Glennon under constant pressure in Buccaneers loss The Tampa Tribune, published 27 October 2014 With veteran quarterback Josh McCown standing on the Tampa Bay sideline, dressed, ready and eager to play if called upon, Mike Glennon kept dodging purple pass rushers and firing away. McCown never put on his helmet, but Glennon couldn’t find any semblance of a rhythm until the Bucs trailed 10-0. He threw for only 48 yards through three quarters, but the second-year pro completed 10 of 12 passes for 123 yards the rest of the way in a 19-13 overtime loss to Minnesota that dropped the Bucs to 0-4 at home this season. “Again today we had a slow start,’’ said Glennon, who was sacked five times for the second consecutive game. “Our defense did a great job. Again, we will continue to find that solution and be better coming out of the gates.’’ Trailing 10-6 with 5:40 remaining, the Bucs took possession at their 29-yard line as Minnesota’s impressive pass rush geared up for one more challenge. Glennon had other ideas. Glennon completed passes of 13 yards to Vincent Jackson, 9 yards to Bobby Rainey, 23 yards to Mike Evans and 7 yards to Louis Murphy before leading rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins perfectly on a crossing pattern for a 7-yard score with 2:02 left. “They were able to lock us down a little bit early on,’’ said Bucs coach Lovie Smith, who never told McCown to limber up, despite Glennon’s first-half struggles. “When we passed the ball, there was too much pressure. We knew going in they had been able to rush the passer well, but we’ve got to be able to protect the quarterback better than that and give ourselves a chance.’’ The Bucs afforded Glennon ample time to throw in his first two starts against Pittsburgh and New Orleans, both on the road. But in home setbacks against Baltimore and Minnesota, Glennon found himself under constant pressure — often forced to make quick decisions while throwing off his back foot. The only turnover by either team through four quarters came on the game’s initial possession, when Glennon rolled right and threw a wobbly ball deep downfield, intended for Evans. Veteran cornerback Captain Munnerlyn’s interception at the Minnesota 15 ended a promising drive that featured three of Tampa Bay’s four first downs in the opening half. Evans blamed himself for not knocking the ball down, at the very least, but Glennon offered no excuses. “We were moving the ball well on that first drive and I just made a bad interception,’’ he said. “Who knows what that drive would have turned into? That was a case where I should have just ran and gotten a couple of yards rather than just trying to throw it up. That one was on me, but as for the rest of the half, I don’t have an answer for you.’’