Are There Words Behind Greg Schiano’s Words?
May 22nd, 2013
Now when Greg Schiano said after the end of last season that he wanted competition at quarterback, he wasn’t lying. Schiano wants competition at all positions. The cliché “a rising tide lifts all boats” applies.
In Schiano’s mind, better competition — read: depth — makes for a better team. Guys on the second string want to play and by busting their tail, they put the fear of God in the minds of the suddenly-motivated starters. It’s a snowball effect.
Alan Dell doesn’t totally buy it. The Bradenton Herald columnist believes both Schiano’s words and actions are a signal to Freeman that he better be renting.
Even if Freeman has a great year next season and the Glazers throw a ton of money at him, there is no guarantee he’s Schiano’s guy.
They are friends and both said they talk about many things, including life off the field. That’s warm and fuzzy, but it has nothing to do with whether Schiano believes he is the best guy to lead his offense.
This is a fickle love affair that is a few interceptions away from imploding.
Dell sort of hits the nail on the head with a curveball not necessarily meant for the nail.
If Freeman has an All-Pro year, tosses 30 touchdowns with scant interceptions and the Bucs make it to the postseason if not win January games, does anyone really believe Freeman won’t suddenly be Schiano’s guy?
And if Freeman has a monster year, does anyone really believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will let Freeman walk? He’d franchise him before he’d let him sign with another team.
What all of this means is, very simply, Freeman’s future is up to Freeman. Nothing more and nothing less.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:05 pm
All this reading into Schiano’s words is getting just a little bit excessive. Let’s just let it go and see how things develop. Again, this kind of speculation doesn’t really offer anything new. It’s just an excuse to write something, start pointless conversations, and create controversy where there currently is none. Yeah, sports writers and bloggers have to write about something and creating controversy sells advertising, but this stuff doesn’t inform. At all.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:07 pm
I agree completely with Dell here. Just because they have a good relationship doesn’t mean Free will be our guy in 2014. Also unless Free fixes his consistency issues and wins us playoff games, I don’t see him coming back. He hasn’t had a consistent two year stretch yet. Even if he lights it up this year, there is reason to believe that he might crap the bed next year. Is it really wise to dump a lot of money in a guy that, even with a good season this year, might still have consistency issues? It could be worth it for sure but it could also bite this franchise in the butt for years to come. He poses a very dangerous situation for Tampa Bay and the Bucs future. He could be the saivor or he could be a Sanchez like disaster. And the thing is, we have to make the decision one way or another, without knowing for sure which it will bee.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:22 pm
I think I’m with you on this Joe.. If Josh has a great season,.. he will get the contract,.. if not? He will be down the road.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:26 pm
I think if Freeman comes out and has an inconsistent year like he has had 3 out of the 4 years here, he’ll be looking for a new team next year. If he lights it up I think he gets franchised just to see if he can do it 2 years in a row. It would be crazy to give him a long term deal just because he had one consistently good year.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:33 pm
@Couch- Good call on the franchise tag. Didn’t even think about it. Now it would cost 20 mil to franchise him but if he shows a consistent and successful 2013 then franchising him is better than letting a potentially good QB walk. It is also way better than giving him a huge contract. He’s had a good season before, I want to see him have at least 2 in a row before we give him anything long term. That would be a huge mistake.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:38 pm
Exactly, Franchising him would be in our best interest if he lights it up this year. Nobody should complain as he would be making a hell of a lot of money for the year… and if he is really that good nobody should have any problems with wanting him to do it one more time just to be sure.
May 22nd, 2013 at 6:56 pm
Every coach says that since the beginning of time.
May 22nd, 2013 at 7:26 pm
Josh is a one read and run-roll out guy. He dosent have the skill set to succeed at a high level unless he plays that way
May 22nd, 2013 at 7:28 pm
Of course Freeman will get an extension if he performs this year. He has all the tools so if he starts to get the job done on a consistent basis do you really think Schiano will switch to Glennon??? That would be madness and a recipe to be looking for other employment. It doesn’t often work out like the situation in San Francisco. Having said that….I believe Glennon has all the tools Freeman has and if Freeman does NOT perform and Glennon comes in and does a decent job, Josh will be a FA next year.
May 22nd, 2013 at 7:31 pm
Eric- yup! Saw it carved on a stone, talking about Dino racers!
(Sigh) yes yes. Freeman’s fate is in his hands.
That isn’t very scary- considering
A) he has 10 times the talent and skills of any other lunkhead on the roster with QB by his name.
B) QBs with his Talent are very rare. You’d do better on a unicorn hunt. So whether Schiano likes it or not- josh is by far his best chance at staying employed.
