TAMPA, Fla. -- At the same time Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith was officially announcing the demotion of Mike Glennon, he again declared the second-year pro as the team's quarterback of the future.

Word first came out Tuesday that Josh McCown was replacing Glennon in the starting lineup, but Smith didn’t address the media until Wednesday. When he did, he made it sound like the Bucs still have high hopes for Glennon.

“I said Mike is the quarterback of the future," Smith said. “As we moved Mike into that role, I say the future came a little bit quicker than I thought. But now our starter is back. That’s all you should look into is that. Nothing has changed. Mike is going back into the same position he was in when we started."

Glennon, who started 13 games as a rookie last season, began this season as the backup to McCown after the Bucs signed the veteran in free agency. McCown started the first three games before suffering a thumb injury.

Glennon started five games in McCown’s absence. The Bucs went 1-4 in those games. Some critics might say that with the Bucs at 1-7, they should keep playing Glennon to get him ready for the future. But Smith has a different opinion.

“What we’re trying to do and the reason I made this decision is I think this gives us the best chance to win right now," Smith said. “It’s not about the future or the past. Right now, this gives us the best opportunity to win. Every decision we make is just based on that simple fact."

Glennon threw two interceptions in Sunday’s loss to Cleveland and that might have played a role in his demotion.

“I think it’s the same with every position," Smith said. “You look at the production and what we’re getting at the time. I think we need better play at the quarterback position right now, so you start with that. [McCown] was our starter before an injury. We need a little boost. It’s like that with all the positions. If the play isn’t what we think it should be, we’re going to look and see if there’s another option we can look at right now."