“Don’t Feel Like Josh Was A Missed Quarterback”
October 20th, 2014
Former rock star general manager Mark Dominik talks Josh Freeman, Mike Glennon and the Bucs.
One thing lacking from this year’s club is drama. If you have a losing season, a terrible season, and you don’t have drama, then you have apathy.
Apathy is the worst thing for any sports team. It means fans have checked out, and that means some may never return. The Bucs are on the verge of apathy.
Last year, despite starting 0-8, Tampa Bay had plenty of drama to keep Bucs fans engaged. There was the MRSA. There was Greg Schiano’s job status. There was Carl Nicks’ toe. And, of course, there was none other than leaky, sleepy, camera-phobe Josh Freeman.
The former first-round pick and franchise quarterback went totally mental last year and is currently out of football. In a recent podcast with Peter Schrager of Fox Sports, former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik talked about Freeman’s freefall and what the Bucs should do at quarterback.
“Yeah, Josh is an interesting study,” Dominik said. “The 2012 season, when he came off his good season, his really good season, he had kind of a rollercoaster if you watched him, Peter. He would have a good season, bad season, good season, bad season. There were a lot of people here, especially in our local media that said it is time to lock him up and give him a $100 million deal and sign this young quarterback.
“To me, it is the most important position, easily. The reason why I drafted Josh Freeman was twofold: We needed a quarterback, No. 2, we had a lot of familiarity with him as far as coming from college; the coaches on our staff who knew him well. That made it important.
“I don’t feel like Josh was a missed quarterback or a missed draft pick because if you don’t have a quarterback — and this is going to sound kind of crazy for some people but it is working for them — you have to have the Cincinnati Bengals mentality. You have to keep drafting one until you find one. If you miss, you have to draft another one.”
There’s a lot of stuff in the link above, but Joe will throw out just a few nuggets: Freeman’s camp was really pushing for Dominik to sign Freeman to a long-term deal, but Dominik told his folks that he just didn’t trust Freeman, and if Freeman had a career year in 2013, then he’d be happy to pay extra as opposed to paying a lot to someone he didn’t trust.
In the end, Freeman always was an inconsistent quarterback whether it was in game or season-to-season. He was inconsistency personified.
Now the Bengals concept is a bit strange. They drafted all sorts of slugs from David Klingler to Akili Smith before they finally struck gold with Carson Palmer. So Joe understands where Dominik is coming from but that is like 10 years of swinging and missing on quarterbacks before landing a decent one.
Another interesting element, per Dominik, was that Mike Glennon is the perfect Lovie Smith quarterback in that he doesn’t turn the ball over. So that’s why Lovie crowed about how Glennon is the “quarterback of the future.”
October 20th, 2014 at 9:16 am
Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow:
Yesterday- FUKN happy the YUCS didn’t lose. Although they almost found a way to do that when they kicked the tires on a Harvin trade. WTF!!!
Today- The YUCS will show up to the facility to look at film for the first time on the Vikings. Lovie will stand at the podium with the announcement that they just signed a guy they let go in the summer.
Tomorrow- Gerald will sit at his locker answering questions and thinking of a gentle way to tackle and pick up McKinnon & Asiata on Sunday.
October 20th, 2014 at 9:25 am
Sorry Dom, but the fact Freeman is in the prime years age wise of his career, has no serious injuries (physically anyway) yet no longer playing football on a professional level pretty much means he was a miss at QB.
October 20th, 2014 at 9:28 am
The Bucs can thank their lucky stars that Freeman was given the boot. Even after his good starts, he had an aura of stinks about him. Imagine him still here with a huge long term contract. Oh the horror of that thought. Thanks Schiano!
October 20th, 2014 at 9:30 am
Avoiding giving Freeman an extension was one of the few great moments in recent Bucs history. This franchise would be in purgatory forever if they gave him an extension he did not deserve.
October 20th, 2014 at 9:36 am
Well, that’s why it made no sense to bring in McCown and name him the STARTER. At most, it should have been an open competition. At the least, Glennon should have been named starter and McCown could have been named #2. However, McCown wouldn’t have signed here for just $1-2m per year. In hindsight, so what
October 20th, 2014 at 10:02 am
Oh c’mon everyone. We all know why Lovie picked McCown – he didn’t trust Glennon. Period. It was $5 million per year based on distrust of the young kid. It’s that simple – and it’s money that they’ll never see again. Oh well.