C) if he has a bad year here- the cardinals, Bengals, jets, Dolphins, Etc,Etc, would all stab their current Qb to death- to have a chance at a guy who has proven he can win ten games- with one of the worst Teams on the league.
So he isn’t worried about losing his job. He wouldn’t be out of work long.
Coaches who want “their guy” so badly that they burn their relationship with the Franchise QB?
They don’t even get to be the .500 coach they were in college.
You don’t break what you can’t replace!
May 22nd, 2013 at 7:32 pm
“And if Freeman has a monster year, does anyone really believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will let Freeman walk? ”
If that happens, a big thank you will be in order for Raheem since Joe, West Coast Buc, et al say Dominik had nothing to do with drafting Freeman
May 22nd, 2013 at 7:48 pm
Lightning:
That’s a flat out lie. Joe never claimed Dominik ‘had nothing to do” with drafting Freeman. Of course he did, he’s the GM!
What Joe DID write was that Raheem Morris heavily pushed for Dominik to draft Freeman. Both Dominik AND Morris have spoken openly about this many times.
Spreading lies about the Joe is very uncool. Thought you would know better than that.
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Josh is the Man….Get over it…
If he has a Great Year and the Glazers thrown a TON of Money at him
He will be everybody’s Man…by default.
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Joe,
You have consistently given your alleged “rock star” a pass on trading up in the first round of “09 draft to reach for Freeman, instead saying that Raheem heavily influenced the decision. I believe Raheem did indeed. But I also believe Schiano influenced the drafting of Martin, Barron, David. But most, including you, want to laud Dominik for his savvy talent eye when the pick turns out to be above average.
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:38 pm
Freeman will be here if he has a mediocre season or better. He will have to tank badly for the Bucs to drop him. If he does well, they will extend him to a 4 or 5 year deal at about 12 to 15 mil a year front loaded, but they won’t franchise tag him due to the close to 20 mil price tag that carries against the cap. They would have to cut half of the starters to make that work which would put them back into the same boat they were in last season. Maybe even as bad as 2011. If he has a mediocre season then Dom will offer him a cheaper long term or a slightly higher 1 year to keep him here while giving Glennon a chance to develop some more or pick up a better QB in a future draft. As for being signed away from the Bucs, I don’t see it happening because nobody’s gonna drop the bank on Freeman if he has a mediocre season because the upcoming draft will be much stronger at QB next year than it was this year, and any team that is hurting that badly for a QB will be picking somewhat early in the first round. Dominik shouldn’t have any problem matching offers made and sweeten them a little while keeping the rest of the starting rolls intact for the most part IMHO. Go Bucs!!!
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:43 pm
Bellicheck does the same thing just without saying it. He has competition at every position. If Tom Brady suddenly doesn’t want to play football or gets an injury they have a guy to step in and they expect to win games. Competition=depth. I love this mentality. Anyone who really thinks Freeman won’t be the starter is not paying attention. Did everyone suddenly forget that this is one of the worse QB classes the nfl has had in years. If Freeman implodes yes he will get replaced. I say we are blessed to have that ability IF Glennon is any good. I also believe that if Freeman would have ended the season the same way he played in the middle and played horrible in the beginning we would be saying freeman will be better next year. Patience this group knows what their doing
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:44 pm
Facepalm !
*walks over and slams my head against wall repeatedly*
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:57 pm
Let me say this… I personally provide guidance to certain people in certain situations… and I will boldly claim that Mark D is the safest man at one buc place.
If you understood the dynamics between him, the organization to include (most importantly) the owners… then you would know what I am talking about.
So get it out of your heads that Dom will take a fall for any of these dooms day scenarios… ever hear of “the fly on the wall”? Dom is essentially the eyes and ears for ownership.
The beauty of this whole scenario is that Dom gets quite a bit of credit when things go well and as planned.
May 22nd, 2013 at 8:57 pm
As much as I have my doubts about freeman. A lot of this crap is all media hype. And that’s it. Schiano likes freeman but was there a part of him that was frustrated with frees play? Yes. What coach wouldn’t have been? However I think the glennon pick is to bring the best out of freeman and also to give yourself that safety valve if freeman struggles or gets hurt. But he’s not going to unseat freeman to start the season. No way.
May 22nd, 2013 at 9:00 pm
Are There Words Behind Greg Schiano’s Words?
you have got to be kidding me.
if Schiano was a chick then yes… there would be words behind his words. since its safe to assume that hes not, then no there are no words behind his words.
May 22nd, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Schiano is just trying to put some pressure on Freeman, why is that such a big deal?
