I was typing in a corner of a hotel passageway at the scouting combine in Indianapolis last month when a longtime NFL coach sauntered up. He noticed the midseason intensity in my keystrokes and offered a look of curiosity mixed with concern.
What the hell are you working on?
"Same as always," I replied. "Just trying to solve the Bears' quarterback problem. It's a 25-year investigation."
The coach laughed, then shook his head.
"Yeah," he said. "That's a tough one. They're certainly in a bind now. When you can't get that right, you've got problems."
This is _ overwhelmingly _ the outside perception.
"The bad part for them," the coach continued, "is they had their big chance to get it right. They had that chance. And they missed on it."
He paused.
"The worst part is the guy they passed over became the real deal."
Wait ... The guy? Didn't he really mean guys? Plural?
"Yep," he said, nodding. "There were multiple. There were multiple."
With that, the coach shook his head again and was off to tend to his team's business.
The leaguewide sentiment about the Bears at the combine was nearly unanimous: They're certainly in a bind now. And they have problems.
Action is needed. As soon as possible.
Three years after making an all-in bet on Mitch Trubisky to be their franchise quarterback, the Bears suddenly are caught straddling a pointy fence. The organization's key decision makers _ led by general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy _ are balancing their urge to forecast a developmental uptick for Trubisky with the need to invest in a reliable insurance policy.
And this month, the Bears will have their first real chance to show how they truly feel about their quarterback situation, their first big opportunity to present a vision for the immediate road ahead. That move is coming soon. Very soon.
