Mike Glennon's Talent, Early Play Indicate a Franchise-Caliber Quarterback

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' search for a franchise quarterback continues, but Mike Glennon is making a strong case to fill the role.

As Glennon toiled on Tampa Bay's bench, he never gave up on the idea that he was starting material in the NFL. The Buccaneers quarterback told Fox Sports' Mike Garafolo he was proud of never letting the demotion get to him: 

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I'm just proud of the way I handled it and stayed focused and kept working hard. Yeah, I'd say so. It's never fun getting moved from the starter to the backup, but it's part of the business. ... Just stay focused. I'm a young player. Hopefully, I have a long career ahead of me and it was just a small bump in the road that ultimately will help me out in the long run.

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Glennon started 13 games as a rookie and played relatively well. However, head coach Lovie Smith wanted a veteran presence behind center, so the team signed Josh McCown during free agency.

McCown's short-lived stint as the Buccaneers' starter was an unmitigated disaster and seemed to come to an end with an injury to the thumb on his throwing hand.

Once Glennon got his second opportunity to become the Buccaneers' starting quarterback, he didn't disappoint.

Three young QBs started their first games of the season Sunday, including a pair of highly touted first-round draft picks.

Jacksonville's Blake Bortles, who was the No. 3 overall selection in May's draft, and Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater, who was considered an elite prospect through most of last season, each impressed.

Neither overcame the adversity Glennon faced.

Glennon is most often compared to his 2013 NFL draft classmates, EJ Manual and Geno Smith, but last year's class was considered a weak overall crop—particularly at the quarterback position.

Player	Opponent	Completion %	Passing Yards	Touchdowns	Turnovers
Mike Glennon	Steelers	50.0	302	2	1
Blake Bortles	Chargers	78.4	253	1	2
Teddy Bridgewater	Falcons	62.0	317	0	0

This year's class, though, was projected as far more talented. When comparing Glennon to talents like Bortles and Bridgewater, it places him in a different context to understand his overall talent level.

An extra year of experience and multiple starts may be considered advantageous for the former third-round pick when compared to rookies getting their very first start, but Glennon was placed in a far more difficult situation than both.

Ten days after the Buccaneers were embarrassed on national television by the Atlanta Falcons, they had to travel to Pittsburgh and face the Steelers, who decimated the Carolina Panthers a week earlier.

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Both rookies played tremendously well, but their performances weren't as impressive as Glennon's.

Bridgewater played in front of a home crowd and relied heavily on a strong running attack to set up the Vikings' passing game. Bortles, on the other hand, fell victim to another poor defensive effort by the Jaguars against a superior San Diego Chargers squad.

Glennon, meanwhile, was asked to go into hostile territory against Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, one of the best defensive minds of any era, and lead his team to victory as the game expired. 

It was an inspiring performance even if a poor first half is taken in consideration.

The victory adds to what was already a relatively impressive start to Glennon's career. The signal-caller from North Carolina State has yet to play a full season. After 15 games, Glennon's level of play is similar to that of some of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.

Players	Completion %	Passing Yards	Touchdowns	Interceptions
Mike Glennon	59.1	3,031	22	10
Andrew Luck	54.3	4,183	21	18
Russell Wilson	63.4	2,868	25	10
Nick Foles*	61.3	3,620	26	6

This table isn't meant to place Glennon in the same stratosphere as Luck, Wilson or Foles. Each quarterback has their strengths and weaknesses, and each team dynamic is completely different.

However, Glennon's overall statistics compare favorably to those of quarterbacks already considered franchise material. Placing them side by side allows everyone to gauge Glennon's talent compared to the best young signal-callers in the NFL.

Like any other young quarterback in the NFL, Glennon is expected to improve with more opportunities to play.

No one ever questioned Glennon's ability to spin the football or throw it with great velocity into tight windows. His arm talent is readily apparent.

As seen on his predraft scouting report on NFL.com, there were questions regarding the Wolfpack quarterback's ability to stand tall in the pocket and consistently throw passes with touch and accuracy:

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His average foot quickness will cause him issues trying to avoid defenders in a collapsing pocket. Tends to retreat instead of stepping up to deliver in the face of pressure -- though his arm gives him a chance to get the ball out of bounds or find an open target while still backpedalling. And while he has the arm and tight spiral to threaten defenses with the deep ball, his inconsistent accuracy and reading of coverages keep him from being efficient in the vertical game.

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Both of the areas identified prior to last year's draft are still works in progress.

Two factors with this year's Buccaneers squad should help Glennon develop and possibly reach his franchise potential, though.

The maturation of quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo as the Buccaneers' offensive player-caller is a critical part of Glennon's learning curve.

Arroyo, who is calling plays in Jeff Tedford's stead after the veteran coach took an indefinite leave of absence, was ultra-conservative through the first three games. The young coach finally opened it up against the Steelers, and his quarterback noticed—particularly when the Buccaneers trailed 24-20 with 15 seconds left in the game.

Glennon found veteran wide receiver Vincent Jackson open in the end zone for the game-winning score.

"Right when we got the play call, I knew it was going to be a touchdown," Glennon told Garafolo. "It was a great call by our (quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo). Vince did a great job. I made it way too hard on him, but he's a talented player and he saved me."

As Arroyo gets more comfortable in his role, so will his quarterback.

McCown's inclusion on the team is also a boon for Glennon. The 12-year veteran may not have been the right choice to open the season as the team's starting quarterback, but his experience is invaluable for a young signal-caller trying to improve.

McCown quickly adapted to his role as a mentor to Glennon after last weekend's injury.

Glennon told Garafolo that McCown was a consummate professional despite his unfortunate circumstances: 

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All week, he's been there for me. That's just who he is. You can't say enough about him as a person, as a teammate. He's a team-first guy and wants the best for the team and wants us to win. Hopefully I'll get to see the clips of him celebrating. I'm really happy to be able to be his teammate.

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The rest is up to Glennon to maintain the positive momentum he built against Pittsburgh. During the next two weeks, the Buccaneers face the New Orleans Saints (in the Superdome) and Baltimore Ravens before the team's bye week.

The better Glennon performs, the less the organization has to think about drafting someone like Oregon's Marcus Mariota, CBSSports.com's No. 1 quarterback prospect for the 2015 NFL draft.

Wins come with good quarterback play, and Glennon's play will determine whether or not Tampa Bay will even be in position to select a highly regarded quarterback prospect.

Tampa Bay might not have started the season with Glennon behind center, but it's time for the team to permanently make the change to see exactly what it has in the second-year gunslinger. Glennon just might surprise the organization if he's given a legitimate chance to earn the position over the long haul.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFC South for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.