Yahoo Sports Mitchell Trubisky still hurting, Bears coach Matt Nagy can't promise he'll start Thursday
The news that Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky wouldn’t have been able to participate if the team practiced Monday wasn’t a huge deal.
When Bears coach Matt Nagy said he didn’t think Trubisky could practice Tuesday due to a right shoulder injury, that set off some alarms. Trubisky was injured on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
Nagy told reporters he is still “cautiously optimistic” Trubisky can start on Thursday against the Detroit Lions, “but I can’t make any promises.”
The Bears just beat the Vikings on Sunday night to improve to 7-3 and take control of the NFC North, but it’s not ideal to be facing a road game on a short week potentially with backup Chase Daniel starting at quarterback.
Chase Daniel would fill in
Daniel is a quarterback who has a great reputation — he has signed contracts worth more than $40 million over his career — despite barely playing. He has just two starts in nine seasons. He has 78 career attempts.
Yet, probably because he has rarely played and his reputation as a virtual unknown has stayed intact, coaches speak highly of him.
“This is why you have a guy like Chase. You’re very comfortable with him,” Nagy said. “He’s extremely confident in the way he plays because he’s so smart. He prepares every game as if he’s going to start so if that time were to come, he doesn’t blink.”
Mitchell Trubisky still has a shot to play
While Trubisky has had some uneven moments, on the whole he has had a solid season. He has 20 touchdowns, nine interceptions and a 97.7 rating. He has also rushed for 363 yards.
Perhaps he plays, though he’ll miss a lot of a short week of practice preparation if he does. If Trubisky doesn’t play, maybe Daniel plays up to his reputation that has been built on preseason performances. Maybe the Bears defense plays so well, again, that it won’t matter who is at quarterback.
But during the Bears’ amazing breakout season, Trubisky’s injury on a short week might be a real obstacle.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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