Scouting Report on Mike Glennon Reveals Some Mistakes Jeff Tedford Just Might Be Able to Fix

Dec 29, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon (8) against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ employee, friend of the site and football analyst Joe Bussell posted a full roster breakdown of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on his blog, providing scouting reports of every player similar to the process Jason Licht and his team went through over recent weeks before Monday’s initial roster moves.

You can check out the entire document, which gives scouting reports on nearly the entire roster, by clicking here.

But what’s most interesting are his thoughts on Mike Glennon, the rookie QB for the Bucs who has been the topic of conversation since the season ended as fans look ahead to next year and hope for better than the 4-12 record posted by the team.

Here’s a small portion of Bussell’s scouting report on Glennon.

• “He’s a rookie quarterback with a long way to go. Right now he projects as a high-level backup to low-level starter who won’t take chances with the football and won’t turn it over a ton. He won’t win any games on his arm alone but he’s also not likely to lose it on his own, either.”

Bussell explains his position fully in the scouting report, citing Glennon’s lacking mechanics, poor accuracy, and issues keeping his poise under pressure.

One of my biggest concerns about Glennon is his mental quickness and decision-making, as he doesn’t seem to anticipate the game, and relies on first reads and checkdowns far too often. Bussell mentions these issues as well, pointing out that Glennon struggles to understand how the routes his receivers are running will exploit the defense.

However, many of the issues on Glennon’s scouting report are fixable, especially the mental ones. Jeff Tedford is known for preparing quarterbacks for the game and teaching them in a thorough manner. During his introductory press conference, he said the following:

• “The big thing is to make sure we give the players the answers to the test; put them in positions to be successful. Preparation is key.”

So while I maintain my concerns about Glennon, he’s in the perfect situation to take a step forward in the season ahead. If his new offensive coordinator is able to teach him how to better understand the options he has available on a given play against a certain defense, he’ll overcome many of the concerns Bussell relays in his scouting report.

However, there are no guarantees that Glennon’s issues are “fixable.” His poor mechanics, lack of accuracy and imprecise ball placement, and mental shortcomings as a passer may be more than just a byproduct of being a rookie and playing under a bad coaching staff. The NC State product could just be a hesitant, careful, inaccurate passer for the rest of his career, meaning Bussell’s assessment of Glennon as a “high-level backup” makes perfect sense.

The Buccaneers can certainly use a qualified backup quarterback, so having Glennon fail to take the reigns of the offense and fall back into a backup role wouldn’t be the end of the world. But there’s a chance that his flaws and concerns could be remedied by the same coach who got the most out of Kyle Boller, David Carr, and plenty of other quarterbacks who went on to frustrate and disappoint for other teams.