When Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy made the decision to bench starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in favor of backup Nick Foles during yesterday’s 30-26 win against the Atlanta Falcons, many fans were caught off guard, considering Trubisky had played relatively well through the first two games.
It turns out his teammates didn’t necessarily see the move coming either.
Receiver Allen Robinson, speaking to Bears Wire ahead of his Within Reach Foundation’s “An Evening Within Reach” Gala taking place October 19, was asked if he was surprised Foles entered the game.
“Yeah, I kind of was,” Robinson said. “I wouldn’t say shocked, you never know what’s going to happen in the course of a game. We had training camp with both quarterbacks so we have experience with both of those guys and at the end of the day, coach did what he thought was best for the team.”
The Pro-Bowl wideout, who caught 10 passes for 123 yards and a score, also said he didn’t really have time to react to the switch.
“Everything happened so quickly,” Robinson said. “By the time Nick was put into the game, we had already gone over the plays and things like that so now it’s going out there and executing.”
Robinson did just that, catching four passes for 54 yards and a score all in the fourth quarter. He may have had some extra motivation thanks to his overturned touchdown in the third quarter.
On the Bears’ first possession with Foles in at quarterback, Robinson caught a touchdown on a fade route simultaneously with Atlanta Falcons defensive back Darqueze Dennard, with Dennard coming up with the ball on the ground. The initial ruling by the officials was a touchdown, but was quickly overturned after further review. Robinson said that call fueled him for the rest of the game.
“It did [light a fire in me],” he said. “For me, I always want to go out there and be as much of an impact to my team as possible. When you get plays like that called back, as frustrating as they may be. You know you have to bounce back and continue to make more plays to hopefully lead to a victory, which I was able to do.”
The Bears won’t be caught off guard moving forward now that Foles is officially the team’s starter. It should also mean more good outings for Robinson and his teammates, who look to continue their hot start against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.
Tickets for Robinson’s “An Evening Within Reach” gala are now on sale and proceeds will benefit the Within Reach Foundation, whose mission is to provide educational resources to low-income and inner-city Chicago students. Visit www.allenrobinson12.org for more details.