CRITICISM OF GLENN IS FAR TOO SELECTIVE
The responses are as predictable as, well, the regularly scheduled Kevin Glenn column.
In the event that Glenn does not enjoy a banner game at quarterback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, critics are quick to pick him apart for not doing the same to the opposing defence.
Recurring themes: Glenn is too old (38) and too short (5-foot10).
The criticisms are as prevalent as they are perplexing.
Glenn, at 5-foot-10 and 38 years of age, has thrown 21 touchdown passes — the thirdhighest total in the CFL this season — in 11 starts.
His contributions are a primary reason why the Green and White has a .500 slate (6-6) after 2 1/2 seasons of general gloom.
So what is going on here? Is Glenn suddenly 6-foot-5 and 25 years old when the Roughriders win? Does he shrink when they lose?
“You have to message those people back in email and ask them, because I don’t know,” Glenn said when the tenor of the critiques, so courteously and conventionally fielded at this cluttered desk, was brought to his attention.
“Everybody has an opinion. That’s just what it is. I had a coach tell me that once. An opinion is like ... everyone knows the saying, and everybody has one.
“You’d have to ask them why they say that, because it hasn’t affected me as far as doing what I’ve done in my career. That’s been in high school, college and the pros.”
Despite the skepticism, Glenn starred for the Illinois State Redbirds before beginning a lengthy CFL career in 2001.
Now a 17th-year pro, he has thrown for more than 50,000 yards and is enjoying one of his finest seasons.
This is a player who is meritorious of praise for his performance on the field and his classy comportment away from the gridiron.
And, yes, the scrutiny and criticism come with the territory, along with a six-figure salary.
Glenn struggled in Sunday’s 15-9 loss to the visiting Calgary Stampeders, against whom he completed 12 of 19 passes for
127 yards, with no TDs and one interception.
He was removed after three quarters, replaced by the younger (25), taller (6-foot-5) Brandon Bridge, who was 6-for-7 for 91 yards and a touchdown while also leading the Roughriders in rushing yards (12).
So, naturally, a constituency of fans advocates the promotion of Bridge, who threw three TD passes in a 27-19 victory over the host Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sept. 15, when Glenn was sidelined with a bruised right hand. A bruised ego? Never.
Glenn learned long ago not to take the criticism to heart.
“It doesn’t bother me,” he said. “Do you know how much stuff people have said about me? Here, there ... that stuff doesn’t affect me. Words ... it is what it is. It’s an opinion. I don’t care about it.”
Perhaps a quick refresher would be instructive.
On Aug. 5, Glenn had a rough game against the B.C. Lions, throwing for 186 yards. Saskatchewan trailed 30-0 when he was replaced in the fourth quarter. Bridge proceeded to throw backto-back touchdown passes, making the score deceivingly semirespectable as the Roughriders lost 30-15.
The anti-Glenn faction spoke up then as well, citing the usual complaints.
The detractors were seemingly oblivious to the realities of quarterbacking in the CFL, or at any level. If you fail to protect the passer, little can be accomplished (see: Tom Clements, 1979 Roughriders).
Glenn was a sitting duck in the pocket on Aug. 5, as he was on Sunday.
Eight days after the loss in Vancouver, the Roughriders did a significantly better job of keeping the foe away from the quarterback. Given time in the pocket, Glenn threw for 320 yards and three TDs — sporting a stratospheric efficiency rating of 142.1 — as Saskatchewan bounced B.C. 41-8 at Mosaic Stadium.
That was the beginning of a 4-2 surge by the Roughriders, who are to return to action Friday against the host Ottawa Redblacks.
“We’ve got Kevin Glenn as a quarterback,” head coach and general manager Chris Jones said. “He’s not going to all of a sudden be (former University of Oklahoma Sooners quarterback) Jamelle Holieway running around, if you all remember him, or Michael Bishop. He’s going to be a guy who we have to protect.
“We’ve got to make sure that if we need to attach people to the box or if we need to empty out, we do what we have to do to keep him standing upright so he can throw the football.”
If that can be done, Kevin Glenn will be standing tall once again.