If all goes well in Chicago this season, Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky won't see the field. The Bears' plan, despite trading up to draft Trubisky second overall, is to have him sit on the bench while Mike Glennon leads the team on the field. But if the season unfolds according to Trubisky's plan, he'll have plenty to cheer about from the sidelines. 

On Friday, Trubisky predicted -- not guaranteed -- the Bears would make the playoffs in 2017.

"I said, 'Yeah, I think we're gonna make the playoffs,'" Trubisky said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "Obviously we know we have a lot of work to do. I don't want anyone to construe it in a way that it's a guarantee or anything. But I believe in myself, I believe in my teammates. I know we still have work to do. That's what it is -- I think.

"As a competitor, you should always go there and think we're gonna win."

Barring a Glennon-sized miracle (he's 6-foot-6), the Bears aren't going to be playing football after Week 17. They haven't qualified for the playoffs since 2010 -- when Jay Cutler was their quarterback, Matt Forte was their running back, Greg Olsen was their best pass catcher, Lovie Smith was their coach, and Brian Urlacher was still bald. 

Though they've added some glimmering pieces in the past couple years -- running back Jordan Howard, pass rusher Leonard Floyd, linebacker Jerrell Freeman, and center Cody Whitehair, to name just a few -- they're still in the rebuilding phase after spending way too long chasing short-term success. The Bears, who went 3-13 last year, likely aren't making the playoffs unless Glennon turns out to be an Aaron Rodgers clone who spent the first four years of his career hiding in Tampa Bay out of fear of the spotlight.

But don't rip Trubisky for what he said. For one, what else is he supposed to say? That the Bears are going to be bad again? If he'd said that, he would've be ripped for being a pessimist and #NotaLeader. It's June, the time of year when all players believe their teams are destined to wind up in the Super Bowl. Trubisky isn't immune to that kind of thinking.

And two, he did well to soften his prediction by making clear he wasn't guaranteeing it.

Anyway, Trubisky might not be expected to play this season, but he's still taking his preparation seriously. As he revealed on ESPN 1000's "Kap and Co. Show," he's been getting advice from Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck.