Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky says he is behind starter Mike Glennon "all the way." He made as much clear in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio last week.
But what about the people calling the shots?
Last week on NFL Total Access, an interesting conversation developed between NFL Network's Steve Wyche and possible soon-to-be Hall of Fame receiver Reggie Wayne on the factors that might end up deciding how the quarterback situation plays out in Chicago.
"If Trubisky] is ready, you start him," Wyche said. "If [coach] John Fox says he's ready, you start him. Now, people say he's only played so many games in college. He doesn't have this big vault of experience but again, John Fox, this is a guy people are saying could be in his last year coaching for the [Chicago Bears. You play the best quarterback and my feeling is this -- Mitchell Trubisky is not just the short-term answer, he's the long-term answer. That's why they traded up to get him. Tell me this Reggie], is [Dak Prescott any worse from playing last year? Is Carson Wentz any worse from playing last year?"
"The difference with those coaches you named," Wayne said, "is that they're not really on the hot seat. Coach Fox needs some Ws or he'll probably be in the unemployment line. So he watches and he waits. He sits back and he learns. You're right, a lot of people are only talking about how he's started 13 games in college] and that's big. Have you seen that schedule they've got going on? I mean the first four games are tough. The [Falcons, at the Bucs, Steelers, at the Packers. Then you got the Vikings and at the Ravens. You don't want to put Mitch Trubisky in that fire so fast. Let him sit back and watch.
"Week 9 is the bye week, you let Mike Glennon make that $18 million, let him make that money, and by the bye week see if Mitchell is ready."
While the league is still (hopefully) months away from speculating about the future of a coach, Fox has been through some insane quarterback situations in his career and should know how to handle this. Recent developments in Seattle (Russell Wilson over Matt Flynn) and even Houston (Tom Savage supplanting Brock Osweiler) have made it more acceptable to bench a big-money blunder at quarterback in the best interest of winning games. Sitting Glennon, who, by the way, is 22nd in the NFL in average per year salary for quarterbacks according to Spotrac, would hardly register to a Bears fan starving for a glimpse at the future.
As Wyche said, it simply comes down to readiness. If Trubisky is ready, there should be nothing standing in his way. Not even a brutal schedule to start the season.
