Tag: Bears quarterback competition

Bears won’t publicly name starting QB prior to season opener vs. Lions

Matt Nagy says he won’t publicly name a starting quarterback between Trubisky and Foles before the Bears take on the Lions in Week 1.

With no preseason games for the 2020 season, instead of facing the San Francisco 49ers for what would’ve been their third preseason game, the Chicago Bears made their first appearance at Soldier Field on Saturday for a scrimmage among themselves.

The media wasn’t allowed to record or update what was going on in the scrimmage due to the teams policy, but they were able to talk to the coaches and players after the game.

The big topic so far in the off-season has been the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles. Head coach Matt Nagy gave an update on his decision so far.

Nagy says he won’t publicly name a starting quarterback before the Bears take on the Detroit Lions in Week 1. The decision will be made internally but not publicly.

The competition for the starting job has been heating up getting closer to the start of the regular season. There’s been comments on Trubisky improving and Foles being comfortable in the system.

The reason for not making it public could be to avoid the media attention and have the Lions prepare for either quarterback. But, nonetheless, the Bears and Lions kick off in two weeks and are still waiting to see who will be under center.

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Cordarrelle Patterson says Mitchell Trubisky is ‘a whole new player’

Cordarrelle Patterson has noticed that the QB competition with Nick Foles has already made Mitchell Trubisky a better player.

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There’s a lot on the line for fourth-year quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in training camp. With his future in Chicago in jeopardy, Trubisky has one last chance to prove that he can be the long-term answer with the Bears.

But that starts with winning the starting quarterback job over veteran Nick Foles in training camp.

Trubisky has used the Foles signing as motivation to become even better this offseason, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Trubisky’s teammates. Cordarrelle Patterson has noticed that the competition from Foles has already made Trubisky a better player.

“He actually looks like a whole new player this year,” Patterson told reporters Tuesday. “I see it in his eyes and everything. He’s got that fire in him. That’s what we need out of our quarterbacks, that competition, it brings the best out of everybody. I’m excited to see what him and Nick can do for that job.”

Patterson elaborated further noting that Trubisky has exuded more of a leadership mentality, something he admits wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.

Trubisky senses it, too. With so much on the line, he understands everything that’s at stake — both for him and this offense.

“I know what is being asked of me and what I need to do,” Trubisky said when told of Patterson’s comments. “I think I’m just bringing a little more edge to the offense, a little more sense of urgency and I’m just trying to go out there and make great decisions and be a spark for the offense. I just think we can continue to bring great energy to practice, and be very supportive in the quarterback room. Competition or not, we need to make sure this offense is getting better, and that’s all I’m trying to do, day-in and day-out.

“For (Patterson) to say that means a lot to me. I’m just trying to do my job and I feel like I’ve worked on my craft this offseason, so for it to show up this early, it’s nice for your teammates to notice.”

The Bears are just two practices into an allotted 14 padded practices, and there hasn’t been much separation between Trubisky and Foles. Which means this battle could continue for a couple of weeks ahead of the Week 1 opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 13.

But it’s time to see what happens when Trubisky is backed against a wall with everything on the line. Will he rise to the occasion? Or will he become just another name on Chicago’s long list of failed quarterbacks?

That’s up to Trubisky. But if he really is a whole new player like Patterson insists, perhaps he can finally become the player that Ryan Pace expected him to be when he drafted him second overall.

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Report: Bears bringing in North Texas QB Mason Fine for tryout

After not drafting or signing a rookie QB this offseason, the Bears are bringing in North Texas QB Mason Fine for a tryout.

After having one of the best careers in North Texas history, being labeled a late-round prospect and working out with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, Mason Fine went undrafted and couldn’t find a team to sign with after the draft.

It seemed like Fine’s dream of being an NFL quarterback was coming to an end after he decided to become the quarterbacks coach at Pawhuska High School in Pawhuska, Oklahoma.

A couple of days after Fine accepted his new gig as a high school coach, he has been offered a tryout with the Chicago Bears, according to Nicholas Moreano of Chicago Audible.

Fine could possibly be named the greatest quarterback in North Texas history as he has the all-time records in yards (12,505), touchdowns (92), passer efficiency (140.68). He’s also second in career completion percentage (62.8 percent) and has the most 300-yard passing games in program history (18).

