Has Josh Freeman Given Up?
March 12th, 2015
A nugget of sadness came yesterday via the release of players who will attend the NFL’s brand new veteran free agent scouting combine, which will be held in Arizona a week from this weekend.
Josh Freeman’s name was not on the list.
Mike Kafka, the Bucs’ third-string QB last year is signed up, but not leaky, sleepy former franchise QB Freeman.
All public signs had pointed to Freeman working toward an NFL return. There was even January video of Freeman working out at IMG Academy in Bradenton with quarterback guru Chris Weinke.
One would think if Freeman had any desire to play in the NFL, he would be at that combine. Every NFL general manager will be there hanging out in the Phoenix sun looking for a gem amidst mostly washed up talent.
Joe supposes Freeman simply has lost his desire to play football. Joe’s got no problem with that, but it feels like a profound waste of talent, especially if he was driven from the game — and to the brink of insanity — by Greg Schiano.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:19 am
Its just too much for him….is what it is. He gave up on us, so he might as well give up on it all!
March 12th, 2015 at 9:20 am
All things must pass away.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:22 am
poor freeman, mean man schiano bwoke him.
f- him. welcome to life. most successful people have had an a$$hole boss who tried to break them.
and they worked through it, learned from it….even if they hated the guy.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:23 am
He got paid. Now save your money Josh and live your life. Thanks for nothing though.
That Freeman banner cost me some money you S.O.B.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:23 am
If you ask me, he was profoundly lucky. Could never work through progressions and straight up chucked the ball up for grabs. I’m still amazed with the success he did have…
March 12th, 2015 at 9:25 am
and is this any different to the way Mike Glennon has been treated? It will be interesting to see if Glennon implodes or makes a career in the NFL somewhere else. At least Schiano started Freeman for a few games, then dumped him. Lovie didn’t really give Glennon a chance as the starter and anointed McClown the chosen one… and that turned out amazing!!
March 12th, 2015 at 9:25 am
Schiano ruined him
March 12th, 2015 at 9:25 am
Remember that NFLPA investigation that was supposed to prove the Bucs and Schiano leaked Freeman’s info? Whatever happened to that?
March 12th, 2015 at 9:33 am
Did Schiano ruin anyone else?
In the history of the NFL, has anyone else been ruined by someone?
At the end of the day, he wasn’t driven to win. No heart. And not accurate. Accuracy matters.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:33 am
bucrightoff…it’s very similar to politics. A candidate has a big scandal while running for office, everyone makes a big deal out of it. When they drop out of the race, you never hear about that scandal again…Herman Cain is a recent example.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:35 am
Or, more likely, they discovered Freeman and his agent were behind the leaks and the NFLPA would never release an investigation concluding one of their members attempted to sabotage an NFL franchise. Since Freeman has faded away, no need for it to ever come up. I’d still like the Bucs (and yes, Schiano) to be exonerated though. Freeman was just a mental midget,
March 12th, 2015 at 9:36 am
LWD says :”At the end of the day, he wasn’t driven to win. No heart.”
There was a time that he was driven and did have heart for the game.
I think all that went out the window when Raheem the Dream left.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:37 am
bucrightoff …I like your scenario better.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:37 am
greg schiano and mark Dominick were the worst tandem in nfl history which is why one got fired after after 2 seasons and the other has 1 first round pick still on the team, freeman man have been a nut job on the field but he sure brought more wins than glennon ever could have. still has lots of bucs records and you may take shots at the guy but his name is in the record books lol people will be laughing at you when it’s mentioned during games. too bad for freeman but if he was planning come kind of comeback why wouldn’t he be going to the Canadian Football League, warren moon did it why cant you freeman
March 12th, 2015 at 9:40 am
Freeman let alot of people down. He got what? 50 people fired? Hope he chokes the money he didn’t earn.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:44 am
Please stop blaming Schiano for Freeman’s downfall… Stating things like that make Joe appear very silly… I’m not a Schiano fan or apologist but this is ridiculous beyond belief!!!
