In an exclusive interview with Windy City

Gridiron Youth Eddie Jackson Jerseys , the Bears quarterback talks about his comfort in the system and his involvement in the community." Exclusive InterviewsMitchell Trubisky comfortable and confident heading into 2019 seasonNew,43commentsIn an exclusive interview with Windy City Gridiron, the Bears quarterback talks about his comfort in the system and his involvement in the community.CDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Mitchell Trubisky comfortable and confident heading into 2019 seasonTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailMitchell Trubisky is ready to take the next step in his third year with the Bears.Jacob InfanteFor the first time in his young NFL career, Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is in the midst of a stable offseason.As a rookie, he had to learn a new playbook and adjust to the NFL lifestyle. He had to learn another new playbook last season with head coach Matt Nagy taking over the offense. This year, though, he feels confident in understanding the Bears’ system.“We have a huge head start on the offense, having gone through it for a year,” Trubisky said. “We know exactly what to expect, we know how coach is going to run training camp, how to prepare. I think we’re just ahead of schedule, so it’s just for us, being on top of everything, going through the details and really mastering this offense and just getting everyone in the same page and the same direction.”The signal-caller, who is a year removed from a 2018 season which saw him become the first Bears quarterback to make the Pro Bowl since Jim McMahon in 1986, made significant improvements in his second season. With another offseason to improve, though, he feels that the best is yet to come.“I think just overall knowledge helps you play faster as a quarterback,” he explained. “You’re not thinking about your steps, who’s where or where the protection is going. You’re able to just get up there, make the MIKE call, know where everyone is going to be within the route concept and just play football. Instead of thinking, I’m just out there playing, and I feel like I can see a lot of that throughout camp: just taking that next step and getting even better within this offense.”Coming off of a 12-4 season that saw them win the NFC North for the first time since 2010, the Bears have plenty to be confident about this year. However, last year ended in premature fashion with a loss to the Eagles in the wild card round at home. With the unity they have showed in the locker room, though, they are ready and prepared to succeed heading into the new year.“We got a lot of guys coming back; I think that’s a huge advantage for us. We’re just going to be super competitive throughout camp and put in the work.“It’s really easy to work with the guys in the locker room Eddie Jackson Jerseys Stitched ,” he told Windy City Gridiron. “We’re a very focused, hungry group. We know our goals, we know how to come into work every day, and it just makes everything that much more fun.”Trubisky spoke with the media at the Hyundai Youth Football Camp in Rosemont on Saturday. There, he participated in fundamental football drills with hundreds of campers ranging from between the ages of 7 and 13 years old. Mitchell Trubisky talks with campers at the Hyundai Youth Football Camp.Jacob InfanteHelping out in the community has played a big role in his past offseasons with the Bears, having attended several youth camps in recent years, including another camp in his hometown of Mentor, Ohio.“I’m lucky Hyundai asked me to be a part of this camp. I just had my other youth camp back home in Mentor, so I’m just coming from that. It’s the same exact thing that I was doing growing up, looking forward to these camps, looking up to people who taught me the game—the coaches, the players—and just come up here, play the game. Trubisky poses for a picture with camper Bella, who defeated stage-4 pancreatic cancer, and her family. Jacob Infante“It’s awesome to get that opportunity to come out here, have fun, be around friends and just play the game of football. I’m just very lucky to be a part of something and give the game back to the kids the same way it was given to me when I was younger.”With his own training and helping lead youth football camps, Trubisky has had plenty to do this offseason. Among those commitments was the Bears100 Celebration in the beginning of June, where Bears players from the past and present came together in an event that brought in thousands of fans in attendance.“The number one thing [from that weekend] had to be meeting the legends and everyone who came back...just meeting them and how much they loved playing in Chicago, and just seeing their relationships with their former teammates and how it goes beyond the game of football. “And number two, it had to be the fans, because there wouldn’t be any of us without them. We wouldn’t be able to play this game without them. We wouldn’t be as popular or famous or however you want to put it without them and their love for this sport and the Chicago Bears. It was cool to see how many people showed up and supported that weekend, and it was awesome to meet all the former players, legends and Hall of Famers. It was really cool.”While on a panel over that weekend, he was notably given a headband and sunglasses from McMahon, who made the look famous while under center with the Super Bowl-winning Bears team in 1985. Though a light-hearted gesture with some comedic effect, some fans saw it as a passing of the torch, igniting comparisons from this year’s team to the iconic championship squad.