Quarterback Mike Glennon had a plan.
During his two years backing up Jameis Winston with the Buccaneers, he made mental notes about how he would run the team if he were the starting quarterback.
‘‘I think that’s kind of what the backup’s for, to look through a different lens and say, ‘This is how I’d do it,’ ’’ Glennon said. ‘‘And maybe take from the starter and think, ‘OK, maybe I would do that when I get that opportunity.’ ’’
Glennon got his chance in March, signing with the Bears. Forty-eight days later, circumstances changed when the Bears traded up to draft quarterback Mitch Trubisky.
So when Glennon reports to training camp Wednesday at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, it will be for the first — and possibly last — time as the Bears’ starting quarterback.
He’s trying not to think that far ahead.
‘‘I’m sure my mind will wander; that’s just being a human,’’ Glennon told the Sun-Times. ‘‘But whenever I feel that, I’m going to try to bring myself back down to the present.’’
His mantra is to worry only about right now. Otherwise, he goes to a darker place.
‘‘The biggest thing is just staying in the moment,’’ he said. ‘‘When you worry about the future, it creates unnecessary stress. And a lot of those thoughts will be negative rather than positive.’’
A stellar season by Glennon won’t necessarily alter the Bears’ long-term quarterback plans, but it likely would earn him a starting job elsewhere. He signed a three-year deal, but the Bears can part ways with him after one season with little financial penalty.
Glennon has little reason to worry about his job in the coming months, though. The Bears want Trubisky, who made only 13 starts in college, to learn from the sideline.
Glennon has had more say in the offense and more assertiveness in the huddle this offseason than at any point in his pro career.
‘‘The situation here has been great, to finally feel like you’re in control,’’ he said. ‘‘You’re the guy. When you’re the backup, it’s just not the same feeling.’’
For only the second time since the end of his high school career, Glennon spent the offseason as the presumed starter. He acted like one, too, organizing throwing sessions in the suburbs and gathering with teammates to watch the NBA Finals.
His teammates noticed.
‘‘I think Glennon’s personality is that of a leader, and that’s on and off the field,’’ receiver Kevin White said. ‘‘I feel he always makes the right choices, the right decisions, whether that’s eating bad, eating good. He’s always right on point. . . .
‘‘He has a great arm. He’s very smart; all our quarterbacks are. I’m just very excited.’’
Glennon is, too, even if his prospects beyond this season are murky.
‘‘What I dreamed of as a kid, I finally have that opportunity to go do it,’’ he said. ‘‘I just have to make the most of it.’’
Follow me on Twitter @patrickfinley.
Email: pfinley@suntimes.com
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