Mike Glennon doesn't come across as a competitive person. Maybe it's even-keel personality or the fact he's been a backup for so long that people can't take the idea seriously. He's a humble, hard-working man viewed as a good soldier who does the job asked of him. Sounds nice in the greater scheme of society. Does that make him a potential good NFL quarterback?
Suffice to say many around the league and in the greater Chicago area are skeptical. They wonder why the Bears are wasting their time and money on this fools errand. Glennon is an average player who belongs on the bench. Is he though? Many teammates and coaches swear by his ability. Respect film experts are encouraged by his skill set.
Then there is his quiet history of competitiveness. It didn't always seem obvious at times, but it was there. A drive to be better than everybody who got in his way. Perhaps nothing reflected that better than a rivalry he had with eventual three-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson.
Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times
alluded to their "friendly" competition dating back to their time together at North Carolina State. Though it never turned sour, their constant game of can-you-top-this was a sight to behold every day. Not just on the field but in the locker and film rooms as well.
"Dana Bible coached Matt Ryan, Boomer Esiason and Erik Kramer but had never seen anything like this: for three years, two quarterbacks competing at everything, lobbying their coach for the starting job at every turn and racing to see who could answer whiteboard questions faster than the other.
“It was game on when they came into the meeting room,” Bible said.
One was Mike Glennon, who officially inherited the Bears’ starting-quarterback mantle Friday.
The other: Super Bowl champion and three-time Pro Bowl selection Russell Wilson."
Glennon was asked about it during his introductory press conference in Chicago. He didn't hide from the fact that they were battling for the starting job, but also expressed his gratitude for the chance to better himself because he was facing a future NFL star.
“I think it was an unspoken competition,” Glennon said after signing a three-year, $45 million contract with $18.5 million guaranteed. “It wasn’t something we talked about, but it was something where we both, I guess, tried to one-up each other. . . .
“It taught me at a young age how competitive it is out there. There are a lot of guys in college that don’t face that kind of competition — where I essentially was facing an elite NFL quarterback in competition at a young age.”
People may not realize how deep that rivalry actually goes. The two share a remarkably similar career path short of the NFL. Glennon and Wilson both attended high school in Virginia. Both of them won the state championship their final years before heading off to college. If that weren't crazy enough, check out the stat line comparison for their final two years starting respectively at N.C. State.
Wilson
- 14-11 record
- 263.6 yards, 2.36 TDs, 1 INT per game
- Draft: Round 3, Pick #75
Glennon
- 15-11 record
- 272.5 yards, 2.34 TDs, 1.11 INTs per game
- Draft: Round 3, Pick #73
The win totals, passing numbers and even final draft position were almost identical. Crazy, right? It gets better. In 2013, the two actually met as starting quarterbacks during the seasons. Glennon traveled up with the Buccaneers to Seattle against Wilson and the Seahawks. At that point in time Seattle was rising towards their eventual Super Bowl victory and their stadium was considered the most inhospitable in the NFL.
Glennon and 0-7 Tampa Bay had no prayer.
Then the rookie quarterback helped stake his team out to an improbable 21-0 lead. Despite playing the best defense in the league, Glennon posted a 123.1 quarterback rating. He finished with 168 yards and two touchdowns despite getting sacked three times. In the end it wasn't enough. Wilson led the Seahawks on a late comeback and pulled it out in overtime.
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Wilson clearly had the superior team though he deserves props for the rally. The bigger surprise was Glennon who showed that same competitive spirit he had back in college. It's encouraging to know that he tends to raise his game up in the presence of great quarterbacks. It's actually been true most of his career. His three best games as a starter were against Wilson, Matthew Stafford and Matt Ryan.
It's a sign of just how much of a gamer Glennon is and perhaps can be in the future. While nobody is crowning him yet, the fact that he's not afraid to go toe-to-toe with one of the best quarterbacks in pro football mighty encouraging.
