Bears hopeful Trubisky can play
The Chicago Bears on Thursday can achieve in 12 days what the John Fox coaching regime needed three seasons to do – win three divisional games.
If it happens with a win over the Detroit Lions, it will look much different than any of their first seven wins because it will likely happen without quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Chase Daniel is expected to start against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving because of a right shoulder injury to Trubisky that was not reported until Monday evening by the Bears. Trubisky was listed as doubtful Wednesday, and Tyler Bray was signed from the practice squad to back up Daniel.
“I know that Chase, this is one of the reasons why he’s here, if we get in a situation like this where we have to make a decision one way or the other,” head coach Matt Nagy said. “This is why you have a guy like Chase. You feel very comfortable with him. Chase understands; he’s the oldest guy on our team so he’s got experience.”
The 32-year-old Daniel last played extensively or started in 2014 and has thrown only 78 NFL passes. He has 51 completions for 480 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Trubisky suffered a right shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday night’s 25-20 Bears victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He was sliding, was hit late by Harrison Smith on the left shoulder and at the time had his right shoulder pressed against the ground under his body weight.
“It wasn’t intentional,” Nagy said. “Again, it is football. It is an illegal hit. You always want to look at things from both sides and you hope it’s not malicious.
“But when it’s a late hit, then it can be challenging for you. But it’s, again, there are just so many variables that go into it. Mitch is a tough kid.”
So Daniel has more urgency than usual in a week when the Bears didn’t really hold an official extensive practice – they had walkthroughs on Monday and Tuesday.
“This week is a little bit different just because it’s a short week, but I really haven’t changed the way I prepare,” Daniel said. “I prepare like a starter every week, so for me it’s just another game.”
Daniel hasn’t had more than two throws in a season since he was with Kansas City in 2014. However, he has extensive knowledge of the offensive system after being in it from 2013-15 while Nagy was quarterbacks coach with the Chiefs.
“Nags and I go way back, he was my position coach for three years in Kansas City, obviously, and we stayed close for my time away,” Daniel said. “Yeah, we have a great relationship, so when it comes to that we trust each other pretty well. So we know what each other likes and I think we can just roll.”
Daniel also played for the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
“The No. 1 thing that you learn about Chase when you’re around him is that in a really good way, he’s extremely confident in how he plays because he’s so smart,” Nagy said. “The game is not fast to him when he plays.”
Starting on short notice is nothing new to Daniel. In the 2013 season finale, he took over for the Chiefs when Alex Smith had suffered a lacerated spleen. Daniel completed 21 of 30 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown in a 27-24 loss to San Diego.
“I got called by Andy Reid on Thursday night late, so really that week I only got a red-zone practice on Friday and a walkthrough on Saturday,” Daniel said. “So similar timeline (to this week), yeah.”
Trubisky is leading NFL quarterbacks in rushing with 363 yards and his mobility had helped lead to only one sack allowed by the Bears line in each of the last three games. So the Bears might lose that aspect from their offense.
Yet offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich thinks it won’t have a big impact.
“They’re not that significantly different,” Helfrich said. “Certainly, you’re going to tailor things to one person or another absolutely, but within the same structure.
“We’re not going to change the offense if something happens. You can’t do that. But certainly there are nuances to whoever is in there.”
Trubisky just beat the Lions Nov. 11 in his best passing game yardage-wise. He threw for 355 yards on 23-for-30 passing with three touchdown passes.
Nagy didn’t describe the injury beyond saying Trubisky didn’t require surgery and is “in pain, which is normal.” He called it a situation similar to when Bears linebacker Khalil Mack had an ankle injury and wide receiver Allen Robinson II a groin strain, and they were questionable each game day until they were able to play.
Daniel normally does not receive practice reps, and this is the first time in Trubisky’s career he has been on the injury report. So Daniel has largely been Trubisky’s mentor and a practice player.
“He challenges our defense every day in terms of running the scout team and he coaches every position,” Nagy said. “He’ll just pull somebody aside and go, ‘Hey, the quarterback is looking for this or that,’ something, maybe that Mitch isn’t even into as far as the global understanding of things and helping those guys develop.”
SERIES HISTORY: 178th regular-season meeting. Bears lead series, 98-74-5. The Bears ended a three-game Lions winning streak Nov. 11 in Chicago, 34-22. The Lions have won five straight over the Bears at Ford Field. On Thanksgiving Day, the teams are 8-8. The teams started the Lions’ Thanksgiving Day tradition in 1934 with a 19-16 Bears win.
