<
>

Bears OC: Mitchell Trubisky made great strides in second NFL start

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains thinks rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky "made a big jump" from Week 5 to Week 6.

Trubisky completed only 8 of 16 pass attempts for 113 yards and a touchdown in Chicago's 27-24 overtime win Sunday, but Loggains focused on how effectively Trubisky processed the Baltimore Ravens defense.

"When you go back and watch the tape -- the Ravens played 40 snaps of Cover 2 after playing one snap of Cover 2 the whole year," Loggains said. "I'm sure a lot of it was to take away his strengths and certain things he does.

"First thing he says after the game is, 'wow, they did a bunch of show they had not shown.' He handled that well. That's the part no one talks about or no one really knows outside of our building, but I thought he did a really good job managing the game and playing like he had to. He was still aggressive. He wasn't, and I hate the term 'manage' but he was playing the way he needed to play to win that game."

Trubisky admitted that he was surprised Baltimore played so much Cover 2.

"On film we really didn't see any of that at all, so it was really surprising for them to come out in that two-high shell," Trubisky said. "Our plan was just to run them out of it and they were trying to box everything in with the keeper game and the outside zone."

The Bears ended up running the ball 54 times for 231 yards.

But Loggains noted that Trubisky still made plays when he had to -- particularly the 3rd down 23-yard completion in overtime to Kendall Wright that set up Connor Barth's game-winning field goal.

"You draft a guy cause ... it's 3rd-and-11 and if you don't get a first down you're punting and you don't what's going to happen with the game; we kind of messed up the protection a little bit inside and he did a great job of protecting the ball, sliding in the pocket, great pocket awareness and changed his arm angle and threw a great ball to Kendall Wright," Loggains said. "He climbed the ladder, got it, and helped us win the football game."

"To be able to throw that ball with both hands in the air and changing your arm angle -- that's why you draft a kid second overall."