On Tuesday night, the United Center public address announcer asked a young Blackhawks fan what he was going to be for Halloween. When he gave his answer — Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky — the kid got booed.
It was cruel, but familiar. The night after the Bears drafted quarterback Mitch Trubisky No. 2 overall in 2017, fans booed the quarterback at a Bulls game.
In between those two United Center incidents, here’s what Trubisky has done: gone 18-13 in the regular season, played on a Bears team that won the NFC North for the first time since 2010 and made the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
He’s taken a giant step back this year. He’s been booed in both home games he’s played start-to-finish, and with good reason: the Bears mustered three points in a loss to the rival Packers and Trubisky played perhaps the worst game of his career — indecisive, inaccurate and inept — against the Saints.
Entering Sunday’s game against the Chargers, Trubisky ranks 31st in passing yards per attempt, 25th in passer rating 29th in passing yards per game. There are real concerns that he might not make it to the end of his rookie contract as the Bears starter.
And yet, it’s possible to muster sympathy for the Trubisky. The incompletions and indecision are his fault. But the circumstances aren’t.
Criticism of Trubisky centers too often centers around not who he is, but who he’s not. He hasn’t won the NFL MVP like the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes or become the face of the franchise like the Texans’ Deshaun Watson. General manager Ryan Pace took Trubisky over both quarterbacks — and doubled down on his conviction by trading four draft picks to move up one spot and take him.
When Bulls fans booed the quarterback on his first full day in Chicago, they were mad at Pace for the trade. Trubisky will forever be linked to the two, and might never finish higher than a distant third. Bears fans are reminded of that fact every time Mahomes throws a no-look pass or Watson describes a play in painstaking detail during a press conference.
While acknowledging the outside pressure, the Bears have preached all week about tuning out the noise. Trubisky, who’s notoriously hard on himself, was asked how he kept positive during what must be the hardest week of his pro career.
“I guess you just practice that,” he said. “We’ve been playing this game a long time and if you just don’t think you’re good enough to play or you think you have those bad thoughts in your head, then it’s definitely going to snowball and go bad from there. But I think we all know what we’re capable of, just talent-wise on offense and what we can be and what we did last year. And if you don’t believe in that, you’re in the wrong spot. You’re in the wrong place.”
Anthony Lynn believes he’s in the right place. In a backhanded compliment, the Chargers head coach called Trubisky “a starting quarterback in this league,” but also praised his role in the Bears’ 12-4 season.
Lynn first liked Trubisky coming out of college. He had inside information — UNC backup quarterback Nathan Elliott grew up a block from Lynn’s home in Celina, Texas. Elliott mowed Lynn’s lawn as a boy for $25.
“The more I looked at [Trubisky] and studied him, I saw something,” Lynn said. “He only started for that one year, but I knew his work ethic because the guy that backed him up … just raved about his leadership and work ethic. So I know a lot of intangibles about him that some others didn’t. …
“Just watching him on the field, he made throws, he had a quick release. He reminded me sometimes of Aaron Rodgers, the way he moved around. If he ever got in a bind, he could create. I thought he had the total package.”
As if Trubisky needs another quarterback for whom to be compared.