Josh Freeman is responsible for Josh Freeman’s actions and downfall… He was barely average an average QB at his best to begin with…
He had several chances to make other NFL rosters (Vikings, Giants) and was not capable… Schiano was not in Minnesota or NY but Freeman still failed to stay in the NFL…
Freeman’s ball placement and accuracy were horrible and inconsistent… That’s what ruined his career not Schiano…
March 12th, 2015 at 9:45 am
lol so if you worked for apple and your manager treated you like gargage what are you saying you would stay because it would bring joy and iphones to the world hahaha….don’t know why people hate on rich people and players that make business decisions that NFL teams make every year for dozens of players. you actually mean it was ok the way derrick brooks was suddenly let go because it was a business decision to move forward by the franchise. he was loyal and probably had 2 years left lord knows replacing him with Dakota Watson and geno hayes was a brilliant idea
March 12th, 2015 at 9:46 am
Mental toughness is key. A lot of folks in various careers have dealt with those who tried to
hold them back or make time on the job difficult. A lot of those same folks persevered and
prospered. That’s what Freeman needs to do in his next endeavor
March 12th, 2015 at 9:48 am
^^^this. Exactly Mac.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:51 am
He was too soft. Mentally weak. Product of the everyone gets a trophy.Everyone is a winner. Schiano didn’t ruin him. Genetics and today’s mamby pamby culture never gave him the tools to deal with the most competitive ,alpha male work environment this side of special forces. You think Schiano could have “broken” Jim McMann, Phil Simms or anyone that started for Lombardi, Ditka, Buddy Ryan or Parsells? He was soft and a quitter.
March 12th, 2015 at 9:57 am
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!!!
March 12th, 2015 at 9:58 am
Chris wenke qb guru …am i missing somthing?
March 12th, 2015 at 10:00 am
Molly is a helluva drug
March 12th, 2015 at 10:00 am
Weinke sorry typo
March 12th, 2015 at 10:00 am
if you played sports you’d know that you cannot handle every single player the same, some respond to that type of coach like its a challenge some shrink and play worse because of it…..he’s in the jay cutler category absolutely but im not defending this guy I guess my post is coming from the player mentality of on the field not off field and im thinking freeman with all his inaccuracy and bad decisions still won 10 games his first full season. my angle is he WAS a first round pick and we need to draft one first overall this year….as bad as he was with inaccurate throws and bad decisions theres a reason why glennon’s career cant compare to his yet because he’s not good enough to get on the field. 3rd round quarterback cant even compare to josh freeman….forget freeman lets go get another 1st round quarterback
March 12th, 2015 at 10:04 am
Robert9, you’re not much of an empathy guy, are you?
March 12th, 2015 at 10:06 am
Maybe the KBY League can use him = KUMBAYA League –
Player Intros
“Joshua Freeman -Quarterback from Kansas State University, graduate work at YborTampa, i like hugs, Michael Jackson(only the thriller period} ecstasy, herb, molly, k2, wax,bathhouses. sleeping in but I don’t like mean people, peace out”
March 12th, 2015 at 10:07 am
lol you can tell by the posts who doesn’t want Winston to be drafted by tampa
March 12th, 2015 at 10:08 am
All things considered, when you look at the entire picture, I get the feeling that things are not going to end well for this young guy.
Needs big-time counseling, but has to be willing to step up and help himself as well.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:17 am
Freeman was spotted at the Sunset Music Festival last year, which is basically an Ecstasy party. The dude got caught up with a drug addiction & lost sight of what made him millions. Not surprised, that dramatic weight loss was not by coincidence people.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:25 am
Man, I’m not in this guy’s camp anymore but he’s still human. How can ppl wish such evil upon a guy who personally gas never done anything to you? Wow, I think alot of that is what is wrong with humanity. Too much ill will and not enough compassion for our fellow brethren. I don’t want him to “choke” on anything or n e thing like that but I just don’t want him as my team’s starting qb.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:27 am
Has…not gas. Lol
March 12th, 2015 at 10:31 am
Joe, Really it was Schiano’s fault ? C’mon man. Drug addicts always blame someone or something else for their dependency.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:32 am
87… I’m more worried about pols who are involved in scandals after attaining elected office. That’s pretty much all of them.
March 12th, 2015 at 10:58 am
Schiano DID NOT ruin him. Josh has a mental illness and it got away from him. That’s what destroyed his career.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:14 am
Josh ruined himself… that being said, any team that has a young potential franchise QB and a coaching opening, really needs to consider what is best, not just for the franchise, but specifically for the young QB. Freeman is a good case as well as another mental patient in Denver. The Broncos hired a HC in Josh McDaniels, that didn’t want to work with Cutler, and it blew up in everybody’s faces. There were no winners in Denver… or Tampa for that matter. You have to have a coach that WANTS to work with that particular QB and help mold him… it’s a symbiotic relationship. These things never work for either when the two don’t see eye-to-eye.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:15 am
How did Schiano (or anyone in the Bucs organization) treat Freeman bad? Was drafting a QB in the 3rd round somehow mistreating Josh? Was naming him the starter but saying there would be a competition being excessively harsh? Was benching Josh after 3 consecutive horrible performances where it certainly looked like some of the whispered allegations and rumors about Freeman could be true uncalled for? Please stop with the Schiano (or anyone on that organization) ruined Freeman nonsense, Josh has problems and most likely listened to some bad advice from people (agent?), that’s what led to his own downfall in the NFL.
