Mike Glennon will compete for Buccaneers starting job, has "opened up some eyes"

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' intentions with Mike Glennon are becoming clearer: they truly see him as the quarterback of the future. Lovie Smith has said so several times since the first round of the 2014 NFL draft concluded, and had apparently communicated that fact to Mike Glennon prior to the draft as well -- despite persistent rumors and reports that the Buccaneers were trying to trade the second-year passer. 

"From the moment they signed Josh [McCown] they told me," Glennon said today. "Lovie knows Josh, he has a comfort level with Josh, moving forward, though, he saw me as the guy. And after minicamp both Jason [Licht] and Lovie continued to tell me this. I knew what was happening the whole time."

When asked about the pre-draft trade rumors, Glennon noted that Lovie Smith told him this was simply not happening. "No, as all of that stuff was going on, Lovie called me twice to tell me that it wasn't the case, he doesn't know where that's coming from."

Moreover, Adam Schefter reported today that Mike Glennon has impressed the Buccaneers coaching staff, and that he will have the chance to win the starting job in training camp. 

On NFL Insiders, Schefter on Mike Glennon: "Has truly impressed" & "opened up some eyes." Will "certainly" compete for #Bucs starting job.

— Evan Silva (@evansilva) May 20, 2014

That's not overly likely to happen given Smith's self-professed love for Josh McCown, but he has noted before that Josh McCown is just part of the starting rotation this offseason -- implying that Glennon will have the opportunity to win the starting job.

It's curious that this support for Mike Glennon has been so vocal and prominent since the 2014 NFL draft, whereas it was nearly non-existent before the draft started. Was the team's continued talk of needing athleticism and speed at the quarterback position just a smokescreen? Did they decide that, after seeing Mike Glennon at their mini-camp, none of the available quarterbacks represented an upgrade? 

Whatever the case, it seems that the Buccaneers are back in love with the Mike Glennon.