Why Mike Glennon Should Be the Week 1 Starter by Jose Martinez 1h ago 
May 28, 2015; Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon points works out at One Buc Place. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Let me start this off by making one thing clear: I’m a huge Jameis Winston fan and supporter. If Lovie Smith does make Winston the Week 1 starter against the Tennessee Titans, there will not be many people happier than me to hear that announcement. Maybe I’m saying all this as a way to plead that you don’t kill me in the comments section. Anyway, let’s play devil’s advocate for a second and speculate why Mike Glennon should be the one under center on Sept. 13 in Raymond James Stadium.Throughout his three-year NFL career, Glennon has never really gotten a fair shake as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback. In 2013, the North Carolina State product performed adequately, even with an injury-riddled backfield that couldn’t always help create a balance on offense. Still, he was better than Josh Freeman by leaps and bounds. The following year, Glennon was part of a QB carousel with Josh McCown. The 25-year-old outshined the newly acquired signal caller in every statistical category, but the wins just weren’t there and that’s all that matters in this league.Throughout his three-year NFL career, Glennon has never really gotten a fair shake as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ starting quarterback.In 19 games, Glennon has thrown for 4,025 yards with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. However, in his 18 games as a starter, he has a 5-13 record. Is that more of a reflection on the Buccaneers’ defense not picking him up? Is it partially the result of injuries preventing the team from putting out the best possible team every Sunday? Does it even matter? With Lovie entering his second year as the Bucs head coach, the offseason acquisitions have made the roster more well-rounded at every position and many of the incumbent players were starting to understand their roles in the Tampa 2. All these positives have paved the way for Jameis to reap the rewards, leaving Glennon as an afterthought. But is Winston really ready to assume the starting quarterback role so soon? Sure, he seems to be trending upwards in nearly every facet of the game, but we have seen Glennon play at this next level and he’s proven to be a reliable QB. While I know this mindset is well in the minority, here’s Why Mike Glennon Should Be the Week 1 Starter.
Jun 4, 2015; Tampa, FLTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) watches quarterback Mike Glennon work out at One Buc Place. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports ExperienceIn the months and weeks leading up to the Buccaneers’ first preseason game on Aug. 15, Winston has had a lot thrown at him. Lovie assures us that he’s been able to handle it all with flying colors, but there’s still plenty the former Seminoles quarterback will need to get acclimated to in such a short amount of time. Forget the fact that he has yet to take his first NFL snap. Meanwhile, Glennon is waiting in the wings and he actually knows what the league demands of a starting QB.Winston is the future. No doubt about it. But, is he the present? Rushing Jameis into action can lead to the type of growing pains which could turn 2015 into another wasted season. Here’s another thing to consider that has nothing to do with the quarterback position. The Buccaneers have A TON of contracts coming to an end in 2016. Some of the more notable names include safeties Bradley McDougald and Chris Conte, defensive end Jacquies Smith, cornerback Sterling Moore, tight end Tim Wright, running backs Bobby Rainey and Doug Martin, defensive tackle Henry Melton. These players are considered important pieces towards the organization’s long-term success, but the Bucs are just 6-26 over their last two years. Tampa Bay needs to prove to these guys that they aren’t wasting their time by sticking around and the only way to do that is through results. Remember? It’s all that matters in this league.If Winston doesn’t look 100 percent ready to take on this challenge by Week 1, Lovie needs to let the veteran Glennon come in. There’s far too much riding on this season to squander it away by throwing Jameis into the fire because Lovie and Licht took him with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.
Nov 2, 2014; Cleveland, OHTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon throws a pass against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns won 22-17. Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports Glennon Isn’t Going AnywhereOne of the byproducts of selecting Winston with the top pick in this year’s draft was it lit a fire under Glennon. So much so that he’s apparently matching, if not outperforming, Jameis at mini-camp and giving Lovie a lot to think about as the preseason fast approaches.When it was announced that Dirk Koetter would become the Buccaneers’ new offensive coordinator in January, he was asked about Glennon. “I’ve watched Mike from afar, from the other side of the ball here in Atlanta, and from afar, I thought he had some of the same attributes as Matt Ryan,” he said. After hearing this comment, some Bucs fans were probably wondering to themselves, “Wait, are we looking at the same player?”Look, for Glennon, the talent is there but one reason or another, the success hasn’t followed. There’s a reason why he was taken in the third round. There was interest from other teams, including the New Orleans Saints who were tempted to take Glennon and make him only the second quarterback they have drafted since Drew Brees joined the team in 2006. The combination of Koetter and quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian look like they can bring the most out of a quarterback’s skill set and they may be able to do just that with both Glennon and Winston.While Jason Licht has said in the past that Jameis is going to have every opportunity to be the starter for the season opener, if Glennon outperforms him in the preseason, shouldn’t Lovie go with the better quarterback? It sounds like common sense, but hey, you never know.link
