“Josh Can Drift A Little Bit”
July 17th, 2013
Longtime Buccaneer running back Earnest Graham offered strong takes on his former teammate, Josh Freeman.
Some, including Greg Schiano, say quarterbacks get too much credit and/or too much blame.
Some believe quarterbacks are given way too much responsibility for a team’s winning and losing.
Former Bucs running back Earnest Graham isn’t one of those guys.
Speaking on The Sports Page on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday, Graham said because Josh Freeman has so many established, premium weapons around him and a vastly improved defense “we’re all going to be looking at the quarterback and that’s how it should be in this game. The quarterback is the leader of the team.”
Graham said Freeman’s 2013 success will be determined by his mental state and execution.
“In the NFL it’s a game that’s so challenging, that, you know, the thing that we look at that we can’t see is inside somebody’s head,” Graham said. “You know what I mean. You can look at a guy that has all the intangibles, the size, the arm, can move with his feet, but what are the adjustments he makes upstairs? That’s what we gotta find out from Josh.”
Graham says he believes Freeman can finish games and be strong mentally. Freeman “was just a cool operator down the stretch [in 2010],” Graham said. “but we were terrible at starting games. That all came down to focus and attention to detail early on.”
For those who like to wager, Graham said he’s confident the Bucs will start 2013 very strong. But he’s most concerned with how Freeman reacts to adjustments made by other teams and how Freeman maintains his focus. “Josh can drift a little bit,” said Graham, who clarified that saying Freeman has “issues with focus at times.” (You can catch the entire Graham interview below.)
July 17th, 2013 at 11:04 am
Always loved EG. Props to him for telling the truth without reservation.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:15 am
“but we were terrible at starting games. That all came down to focus and attention to detail early on.”
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He says “We” and yes the whole offense usually stinks early on but A lot of that is Josh. If he can continue to improve in that area, this team is playoff worthy without a good defense, which is what I’ve been saying all along.
I’ve been saying that Josh could of won us more games if he started them out better. All those close games we lost at the end of last year could of been won with a better beginning just as much as it could have been won with a better defense. Can’t win with a QB who only plays 30 minutes.
Glad EG says it like it is. Anyways, here’s to a new year!
July 17th, 2013 at 11:19 am
“Enigma”
“He’s teetering”
“Josh can drift a little bit”
Time to answer the questions about our QB. I can’t wait for football. Freeman will either rise to the occasion or fold like a tent, no inbetween.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:24 am
Graham said Freeman’s 2013 success will be determined by his mental state and execution.
He’s right, It all comes down to whether Josh can handle all the criticism, and adversity. He has to mentally keep himself focused and tough. Keep learning and execute. He controls his own destiny. Don’t be timid, be more assertive, be that vocal leader, and demand more from your teammates. When they screw the pooch, call them out. You’re 25, the QB and old enough to be the leader of this team. That a trait that all the elite QBs have in common.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:25 am
“You know what I mean. You can look at a guy that has all the intangibles, the size, the arm, can move with his feet, but what are the adjustments he makes upstairs? That’s what we gotta find out from Josh.”
LOL
This is what I have been saying all along. You can also look at a guy and his reaction to sitiuations and see if he has “it”. Most would agree, short of the homers, that what we have seen so far is the opposite of “it” when the rubber meets the road the last couple years.
Sanchez 2.0
July 17th, 2013 at 11:27 am
have you seen that from him Junkie?
He was Winslows bia@#$ when he was here. He does not stand up and get in people’s faces. He tosses his hands up and laughs like golly what happened.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:31 am
<<>>
All signs of a young player, which he still is, even after 4 years
Tend to agree, though with the reservation that I fear it’s possible for him to be just good enough to make the decision hard, for the team. I know it’ll be easy for the fans, in both directions, but the team decision is what counts.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:34 am
@robert
Guess you didn’t see Josh coaching up his receivers on which routes they were supposed to run whenever they would read coverages wrong during games last year? Hell, Mike Williams got his fair share of words from Freeman as well. He doesn’t have to scream and whine like Jay Cutler to get his point across.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:35 am
The 21st ranked QB is not worth a 100 million dollar contract.
This is Freeman’s year, the pressure is real, the time is now.
