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Chicago Bears-Tampa Bay Buccaneers Scouting Report: Mike Glennon will be Mike Glennon

 
Is there a difference between Mike Glennon, Bucs quarterback and Mike Glennon, Bears quarterback?
Is there a difference between Mike Glennon, Bucs quarterback and Mike Glennon, Bears quarterback?
Published Sept. 16, 2017

While football players spent last Sunday running around a rectangle, I, like millions of Floridians, spent the majority of the day huddled in a corner, knees to my chest, head in my hands, fearing the wrath of a hurricane.

Once I emerged from my anxiety-induced psychosis sometime early Monday morning, I tried to catch up on all things NFL. As I scanned the Week 1 box scores, I started shaking.

Brian Hoyer. Josh McCown. Tom Savage. Scott Tolzien. Mike Glennon.

What the hell happened over the weekend? Where did all of the starting quarterbacks go? Did they see the Hurricane Irma reports and out of an abundance of caution evacuate the country?

Glennon was actually the best of the group. And by "best" I mean that he was typical Mike Glennon. Not good. Not bad. Just Glennon. In his Bears debut, the former Buccaneers backup completed 26 of 40 passes for 213 yards, one touchdown and an 86.8 rating in a 23-17 loss to the Falcons.

Look at that stat line. Do you feel anything? Of course you don't. Among the things less bland than Glennon: a bag of rice, a Honda Civic, a U2 album, a box of paper clips.

Let's face it: When the 2013 third-round pick returns to Tampa this Sunday, there isn't going to be a whole lot of intrigue. It'll feel like watching Mrs. Doubtfire on TBS for the 23rd time. At first, you'll think that Chicago's quarterback looks a lot like someone you used to know. And then it'll hit you: It's Glennon, just in a different outfit.

Dink. Dunk. Repeat.

In the opener, the Bears didn't seem particularly interested in throwing. In the first three quarters, Glennon threw 13 passes and handed off 19 times. In the fourth, as Chicago tried to rally from a 10-point deficit, he threw 27 in a row.

The majority of Glennon's passes didn't travel much farther than his handoffs. He threw one pass more than 20 yards (an incompletion) and five more than 10 yards. His average pass length of 4.2 yards was a league low.

Yes, that's just one week. At the same time, there's little reason to think Glennon will sling the ball around the field against the Bucs. That's not who he is, and that's not the Bears' strength. They don't have anyone to catch the ball. They already have lost Cameron Meredith and Kevin White, the top two receivers on their depth chart, to season-ending injuries.

You might think that Chicago regrets letting Alshon Jeffery walk, but what difference would he make? He would have gotten hurt. That's just what happens to Bears receivers. Case in point: Markus Wheaton joined Chicago in March. In July, he underwent an appendectomy. When he returned to practice two weeks later, he broke his pinky.

The Bears' depth issues aside, a run-first approach against the Bucs actually makes sense. Chicago boasts one of the NFL's best offensive lines, and the normally stout Tampa Bay run defense is coming off a down season. In Football Outsiders' efficiency ratings, the Bucs' run defense slid from ninth to 26th last season. The decline is the reason general manager Jason Licht signed defensive tackle Chris Baker, a move that could pay immediate dividends.

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The Bears' breakout back

At some point Sunday, you're going to nod off as Chicago lines up in yet another formation featuring two or three or nine tight ends. Glennon will hand off to Jordan Howard, who will run right for 3 yards.

You remember Howard, right? Rushed for 1,300 yards last season. Averaged more than 5 yards a carry. Well, he's still the Bears' lead back, even though Tarik Cohen hogged the spotlight this past weekend, racking up 113 yards and a touchdown on 13 touches.

For those seeing Cohen's name for the first time, I'm contractually obligated to tell you the following about the fourth-round pick out of North Carolina A&T: He's fast. He's shifty. Writers describe him as "diminutive," but normal people just say he's "small." He's Darren Sproles 2.0. He's the Human Joystick. And you should add him to your fantasy team.

While Cohen saw a lot of playing time (28 snaps to Howard's 38), he's not going to displace Howard anytime soon, barring injury — a possibility we have to entertain because, after all, it is Da Bears. Howard isn't the receiver that Cohen is, but he's larger and more reliable in pass protection.

As much as #Bears wanted to involve Tarik Cohen, I didn't see him much on third down in second half. Likely related to missing this blitz. pic.twitter.com/k0sveQqwia

That doesn't mean Cohen will disappear. He might be Chicago's only playmaker. And just because Howard is on the field doesn't mean Cohen has to come off.

If the game plan against the Falcons is any indication, the Bears are committed to getting the ball to Cohen and will move him around to ensure he gets touches. They had him line up five times as a receiver — in the slot and out wide — and Glennon targeted him all five times, completing three passes for 14 yards. Overall, Cohen caught eight of 12 targets for 47 yards.

Most of Cohen's routes were quick outs, drags, hitches. On this one, ran to left side of end zone. Only Glennon deep pass. Incomplete. #Bucs pic.twitter.com/C0ZV5BgJa5

The Bucs are aware of the rookie's ability to break off explosive plays from anywhere on the field. Defensive coordinator Mike Smith this week called him a game-wrecker.

"He is a guy that can really scoot," he said. "He has great speed. … He can create mismatch issues for our linebackers, and (the Bears) want to get him the ball."

When the NFL released its schedule in late April, many people put this game in the win column for Tampa Bay. While the Bucs are more talented, the Bears are better than they were when these teams met in November. They are no pushovers, as they proved in Week 1 when they came within 5 yards of upsetting the defending NFC champions. They've assumed the identity of their quarterback: They won't excite you, but they'll give you a fight.

Contact Thomas Bassinger at tbassinger@tampabay.com. Follow @tometrics.