Saskatchewan Roughriders
REGINA — He hasn’t closed the book on his CFL career but Kevin Glenn has already thought about how he would end his story.
“I think it’ll be a great chapter in a book when I’m done to write that me and Henry (Burris) were actually back up quarterbacks in Saskatchewan at one time,” Glenn said in a season preview call with the media on Wednesday.
He’s talking about the 2003 season – back before Glenn had started his tenure across Canada suiting up for almost all of the teams in the league – when he and fellow pivot Burris shared the back up duties for the Riders behind Nealon Green.
14 years later, and now 37-years-old, Glenn is far from ready to hang up the cleats.
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Kevin Glenn joins the Saskatchewan Roughriders at mini-camp in Florida earlier this month (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
Glenn signed with the Roughriders back in January as he now prepares for his third stint with Saskatchewan heading into the 17th year of his CFL career. Glenn is focused and ready to lead the Riders, especially the youngsters on the squad, this season.
“I have full confidence in myself being able to lead this team not just on the field but off the field as far as experience and helping some of the young guys be professional,” he said. “At the same time, not one guy is going to do this. It’s a team effort from coaches on down to the players.”
His former teammate Burris won three Grey Cups in his career – including the final one just before his retirement at the age of 41.
Down south in the NFL, Tom Brady led his Patriots to a Super Bowl at age 39 and Peyton Manning took his Broncos to a championship at 40.
If the trend of keeping older pivots in football as they start hitting their primes in their late thirties and early forties continues – Toronto’s Ricky Ray is also 37 – the best has yet to come from Glenn.
“I think that says a lot about the player but also about the coaches and organizations still believing in quarterbacks that are up in age,” Glenn said when asked about the number of older quarterbacks playing winning football. “We all know that this game is based on the new, faster, younger guys.
“When organizations can still put their trust in a veteran, a guy that has the experience to go out and win for them and that player has to actually still be able to perform. They’re not just handing out contracts just because they’re older in age and experienced, you still have to go out and perform.”
Glenn dressed in nine games for the Montreal Alouettes last season and completed 222 of his 314 passes (70.7 per cent) for 2,547 yards, 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He finished the season with Winnipeg, where he went on to dress for the Blue Bombers’ final seven regular season games and the Western Semi-Final before joining the Riders.
He currently sits seventh all-time among CFL quarterbacks with 48,813 career passing yards and his 268 career touchdown passes rank ninth all-time.
Now, back with the Roughriders, Glenn is hoping he becomes one more experienced pivot to win the crown.
“I think things happen for a reason and I’m a firm believer in that,” he said. “I think you just have to take advantage of your opportunities. This is an opportunity for me to be (taking advantage) and I’m grateful for it to be put in this situation with this team, with this coaching staff in this market and city. Or for something maybe to happen.
“Older age quarterbacks are winning the championships.”
