Is Mitch Trubisky already better than Mike Glennon?

Is Mitch Trubisky already ahead of Mike Glennon on the learning curve?

The Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp is in the books. We’ve heard plenty of news leak out of camp, but what we didn’t hear was much about the play on the field. The beat writers who attended minicamp are on a blackout from the team and can’t share what they saw on the field.

Let’s start reading between the lines. All everyone wants to know is how Mitch Trubisky is progressing. But at the same time, people still want to know how Mike Glennon looks. The Bears have made it very clear that Glennon is the starting quarterback. Every fan knows how difficult the schedule looks at the beginning of the year so Glennon isn’t going to have a lot of time to figure things out.

What have the early returns on Mike Glennon been?

Here’s Adam Jahns:

"Mike Glennon has looked … Like the leader and the professional the Bears hoped he’d be, especially after Mitch Trubisky was drafted. But on the field, Glennon looks like a work in progress. It’s apparent that he’s learning a new offense and throwing to new teammates. He should improve with time and as competitions sort out the positions around him."

According to Larry Mayer, here’s what John Fox said about Glennon during minicamp:

"He kind of raises all boats. He has a high expectation and expects that of his teammates. He works very, very hard and he expects the same from his teammates and I think that’s contagious."

More from Fox:

"Really from Day One when we signed him, that was the approach. That was the approach we took as an organization and the same with him as far as getting to know his teammates, maybe not in a practice element but as far as just communication. He’s that kind of guy, had the same reputation while he was in Tampa and same thing even at N.C. State as a college athlete."

If you continue to look at the news surrounding Glennon, you’ll continue to hear about his tremendous work ethic, about his great attitude, and how he’s been a great leader for the team.

But how much have you heard about Mike Glennon the quarterback? Very little. Not many have commented on how Glennon has looked on the field. We saw the quote from Jahns which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. Perhaps there is a reason that the media and coaches have been quiet as to how Glennon has looked on the field.

The PFW podcast had John Mullin from CSN Chicago on after minicamp and discussed the Trubisky vs Glennon dynamic. Mullin went as far as saying that Trubisky would have a chance to win the job out of training camp and when talking about Glennon said, “Mike Glennon- it is his team and his year as he’s declared, but I’m not sure he can stake a claim to that based on his performance.”

On the other end of the quarterback competition is Trubisky, and what have we heard about Trubisky thus far?

From that same Jahns piece that discussed Glennon, here’s his thoughts on Trubisky:

"Mitch Trubisky has looked … Like a quick learner. The Bears have changed his footwork, and being under center and running huddles are new to him, but he still played like a first-round pick at times. His accuracy stood out in every practice. Training camp will provide different challenges, but the fans who see him in Bourbonnais should come away impressed."

The bottom line, Trubisky the football player has looked good. Glennon the locker room presence has looked good. Read between the lines, and this speculation is increasingly looking like a reality:

If this is the case, Ryan Pace and John Fox are going to have a quarterback controversy on their hands. They’ve made it clear, Mike Glennon is the quarterback of this team. While he may not start 16 games, the team certainly is planning on having him start the majority of the games in 2017.

However, when August comes around and Trubisky looks better than Glennon, is it worth it for the Bears to go with the better QB and start the rookie week one? Or should they continue to bring him along slowly and protect him even if that means the lesser QB is on the field?

Most experts thought Trubisky was a work in progress and would take a long time to be ready to start a game but if he’s picking things up as quickly as is being reported, he might be on the field a lot sooner than Bears’ fans expect.