Freeman Opens Up About Winslow
November 2nd, 2011
The alleged Kellen Winslow/Josh Freeman issues are a non-issue to Freeman, so he explained in great detail tonight on The Josh Freeman Show on WDAE-AM 620.
Freeman took listeners into what was happening on the sidelines when FOX cameras caught a heated discussion between Winslow and Freeman during the Bucs-Saints game last month, and Freeman said he was suprised when he was peppered with Winslow questions after that game.
Kudos to host Steve Duemig for asking Freeman the question on the minds of legions of Bucs fans. Here’s Freeman’s response verbatim.
“To be completely honest, out of all my guys, I probably have the best relationship with K2. We spend a lot of time working out in the offseason, hangin’ out. I have a great relationship with K2. In no way shape or form has he ever pressured me to get him the ball. You know, it’s a deal where we’re both extremely competitive,” Freeman said.
“I had a hundred people ask me post Saints game [this year], ‘Are you and Kellen alright? What’s going on between you guys?’ And I was like, ‘What do you mean? That’s two passionate guys that want to win a football game that are trying to get on even ground.’
“I don’t really care. I want to get it done. That’s kind of his feelings to. When we’re there, we’re talking football. And there’s no hard feelings, nothing going on between us, nothing extra-curricular.
“When we’re on the sideline, basically me and Kellen could have been in a 10-foot by 10-foot room having the same conversation and it would have been the exact same for us. I wanted him to speed up his routes. He said he kind of wanted to run them to their depth. I was like, ‘Well we gotta get the ball out. We just gotta get it out because they’re bringing one more guy than we can block. We need to get it going.’
“He was like, ‘Alright, well I want to just break it hot. I’ll just break it hot every time.
“I’m like, ‘Well don’t do that either. But I just need you to hurry up a little bit.’
“We just basically talked it out. That’s our way of doing it, you know. I didn’t feel any disrespect from Kellen and I hope he didn’t feel any from me. Because at the end of the day we’re still great friends and all we want to do is win football games.”
Listening in, Joe got a very candid vibe from Freeman. It was a great answer.
Interestingly, No. 5 admitted he’s been pressing throwing to Mike Williams and Winslow because he believes they’re the Bucs’ best receivers. And Freeman said Brian Urlacher told him after the game that the Bears were keying on him forcing balls to Winslow.
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:47 pm
hopefully the fact that urlacher told him that opens his eyes a little bit. i have no problem with josh forcing it to a covered winslow once in a while, but how bout trying not to stare him down the entire play leading up to that point.
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:51 pm
Nothing about that statement made me feel better: a) they are not on the same page; b) free admitted feeling the pressure; c) free doesn’t believe that he has time for the tight end to run a full and complete route.
Where is the running back or tight end to pick up the blitzes? Check out of the play Free. That statement shows me that there are real problems in the passing game.
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Sure Josh, It’s like me and my wife – we’re family. When she wants to visit the in-laws and I want to go to the mountains, we sit down and discuss it like family and then we go to the mountains. No problem!
November 2nd, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Lol to the mountains! Victory ahoy!
November 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 pm
I am ok with these two bickering. Our offense has stunk all year, and I would be upset if these two were hunky dory. They need to turn their whining into touchdowns.
Bucs offense needs to get their stuff together. Our D would do better if Greg Olsen’s 1st half game plan wasnt 3 and out after 3 and out. Does he know football ain’t golf, low score loses in the NFL, Greg.
Gett’r did this weekend Bucs, Peter King and Pat Y.’s opinions are out there for the taking.
November 2nd, 2011 at 9:52 pm
Thomas your post shows me that a fool can find anything he is looking for in a quote,
even if the quote says the exact opposite of what he is looking for…look out chicken little better take cover!
November 2nd, 2011 at 9:55 pm
It doesn’t matter what Josh Freeman and/or K2 say about their relationship as friends and players. What matters is what jackwagons like thomas2.whatever think about the Buccaneers.
After all, who better to inform us but a bitter message board poster, particularly when the alternatives are mere players and coaches on the scene.
I’ve learned that here and on Pewter Report where the more negative and ignorant the poster, the more attention he is given.
And it’s really very sad.
And now I’m part of the problem too. Oh just shoot me.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:03 pm
They’ll get this corrected. 1st half of games we’re slow, 1st half of season was rocky. We’ll get the ship righted.
Give Blount the rock and give it to Free in the 4th and we’ll show who the class of the South is!
GO BUCS!
