Mike Glennon is the Buccaneers' future because of "toughness, intelligence and accuracy"

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fully committing to Mike Glennon as the quarterback of the future. That started with Lovie Smith declaring him to be just that on the first day of the 2014 NFL draft, and has continued since then. Adam Schefter reported yesterday that Glennon convinced the team's leadership that he was their future.

Lovie Smith and Jason Licht have reinforced that notion at every post-draft interview they've given. Josh McCown said that he hoped Glennon would turn into a Hall of Famer. Other reports suggested the response the Bucs received when they dangled the second-year quarterback surprised them, prompting them to keep Glennon.

So why did they decide to keep Mike Glennon? Because he embodied "toughness, intelligence and accuracy", the top three traits the Buccaneers look at when evaluating quarterbacks (arm strength was a distant fourth). That's what Jason Licht told Fox Sports' Alex Marvez on Sirius XM yesterday. 

"He's been everything that we thought he was going to be after our assessments. Right now we're banking on him to be the quarterback of the future," Jason Licht said. "[Glennon]'s a little bit of an assuming type of guy, but the players around the building just really look up to him and they do follow him. So that's what it came down to."

A few things about this entire situation are still curious. The Bucs brought in at least seven quarterbacks for pre-draft visits and workouts, and that included all of the top passers: Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr. That's a pretty hefty dedication to a smokescreen. Plus, how much can they really like Glennon if they bring in Josh McCown to be the starter?

Moreover, when the Bucs talked about the quarterback position before the draft, they consistently emphasized not toughness, not intelligence, not accuracy, but athleticism and speed -- something they emphasize at every position on the field. That just doesn't fit Mike Glennon. 

Still, Mike Glennon is now the quarterback of the future. The Bucs are going to great lengths to make that very, very clear to everyone around the NFL -- and they passed on every draftable quarterback to stick with him. 

Postscript: One final, minor note from that interview: unprompted, Jason Licht mentioned DE Chaz Sutton and DT Euclid Cummings as undrafted free agents who stood out in rookie mini-camp.