How Mike Glennon gained the trust of the Bears, and why that matters

technical details

is_video => true
alias => "chicago\/\/chicago-bears\/how-mike-glennon-gained-trust-bears-and-why-matters"
nid => "580381"
title => "How Mike Glennon gained the trust of the Bears, and why that matters"
is_chrome_page => true
article_body => "Ask just about any member of the Bears offense about Mike Glennon, and you\u2019ll get this answer before anything else: He\u2019s a great leader. <\/p>\nQuarterbacks, of course, are expected to be leaders. It'd be weird if the player with the most communication responsibilities \u2014 and who touches the ball the most \u2014 wasn\u2019t. <\/p>\nBut consider the path Glennon took to get to Chicago: Benched twice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first to Josh McCown and second to No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston. After the Bucs grabbed Winston in the 2015 draft, Glennon only threw 11 regular season passes before signing with the Bears. That\u2019s a long time to sit on the bench and not have many leadership responsibilities, let alone on-field ones. <\/p>\nGlennon, though, came to Halas Hall in March without a shred of timidity about commanding the Bears\u2019 offense. The drafting of Mitch Trubisky with the team's highest pick in decades didn\u2019t change Glennon\u2019s outlook, either. <\/p>\nAnd because of that steady approach, the 6-foot-7 quarterback with a 5-13 career record will roll into his first preseason game with the Bears Thursday night against the Denver Broncos with his whole team behind him. <\/p>\n\u201cHe was a leader from Day 1, and not just training camp,\u201d wide receiver Kendall Wright said. \u201cOTAs, regular workouts, he\u2019s been that guy. He\u2019s meant for it.\u201d<\/p>\nGlennon is new to everyone in Bourbonnais apart from Zach Miller, who spent a short amount of time with the Bucs in 2013 (Miller was cut in late August that year). Even then, Miller saw Glennon in the nascent stages of his NFL career. The point is: No players really knew what to expect from him.<\/p>\nVictor Cruz came to the Bears after spending six seasons with Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl winner with 108 career victories. So when Cruz showed up at Halas Hall this spring, he knew what he was looking for out of his new quarterback. <\/p>\n\u201cA lot of guys, especially myself, haven't seen him that much aside from some preseason and being in Tampa and things like that,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cI wanted to see what his command was like, can he command an offensive huddle, how he talks to us, how he communicates, what he wants from his receiving corps, his offense in general. <\/p>\n\u201cHe's done a great job. I think he's concise. He's clear about what he wants, how he wants it run. And he's able to apply what he wants on the field and talks us through it.\u201d<\/p>\nThis is where the idea of leadership matters: The Bears\u2019 offensive players have developed a strong trust in Glennon. That comes through when the team is breaking the huddle, or when Glennon \u2014 as he did Monday early in practice \u2014 sees something he doesn\u2019t like and communicates a clear this-isn\u2019t-good-enough message. <\/p>\n\u201cEven down to the way he recites the play to us prior to us breaking the huddle, there\u2019s something about that that really gives us a good sense of confidence,\u201d offensive lineman Kyle Long said. <\/p>\n\u201cIf it\u2019s not right, he won\u2019t sugarcoat anything with you,\u201d Wright said. \u201cIf it\u2019s wrong, it\u2019s wrong. He\u2019s a guy who\u2019s going to tell you exactly how he wants it, how it should look and he goes out there and does it. \u2026 You want (a quarterback) to be a straight-up and real with you as possible. I think Mike is doing that and I think guys are listening to him.\u201d<\/p>\nAll the positives about Glennon\u2019s leadership, though, have yet to be tested during a game. What happens if the Glendon-led offense stalls? What if he struggles to be productive and calls for Mitch Trubisky to replace him get noisier? <\/p>\nThe best trait Glennon could have to answer those questions, at least from a leadership standpoint, is that his style is genuine to his personality. He hasn\u2019t had to force leadership out of himself after being given an eight-figure contract and command of the Bears\u2019 offense. <\/p>\n\u201cI\u2019m not, like, one of those big rah-rah guys, just kind of straightforward,\u201d Glennon said. \u201cMainly let my actions do the talking but occasionally I have to speak up and fix something, or whatever it might be.