Statistics suggest Bears QB Trubisky is improving

Dec 14, 2017 - 2:06 AM LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The numbers for Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky are beginning to reflect improvement, according to the coaching staff.

The obvious area of his success has been third down. He ranks fifth in the league in passer rating on third down (97.3) and is the only NFL starter not to have thrown a third-down interception.

Trubisky joked with reporters about jinxing him.

"The best way to not do it is to not talk about it," Trubisky said. "Just working hard on third down, trusting my guys and again being aggressive within the timing of the play and trusting my reads and continuing to use my accuracy and use good footwork is just what's going to allow us to stay good on third down."

Trubisky's passer rating has hit 80, higher than Mike Glennon's was as starter. But the third-down figures impressed offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

"That's where the quarterbacks make their money," Loggains said. "That's when they know they're throwing. We know we're gonna throw. And he's gonna go back there and read coverage."

--Trubisky has a chance to do something else memorable. If he hits a passer rating of 100 against the Lions, it would be the third straight time he reached that level. In the past decade, the Bears have only had that happen twice -- in 2009 when Jay Cutler did it while winning his second, third and fourth games with the team and in 2013 when backup Josh McCown did it while losing two of three.

For the first time, Trubisky has the advantage of facing an opponent for the second time.

"It will be good because we've got a lot of film on them, especially from the matchup we played them," Trubisky said. "So preparation is very important this week, just getting a good tell on them, what they've been running. So really first, second down and third down is going to be crucial. We want to stay on the field to again convert third downs and come away with more points."

--The Bears are hoping the 10-catch, 107-yard effort by Kendall Wright last week represents a breakthrough in the Trubisky-to-Wright passing connection.

Wright had more than two catches only once in the previous seven games prior to burning the Bengals Sunday.

"I was in Tennessee when we drafted him," Loggains said. "I'm a huge fan of his. Just the choice routes, the things that he's able to do. Kendall's gonna win when you give him options.

"But it's also Mitchell understanding based on coverage where the window's gonna be."

--General manager Ryan Pace's draft class of 2017 is producing dividends far faster than either of his previous two, and it starts with Trubisky.

"It's not just me," Trubisky said. "I think we're getting better as a group and jelling together and the chemistry is building and hopefully that allows us to get better each week."

Tight end Adam Shaheen, running back Tarik Cohen and safety Eddie Jackson each has shown progress to this point, as well. Cohen is coming off a career-best 80 rushing yards against Cincinnati. Shaheen had four catches and a touchdown pass and safety Eddie Jackson made an interception and forced fumble.

But Shaheen's biggest improvement might be in the running game. Run blocking is obviously an important area for a 6-foot-6, 278-pound tight end.

"He did play better in the run game," Loggains said. "That's the biggest area of his game and we knew it would be the toughest challenge for him in making the adjustment from (Division II) Ashland to the NFL."

--It seems like generations now since Devin Hester left Chicago, but when the former Bears return great announced his retirement on Tuesday there was one player left who remembered blocking for him on special teams: special teams ace Sherrick McManis, the current Bears player with the most Chicago service time. McManis arrived in 2010 and was around for Hester's final four Bears seasons.

"He knew how to execute returns," McManis said. "You can't really tell him where to go. He just knew. He just knew where to go."

The eternal question regarding Hester is whether he -- and more specifically a kick returner -- deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"Of course he does," McManis said. "He made his own case. Just watch the tape. He made his own case. I think he deserves that."

Head coach John Fox, whose past teams occasionally defended against Hester, agreed.

"There's three phases in the game," he said. "You do this long enough, the special teams phase, fourth down, whatever moniker you want to put on it, has impacted plenty of games in football over history. So that's a definite phase that makes a difference in wins and losses so when you can have a guy that's that dangerous of a weapon and can change field position and change the score in an instant, you know, obviously that's a huge impact on the game."