It wasn't too long ago that the Tampa Bay Bucs were the laughing stock of the NFL, but thanks to a three game winning streak and the Miami Dolphins exposing themselves as the class clowns of Florida, Greg Schiano's team now looks capable, confident and not like it's going to blow up and start over in 2014.
The key to this change was installing rookie QB Mike Glennon as the starter. The process of doing so was ugly and involved some low-blow tactics to oust the original starter, Josh Freeman, who possessed almost every Tampa Bay passing record in his short tenure. But, ultimately, whether it was the fault of Schiano, the surrounding cast or Freeman, it wasn't working. Tampa gave Freeman the boot, clearing the lockerroom of any divides or loyalties, and kept the train on the tracks.
After three wins in a row, though, they're not just on the tracks; they finally have a direction, and it's being led by Glennon.
Glennon went 62-of-88 for 785 yards, seven touchdowns and one pick this November, earning him NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors. In the process, Glennon worked on booting Freeman from the record books, too, recording three passer ratings of 123.1 or higher, which are the three highest ratings all-time by a rookie Buccaneers QB.
The Bucs are now 3-8 and still don't have any hopes of triumph this season, but next year all of a sudden looks a bit more promising. With Glennon leading the charge, they won't have to suffer another rebuilding year causing key veterans to bounce. Now that they have a united lockerroom and a winning QB, Tampa Bay can make genuine strides forward in the NFC South.
