Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy tapped Mark Helfrich to be his offensive coordinator in an effort to develop a diverse offense, and, more importantly, help grow quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.
Helfrich praised Trubisky as a "coachable" quarterback. The new OC also sees "a lot" of similarities between Trubisky and quarterback Marcus Mariota, whom Helfrich helped develop at Oregon.
"Mitchell has a tight release," Helfrich said, via the Chicago Tribune. "He's an accurate passer. They also have a couple of things similar that make them inaccurate. Their feet take them out of position. I sense from talking to a couple of offensive linemen, and this was unsolicited, when your offensive linemen are talking about how hard your quarterback works, that's a great sign."
Helfrich spent Mariota's freshman year at Oregon as the OC and quarterbacks coach under Chip Kelly. Helfrich then took over as head coach for Mariota's final two seasons in Eugene.
Comparing Trubisky to Mariota seems like an apt association. Both players are very accurate and both own athleticism to burn defenses with their legs.
The Bears didn't ask Trubisky to do much as a rookie, but he displayed that accuracy, especially on the move, and improved throughout the season, showing an ability to get through his progressions.
The comparison between Trubisky and Mariota is interesting coming off a year in which the latter regressed. The Titans fired coach Mike Mularkey in effect because the team didn't believe the coaching staff could help Mariota take the next leap forward.
In Chicago, the development of Trubisky is job No. 1 for Nagy and Helfrich. If they fail to build the quarterback, the duo will suffer the same fate as Mariota's last coach.