What is #5 made of? (we are about to find out).
If this team pulls a “Walter Football” and drops a 5-11 burger on us, then we MUST make a QB change.
No need to settle for being “ok”.
No need to point to the Buc’s sad history, and make excuses for mediocre play being forgiven.
Win, or go somewhere else.
Our QB has a great opportunity this year, play well and win, or brand yourself as “backup” and “journeyman” because there is no room on this Buc team for anything less.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:38 am
Maybe he can drift on over to the Cardinals.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:40 am
What gives the Bucs a better chance at a super bowl?
Paying 3rd round money to your QB, and using the 10+ million on an elite player, or pay Freeman 10+ million for mediocrity, and break up the band?
I hope Freeman shows some consistency this year, and we can pay him.
I just fear we will see what we have seen since 2010: inconsistent, regression, excuses, and 5+ game losing streak.
I hope I am wrong, but Freeman’s melt down last year has really made me question his ability to ever be “our” guy.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:42 am
@robert
No I haven’t seen a lot of that from Josh. He has always seemed timid but I attributed that to age like Fritz50 said. He is now 25 and it’s time to put the big boy pants on. He’s had his time to grow-up, albeit somewhat tumultuous, but nevertheless.
July 17th, 2013 at 11:45 am
@Mean D @Stevek
Stop crying, it’s pitiful.
We get it, you have zero faith in Josh.
Just let him play out his contract, see what happens, move on from there, that’s all we can do, there is NO OTHER OPTION SO QUIT COMPLAINING.
Y’all sound like a broken record
July 17th, 2013 at 11:46 am
thanks junkie. we can agree on that.
I thought the same of Eli. then they dumped shockey…or for whatever reason he stepped up.
As much as I bash josh, I would LOVE for him to pull an Eli. Cause he has the tools
July 17th, 2013 at 12:00 pm
Walter,
Just sharing simple truths.
Robert,
I would love for Freeman to pull an Eli.
July 17th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
Waiting for “Ernest Graham is an idiot” comments
July 17th, 2013 at 12:14 pm
@Stevek
What truths??? All you’re doing is letting us know for the millionth time that you don’t think Freeman is the answer, you don’t think he deserves a new contract, you don’t think he has the mentality to handle being a starting QB in the NFL, etc.
I can literally guess what your comments are going to say on every article, and no, I’m not psychic, you’ve just continuously repeated yourself to the point of annoyance. Either come up with some new material on the subject or change it altogether. There’s dozens of other players to talk about.
July 17th, 2013 at 12:15 pm
@Oil Derrick Brooks
Nobody would ever say that about Graham.
July 17th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Walter,
Come on now, buddy. No need to get so frustrated. I am just examining our QB, and holding him to a higher standard.
Excuse me for wanting another Lombardi trophy at One Buc Place.
Excuse me, for wanting Freeman to step up into a franchise QB.
I am not sure what you are getting at? I am not talking “down”, I am talking “truly” about our QB situation.
If Freeman proves to not be extended after this year, do you think we can allocate the 10+ million dollars annually towards a top level playmaker, and pay a QB 3rd round money?
To be quite honest, Freeman needs to justify his pay day, I can’t wait to see how it all shakes out.
July 17th, 2013 at 12:27 pm
Walter,
Since I can let you know for the “millionth” time, please tell me why Freeman is the “answer”?
What is your take on Freeman’s sitatuon? Your blood pressure obviously rose when I submitted my comments of dissatisfaction from the development/play of our QB.
Is it wrong to be frustrated by Freeman’s impressive potential, but not getting the most out of it?
July 17th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
Ron Jaworski, Gil Brandt, Ronde Barber, Earnest Graham, and Shaun King have all mentioned needing to see more consistency from Freeman.
Freeman is the biggest question mark in the NFC South this year, so naturally, this should be a huge topic.
This is a big year for the Bucs and Freeman alike.
Let the debate rage on, and may Freeman put it all together FINALLY.
July 17th, 2013 at 12:43 pm
@stevek
See, THAT’S it, right there!
We’ve already gone through all this every day for months now, debate after debate, on what Freeman has to do to earn another contract, on how he needs to become more of a presence on the sideline, how he needs to step up and lead this team both vocally and through his play, how a little more consistency in his play would go a long way in taking this team to where it wants to be, so on, so forth.
