Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains didn’t divulge much but he promised something different if Mitch Trubisky were his starting quarterback.
Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains didn’t divulge much but he promised something different if Mitch Trubisky were his starting quarterback.
“Absolutely, just because he and Mike [Glennon] have different skill sets,” Loggains said on Sept. 6. “One thing we try to take pride in and try to do a good job of is making sure we are always playing to our guy’s skill sets.”
In general, the Vikings have more to prepare for now that Trubisky is starting. He provides more variety, which means Loggains can be more creative.
Here is how the Bears’ offense will be different – and possibly improve – with Trubisky:
Mitch Trubisky was the No. 2 overall pick (Getty Images)
Glennon’s lack of mobility limited Loggains’ play calls. Despite having a strong run game, standard play-action bootlegs weren’t a staple because of Glennon’s physical limitations.
Take what happened in Week 1 as an obvious reason why.
After a play fake to running back Jordan Howard, Glennon tried to roll to his right but was easily sacked by Falcons outside linebacker Brooks Reed.
Glennon’s lack of athleticism prevented him from outracing Reed, but also from throwing the ball away from outside the pocket. He took a 12-yard loss on first down.
In the Bears’ first preseason game against the Broncos, Trubisky completed four passes on bootleg plays to his right. Defenders closely pursued Trubisky on two of those completions.
Unlike Glennon, Trubisky also showed that he could roll to his left and throw in the preseason.
Sprint-outs also can be implemented with Trubisky. Trubisky’s touchdown pass to veteran receiver Victor Cruz against the Broncos came on a such a play to his left.
North Carolina’s offense featured run-pass options – commonly known as RPOs – for Trubisky. It opened up throwing lanes for him.
Loggains couldn’t implement such plays with Glennon because of his slow mechanics. Trubisky has a quicker release.
Read-option packages also can be added. They weren’t included before because Glennon was never a legitimate threat to run.
At North Carolina, Trubisky ran for 308 yards and five touchdowns on 93 carries in his final season. Some of that yardage came from the read option.
The Tar Heels also featured designed runs and draws for Trubisky. His 18-yard touchdown run in a 48-20 win against Georgia Tech last year is an example. He dropped back to the 25-yard line and then took off.
Trubisky also scored on a naked bootleg on the goal line in a 33-24 loss against Georgia.
Planned runs certainly are more dangerous at the NFL level, but opposing defenses still must account for the mere threat of them.
Glennon’s inability to create under pressure was apparent through the first four weeks. He only was sacked eight times, but he often went quickly to his check-down options.
Trubisky’s highlight reel from North Carolina is full of plays where he extended plays with his athleticism and made accurate throws down the field.
He also scrambled for touchdowns. In a 37-35 win against Florida State, Trubisky had a four-yard touchdown run, but it was much longer than that. It was a scramble that started at the 18-yard line.
Trubisky was sacked 18 times last season at North Carolina. In his final year at North Carolina State, Glennon was sacked 36 times.
Trubisky should provide a better sense of what the Bears have at receiver. Through play-action plays, sprint-outs and more, his athleticism should help receivers gain separation.
Glennon also missed open targets over the first four weeks. He slowly went through his progressions and struggled to anticipate his receivers’ routes.
Trubisky didn’t throw to potential first-round picks at North Carolina.
His best threats were Ryan Switzer (96 catches, 1,112 yards, six touchdowns) and Bug Howard (53 catches, 827 yards, eight TDs).
Switzer (5-10,181 pounds) was a fourth-round pick of the Cowboys. Howard (6-5,210 pounds) is currently on the Browns’ practice squad after going undrafted.
