National Football League

To make most of season, Bucs must start Mike Glennon rest of the way

Published Sep. 29, 2014 7:00 p.m. ET

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Mike Glennon gave his coach plenty to consider after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a surprise victory Sunday in Pittsburgh, and if Lovie Smith is wise, he won't let questions about his quarterback situation fester. The answer became clear in a final-minute, 46-yard touchdown drive that showed the Bucs' quarterback of the future should become their preferred choice now.

Make Glennon the starter next Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Make him the starter the rest of the year. Make him the top man with no hesitation or strings attached.

This will be no easy choice for Smith, who gave a vague answer about his quarterback situation Monday when telling reporters, "What I do is I look at who's available at the time and who gives us our best chance to win at all positions. We'll do the same thing when Josh (McCown) gets back. He's not back yet."

McCown, of course, is recovering from a torn ligament in his right thumb sustained in the Week 3 embarrassment at Atlanta. It's noble to think someone can't lose their job to injury, but the NFL is full of stories that say otherwise.

Trent Green lost his job to Kurt Warner because of injury. Drew Bledsoe lost his job to Tom Brady because of injury. Alex Smith lost his job to Colin Kaepernick because of injury.

If a backup shows he's worthy, it's best to move forward with what works.

Certainly, this would be no debate if McCown had proved himself capable. But he made himself vulnerable by revealing he's not the same quarterback who surprised in throwing 13 touchdowns with just one interception in eight games with the Chicago Bears last season.

McCown displayed an odd lack of awareness in parts of the Bucs' 0-3 start. He was rookie-like in his poor decision-making. His four interceptions are indicative of his discomfort in adjusting to his situation with Tampa Bay.

Glennon, meanwhile, wasn't perfect Sunday, but he was good enough. If the Bucs had lost, the postgame discussion would have centered around helter-skelter happenings on offense. How does a unit produce just 64 yards in the first half? How are two straight delay-of-game penalties possible?

But Glennon fought through the noise and took advantage of an uninspired effort by Pittsburgh's defense in the second half. Given what McCown has shown, the Bucs should have felt less confident about their ability to rally if the veteran were behind center. Tampa Bay had the right quarterback at the right time to earn its first victory of the Smith era.

"We let things play out," Smith said. "I tell guys you start off with a group and where ever you belong, that's where you will end up. I don't have any regrets at all (with having McCown as his starter to begin the season). As far as yesterday's game, it was good to see. But I saw the same guy I've seen with everything we've asked him to do: Poised, confident player that can play football. When you label the quarterback of the future, that's what you're supposed to do when you come out there."

This has been a surreal professional career for Glennon, who has gone from a third-round pick out of NC State to Josh Freeman's replacement to McCown's backup to a starting quarterback again ... for now. It's fair to wonder if Glennon is truly the Bucs' quarterback of the future, as Smith says. The second-year player likely has more to prove to show that the Bucs should avoid selecting a signal-caller high in the next NFL draft. All options should remain open.

Critics of Glennon will point to the fact that he threw five interceptions in his final five games last season. Critics of Glennon will point to the fact that he has limited mobility in the pocket, a glaring weakness in a current landscape that treasures athleticism behind center.

But give Glennon this: After 15 games played, he hasn't eliminated himself from the conversation as the Bucs' future answer at quarterback. Victories like the one earned Sunday, when he completed 21 of 42 passes for 302 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, make his growing popularity among fans become larger. Give him the chance to grow.

"The future was in front of us a little bit earlier than the initial plan," Smith said. "But you need to be ready at all times."

Like Glennon, Smith should be ready to adjust given the results before his eyes. Glennon, not McCown, offers the coach the best chance to win.

Perhaps the recognition of such a fact would place McCown in an odd position after he was signed last March to help instill Smith's vision. Fine. That's a consequence the Bucs should be willing to face.

After all, the future has arrived, and there's little time to waste to make the most of the present.

You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.