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:09 pm
Mike Williams is going to go off this week. I can feel it.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:32 pm
No doubt Blount will help. Having him ready for full time duty should make us stronger than the last time we played the Saints.
The Saints can be beaten and the Bucs have proven that twice over the past 10 months.
And I still love the fact that this team is the youngest in the league, learning, growing and still playing and winning with the big boys.
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:57 pm
SteveK- absolutely agree. Saints, especially after being gashed by Earnest Graham and Steven Jackson, will keep 6-8 men in the box. There will be times where our WRs will be 1-on-1 with DBs. If we can hit a few of those, we’ll win for sure.
Look for 250+ yards for Free, 100+ receiving for one WR/TE, and 100+ rushing yds from Blount – like there’s any chance it’s gonna be Lumpkin:)
Oh, and DL will be in Brees’ face all game.
Unfortunately, the only time the Bucs will be televised where I live is when I’m out of town in the early afternoon. IT STINKS!
Anyway, I’m stoked for the game.
GO BUCS!
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:30 am
Win-slow
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:35 am
I’m glad these guys are good, I’m a big fan of both, and we need them both start playing better to WIN GAMES! Lets go guys, WE DAT! GO Bucs!
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:38 am
Freeman admitting he’s been pressing throws to Mike Williams and Winslow because he believes they’re the Bucs’ best receivers.
True or not, that should make the other receivers feel good about their place on the team?
Win-slow needs to hurry it up a little bit, is too funny! I’m sure Freeman means hurry the F up!
November 3rd, 2011 at 8:40 am
Paul
Just noticed, you and I have the same spelling for old #82!
Wonder if anybody knew why I have been spelling it that way?
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:19 am
Just like I said after it was over: these guys have been working great together from day one. I said the media would blow this WAAAY out of proportion. K2 has been great for this team since coming here and been a model citizen.
Some of you were throwing him under the bus because he had an argument with Freeman during the game. That to me was unbelievable.
ALOT of you fans need to ease up. Every single time a player does one thing bad or does not perform at a probowl level the second he is drafted (THOMAS on GMC) then many of you are ready to trhow away the teams depth and immediately scream for an aging vet to be picked up.
It gets old seeing how quickly some of the alledgedly more passionate and knowledgeable BUCs fans are ready to kick players to the curb at the first sign of an issue.
ANYWAY, It was simply a matter of reading the coverage a little different. Freeman wanted K2 to break to a spot quicker and K2 wanted to ease into the zones soft spot. There were times when they were probably both correct.
Either way, the biggest issue is Freeman pressing too much to get the ball to Williams and K2. He needs to just find the open WR (Parker, Briscoe, BENN!) and get the ball out decisively. The great ones Manning, Brees, Brady, don’t worry about who is getting the ball, just move the chains. Once that flow is happening, THEN he can try to get a playmaker involved more if needed.
Regardless, this game needs to see Blount getting 30 touches including 5 dump offs in the flats so he can plow a DB.
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:44 am
gotbbucs Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 8:47 pm
“…how bout trying not to stare him down the entire play…”
Exactly. I’ve seen #5 do this more often this season than I did the entire past two seasons combined! If he were to correct this one (HUGE) tendency, his life (and ours!) would be a lot better.
SteveK Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 9:49 pm
“I am ok with these two bickering. Our offense has stunk all year, and I would be upset if these two were hunky dory. They need to turn their whining into touchdowns.”
Good take. If they don’t turn it around, then it’s all wasted energy.
Garv Says:
November 2nd, 2011 at 10:32 pm
“And I still love the fact that this team is the youngest in the league, learning, growing and still playing and winning with the big boys.”
I completely agree, and I’ll never allow myself to forget it, Garv.
Most fans’ expectations are unrealistically high for this season, just as most fans’ expectations were unrealistically low following the 2009 season.
For those of us who don’t have an axe to grind and have some small knowledge of the game, and refuse to parrot what other fans rant and rave about, these games are a study into what the roster will look like for the next handful of years. I, for one, am very optimistic. Not a Homer, not a Hater, but definitely somewhere in the middle, with opinions based solely on observation.
Last season was supposed to be all about player evaluation. The fact that this roster was in contention for the playoffs was pure gravy. And because of that, many fans forget that this organization is STILL in player evaluation mode. This largely young coaching staff is in the process of finding ways to win with players that have so much yet to learn, all the while looking for players that have the specific characteristics that they are looking for.
This roster was never “a player or two” from being the type of truly competitive, much less a truly dominating, roster that we can be proud of for years to come, and the Coach & GM know it better than anyone.