Advertisement

Former Buc Mike Glennon says right things about Bears QB situation

 
Quarterback Mike Glennon, shown last season with the Bucs before signing in the offseason with the Bears, is showing good humor about a looming competition in Chicago. [WILL VRAGOVIC   |   Times]
Quarterback Mike Glennon, shown last season with the Bucs before signing in the offseason with the Bears, is showing good humor about a looming competition in Chicago. [WILL VRAGOVIC | Times]
Published May 23, 2017

Mike Glennon's go-to line about being recognized around town since becoming a Bear worked as well as ever, producing laughs.

"When you're a 6-7 white guy, pale, balding — it's hard to miss me," the Bears starting quarterback told reporters Tuesday at Halas Hall. "I think I stick out in every crowd."

And the red-headed Glennon indeed sticks out, as much for a self-deprecating sense of humor as his self-described appearance. The good-natured North Carolina State graduate and former Buc even planned to tweak North Carolina product Mitch Trubisky about the college rivalry both enjoyed before being thrust into this brewing NFL quarterback controversy.

"I'm sure we'll bring that up," Glennon promised, smiling. "My five years at N.C. State, we won four out of five, so I feel pretty good."

For a guy in an awkward situation, no matter how anybody spins it, Glennon looked as comfortable as he sounded making his first public comments since the Bears took Trubisky second overall in April's NFL draft.

He shared how much he enjoyed barbecuing with offensive linemen and going to a Jason Aldean concert with teammates. He portrayed offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains as a quarterback whisperer and veteran backup quarterback Mark Sanchez as an early candidate for Man of the Year.

He praised the way wide receiver Kevin White practiced Monday, openness that made White's inactivity Tuesday harder for coach John Fox to obfuscate.

With Josh McCown-like enthusiasm, Glennon embraced every aspect of being a leader and used honesty to downplay any notion of being upset about the team drafting his successor.

"I think just like everyone here, I was surprised," Glennon said of his reaction to Trubisky. "But it was made clear to me about 10 minutes after from a call from (general manager) Ryan (Pace) and the next morning again, the 2017 season is my year. That's all I can worry about. I'm not worried about the future. I'm not worried about the past. I'm worried about the present and right now this is my team."

If the Bears coach Glennon to throw the ball as well as they did to address the Trubisky situation, he will be worth his $16 million salary next year. The response showed assertiveness without arrogance and suggested the bruised ego reports say Glennon suffered immediately after the draft had healed nicely. The tone reflected a self-aware quarterback who realizes his limitations and knows the Bears have promised him nothing but $18 million and an opportunity to start the 2017 season — though not necessarily finish it.

"Honestly, it hasn't been hard at all," Glennon said. "I've been out here competing with my teammates. My focus is on right now getting better every day to get ready for the start of the season because this year is my year."

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

The longer Glennon talked, the more you understood why Pace and John Fox believed he possessed the right temperament for the job as Bears interim starting quarterback. He makes eye contact, speaks clearly and engages his audience in a way, for comparison's sake, Jay Cutler always struggled.

Glennon, 27, naturally welcomes leadership as if it were more a calling than a chore, announcing without a hint of pomposity that the Bears quarterback meetings "are geared around me." He left an impression that no matter what the Bears' record is or Glennon's statistics are, No. 8 will be defined by accountability.

"He's kind of grabbed the bull by the horns and I don't expect that to change," Fox said. "He raises all boats."

Alas, Glennon's strong personality still seems unlikely to save Fox's ship from sinking in Year 3. That will require more talent than exists on the roster. The Bears aren't complete enough yet to say the quarterback will make the difference between winning and losing, which is why Glennon is here to be serviceable with a smile.

In reality, Glennon appears he will be as easy for Chicagoans to like as he will be to replace. That time could come in 2018 or next Thanksgiving, depending on factors nobody can predict in May. Everybody advocating Trubisky sit out next year conveniently overlooks how the Eagles had similarly low expectations exactly a year ago for their No. 2 pick of the 2016 draft, Carson Wentz — and Wentz started 16 games.

In football, the best players still play and it's far too early to determine that a quarterback with 18 NFL starts will be better than the first quarterback drafted.

If that possibility perturbed Glennon even a little, he hid it as deftly as a football on a play-action fake. He denied the Bears had betrayed any trust and claimed he would have signed with them even if he knew Pace was trading two picks to move up to take Trubisky.

"It was never discussed," Glennon said. "The GM and the scouting department make those decisions. I never brought it up. They never brought it up to me."

In a perfect world, Glennon plays well enough for another team to surrender a draft pick to acquire him next offseason when his 15 minutes in Chicago expire. Though Glennon reminded us several times that the Bears are his team in 2017, the draft made this Trubisky's franchise as soon as he is ready — no matter how much Glennon sticks out.