LAKE FOREST (WBBM Newsradio) -- The Bears (7-8) will conclude their season at the Minnesota Vikings (10-5) on Sunday afternoon. Here are the news and notes coming out of the Bears' practice Thursday.
-- The 2020 season begins for Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky on Monday. "I feel like next season starts Monday to some extent," Trubisky said. "I will talk to coach (Matt) Nagy and (general manager) Ryan (Pace) and see where we're at and come up with a plan that will help me this offseason and talk to people I trust that I know have my best interests at heart to find a good plan to make sure I'm getting better."
-- Trubisky plans to work hard at getting better. He's motivated and always has been. "Anytime you feel like you're not playing up to your potential, I think that drives you," he said. "I got a lot of personal drive and fire that I know I haven't played to my potential yet, and I think that's frustrating, but I think that motivates me as well."
-- There have been a multitude of breakdowns and problems on the Bears' offense. So the evaluation isn't black and white. It's complex. Several spokes in the wheel need a tune-up.
-- Nagy has some ideas on where Trubisky needs to find growth. "I'm going to continue to keep saying to me the decision-making process for him is very valuable to see the growth there," Nagy said. "It's not always making a great decision to where there is a great throw, but sometimes it's the decisions where you don't make the throw."
-- Nagy wants Trubisky and his offense to end the season on a high note. He has also been careful to refer to the entire offense when talking about the unit's inconsistency and regression.
-- Nagy will review the work of his coaching staff in addition to his players at season's end. "That's a part of my job as a head coach is to make sure that I look at all silos," he said.
-- Offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich was blunt when asked if assistants could move on in 2020. "The same thing happens every year," he said. "When you're in this business, stuff happens and that's a possibility."
-- Helfrich hasn't been surprised by the attention that Trubisky and Nagy are getting from critics in light of the offensive struggles. "Quarterback and head coach are the easiest guys to blame," Helfrich said. "You can write that column forever. You can put it in control, copy and paste the name of coach X and quarterback Y forever. That's easy, but it's not always that easy."
-- The Chicago chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America selected receiver Allen Robinson as the Bears' honoree for the annual Good Guy Award for his availability and willingness to work with the media. Robinson is one of the first mentioned in the locker room for his leadership, availability to teammates and overall professionalism.
-- Puzzled Bears defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano isn't sure why the unit isn't forcing turnovers often. The Bears haven't forced a turnover in their last three games. "We've been working on it, we talk about it, we show all the clips, we just haven't been able to do the same thing," he said. "Hopefully, they'll come. That's all we can do."
-- Pagano insists the Bears are getting consistent quality play from outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who has just 27 tackles and three sacks this season. "He's done a heckuva job," Pagano said. "He comes in every single day and he prepares, he practices hard and he plays hard. A lot of the splash plays that we all love to see, we didn't see as many of them and he'd be the first one to tell you that. He's always sacrificing for the team. It's always about what is best for the team."
-- Getting an inside or outside pass rusher who can register consistent sack and pressure totals opposite of star outside linebacker Khalil Mack is an important factor moving into 2020 for the Bears. Defensive lineman Akiem Hicks being healthy would be impactful.
Jeff Joniak is the play-by-play announcer for the Bears broadcasts on WBBM Newsradio 780 & 105.9 FM. Follow him on Twitter @JeffJoniak.