“I don’t know if I’ve heard a lot of the comparisons—I don’t really pay attention to that much Youth Devin Hester Jerseys ,” Trubisky said. “But I think we came up short last year, and we felty like we left a lot on the table. I think that just motivates us more for this year, and we have our goals set ahead of us. We’re a smart group, and we know not to get ahead of ourselves, so we’ve got a lot of work to do in the meantime, and we’re just going to take it one day at a time.“You’ve got to take advantage of each opportunity, each moment to propel yourself to the direction you want to go, so we’ve got a long way to go. Maybe if we put in the work, we’ll be able to look back at the end of the year and say, ‘we really did it’.” In an X’s and O’s breakdown, we take a look at what makes Ridley such a good route runner." Xs and OsFrom The Desk Of...NFL DraftArt of the route: Riley Ridley brings route-running expertise to Bears’ offenseNew,22commentsIn an X’s and O’s breakdown, we take a look at what makes Ridley such a good route runner.CDTThe Bears made it a point of emphasis to add talent at wide receiver in 2018. Gone were Kendall Wright, Dontrelle Inman, Cameron Meredith and Markus Wheaton. In their places came Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller. Josh Bellamy started in just two games—as opposed to seven in 2018—and Javon Wims was brought on as depth. The Bears signed free agent Cordarrelle Patterson in free agency this March, giving them more talent to an already-talented unit.That made it surprising when they drafted a wide receiver in the fourth round last week.While the position wasn’t one of their biggest needs on the roster, value won over positional need when the Bears took Georgia’s Riley Ridley with the No. 126 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Seen as a consensus Day 2 selection, Ridley’s availability late in the fourth round was a shock to many, with Chicago’s front office among them. Though the Bears have a stacked group of receivers that also includes veteran Marvin Hall and undrafted free agent Emanuel Hall as competition for a roster spot, Ridley stands out as a potential starter for a team who will need help from players on cheap, rookie contracts as they extend some of their core pieces. One of the most impressive aspects of his skill set is his route-running ability. The former Bulldog shares that similarity with his brother, 2018 first-round pick Calvin Ridley of the Atlanta Falcons. In this article, we will be taking a look at what exactly makes the rookie’s route running so impressive.The first play is a simple hitch route. The cornerback is lined up roughly five yards off of Ridley, giving him some cushion to work with. Knowing he has a lot of room to work with before he has to make a cut, he bursts off of the line of scrimmage with impressive acceleration. The defensive back’s movement to the outside indicates that he think Ridley is headed towards the back end of the end zone on a fade or a lobbed corner route. Fooling the defender, Ridley stems the route well and gets leverage on his man. He is able to drop his hips and stop on a dime, wasting essentially no steps in making a quick move.Ridley does a very good job of understanding the importance of winning leverage as a route runner. On this play Devin Hester Jerseys Stitched , his defender is aligned over his outside foot, which gives him the leverage to cut inside. Using a single move to release from press-man coverage, he plants his outside foot and diverts his route inside to create separation. While the broadcast angle makes it tougher to see the full extent of the route, he is able to accelerate well out of his breaks and make the catch.Ridley’s ability to make sharp cuts and still maintain his momentum is among the best in this year’s receiver class. Going against soft-press coverage on this play, he has leverage on the outside on this play. With his short strides off the snap, though, he is able to close the space in between him and his man, and in doing so, he evens up with defender and creates leverage to go in either direction. After closing the space, he treats the release like a press release, utilizing a single move cut on the slant. His acceleration after the cut allows him to break free and create a wider window for his quarterback.When given a cushion in coverage, Ridley will make cornerbacks pay more often than not. He bursts off the snap on this play, significantly narrowing the space between him and his man, but still allowing enough room for him to take advantage of the cornerback’s leverage. While he has outside leverage, he flips his hips to the inside with the expectation that Ridley will cut inside for a drag or in route. Still with some space to work with, Ridley cuts outside for a corner route with his defender’s hips committed to covering an in-breaking route. He makes a sharp cut and a hard plant with his inside foot, maintaining momentum at the same time. Even with the late release from his quarterback cutting down the window his receiver created for him, Ridley is able to snag the ball in a contested situation. As an added bonus, he shows that body control to adjust to the ball and stay in bounds to score a touchdown.Ridley best projects as a Z receiver in the NFL, where his abilities to work as a route runner in space will be best suited. This would make him the primary backup to Taylor Gabriel this season. However, he has shown that he can win against press, so he could potentially see some snaps as an X receiver, too. What the Bears plan on doing with their fourth-round pick in his rookie season is still undetermined. Rest assured, though, that Ridley has potential to be one of the biggest steals in this year’s draft.