There was a lot to love about with Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s performance against the Cowboys last Thursday.
But it wasn’t Trubisky’s three touchdowns, his 74% completion percentage or even his 63 rushing yards that most impressed quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone. It was what came after Trubisky committed his biggest mistake of the game — an interception in the redzone that halted the Bears’ opening possession.
“I’ve been through this before,” Ragone said Tuesday. “Different look. Goes right back out there. The defense does an unbelievable job of getting us the ball back. He goes right back out there and leads the rest of the game as if that pick never happened.”
When Trubisky came to the sideline, he was able to immediately diagnose the problem with Ragone. From that point on, Trubisky dominated the Cowboys’ top 10 defense, whether that was using his arm or his legs.
“Just the look in his eyes,” Ragone said. “Obviously, being with him — the ability to understand what just happened and to translate that and process it and give back the communication. …
“To be able to see something that just happened probably within four-to-five seconds, spit it back at me without having seen the pictures, I think that in itself provides clarity. Communication from the quarterback to me that I am seeing the same things.”
The following series, Trubisky led the offense on a 6-play, 51-yard scoring drive, which culminated in a 5-yard touchdown pass to Allen Robinson. He’d go on to lead three more scoring drives — two more touchdowns and a field goal.
It was the best Trubisky has looked all season — following his second-best game a week earlier against the Lions. Something has been different about Trubisky in the last five games, like a flip has switched. Like the game is starting to slow down for him.
As has always been the case, quarterback development isn’t linear. With how quickly some quarterbacks take to the league, it’s easy to grow impatient and want immediate results.
But Trubisky’s recent success stems from his experience. Experience on the field, at practice (where he’s been “clearer, sharper”) and his communication on the sideline (which “has been the best it’s been” in three years they’ve worked together.)
“That comes with time,” Ragone said. “I’m not sure on anybody’s timetable, but his own. That was a great sign. Of all the signs that happened that game, to me, as his position coach, that was the most important: how is he going to react to an interception in the red area? He’s been good in the red area. He bounced back. The confidence, if anything, it didn’t waiver, it grew throughout that game.
“Especially for myself, I’m looking for those types of signs — from a maturity standpoint, from a mental standpoint, not just the physical part of it — to see where he’s potentially going in his career.”
These final three games will do a lot to show just how far Trubisky has come — and dictate his future with the Bears.
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