Rookie first-round draft pick Mitchell Trubisky will replace Mike Glennon as the Bears' starting quarterback in next Monday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.
Coach John Fox discussed the move for the first time Monday evening on the "Bears Coaches Show" on WBBM AM 780 and 105.9 FM from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
"It was just a decision I thought needed to be made," Fox said. "We had 10 giveaways in the first four weeks of the season. You can't win football games that way. Not that they were all one guy's fault, but the combination of that, we're going in a different direction."
Fox said that the turnovers were a key factor in the decision.
"We've just got to put an end to it," Fox said. "Again, a lot of people have their hands in it; it's not all one person. That's what I told the team. We're just going to go in a different direction.
Mitchell Trubisky will become the first rookie quarterback to start a game for the Bears since Kyle Orton in 2005.
"Mitch is a different style quarterback, but a young one. Not going to lay fairy dust on it. He's still got to go out there and execute. But I think he's ready and I've seen the improvement in practice."
Trubisky will make his first NFL start against a Vikings defense that recorded six sacks in a 14-7 loss to the Detroit Lions Sunday in Minnesota.
"It's definitely going to be a challenge; they're a very good defense," Fox said. "Minnesota has been—at least in my tenure here—a very solid defense. I think he's ready. He's worked hard. He's grown quite a bit. Having these four games he's sat and prepared and been one play away from being out there, so getting to see him in practice, how he operates, his confidence level and I think he adds a dimension to a degree and we're excited to see how he does."
Fox said that Glennon will serve as the backup quareterback against the Vikings.
The Bears traded up one spot in the draft to take Trubisky with the second overall pick, their highest selection since 1951 when they chose Notre Dame quarterback Bob Williams also at No. 2.
In his only year as a starter at North Carolina last season, Trubisky set single-season school passing records with 447 attempts, 304 completions, 3,748 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Trubisky excelled in the preseason with the Bears, exceeding expectations by completing 36 of 53 passes for 364 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 106.2 passer rating. The performance earned him a promotion to the No. 2 spot on the depth chart ahead of veteran Mark Sanchez entering the regular season.
Bears coaches were especially impressed with how quickly Trubisky learned the offense and was able to correctly identify defenses and make the required adjustments in pass protection.
Fox has seen Trubisky continue to get better in practice.
"He's improved," said the Bears coach. "He's got a better understanding of NFL defenses. He has to prepare and watch the opponents and be ready to go in and play. I just see him grow in recognizing those types of things, even in practice. He's extremely accurate and the dimension [he brings] is his mobility."
Trubisky also seems to possess the intangibles necessary to excel at the quarterback position.
"He does have a quiet confidence," Fox said. "He doesn't get real up or down. He's pretty straight-line. But the guys respond to him and he's kind of got that maturity and that confidence that I think you have to have at that position."