Frankly, I’m sick of talking about Freeman, and mainly, I’m sick of this new “QB driven” culture in the NFL. I don’t buy it for a second. It takes more than a QB to win a Superbowl, whatever happened to “DEFENSE wins championships,” whatever happened to the city of Tampa’s pride in good defense??? That was supposed to be what we were known for, now nobody wants to even talk about the D, it’s all about Freeman, and how he hasn’t done “enough” for the team. I miss the good old days, when both sides of the ball were held to a certain standard, not just the QB. That’s just not fair.
I’ll take it one step further: I don’t want to be the Saints, Patriots, or Packers, I want to be a team that has a good offense AND defense, not an elite QB and lousy D. I don’t want all the responsibility to rest on 1 players shoulders! I want balance, I want a running game, a passing game, special teams, but most of all, I want DEFENSE!! I don’t know about you guys, but THIS Bucs fan is tired of being a bottom of the barrel defensive team.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
whatever happened to “DEFENSE wins championships,” whatever happened to the city of Tampa’s pride in good defense??? That was supposed to be what we were known for, now nobody wants to even talk about the D, it’s all about Freeman, and how he hasn’t done “enough” for the team.
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Your living in the past. This is a QB driven league these days. The league AND the rules HEAVILY favor the offense… It’s a whole new league than it was 10 years ago. Once you realize and learn to accept this then you will understand why Freeman has so many critics.
You say you want a team that has a good offense and defense, I just want a team that wins and makes the playoffs regularly… I could careless how.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Walter,
The Patriots, Packers and Saints teams have a SB championship. I would gladly be one of those teams with an elite QB.
The rule changes in the NFL have made the game much more offensive. QBs are looked at, now more so than ever before, because the league rules are more conducive to throwing the ball.
I would love to see the Buccaneer defense of 2002, but that aint happening. They were an all time great defense.
We are better suited to find a QB, one that can make a dramatic imapct (positively) to help your team to the promised land.
I wish Defense would be back, but Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, Ronde Barber are not coming thru that door.
The league, more than ever, is about the QB position, and rightfully so. The QB is the lifeblood of the offense, and can impact the game MUCH MUCH more than any other single position.
While football is a team game, no doubt, the QB position has the highest amount of impact (potentially) on the game.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:06 pm
@stevek
What “elite” player are you going to get for 10+ million? Who would be the QB?
July 17th, 2013 at 1:10 pm
@Stevek
The QB has always been the most important player in Football, that doesn’t change the fact that a great defense trumps a great offense. I’m sorry, but I am not going to sit here and believe that a couple rule changes have made good defense impossible in the NFL, that’s just not true. And they don’t need to be as good as the ’02 Bucs, but at LEAST be a top 15 defense, that’s not asking too much, ESPECIALLY with the talent we now have in the secondary.
The bottom line is that a better defense equates to less pressure to force passes on Freeman, more carries for Doug Martin, and a more efficient Josh Freeman. Take away the pressure to score on every single drive and watch how good our offense can really be.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:21 pm
from walt
“The bottom line is that a better defense equates to less pressure to force passes on Freeman, more carries for Doug Martin, and a more efficient Josh Freeman. Take away the pressure to score on every single drive and watch how good our offense can really be.”
Isn’t that pressure taken away EVERY game when the score is 0-0??? I mean come on man they start equal. Josh stinks it up early in the game and on dink and dunk, which is exactly what we would be doing if we were in the lead. martin, martin, dink dunk…….pass in the dirt.
The reason his #’s DO look good is because the other team is leading and/or it’s a shootout. jfro 6 pack has a cannon and if it’s a blow out the other team relaxes a bit. just common nature…which inflates his #’s His stats are misleading.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
@robert
The Bucs actually got off to good starts last year, so I don’t know where you’re going with your comment. I think your head is stuck in 2011.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Maybe he needs some aderol.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
but I am not going to sit here and believe that a couple rule changes have made good defense impossible in the NFL, that’s just not true.
