The embers in the rubble still were glowing Friday afternoon as John Fox emerged from reviewing the Bears' 35-14 loss to the Packers. When it was time for the coach to fulfill his media obligation, only 15 hours after saying his team was "outcoached" and "outplayed" by their rival, he was neither ready nor willing to provide clarity about the most important question facing the 1-3 Bears.
Will Mike Glennon keep the starting quarterback job, or has rookie Mitch Trubisky's time arrived?
"I'm not really trying to be clear," Fox said. "Actually, probably quite the opposite. But we're evaluating everything."
Credit "Foxy" for an honest answer on that one.
The coach certainly wasn't going to announce any change 10 days before the Bears' next game, a Monday night matchup against the Vikings at Soldier Field.
Remember how tight-lipped the Bears were about Trubisky's promotion to the second string in Week 1? They waited until five days before the opener and even withheld publication of their regular-season depth chart.
So maybe the Bears will wait until later next week to verify who their starting quarterback is, hoping to keep the Vikings in the dark as long as possible. Or maybe they will take more initiative and be more forthcoming with an announcement about unveiling their quarterback of the future.
Whenever and however the decision is made public, it would not at all be surprising if the Bears turn to Trubisky. Glennon's eight turnovers in the last three games are untenable. At the very least, they strain the Bears' ability to be patient with the plan to develop Trubisky in the sanctuary of practices.
If Fox has made one thing clear as Bears coach, it's his low tolerance for turnovers. Judging Glennon's four against the Packers requires an examination of the entire offense, Fox insists, but the veteran quarterback is compiling a substantial body of work defined by ball security problems.
He was intercepted on his second throw of the first exhibition game, and the turnovers haven't stopped.
Knowing the Bears hope to keep Trubisky incubated, though, it's fair to wonder whether they can separate their evaluation of rookie's readiness and their assessment of Glennon's play.
"You evaluate it as you can," Fox said. "At the end of the day, you try to field the best team you have available, that gives you the best chance to win."
With each Glennon turnover, the scale tips toward Trubisky. This weekend, the Bears will try to determine whether that matches up with his preparedness to take over.
"You don't really know that until you put somebody out there," Fox said. "You would like to have them as ready to take the test as possible. Typically, the more you study, the better you get."
