Josh Freeman = Blaine Gabbert
October 7th, 2013
Joe, partially roped in by old friends, attended the Jags-Lambs game in St. Louis yesterday and can attest with eyewitness evidence that Jags quarterback Blaine Gabbert is miserable beyond words. Just think “Wild Thing” in the movie “Major League.” One pass is on the money, and the next three won’t come within five yards of a receiver.
Jags receivers are seen diving for passes all the time in desperate attempts to reel in Gabbert’s throws.
Whoever decided to throw away a first round pick on this Gabbert needs to be dragged through the streets of Jacksonville. It is beyond human comprehension how Gabbert will be the Jags starting quarterback in 2014, given how the Jags will make a run at the Lions’ winless season and have their pick of the litter in a draft rich with quarterbacks.
So when Joe read Olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve,baseball box score-reading Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame, compare defrocked Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman to Gabbert, it raised Joe’s eyebrows.
Shouldn’t we judge players by how they play? Seems like we’ve heard every excuse—coach Greg Schiano is a hands-on-your-throat, privacy-invading nutcase, mostly—for why the Bucs were losing and Freeman was playing poorly. Now, Schiano certainly deserves his share of the blame for a team that has lost nine of 10. It’s his team, and it’s his job is to instill the kind of discipline found lacking at times this year (as in Lavonte David’s late hit in the first game, allowing the Jets to win). But all of the blame on Schiano, or most on Schiano and some on second-year offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan? I’m not buying it. Freeman has to take his share of the responsibility too—a lot more than he’s been assigned in the public view so far. (Last week Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune documented a series of Freeman screwups, including missing the team breakfast and being late for the bus on opening day, then skipping two team meetings after being demoted from the starting job.)
So: I set out to compare Freeman’s last 10 starts to some reviled quarterbacks, just to see how he fares. Let’s say I asked a good football fan, “Who’s the worst starting quarterback in football right now?” My money’s on the fan saying Blaine Gabbert. If Gabbert isn’t the one, he’s close. And who else has been judged to be a bad quarterback in the last couple of years, so bad he can’t find employment in the league? Tim Tebow.
So King compares the last 10 games played by Freeman, Gabbert and cult hero Tim Tebow. While Tebow’s numbers are appalling, Freeman’s are near identical to Gabbert, except that the human pinata Gabbert has a better completion percentage.
Now will Joe say Freeman is as bad as Gabbert? No. He has much better tools and at one time played on a Pro Bowl level.
But at some point, a quarterback has to get results. Freeman didn’t and his numbers showed he was too Gabbert-like.
When you are both losing and playing like Gabbert, your tenure with said team is dire. Thus, Freeman, fueled by his petulance after getting benched, sealed his fate.
October 7th, 2013 at 2:07 pm
I think the Joe’s should move on from Freeman articles. It’s best for everyone. If he blossoms or barfs in Minnesota and you’re comparing him to his time here, fine. Otherwise, can we just move on? Many thanks.
Joe writes about what interests Joe, and that includes the activities and commentary of former Bucs like Father Dungy, Chucky, Trent Dilfer, Shaun King, Steve White, Aqib Talib, etc. That’s never going to change. –Joe
October 7th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Freeman is history, gone, departed, terminated, through, finished, vanished, elsewhere, SYONARA, ADIOS, AU-REVOIR, Auf WIEDERSHEN, CHEERIO, ADJO, ANTIO, DO SVIDANIYA, HASTA LA VISTA, BYE-BYE…. SO LONG
Of course, Schiano would say CAIO!!!
October 7th, 2013 at 2:16 pm
Freeman=Flashes of Brilliance
Gabbert=Looks good in shorts
Tebow=Mechanically incorrect but can consistantly sell out a stadium
I wonder if any can be cured or coached into success.
October 7th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Let’s not forget that for about five years, it was ‘all about 5’. So, even though he’s no longer a member of the Bucs, the story is fresh and it still holds interest to some fans.
A part of me still can’t believe that Freeman flamed out the way he did, to the point that he is a member of another football team. I had such high hopes for the guy after 2010, what a shame.
October 7th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
BLah blah blah Freeman sucks , its not Shciano’s fault… Blah blah blah…
Its old news….He’s a Viking now and has nothing to do with the success or failure of the Bucs going forward.
Shciano got what he wanted and now we will see if he has what it takes to make this work. I seriously doubt that he does but i’ll be pulling for him none the less.
