Mike Glennon's path to the Bears was carved by persistence
Mar 13, 2017 10:05:43 GMT -6
riczaj01 likes this
Post by JABF on Mar 13, 2017 10:05:43 GMT -6
Interesting read for sure. The more I learn about Mike Glennon, the more I like. I hope he ends up being a solid Bears QB for us. LOL, and yes, I also hope we draft a solid QB in this draft. Cover all bases.
LINK
Mike Glennon's path to the Bears was carved by persistence
MARCH 11, 2017, 11:09 AM
With his father standing in the neighbor's yard, 10-year-old Mike Glennon was determined to get it right. Ten consecutive spirals. Ten perfect passes to end their throwing session on a high note.
The problem was, back then, throwing a football didn't come naturally to Mike. This was hard work.
John Glennon watched instructional videos so he could teach his son proper mechanics, and they practiced at their home in Northern Virginia. Mike loved football and wanted to be a good quarterback like his older brother. This is what it took.
He zipped the first spiral, then the second. Some nights the third and fourth followed. But eventually the football wobbled out of his hand.
Mike couldn't contain his tears, and he ran inside.
Sean, the older brother and a former Virginia Tech quarterback, chuckled at that memory this week. Nearly two decades later, that frustrated kid is the Bears' new starting quarterback.
"He was always out there the next day trying it," Sean recalled. "You've heard: Fall down seven times, get up eight? He'd come in the house crying seven times, but he'd go out for that eighth time trying to get it. Eventually it started to click."
That persistence led Mike to Halas Hall, where on Friday he signed a three-year, $45 million contract that includes $18.5 million guaranteed. The lanky right-hander is, for now, Jay Cutler's successor.
By signing Glennon, 27, the Bears are taking a low-risk swing at finding a long-term quarterback solution. He hasn't started a game since 2014, partly because as a member of the Buccaneers he was blocked by Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015.
That hiatus requires a projection about what Glennon will be as the Bears' leader on the field and in the locker room. As he fielded questions from reporters Friday, wearing a blue suit and orange-and-blue tie, Glennon explained how he physically and mentally matured as a backup by continuing to refine his mechanics and remaining attentive in meetings and video reviews.
"Over the last few years," he said, "I've worked on some things that have made me a better passer that I will show this fall."
But there's more for Chicago to see than Glennon slinging spirals, which he now does quite well, by the way. For the first time since Cutler's arrival in 2009, the city has a new starting quarterback to get to know.
Those closest to him describe a fiery competitor who matches that drive with a low-key demeanor. He's a sports nut with a sneaky sense of humor. And, as evidenced by how several fans recognized him Thursday at dinner with coach John Fox and other Bears staffers, he has a distinct look that has drawn comparisons to fellow redhead Napoleon Dynamite.
"I tend to stick out," Glennon cracked. "There's not too many 6-foot-7, pale, balding white guys walking around."
One-track mind
The Glennon family is really into "Game of Thrones," but there's a problem. Mike won't put down his iPad long enough to catch up on the fantasy drama TV series. He's way more interested in watching video clips of football games, preparing for his big opportunity as an NFL starter. Meanwhile, he doesn't want his wife, Jessica, to leave him behind in their binge watching.
"I would have to beg him: 'Just put your film away for an hour so we can watch,'" Jessica said. "You have five more minutes, then I get an hour. It's hard to peel him away."
Frustrations have rippled throughout the family. Plot developments can't openly be discussed. Spoilers abound. Mike is to blame.
Not that this is surprising.
"He's not into anything that's not sports-related," said Sean, 31, who had a brief stint with the Vikings. "He likes to stay at home and watch film or sports movies or read sports books. No one is going to catch him out in the Chicago bars or in the nightclubs, that's for certain. He's boring."
Even more boring, Sean says, now that Mike and Jessica, who met at North Carolina State, have a 7-month-old son. Brady is not named after Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, mind you, but they do share a birthday. Coincidentally, Mike insists.
Sean set an accelerated pace for Mike and their middle sibling, Katy, growing up in Centreville, Va., where their dad was an attorney for ExxonMobil. Sean was a natural athlete and welcomed Mike as an opponent or teammate playing basketball in the driveway, throwing the football, playing golf or any other sport.
He would invite Mike for a game of one-on-one, spotting him 10 points in a game to 15 — just enough of a cushion to entice Mike to play but not enough for him to actually win.
