Bears guard Kyle Long said his first thought when the Bears drafted quarterback Mitch Trubisky was what he was going to say to current supposed starter Mike Glennon.
Long told the Chicago Sun-Times that he settled on this:
"I saw Glennon, and I said, 'Dude, there's a reason you're here,'" Long said. "'That's all I can say. They don't bring people in and pay them that kind of money for nothing. Get your competitive shoes on and get ready to kick some butt.'"
This is obviously easier said than done for Glennon, who will absolutely have to compete for the starting job this summer. A few years ago, this situation would have been relatively black and white, but after the Seahawks signed Matt Flynn to a three-year, $26 million deal and started third-round pick Russell Wilson, it essentially gave every head coach in the league the green light to bench the more expensive option and invoke the competition clause.
"As is well-documented, Mitch doesn't have a very long career behind him -- which sounds familiar," Long said. "We're an equal-opportunity employer. Competition is always welcome."
And really, for Bears fans, would it be that upsetting? If Glennon isn't clear-and-away the best option this summer and doesn't give the team a chance to compete for the division, what's the point in keeping him on the field? The Jets did this each of the past two seasons and are now thinking about starting a quarterback in Christian Hackenberg who was completely redshirted a season ago.
The Bears didn't want to descend into this quarterback purgatory, which is why they traded up for the No. 2 pick in the first place. Kudos to Long for trying to keep Glennon in the mix, but even if he bottoms out, what's the worst thing that can happen?
