UNC Football Alumni: Mitchell Trubisky working on being more patient

Former UNC QB Mitchell Trubisky is focusing on improving in Week 2 as the Chicago Bears play the Seattle Seahawks

Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is set to make his 14th career start on Monday night when the Chicago Bears host the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Trubisky is in his first year under new head coach Matt Nagy’s offense and during the first half of the Week 1 showdown with Green Bay, the quarterback showed some signs of his potential.

The second-year quarterback out of North Carolina opened the game 8-of-9 for 99 yards and a rushing touchdown. Chicago even grabbed a 20-0 lead over their rival Green Bay on the road but then Aaron Rodgers led a historic comeback and the Bears offense went into a shell.

Trubisky seemed to have a shorter clock in his head than a quarterback would have liked and opted to tuck and run with the football instead of looking downfield.

That’s something the quarterback needs to have more patience with this year and he recognizes that.

"“I think, one, it comes from me wanting to take care of the football, and then two, not taking sacks,” Trubisky said via ChicagoBears.com. “Yes, it helps our offense in some areas, but it can also get me into trouble when I don’t need to [run]. I’ve got to find a kind of happy medium. In practice, it’s going to be pocket movement, moving around defenders in the pocket and continuing to keep my eyes downfield so you can find receivers."

General Manager Ryan Pace spent an offseason adding weapons around Trubisky by signing Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Trey Burton and drafting rookie Anthony Miller. With those weapons, Trubisky now has some playmakers which is something he didn’t have in 2017.

During his career at UNC we saw the mobility Trubisky had by keeping plays alive and scrambling out of the pocket. But that’s not so easy in the NFL.

Trubisky will need to show better pocket presence and trust his instincts rather than try scrambling for rushing yards instead. The quarterback won’t completely take out the rushing out of his game and will still scramble to keep plays alive when needed.

Chicago is entering a big Week 2 with their home opener at Soldier Field on Monday Night Football against the Seahawks. The team plans on honoring Brian Urlacher during halftime as the Bears great was recently inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this past Summer.

If Trubisky wants to prove a point and get things on track, getting a big win and playing well on Monday night would be a great start.

For more on Trubisky and other former UNC players in the NFL, please check back with Keeping It Heel.