Guys, Let’s Stop with the Bench Mitch Talk

Look, Mitchell Trubisky is not the answer at quarterback for the Chicago Bears. I like the dude, as a dude. I think he is a genuine guy. He is a guy that you would like to root for. But, he just doesn’t possess the ability to break down defenses. He isn’t capable of making multiple reads. If he’s in the pocket, he’s very prone to making mistakes.

So why the actual f*&% would I say stop the bench Mitch talk!?

Fact is, they have absolutely no other real option. This is what I mean…

The current Bears back-up is Chase Daniel, who has been in the league for 10 years and ONLY has five career starts. He has ONLY thrown 7 TDs in his career, and a career 87.5 QBR. If you think the answer is Daniel, I have 20 acres of swampland in Florida I’d like to offer you.

Unless the Bears were to sign another quarterback off the street, who is ready to play now, there isn’t another QB that is capable of competing in 2019.

So, I assume your head just went to Colin Kaepernick. “HE’S THE ANSWER!” Right?

No. No, he isn’t. Maybe if the Bears signed him back in like week four when Trubisky was injured. Then he would have had the time to learn the playbook, get acclimated to the NFL game speed again, and actually get into game shape. The thought that a guy that hasn’t played in three years could step onto the field and just perform is asinine, especially since guys that played in 2018 still need several months of NFL training camp to get back into game shape.

So, no. Kaepernick isn’t the answer for 2019. Neither is Daniel. And unless there’s another quarterback on the roster, the only real option is Mitch.

You’re Saying There’s A Chance

Next, sitting at 6-6, the Bears have a chance at the playoffs still. Sure, that chance is slim, and they would need a lot of teams ahead of them to suddenly fall flat. But, right now, only the Seattle Seahawks (9-2) and Minnesota Vikings (8-3) are ahead of the Bears in the Wild Card race. I don’t see the Bears catching Seattle, but the Vikings are possible – especially with a game remaining against them.

To finish ahead of the Vikings, the Bears would need to win at least three of their four remaining games, one of those wins need to come against the Vikings AND hope that Minnesota loses at least three of their four remaining games.

There is also a small chance at the division title, but now you are calling on both the Vikings and the Green Bay Packers (also 8-3) to be held to only one win the rest of the way AND the Bears win three to four of their remaining games. I’m a fan, but I would classify myself as being realistic. That’s just not realistic.

There is NO WAY Daniel leads the Bears to the three to four wins they will need to keep their chance at the playoffs. If they signed Kaepernick (or any other available QB) there’s no way they would be ready enough to lead the Bears to those wins. If you’re holding onto hopes of a Bears playoff run – Mitch Trubisky is the horse you need to bet on.

Dump it for the Draft Pick

The Bears don’t have a 2020 first-round pick, that was traded for Khalil Mack. But, they did receive the Raiders second-round pick in that deal. So even if the idea was to call-it-a-season and play for their draft position, they’re banking on only improving their second-round position.

As it is, the Bears are poised to finish in the middle of the league, meaning their draft spot will likely be anywhere between 13-18th. Even by tanking the remainder of the season, they’d only drop to around the eighth pick in the draft. But remember, that really means they’d drop to the 40th pick in the draft.

So, if you’re done with this Bears season and you only wish that they improve their draft position… you’re talking about going from the 46th pick to the 40th pick. The Bears also have (right now) the 49th pick (from the Raiders). So tanking only rewards the Bears with the 40th pick in the draft in the best scenario… hardly seems like a valuable experiment.

With no real value to tanking, why not play out the string with Mitch at the helm? While I believe we likely know what the Bears have in Trubisky, allowing him to play out the string, might just give him some of those extra snaps he hasn’t had in comparison to a lot of other young QBs. With games remaining against the Cowboys, Packers, Vikings, and Chiefs – all teams with playoff aspirations – this is a chance for Mitch to play in playoff-like atmospheres with a lot more on the line. These types of games can do more for the progression than any other type of game on a schedule.

So, tanking is a bad option. Daniel is a bad option. Singing someone would take at least three weeks before that player could actually play – leaving it as a bad option.

The smartest thing for the Bears to do at this point is to keep sending Trubisky out there. Game-after-game in 2019. Then, in the offseason, look for someone to either replace him or create real competition in 2020’s training camp. Whether you are in the camp that thinks there’s a chance or if you think they should start preparing for 2020, both cases Mitch is really the only option.

So come on Bears fans… let’s stop the dumb arguments over who is or isn’t a Mitch supporter. The only smart football decision left is to continue to trot Mitch out there. For all the good and all the bad, unfortunately, he’s the only real choice this team has left.