March 12th, 2015 at 11:20 am
Guy was a moron
March 12th, 2015 at 11:58 am
Well excuse Schiano for expecting a first round QB to step it up and not spit the bed the way he did in December 2012. I was a Freeman supporter who gave him the BOD at the time but after all that happened there was no excuse for Freeman to meltdown the way he did.
March 12th, 2015 at 12:00 pm
I believe he was driven to the brink of insanity – and because his contract welded him to a coach he didn’t like – and one willing to trash his career to get what HE wanted, Freeman made a poor choice It was clear, Schiano quickly tired of the new toy someone else drafted – I also think that Schiano was so naive that he believed HIS 3rd rounder was just as good as the previous head coache’s 1st rounder, which ultimately cost him his job.
I’m not sure Josh Freeman lost his desire to play football – or just his desire to play football for nutbags – unqualified and unmitigated failures who temporarily have a lot of power over a lot of men.
Could be that the next step for Josh Freeman won’t be to once again auction himself off to the crappiest team with the most money to spend in Free Agency – maybe his next move is to take less money and go to a team where the situation is more suited to him.
It might just be that Freeman is no longer willing to RE-prove himself to people he’d already proven to, in a game he’d pretty much mastered as a “Pro-Style” QB. That is until some ignorant fool changed a record setting offense to set it up so he could FINALLY draft the object of his desire, the “one that got away” The White Whale: a third round draft pick who Darrell Revis named “Napoleon Dynamite…
If Freeman can afford to step out of the game, good for him, I wish him well.
March 12th, 2015 at 12:04 pm
Freeman was never a good QB. He had some good moments but he never could put together 4 good quarters. Schiano could see this. I could see this. If he would of just went to work and busted his ass for the team he would probably still have a job somewhere. But he quit, threw a tantrum and whined on National TV and then the unforgiveable leak. THAT is why he will never see the field again. Nobody wants that kind of a loser on their team. Freeman ruined Freeman. Good riddens you bum.
Soon we will draft Jameis. He will break everyone of our rookie QB records and in a few seasons will destroy all of Josh’s franchise records. Then we will never hear about that fool again. Can’t wait!
Welcome to Tampa, Jameis!
March 12th, 2015 at 12:16 pm
I don’t feel sorry for a someone who was paid millions for very little in return. Get Josh some counseling and move on. The world of football will be ok without Freeman. What he needs is help with his problems off the field, whatever they are. I don’t think it is really anyone’s business but his. Josh will most likely never be trusted beyond playing for the league minimum with a plethora of protective clauses for any team that gives him a contract. Play in the arena league for a while and prove you are out of whatever breakdown or funk or addiction you are under, then try for the NFL if you want.
March 12th, 2015 at 12:18 pm
You have to be invited to the veteran combine and it’s not designed for guys like Freeman and a few others that have lots of game tape for scouts to analyze. It’s more for the veterans that really haven’t gotten a shot to play much which is why Freeman and several other veteran players weren’t invited to attend.
March 12th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
@waterboy
If that was true then why are Felix Jones Michael Bush and Mikel Leshoure going to be there? Tim Tebow as well?
Plenty of players with tons of gametape will be there..
March 12th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
With that said I hope Freeman the best.. Never could surround him with decent coaches for more than a year which is sad to say..
March 12th, 2015 at 12:41 pm
Joe you know what really happened. This story is purposely manipulated to bash Shiano as well as use Freeman. You shouldn’t have to stoop this low for stories, there’s plenty of fodder out there for you without having to re-hash the demise of Josh Freeman and even worse troll his story for hits. You know what really happened. Have some respect. Shame on you.
March 12th, 2015 at 12:55 pm
Lmao. What a loser
March 12th, 2015 at 1:00 pm
BuccaneerBonzai Says:
March 12th, 2015 at 10:58 am
Josh has a mental illness and it got away from him. That’s what destroyed his career.
———————————————————————————–
I believe you are correct on this Bomzai. Pre-existing mental issues that were probably greatly exacerbated by his foray into using strong hallucinogenic drugs. Those combined with what he perceived as a bad working environment that he couldn’t “escape” from pushed him over the edge mentally.
Dude had talent for sure – but even when Freeman was at his best – he was still always frustratingly inconsistent.
March 12th, 2015 at 1:02 pm
alleged foray I should have said.
March 12th, 2015 at 1:30 pm
I’ll be the left “nut” of a certain stuttering-stammering-show-host, who basically reads newspaper articles, Twitter Feeds and Deadspin updates to his audience and calls it a show, that Freeman is no longer wanted in the NFL.
