BOURBONNAIS, Ill. _ An energized crowd settled in Saturday at Olivet Nazarene for the Bears' first padded practice of training camp. For most fans in attendance, it was an opportunity to get their first glimpse at No. 2 overall draft pick Mitch Trubisky. After practice, the quarterback also spoke with reporters for the first time since arriving at camp.
But Trubisky had major struggles handling the snap from under center.
In the offense's first 11-on-11 work, the rookie quarterback mishandled his first two snaps from center Taylor Boggs, putting both balls on the grass and sending groans through the bleachers. A smattering of sarcastic applause followed when Trubisky secured the third snap and successfully handed off to Ka'Deem Carey. But two snaps later, Trubisky again fumbled the exchange, offering a snapshot into some of the basics he still is trying to master as he begins his NFL career.
"I just lost focus there for a period of time," Trubisky explained. "And then I was starting to overthink it and couldn't get it."
Trubisky owned his fumbling mistakes and dismissed the explanation that his lack of experience under center caused Saturday's hiccups.
"It was frustrating because that was uncharacteristic of me," he said. "I have to handle that. They were just wasted plays. ... I wasted a team session right there and I didn't allow myself or my teammates to get better. You just have to block that out and bounce back."
