Rozner: Getting a read on Bears' Trubisky not difficult

There is much that makes Pat Mahomes great.

Really, take your pick of what you enjoy the most.

He has so many qualities you would want - well, some GMs would want - in an NFL quarterback that it's probably hard to choose.

The Chiefs' QB has the great arm, accuracy, ability to move in the pocket and extend plays, and as a last resort - a last resort - he can use his legs to get a first down or touchdown.

That's a lot to pick from, but the selection here is football intelligence, the ability to manage the game, the NFL IQ necessary to see the entire field the moment he walks from the sideline.

Now that encompasses a lot.

There's understanding the offense. There's commanding the huddle. There's calling the right play. There's changing it at the line. There's getting your players in the right spots before the snap. There's being prepared for the game.

And most important, the ability to read an NFL defense.

Pat Mahomes can read an NFL defense.

So in his first season starting in the league, he won the MVP in 2018.

And three years into his NFL career, Mitch Trubisky seems to have no idea what's happening on the field and still can't read an NFL defense.

You think that's going to magically change in 2020?

Will he suddenly understand the offense, command the huddle, call the right play, change the play at the line, get his players in the right spots before the snap and be so prepared that he will properly read the defense?

He's three years in and the only time the Bears get it right is when he gets to the line early in the clock and Matt Nagy reads the defense for him and tells the QB what to do.

And that's fine when you're facing the likes of Washington, Detroit and the Giants.

But the teams Trubisky has defeated this year have a combined record of 26-62-2, while Chase Daniel played the entire Minnesota game after the first drive. That's the only victory on the Bears' schedule against a team with a winning record.

The problem is crafty defensive coordinators disguise their coverages and pass rush until the microphone from head coach to quarterback is cut off.

They wait as long as they can before the snap to further mess with Trubisky, rolling late into coverage, and you've seen what happens when he's on his own.

Three years into his NFL career he has no idea what to do at the line of scrimmage.

You saw it Sunday night when he couldn't recognize the blitz, couldn't identify the correct target or threw into triple coverage when three receivers were open.

Trubisky doesn't process information quickly.

This isn't a new problem. This was happening in Year 1 and Year 2 and it's no better in Year 3, though these are probably things a veteran should know how to do, things Mahomes was doing in his first career start.

So, Matt Nagy, you think this is going to suddenly change in the offseason?

Nagy must pretend because Ryan Pace has to pretend. They must continue to convince George McCaskey that they are all geniuses and the rest of the league is stupid for not trading up to get a college quarterback with 13 starts instead of Mahomes or Deshaun Watson.

The Bears knew something no one else in football could possibly know.

The only two possibilities now are they can't evaluate Trubisky after three years, or they do see it but must continue to convince ownership they know something no one else knows.

Sell, sell, sell.

And while they're selling, Trubisky regresses and opposing defenses lick their chops.

Meanwhile, the reason you hate the offense is because it's simple. It's simple because Nagy knows he can't trust Trubisky to throw it to the right area or the right receiver.

He knows the QB can't read a defense or handle a decision on the run-pass option.

Sure, they could run the ball more and try to win games 6-3, but it's not in Nagy's nature to go heavy and run downhill.

And if he did that, someone might remember that it's the same reason Pace fired John Fox, because his offense was dull and he didn't trust a quarterback who didn't know the playbook.

At the same time, Pace is not likely to admit it's not working for fear he would be next to go, especially given all he's invested in Trubisky and how many promises he's already made.

So as they head into the sixth year of the Pace Empire, Nagy sticks with the party line, insisting the emperor is fully robed.

And all is well in Lake Forest.