Are they right?
Often the best way to determine a confusing situation is by challenging it. Is this really as bad as it sounds? We’ll start with whether or not he’s like Osweiler. Across 21 career starts, Osweiler averaged 234 yards, 1.19 touchdowns and 1.04 interceptions per game. Glennon averaged 223 yards, 1.61 touchdowns and 0.83 interceptions per game. So while Osweiler put up more yards, Glennon was considerably more efficient.
Arthur Arkush of Pro Football Weekly also pointed out another fundamental difference between the two.
“Osweiler had six starts worth of regular-season tape, all playing with an elite defense, one of the game’s better receiving duos and under the tutelage of renown QB guru Gary Kubiak. Moreover, they occurred following three-plus seasons of sharing a QB room with Peyton Manning, as smart as any player to ever snap on a chinstrap.
Glennon was thrust into a starter’s role as a rookie, without a run game, no decent secondary option behind Vincent Jackson and behind an offensive line even worse than Denver’s deteriorating unit protecting Manning and Osweiler.”
Next comes the fact he was part of the 2013 class. There is no denying that it remains one of the worst in the past decade. If not the worst. However, being part of a class doesn’t define the individual. In fact, here is what respected draft guru Greg Cosell said about him prior to that draft four years ago.
“I would argue that, in my opinion, Glennon could (go) late in the first round and I wouldn’t have a problem with that at all. As I talked about his attributes, I think he has probably — of the quarterbacks in this class — more of the attributes that you look for than maybe any other quarterback in this class.
I think the thing that stands out with him, first of all, his functional mobility for a big man is far better than people might give him credit for. You see him move out of the pocket and make throws. He can do that. The thing I really like about him is his willingness to pull the trigger. You’ve got to do that in the NFL.”
Then there is the stigma that he’s not a winner. He can’t elevate his team. Again, there is actually a debate in that. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 6-26 between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. What nobody bothers to point out is they were 5-13 with Glennon under center and 1-13 without him. Three of their victories were achieved by fourth quarter comebacks he led. So maybe it was less about him being bad and more about the team being bad.
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Lastly there is the price. Of course $10-12 million is a lot of money. That’s not debatable. Still, one must put this in the context of the current market. The highest paid quarterbacks are making just over $24 million per year. Jay Cutler would bring in $16 million for this year were he to keep his current deal. So in truth it’s not as much money as people think. In fact it would be right around the same amount Ryan Fitzpatrick made for last season.
Look, a team doesn’t throw that amount of money at a guy they believe is a franchise quarterback. They give it to somebody they feel can be a placeholder under center with strong pieces put around him. If he plays efficiently and can make a few big plays, a strong running game and tough defense can do the rest. That appears to be what the Bears are aiming for with this move.
It’s less an indication of how much they believe in Glennon rather than how little they think of the upcoming quarterback class in the draft. This isn’t a perfect solution but it’s important not to summarily dismiss it without knowing the facts.
Glennon got a raw deal in Tampa Bay. His first year he worked with offensive coordinator Mike Smith, an assistant coach who had credibility and two Super Bowl rings but had never been a coordinator before.
A year later the system changed under new head coach Lovie Smith. Making it worse was the fact that new offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford was immediately struck with an illness that sidelined him indefinitely. He was replaced by another first-timer, Marcus Arroyo. Through all that, Glennon still managed a 2-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio.
That team had no sense of direction on offense. It’s only natural that Glennon struggled. Of course nobody bothers to mention this. Pace believes that in the Bears’ system with solid protection and Jordan Howard to feed, it will be different. It’s not a crazy thought.