\u201d<\/p>\nThat\u2019s exactly the approach Miller hoped to see from Glennon. <\/p>\n\u201cBe you, everything else will take care of itself,\u201d Miller said. \u201cWhen you get into trying to do too much, I think it\u2019ll come off as a little phony, a little fake, and guys will see that. but that\u2019s not the situation.\u201d<\/p>\nBack in early March, before the Bears signed Glennon and drafted Trubisky, both coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace said they were looking for a quarterback who could \u201craise all boats\u201d \u2014 i.e., make everyone around him better. Surely that didn\u2019t mean signing a quarterback without a winning track record, right?<\/p>\nGlennon, the guy with five wins and 13 losses as a starter, has turned out to be someone who \u2014 at least during OTAs and training camp \u2014 has had that boat-raising ability. <\/p>\nWhether that translates to success in the regular season is still a question that needs to be answered. But from a leadership standpoint, Glennon has so far done everything the Bears hoped to get out of their quarterback in 2017.<\/p>\nSaid Fox: \u201cThere's guys that when the chips are down, they're in that huddle and you've got 70,000 people staring at you and lord only knows how many more on television, they're able to motivate and inspire their teammates.\" <\/p>\n"
author => "JJ Stankevitz"
mps => {"author":"JJ Stankevitz","league":"","sport":"","sponsor":""}
published => "1502311620"
created => "1502312231"
changed => "1502376136"
status => "1"
hero_image_credit => "USA TODAY"
tags => [{"tid":"1241","name":"Chicago Bears","url":"chicago-bears"},{"tid":"15031","name":"Mike Glennon","url":"tags\/mike-glennon"}]
section => "Bears"
team => "Chicago Bears"
image => {"uri":"public:\/\/archive\/assets_article\/chicago\/2017\/08\/09\/stl_kyle_long_returns_glennon_something_to_prove_08-08_640x360_1020346947823.jpg","alt":"stl_kyle_long_returns_glennon_something_to_prove_08-08_640x360_1020346947823.jpg","title":"STL: The return of Kyle Long, and the Year of Glennon"}
video_url => "https:\/\/www.nbcsports.com\/chicago\/video\/stl-return-kyle-long-and-year-glennon"
is_mediaid => true
mediaid => "WrkAB1fS8SSg"
video_autoplay => true
video_automute => null
mpx_account_id => "BxmELC"
player_id => "chicago_article"
chrome_data => "{\"league\":\"\",\"sport\":\"\",\"sponsor\":\"\"}"
sponsor => "Training Camp"
region => "chicago"
fb_url => "https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=330072974228200&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fchicago%2Fchicago-bears%2Fhow-mike-glennon-gained-trust-bears-and-why-matters&display=popup"
tw_url => "https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=How%20Mike%20Glennon%20gained%20the%20trust%20of%20the%20Bears%2C%20and%20why%20that%20matters&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fchicago%2Fchicago-bears%2Fhow-mike-glennon-gained-trust-bears-and-why-matters&original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fchicago%2Fchicago-bears%2Fhow-mike-glennon-gained-trust-bears-and-why-matters"
mailto => "mailto:?subject=How%20Mike%20Glennon%20gained%20the%20trust%20of%20the%20Bears%2C%20and%20why%20that%20matters&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fchicago%2Fchicago-bears%2Fhow-mike-glennon-gained-trust-bears-and-why-matters"
tags_hide => []
type => "article"
meta => {"file":"\/mnt\/gfs\/rsnunited\/sites\/default\/files\/archive\/article\/chicago\/chicago-bears\/how-mike-glennon-gained-trust-bears-and-why-matters.json","assets":["public:\/\/archive\/assets_article\/chicago\/2017\/08\/09\/stl_kyle_long_returns_glennon_something_to_prove_08-08_640x360_1020346947823.jpg"]}
orig_image => {"uri":"public:\/\/2017\/08\/08\/stl_kyle_long_returns_glennon_something_to_prove_08-08_640x360_1020346947823.jpg","alt":"stl_kyle_long_returns_glennon_something_to_prove_08-08_640x360_1020346947823.jpg","title":"STL: The return of Kyle Long, and the Year of Glennon"}
article_type => "article"

