TAMPA, Fla. -- Three years ago, Russell Wilson and Mike Glennon were fixed on a common goal. The quarterbacks were teammates at NC State, Wilson a junior and Glennon a sophomore, both driven and skilled young men whose careers would part before meeting at the game's highest level.
Wilson was the starter and Glennon his understudy. But this was a two-way relationship, each pushing the other in meeting rooms and on practice fields under coaches' watchful eyes.
Two quarterbacks, two different roles. But two equals.
"We got along great," Glennon said. "We competed. We worked together every day for three years."
Back then, there were hints that both would find homes as signal-callers on Sundays, Wilson now with the Seattle Seahawks and Glennon with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wilson was a three-year starter in Raleigh, N.C., someone who would lead the Wolfpack to a 9-4 record that included a victory over West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl. Glennon, Wilson's roommate during road games, was coming of age as a former four-star recruit and the nation's fifth-best prep quarterback as rated by Scout.com, someone whose rocket right arm tantalized those who groomed him.
In time, their paths diverged. The Colorado Rockies drafted Wilson in the fourth round, No. 140 overall, in the 2010 draft; he later transferred to Wisconsin in June 2011, after a minor-league stint as a second baseman, and led the Badgers to 11 victories and a Rose Bowl berth. Glennon, meanwhile, threw for more than 7,000 yards with 62 touchdowns in two years as NC State's starter.
Sunday at CenturyLink Field, the former teammates will meet with their franchises drifting in different directions. Wilson's Seahawks are 7-1 and sit atop the NFC West, one of the league's most dangerous teams with one of the game's most promising young quarterbacks. Glennon's Bucs are 0-7, one of the league's two winless teams with a quarterback who must prove he can be a franchise's face for the future.
"We both have a lot of respect for each other, because we kind of grew up together, in a way," Wilson said. "When you think about it, it's kind of one of those things that we learned together, we were in all the meeting rooms together, and we went to war together in that fashion."
Those who knew Wilson and Glennon during their time together in college saw the start of it all.
Three years ago, Dana Bible led quarterback meetings and knew this was special. Wilson and Glennon sat next to each other in the room, both on the edge of their chairs, each player eager to answer schematic questions the veteran offensive coordinator directed their way.
Day after day, a race was on to see which player could answer the quizzes first and correct. These give-and-takes were a game beyond the game, a test that sharpened competitive drive.
"It was very clear," Bible said, "both respected each other immensely."
Since starting his coaching career in 1976 as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati, Bible has seen chemistry between quarterbacks take on life of its own. In fact, he says, it's not uncommon to witness two or more players push one another to reach a level they never would have arrived at alone.
To Bible, though, what made the connection between Wilson and Glennon special was the advanced nature of the discussions, the promise each quarterback showed in their time together. The spark created anticipation, a sense of wonder about they could create together.
"It was a special time for myself to coach two individuals that had potential in the future that these two had," said Bible, who also coached Matt Ryan as Boston College's offensive coordinator. "You were working at a different level. For that period of time, you couldn't wait for practice. You couldn't wait for the meeting, and you certainly couldn't wait for game day."
Many are quick to point out the physical differences between Wilson and Glennon. Wilson is a spry 5-foot-11, 206 pounds, and Glennon is a lanky 6-6, 225. Wilson can become a "running back once he decides to run," as Bucs coach Greg Schiano puts it, while Glennon is a traditional drop-back passer who has thrown for 997 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions in four starts this year.
But Bible understood the two players shared more traits than what met the eye. One was the starter, the other an understudy.
But together, they worked as one.
"In truth, there were more things that were similar about the two of them when they sat in the meeting room or competed out on the football field," Bible said. "They both are very talented. They both are very, very driven and competitive individuals. They both love the game of football and respect it and enjoy it. There were more things that were the same than were really different about the two of them."
Three years ago, NC State center Camden Wentz watched Wilson and Glennon at different stages of development. He knew both were on their way. Wilson was the program's face, and Glennon represented the future.
Wentz, then a sophomore, understood Wilson's influence on his peers. Whenever Wilson walked into an area to prepare for the week's task, Wentz and others found it easy to follow his lead: The leader was positive, projected confidence and made an impression with how he directed others.
"Definitely a vocal leader while he was in the facility," Wentz said.
At the time, Wentz was a self-proclaimed "young buck," so he didn't become close with Wilson until the days before the Champs Sports Bowl. That time was spent at theme parks around the Orlando area, and leading into the pre-game festivities, Wilson wanted little to do with rollercoasters.
