Mike Glennon is a player on the rise. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gone from the biggest joke in the NFL to hitting a three-game win streak mid-way through the season. While playoffs are out of the question, the Buccaneers are realizing they may be better set for the future than previously thought.
Glennon stepped up in place of Josh Freeman after the quarterback was released amid heavy controversy with the team. The rookie has proved every bit worthy of the third-round draft pick the Buccaneers spent on him. In eight games this season, Glennon has totaled 1,782 yards and 13 touchdowns. During the three game win streak, the rookie has five scores with just one interception. He has a 91.6 passer ratingThese numbers have head coach Greg Schiano confident in what the quarterback can accomplish in the future.
"As long as he continues on this trajectory, he's is a guy you'd love to have as a quarterback for a long time," Schiano said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Schiano is not the only one endorsing the future of Glennon in Tampa Bay. General manager Mark Dominik stopped short of calling the quarterback a franchise player, but noted that with the way he carries himself sets himself up for a strong future down the road.
"I tell you what: With a guy like Mike Glennon, I know he knows what to do and where to go with the football. I know our older veteran players respect him because of how hard he works at it, and it's just good to have him here," Dominik said.
It was assumed that Tampa Bay was essentially a lock to draft another quarterback in 2014 after the struggles of Freeman. The 2014 draft is very quarterback heavy and players like Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater could breathe some life into the fan base that was once buying out billboards asking for Schiano to be fired four games into the season.
The endorsements from Dominik and Schiano towards Glennon could mean the team focuses on other areas of need like offensive linemen in the draft and work to build up the rookie for the future.