The two-time C-USA Player of the Year is coming off a season where he played 12 games and threw for 2,820 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The best season for Fine was in 2017, where he threw for 4,015 yards and 31 touchdowns. In his four-year career, he has thrown 32 interceptions.

It’s been a long journey for Fine, but he’s not there yet. Fine will have to impress the Bears enough to earn a spot on the 80-man roster and then will have to compete with Tyler Bray to win a spot on the 53-man roster as Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles battle for the starting job.

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Matt Nagy gives update on Bears QB competition between Trubisky, Foles

Matt Nagy liked what he saw from both quarterbacks’ timing. But don’t expect any definitive answers about the QB competition anytime soon.

The Chicago Bears have just weeks to make arguably the most important decision of the 2020 season when it comes to determining their starting quarterback.

With an entirely virtual offseason and no preseason, the Bears have just training camp reps to determine whether Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles will be their starter. Which means they’re going to be examining every snap, every throw and every play in determining who will be under center in Week 1.

For the first time in training camp, Trubisky and Foles were able to throw to receivers, tight ends and running backs. And Bears coach Matt Nagy liked what he saw from both Trubisky and Foles’ timing on Wednesday. But don’t expect any definitive answers about the QB competition anytime soon.

“That for us is going to be fluid,” Nagy said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “And when I say that, we’ve got to be able to see, OK, if we need to sneak more competitive periods in because we feel like we’re not getting enough, where things are gray, we’ll do that.

“As far as the timeline for that, we’ll get together offensively as coaches and we’ll talk through everything, and we’ll decide what we think is best in regard to communication to the quarterbacks and then communication as to how we want to handle it with our team.”

While the quarterbacks are finally throwing to skill position players, the biggest test will come when Trubisky and Foles get to play against Chicago’s defense. That starts Friday before padded practices begin Monday.

“These guys are going to be really excited to actually go against somebody else on the other side and compete for the first time in a long time,” Nagy said.

The Bears don’t have a long time to determine their starting quarterback, and the timeline for when that decision will be made is even less certain, aside from the Sept. 13 season opener. But the key is going to be patience for everyone involved as Nagy makes his decision.

“It’s just as important for everybody to understand that,” Nagy added. “We’re not exactly there yet because we don’t know how it’s going to go here in the next several weeks. But once we get to that point we’ll keep that stuff private with us, and I promise you when we feel the time is right, you guys will be the first to know.

“After the quarterbacks.”

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ESPN believes Bears have shakiest quarterback situation in NFL

ESPN ranked all 32 quarterback situations in the NFL, and the Bears were named the worst in the entire league with Trubisky and Foles.

There’s not a lot of confidence in the Chicago Bears heading into the 2020 season. And it’s easy to pinpoint the reason why: the offense. Specifically, the quarterback position.

Following Mitchell Trubisky’s regression last season, general manager Ryan Pace traded for veteran Nick Foles to compete with and potentially replace Trubisky. Which hasn’t done anything to alleviate concerns about Chicago’s quarterbacks heading into 2020.

ESPN ranked all 32 quarterback situations in the NFL, and the Bears were named the shakiest in the entire league coming in at dead last.

This might seem low for a team with two veteran starters, but the issue here is that we know what we’re getting with Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky. And what we’re getting is underwhelming, inconsistent and perhaps poor efficiency. Trubisky struggled to a 6.1 yards per attempt last season and probably will be replaced by Foles, 31, who hasn’t played more than seven games in a season since 2015 and was benched in favor of sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew II in Jacksonville last season.

While ESPN makes a good point about the Bears knowing what they’re getting in both Trubisky and Foles, it’s hard to believe Chicago has the worst quarterback situation in the entire NFL. Especially when Foles’ former team the Jacksonville Jaguars rank ahead of the Bears when Garnder Minshew is their starter.

Both Trubisky and Foles have been starting quarterbacks in the NFL, which certainly makes for an upgrade at backup quarterback position regardless of who wins the job.

There were a lot of things that went wrong on offense for Chicago last season, not just the quarterback. That’s not an excuse for Trubisky, but it’s necessary for context when some from a national perspective want to blame Chicago’s struggles all on the quarterback.

If the Bears can get good quarterback play from either Trubisky or Foles — and get some help from the offensive line and running game along the way — it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bears become a middle-of-the-pack offense at the very least.

