Glennon Benched, Trubisky to Start vs Vikings

Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky passes against the
Broncos during a preseason game at Soldier Field
(Credit: Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

       Chicago fans are finally getting what they want as rookie Mitchell Trubisky will start against the Vikings on Monday Nigh Football next week. Trubisky's promotion comes on the heels of a horrible showing by Glennon against the Packers on TNF.

       At the start of the season, I was a big supporter of Mike Glennon. Before he even took the field in a regular season game, fans were crying out for Trubisky to start. I am all about getting behind the underdogs. I was a big fan of Rex Grossman and I loved Jay Cutler being a Bear and still watch him in Miami. I wasn't going to leave Glennon in the dust until he actually had a chance to show what he had. Four games through the season and I, like many other fans, have seen enough. 

       Glennon was brought in to be a leader and a game manager. As a game manager, your main priority is to protect the football. With 8 turnovers through 4 season games, you are now a liability to the team. Take away Glennon's inability to really put anything together and the Bears might be sitting at 2-2. It has gotten to the point where Trubisky had to be named the starter. Anyone with any sort of common sense knew that Glennon's time was up. Finally Bears management got on board with the rest of us sane folk.

       I was not on the Trubisky train until very recently. First of all, I didn't like the way that the Bears got him. It seemed like we gave up way too much for a quarterback who had very little college experience. We moved up one spot in the draft in order to get him and I was very upset with it. Did Pace really believe he wasn't going to be there for the 3rd pick? I am not against Trubisky as a player but just the method that Pace took to make sure we would get him. Second, he was a rookie that needed time to develop with what was a believed to be a competent quarterback in Glennon.

       But with Glennon's struggle, the only answer is to start Trubisky. What he does once he steps on the field doesn't really matter at this point. The kid needs a chance to show what he has got against first stringers. In the preseason, he completed 67.9% of his passes for 364 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. Yes, that was against second and third string defenses but his play is still worthy of recognition. He will be tested against a very good Vikings defense, which will give everyone a chance to really see what this kid can do.

       I think the biggest upside to Trubisky over Glennon is the mobility. Glennon is a pocket passer with very limited mobility. He isn't someone who can move around and extend plays with his legs. Mitch is the complete opposite. If things start to break down around him, he has the legs to get out of trouble. Not only that, but in the preseason he showed that he is VERY accurate on the run. With the offensive line struggling at times throughout this year, Trubisky's escapability is going to be huge for the offense and should open things up a lot more for Dowell Loggains.

       I am super excited to see what #TheKid can do and I know that Bears nation is right there with me.

Bears Lose Badly to Packers, Glennon's Job in Trouble

Green Bay Packers' Kentrell Brice picks off a Glennon pass
(Credit: Fox Sports Wisconsin)

       The Chicago Bears fell to 1-3 on the season after a lopsided loss to the Green Bay Packers who improved to 3-1. The Bears are now tied with the Vikings at the bottom of the division while Green Bay sits even with the Detroit Lions in first.

       Although the defense gave up a lot of points, the offense didn't do anything to help. Glennon had another disastrous game coughing up the ball 4 times (two interceptions and two fumbles). Mike Glennon has 4 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 5 fumbles (3 lost), and a passer rating of 76.9 through 4 games this season. The fact that he is still starting is beyond comprehension. Despite his horrible performance in the first half, Fox decided to stick with Glennon in the second half of Thursdays game. It has got to be hard to feel you are making the right choice when the home crowd of Green Bay cheers as the opposing quarterback takes the field. If it wasn't for Jordan Howard and the Bears defense, the Bears could easily be winless right now. 

       Thanks to the mistakes by Glennon, Rodgers had many opportunities to carve up a Bears defense that wasn't getting any rest whatsoever. He finished the day 18 for 26, with 179 yards, and 4 touchdowns. The Packers didn't have to do much thanks to the Bears (Glennon) handing them the ball every chance they had.

