Rozner: Chicago Bears' QBs will dominate headlines again
It remains to be seen what the McCaskey family will see in return for Ryan Pace's $18-million investment in Mike Glennon.
Based on his time in Tampa and limited work this preseason, the Chicago Bears GM ought to expect precious little from his very expensive acquisition.
At least Glennon did everyone a favor Sunday by playing mediocre enough to give Pace, John Fox and Mitch Trubisky a reprieve, saving them all from a decision no one was ready to make.
Don't kid yourself. They had no intention of starting the rookie Week 1 of the NFL season against Atlanta, but they are not immune from the noise the quarterbacks were creating, Glennon with his awful play and Trubisky with his sometimes flashy success.
It must be noted that Glennon was put into the most difficult situations, playing against top defensive units with no offensive game plan, while Trubisky was getting time against guys who won't be in the league a couple of weeks from now.
The Bears even went so far as deferring Sunday so Trubisky could start the second half with the football at the 25, a full script and halftime to prepare for his outing.
The Bears took the football the previous two weeks.
This is life in the NFL when a franchise has staked everything on one player's performance and will do everything imaginable to ensure his success.
Glennon is a short-timer and will never be given the benefit of the doubt or any of the breaks Trubisky will get.
So now it's just a question of when Trubisky gets his first start.
It's a break for Trubisky that he doesn't have to worry about starting against Dan Quinn and the Falcons, who are certain to have some nightmarish plans for the Bears' offense.
The reality, despite the ridiculous cheerleading, is that the kid is not ready for prime time.
He's athletic, good on the roll and has made some very good throws. He's also made plenty of bad throws, forced too many balls and should have been picked a few times.
It's normal. It would be normal for any NFL rookie QB, but Trubisky has even less experience than normal after a tiny sample of college football.
Trubisky, for all his talent, is as raw as they come. He needs time to watch and learn. He has no feel for clock management and he has not yet seen a genuine NFL defense scheming to make his life miserable.
The best thing that could possibly happen to him is Glennon playing well enough to keep the job through at least the eighth game of 2017, when the Bears will get a bye and two weeks to get Trubisky ready for his first NFL start.
Of course, that ninth game is against the Packers, but at least it's at home. Perhaps the better option would be Detroit at Soldier Field the following week with less time for a media feeding frenzy.
In the meantime, Glennon will keep his job and the calls for Trubisky will get louder with every interception and every Bears defeat, and those could mount quickly with a difficult first-half schedule.
Glennon will have to get used to the noise, if he's not already after an absurd exhibition season that has seen Trubisky promoted as a savior to levels not seen since Jay Cutler arrived.
And Cutler came here with 37 NFL starts after 45 starts in college, with a combined seven years of experience. Trubisky started for one year and 13 games at North Carolina.
Ironically, the Bears could have kept Cutler for $15 million in 2017 and he would have been the perfect bridge to Trubisky, giving the kid as much time as necessary to get ready for a starting role.
Glennon is a poor man's Mike Tomczak, only not poor by any stretch after cashing in on Pace's desperation to dump Cutler.
Like so many others, Glennon will only spend a year in Chicago.
And he will end his memorable time here as a backup.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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