What is the Bar Mitch Trubisky Must Reach to be “Successful?”
How good must Mitch Trubisky be to be a successful Chicago Bears QB?
To become one of the great quarterbacks in Chicago Bears history, the bar is pretty low. When Jay Cutler and his 51-51 career record is the second or third greatest QB in the history of the franchise, it doesn’t take much to become a top five QB for the Monsters of the Midway.
Cutler is gone and there’s a new sheriff in town. That man is rookie Mitch Trubisky. The Bears are expecting big things from the rookie QB, but just how big?
What if I told you Mitch Trubisky becomes one of the top 5 QBs in the history of the franchise, does that mean he should be considered a successful draft pick? Sadly, that’s not enough. That’s how low the bar is.
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Even the toughest grader of Cutler will admit that he’s the third greatest QB in the history of the franchise (Sid Luckman and Jim McMahon). So what if I told you Trubisky becomes one of the top three quarterbacks in the history of the franchise, is that enough? Sadly, although closer, that still isn’t enough.
Cutler spent eight years in Chicago. He went 51-51 as a starter, threw for 23,000 yards, 154 TDs and 109 INTs. This isn’t to create an argument about Cutler and whether or not he underachieved and what may or may not have been his fault. Simply put, those are his numbers in a Bears’ uniform. If Trubisky matched those numbers or finished slightly better than those, would you take that from Trubisky?
Truthfully, based on the value of the number two pick and what you expect out of a pick that high, that isn’t enough. For Trubisky to be successful, he needs to make the Chicago Bears a winning team consistently and become the greatest statistical QB in their history (a title Cutler currently holds).
While that statement seems unfair, when you look at what that entails, that isn’t that difficult. If Trubisky starts for ten seasons, starts 140 games goes 80-60 with 35,000 yards, 200 TDs, and 100 INTs, is that asking for too much? If that’s what Trubisky accomplishes, that should mean multiple playoff appearances would come with it. At a minimum, that’s what he needs to accomplish.
While it’s unfair to say Trubisky must win a Super Bowl to be successful, he needs to be effective enough to put the team in a position to win one. If Trubisky’s career mirrors someone like Jay Cutler’s or worse, that simply isn’t enough. Trubisky must be better than Cutler. He must become one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the Bears’ franchise. Anything less is a failure.
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GM Ryan Pace has put his eggs in Trubisky’s basket. Will Trubisky come through for him and become the franchise QB Pace believes he will be? We are still several seasons away from knowing if that’s going to be the case, but anything less is unacceptable. The bar to be a great Bears’ quarterback is low, so Trubisky needs to clear it easily to be considered a success.