Mitchell Trubisky Alters Passing Mechanics for "First Time"
Mitchell Trubisky has had Dave Ragone as quarterbacks coach with the Bears three years and had two NFL offseasons to work on his own at switching his passing mechanics.
On Friday in a teleconference with Chicago media he credited a new offseason coaching relationship with Chicago area quarterbacks guru Jeff Christensen for switching some of his throwing technique for the first time.
Trubisky decided to stay local rather than travel anywhere to train due to coronavirus and he believes the work with Christensen, who is affiliated with the Throw It Deep quarterback and receiver training academy, aided his mechanics. He also credited Jon Sicora at SPEAR training facilities in Vernon Hills with helping him reach his goals of better strength and conditioning.
"It was usually just me and him and maybe one other in the gym at a time, just keeping it safe with all the protocols and stuff, just getting a lot stronger, getting my body back to where I feel like it needed to be," Trubisky said about Sicora. "And training with him and his staff, I definitely feel like I had a great offseason in the weight room, so a big thanks to them and everything they’ve done for me this offseason.
"And then working with Jeff has been awesome, too, just how he coaches the quarterback position and how much he knows about just getting back to the simple mechanics of the game. I really haven’t ever adjusted my mechanics, but working with him, I feel like my footwork and mechanics have gotten a lot better. I think it all worked out for the best and it was kinda meant to be that I stayed here local and just got some great work in that way. I'm very lucky to work with both those guys."
So what did Trubisky correct, anyway? He became a bit defensive and said he didn't want to get too specific.
"Hopefully it shows up on tape this year just me having better balance in the pocket," Trubisky said. "I did a couple of things with footwork and just how I'm holding the ball and where my release is coming from and stuff like that.
"So it's really the first time I ever adjusted my mechanics and I just really loved working with Jeff and how he approaches coaching the quarterback position and how he's studied the great players who have played this position and how he translates that to coaching. So I just, it's been really fun. I feel like my motion is better. I feel like I'm more in balance and the ball is coming out more accurately."
The strength training at SPEAR was important, in part, because Trubisky had to rehab after his left shoulder injury last year. It was the second time in two seasons he's missed playing time due to a shoulder injury and it proved a hinderance throughout the second half of the season although it didn't affect his throwing motion.
"I think the first week after surgery was the toughest, just laying around in a lot of pain," he said. "But after that first week, I bounced back really quickly, getting out of a sling and then just moving around and getting stronger and stronger to a point where you don't think about it anymore.
"You get all your motion back. It's just feels like 110%, which is where I feel right now. A big thanks to the trainers. Last year, just playing through pain, having to deal with the sling, just knowing your body isn't 100%, it's just one of those things your body has to battle through. I'd just rather not have to play with that but it's just something I had to battle through."
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