Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Greg Schiano ‘Not Against’ Starting Mike Glennon
By Josh Sanchez
Tampa Bay Buccaneers third-round pick Mike Glennon had one of the strongest arms in the 2013 NFL Draft class, so it isn’t terribly surprising that the team’s coaching staff appears to be falling in love with their rookie quarterback. Very few people believe that Josh Freeman is the answer for Tampa Bay, so Glennon is getting every opportunity to win the starting job.
Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano recently said that he is “not against” Glennon winning the starting job.
“Look, I’m not against that,” Schiano said, via the National Football Post. “We have a starting quarterback. It’s not like we’re looking to find a starter. But competition is competition. Mike Glennon is a fierce competitor. I knew that when he was coming out of high school. Now being able to work with him a little, you can see it on the practice field.”
When that is paired with the fact Glennon is receiving a lot of reps in OTAs, this seems a lot like the Russell Wilson situation in Seattle just a season ago.
Schiano has been playing close attention to Glennon since his high school days at Westfield High School. Schiano made a visit to recruit Glennon to Rutgers, but Glennon preferred playing in the ACC over the Big East. Now, more than four years later, Schiano gets to work with the quarterback he was interested in years ago.
For Glennon, it may be best to sit behind Freeman for a year while he continues develop — even though he is the more talented passer. People forget that Glennon was backing up Russell Wilson in college, so he hasn’t had much starting experience under his belt.
Of course, the team could ultimately decide to roll with the rookie quarterback from day one and he would have to learn the ropes quickly.
That may not be an issue for Glennon.
He is talented. He has been impressive. And the Buccaneers are working on getting him involved in the offense early. The writing is on the wall that Glennon is the team’s eventual starter and that day may come sooner rather than later.