The playcalling has not benefited Mitch Trubisky. At this point in the season, you have to wonder if this is intentional.
We know Mitch Trubisky is not the answer at quarterback for the Chicago Bears. However, Trubisky still had issues last season. Nonetheless, he was able to make up for the bad with enough good to keep his team in games. It was enough to give his team hope and a 12-4 record.
Now, he has not only shown a lack of progression, but he has also regressed in a big way. Trubisky is not making easy passes. Still, Matt Nagy has not done Trubisky any favors either.
The fact is that last season Trubisky was at his most deadly when he used his legs. His playmaking ability on the ground opens wide lanes in the pass, and even the run.
However, this year he is on pace for almost 1/4 of the number of runs he had last season. Decreasing the number of runs by your running quarterback is puzzling, to say the least. Especially that drastically.
Of course, the team wants to develop Trubisky in the pocket. Still, that is not working. If the Bears wanted to win in the short term, they would center their offense around Trubiskys’ legs. Look at Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Jackson is much more athletic than Trubisky but his legs have made life easier for him as he develops.
It seems as though the Bears are so set on proving that he is a pocket passer and not a passer such as Jackson and they are taking away all of the upside that came with Trubisky.
It makes you wonder if Nagy is calling so few quarterback runs and forcing Trubisky to stick in the pocket to prove a point. Does he want to show ownership and the front office that he cannot win with a quarterback who cannot grasp his offense? If he continues to win with Trubisky he has to continue to simplify his playbook. That will lead him to have his plays called out and effectively shut him down, similarly to what we saw in the playoffs. It is nice in the regular season but the ceiling is capped.
If Nagy wants to expand his playbook he needs to prove that he needs a quarterback that can grasp the playbook. To do that, Nagy is having Trubisky run his complex, second-level playbook and Trubisky is failing.
Could Nagy simplify things, rely on Trubisky running and squeeze out a few more wins? More than likely. Does proving that the ceiling of Trubisky does not go beyond squeezing out regular season wins with a gimmicky offense make it worth sacrificing a few short term losses? We will see as Nagy will likely get a chance to add a quarterback in some form this offseason.