Eventually, though, Mike caught up. He grew into his body (he went from 6-1 as a high school freshman to 6-5 as a sophomore) and developed some control. He watched Sean quarterback Westfield High to a state championship in Virginia's largest classification in 2003. Then he did it himself in 2007 before heading to N.C. State.
"For a long time, he was trying to be me," Sean said. "And then high school, college, he was trying to grow out of my shadow. I guess he has officially succeeded."
Look of a leader?
Shortly after Glennon met up with Bears general manger Ryan Pace in Lake Forest on Thursday, he submitted a list of requests:
The playbook.
All Bears game video from last season downloaded to his iPad.
Cellphone numbers of every player on offense and specific defensive players.
Pictures of everyone at Bears headquarters with whom he'll be interacting.
"That tells you something about a guy when that's kind of his mindset before he even walks in the building," Pace said.
Leadership initiative doesn't guarantee Glennon will succeed. But as the Bears move on from Cutler, who was dogged by questions about how teammates interacted with and responded to him, Glennon's ability to energize and connect with those around him could only help get the 3-13 Bears back on course.
"There's definitely more of a level of comfort and confidence just because I've been around and I've seen more things," Glennon said. "I can relate to more players, more situations. I definitely feel more confident as a player, as a leader, now at 27 than I was as a rookie at 23."
John Glennon, having witnessed his son’s rise from those painstakingly detailed front-yard throwing lessons, believes Mike’s improved confidence will effectively pair with his personality. That could be especially helpful quarterbacking the rebuilding Bears.
On the golf course, for example, when Mike smacks a drive close to 300 yards, he simply walks back to the cart and slides his club in into the bag. Maybe the ball is sitting pretty in the fairway. Maybe it’s in the woods.
“If you didn’t see the ball, you wouldn’t know which was a good shot and which wasn’t,” John said. “The trait that makes him most successful is his unbelievable calmness under pressure. He has this calm demeanor even when there’s chaos all around him.”
More important than the leadership question, though, is can Glennon play?
Can he protect the ball? Can he perform well in tight, end-game situations? Can he make others around him better with his decision-making, accuracy and arm strength?
After spending the last three years as a backup, it's up to him to silence the doubters. At least he isn't one to back down from a good challenge.
rcampbell@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rich_Campbell
Mike Glennon's path to the Bears was carved by persistence
MARCH 11, 2017, 11:09 AM
With his father standing in the neighbor's yard, 10-year-old Mike Glennon was determined to get it right. Ten consecutive spirals. Ten perfect passes to end their throwing session on a high note.
The problem was, back then, throwing a football didn't come naturally to Mike. This was hard work.
John Glennon watched instructional videos so he could teach his son proper mechanics, and they practiced at their home in Northern Virginia. Mike loved football and wanted to be a good quarterback like his older brother. This is what it took.
He zipped the first spiral, then the second. Some nights the third and fourth followed. But eventually the football wobbled out of his hand.
Mike couldn't contain his tears, and he ran inside.
Sean, the older brother and a former Virginia Tech quarterback, chuckled at that memory this week. Nearly two decades later, that frustrated kid is the Bears' new starting quarterback.
"He was always out there the next day trying it," Sean recalled. "You've heard: Fall down seven times, get up eight? He'd come in the house crying seven times, but he'd go out for that eighth time trying to get it. Eventually it started to click."
That persistence led Mike to Halas Hall, where on Friday he signed a three-year, $45 million contract that includes $18.5 million guaranteed. The lanky right-hander is, for now, Jay Cutler's successor.
By signing Glennon, 27, the Bears are taking a low-risk swing at finding a long-term quarterback solution. He hasn't started a game since 2014, partly because as a member of the Buccaneers he was blocked by Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015.
That hiatus requires a projection about what Glennon will be as the Bears' leader on the field and in the locker room. As he fielded questions from reporters Friday, wearing a blue suit and orange-and-blue tie, Glennon explained how he physically and mentally matured as a backup by continuing to refine his mechanics and remaining attentive in meetings and video reviews.
"Over the last few years," he said, "I've worked on some things that have made me a better passer that I will show this fall."
But there's more for Chicago to see than Glennon slinging spirals, which he now does quite well, by the way. For the first time since Cutler's arrival in 2009, the city has a new starting quarterback to get to know.
