CHICAGO _ Don't be angry with Mitch Trubisky. It's the wrong emotion. Disappointed? Sure. Unfulfilled? Totally fair. But angry? Nah, that's misguided. It's misdirected energy.
Trubisky's benching Sunday in Atlanta became an official demotion Monday. Matt Nagy told his quarterbacks first, then shared the news with the world.
Nick Foles will start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field. He is the Chicago Bears' QB1 going forward, while Trubisky becomes the understudy. And with that, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 draft is now No. 2 on the Bears depth' chart, left to process his fate and plan his response.
On many levels, it's a disheartening development. For Trubisky. For the Bears. For a football-crazed city that has waited forever on a championship-caliber starting quarterback but now must watch anxiously as the reset button gets pressed. Again.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Not when the Bears had their golden opportunity to draft a quarterback in the top 5 three years ago. General manager Ryan Pace traded up from No. 3 to No. 2 because he was that certain about Trubisky's bright NFL future. Pace had conviction that Trubisky would be better than Deshaun Watson and more productive than Patrick Mahomes.
When that draft-night marriage to Trubisky became official, the vision at Halas Hall was for the new young quarterback to develop into a star, to become the fuel source for a run of excellence that could last a decade or longer.
Instead, the Bears pulled the plug on Trubisky in the middle of the third game of his fourth season.
Pace's vision never included that. Nor did it project stretches of maddening inconsistency or lapses in confidence or a 2019 regression in which the Bears offense deteriorated into one of the league's worst.
And despite being given a chance to redeem himself this season _ even winning his first two starts _ Trubisky's familiar flaws just kept popping up.
Overthrown touchdown passes. Poor decisions. Not enough big plays. Too many missed opportunities.
Nagy felt he had no choice. It wasn't fair to anyone to keep forcing the issue.
It's the NFL. This stuff happens.
Still, to be angry with Trubisky for failing to become the player Pace thought he would be is unfair. The quarterback's undoing wasn't a poor work ethic. Or a bad attitude. Or a self-centered ego.
Not by a longshot.
From his first rookie camp practice until now, Trubisky has done everything his coaches have asked. He has handled the entire roller coaster ride with poise. He has been a classy representative of the organization. He has been one of the hardest workers in the building. He is well-respected and well-liked by coaches and teammates.
He has been active in the community, taking a leadership role on the Bears' social justice committee and remaining involved in those efforts throughout a turbulent 2020. His outreach efforts in Chicago have been aimed at improving relationships between police officers and the communities they serve. He has devoted chunks of time toward helping enhance opportunities for those in resource-deprived neighborhoods.
From draft night until now, Trubisky always appreciated the opportunity the Bears afforded him. He has fallen in love with Chicago and pushed himself to be at his best for a passionate fan base whose hope he worked to reward. He just hasn't been good enough.
So what's there to be angry with really? That Trubisky struggled to master all the things high-level NFL quarterbacks must master to be consistently productive?
