If you’re old like me, you remember the old Speed Stick commercials, capped with their 2-second jingle. It’s all I can hear when I hear “Mike Glennon”.
The only way to parse this newest shift in personnel is that they’d hit the end of the road with Cutler long ago, so he needed to go. Good or bad, there was nothing to learn from him at this point – similar to the end of Lovie’s run. It’s possible we’ll long for the days of the Cutler era, but probably not.
I’m not saying Mike Glennon will deliver us to the (sometimes mentioned, distant memory) promised land of the post season, but I expect his role is actually to be the competent veteran presence, ready to not lose games for the team while the rookie they draft gets used to a professional system.
That’s right, I predict they’ll draft a rookie QB. All the talk about “picking the best available player” when their selection slot comes up is subterfuge. It’s such obvious poker face that other teams could really mess with them right now. Luckily, I think other teams care less about the Bears than the Browns right now.
On the plus side, Ryan Pace has been bolstering the lines. That’s the key to rebuilding and getting better – no QB can flourish when he’s being planted in the turf every down. And if there’s no pass rush on the defensive side, the opposing offense only needs to be patient. It’s taking a while, but I think Pace gets this.
Further, we have a glut of linebackers ready to make names for themselves. If Pace can land a quality safety in the draft, I think we’re looking at a significantly upgraded secondary. And if Kevin White can stay healthy and be fast again, there might be enough yeoman receivers to complement what looks like a C+ or B- running game. Glennon merely needs to manage games and make safe decisions and they’ll improve from a 3-win season.
At the end of the day, I am not too excited about Glennon. Maybe he’ll be a complete surprise, or maybe he’s destined to be the backup to our future, home-grown, franchise QB. It’s too early to have zero hope, but if I’m wrong and they don’t draft a QB, then it might be time to call it, or at least calibrate my expectations so low that disappointment is off the table.
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