May 22nd, 2013 at 9:47 pm
I say Freeman is in a position to force immediate action! I’d love to see him hint at a Holdout this summer (after most indications were Marky D initially wanted to get a deal done in March)
The Vikings could also turn up the heat by making inquiries of a trade (Adrian Peterson, Greg Jennings, and Leslie Frasier would love to see Freeman’s big arm in Purple & Gold)
The Buccaneers will suddenly remember they have a 25yr old trigger man who twice tossed 25+ TDs and who’s 2012 stats tilted on a wk 14 & 15 abberation where he tossed 50% of his season interceptions (8).
Josh should refuse to perform with a Gun at his head! Flacco also was allowed to playout his contract, but he did so without the Ravens using their 2nd selection in the 2012 draft on a QB during his contract year. There was no talk of Flacco needing competition nor that his “backup” could possibly subplant him. POOR FORM TAMPA BAY……POOR FORM! Time for Josh Freeman to reciprocate!
May 22nd, 2013 at 10:23 pm
Jesus Christ Mohammed! Joe. still with this? I get it, theres not much goin on in the offseason. but at this point, Id rather read a sit-down article with Martin Grammatica.
May 22nd, 2013 at 10:24 pm
Walter Says:
“Schiano is just trying to put some pressure on Freeman, why is that such a big deal?”
it isnt, Walter………it isnt.
May 22nd, 2013 at 10:24 pm
I hate the Flacco and freeman comparisons. Flacco was light years ahead and a playoff winning qb. Freeman has not accomplished any of that so comparing Flacco to Freeman is bs.
May 22nd, 2013 at 10:29 pm
just like Flacco
May 22nd, 2013 at 10:39 pm
We are a few days into OTA’s and we are already done with this story. It is pretty simple! Here is what we all well most agree on.
1. Freeman needs to learn that sacks and throwaways are not a bad thing. Live to see another down should be is motto.
2. Be a little quicker on your check downs.
3. Consistency and accuracy needs to improve.
4. Stop forcing the ball and please revert back to # 1.
I like Freeman and I am tired of people question his play! Sure he can play better. But you add the fact that he is playing with his 3rd OC and 2nd head coach their has to be a learning curve. You might also want to look at he is only 24 years of age.
The point Schiano wants to make is he wants competition at the highest level. God forbid Freeman goes down! Do you want Dan Orlovsky going in to replace Freeman? Schianio is only doing this as a motivational tactic! Is it working, only time will tell. But I have a feeling Schiano has done this or has seen this tactic done before. I have faith in our coach and believe he knows what he is doing. GO BUCS…
May 22nd, 2013 at 11:14 pm
@Bucs34
A rookie QB or Orlovsky? Noooooooooooooooooooooot, reeeeally a big difference, buddy.
Sorry.
May 22nd, 2013 at 11:21 pm
@ Bucs34
well said. However on the “be a little quicker” department I would expand that to all facets of his game, such as recognizing defenses pre and post snap, reading his keys, throwing it hot on blitzes, progressing through his WRs, and in general deciding what to do with the football within the first few seconds of the snap. if he does all that quicker as well as with the check down that you mentioned then he should be much improved.
May 23rd, 2013 at 12:11 am
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
May 23rd, 2013 at 12:53 am
I have one more thought on this subject and then I’ll let it rest for the rest of the off season. Just imagine if we had Josh Freeman behind center in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. We would have gone to at least 4 Super Bowls and maybe would have won just as many. We would calling him one of the greatest QB’s in the history of the game because our defense would have been able to hold up after we pulled out to early leads. No other QB in the history of Tampa had the talent that Freeman has other than maybe Doug Williams. Shaun King can suck my left nad!
May 23rd, 2013 at 6:52 am
Not even doug.
May 23rd, 2013 at 9:38 am
@BucFan
Haahaaa….QB’s winning Playoff games? Well said QB also did so with the help of a Top 5 Defense not one #31
Commitment swings both ways. I Like Freeman, and am hopelessly locked in as a Bucs Fan. I Just want Tampa Bay to behave like a Quality Franchise. I think Marky D is a pretty good GM, however, there needs to be some reconciliation between Ownership, GM, and HC on sensitive issues such as DEALING with the most Impactful position in Professional Sports; An NFL Franchise QB. When has this Franchise had a 25yr old QB Like Josh Freeman in their Stable???? The only thing close was Doug Williams and remember how that turned out in favor of Jack “Throwimg Somoian”Thompson
Don’t screw this thing up!!! Josh being allowed to enter his contract year was pressure enough……tossing in a high draft QB and starting overtones just gives the impression Schiano is gunning for his head!
May 23rd, 2013 at 10:39 am
Braheem,
Schiano is gunning for the playoffs in 2013.
May 23rd, 2013 at 12:03 pm
Really depends on what your definition of the word is, is. C’mon man. If Freeman plays well, Schiano will love him. If he sucks eggs, he’ll be replaced. Really no different than any other coach-QB relationship.