MORE
Most Recent Entries
- Sears Return Remains On Slow Road
- It's WildPat, Not Wildcat
- White, Bryant To Miss Miami Game
- Dolphins have toughness Bucs want
- Antonio Bryant Out And Maurice Stovall In
- It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like 1976
- Bryant Blames Plane Ride For Debilitating Knee Pain
- Adams Replacement Finally In Place
- Freeman ready for first start
- Marcus Jones fights tonight on Spike TV
- Returner Clifton Smith has memento of vicious hit
- Creamsicle not to everyone's taste
- Bucs change kickers - again
- Morris downplays report of Talib confrontation
- Rodgers tough to pick off, easy to sack
Monthly Archives
|
By IRA KAUFMAN
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
You shouldn’t be surprised Josh Freeman is in the mix to win Tampa Bay’s starting quarterback job.
He was never out of it.
Some Buc fans appear genuinely stunned that Freeman has a chance to be under center in the season opener against Dallas, but those people haven’t been paying attention.
The man who ultimately will make the call is Freeman’s biggest supporter.
New head coach Raheem Morris has had Freeman on his mind since 2006, when they first crossed paths at Kansas State. Freeman was a freshman quarterback and Morris had just left Tampa Bay to accept a job as defensive coordinator.
Freeman impressed Morris with his skills, demeanor and intelligence and when the 2009 draft rolled around, it was Morris who urged the Bucs to move up in the first round and draft Freeman.
And it is Morris who will decide on his starting quarterback in August.
It’s not like Freeman is trying to unseat Drew Brees here.
Luke McCown is still an unknown and Byron Leftwich lost his starting job in Jacksonville with a string of erratic performances. Josh Johnson is no factor in this competition and Freeman has impressed Buc coaches with his learning curve since he arrived in Tampa two months ago.
And unlike Brees, Tampa Bay’s quarterback this fall won’t be asked to average 40 pass attempts. New offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski plans to feature a run-oriented attack, coupled by some big plays down the field.
Freeman has the arm to get it there when the matchups are favorable.
The Bucs like to talk about their collaborative process in making key decisions, but make no mistake—Morris will carry the loudest voice in the room when it comes to selecting Tampa Bay’s signal caller. Quarterbacks coach Greg Olson and Jagodzinski will have input, but Morris will cast the deciding ballot.
Don’t be shocked if Freeman is elected.
And if Freeman wins the competition, look for Jagodzinski to streamline the offense and emphasize a power ground game, hoping to draw an eighth defender in the box.
In some ways, this could be Freeman’s job to lose.
Posted by felony8309, on 06/30 at 11:05 PM
flajoe491, who would you have start? I don’t see any QB on the roster who would be a step up from the rookie. It’s a brand new system, they’re all on a level playing field when it comes to learning it. McCown has been rough in practices (and clearly he hasn’t been stellar over his career anyway or he would have had a chance to be a full time starter before now). Leftwich can’t move…you could break Freeman’s legs and he’d still be more mobile than Byron. Why not let the kid learn in the fire? Some young QB’s thrive in that situation, others don’t. The decision should come down to what Jags and the rest of the personnel thinks about his progression so far, but more than likely it will come from Morris.
Posted by bucsfan99, on 06/30 at 09:34 AM
No matter how much Coach Morris loves Josh Freeman, it would be a disservice to him to allow him to play this year. He should be playing another year in college, and at the very least should carry a clipboard this year and learn the ropes. And by the way, Jags should have the say. Morris is a defense expert, unlike our former head coach. In my humble opinion.
Posted by flajoe491, on 06/24 at 10:07 AM
I love the Bucs but not a Freeman fan . I think if he starts were in trouble this year . The only salvation is coach Jags is a good offensive coach and did a fantastic job with Matt Ryan at BC.
Advertisement
Send Us Your Comments |
Terms & Conditions |
* Comments Must Include Full Name And Location
Posted by bucsfan99, on 07/01 at 09:34 AM
I’d start McCown. If he doesn’t do the job adequately, I’d then go to Freeman if Jags thinks he might be able to do better. I agree, Leftwich is a statue just waiting to be sacked repeatedly. Why don’t we see what happens in camp and preseason before anointing the rookie, who really needs another year or so to get the rough edges off?