The talent that Mitchell Trubisky has is apparent. Now he has to show he is picking things up mentally

The growth of Mitchell Trubisky from game to game has been a roller coaster of emotion. He has not gotten off to the high flying start that a guy like DeShaun Watson did. However, let’s get real, it is not like Trubisky is throwing to Deandre Hopkins and Will Fuller either. The Bears best receiver on Sunday was acquired for a seventh-round pick just two weeks ago.The lack of talent around him, the play calling and the coaching in general has absolved much of the pressure that could have been placed on Trubisky and the team is clearly being patient with Trubisky, which is how it should always be with young players.

However, the team still needs to see week-to-week growth from their potential franchise gunslinger. No matter who his skill players are, staying stagnant or regressing as a player will have to bring red flags and questions regarding his future. Trubisky has progressed so far, last week he saw career highs in yards and attempts in an opened up offense. However, as the offense opened up, he took a career-high five sacks. Most of these can be blamed on him as well, as he has potentially shown why the Bears have been so hesitant to open things up for the rookie.

First sack

Above, you see Trubisky has three options as he drops back. The safety will have to chose to stick with the tight end or head to the sideline, Trubisky should have a chance at the other choice if he is able to look that safety off. He also has his check down, who he could throw to, or use to draw defenders up. However, here is how Trubisky acts to what he sees.

Yes, Cody Whitehair was being pushed back towards him. However, Trubisky had room to work in the pocket or could try to make a quick play to the check down. Instead, he put his head down to the pressure and took the sack.

Second Sack

Below, we see the Packers send an overload blitz at Bobby Massie on the right side. Trubisky has no idea it is coming. It completely catches him off guard and ends the play before it starts.

Fourth Sack

The third sack is tough to blame Trubisky given the pressure and lack of options to throw to. However, the fourth and fifth he has to take some blame.

It is tough to see on tape, but on the right sideline, Dontrelle Inman has about four yards of separation as he sells a comeback route perfectly. The safety will have to turn his body to catch back up.

Unfortunately, Trubisky never sees him. What hurts most is the pressure forces him to roll towards Inman. Still, as his body and feet move right, his head sticks to the left, and he never even thinks to look to the side of the field he is moving to.

Fifth sack

The fifth sack was off of play action. We see that as Trubisky sells the play action, he has an easy decision to make. He has the outside receiver down the sideline, but he has a safety and cornerback in the area. Trubisky would have to make a tough pass on the move. On top of that, Nick Perry did not fall for the fake and is coming in hot at Trubisky. Standing in the pocket and avoiding the rush while throwing a dime over the corner and under the safety is tough for any quarterback. The easy decision is to immediately check down, as circled.

While Trubisky did understand his limitations not to test it deep, he failed to go to any other read, and immediately was drawn to the rush. He was oblivious to the easy check down right in front of him and a quick couple of yards turns into a loss of eight.

Some of these are tougher mental decisions than others. None of these sacks are to say that Trubisky is not right for this league, or that he cannot pick this game up mentally. He has the gift physically. That is the part you cannot learn. Now, the Bears have to be looking for improvement in situations where Trubisky understands. He has to understand when to check down, or how to have presence in the pocket even if it is within tight parameters. Once this comes, life is going to be much easier for Trubisky.