Chicago Bears QB Glennon focused on the present: This is my year
Quarterback Mike Glennon's reaction was understandable after the Bears used the second overall pick in the draft on Mitch Trubisky seven weeks after they signed Glennon to replace Jay Cutler.
"Just like everyone here, I was surprised," Glennon told a gaggle of reporters after Tuesday's practice. "That's the bottom line."
Ten minutes after the Trubisky pick, however, Glennon got a call from Bears general manager Ryan Pace that put his mind at ease.
"It was made clear to me the 2017 season is my year," Glennon said.
A nice vote of confidence, but keep in mind that's what the Philadelphia Eagles told veteran quarterback Sam Bradford a year ago before they drafted Carson Wentz with the second overall pick. Bradford threw a hissy fit and was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings just before the start of the season.
Glennon's reaction was different.
"I'm not worried about the future," Glennon said. "I'm not worried about the past. I'm worried about the present, and right now this is my team, and that's where my focus is."
Bears coach John Fox says Glennon took ownership of the No. 1 QB job immediately and has continued to operate as if it is his team - or at least his offense.
"From Day One, when we signed him, that was the approach," Fox said. "That was the approach we took as an organization, and the same with him as far as getting to know his teammates. He's that kind of guy. He had the same reputation while he was in Tampa and same thing even at NC State.
"He's grabbed the bull by the horns, and I don't expect it to change."
Although the job is Glennon's now, that doesn't mean he can't lose it, or that Trubisky can't take it. Glennon was a rookie for the Bucs in 2013 but stumbled the next year and was deemed expendable after the Bucs used the No. 1 overall pick on quarterback Jameis Winston in 2015 and anointed him the starter.
"People might want to compare," Glennon said, "but it's not the same situation. I can only say it so many times, 'This year has been fully communicated that it's my year.' I'm not going to worry about the future. As long as I play well, it will all work out."
Glennon was signed March 10 for $45 million over three years with $18 million guaranteed, including $16 million this season. During that negotiation, the topic of the Bears drafting a quarterback was not discussed. So Glennon's duties don't not include mentoring the player who will eventually come for his job. He will, he says, still be a team player.
"The meetings are geared around me," Glennon said of a quarterback room that also includes veteran Mark Sanchez and Connor Shaw, who was undrafted out of South Carolina in 2014. "Am I going to help Mitch as much as I can? Definitely. I'm going to be a great teammate. But my job is to win football games for the Chicago Bears. And that's where my head's at."
The question is: "For how long?"
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