——————————————————————-
Even if everyone has said so? Including the players themselves? That is called “denial”.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
@robert
The games the other teams lead were games Josh stunk so padding stats wasn’t the case.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:32 pm
And nobody said impossible, just much much harder
July 17th, 2013 at 1:37 pm
@Sneedy16
We only started off slow in a couple games last year, like against Dallas, Philly, we never got started in the blowout against New Orleans, and other than those 3 games, I can’t recall any other games where we weren’t either leading or neck and neck with the opposing offense. Robert just doesn’t like Freeman.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
your right walt. they had 8 games where they were leading at the end of the 1st qtr.
Thank you Doug Martin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 17th, 2013 at 1:42 pm
@Couch Fan
Every year there are good defensive football teams, so save it buddy, it’s is VERY possible. We have the players, Schiano needs to utilize them correctly. If the NFL is solely a QB driven league, why were Flacco and Kaepernick in the Superbowl? They aren’t the best QB’s. they had the better TEAMS!
July 17th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
@robert
Lol give him the credit if you want, I really don’t care. I just enjoy proving you wrong.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Robert just does not like losing. this isn’t personal no matter how hard you try to make it.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
walt you really have some kind of complex. you need to go clean your vag and come back fresh.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:47 pm
@robert
Lol oh, it’s personal robert. Freeman’s the only player you single out.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:48 pm
What’s wrong Robert, getting mad?? Wanna cry about it? Hahaha
July 17th, 2013 at 1:51 pm
Walter stop trying to change the whole covnersation. Nobody said it was “impossible” or “solely a QB driven” league.
Your talking nonsene. Stay on point please. You said “Defense wins championships” Thats not true anymore with the new rules. Its very possible to have a good defense, nobody is denying this.
But in today’s NFL with all the rule changes, the players themselves admit that it is much much harder to play defense because the game is now designed to SCORE, which makes the QB that much more important.
That is why the QB gets all the glory and all the blame. If you try to dispute this then you are in Denial.
July 17th, 2013 at 1:58 pm
@Couch Fan
Let me rephrase this then, since obviously there’s a miscommunication somewhere in this conversation: I know that defenses ALONE don’t win championships anymore. All I’m saying is, pair our offense with a reliable top 15 defense, and we’re a playoff team. Top 10 defense? Deep playoff run. That’s all I’m saying. I want both sides of the ball to be effective, not just an elite QB. And we have better odds at building a good defense than we do at finding a QB that can do the things that Manning, Brady, Rogers, and Brees do. And if you don’t believe THAT, then YOU are in denial.
July 17th, 2013 at 2:02 pm
@Couch Fan
Let me rephrase this, since obviously I wasn’t clear in making my point:
I know that defense ALONE doesn’t win championships anymore. I understand that completely. HOWEVER, I do believe that have a good offense AND a good defense is a better recipe to success than simply hoping that you draft the next Peyton Manning. That’s the only point I was trying to make.
July 17th, 2013 at 2:07 pm
I can’t argue that because you are absolutely right. But let’s talk about specifically the Bucs for a moment.
Offensively we have studs across the board. The only real question mark is the QB.
Defensively we got question marks just about everywhere. Even though they have a ton of talent.
Now knowing the above. Which is more feasible to get us over the hump to winning as fast as possible, finding that 1 QB to make our offense elite (which could be Freeman if he steps up) or trying to find starters all over the defense?
I’m not saying your line of thinking is wrong, but I would go in the other direction especially in the league today.
July 17th, 2013 at 2:09 pm
somebody get walt a whaaburger and french cries
July 17th, 2013 at 2:13 pm
@robert
Lol what movie is that from again?? Was it Joe Dirt?
July 17th, 2013 at 2:24 pm
@Couch Fan
Honestly, the defense is possibly already fixed. Our secondary was our only real concern, sure we lost Miller and Bennett, but it was time for Bowers to get his shot anyways, and Miller is hardly irreplaceable. Sure, you can point to the lack of sacks and make a case that our D-Line wasn’t getting the job done, but the reality is we’ve yet to see what they are really capable of, they are always banged up. I believe that an improved secondary will bring an improved pass rush, because let’s be real here, the lineman were getting to the QB, the QB always had an open receiver to get the ball to though. We simply were not capable of holding receivers for any time at all.
