Kyle Long: Bears have 'taken the training wheels' off QB Trubisky

It appears the Chicago Bears coaching staff are prepared to let quarterback Mitchell Trubisky loose in his sophomore season.

After beginning his rookie campaign on the bench, Trubisky continues to impress his teammates and coaches as he displays his skills as the team's starter.

"My little boy is becoming a man. Mitch (Trubisky) - they've taken the training wheels off of Mitch's little bike," Bears guard Kyle Long told the Chicago Sun-Times' Madeline Kenney Thursday. "So he's going to be able to do some things creatively and get to showcase his skills."

The veteran lineman's comments are notable as he's the second offensive player to commend the maturity of their signal-caller. Last week, running back Jordan Howard praised Trubisky's leadership heading into his second training camp. Long has followed suit.

"He's a tremendous leader and some of the guys look up to in the locker room," Long said. "And he's probably one of the coolest guys on the team, to be honest, not just because he's the quarterback. He's a really cool kid and we're lucky to have him."

Former head coach John Fox came under scrutiny in 2017 after utilizing a slower-paced offense en route to a last-place NFC North finish with the 29th-ranked scoring unit. New coach Matt Nagy and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich plan to implement a more simplistic, up-tempo scheme to help Trubisky make a sophomore leap.