Jeff Fisher To Bucs Fans: Lay Off Josh Freeman
December 19th, 2012
Joe cannot sugarcoat it. When the Bucs needed quarterback Josh Freeman the most, when the team was on the cusp of a postseason run, Freeman not only didn’t show up in three of the last four games, he has regressed each week the past month.
As a result, a great many Bucs fans have turned on Freeman, wanting Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to begin shopping for a new quarterback yesterday.
This morning during a conference call with the Tampa Bay pen and mic club, Rams coach Jeff Fisher, learning Bucs fans impatience with Freeman, reacted with frustration and suggested Bucs fans need to chill out.
“Oh, of course,” Fisher harrumphed, when asked if Bucs fans were out of line in turning on Freeman. “He has all the tools. It is not easy to play the position week in and week out. You face some defenses you are not used to seeing. He is a very talented athlete and quarterback and makes good decisions. There is no need for frustration. There should be nothing but optimism with Josh. He has a tremendous future.”
It is interesting to Joe how the NFL establishment has rallied to Freeman’s defense in light of his downward spiral the past four weeks. Wide receiver Mike Williams was almost angry if not disgusted by fans’ reaction to Freeman on Buccaneer Total Access Monday evening ,and Joe will have another intersting nugget from Williams later.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:02 pm
I hope those sunglasses were for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:09 pm
“You face some defenses you are not used to seeing.”
I agree with Fish that many (myself included) have been relentless on Josh this week and I’m ready to withhold further judgement until the end of the year (although if he has another game like Sunday I might be singing a different tune)…this comment is BS in this situation. This is a defense that Josh has seen 8 times…8 TIMES…in 4 years. That’s not a valid excuse for his performance last Sunday in the slightest. Yes, the Saints have changed d coordinators since 2009, but the player personnel and scheme have been mostly the same (if anything, the New Orleans defense has gotten worse over the time Josh has been here).
So, while I agree with Fish and will lay off him until the season’s end…the excuse he’s trying to make for Josh just isn’t gonna fly.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
I’m so tired of hearing “he has all the tools”! Tom Brady has all the tools. Peyton Manning has all the tools. Drew Brees has all the tools. Josh Freeman does NOT have all the tools.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
sign the Guy, just like the stock market, you try to buy low. 5 years 55 million. then if does not work you still have a trade friendly contract that you can hand off to another team.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:21 pm
“He has all the tools.”
That commetn right there is the thing, people keep blowing smoke up Freemans butt and making excuses but the factr is he DOESN’T have all the tools.
Clear for even the most casual of fans to see that while Josh may have all the physical tools needed to be great he simply doesn’t have the mental makeup to be average, he simply doesn’t get it.
Problem is physical tools mean very little, there is a reason why “physical” Jeff George did nothing in the league while “mental” Joe Montana is maybe the greatest QB of all time.
I don;t wish harm on Josh, I really do want him to prove me wrong but the fact is based on his 3.5 year of little to no improvement mentally I just don’t see it. He still stuggles like a below average rookie to read a defense and makes far too many poor throws for them all to be miscommunication, where is the miscommunication on throwing into triple coverage or downfield to an old broken down TE being covered by a CB?
I’m not saying it’s time to move on but we need to at least bring in competition next season and/or have a long term backup plan in place.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
I havent posted in a while but freeman will never be elite.. Luck and RG3 are rookies and already are elite..Shoot maybe even russel wilson.. On being realitic about This team.. We willkeep freeman hopefully for a cheap price and build the defense to be elite. Because we will never be elite with freeman..
December 19th, 2012 at 1:36 pm
If Fisher truly feels that way then maybe the Bucs should look to him to put up or shut up by seeing if he wants to make a trade for Freeman….
Other Teams have gone bad and made dramatic comebacks during the 4 years the Bucs have coddled Freeman waiting on him to become something that he SO CLEARLY is not!
December 19th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
I have said it before. If the Bucs had a defense worth a damn that can stop BOTH the run and pass. You wouldn’t be leaning on the QB so much. Look at Peyton Manning, some of you have said it, he has all the tools but only one Super Bowl.
All those years Peyton was amazing, he was stopped from moving forward because he had no defense to do the other half of a TEAM sport. Brady has had the benefit of having a great defenses through out his career.
A QB can only save a team so much. With the type of year the Bucs have had on offense should of produced more wins but with out a complete defense all the points don’t matter if you can’t stop the other team from making one more play than you.
I am just as frustrated with all the losses as the next person but this year has been more of the poor performance on the pass defense than with the offense or even Freeman. I think people get weary about complaining about the same thing every week that at some point you have to blame something else.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:42 pm
We shall see in 1 more season what the deal is. If he’s the answer or he’s history. It’s good though cause maybe that shows we’ll have value in little old Free Free after all.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:44 pm
Peyton at his worst still puts up numbers similar to Free at his best haha. C’mon now let’s not start comparing what’s incomparable.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
Buc the realist you are right on the money. This would be the best time to sign him to a 5 year contract. If he works out you get him on the cheap if he doesnt you can trade him.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:54 pm
Maybe the reason why the NFL establishment has rallied to Freeman’s defense is because they know what goes into being an NFL quarterback and what a fine line there is between winning and losing in this league. Like they say, the quarterback gets too much blame when the team loses. Before the Saints game Freeman was the 10th highest rated QB in the league just ahead of Drew Brees. If you look at all the games we lost this year before the Saints game, Freeman had a lead in the 4th quarter of most or all the games that the defense couldn’t hold onto. If the secondary could have gotten some stops we would have won most of those games, be in the playoffs already, and no one would be complaining about our QB. The NFL establishment also knows that we have a very young QB (24?) with a huge upside that has already proved that he can play in this league and the Bucs would be the laughing stock of the league if they let him go now. Chill!
December 19th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
All I’m going to say is it took Eli Manning a long time to learn a very similar offense to what Freeman is learning. During that time Eli had clunker games where he threw 4 INTs. I see a lot of similarities there. Add to that the fact that NFL coaches and personnel people all have Freeman’s back and I’m not ready to write him off yet.
We’re all fans for a reason. An NFL coach has more football knowledge in his pinky finger than we do in our entire bodies.
The fact is that we have been a much better team that last year for much of the season. Kudos to Schiano and his staff. The future is bright.
December 19th, 2012 at 1:58 pm
ever since Jeff got FAT and looks like he’s about to have a heart attack….i tuned him out
December 19th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
How soon we forget. This is the same guy everyone was saying is starting to become elite. Is Freeman playing well….no he isn’t. Neither is the offensive line in the running game. This slump isnt just on Freeman. Its on everybody. I hope Freeman reads these post and uses this as motivation next season. I STILL believe he can be elite. He has one more year to prove it. I don’t care what anyone says, I think Freeman can get it done. I remember having the same feeling about Eli Manning.
December 19th, 2012 at 2:10 pm
The Bucs took Freeman at the time because Rah thought he knew better. Rah is now gone and the Bucs are stuck. This is why the great organizations do their due diligence before selecting a 1st round QB. The Bucs cannot pick up a legitimate veteran QB because of ownership/GM is not be any means regarded as elite. If the Bucs wanted go after a franchise type QB they would have deliberately tank a season like the Colts did to get Luck. The Bucs scouting is not capable of finding late round QB’s and turning them into first rate starters like Harbaugh just did. All the Bucs issues are organizational until there are different decision makers in charge nothing is going to change. See the last 10 yrs.
December 19th, 2012 at 2:14 pm
Unfortunately for Free he does not have that same luxury of time now does he??? Eli had his rookie contract to learn the system and he did, great for him. Free does not, he has two years. We shall see next year. Also what in the hell does the system have to do with accuracy, the ability to react to pressure, and staring down receivers(which he’s done in all systems he’s been in). The inability to completing a 5 yard pass is not on the system.
December 19th, 2012 at 2:15 pm
Hmm wrong thread somehow
December 19th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
@PRBucfan
When your system allows for different routes based on different coverages as our does, it take time to grow comfortable with where your receiver is going to be. When you aren’t on the same page as your receiver yet you stare them down to see where they are going. Pressure only makes this worse, and all of this hurts your confidence. You see an incomplete pass, but Josh might be seeing a slant with was supposed to be an in. I don’t know how any of us as fans can be so sure of what’s going on out there. None of us have played a down in the NFL. Certainly not a QB. All reports from real football people say to be patient. That’s all I need to know.
December 19th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
It boils down to people who know nothing about playing professional QB judging a QB by standards they have playing football in their backyard or flag football or rec league football or even PS3 or XBox Madden football. Big difference folks. Imagine if someone came into where you work, knew nothing and then told you all the stuff you are doing wrong. Would you be upset ??
All the people in the know see his future as bright. His stats bear that out remember they are in the first year of this offense. Is he the most accurate passer right now ?? No. Can he improve in that ?? Yes, and I am sure from what everyone says about his work ethic he will work his tail off in the offseason to do so. Remember he is only 24.
December 19th, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Fisher your opinion is crap how many superbowls have you won lately? Freeman isnt elite! You have to have elite players in the nfl to win a super bowl especially at Quarterback!
December 19th, 2012 at 2:34 pm
We are going to give Freeman an extension. Then we will be a playoff team next season with Freeman leading us. He’s 24 years old. Has he been inconsistent? Sure, but I haven’t lost faith in him. This offense is more complex than people think. The receivers are also given option routes so of course miscommunications will occur. Freeman will be fine. I don’t give up on people or anything easily. As a realist, and person who actually goes to the games, this season actually went better than I anticipated at the beginning. Once we get some corners in here, we’ll do better. It’s not all on Josh.
December 19th, 2012 at 2:39 pm
Scoring Zero points against a crappy saints defense 4INTS is on FREEMAN!
December 19th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Lol laughable. If only potential won championships. It’s not like what I’m saying is not being echoed by people that actually have been in the league and are in “the know”. It’s ok, we will see next season. We will let the tape speak for itself. Insanity = Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
December 19th, 2012 at 3:18 pm
“He has all the tools.”
Does he?
Freeman:
-Can’t throw accurate 5 yard dump offs with touch
-Can’t make a legite audible (see the 3rd and 9 in the 4th Quarter @ Dallsas: Run up the gut)
-Makes excuses for “communication”
Does Freeman have any understanding of football? Why can’t he make better adjustments during his 4th year as a starter? What gives, seriously?
If Freeman truly wants to fix his scatter arm, then it would be better by now.
Put down the FIFA soccer game, stop going to the gun range, and for the love of god show some emoition and humility after the game. Also, cut the deer in headlights look crap. You have been with the Bucs for almost 4 seasons, act like it!
December 19th, 2012 at 4:26 pm
Diehard…You really have to stop making sense, you lose all credability when you use common sense around here…Jokin…
December 19th, 2012 at 4:27 pm
Opposing coaches always praise the other team.
Same would happen is Schiano was asked about Sam Bradford.
Means absolutely nothing.
December 19th, 2012 at 4:47 pm
Fisher Rocks!
December 19th, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Whoever above said that “you cannot win a Super Bowl without elite players, especially a QB” must be a new guy tro the world of the NFL. There are only a hand full of elite QBs in the league, otherwise they would not be elite! You cannot call RJ3 or Luck Elite until they do it over a few years, there have been plenty of great rookie years out there. I am a huge brad Johnson fan,but i would not call him elite. Just to stick with the theme, Dilfer was not elite, and he has a ring. Football is still a team sport. Again, if you had to have an elite QB the same teams would go to the SB every year…NE, NO (who is not even in the play-offs), Denver, NYG (but many of you would be throwing Eli to the wolves about now), I am ready to put ATL in that mix too (but they have seem to be one and done in the play-offs, maybe this is their year. Oh, and there are a ton of 1st round QBs that never did anyting and are long gone.
December 19th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
So everyone else in the league seems to think hes awesome….Great! I call that prime trade bait. Unless we really have to keep him one more year while breaking someone else in. Are these people blind to the QB’s that have came out the past 2 years who are throwing pretty damn good? Im ok with one more year, but please be priming another new QB already.
December 19th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Fact McBuc is that free is not even playing like a QB that can be a “game-manager” he’s playing like a below BELOW average QB and you cannot win a SB with that kind of QB. If he was playing average or like a QB that could manage a game than fine of course those kinds of QB’s can lead a team to SB victories but even comparing josh to that is laughable right now.
