Josh Freeman No. 29
August 31st, 2010
By all appearances, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman long ago won over the Bucs hierarchy and has seemingly won over the Tampa Bay community as a whole.
But judging by recent comments, Freeman has a lot of work to do to win over national media types.
Recently, Sirius NFL Radio and FoxSports.com’s Adam Schein bluntly said he’s “not buying” Freeman at quarterback this season.
Apparently, neither is John Clayton.
“The Professor” of the NFL on BSPN, Clayton believes Freeman is one of the worst quarterbacks in the league, ranking Freeman at No. 29 of all starting signal-callers.
29. Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Analysis: Freeman is a big, athletic quarterback who is being paired with a promising, young receiving corps. The small fracture on the tip of his right thumb is a slight setback, but Freeman is the perfect quarterback for the Bucs to build around.
Chance of being elite: 35 percent
Just who does Clayton have ranked above Freeman? Kyle Orton, “America’s Quarterback” (per Schein) David Garrard, Alex Smith, Kevin Kolb, Byron Leftwich (who hateful Bucs fans did their best in running out of town) and soon-to-be unemployed Matt Leinart.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:04 am
I think Clayton must have had a run-in with the Bucs. He’s had a hard-on for us for a long time.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:04 am
Freeman is doing the right things but he does have a LONG way to go to be a top tier QB in the league. Think of it this way, the bigger the mountain to climb, the greater the reward. If Freeman does have a great year this year the national pundants will give him some love. But you can’t blame them for not ranking him high when he hasn’t shown us that much yet.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:10 am
How does he have Leinart, who may be cut, and Anderson who everyone has seen play before, ahead of Freeman?
August 31st, 2010 at 10:11 am
Bucs never get any love…thats not new
August 31st, 2010 at 10:14 am
Shocking, neither one of those guys willing to go out on a limb and do any real analysis. Who woulda thunk it.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:15 am
“Just who does Clayton have ranked above Freeman? Kyle Orton, “America’s Quarterback” (per Schein) David Garrard, Alex Smith, Kevin Kolb, Byron Leftwich (who hateful Bucs fans did their best in running out of town) and soon-to-be unemployed Matt Leinart.”
Nicely Said, Joe….I was thinking the same thing including several other quarterbacks Campbell, Edwards, Delhomme, and many more that are fighting for the starting role under center.
Adam Schein and John Clayton have lost all of what little credibility they had with me. Sure Freeman isn’t top 10 but to say he’s #29?!?!
August 31st, 2010 at 10:16 am
Clayton is a weasel how he keeps his job I don’t know?He is wrong more than he is right if you look at this list a few years ago leinart was a 75% being elite.I hope Freeman has these plastered in his locker ANGRY workers are great in football!!!
Bucfanjeff your right he has hated the Bucs forever he has picked them to finish last in ththe division twice when they have won the division.Last year he said he didn’t know how the Bucs would win a game.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:18 am
Joe,
Leftwich was not “run” out of town. He may have been “meandered” out of town, but definitely not run.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:36 am
lightningbuc:
Good one!
August 31st, 2010 at 10:36 am
Clayton hasn’t dug too deep, that is for sure.
Freeman has a lot bigger upside than 35%, but that will ultimately be proven through consistency and reduction of the INT’s.
I’d like to see the TD’s surpass the INT’s this year, and >3,000.00 passing yards.
Beware of the sophmore slump, however, like Matt Ryan experienced. I heard Marty Shottenheimer Sr., refering to Sanchez at Jets camp state “if you can get a second year QB just to play as well as his rookie season, your doing well”.
Year 2 can be tough.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:48 am
If his analysis is just for this season, then Clayton is dead on. I don’t care how many pushups, how much game tape he watched and how much Madden he played in the offseason. He needs field experience. 8 passes in the preseason is not going to cut it.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:57 am
If you were to just look at Freeman’s numbers, you would infer that Freeman did a crappy job last season (18 INTs). But watching him I think paints a different picture. The way he calmly manages games at a young age, how he stands tall in the pocket, looking at how he keeps his eyes down field when the pocket breaks down and he scrambles, seeing his powerful arm, I think gives him more than a 35 percent change of being elite. And doing what he did last year with a receiving corp consisting of Clayton, Stovall, Straughter (who can play, but was a 7th rounder), and Antonio Bryant’s one knee makes it all the more impressive in my opinion. I look for him to much higher on the “The Professor’s” list next year.