Bears

Presented By Training Camp

Bears

Ask just about any member of the Bears offense about Mike Glennon, and you’ll get this answer before anything else: He’s a great leader.

Quarterbacks, of course, are expected to be leaders. It'd be weird if the player with the most communication responsibilities — and who touches the ball the most — wasn’t.

But consider the path Glennon took to get to Chicago: Benched twice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first to Josh McCown and second to No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston. After the Bucs grabbed Winston in the 2015 draft, Glennon only threw 11 regular season passes before signing with the Bears. That’s a long time to sit on the bench and not have many leadership responsibilities, let alone on-field ones.

Glennon, though, came to Halas Hall in March without a shred of timidity about commanding the Bears’ offense. The drafting of Mitch Trubisky with the team's highest pick in decades didn’t change Glennon’s outlook, either.

And because of that steady approach, the 6-foot-7 quarterback with a 5-13 career record will roll into his first preseason game with the Bears Thursday night against the Denver Broncos with his whole team behind him.

“He was a leader from Day 1, and not just training camp,” wide receiver Kendall Wright said. “OTAs, regular workouts, he’s been that guy. He’s meant for it.”

Glennon is new to everyone in Bourbonnais apart from Zach Miller, who spent a short amount of time with the Bucs in 2013 (Miller was cut in late August that year). Even then, Miller saw Glennon in the nascent stages of his NFL career. The point is: No players really knew what to expect from him.

Victor Cruz came to the Bears after spending six seasons with Eli Manning, a two-time Super Bowl winner with 108 career victories. So when Cruz showed up at Halas Hall this spring, he knew what he was looking for out of his new quarterback.

“A lot of guys, especially myself, haven't seen him that much aside from some preseason and being in Tampa and things like that,” Cruz said. “I wanted to see what his command was like, can he command an offensive huddle, how he talks to us, how he communicates, what he wants from his receiving corps, his offense in general.

“He's done a great job. I think he's concise. He's clear about what he wants, how he wants it run. And he's able to apply what he wants on the field and talks us through it.”

This is where the idea of leadership matters: The Bears’ offensive players have developed a strong trust in Glennon. That comes through when the team is breaking the huddle, or when Glennon — as he did Monday early in practice — sees something he doesn’t like and communicates a clear this-isn’t-good-enough message.

“Even down to the way he recites the play to us prior to us breaking the huddle, there’s something about that that really gives us a good sense of confidence,” offensive lineman Kyle Long said.

“If it’s not right, he won’t sugarcoat anything with you,” Wright said. “If it’s wrong, it’s wrong. He’s a guy who’s going to tell you exactly how he wants it, how it should look and he goes out there and does it. … You want (a quarterback) to be a straight-up and real with you as possible. I think Mike is doing that and I think guys are listening to him.”

All the positives about Glennon’s leadership, though, have yet to be tested during a game. What happens if the Glendon-led offense stalls? What if he struggles to be productive and calls for Mitch Trubisky to replace him get noisier?

The best trait Glennon could have to answer those questions, at least from a leadership standpoint, is that his style is genuine to his personality. He hasn’t had to force leadership out of himself after being given an eight-figure contract and command of the Bears’ offense.

“I’m not, like, one of those big rah-rah guys, just kind of straightforward,” Glennon said. “Mainly let my actions do the talking but occasionally I have to speak up and fix something, or whatever it might be.”

That’s exactly the approach Miller hoped to see from Glennon.

“Be you, everything else will take care of itself,” Miller said. “When you get into trying to do too much, I think it’ll come off as a little phony, a little fake, and guys will see that. but that’s not the situation.”

Back in early March, before the Bears signed Glennon and drafted Trubisky, both coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace said they were looking for a quarterback who could “raise all boats” — i.e., make everyone around him better. Surely that didn’t mean signing a quarterback without a winning track record, right?

Glennon, the guy with five wins and 13 losses as a starter, has turned out to be someone who — at least during OTAs and training camp — has had that boat-raising ability.

Whether that translates to success in the regular season is still a question that needs to be answered. But from a leadership standpoint, Glennon has so far done everything the Bears hoped to get out of their quarterback in 2017.

Said Fox: “There's guys that when the chips are down, they're in that huddle and you've got 70,000 people staring at you and lord only knows how many more on television, they're able to motivate and inspire their teammates."