Lovie Smith: "Odds are" Mike Glennon starts at quarterback this week, still won't commit long-term to Glennon

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have played much better on offense over the past two weeks, as Mike Glennon has helped the team move the chains and score points against the Steelers and Saints. But that's not enough for Lovie Smith to commit to Glennon as the starter for the long haul, as he stated again on Monday.

Glennon has taken obvious steps forward this season, showing more poise under pressure and looking downfield for big plays more often than he did as a rookie. But has faced two of the weakest defenses in the NFL during his two starts, and has yet to be tested.

And with Josh McCown still struggling to get involved in practice by throwing the ball and contending for the starting spot again, Smith has no reason to name a long-term starter, and can avoid a quarterback controversy by not appointing either player as the starter.

But with the team sitting at 1-4, and the tape clearly showing that Glennon is just as capable as McCown (at a much younger age), it makes little sense to hand the ball back to a veteran and not give the younger player more opportunities to learn and grow.

The more tape of Mike Glennon the Bucs can get before the end of the season, the more informed they'll be during 2015 NFL Draft preparations as they scout out the signal callers in college and consider which ones (if any) represent an upgrade over the NC State product.

Hopefully this is just professional coach speak from Lovie Smith, rather than honest intentions to return Josh McCown to the starting spot when he's healthy, as putting the veteran back under center simply doesn't help the Buccaneers in the short or long-term, barring a breakdown from Glennon in the coming weeks.