Josh McCown hopes backup Mike Glennon can have HOF-worthy career
TAMPA, Fla. -- One late summer night in northeast Ohio, far into the future, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown would enjoy watching his backup Mike Glennon enter the hallowed halls of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And he means as more than a visitor.
"My hope is that Mike Glennon one day is a Hall of Famer," McCown said Tuesday at One Buc Place. "I'd take great pride in saying, 'You had a small part of that, man.' "
That's quite a statement to make, especially from the sage veteran McCown, who in theory could lose his job to Glennon one day.
McCown, Jay Cutler's former backup with the Chicago Bears, signed a two-year, $10 million deal with the Bucs in March and was named the team's starter within days. Glennon, meanwhile, lived a roller-coaster of a rookie season last year in throwing for 2,608 yards with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 games.
Still, the Bucs like Glennon's promise. Despite rumors otherwise, general manager Jason Licht said they never seriously entertained thoughts of trading the former third-round pick and Greg Schiano's hand-selected choice to replace fallen star Josh Freeman.
Last Thursday, coach Lovie Smith went as far to dub Glennon Tampa Bay's "quarterback of the future" when the team gave Johnny Manziel a big "thanks but no thanks" with the seventh overall pick.
"He pushes me, and I'm just trying to bring him along and make him better," McCown said. "I think that's good for the Bucs. That's good for our team. Whenever you have two guys pushing and working with each other, both parties just wanting the best for the team, that's when you can capture something special."
Special enough for Glennon to slip on a gold jacket in Canton one day?
That thought seems way, way out there now.
But don't fault McCown for wanting to play a part in the journey.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
