Josh Freeman Needs To Help Himself
September 14th, 2010
Much has been made about Josh Freeman’s bum thumb. Some are trying to make too much into his fender bender Friday, Joe believes.
If that isn’t enough, Freeman got bounced around a bit in the Bucs come-from-behind win against Cleveland Sunday. A lot of Bucs fans, who somehow believe the Bucs have Barry Sanders, Gayle Sayers and Larry Czonka in the backfield, are quick to point fingers at the offensive line for not keeping Freeman’s jersey clean.
Not so fast, says Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson. Speaking to Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, Olson suggests Freeman may have to look in the mirror a little on some of the plays he got punished.
Olson blamed Freeman for the three sacks, saying he failed to get rid of the ball in time on a couple of occasions and failed to hit a hot read on a blitz on another, and said he was mostly pleased with the play of the line.
There’s an old saying in football for quarterbacks: “Live to throw another play.” Not only can an incompletion save yards, it will save a quarterback’s body, too.
September 14th, 2010 at 11:07 am
Sanchez = Crap
Stafford = Fragile
Freeman = Needs Improvement but Looks Promising
(Insert mindless hate for Mark Dominik here)
September 14th, 2010 at 11:08 am
i live in Ruskin just move here from Bradenton…but i go to tampa alot…god tampa ppl cant not drive for $hit..its like a crazy mad house bumper cars there
September 14th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Insert mindless hate for GREG OLSON here…
September 14th, 2010 at 11:20 am
Yep, but he will learn and grow in the position.
September 14th, 2010 at 11:30 am
FIRE GREG OLSON Says:
Sanchez = Crap
Stafford = Fragile
Freeman = Needs Improvement but Looks Promising
(Insert mindless hate for Mark Dominik here)
I do believe Sanchez is overrated but after watching the game last night it seems he is getting bad coaching. The ESPN crew kept harping on the fact that coaches were just telling him to check it down and he kept doing it to soon. On top of that his only deep throw was negated by a penalty as well (illegal shift I believe).
As for Stafford the Lions decided to let Stafford get destroyed when they did not draft Oher in 2009 and Okung or T. Williams in 2010. That was a dumb decision considering he got injured last year after getting destroyed. (On top of that they passed over Saffold to get J. Best (a talented player but he needs protection from his O-line)) Suh may be a monster but they are already paying the price for picking him.
As for Freeman, I must agree. He definitely needs improvement but that will come with time. He has probably improved from last year anyway but we need more time to judge that. At least he has a decent left tackle to protect him.
September 14th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Olsen watched the game tape and said he was overall pleased with the line play? Hmmmmm. . . Starting to worry about Greg Olsen for the first time . . .
September 14th, 2010 at 12:24 pm
My thoughts exactly, Jay. Suh was a luxury that the Lion’s couldn’t afford.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Buccaneers rookie wide receiver Mike Williams is nominated for the NFL’s Rookie of the Week award. Bucs fans can vote for Williams at: NFL.com/rookies. Voting ends on Friday.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
@ Jay and Larry
I wholeheartedly disagree. Stafford is more of the problem than the O-line. He holds the ball WAY too long and that’d be ok…if he wasn’t made of glass!
I lived in Detroit for the last three years and before that I saw him once a year coming in to play us at South Carolina and he’s always played the same way. Slow through his progressions and quick to take a big shot from opposing defenders.
Further, you don’t take the 4th or 5th best player at 2nd overall if you’ve got the best player in the Draft available. Plus, the Lions have been the 32nd ranked defense overall for the last three years running. The needed Suh WAY more than they needed Okung.
September 14th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
It’s both Freeman and the O line, along with TE’s and backs. They all missed blocks for sure. Freeman should have got rid of the ball for sure. He didn’t see open receivers at times. The defense saved their @$$. That’s team and next week Freeman and the offense should do better.
It’s still a “W”, make adjustments and get another.
September 14th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
Sorry sensiblefan, but the smart move was okung. Backus can’t handle speed rushers. Twice now Stafford has been injured. If you think you have a franchise QB , then he is the most important part of your team- period. Allowing an inferior LT to get him hurt is inexcusable, and that thinking is why the Lions, unlike put Bucs, will continue to be cellar dwellers!!
September 14th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
@ Cap
The necessity to protect Stafford can’t be understated. I get that but drafting for need over talent at #2 overall is wasteful, short-sighted and can ultimately be the death-knell of a regime (see: any Rams Draft over the past few years). The Lions don’t have enough pure talent across the board to be able to pass up a talent like Suh for a lesser talented but need-based LT. I like move then and I like the move now even after the injury.
I think everyone can agree that Suh is simply better than Okung and one could even argue that Okung wasn’t even the best left tackle in this year’s Draft (that distinction going to Trent Williams). That’s not the guy I’d draft at #2. It’s just that simple. I think you try to go out and patch the hole with a FA (which they tried to do but failed with Jon Jansen) or use one of their plethora of tight ends to help Backus out.
Further, there’s an equally compelling argument that you can protect Stafford by giving him a good defense. If the defense puts the offense in good field position and creates some points on it’s own he doesn’t have to drop back 30 + times a game thereby increasing his risk of injury.
Lastly, I see them having to draft another franchise QB anyway in a few years. As I said previously, Stafford is made of glass. I went back and watched the hit on him by Peppers (and yes, Backus was beaten like a drum lol) but all Peppers did was chop his arm and it was out of the socket. The guy simply can’t hold up over 16 games no matter who the LT is.
September 14th, 2010 at 11:45 pm
I agree Cappy. With an entire 1’st 2 rounds of top talent, teams could afford to draft for need. Suh was great pick, but without a left tackle, you’re screwed, and the Lions missed their opportunity. They drafted Suh and sent Stafford to see a hooker without a condom.
September 14th, 2010 at 11:47 pm
I also agree that Stafford was way over-rated and a bad pick, but you still have to protect him.
September 15th, 2010 at 4:13 am
I think Stafford had the potential to be a great Qb, but he is already starting to break down from constant hits. Not protecting a franchise Qb ruins them, as they develop terminal happy feet. And getting hit constantly will cause chronic injuries. The lions got lucky to get Stafford. They are wasting that opportunity to turn their franchise around. A qb is by far themost important player on your team. Stafford is now on the sidelines in a sling. Who gives a crap what Suh does?? He can get ten sacks. They won’t win. Sadly- typical lions!
September 15th, 2010 at 10:11 am
Here is what I was saying about Stafford. They passed on all the best opportunities to get an LT to replace Backus. Getting Suh instead of Okung or T. Williams was just one of those occasions. They had many options that I laid out and they did not pursue them well enough. Jansen is not enough. They could have tried to swing a trade for Jammal Brown (Like the Redskins did) or Jared Gaither. Basically they should have went all out to protect him because of his injury last year. If he is your franchise quarterback that you drafted 1st overall and are giving 40 million + guaranteed too then you need to do whatever it takes to protect him.
As for the TE, yes they could put a TE there to help block (Probably part of the reason they drafted Pettigrew), but he needs to be there every play if they are going against J. Peppers.
Say what you will about the Bucs, they stepped up and paid an LT to Protect Josh Freeman, and that investment will pay off in the long run…if you don’t think so then look at Stafford.