Former quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky has a rather ominous prediction for Mitchell Trubisky: your fundamentals had better be fixed, or you’ll be riding the pine pony by October.
During a segment on ESPN’s NFL Live, Orlovsky, who spent eight seasons as a backup in the league, weighed in on the Bears’ current quarterback competition. He began by saying he felt as though Trubisky should get one last chance to start, but immediately followed that with a warning: if his footwork is still off, nothing else will matter.
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Orlovsky on Trubisky: He Needs to Fix His ‘Fatal Flaw,’ Or Else
“If he does not fix his one fatal flaw, he will be out of his job by October. Bad habits that lead to good results are still bad habits,” Orlovsky said, before breaking down multiple plays and analyzing Trubisky’s footwork and decision-making. On one play Orlovsky highlights, Trubisky hits Allen Robinson for a 14-yard completion.
Robinson was wide open, and Orlovsky pointed out that the play, while ultimately a success, could have been an even bigger gain had the quarterback thrown the ball well. Robinson was forced to wait on a low and sloppily-thrown pass, and while he made the catch, it’s plain to see Orlovsky has a point.
“You’re going to lose accuracy when you have these poor mechanics,” Orlovsky added. “But it’s a good result, so everyone pretends it’s a good play.”
Success is all about consistency around fundamentals! The @chicagobears haven’t announced it yet but their QB to start season will be Trubisky-if I was with him I would have stripped down his poor fundamentals-without them his talent doesn’t matter. @espnnfl @thekapman
Trubisky Worked With QB Guru This Offseason, Said He Changed Mechanics for ‘First Time’
This offseason, Trubisky spent time working on his mechanics and footwork with Jeff Christensen, a former NFL quarterback who is now the head quarterbacks coach at Throw it Deep, a Chicago-based training center for quarterbacks and wide receivers. The fourth-year quarterback noted that he had never altered or adjusted his mechanics in three years, until he worked with Christensen.
Trubisky says he worked w/ QB guru Jeff Christensen this summer. He says it was the first time he ever really adjusted his mechanics. Feels like his motion is better, more balance in pocket and ball coming out more accurately. “Hopefully the adjustments show on tape.” #Bears
Trubisky also had to rehab his left shoulder this offseason after having surgery to repair the partially torn labrum he played through after getting injured Week 4 against the Vikings. He rehabbed at SPEAR training center, who shared a video of Trubisky working out this summer, noting the quarterback’s throwing arm was now “structurally balanced.”
Mechanics can be altered and fixed, but the fact that Trubisky just now, four seasons in, seems focused on his fundamentals is a bit concerning. Orlovsky, who played for the Lions, Texans and Colts, among others, explains why.
“I was around Calvin Johnson, he was a talented player, he’s obsessed with fundamentals. Andre Johnson, talented player, obsessed with fundamentals. Peyton Manning, I was with him. Great player — obsessed with fundamentals. Mitchell Trubisky’s a talented player, but his fundamentals need to become the focal point of what he is, and if it’s not, he’ll be out of a job by October.”
That’s assuming he gets the nod over Foles to begin with — with is not a forgone conclusion by any means.
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NFL Analyst Has Ominous Warning for Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky