“More Of Kind Of A Spoiled Kid Kind Of Thing”
January 10th, 2013
Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King likens Josh Freeman’s body language to that of bratty, whiney Jay Cutler. King says Bucs fans can look to young QB’s in the NFL playoffs, like Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, to study quarterbacks that are poised when bad things happen.
There will be a new voice in Josh Freeman’s head this season, that of his fourth Bucs quarterbacks coach.
That’s likely a very bad thing, explained former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, one of only three quarterbacks to the lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game. Continuity is so important at the position, King said, and Freeman will have to overcome that change.
But King isn’t too concerned about that, so he said on WDAE-AM 620 this morning. King’s more worried about Freeman’s play and reactions under pressure, something King said has become more glaring with rookie quarterbacks exhibiting more poise and leadership than Freeman this season.
“You can tell during the game that that’s his biggest issue, when things go wrong, when he has an incomplete pass, how he handles it, how he reacts,” King said. “You know, that’s the most impressive thing about the RGIII, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, even Colin Kaepernick to a large extent. Just watch those guys.
“Buc fans, watch how they handle it when things go wrong. You know, their expressions ain’t anything like Josh’s. And I know each individual is different, but Josh is more Jay Cutler, without being, you know, abrasive as far as putting his hands on his teammates. His body language is kinda more of kind of a spoiled kid kind of thing. And you know, that’s something as he gets older, remember he’s only 24, but he’s played a lot of football. So that’s something that should be changed and probably should already be changed.”
Now Joe doesn’t think Freeman’s whiney looks and gestures compare to Cutler’s, but King’s point is clear. Freeman gets rattled far too much and doesn’t respond with confidence and leadership.
Joe’s not sure that can be fixed after 56 starts, but perhaps it doesn’t have to be repaired. If Freeman can simply get more accurate and comfortable within the current offense, that might be enough considering all the weapons around him. (You can listen to the entire King interview below.)
January 10th, 2013 at 1:36 pm
Another great observation by King here. Those rookie QBs, especially Wilson, looked very calm even while having a bad game. That kid is going to have a steady career.
I wish Freeman had that kind of calm demeanor. For a guy that often has putrid games, that kind of calmness will at least help him recover faster. If his accuracy issues holding him back 60%, the other 40% is usually his mentality which fluctuates between rattled and pissed off.
January 10th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
I usually don’t agree with anything King says, but I have to say he’s right on this one. Josh does not handle adversity well. At all. He gets that befuddled Tony Romo look on his face far too often. He can also be seen holding his arms in the air like, “WTF?”, on many incomplete passes. He doesn’t have poise under stress like the best QB’s do. Hopefully that changes as he matures, but King is right…if RGIII, Wilson, Luck, etc, have that poise and leadership in their character already what’s the chance that Josh will suddenly develop it at this stage? Not very likely.
January 10th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
I honestly think that Joe throws in the “one of 3 people to lead the Bucs to an NFC championship game” to piss people off.
It should read “one of two quarterbacks to actually lose a quarterback job to Rob Johnson.”
January 10th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
And PS … The word people are dancing around is “soft.” Josh Freeman is SOFT.
January 10th, 2013 at 1:48 pm
85% of your off season blogging has been a subversive attempt at sabotaging Josh Freeman. Your attempts at appearing unbiased or even handed are laughable. I admit I enjoy checking the website daily to see what you’ve cooked up. You’re a dangerous man, Joe.
Please don’t lie about Joe. Have you nothing better to do? First, feel free to check the last five days of posts here, you’ll find that a minority percentage — about 20 percent — are focused on Josh Freeman. Second, Joe does nothing subversive. In fact, you’ll find that Joe wrote a post saying the Bucs should pursue signing Freeman to a team-friendly extension, with significant incentives and limited guaranteed years. Shaun King is a legitimate source and a working media personality. Joe would quote any credible public figure making the same comments. Joe doesn’t come to your house and hurl lies. Please don’t do it here. –Joe.
January 10th, 2013 at 1:52 pm
What you want is a guy like Luck who shows displeasure and then quickly composes himself and learns from it.
What we have is Freeman who gets p!ssed and takes it back to the sideline to disrupt everybody else.
It’s a small but massive difference. I bet it also goes a long way in wearing on his team mates the wrong way over the course of the season and is part of the late season out of gas effect. People get tired of it Freeman; just man up and deal with it.
I so enjoyed watching Aaron Murray in the Georgia bowl game toss a pick 6 take the responsibility for it and then in his next play from scrimmage air out a 75 yard bomb. That is what we need right there. That is a composed leader.
January 10th, 2013 at 1:57 pm
^Too bad Aaron Murray won’t be entering the draft until next year. The Bucs could use a guy like him in the third round this year for sure.
January 10th, 2013 at 1:59 pm
@FLBoy
I hear ya man. I watched that game and had to say that almost everything I read about him was on display. The dude is fearless and confident. We need a guy like that to show Freeman how to roll.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:12 pm
Emotional Rollercoaster.
Raheem Morris
January 10th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
I noticed his reaction to bad plays and missed opportunities also. But somehow I never noticed that before this year. Maybe I missed it, but it seems blatant now – an obvious sign of frustration. By now, he may even want to be traded!
January 10th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
I never thought I would say this…. but here goes… Shawn King actualy said something smart. He is right! What to do though…Doug Williams is not walking through that door.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:29 pm
Gotta love “body language” expert Shaun King! GTFO, body language!? How about we judge Josh on his play and play alone. He’s got the skill set to be a top level NFL QB, whether he can put it all together consistently remains to be seen. He’ll have next year in a system he knows with real weapons and a healthy O-line to prove it & get an extension or the Buc’s will go in a new direction. I guess it’s that time of year where we have to start “fishing” for stories & dopey takes as football winds down. BODY LANGUAGE!?!
January 10th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Freeman has never been that way until this year. It could be that he is letting his emotions show more while learning the new offense. He hasn’t typically been that way. As far as how he deals with pressure and adversity? Well, he doesn’t have all those 4th quarter comebacks in the record books for no reason.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Look at the QB’s he’s mentioned: RGIII will never be the same after re-injuring his knee. Scrambling QB’s don’t last in the NFL(see Mike Vick) Colin Kaepernick is nothing without that SF Defense. Next year he’ll be another Cam Newton when teams see his tape. Russell Wilson (See RGIII) Scrambling QB’s do not last in the NFL and like Kaepernick tape will now be available. Luck may be the best of the three, but don’t think for a second that there will not be a sophmore slump. These QB’s surprise teams because they haven’t seen their tendencies. Once teams have video tape then these QB’s in becomes way tougher. Every single year we have Rookie’s or unknowns come in and impress only to have them tank the following year. All you have to do is break out your old fantasy football draft boards to see all the failures.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:32 pm
aaron murry will go in the 1st round not the 3rd
January 10th, 2013 at 2:34 pm
^^^ give us a 2nd round pick and josh is good to go! he’ll we may even settle for a high 3rd. bwahahaha
January 10th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Besides body language, a great indicator of a man is just by looking in his eyes. With the camera angles available today, the eyes say alot. Josh eyes and eye contact during a game and interviews are very telling.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:41 pm
And as far as Joe writing Freeman articles, I counted back 30 articles and there were 9 Freeman articles. Those don’t including any articles where Freeman might be referenced in Joe’s way.
So for what it’s worth, that’s 30% of the time. Almost 1 out of 3 articles…for what it’s worth.
(Yes, it’s a slow work day.)
January 10th, 2013 at 2:41 pm
@Mike
Murray could hurt his stock by waiting until next season to declare. Next year will see a host of other QB’s; namely Manziel and Bridgewater high atop the boards.
Murray could have been a guy who was a big riser this year but its a huge gamble sticking it out with the expectations heaped on Georgia for next year. He is going to have his work cut out for him because of his own “unfinished business”.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:45 pm
@Bucfanjeff
Not sure what you have been watching but Freeman has always been like that. And as far as all those comebacks go… the fact he has to even come back against a bad team is a telling sign to begin with. Has he ever made a comeback against a good team? No.
January 10th, 2013 at 2:55 pm
@bucs4life
Pointing out the flaws of a QB, whether he is good or bad, is not sabotaging. Unless its just a completely false accusation. Fans and coaches like you who just want to coddle the guy has a lot to do with his flaws. Hold the guy accountable and put fear in his heart that he could easily lose his position and let’s see what he’s made of! Right now, like Adam said, Josh is SOFT. he doesnt have the moxie to beat good teams.
January 10th, 2013 at 3:32 pm
It simply comes down to this.If he can lead this team to the playoff’s he’ll get extended.If we just miss the playoff’s we’ll draft his replacement mid 1st round.If he stink’s the place out then we draft the best QB.Next year the QB class will be great.I disagree with this mental angle.The worst footwork of any NFL QB is far more logical.Althou his throwing motion is suspect as well that can’t be fixed.But I feel his horrible footwork can.JUST STAND UP AND THROW the freaking ball man.The guy armthrow’s everything he would be more accurate sitting in a chair.Nobody would be accurate if your anchor leg was a pogo stick
January 10th, 2013 at 3:45 pm
Good Read Joe
@76Buc
I would say it’s both mental and the latter of what you said
January 10th, 2013 at 4:12 pm
If I remember correctly in 2010 one of the things people were saying about freeman was that he didn’t get rattled and was cool, calm and collected in the huddle. Then defenses got more and more game film on him and discovered his weaknesses. Lets not crown these rookie qbs just yet. Give them a couple years and see where they are at.
January 10th, 2013 at 4:12 pm
Well when those Other QB’s have a few years and a few OC’s in the league I bet they will react differently…
January 10th, 2013 at 4:17 pm
Thanks Ms.Cleo
January 10th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
I think a lot of Freeman’s frustration this year was aimed at Mike Williams and Tiquan Underwood not grasping the scheme. It looked to me like this offense requires it’s WR’s to understand coverages and adjust option routes to what the coverage dictated. Many times it looked like those two broke off their routes wrong. I’m not excusing Freeman from his on field reactions because he surely needs to learn when is the best time to approach his teammates about what went wrong. I think Freeman was frustrated that those guys weren’t understanding where they needed to be. Trying to install a timing based passing game with recievers required to understand option routes is probably going to take a little time to develop.
If Underwood and Benn are what we’re relying on again as our #3 WR’s, then I would expect to see the same issues next year.
January 10th, 2013 at 4:39 pm
How soon we forget. Remember Freemans 1st full year, 10-6, everyone was lauding Freeman as a great young QB, the comeback kid. All the accolades that Wilson, RGIII and the others are getting now. Cam was supposed to be the greatest but see what happened when teams got some tape on him. Freeman has one year in a new system, not only new but a completely different, opposite end of the spectrum system, from the west coast system. Give him and Schanio another year or two to truly get everyone on the same page. Everyone who wants to replace Freeman, come up with some answers. If not Freeman, who. I don’t see anyone in FA or the Draft that I would say is a sure fire can’t miss. If anything Freeman doesn’t get the face of the players enough. He needs to take charge of this team.
January 10th, 2013 at 4:44 pm
He has one year…
That is all
January 10th, 2013 at 5:11 pm
has anyone seen tom brady play?!?? he gets ANGRY ALL THE TIME!!
January 10th, 2013 at 5:16 pm
That’s not the point, it’s not about just getting angry
January 10th, 2013 at 5:23 pm
Nobody expected Wilson to be this good this fast.Last year you could of said besides Luck and RG3 there is not an upgrade over Freeman out there.But Wilson would have been an upgrade .He showed way more consistantcy in one season than Freeman has shown in 4 season’s.Heck he has half as many win’s as Freeman in one year.2010 was smoke and mirror’s I read an artiicle about the opposing QB’s that faced the Buc’s that year.Laughable there are 5 QB’s entering the draft that will turn out better than Freeman.Which 5 is the question.Remember Freeman throw’s 5 horrible passes every game while every other QB throw’s 1 maybe 2.I’m not talking about pick’s.5 throw’s either 5-10 short of the WR or 10 feet over the WR head.
January 10th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
Freeman never get’s angry at the intended receiver. He allway’s has that grin on his face as he correct’s his receiver.As a man don’t get me wrong he is a grade A class act.Unlike a douch bag like Cutler.As if any O-liner’s are gunna want to sign with the Bear’s with that brat playing QB.
January 10th, 2013 at 5:40 pm
You must have missed all the times he threw his hands up in the air with clear frustration on his face this season.
January 10th, 2013 at 6:10 pm
And blames everyone else when things go wrong. If receivers ran faster they would not be over thrown. Or if they were built shorter and not so tall the ball would not wind up in the dirt. But it is Never his fault. Just watch him.
January 10th, 2013 at 6:11 pm
I got yelled at by my boss at an old job for “body language.” Seriously. It was on my performance review.
January 10th, 2013 at 7:04 pm
lol @ the clueless freeman haters
January 10th, 2013 at 7:13 pm
He has been a pissy crybaby since he has been the starter Watch the first few games he ‘d get hit poiut throw or spike the ball he’s a WEAK DICK!!
January 10th, 2013 at 7:17 pm
lol Stuck on repeat as usual
January 10th, 2013 at 9:06 pm
Can’t play under pressure and is not very poised. Hmmmm sounds a lot to me like Shaun King. I think Shaun is a little jealous considering Josh had more TD passes in one year then Shaun had in his career as a BUC. If Shaun hadn’t been such a sorry excuse for a QB we would’ve had multiple Super Bowl victories instead of just one.
Does Shaun mention the fact that both of the defenses with the “poised” rookie Quarterbacks are in the top 10 ?? Josh may not be the answer but presently there are no options so until we get something better Shaun should stick to what he does best stuffing his fat pie hole.
January 10th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Whats really hilarious is some of you yahoos will never be happy with the QB anytime soon…..Free had the best season everrr ! from a buc QB and all you guys want to do is run him out of town…..fricken hilarious !!!
January 10th, 2013 at 9:31 pm
Joe, you are killing me. You go back and forth as a Josh hater yourself. Lets cut our losses. We know what Josh is. He is capable of good stuff and bad stuff. Like I run my business I’m gonna get a new QB.Because Josh will not take us to the promised land.
January 10th, 2013 at 9:50 pm
OOOOOoooo wow sooooooo impressive…
Not lol, a whole lot that got us.
January 10th, 2013 at 9:59 pm
This article is spot on. Freeman looks like a deer in headlights when things go bad. Hope the Bucs don’t sign this guy to a long term deal. I really don’t want to see 10 years of jump balls and then people continuing to question whether it is the greatness of Freeman or his wide receivers.
January 10th, 2013 at 10:05 pm
raphael Says:
January 10th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Whats really hilarious is some of you yahoos will never be happy with the QB anytime soon…..Free had the best season everrr ! from a buc QB and all you guys want to do is run him out of town…..fricken hilarious !!!
——————————————————————————
This is actually the first thing you said that was right. Buc fans or any fans for that matter will never be happy with inconsistant player. Or a loser. Right now josh is both. He wants to win over the fans? All he has to do is win. Just because you jizz your pants over a few meaningless records doesn’t mean we all do.
January 10th, 2013 at 10:06 pm
It really comes down to this….can Freeman make a pass over the middle of over 10 yards which isn’t to his RB as a dump off pass. While he has made a few, he really doesn’t make this pass often. The good to great QB’s make this pass a few times a game. I’m seeing this pass once every few games with any success. Yes, he may be throwing for more yards but how many of those yards were due to a jump ball? How many of those yards were because the bucs were so far behind?
January 10th, 2013 at 10:29 pm
what it really comes down to is this …………DEFENSE !
get a clue …haters
January 10th, 2013 at 10:58 pm
Blah blah blah
January 10th, 2013 at 11:03 pm
Wah Wah Wah
January 10th, 2013 at 11:16 pm
It amazes me how a portion of our fan base is fixated on how one’s eyes look, what a QB does with his arms, the body language, using these observations to fully evaluate not only the current talent of quarterback in the National Football League, but his future potential as well. Please don’t take me as a Josh Freeman apologist, that I am not. I agree with many of you, that while he can at times make the most difficult of throws, he misses far too many basic throws and checkdowns that at this point in his development, should be a afterthought for completion. I attribute this not to inability or lack of mentl toughness, but rather poo basic mechanics … and the good news is this is easily remedied with another year’s coaching. As for the 8 picks in that 2 game span that will provide months of chatter on these websites, I offer that six of those eight throws are as much the responsibilty of the receiver as it was Josh. Not saying either was wrong in their decisions, just that they wee on the wrong page for that given play. The offense we are running requires continuity and practice. It’s very similar to Peyton’s offense and if you look at the Colts over the years, there was very little turnove at the WR position, and with good reason. We will be fine at the QB position for years to come Buc fans. We should focus on what we really need, CBs that can jump route and DLineman that can develop pass rush technique to actually shed a block and not just occupy one during pass plays.
January 10th, 2013 at 11:26 pm
Stuck on repeat as usual lolol
January 10th, 2013 at 11:32 pm
ignorant hater ^^^^^^^^
January 10th, 2013 at 11:32 pm
This greatest statistical year ever by a Buc QB is garbage.He does have the best year any Buc’s QB has ever had under his belt.2010 was way better he threw more pick’s in the Saint’s game and the first half of the Ram’s game.Than he did in all of 2010.4000 yard’s passing is what everybody is baseing this RECORD BREAKING season of his on.Not to mention he WON games.Not to mention he ran for 350 yard to what 150 this year.I do like the guy and hope he can put it all together.3 of his first 4 year’s he has hit the top 5 in Interception’s.3 of his first 4 year’s he has hit the top 10 in fumbles.4000 yard’s wow give your head a shake people.It comes down to this…can this guy beat 4 elite team’s in a row someday?Since he can’t beat an elite team period I can’t help but think.That beating 4 elite team’s in a row will never happen.
January 10th, 2013 at 11:42 pm
S O R lol
January 11th, 2013 at 12:03 am
Lol…
You tell them Raphael!!!
January 11th, 2013 at 12:07 am
We need to give him one more year to show what he’s got. After next year he’s out of excuses, That’s what I think.
January 11th, 2013 at 12:09 am
That’s not what repeat boy thinks lol 😉
January 11th, 2013 at 7:59 am
You guys do realise ,there is this thing called defense to right ? Lmao
January 11th, 2013 at 10:50 am
I think the BUCS need to improve on defense and draft a clutch QB is case Freeman is not that QB. He may or may not be but what matters to me and should to most fans is wins in December and beyond and having a defense at least in the top 15 would be very helpful if not essential.
That said I am all for getting a QB to push Josh but we have to be certain it is the right one. I have read good things about Tyler Wilson, Ryan Nassib, and Zac Dysert and most of these with the exception of Wilson could probably be had in the 2nd or beyond. First pick absolutely has to be on the defensive side of the Ball. From what I have been reading on the draft sites the first 3 corners are very good after that there is a considerable drop off. D-Line is apparently 3 or 4 rounds deep. With that said most likely the first pick is a Corner after that I will have faith in Dominik and Schiano to pick the right players.
Probably they get a QB somewhere in there and get a backup better than Orlovsky. Not sure who but probably won’t be someone with too high of a cost either monetarily or trade wise. So no Michael Vick or Alex Smith and probably no Kirk Cousins unless RG3’s recovery starts going well. I have heard estimated recovery times from 6 – 12 months.
It is simply too big of a risk for Dominik and Schiano not to get a QB somewhere in the draft if Josh is inconsistent and starts making bad decisions and losing games or gets injured they need a backup plan. The NFL is a win now league and QB’s are important. However, if Josh performs they can always franchise and sign him later. I just think they don’t want to be caught in a Sanchez/Fitzpatrick situation.
January 11th, 2013 at 9:52 pm
I cant believe the Jets are getting rid of Sanchez he sure was a winner,at least when that defense was good.Twenty four points a game is the same wheter its the beginning or the end.And those who want him gone his stats were better all over the board than Steve Young andDoug Williams at this time in their career .
January 12th, 2013 at 12:26 am
Oh really??? I was under the impression the Steve was backing up the great Joe Montana during his fourth year in the NFL. How could you tell?
“In his four seasons as a backup, Young had thrown 23 touchdown passes and only six interceptions.”
It’s not something you can compare Mac.
And you compare by years not by their age.
January 12th, 2013 at 10:16 am
funny, in 2010, freeman’s poise was highlighted as one of his key attributes. when games are won, everything you are doing is right. when games are lost, the same things are weaknesses
January 12th, 2013 at 11:43 am
Well PRBuc who do you compare him too you look at his first four years the same as you do Free,he had 24 tds and 24 ints,as a starter he went 7-18 including a 2-12 86 season.His completion percentage never went above 54%,those are his first four years,you dont get to choose the years to quote the year you want. look at Dougs first four years. just compare the kid to the first four years of of most qb careers you have your Mannings and Bradys but his first four years is not as bad as you claim,and by the way the reason Young left was that they gave up on him after that 2-12 season th same way you want them to do to Free.