You think it’d be easier to score an elite QB than to patch up our secondary?
You know what would be even easier?
Drafting the next bust at QB, watching our core implode, and having to rebuild yet again.
In my opinion, Freeman can win a Super Bowl and be a big part of getting us there, but don’t ask him to be Manning or Brady, give him some support, just like Kaepernick, Wilson, RG III, Shaub, Ryan, Flacco, and Roethlisberger have.
July 17th, 2013 at 2:26 pm
@Couch Fan
It is incredibly hard to find an elite QB. There’s only 4 in the NFL.
July 17th, 2013 at 2:50 pm
“Your living in the past. This is a QB driven league these days. The league AND the rules HEAVILY favor the offense…”
This old saw rears it’s ugly head again. I can’t tell you how often I heard this in the years leading up to the Super Bowl win for us. Truth is, this has been going on since the league started. The rules change, favoring the Offense, and the Defensive side catches up. Innovation on both sides is required to keep up in this war. Innovate , or die!!
July 17th, 2013 at 2:55 pm
Im not talking about elite, but good. Freeman has yet to prove he is good enough. That makes him a question mark.
You say the defense is probably already fixed. And though I hope your right they need to prove that out on the field and until they do that is yet another question mark. The D-line has question marks all across the board. Revis is a question mark, nobody knows how he will perform yet.
Yes I think it would be easier to find 1 good QB than it will be to fix up our defense. Hopefully this year the defense will be fixed but that doesnt change all the question marks that they have right now.
Freeman is our best chance this year no doubt. That most likely wont be the case next year unless he lights it up early, often and gets us at least over the losing hump.
July 17th, 2013 at 3:01 pm
“Paying 3rd round money to your QB, and using the 10+ million on an elite player, or pay Freeman 10+ million for mediocrity, and break up the band?”
I’m just wondering what freakin ‘Elite QB’ is going to accept only 10 Mil to come here. I purposely don’t include draft picks. 9 out of ten sure fire elite QBs picked in the draft turn out to be mediocre , or outright flops. So let’s hear your wisdom.
July 17th, 2013 at 3:04 pm
@Couch Fan
Oooooh, that’s our biggest difference then. You don’t think Freeman qualifies as good, I think he’s good but not great, but that he can be great.
I don’t really understand how anybody can say Freeman isn’t a good QB, numbers don’t lie, his production speaks for itself.
July 17th, 2013 at 3:04 pm
Just sayin, keep what you have, unless you can get someone CLEARLY better. Not potentially better, or in your dreams better, or from your alma mater better, or any other of the ‘better’ players we hear about on here.
July 17th, 2013 at 3:13 pm
I think he can be great but to me right now he’s just not consistent enough. Hopefully he sheds that perception this year. I’m rooting for him just not banking on it. Either way there is a lot to be excited about.
July 17th, 2013 at 3:18 pm
@Couch Fan
Works for me.
July 17th, 2013 at 4:08 pm
here’s a thought….anyone know why a LOT of the new QB’s of late have been doing so well?
Is it the rules on defense. dumb luck?
Luck, RGIII, Wilson, Tannehill, Newton, Kapernick (just started anyway)….
I would take any of these guys over jfro 6 pack Jackson keg party boy band
that’s 6 guys off the top of my friggen head with less experience, more talent, more guts and many have accomplished a lot more.
stop all this “don’t trade away steve young” BS…..that was 30 F$cking years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 17th, 2013 at 4:25 pm
What have Tannenhill and Newton done thats considered doing “so well”? Last time I checked, Miami wasnt very good, and didnt we just sweep carolina?
July 17th, 2013 at 4:31 pm
All of this Freeman drama again. When we all agree on the same thing. My God I just read every post for the last 20 minutes and concluded this. Everyone in here and their mothers agree that Freeman needs to step up.
There really is know need to go back and forth anymore now is there? The Josh haters will say the same thing over and over. The ones that support Josh will defend him in the same way over and over. It’s like reading the same comments from yesterday, the day before and last week. Like watching the same episode of Gilligan’s Island every day for the last month.