October 7th, 2013 at 2:39 pm
Now that Freeman is off the team, I hope he fails miserably in Minnesota.
I hope he plays so bad that he is only signed as a backup somewhere to a league minimum contract.
Or I hope he is out of the league.
I will watch his games on NFL rewind just to watch him kill drives, throw ints and listen to the fans boo.
October 7th, 2013 at 3:28 pm
Thanks for putting this up, Joe. I’ve heard/read multiple reports last night/this morning (here and elsewhere) that are starting to wonder why Freeman was given such a long leash and why Schiano (the “control freak” and “disciplinarian”) didn’t bench him SOONER.
Could you clear something up for us though? In this post, you note that Freeman had played “at a Pro Bowl level” in the past (presumably in 2010, right?). I’ve heard/read NUMEROUS sports personalities refer to Freeman as a Pro Bowler. He was an alternate, wasn’t he? I don’t remember Freeman ever actually ATTENDING the Pro Bowl… But then again, I’m a Bucs fan, so I drink a lot, which kills a lot of memories, good and bad.
October 7th, 2013 at 4:40 pm
Tebow’s numbers were appalling? That’s the problem with most football fans, & most anti-Tebow kids—they think the franchise saviour is walking thru the door, & most importantly, they think if he has the requisite skills (like Mike Glennon or Carson Palmer or Matthew Stafford), that he won’t choke when the game really counts. Peter King is a jackass for many reasons, but saying the QB rating is wrong as a measure because it overemphasizes interceptions is to not know a damn thing about football. Tony Romo throws for 500 yards & loses BECAUSE OF A KEY INTERCEPTION. Yes, his QB rating is pristine, but only because he doesn’t throw *multiple* picks…just the one at the worst time (kinda like Peyton Manning’s experience in the playoffs). The Freeman/Gabbert/Tebow comparison glosses over the fact that Tebow had a winning record, & WON a playoff game (when his team was the 2nd worst team the year before), torching the #1 pass defense. But Romo is enjoying a contract extension, & Tebow is pondering his next line of work.
Blaine Gabbert has 27 starts, Josh Freeman 59, Carson Palmer 126, Romo 98…& out the 4, they have one playoff win…same # as “Oh god, he’s a joke” Tim freakin’ Tebow….in 16 whole starts.
Terrelle Pryor was seen a joke, & barely got a shot to play (ironic that Pryor’s coach saw the Tebow phenomenon 1st hand…that playing the wild card over the safe “best chance to win” guy sometimes *actually* gives you the best chance to win) …& if Peyton Manning came on the free agency market, I bet the Raiders would’ve tried to get him too…so Terrelle Pryor maybe would’ve had to go to the Jets, where they were entrenched in Sanchize as the starter…& then Pryor maybe would’ve had to have gone to the “2-QB-keeping” Patriots, & then Terrelle freakin’ Pryor is out of the league (esp. if he can’t be a backup because his religious convictions & college success make him the most popular athlete in the country). But this shit can happen so quick, yet Palmer & Romo get chance after chance after chance, & Tebow (& almost Pryor)’s a punchline. Just a little sick of a QB with a respectable rating & a preponderance of winning sitting while I have to suffer with Mike f*cking Glennon & a hope that Bridgewater, Boyd, or Manziel know what they’re doing when the pressure is the highest (my money’s on Manziel). This team is built for NOW, yet we’re expecting the next Rodgers or Brady to walk in the door any second.
October 7th, 2013 at 4:42 pm
So are you saying that whoever decided to throw away a first round pick on this Freeman needs to be dragged through the streets of Tampa?
October 7th, 2013 at 5:03 pm
I think Joe’s head will explode if Freeman takes the Vikings to the playoffs.
October 7th, 2013 at 6:03 pm
Yeah you know when I make comparisons between a player WITH credentials and a player WITHOUT credentials – i.e., like when comparing Josh Freeman, one of the fastest QB’s to 10,000 yards (only lofty names are in that mix of players), only QB in franchise history to throw for 4000 (+) yards in a single season, led his team/franchise to it’s FIRST EVER Top 10 rank in the NFL
…I find that the only way I CAN compare Josh Freeman to Blaine Gabbert – is…if I only use the last 10 games.
Ironically – his slide downward coincided to the tutelage of the only coach who never wanted him in the first place!?
Is Peter King from Schiano’s neighborhood?
