Column: Injured or not, Mitchell Trubisky is embarrassing UNC and has got to go

I get it, Matt Nagy. I do.

As the head coach of the Chicago Bears, a lot of the decisions you have to make are tough. Managing personalities, dealing with the media, game planning for a division with both the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings – it ain't easy.

I like you, Matt. You seem like a nice enough guy, and I'm a fan of the visor. So let me help you take one big thing off of your plate: 

Mitchell Trubisky has absolutely, positively got to go. The charade is over. It has to be.

The third-year UNC product, better known to Tar Heel fans as "Mitch" or the guy who once tweeted "I love to kiss titties," got his 2019 season off to a promising start against Green Bay, throwing for 228 yards, no touchdowns and a pick in a 10-3 loss. 

Since then, the anemic Bears offense has eclipsed 20 points just three times with Trubisky under center and are 30th in passing yards per game. Through eight games and change, he's averaging a paltry 5.6 yards per attempt, behind names like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mason Rudolph and Case Keenum.

In the words of Spike Lee, Matt: do the right thing.

Sunday night's game against the Los Angeles Rams was Trubisky's tour de force. In a 17-7 loss, the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Drafthurled 43 passes for 190 yards – which comes out to 4.42 yards per attempt – plus a touchdown and a pick before exiting in the fourth quarter with a hip injury.

I hate, Matt, to prognosticate about the actual reality of Trubisky's health. Yet it's impossible to ignore what became the defining image of the Week 11 loss: You, Coach, whispering sweet nothings into your QB's ear after his embarrassing night. It looked like more of a Rocky Balboa motivational speech than it did a "Get well soon, bro." Was his exit more about a potential injury, or the fact that he was hot garbage for most of the game?

It's hard to believe that before the start of this season, Trubisky actually had buzz as an MVP candidate, with stories breathlessly reporting that he was finally "putting it all together" and that the Bears offense could go up a level and match their vaunted defense.

Plus he was coming off the heels of a surprising Pro Bowl season in which Chicago went 12-4. If you bought into the hype, Matt, you might've let yourself believe that taking Trubisky over Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes wasn't such a bad decision after all.

Instead, in nearly every relevant statistic – completion percentage, yards per game, passer rating – Trubisky has slipped from last season.

I admit, Matt, that all this gives credence to the rumors that Trubisky is more hurt than he has let on. He threw just three passes in Week 4 against the Vikings before suffering a left shoulder injury, which kept him out of the following game against the Raiders. A bad shoulder and hip would be plenty limiting for any number of one-dimensional young quarterbacks.

And if that's the case, great! All the more reason to bench him. But as it stands, buddy, playing Mitch isn't just a threat to your job security. It's an embarrassment to Bears fans and UNC fans alike.

@ryantwilcox

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com