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John DeFilippo details how Bears will evaluate QB competition

The Bears are going to have to get creative in training camp when evaluating the QB competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.

The Chicago Bears had this quarterback competition all planned out. They were going to evaluate incumbent starter Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles through offseason workouts, training camp and preseason games before choosing their starter.

And then COVID-19 happened.

The effect was an entirely virtual offseason and the cancellation of the preseason to accommodate health and safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic in training camp. The small sample size is certainly not ideal for Matt Nagy to make the most important decision ahead of the regular season.

The Bears have stressed an open and fair competition this entire offseason, and that’ll be the case in training camp. Both Trubisky and Foles will receive the same number of reps with and against the same teammates.

“Whatever drill we’re doing—whether it’s a live drill or a drill on the side with me—we want it to be tremendously competitive,” quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo told the media on Thursday. “But in that competitive environment, you want to see which guy moves this offense better, and I think it just really comes down to something as simple as that.

“When you’re in the huddle, who’s functioning better? Which guy is raising the other 10 guys’ level of play? Hopefully one of those guys steps up in that role sooner rather than later. That would be great for our football team. But we’ll take it out as long as we need to to make the best choice for our football team. But I think it’s who moves our football team and converts on third down.”

Given that the Bears will have just training camp reps to go off of, the evaluation will extend well beyond just completions, touchdowns and interceptions. They’re going to look at the same things they’d be looking at during a live game, which is also why it hurts that there’s no preseason games this year.

“We’re going to take it to the next level a little bit in terms of accuracy, in terms of timing, decision-making,” DeFilippo said. “We’re going to not just grade whether the ball was completed or not. We’re going to try to dive into who’s the more accurate guy, who threw it on time, maybe who was the more mobile guy, who got us the first down with his feet; little things that you have to make sure of for both guys.”

Regardless of who wins the competition, don’t expect them to have a very long leash. Should the eventual starter begin struggling, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him benched.

Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that. Although with Chicago’s dismal quarterback history, it’s more reality than expectation.

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ESPN’s bold prediction for Bears QB competition in training camp

It’s not a surprise that ESPN’s bold prediction about the Bears during training camp involves their quarterback competition.

With training camps underway, ESPN’s NFL writers came up with one bold prediction for each team, including the Chicago Bears.

It’s not a surprise that ESPN’s bold prediction about the Bears involves their quarterback competition. What is surprising is that Nick Foles edging out Mitchell Trubisky is considered bold, especially given many had him pegged to win the job earlier this offseason.

Foles didn’t have the luxury of a standard NFL offseason to work with his new teammates, but Bears coach Matt Nagy clearly had reservations about Trubisky’s play last season. Foles has experienced his share of ups and downs, but the smart money is on the veteran running the offense better in practice than Trubisky, who was one of the league’s least efficient quarterbacks in 2019.

In an ordinary year, Foles likely would beat out Trubisky for the starting job. But, as we’ve seen, this year is far from ordinary. With just training camp reps to go off of, head coach Matt Nagy has a smaller sample size to make his judgement.

But Trubisky certainly has an advantage when it comes to familiarity with his teammates given this offseason has been entirely virtual. It also doesn’t help Foles that Trubisky was organizing offseason workouts with Bears skill position players in the Chicago area, including receivers Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller, running backs David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen, as well as new tight ends Cole Kmet and Demetrius Harris.

Now, that doesn’t mean Trubisky is guaranteed the job. Especially given that he had his issues last season that led to general manager Ryan Pace trading for Foles this offseason. But, given the current circumstances in the NFL, Foles besting Trubisky could be considered bold at this point. Bold, but certainly not impossible.

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The Bears are going to get creative with QB battle in training camp

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bears have just training camp reps to determine whether Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles will be the starter.

There’s never a good time to have a quarterback competition, as it indicates that you’re not confident in arguably the most important position in all of sports. But for the Chicago Bears, their timing couldn’t have been worse.

With the Bears conducting their first QB battle in 12 years, they’ve been dealt a bad hand in terms of time and experience evaluating Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles to determine which guy gives the team the best chance to win.

The offseason was entirely virtual and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL cancelled the preseason entirely. That leaves only training camp for Trubisky and Foles to prove they’re the best option for Chicago.

