adapt. While it took awhile for him to get over rampant pocket presence and progression issues, once he honed in and got comfortable, Trubisky looked like a man possessed. For him, it’s about building on consistency, which many young quarterbacks have trouble with. It’s going to be fascinating to watch how Trubisky gets his sea legs back under him with a division title and playoff push on the way for the Bears. I thought he had finally found his place before that recent throwing shoulder injury, and unfortunately that threw him off course. If he can get comfortable again, I have little doubt he won’t find his quality midseason form.

We’d like to thank Robert for his insight. Be sure to check out our Q&A session over at Windy City Gridiron, as well as their fantastic coverage of all things Bears. As always, keep your internet machines tuned to Acme Packing Company for our comprehensive game-day coverage of Packers versus Bears.