July 17th, 2013 at 4:37 pm
and robert yes it’s MORE than well documented how much you’d like to see Orlovsky or Glennon on the field on opening day. It’s also apparent that you would not piss on Freeman if he was on fire. Why don’t you go to a game this year robert and bring a sign that reads FREEMAN SUCKS, see how well that goes over.
Walter is right about that one.
July 17th, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Fritz50,
“Paying 3rd round money to your QB, and using the 10+ million on an elite player, or pay Freeman 10+ million for mediocrity, and break up the band?”
I’m just wondering what freakin ‘Elite QB’ is going to accept only 10 Mil to come here. I purposely don’t include draft picks. 9 out of ten sure fire elite QBs picked in the draft turn out to be mediocre , or outright flops. So let’s hear your wisdom.
________________________________________________________________
^ I was referring to using the “10 million on an elite player”, as to using the money for an elite “player”. You know? Like an elite: TE, LB,D-Line???
Would we be better served to pay a QB draft pick money, and use the 10 million saved by Freeman on an elite position player elsewhere?
Freeman is going to answer a lot of questions this year. # can’t wait.
We may be drafting Johnny Football in the 2nd round next year?
July 17th, 2013 at 5:05 pm
Buc1987,
You refer to any Josh Freeman “realist” as a “hater”, thus implying hate. Not the case, I like Freeman, I just have some big time questions about Freeman.
So, did your Freeman jersey come in the mail yet? I like your faith, I just can’t imagine how one could be so “careful in this economy” as to purchase a Freeman jersey?
Freeman may very well be a Free Agent next year? We will see?
I do know that the 21st best QB in the NFL is not worth 10 million per year. 5 tops.
July 17th, 2013 at 5:07 pm
How is Mark Dominick going to look Penn in the eye, keeping a straight face and asking him to take a pay cut, if Freeman gets paid for another lackluster year?
New regime, new age, new ideas, the Bucs are on the up and up. It is Freeman’s job to determine if is the QB of this squad after this year.
July 17th, 2013 at 5:25 pm
@Robert
Stop saying Tannehill is better than Freeman, the guy threw 12tds and 13ints with only 3,200 yards, he was garbage.
@stevek
Johnny Football??????? I’d never watch the Bucs again. That guy is a bust waiting to happen. One hit in the NFL and he’d be paralyzed.
July 17th, 2013 at 5:50 pm
SteveK for the record I would not put you in the category as a Josh hater. There are however 3 well known ones on this site. I’ve read your past comments and I know where your coming from. As for me buying this jersey, it is what is. I believe Freeman WILL step up this year. Therefore he will be re-signed. That’s just my belief a belief I feel strongly enough to shell out another 100 bucks for. I’ve been collecting jersey’s since I bought my tickets a couple of months ago. Believe me I hemmed and hawed over buying the #5 jersey all while knowing he’s going to be a free agent next year.
July 17th, 2013 at 5:53 pm
@robert
July 17th, 2013 at 5:55 pm
lol, fail beans. Forgot to close the blockquote on that one.
It should look like this:
@robert
What.
Your hate for Freeman goes way beyond his play on the field. Openly taking Orlovsky over Freeman is a true testament to that. It has to be something quite personal. Maybe you would like to share what exactly happened between you two because if Freeman was any near as horrendous as you believe then a legitimate quarterback would have been brought in for competition already.
I mean, there is no way a NFL head coach and GM blindly head into a make or break season with a quarterback they believe will fail and a rookie third round pick. What type of front office would do this? (Regardless of how great you think Glennon will be, the fact remains that he was drafted in the third round of a terrible QB draft class.) Or are you just so much better at evaluating players that Dom and Schiano have made a mistake that only you can see? I am curious as to how you think that you know something that the Buccaneers do not? Especially if he had drinking problems or spent too much time modeling. Do you think the Bucs front office wouldn’t notice this? Or that they would simply ignore it? Please, tell me how Freeman is so good at concealing his “drinking problem” that the Bucs don’t know about it but some random fans on blog do? Where is the logic here?
July 17th, 2013 at 6:11 pm
and on and on I go. Not only did I buy the jersey. I also have a 15 foot banner already painted in my garage that reads WE BELIEVE IN JOSH. That’s coming with me to the game on Aug 8th. I think we are going to see an ENTIRELY different Freeman this season. Call it homerism if you want. Some may make immature comments like wanting his jock strap. I don’t care. It does not phase me at all. Then let me go on record as saying this. I am the biggest Freeman supporter on this ENTIRE site. Including you Joe.