March 12th, 2015 at 1:39 pm
@Phillip Says:
March 12th, 2015 at 12:34 pm
@waterboy
If that was true then why are Felix Jones Michael Bush and Mikel Leshoure going to be there? Tim Tebow as well?
Plenty of players with tons of gametape will be there..
————-
Not sure but I’m just repeating what was said on the Mike and Mike show today when they were discussing another player not attending. But they did say that you had to be invited and couldn’t just show up.
March 12th, 2015 at 1:45 pm
Talent will only take you so far in the NFL. This day and age, elite players worked tirelessly at their positions. It’s a year round commitment in the film room, weight room or on the field. The mental side of the game is where the elite players excel. You can’t be half way in and expect to perform at an elite level. A lot of us really don’t know what went wrong there but he had a couple of opportunities to salvage his career. I don’t know Josh but I would like to wish him well in the life that is ahead of him!
Buc Fan For Life!!!
March 12th, 2015 at 1:46 pm
Talent will only take you so far in the NFL. This day and age, elite players worked tirelessly at their positions. It’s a year round commitment in the film room, weight room or on the field. The mental side of the game is where the elite players excel. You can’t be half way in and expect to perform at an elite level. A lot of us really don’t know what went wrong there but he had a couple of opportunities to salvage his career. I don’t know Josh but I would like to wish him well in the life that is ahead of him!
Bucs Fan For Life!!!
March 12th, 2015 at 1:53 pm
Don’t agree with you very often but I do here. I can’t count the number of jerks I’ve had as bosses who for some reason known only to thier ego tried to screw with me.
Usually they ended up getting fired or I just moved on and took my skills and work ethic too a better organization.
Freeman had that chance to but he didn’t take advantage of it. Usually when I landed somewhere my first task was to make sure I did well so I could prove that the other idiot was wrong about me and wrong about everything.
Hasn’t failed me yet.
March 12th, 2015 at 1:56 pm
Roflmao
As the number one anti-freemanite of this board throughout the years, I would like to take a second to say “I told you so” to all the Freemanites I have debated bwahaahahaha.
March 12th, 2015 at 1:57 pm
I told you so
March 12th, 2015 at 1:59 pm
Pickgrin, my last statement was in regards to Robert 9 but you too, sir, are being unusually eloquent and thoughtful in your posts.
Agree with both of you.
Whatever happened to Freeman, using Schiano as the foil displays a complete lack of credibility. I know that idiot Duemig likes to blame Schiano for his demise, but if that is the case, which I don’t believe it is, then Freeman lacked the strength and resolve to QB an NFL team.
Simple as that.
March 12th, 2015 at 3:02 pm
I really wish the truth would come out, While Schiano might have “Ruined” Freeman by expecting him to show up to work on time with everyone else. The truth of the matter was that there problems with Freeman that the prior regime covered up. And in fact I won’t use the phrase “saved” but Schiano actions made Freeman’s family and friends recognize the serious issues that he know has to deal with, and might have to battle the rest of his life with.
March 12th, 2015 at 3:41 pm
@PR
I am the #1 anti Freemanite!! Ill accept being co #1 with you but Im up there to! LOL
March 12th, 2015 at 4:52 pm
White tigger, bet you have lots of Participation trophies still up in your room in your mother’s basement. Do you shine them while waiting on her to bring down your dinner and clean underwear. Its and ultra competitive business with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. They get paid very well for production and deserve it but with that comes great responsibility and personal accountability. Freeman learned that the hard way
March 13th, 2015 at 12:21 am
Love him or hate, Schiano was old School. His expectations for discipline and regimen make him better suited for an Army Drill Sergeant than a Head Coach in today’s NFL probably. Unfortunately there are too many kids today (Generation X, Y, whatever) who have expectations either by their parents, former coaches, or society that they are special and that life will bow to them. Their sense of entitlement refuses to allow them to mentally prepare themselves for the challenges that will face them.
Truth be told, the man didn’t measure up to the talent. And numerous so called scouts either turned a blind eye, ignored the signs and said he would out-grow a lack of maturity, or said he would mature eventually in the NFL with age. The drafting of a player is a risky proposition with no guarantees, but it seems to be only a few select players have the talent to get to the NFL and even fewer have the talent and mental fortitude to stay there.
March 13th, 2015 at 3:24 am
Don’t know if it’s true but some one said that the Med files were leaked by one of Freeman’s buddies in the local media. I know He and the Dog are very good buds so why can’t he persuade Freeman to go to the combine? Just thought of something. He might be on a prescription med that would not pass the leagues policy. What do you think?