Those closest to him describe a fiery competitor who matches that drive with a low-key demeanor. He's a sports nut with a sneaky sense of humor. And, as evidenced by how several fans recognized him Thursday at dinner with coach John Fox and other Bears staffers, he has a distinct look that has drawn comparisons to fellow redhead Napoleon Dynamite.
"I tend to stick out," Glennon cracked. "There's not too many 6-foot-7, pale, balding white guys walking around."
One-track mind
The Glennon family is really into "Game of Thrones," but there's a problem. Mike won't put down his iPad long enough to catch up on the fantasy drama TV series. He's way more interested in watching video clips of football games, preparing for his big opportunity as an NFL starter. Meanwhile, he doesn't want his wife, Jessica, to leave him behind in their binge watching.
"I would have to beg him: 'Just put your film away for an hour so we can watch,'" Jessica said. "You have five more minutes, then I get an hour. It's hard to peel him away."
Frustrations have rippled throughout the family. Plot developments can't openly be discussed. Spoilers abound. Mike is to blame.
Not that this is surprising.
"He's not into anything that's not sports-related," said Sean, 31, who had a brief stint with the Vikings. "He likes to stay at home and watch film or sports movies or read sports books. No one is going to catch him out in the Chicago bars or in the nightclubs, that's for certain. He's boring."
Even more boring, Sean says, now that Mike and Jessica, who met at North Carolina State, have a 7-month-old son. Brady is not named after Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady, mind you, but they do share a birthday. Coincidentally, Mike insists.
Sean set an accelerated pace for Mike and their middle sibling, Katy, growing up in Centreville, Va., where their dad was an attorney for ExxonMobil. Sean was a natural athlete and welcomed Mike as an opponent or teammate playing basketball in the driveway, throwing the football, playing golf or any other sport.
He would invite Mike for a game of one-on-one, spotting him 10 points in a game to 15 — just enough of a cushion to entice Mike to play but not enough for him to actually win.
Eventually, though, Mike caught up. He grew into his body (he went from 6-1 as a high school freshman to 6-5 as a sophomore) and developed some control. He watched Sean quarterback Westfield High to a state championship in Virginia's largest classification in 2003. Then he did it himself in 2007 before heading to N.C. State.
"For a long time, he was trying to be me," Sean said. "And then high school, college, he was trying to grow out of my shadow. I guess he has officially succeeded."
Look of a leader?
Shortly after Glennon met up with Bears general manger Ryan Pace in Lake Forest on Thursday, he submitted a list of requests:
The playbook.
All Bears game video from last season downloaded to his iPad.
Cellphone numbers of every player on offense and specific defensive players.
Pictures of everyone at Bears headquarters with whom he'll be interacting.
"That tells you something about a guy when that's kind of his mindset before he even walks in the building," Pace said.
Leadership initiative doesn't guarantee Glennon will succeed. But as the Bears move on from Cutler, who was dogged by questions about how teammates interacted with and responded to him, Glennon's ability to energize and connect with those around him could only help get the 3-13 Bears back on course.
"There's definitely more of a level of comfort and confidence just because I've been around and I've seen more things," Glennon said. "I can relate to more players, more situations. I definitely feel more confident as a player, as a leader, now at 27 than I was as a rookie at 23."
John Glennon, having witnessed his son’s rise from those painstakingly detailed front-yard throwing lessons, believes Mike’s improved confidence will effectively pair with his personality. That could be especially helpful quarterbacking the rebuilding Bears.
On the golf course, for example, when Mike smacks a drive close to 300 yards, he simply walks back to the cart and slides his club in into the bag. Maybe the ball is sitting pretty in the fairway. Maybe it’s in the woods.
“If you didn’t see the ball, you wouldn’t know which was a good shot and which wasn’t,” John said. “The trait that makes him most successful is his unbelievable calmness under pressure. He has this calm demeanor even when there’s chaos all around him.”
More important than the leadership question, though, is can Glennon play?
Can he protect the ball? Can he perform well in tight, end-game situations? Can he make others around him better with his decision-making, accuracy and arm strength?
After spending the last three years as a backup, it's up to him to silence the doubters. At least he isn't one to back down from a good challenge.
rcampbell@chicagotribune.com
Twitter @rich_Campbell