       With this loss, the Bears season is starting to slip away. If Fox continues to stick with Glennon, there may be riots going on in Chicago and rightly so.

THAT MOMENT:       

       Danny Trevathan was suspended 2 games for a hit on Packers wide receiver Davante Adams. Despite the nastiness of the hit, I don't believe that was ever Trevathan's intention. But intentions aside, the end result warranted some discipline from the NFL.

Despite Poor Passing Attack, Bears Win First Game of Season in OT

Steelers free safety Mike Mitchell can't catch
Bears running back Jordan Howard on
game-winning touchdown.
(Credit: Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)

       The Chicago Bears (1-2) won their first game of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-1) on Sunday. Thanks to Jordan Howard scoring in OT, the Bears avoided an absolute collapse that we have become accustomed to seeing.

       Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen balled out in this game. Howard, who played a lot of the game with a hurt shoulder, carried the ball 23 times for 138 yards. He had two touchdowns in the game as well, one being the game winner in overtime. To be quite honest, seeing Howard come out of the game repeatedly and then go back in was unsettling even if it showed how much heart he has. Testing that shoulder when its already knocked you out of the game on several occasions probably isn't the best idea long term. Despite my concern with the way Howard's injury was managed, I am really glad we have that guy on this Bears team.

       Howard's counterpart Tarik Cohen finished the game with 12 carries for 78 yards. Cohen is solidifying himself as a true star in this league. He has been so exciting when he's been on the field that it's hard to not want the ball in his hands ever single play. Cohen almost scored the game winning touchdown on an electrifying run but was ruled to have stepped out of bounds after further review by the officials. This dynamic duo will continue to be a force if Howard can get healthy.

       The Bears top two running backs got a lot of the workload on a day where offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains didn't seem to have much faith in Mike Glennon. Glennon finished the game 15 of 22 for 101 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. Though the completion percentage is good, Glennon didn't really look comfortable all day (some of the blame goes to his offensive line). Almost all of his passes were dump offs to the running backs; the wide receivers didn't have a single catch until the fourth quarter. I am not sure if I am supposed to be upset with Glennon, Loggains, or both. Glennon has shown that he has the accuracy at times, but Loggains doesn't allow him to spread the field. But does he not spread the field because he truly doesn't believe in Glennon? Only Loggains himself can tell us that. Mike Glennon will have to stop turning the ball over and actually complete passes more than 5 yards down the field if he plans to stay ahead of Mitch Trubisky on the depth chart.

       Another big key to winning this game was the defense. The Bears only allowed Roethlisberger to throw for 235 yards and held Le'Veon Bell to 61 yards on the ground. There were some big plays that the secondary made that we haven't seen out of the defense for a while, like safeties batting balls away or corners actually staying with their man. The Steelers had a couple of big plays, but this defense has continued to rise up to the challenge this season.

       Bryce Callahan had a strip sack on Roethlisberger and Young and McPhee each recorded a sack as well. 

       The Bears would have been able to breath a little easier had it not been for Marcus Coopers absolutely embarrassing goof at the end of the first half. With 6 seconds left to go in the second quarter, McManis blocked a Steelers field goal attempt right into the arms of Cooper. He then proceeded to run down the field for what should have been a sure touchdown, decided to slow down at the ten and ended up getting stripped. The Bears came away with 3 points on their untimed down after a false start by Charles Leno Jr forced Fox to kick a field goal. They showed that Cooper play so many times it has been forever ingrained in my head.

       Overall, it wasn't a bad game. The passing game needs to get better if the Bears hope to compete the rest of the season and the defense needs to continue doing its thing. If they can manage that, the Chicago Bears could be a force for the remainder of the season.

INJURY REPORT:

S Quintin Demps Chest (DNP on Monday)

C Hroniss Grasu Hand (LP on Monday)

ILB Nick Kwiatkoski (DNP on Monday)

RG Josh Sitton (LP on Monday)