Chicago Bears (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
With all the speculation, there is one major reason why Nick Foles will be the Chicago Bears opening game starter.
Ever since the Chicago Bears traded for quarterback Nick Foles, there has been speculation among fans and pundits over who will be the starter for their first game. Will the Bears go with the experienced veteran, or ride with Mithell Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017 who has yet to live up to expectations? Well, there may be one major reason why signs point to Foles.
Look, it’s fair to say the team has invested a significant amount in both Foles and Trubisky. In Foles, the Bears have tied up a decent amount of money and a fairly significant fourth-round draft pick, with which Ryan Pace has historically done some of his best work. In Trubisky, there is the personal investment that comes with staking your reputation on a player to such a degree that you trade up to select him over to superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
Pride can be a hell of a drug and can influence your decisions in ways that seem irrational. On the other hand, when you fork over that kind of compensation for Foles, the presumption is you didn’t do so for a backup.
However, despite all of that, there is one major reason why with each passing day, the likelihood is Foles will open the season as the Bears’ starter. Here’s why:
COVID-19. Yes, the pandemic that is permeating every aspect of our lives could be the single-most influential factor in determining the quarterback depth chart. You may think that sounds a little hysterical to say, but hear me out.
At this time, the odds that NFL teams will have any sort of meaningful offseason program together seem to be dwindling by the day. The league has already canceled physicals, likely jeopardizing the rest of free agency and potentially the draft. With news that the Olympics will likely be postponed by a year, there is a real risk the season could be delayed. Certainly, there is a strong possibility that any offseason will be extremely limited.
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Since it is quite possible teams won’t have the luxury of OTAs, a full training camp, and preseason to evaluate their team, the Bears could be in a position where they have to make a decision based on what they know at this moment.
So what do they know? Well, for starters, they know Trubisky has been inconsistent at best and according to his head coach, needs to get much better at reading defenses and understanding coverages. He said as much at the NFL Combine. However, that’s difficult to do when you’re not seeing live repetitions, but rather, simply studying film. Mitch has never had an issue with putting in the hours in the classroom. He’s been lauded for his work ethic. What he needs to do is translate that work into results on the field, which becomes difficult to do if you can’t get on it.
Foles, on the other hand, is a known quantity. Whether it’s the new coaching staff of Bill Lazor and John DeFilippo or Matt Nagy, they all have experience with Foles and know he can run Nagy’s offense. They’ve seen him do it in person, and on the biggest stage, the game has to offer.
As they inch closer to the start of the season, if Mitch hasn’t had the chance to demonstrate on the field that he made meaningful improvement this offseason, it is easy to imagine a scenario where Nagy feels more comfortable rolling with the player who knows can do the things he will ask, rather than the player he hopes figured it out over the summer.
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