Does Mike Glennon really grasp the situation he's walking into? It's hard to imagine he does. He said he did lots of research trying to find a team that fit him best. Chicago jumped off the screen. Easy to understand. They have a star-laden interior offensive line and a Pro Bowl running back. That's always a great starting point for a young quarterback anxious to prove something.
The thing is he probably didn't include a history lesson in that research. Since the year 2000 alone they have had 20 different quarterbacks start at least one game for them. Only the Cleveland Browns have had more in that same time span. Not great company to keep and a perfect encapsulation of what this franchise can't win anything consistently.
So how exactly does a man handle that sort of pressure, that sort of history? Well the good news is the Cubs just got done showing everybody that ugly histories don't last forever. Thankfully though a former fan favorite decided to step up and offer the young man some wise advice about what to expect.
One thing Glennon needs to get in his head right away? Chicago is not Tampa Bay. The fans in this city are decidedly more ravenous. They will make a legend out of good players but they can just as easily break the spirit of bad ones. Their level of expectations are high, especially at the quarterback position after decades of mediocre-to-bad.
If there is anybody who understands the city and its changing moods, it's Charles Tillman. Early in his career he wasn't embraced by the fans. They viewed him as a liability in coverage who made occasional nice plays. Over time though he began to improve and soon he became a household name. Easily the best cornerback the franchise has ever produced.
[video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Charles-Tillman-Career-Highlights.mp4"][/video]
So if anybody is qualified to give advice about how to play football in Chicago, it's him. He had some for Glennon courtesy of Patrick Finley from the Chicago Sun-Times.
“Don’t try to live up to anyone’s hype,” he said. “Don’t try to be better than Jay Cutler. Just be yourself, man. Do what you’ve done that’s gotten you here and that’s gotten you that nice contract. Go out there, make your reads. Don’t try to impress anyone.”That's a tried and true classic right out of the Bill Belichick book. In essence: do your job. Great tip for a quarterback. Not surprising since Peanut was one of the smartest defenders the organization ever had. He wasn't done though. There was another little additive that he made sure to slip in. Something that other players don't realize before it's too late.
“You’re not going to win Chicago over in a day. I think you’ll win Chicago over by how consistent you are over time. Be consistent and be yourself. I think the fans will appreciate that.”A problem that has bedeviled so many Bears in the past, not just quarterbacks, is their inability to play under control. They trying to be the heroes and make big plays. They want to prove the money being paid to them is well-spent. Never realizing that this aggressive, hectic thinking inevitably leads to mistakes. Nowhere is that more crucial than under center. Glennon doesn't have to be great. At least not right away. He'll have a talented roster around him. All he has to do is limit the mistakes, make a handful of good throws every week and give the ball to Jordan Howard. If he does that it's always possible to win. Tillman saw that game plan work plenty of times in his hey day. No reason to think it can't again.