August 31st, 2010 at 10:57 am
Leftwich?? Orton??? Giove me a break. I wouldn’t take Jeff “primary option is not there, QUICK run into a sack” Garcia over Freeman. I am not ready to crown Freeman with anything, but I see more potential in him and saw better things from him this past year than probably half the QBs in the league.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:08 am
I remember just a few years ago so much hype and excitement over a QB named Jamarcus Russell…… SO MANY people were ready to deem him (without ANY earned or deserving proof) as the future of a franchise and an NFL quality QB…… OH how wrong those people were…..
Right now this is just a number and not based on any solid stats…… BUT if his college career speaks for him now he has SO far to go if he is ever going to become “ELITE”.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:19 am
I agree with what clayton says. I think its very realistic and rationale. 35% chance for this season is prob about right… although all of us bucs fans would like to see better, i think its realistic.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:30 am
Could care less what he thinks. Hey Joe, lets play a game on here. Picking the 53 man roster or just who the receivers we keep are. I’m thinking we might keep Preston Parker for his upside and not believing we can get him thru to the practice squad. And we trade or release Reggie Brown and Clayton. Reggie hasn’t shown anything so far to me and Preston has shown he’s a player.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:32 am
a rookie qb ranked at 29? yawn !! and yes folks, hes still a rookie. remember that this year when he throws 3 picks in a game.
and Clayton’s name isnt “The Professor” its “The Crypt Keeper”
August 31st, 2010 at 11:37 am
Didn’t know that this ranking was for potential and up-sides? Oh yea, it’s not! Guys give Freeman a chance to put together some more games and stats. Last I checked Delhomme, Leftwich, and Orton all have more td’s than int’s, winning records(well Lefty is 24-25) in the NFL Plus, two helped thier teams to the a SuperBowl. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of them, but it is what it is!
August 31st, 2010 at 11:38 am
uh oh i might get fired like Salisbury did
August 31st, 2010 at 11:46 am
Dew:
Who’s going to take Reggie Brown or Michael Clayton?
Preston Parker likely will be a practice squad player. Thus far he seems limited to returning kicks.
August 31st, 2010 at 11:59 am
Tye — you might be the only person on the planet that would equate Jamarcus Russell with Freeman. The two could not be anymore dissimilar.
August 31st, 2010 at 12:05 pm
I’m not sure it’s possible, but I am more dumberer now for reading Clayton’s ‘ranking’…
whew.
August 31st, 2010 at 12:09 pm
I’m pretty sure however, that the Crypt Keeper used this list
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/quarterbackRating/year/2009/seasontype/2
to ‘work’ on his article…
about 20 minutes work right there… ‘brilliant’
August 31st, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Dew, I think Clayton may end up staying. Sorry just the Bucs you know. Parker to the p-squad, Brown a backup, MoStvall and Spurlock fight for the starting spot. Also say Benn starts down the stretch.
August 31st, 2010 at 12:24 pm
I doubt Parker will make it to the practice squad if they try that route. Just my opinion.
August 31st, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Bucs cut another Derrick! The bad one! Derrick Ward cut!
August 31st, 2010 at 3:16 pm
Jimbuc, My intentions weren’t to compare Freeman to Russell but moreso to use Russell’s situation with their fans as an example……. Some people seem so ready to “worship” a kid who basically has done nothing {NFL or College; at least Russell had a fairly good college showing} more than maybe earned a pat on the back and to be incouraged to try harder and not give up….
IMO, yes it is just preseason but out of all the games I have watched I see more out of and more hope for Atlanta’s backup JPW or Seattle’s backup Whitehearst than ANY of our QBs….. I really hope our QBs CAN step it up and that they do so in a hurry!
August 31st, 2010 at 5:19 pm
Free will be fine. I say he’ll be better than Stafford and Sanchez. With no vertical threat and virtually no run game he still gave us a glimer of hope 2 win(with an exception 2 tha Jets game). Stafford had Megatron for WR, Pettigrew at TE and we see what happened. Sanchez had enormous talent on both sides of tha ball and still had stats. All Free had was K2 and no knees Bryant 4 support.
August 31st, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Clayton completely contradicts his analysis lol
August 31st, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I think JJ has a lot of upside if he gets alot of playing time. I just wouldn’t want to have to go through it.
August 31st, 2010 at 7:04 pm
“The Professor” it should say “Gilligan”
September 1st, 2010 at 6:05 am
Clayton = tool
lol More brain cell killing info for us to read.