That is the WORST comparison ANYONE in the national media could EVER make.
Like folks WOULD NOT stop to think about what’s changed in the past 10 games – the QB with the chops BEFORE 3 years PRIOR to Schiano’s arrival – or the arrival of the blessed redeemer of Rutgers football?
See, it starts to breakdown on Peter and Greg – when you realize the kid was setting records before the “Great One from Jersey” arrived…
But before I get all bent out of shape about this – I figure to let the controversy die down by doing my own comparison – like watching what Greg Schiano does versus what Josh Freeman does!
October 7th, 2013 at 6:59 pm
for a guy that plays for a new team joe there sure is alot of talk about an ex player. you love to hate josh freeman lol terrell owens can relate to all the haters that wish for anyone to fail. bottom line is your website is called joebucsfan not joefreemanfan so whenever you get over your mancrush of freeman because if you take what that fat slob says as something interesting then your a big fool but other than that i get it, your putting up stupidity for news just for the web hits
schiano cant use the rookie card to save his job because he said glennon gives him the best chance to win so report how poor the in game adjustments are, report how every week he’s been outcoached, report how HIS record is 0-6 in games decided by one score but you probably wont until someone else addresses the elephant in the room because you probably dont know enough to look at film and see for yourself….freeman’s percentage was bad but worse under schiano and im just wondering how long its gonna take you to realize the guy just cant coach men, he needs college….guys been gone but you have more to say about freeman than the team itself, which seems to me your helping to deflect attention away from the real issue.
no one accepted mediocrity under raheem morris but people really seem to be ok with tanking for a quarterback and even hearing 6 wins would save his job…with all the money the glazers spent and all the star power on this team please do something useful like why on earth would winning 6 games satisfy billionaires how are in the business of winning…write something about the bucs that doesnt mention freeman because its pathetic that people still havent realized that he wasnt the only issue….i would have been trying to get out of town to, schiano is a garbage coach and people expecting us to get anywhere with him are kidding themselves, he’ll be the josh freeman of coaches….with all of the great coaches that will be available why take the chance that a miracle will happen and he’ll learn how to coach, never seen someone watch so much film and still cant see the problem
October 7th, 2013 at 7:35 pm
White Tiger/TwoCents/Makiveli/WTF ever you are calling yourself this week,
Freeman is right on par with Gabbert and Tebow, yeah, Freeman wasted THAT MUCH talent.
YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST 10 GAMES.
COMPARISON VALID.
Peace out Freeman, enjoy your double pay checks you BUM.
October 7th, 2013 at 8:59 pm
Freeman won’t beat out Cassell for the starting QB job
October 7th, 2013 at 10:38 pm
@buc4lyfe…..when are you going to understand that this move to get rid of Freeman came from above. Schiano would have to do horrible, as in show zero progress, to lose his job this year. Next year…that’s a different story. The Glazers will give him time this year because the QB was not Schiano’s guy and Freeman is holding a lot of the responsibility for our 0-4 record. Freeman is gone now and if things go south then Schiano could be done. If the team remains competitive and the offense shows progress then Schiano is good for another year.
October 8th, 2013 at 3:30 am
@SteveK (clever)
I will be White Tiger, now, ever, and always.
Whomever you have tussled with in the past that disagrees with you – while I may call them “friend” – you will quick discover, I am not them.
Do ANY of them have over 13,000 yards in a little over 4 years? Have ANY of them thrown for over 4000 yards in a season? Have ANY of them led their offense to a Top 10 finish in the NFL? No? Then the case is most definitely closed. Blaine Gabbert can’t throw, and neither can Tim Tebow. I love the luck Tim had for the last few games for Denver ONCE – and I never understood why ANYONE would draft Gabbert.
…but it seriously a waste the time of those here when you “me too” the foolish comparison someone else took time to write a column about. When I eyed what you type I get this mental image of Uncle Rico telling me that he can throw footballs over mountains. That’s actually what I hear as I read the carefully spelled out words you took an unbelievable amount of time to string together to make some foolish point.
I don’t mean to stifle your development – but the next time you think to,post something so foolish – just stop – PRB actually sounds better saying the same stuff I can read his stuff and think about you. No need for you to concentrate so hard.
October 8th, 2013 at 9:05 am
I like it when people talk about Tebow winning a playoff game. It makes it real easy to see they are a moron when it comes to football.
And Peter King is just trying to make his buddy Schiano look not as bad.