Josh Freeman: Please, Blitz Me
September 17th, 2010
In an interesting interview with Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman and other NFL quarterbacks, Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com asks a variety of questions to the various quarterbacks to try to read their minds.
In a question about whether he would rather be blitzed or have time to throw, Freeman noted that he’d rather face an all-out blitz.
Prisco: Third and long: Would you rather face a blitz or coverage?
Freeman: “It depends on what team it is. All in all, I’d say blitz. You’re more likely to get the matchup you want.”
Other items that Freeman touched upon in the article are that he’d prefer the Bucs use a running game to win rather than him throwing several touchdowns, and that he believes Raheem Morris is the best defensive coordinator he’s ever faced.
September 17th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Joe,
What’s with Win-slow missing all of this weeks practices? Is his knee giving him problems?
September 17th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
Ya gotta love that Freeman is not intimidated by a blitz. He actually sees it as opportunity knocking. That is a winning attitude.
September 17th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
With the right receivers, runing the right routes you get a 1-1 match-up that SHOULD favor the QB with the Right Stuff. Go get em Josh!
September 17th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Seems pretty obvious to me. This is as much a credit to Josh’s ability to see the blitz and get the ball out quickly and his confidence in his WRs to beat man coverage as it is a subtle knock on the O-line.
Any QB with a great O-line would rather see teams drop back in coverage. Given enough time, any WR will get open vs any coverage. The QB will stay upright and move the ball.
Any QB with an OK line understands that a 3 or 4 man rush will still put pressure on him, he won’t have an open WR to throw to, and he’ll probably end up taking a hit, getting sacked or throwing it away.
A QB with an OK line getting blitzed may take the hit, but they know they have a chance with decent WRs. That’s where Josh is right now. He has an OK line and WRs he trusts to beat the single coverage. Of course he’d rather be blitzed.
Give him better protection and I bet he’d change his tune. No QB wants to end up on his backside play after play, even if he is beating the blitz.
September 17th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
The O line is what it is. Wishing won’t change it. The best quarter backs don’t whine about what they can’t do anything about. They take what’s there and make the most of it. If apposing defenses think they don’t need to blitz to get the job done they won’t. So if they’re blitzing, they aren’t happy with the effectiveness of the standard package.
September 17th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
We finally have receivers besides Bryant that are beating single coverage, and a QB with a big arm to get the ball to them. Tampa seems obsessed with being a power running team, to set up the pass. If it works, great. But I say to Olsen, don’t be scared to use the pass to set up the run either.