December 19th, 2012 at 5:45 pm
@BucSnob exactly. He is also driving his price down, think how much he will be worth by the off-season. He is going to be our QB. He is very hard working and his accuracy will improve as will his and his receivers grasp of the offense. It is funny when the morons from the site get seep onto the radio all the talk show host says is Ok, we are going to get rid of Josh who do you want to pick up.
Do you all understand the draft class at QB is horrid this next year and the best QB on the market is going to most likely be Flacco and I think Baltimore will resign him pretty quick. When your scoring offense is in the top 10 you will probably concentrate on I don’t know maybe improving your 32 ranked pass defense.
Am I the only one who sees this ?? Oh, wait our GM, our coach and everyone who knows anything about football does too. Thank God. They hopefully will sign a good corner in the offseason and draft a few more. Some help on the D-Line is in order too. I think that we should get a good big TE as a security blanket for Josh and to rip defenses apart when they concentrate on Williams and VJax. Also I question what Sheridan and Cooper are doing with our defense aren’t there simple coverages that you can do which don’t demand the amount of one-on-one coverage that we do. Do you guys realize there are people who start at corner that shouldn’t even be in the league ?? Our secondary is so bad they are going to set a record do you understand that ?? A record ?? Yet you point at Freeman as the problem. LOL – laughable.
December 19th, 2012 at 5:55 pm
His accuracy will improve? Why hasn’t it yet? Why has it regressed? Seems like your going off of what your hoping for and not what your seeing. That statement has no credibility seeing as how that’s not the case right now. Sorry it doesn’t all start with the secondary, starts with the QB. Of course the other problems need to be addressed no one is arguing that fact however how in the hell does the fact that you have other issues mean that you look the other way when it comes to the QB. It’s alright though, denial won’t be an option much longer.
December 19th, 2012 at 6:57 pm
What kind of tools did Vince Young have Fisher?????? STFU
December 19th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
How does Jeff Fisher manage to coach a NFL team and in his spare time flip cars on the Discovery Channel show Gas Monkey ???
December 19th, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Richard Rawlings!!!!! Tell Fisher flip his qb for our qb…And grow a beard like Aaron
December 19th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
Dur, of course we need help on the D secondary, (bet we could pick up a nice few rounds trading Josh) but it isnt the D’s fault when Josh throws int’s, wont double pump, constantly stares down his opponents, (is it tunnel vision keeping him from seeing other targets?) cant scramble (I thought thats why he lost all that weight). Dont get me wrong, when he’s on he’s great. But when he’s off he blows. Disagree with that and you’re the moron here.
December 19th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
What happened to my post? So ramdog can call us morons but I cant call him one in return?
December 19th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
doh, there it is. It was gone for a sec though.
December 19th, 2012 at 11:44 pm
How ironic that we fans are just supposed to “chill out” and wait for the Freeman transformation. Years in an offensive system will not make him more accurate, will not make him more passionate and will not solve communication issues in week 15. His only consistency is that he saves his worst performances for the must win games. The fans know it will be more of the same with Freeman and that’s why they’re fed up. His potential should have been realized by now. Bring in competition next year and see how he does during a contract year and when he realizes his starting job is in danger. Give him an extension and he won’t be hungry to prove anything.
December 20th, 2012 at 12:21 am
Why? Trying to catch up thats why 4 ints last week from Freeman it happens did anyone think we even had a shot at playoffs this year…. Really? And 7 games lost by no more than 8 thats whats got me excited. we need to pull 2 more wins 8-8 that would be great double last year.
Giants over Saints 52-27
Falcons over Giants 34-0
Saints over Bucs 41-10
Freeman #7 touchdown passes 25….. Brees 36….. Eli 20
#1 rush def
#2 running back
#5 receiver
I’m ok with Freeman 3.5 seasons and is 24….. Brees 11 seasons and is 36…… Eli 8 seasons and 34…….. Come on people he will be fine and we will see pride in our bucs again and next year make playoffs…..
December 20th, 2012 at 3:09 am
If Fisher likes Freeman so damn much, let’s trade Free for Bradford straight up!