BOURBONNAIS — Matt Nagy wanted Mitch Trubisky to take chances at this time last year — to not be afraid to make mistakes or throw interceptions during training camp practices.
“Bombs away, be aggressive, take lots of shots, and I love that,” Trubisky said Thursday, when the team checked into Olivet Nazarene University. “But I’ve kind of figured out over the last year in this offense when is the right time to do that and when we need to take care of the football.”
That’s what happens in Year 2.
“Taking care of the football will be more of an emphasis this camp,” Trubisky said.
Four days later, has Trubisky lived up to his declaration? Yes and no. This year’s version of the Bears quarterback is more consistent and less mistake-prone than last training camp, even as his team’s dominant defense has proven superior through the first four days of practice.
That’s not cause for alarm — at least not yet. This year’s defense is better than the one — without Khalil Mack or Roquan Smith — that spent last preseason in Bourbonnais. Defensive backs Eddie Jackson and Kyle Fuller are all-pros. They weren’t last July.
Sunday, the first padded practice, was the defense’s finest day. The offense improved Monday, even if rain made for some sloppy play. Trubisky was cleaner, too, despite a diving one-handed interception by starting nickel cornerback Buster Skrine.
“It’s all about that positive mindset, putting the last play behind us and doing better the next play,” Trubisky said after Monday’s practice. “We did a lot better job of that today than we did yesterday, so I would say that’s growth for us.”
It’s natural this time of year for the defense to be ahead of the offense. The hope is that facing perhaps the league’s most dangerous defense makes Trubisky better. Trubisky doesn’t figure to play much in preseason games, so it won’t be until Week 1 that we see the effect of these preseason practices.
‘It’s just a challenge every single day,” Trubisky said. “You’ve got to embrace that as a competitor. And we’re just pushing each other on both sides of the ball.
“We know our defense is going to get us on some plays, but as an offense if they stop us — or they have a positive play on defense — it’s got to be a next-play mentality. Because we know we can bounce them or get them the next play.
“Or if it’s a drill — they get us one drill, and that happens, drill behind, they won that one, let’s go and get them the next time.”
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Trubisky is more equipped to do so than he was in his first training camp. Trubisky said he’s been able to dial in his timing, and how much air he wants to put underneath the ball, during the course of practice.
“Night and day, just how comfortable he is,” backup quarterback Chase Daniel said. “That’s a huge deal. The more comfortable he gets, the more comfortable our offense gets. ...
“He’s not learning the offense. He’s playing within the offense. He’s playing fast. He’s making all the checks. [Nagy] puts a lot on our shoulders in this offense, and he’s rolling with it right now.”
In his second year in Nagy’s offense, Trubisky knows what his coach wants from of him — and the philosophy behind each play.
“Just being in the offense for a whole year already, I know what he expects out of each play and what we’re kind of thinking, mindset-wise,” Trubisky said. “So it’s just going through that, continuing to work on the details, going through all the adjustments of each play and kinda just being an extension of him. And doing exactly what he wants within each play.
“And then it’s just running the offense smooth.”