Which means Matt Nagy is going to have to get creative in how he evaluates both Trubisky and Foles given the small sample size and lack of live-game reps.

“When we get a chance to go out there, we’re evaluating those quarterbacks with every single play,” Nagy said. “Not just throw, but every single check that they make at the line of scrimmage, every bit of leadership that they show in and out of the huddle, we’re there watching how they react to a specific play in practice.

“That got squeezed down a little bit. But with that said, our coordinators are doing a heck of a job right now, as we sit here, of figuring out ways to maximize those competitive plays and periods. And we feel confident that we believe it’ll all play itself out. It’ll be completely open and we’re just going to take it day by day. And we’re excited to see that happen.”

While many were confident that Foles was the favorite to win the job earlier this offseason, the lack of offseason reps certainly puts him at a disadvantage when it comes to his familiarity with Chicago’s skill position players. Who knows how this competition would’ve played out had they been allotted an in-person offseason program and preseason.

It’s certainly not the best-case scenario when it comes to evaluating Trubisky and Foles. But at least they’re sure to be tested against of the NFL’s best defenses. Even if it is only training camp.

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Wait, Mitchell Trubisky said what about his mechanics?

The Bears coaching staff’s inability to work with Trubisky on his mechanics is worrisome and could’ve contributed to some of his struggles.

If there’s one thing that was blatantly clear during Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s press conference with the media on Friday, it was that he’s got an edge heading into this important quarterback competition with Nick Foles.

The vibe was certainly one of “this is my job to lose” and “I give this team the best chance to win.” It’s a mentality Trubisky has carried with him throughout an offseason where he’s been more focused than ever and determined to prove he is the answer in Chicago.

Which has made this offseason a time for focusing on what went wrong last season and fixing it, including his mechanics. But one of the biggest bombshells that came out of Friday’s presser was that Trubisky changed his mechanics for the first time ever this offseason.

Seriously.

Every pro athlete has had to change their mechanics at some point. And considering Trubisky’s mechanics have always been a concern — even after his solid 2018 season — it’s baffling to consider that it took three whole NFL seasons for a change to be made. Especially considering former quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone, who now serves as passing game coordinator, was in charge of Trubisky’s development and failed to make a change.

Given the sense of urgency with Trubisky’s starting job and future in Chicago on the line, Trubisky made a change this offseason working with QB guru Jeff Christensen, who apparently was the first person that told Trubisky to change his mechanics. Trubisky said he feels like his motion is better, that he has more balance in the pocket and the ball is coming out more accurately.

“Hopefully the adjustments show on tape,” Trubisky said.

But the coaching staff’s inability to effectively work with Trubisky on his mechanics is worrisome and certainly could’ve contributed to some of his struggles. Perhaps that’ll change with a new face in the QB room.

One of the biggest offseason moves the Bears made was bringing in new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, who has worked wonders with quarterbacks. Getting an experienced and proven QB coach in DeFilippo to work with Trubisky will only work wonders for the young gun. There hasn’t been a lot of on-field work amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but that should change with the start of training camp.

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5 takeaways from Bears QBs press conference

Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles took different approaches to their respective meetings with the media Friday. Here are our five takeaways.

The most anticipated position battle in the city of Chicago officially began on Friday as Bears quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles met with the media. Both players, who reported for training camp this week, are striving to win the starting job and with no preseason games and a truncated offseason program, every rep counts.

Trubisky and Foles took different approaches to their respective meetings. Here are my five takeaways from what we heard on Friday afternoon.

1. Trubisky and Foles set two different tones

USA Today

When listening to Trubisky and Foles answer questions from the media, you get the sense right away where each player’s mindset is at. Trubisky repeatedly stated he feels he’s the best player for the job and knows his teammates feel the same way. He’s edgier and doesn’t seem to want to be the backup. Foles, meanwhile, talked about how he felt “at home” in head coach Matt Nagy’s offense, but also said he’s willing to accept any role that’s given him as long as his team wins and that he wants to help Trubisky.

Trubisky sounds like a man who knows all the pressure is on him. Foles sounds like someone who isn’t taking the situation too seriously. Neither approach is right or wrong as everyone has their different motivations. But it’s interesting to hear the difference in how each player speaks in this situation.

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