Getty Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky
Mark Sanchez spent 10 seasons in the NFL, getting drafted by the New York Jets fifth overall in 2009. Sanchez’ career never really took off after a bit of early success, and he finished his playing days as a backup for several teams, including the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears.
Sanchez served as the Bears’ third-string quarterback for a season in 2017, which was Mitch Trubisky’s first year in the league. The two quarterbacks have remained friendly since, and when Sanchez appeared on The Pat McAfee Show this week, he was asked by the former Colts punter what he thought about Trubisky getting benched in favor of Nick Foles. Sanchez did not hold back.
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!
Mark Sanchez on Trubisky’s Benching: ‘I Thought it Was Crappy’
“I thought it was so crappy,” Sanchez said of head coach Matt Nagy’s decision to pull Trubisky. “He was playing OK, right? Like, he’s playing pretty well. The interception he threw? I mean, unless he just missed like a bunch of run checks that we don’t know about? You can watch the tape, but they were competitive. They were in the game, and they’re playing Atlanta, who finds a way to lose these games in the third and fourth quarter. Why hit the panic button after one interception?”
A few things about Sanchez’ comments here. First, he failed to mention Trubisky sailing a pass two feet over a wide-open Anthony Miller’s head earlier in the game — something that has been happening since the second overall pick’s arrival. The play would have been an easy touchdown had Trubisky made the throw. Second, the interception he mentioned? The Bears fell behind 26-10 after Trubisky threw it, so saying Chicago was playing competitively against Atlanta until Foles entered the game simply isn’t true. Also, if Sanchez had watched the film closely, he would have seen that Allen Robinson was wide open when Trubisky threw the pick.
If you’re wondering why Mitch Trubisky’s interception was the breaking point for Matt Nagy, see if you can find Allen Robinson on this screen grab of the All-22.
While Sanchez was correct in his depiction of Atlanta as a team prone to late-game collapses, he also left out the part about the Falcons having one of the worst defenses (and secondaries) in the NFL, and they were also missing several key starters. Trubisky and company should have feasted, but instead, they sputtered, especially in the red zone. That didn’t happen with Foles.
Still, Sanchez doubled down on his support for Trubisky, wondering if the interception he threw may have been Jimmy Graham’s fault.
Sanchez: Nagy Pulling Mitch was B.S.
“The other thing too is that shallow route that’s he’s throwing to Jimmy Graham that got picked, those things usually have tags on them to be able to sit down, especially in a West Coast system like Nagy’s,” Sanchez said about Trubisky’s interception. “You can sit down in a zone if there’s somebody that’s gonna cut off your route, so there was some sort of miscommunication there. I’m not saying it was the best decision to throw that ball…”
McAfee then interjected, saying it sounded like Sanchez was blaming Graham for Trubisky’s poor decision.
“No, I’m not saying for sure,” Sanchez countered. “As those things go, it’s a two-way street. The receiver’s gotta give you the right indicators … If that’s the reason he got pulled? That’s crazy. One throw? That’s B.S.”
Sanchez then suggested Nagy had been waiting to turn to Foles all along.
“They were just looking for an excuse (to put Foles in), cause that’s what it looked like … You don’t do that to a quarterback. That doesn’t make sense. That seemed like a quick hook to me … I’m not in the meetings. Played a lot of football, seen a lot of football, that just seemed a little strange, like that was the idea going into the game. If he screws up at all, so much as coughs the wrong way, yank his a**. And that’s crazy.”
Sanchez has also played a season on the same team with Foles — both were with the Eagles in 2014, and he said he had a genuine admiration and respect for both Foles and Trubisky — but he remained firm in his belief Nagy made the move too soon, and for unjust reasons.
READ NEXT: Bears Legend Gives Brutal Assessment of Mitch Trubisky’s Legacy