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.