It wasn’t just one play against Broncos — Glennon’s horrendous decision to throw a horrible pass on his second attempt of the game that resulted in 50-yard pick six for All-Pro cornerback Chris Harris Jr. — that was the Misery of the Midway, it was the entire stinking performance: 2 for 8, 0 yards, an INT and a 0.0 passer rating.
It made what equally lanky and overpaid Brock Osweiler did in his debut in Cleveland (6 of 14, 42 yards) seem worthy of Canton. It made fans in Chicago wish for the good ol’ days of Jay Cutler, who’s smokin’ and laughin’ — all the way to the bank — in Miami.
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Sorry for that cruel reminder that Glennon is making a lot more money in 2017 than the $10 million Cutler will make with the Dolphins. It’s time for the Bears to forget about that number and focus more on No. 2 — where they traded up to draft Mitchell Trubisky in April.
The plan all along was not to rush Trubisky, who was well short on college football playing experience, into NFL action that counts. But that was all assuming Glennon plays like a viable stopgap alternative. With the Bears’ quarterback luck, both Glennon declaring that this year was his and them buying all into it was bound to blow up in their faces. It just happened more quickly than anticipated.
The good news is a bad Glennon might force them into an early start on future fortune. Trubisky had opportunity knock, and he did his best to bust through the door.
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He didn’t play like a QB short on experience. His pocket presence was there from the start, and he got rid of the ball quickly and accurately, even while on the move. While Glennon was heaving balls that were more catchable by the fans in the stands, Trubisky gave those same fans something about which to cheer.
In contrast to Glennon, he looked like the long-seasoned backup in tune with what is a simple, short-to-intermediate passer-friendly Bears offense. Sure, it was a lot of comfortable dinking and dunking, but the performance (18 of 25, 166 yards, one TD, a 103.1 passer rating) was the ideal confidence builder.
For the Bears to crack open the QB competition, it required both a disaster from Glennon and a dazzler from Trubisky. That’s exactly what happened. That will make it harder to put any deodorant on their free-agent whiff.
