Following a loss, there’s clearly frustration immediately after the game. We’ve seen it now twice with Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky following two brutal losses to the Packers.
When Trubisky was asked about the Packers’ pass rush, the conversation deviated to an honest assessment of Sunday’s game plan and play selection. It’s a quote that has been — and will continue to be — dissected throughout the entire week.
“I felt like we could have taken more pressure off them moving the pocket a little more and me getting out — but they’ve done a great job of that all year long, and that’s what they hang their hat on, and they did that today,” Trubisky said after the game. “We’ve just got to find ways to take pressure off our O-line with a good pass rush like that, continue to mix it up, whether it’s screens, running it, draws. All that kind of stuff that helps.”
At first read, it sounds like criticism of Matt Nagy’s playcalling. It also sounds like a frustrated quarterback who knows what he does well — and doesn’t do well — and wanted to see more play calls designed accordingly.
There’s no denying that Nagy’s playcalling was a major issue in Sunday’s loss to the Packers, especially considering that it felt like a carbon copy of the season opener where they abandoned the run and passed way too often. But it felt even more frustrating considering the offense seemed to have hit its stride over the last two weeks.
Nagy was asked about any disconnect in his relationship with Trubisky, after those postgame comments. But Nagy chalked it up to frustration following a brutal loss.
“I’m saying, if you sensed a frustration, I think I know Mitch better than anybody in this building except maybe [quarterbacks coach] Dave Ragone,” Nagy said. “So I know the effect or what he means by any of that. I think probably, if I’m going back and watching that, it’s probably very general and big-picture. But it’s also right after the game. So I take nothing by that, and we have a great relationship.”
Following Trubisky’s comments, it’s a valid question to wonder if Trubisky voiced those concerns to Nagy on the sideline during the game. It’s likely a question Trubisky will be prompted to answer during his weekly press conference Wednesday.
As for Nagy, he said that there is communication through the game on the sideline between he, Trubisky, Ragone, offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich and backup quarterback Chase Daniel.
“I think for all of us, just the biggest thing is just trying to do it together and execute everything that’s there,” Nagy said. “It’s just, for whatever reason, it felt a little bit more [Sunday] with just the negative plays and just not staying ahead of the chains and then not scoring. Again, we couldn’t get that run game going early on.”
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