Like his coach, Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky is not an idiot. He knows the comparisons between himself and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are inevitable — especially with both members of the 2017 draft class at Soldier Field on Sunday night.
But when he says he can bunker down and tune all that “outside noise” and focus on the task at hand, he sounds like he means it.
“You just play your game and find a way to win for your team,” Trubisky said Wednesday at Halas Hall. “The comparisons are out there and they are never going to stop. It’s kind of me, Pat and Deshaun [Watson] are kind of all grouped together because we’re in the same draft class, drafted in the first round and all that.
“But there are no do-overs. We are where we are. Our careers are going in different paths and they will for the rest of time and they’ll be compared against each other. It’s just the nature of the beast. But I’m in competition with myself and just trying to be the best version of me and win games for the Chicago Bears and [the comparison talk] is just something that I can’t control.
“It is what it is. But two good guys to be compared to. Hopefully we just keep getting better and help the league.”
Player development in the NFL is fairly fluid, but in its third season, the quarterback draft class is pretty well defined for now. Mahomes is the reigning MVP of the league. Watson is two-time Pro Bowler in the top 10 in yards, touchdowns and passer rating. And Trubisky is working on it — trying to make the most of a year of regression after making the Pro Bowl as an alternate last season. He’s in third place by a mile.
And even in the order doesn’t change, Trubisky still has a chance to get back in the race. But he needs help, and a lot of it. The Bears’ offense has been a mess in 2019, with Trubisky’s culpability a matter of great debate. Is he a bust who brought Nagy and the offense down? Or is he a work-in-progress that needs a better offense and better play-calling to play the same game Mahomes and Watson are playing? The only thing for sure — or at least a virtual certainty — is that he’ll get a chance in 2020 to prove one side or the other correct.
“Everybody’s journey is different,” Trubisky said. “Their journey to get where they are now is different. My journey to get where I am now is totally different, just what I had to go through — high school, college, where we are now, adversity. Everybody goes through different stuff and you just go through your journey and try to keep getting better and affect the people around you in a positive way.”
Trubisky has earned respect for remaining unbowed through a difficult season and for being a realist. He knows he’s not Patrick Mahomes. But he feels good about where he’s headed.
“I would say I’m developing,” Trubisky said. “Obviously it doesn’t always show in the statistical categories, but I feel like I’ve learned a lot throughout the season. I’ve gotten more comfortable in certain areas. I’ve definitely grown as a leader — being able to speak up, getting closer with coach and being on the same page, communicating and being more involved in the game plan and the checks throughout the game. Seeing the game a little bit better. I think it’s starting to slow down.
“Still got a long ways to go, so it’s just continuing that hard work and keep trying to get better and you never know when it’s going to happen for you — if it ever does — so keep getting better; keep grinding and do your best.”
