Aug 31, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) drops back to pass against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at Soldier Field. Photo Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Calls for rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s debut are unlikely to subside following Mike Glennon’s performance in Sunday’s 29-7 loss by the Chicago Bears to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They’ll fall on deaf ears when it comes to Bears head coach John Fox.
“Mike Glennon will be our starting quarterback against Pittsburgh and we’re going to do everything we can to get him prepared,” Fox said Monday.
Fox had no desire to look at Trubisky after three first-half Glennon turnovers left the Bears down 26-0 at halftime against the Bucs. Fox said he’s committed to Glennon starting, and it’s far too early now to make a change.
“Well I think after two games it’s really hard to evaluate somebody,” Fox said.
Glennon has an 81.2 passer rating (57-for-85, 514 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions). In the first game, Glennon did not turn over the ball, but threw two interceptions and lost a fumble against Tampa Bay.
Fox was against the idea of throwing Trubisky in for mop-up duty to gain experience during Sunday’s rout because he said Glennon also needs playing time after only two weeks.
“I wish we could play two quarterbacks at once, but I don’t know if that would be our best option,” Fox said.
Trubisky’s time will come, Fox argued.
“I don’t know anybody has a crystal ball when that is,” Fox said. “I know I don’t and I’m here every day watching in practice and on video.
“Right now, we’re just trying to develop, really, three quarterbacks — really two, primarily, and that’s Mike and Mitchell just because they’ve never been with us before. We just completed the second game of a 16-game regular-season schedule.”
Earlier in his career, Fox wasn’t reluctant to make quarterback changes. He had success switching from Kyle Orton to Tim Tebow while coaching Denver and from Rodney Peete to Jake Delhomme with Carolina.
“Every experience, every situation is unique,” Fox said.
Fox hinted that it’s not just his decision to make. Others are evaluating. General manager Ryan Pace and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains are two others with obvious opinions to be shared.
“I think you just kind of know when it’s time,” Fox added. “You can’t measure it all exactly the same because people are all different.”
Glennon feels he learned something about operating within the offense from the two interceptions he threw against Tampa Bay.
“I think if I am not 100 percent sure he (the receiver) is going to win, then just move on,” Glennon said. “The second read in the progression was open and if (the primary receiver) is not winning right away then I need to get off of him and move on with the progression.”
The schedule could also be a concern. The Bears follow their game against Pittsburgh with a Thursday night matchup at Green Bay.
Presumably, a start for Trubisky would go better with more preparation. The Bears would have a week and a half to get ready for Minnesota on Oct. 9, and it would be a home game as well.
No one has said this is the plan, though.
Much will depend on how Glennon progresses.
“It’s something that upstairs we talk about every day,” Fox said. “We had a pretty good feel of what we were doing to start with and we still feel pretty good about that moving forward with Mike being the guy and we’ll see where that takes us.”
–The Bears counted six dropped passes in their performance Sunday, although unofficial counts put it at seven or eight. Wide receivers Kendall Wright, Josh Bellamy and Tanner Gentry had drops among the injury-plagued wide receiver corps.
“Well, it’s just focus and concentration,” head coach John Fox said. “A couple of cases, whether it was last week or this week, trying to run with it before you catch it. Sometimes they take their focus, their eye off the ball.
“I’d liken it to, those of you that play golf, like when you shank one. It’s just, you gotta stay focused. It’s a very mental game even though it’s a very physical game. We just need to increase that and get better at it.”
Changes in the receiver group because of injuries to starters Cameron Meredith and Kevin White made a difference.
“And we’ve had a lot of guys rotate through there in a short period of time,” Fox said. “Again, it’s some of those guys’ first game, too. It’s something we’ll continue to work on.”