@WestCoast it’s about time you got in here. robert misses you.
July 17th, 2013 at 6:23 pm
@WestCoast…I think I got it. Maybe robert’s real name is Josh Johnson and he’s bitter that Freeman was better than him.
July 17th, 2013 at 7:50 pm
^ I was referring to using the “10 million on an elite player”, as to using the money for an elite “player”. You know? Like an elite: TE, LB,D-Line???
So we can use an even more mediocre QB , to pick up another big name elsewhere? But I thought our main problem was poor QB play. So I guess it doesn’t matter who the QB is, all you need is a whole team of elite players everywhere else, right?
July 17th, 2013 at 7:53 pm
@Buc1987
Yes, at this point robert is attacking Freeman as a person, not just as a quarterback. It is amazing that a fan could have such deep hatred for a member of the team they follow. Everybody admits Freeman has his consistency issues. We get that. But robert believes there is zero upside. That there is no good with Freeman, only bad. He has convinced himself that a third round pick will unseat Freeman this year. So much so that he was willing to bet some “chump change” ($250) on it.
In his mind, there is simply no way Freeman improves in the second year of a system. He will regress with another off season with Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin. He will regress with the return of two pro bowl caliber guards. He will regress with, what should be, a VASTLY improved defense.
I don’t see the factors here that would lead anybody to believe Freeman will do anything less than match last years play which, if the defense is improved, means more wins. That’s not even if Freeman improves, just matches last year’s play. If everything remains constant from last year and just the defense improves then how does that not equal more wins? All but two losses last year were within one score. Three of those losses were by two points or less. That is how close we were to a winning season. Eight more points spread across three games and we are 10-6 last year.
I just don’t get it. Unless you are factoring in things like drinking problems, his facial expressions after certain plays, or other outside influences that you couldn’t possibly know about, how does Freeman regress in 2013? Please, someone explain how Freeman is more likely to regress in 2013 than to progress?
July 17th, 2013 at 8:00 pm
“stop all this “don’t trade away steve young” BS…..that was 30 F$cking years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I’m not saying he’s Steve Young! I’ m saying don’t replace Free unless you can improve on him. The LAST thing this team needs is WORSE QB play. If Free’s so bad, why would you want to be worse at the position. The way you talk , there is no QB out there that’s worse than Free, & that’s plain stoooopid.
July 17th, 2013 at 8:39 pm
“Drift a bit” = dumb as a rock.
July 17th, 2013 at 8:43 pm
I don’t see anything wrong with what SteveK is saying. He’s saying he wants Freeman to do well, but he has concerns. You know what, so does the front office of the Buccaneers. If they didn’t, you don’t think he would have signed an extension by now? They have all but said he needs to earn a new contract, which is exactly the way it should be.
From the way Freeman’s career has gone, can you blame us for having doubts? Please go ahead and tell me he’s been consistent. He wasn’t even consistent in 2010, he just had several great finishes to games (but not against any good teams). He certainly wasn’t consistent in 2011, except for being consistently bad. Was he consistent last year when we lost 5 in a row late in the season with a playoff berth in reach?
I’m tired of talking about it too, but if you don’t want to hear about it, I suggest you follow the Rays or something, because this IS the storyline of the 2013 Buccaneers. Having Revis and Goldson is cute, but we only go as far as Freeman takes us. He plays great, we go to the playoffs. He doesn’t, we are going nowhere. The future of our franchise rides upon the QB, as most of the other pieces are in place. So yes, it is a big deal, and it will continue to be.
July 17th, 2013 at 10:23 pm
Hey walt, u act like a B#@$H!!!!
July 17th, 2013 at 10:50 pm
stevek
“How is Mark Dominick going to look Penn in the eye, keeping a straight face and asking him to take a pay cut, if Freeman gets paid for another lackluster year?”
Even tho I’m a Freeman fan I can say I hope if he has another inconsistant year, the Rockstar doesn’t sign him to 10 mil. I AM ok however with a contract extension thats reasonable. 10 mil isnt reasonable