LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears rookie Mitchell Trubisky confirmed Tuesday that he’s been quarterbacking the second team at OTA practices ever since Mark Sanchez went down with a minor knee injury last week.
“I’m getting about the same number of reps, maybe a little more,” Trubisky said. “And instead of the threes, I’m with the twos. So it’s getting the reps, getting comfortable and whoever I’m with, whenever I’m in the huddle. It’s taking command and doing my job.”
Sanchez is expected to be sidelined until training camp, but he’s still the favorite to open the regular season as Mike Glennon's primary backup. The Bears have preached patience with Trubisky, whom they traded up one spot to draft No. 2 overall.
For his part, Trubisky thinks he’s made significant improvements during the three weeks of OTA workouts. The rookie will also have three straight days to run the second-team offense when the Bears conduct their end-of-the-offseason-program mandatory minicamp early next week.
“I’ve made a lot of progress,” Trubisky said. “I’d say I’m getting better every day. I’m getting a little bit more comfortable every day. I’m studying a lot. I’ve put in more work on this playbook than I’ve put into anything in my life. And yeah, it’s coming along great. I’m getting more and more comfortable. I’ve seen strides in different areas every day.
"[Specifically it’s been] knowing the playbook. Knowing everyone’s job. Just the command of the offense and the whole operation. And it’s just going down, doing my job and getting the ball to the playmakers.”
Besides learning the terminology of a brand-new offense, Trubisky is also trying to change some of the habits he developed at North Carolina, where he passed for 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns before forgoing his senior year.
“Sometimes I see myself on film going back to my old footwork at North Carolina, and that’s just muscle memory,” Trubisky said. “So I’m trying to get rid of those habits and just get into the new footwork, because if I do what I’m coached to do here, I’ll be successful, and that’s what I do. I come out here, I try to be as coachable a player as possible, and it’s all going to come within the offense. So if I stay within the offense, do my job, hopefully good things happen.
"[But] they’re not really messing with [my throwing motion]. It’s more of my footwork. My throwing motion is what it is. I got a quick release and I could throw the ball accurately as long as I bring my feet with me. So that’s what coach says: Do the footwork, bring your feet with you, get through your progression and use your eyes well. So as long as my shoulders are level and I pull through with my hips, the ball should be where it’s supposed to go.”