Bucs’ Lovie Smith confirmed Mike Glennon will be the No. 2 quarterback this season

Dec 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought in Josh McCown during the offseason, and after a successful run with the Chicago Bears filling in for Jay Cutler it looked like he was a lock to start. That means that Mike Glennon, who started last season, is being relegated to the back up role.

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“We ask guys to play different roles throughout. Sometimes you have one role and we ask you to play another. You want to see how guys respond and how they act. You want to be a pro about it – a real pro about it. A professional, and that’s what Mike has been. He’s done everything we’ve asked him to do. He wants to be a starting quarterback in the league – someday he will. But right now, we’re asking him to move into a different role and he has accepted that role,” head coach Lovie Smith said, via the team’s website. “Quarterback room is a tight room. Of course [quarterbacks coach] Marcus [Arroyo] does a great job with them. They’re all helping each other. Mike will have a role on our team. The backup quarterback plays an important [role]. Not only that, Mike will also be our second holder. Little things like that that we’ll ask him to do. But whatever we ask him to do, he’ll do it well.”

It has been an interesting situation with Glennon, and one that appears to be handled sloppily. At first they tried to trade him during the draft, then they tried to save face by claiming he’d compete with McCown for the starter’s role.

Now he is relegated to the bench.