Cardinals vs. Buccaneers: Mike Glennon gets first start against Arizona

The Arizona Cardinals swim into Tampa Bay to take on a STRUGGLING Buccaneers squad that has given up on 2009 first round pick Josh Freeman in favor of 2013 third round pick Mike Glennon.

This move has even caused some fervor amongst Cardinals fans about the possibility of the Cardinals exploring a trade for the aforementioned Freeman, something that is unlikely to happen, but an interesting thought none the less.

What Freeman has struggled with is getting the ball deep this year in order to open up the running game for Doug Martin and company.

The fact that Freeman has put up John Skelton like numbers this season makes stacking the box against the running game of the Bucs fairly easy.

The Bucs have actually gone deep more this season than the Cardinals have, despite throwing only 94 passes, Freeman has gone deep 16 times, or on 17% of his passes, compare that to Palmer’s 114 passes thrown and only 13 of which have gone deep, or 11%.

Enter Glennon who is starting his first career game and coming out one of his strengths was the ability to drive the ball down the field, which made many a pundits believe he could be a fit in the Arians scheme.

Can he possibly take advantage of the Cards secondary in this game?

Does the Bucs offensive line, maybe the best in pass pro in the entire league, allow the rookie to sit in the pocket and drive the ball down field?

He did during the preseason… at times. He also did at times in college, which is what put him on the radar at all.

Glennon wins because he has the ability to get the ball deep, with accuracy at times, but more so because he’s adept at putting the ball out there with air and allows him receiver to run under it to make a play.

What both of those plays have in common is that Glennon is kept clean, has no issue in setting his base, getting into his long wind up, and delivering the ball down the field for his receivers.

If he is kept clean he’ll be able to put the ball out there, and Vincent Jackson is good at getting under the ball and making plays.

When he is moved off his spot or has to get through his reads and get the ball into tight windows when he isn’t settled, well good things will happen for the Cardinals secondary.

The Cardinals have to find a way to make Glennon move off his spots, and make him fit the ball into small windows, because that’s when that elongated delivery will catch up with him, and that’s when the Cardinals can take advantage.

If they don’t, well we could see a lot of this.