Bears rookie QB Trubisky to start

Associated Press

LAKE FOREST, Ill.

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky thinks he can handle the pressure of his first NFL start Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings.

“You only get nervous or feel pressure when you’re not prepared for the situation or where you don’t know what you’re doing,” Trubisky said.

The Bears went into training camp insisting Mike Glennon was their starting quarterback, but a 1-3 record and eight turnovers led to a reversal.

And it’s Trubisky Time in Chicago, as the Bears become the latest NFL team to throw a young quarterback into the mix.

“I think he’s got a good mindset, I think he’s got a good, natural feel,” Bears coach John Fox said of Trubisky. “I think he’s done a good job up to this point. I think he’ll continue to do well moving forward.”

At the beginning of training camp, Fox and general manager Ryan Pace were saying something entirely different about Trubisky’s readiness. They insisted the starter was Glennon, who signed a three-year free agent contract with $18 million guaranteed.

But Glennon played himself out of the lineup and now it’s Trubisky’s turn to show what the second pick in this year’s draft can do.

Glennon was 93 for 140 with four TDs and five interceptions. He had a passer rating of 76.9. He threw a key interception to give Pittsburgh a chance to tie it in the fourth quarter before the Bears won in overtime 23-17. In his two losses, Glennon committed seven turnovers.

During the preseason, Trubisky went 36 of 53 for 364 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, and became the backup ahead of third-stringer Mark Sanchez.

“I can’t say enough good things about Mike throughout this whole process,” Trubisky said.