Turns out, Wentz and Wilson were paired as ride mates. One day, Wentz convinced Wilson to strap into "The Incredible Hulk" at Universal's Islands of Adventure. The quarterback dropped his guard to beat his fear.
"Russell at the time was terrified of rollercoasters and thrill rides," said Wentz, who was signed as a college free agent by the Minnesota Vikings last April before being cut in August. "I got him to go on all of them."
After Wilson left NC State, Wentz's bond with Glennon developed quickly. He was Glennon's center for two seasons, and he knew his quarterback had a future on Sundays.
Last year, the two talked about dreams. They shared visions of Glennon lining up behind center in the NFL, the possibilities endless. During film study, there were moments when Jim Bridge, then NC State's offensive line coach, stopped the tape and, as Wentz recalls it, turned to the room and said, "This guy's special. He'll be lighting it up on Sundays eventually."
"Mike's one of my closest friends," Wentz said. "He and Russell are so alike in the fact that they're both outstanding guys. They're great people to be around. Their demeanors are infectious, and you want to surround yourself with people like them."
Two quarterbacks. One goal.
"Both of them approached the game the way it's supposed to be approached," Wentz said. "Consummate professionals. Work hard. They were always the first in the building and the last to leave. That's what you look for in a cornerstone of your franchise at the quarterback position."
Three years ago, Tom O'Brien saw Wilson and Glennon compete in practice and understood the motivation. If one player did something well, the other wanted to perform the skill better, more refined.
To O'Brien, NC State's coach at the time, strong but good-natured competition lifted both. Wilson was the man of the moment, the proven player. Glennon knew he must wait his turn, but he wasn't going to stay quiet.
He worked to make an impact of his own.
"Russell knew he was the guy, but he had this young guy behind him that was a pretty good football player, and he wasn't going to relinquish his title as the starting quarterback," said O'Brien, now Virginia's associate head coach for offense/tight ends. "I think each and every day, it was fun to watch the way they prepared."
O'Brien knew the competition between Wilson and Glennon was like a fine dessert: It wasn't necessary, but it made life sweeter. To the coach, his quarterbacks were self-motivated, players who never required a manufactured spark. A fire burned from within.
That led to a mutual respect between the two that continues to this day. After Glennon was named Tampa Bay's starter, before a Week 4 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Wilson texted him congrats. Wednesday, Glennon was comfortable enough to make light of Wilson's sense of humor -- "He's got his quirky sense of humor," he said -- and Wilson revealed this delicious nugget in a loose moment: Once, Glennon dressed up as Napoleon Dynamite for Halloween, complete with a white "VOTE FOR PEDRO" T-shirt.
The two can look back on their time together with good memories for a simple reason: They would never be the same without it. That era is part of who they became.
"I think competition is a great thing," O'Brien said. "It always pushes you. It keeps you working."
It will do the same soon, even though circumstances have changed.
Sunday, things will be different. In many ways, those NC State days are the distant past, a time gone by on the way to playing under the sport's brightest lights.
Wilson made a name for himself at Wisconsin, and he has done the same with Seattle. Glennon made a mark at NC State, and he's trying to accomplish something similar with Tampa Bay.
Still, those three years together were the beginnings of the drive that led both to notable college careers and NFL starting jobs. There was competition, yes. But more importantly, there was also respect. They grew because of it.
"He's just an extraordinary individual in so many ways," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said of Wilson. "He's smart. He's got great character."
"I'm impressed with Mike," Schiano said of Glennon. "I'm impressed, as I've said many times, with his work ethic, his preparation, the way he reads things out in games, his cool demeanor."
Three years ago, Bible, Wentz and O'Brien recognized both players' promise. The potential went beyond play on the field, the leadership within a huddle. It was found in meeting rooms, on practice fields and in the small moments that shape a leader.
"Mike learned an awful lot from Russell, and Russell equally learned an awful lot from Mike," Bible said. "Both are very talented. In the room or out on the field, you knew you had two individuals that had a chance to go beyond the college game. It wasn't like it was a secret. It was obvious."
No matter who wins Sunday, that promise will continue to evolve. Three years ago, Wilson and Glennon were fixed on a common goal.
Now they remain so, even if distance separates them.
"He's been really happy for me. I'm really happy for him," Glennon said. "And it was great to work with him for those three years at NC State."
Both are better for it.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