Glennon will be the QB of the past if the line keeps playing the way it does. I do NOT think Glennon will make it through the season if it keeps going this way. Mark my words, he will go down and it could be ugly.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:06 am
As far as Freeman goes. They can’t measure heart and dedication at any combine drill or evaluation. Once Freeman got paid and got used to living like a king – he got really soft. Against weak opponents you’d see great performances, but when the going got tough Freeman folded most of the time. The only saving grace for him was his durability and arm strength. Compared to the ‘Cannon’ Freeman was a missile launcher.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:13 am
Sweet Chocolate Jesus….
This man is still without a clue.
October 20th, 2014 at 10:17 am
Hate whats been displayed on the field so far, HATE those stupid jerseys, and pretty much hate most of the coaching staff so far….yup, pretty much checked out….curious to see what happens in 2016 because this season and probably next are pretty much 2 to 3 win seasons….if that!
October 20th, 2014 at 10:27 am
If the team bigwigs don’t care what the fans think about the uniforms, why would they care what fans think about the team?
October 20th, 2014 at 10:46 am
Dom destroyed this team and lovie is just putting the dirt on the top of the grave, so it is very apparent to the fans and the owners of this site that this is a very bad franchise from the top down and lovie and licht have done nothing to instill confidence that they know what they are doing to right this ship, only ship still afloat is the one in that empty stadium…..so next screw up for this bunch will be jameis the squinter, mariota, or petty?
October 20th, 2014 at 11:31 am
Dominik drafting inept Josh Freeman robbed Bucs fans of finding a real QB for five seasons… “We are going to build around number 5” was Domink’s mantra year after year… Now he says he never trusted him… What a joke!!!
I’m just thankful that neither of these turds are stinking up One Buc any longer…
Dominik and Freeman are both done in the NFL…
October 20th, 2014 at 11:51 am
Idk why ppl want Jameis Winston. Dude had bust written all over him
October 20th, 2014 at 12:32 pm
Am I the only one that is connecting Freeman going in the tank start after he got popped for using a adderall…In fact I think he had his best season while he was *supposedly on the drug…dude had the type of *problems that aren’t the type of *problems that make a very good NFL QB….oh my bad sho nuff calling out the elephant in the room again….
tip toe around it all day long…at the end of THAT day Josh’s brain was/is broken….and that is on Dom and the glazers going cheap with Raheem who persuaded Dom to draft the shakes….
October 20th, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Probably the best move the Bucs made in the last ten years was to NOT give Freeman that contract before the 2013 season.
And my statement above is why this team is so f**ked for at least another two-three years.
This franchise has been a complete disaster for the last decade.
Go Sucs!!!!
October 20th, 2014 at 1:03 pm
Tanketh for Jameth!
October 20th, 2014 at 1:09 pm
Arealbucsfan Says:
October 20th, 2014 at 11:51 am
“Idk why ppl want Jameis Winston. Dude had bust written all over him”
He’s going number overall. Perhaps you can back up your statement as to why he would be a bust.
The number 1 high school prospect in America coming out of high school EVERY school wanted him. He’s going number 1 overall and people like you will find out just how wrong you are when you say “bust”. He starts Day 1, no need to ride the pine at all. Andrew Luck was the last sure thing. Jameis is going to be the next sure thing.
College scouts were drooling over him when he was a sophomore in high school. Yes he’s been THAT good for a long time…
October 20th, 2014 at 1:58 pm
As bad as the Bucs have been since 2008, the only chose that a Bucs fan has is apathy or mental and emotional catastrophe….
Count me in with being GRATEFUL That Freeman was relieved of his position!
Yeah, remember when Gruden was still HC and the Bucs were 9-3 for the season and we the fans had something to feel good about….. To actually be proud to be a Bucs fan and even talk about making the playoffs… Oh what could have been if that season would have ended differently!
October 20th, 2014 at 2:15 pm
Picking up Freeman, + Trusting Raheem Morris, and his Eye for talent= No NFL GM job.
October 20th, 2014 at 2:19 pm
haha Markie Mark and the funky bunch!
October 20th, 2014 at 2:21 pm
@Buc1987,
Just because you go Number 1 overall don’t mean you are a sure thing. Also, Mariotta is projected to go #1 overall.
October 20th, 2014 at 3:19 pm
Skyline Crew…if you don’t think he’s a sure thing then you have not watched enough Florida State football.
Like I said he’s been a sure thing his entire life….since JV football.
October 20th, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Sorry 1987, but Winston is a trainwreck about halfway down the track.
I guess you don’t think character should be considered, huh?
A great QB HAS to be a great leader and lead by example.
October 21st, 2014 at 12:08 am
I find MGMer very hypocritical.
This year Glennon has been sub par the 1st half of the game. The excuses have been the o line the issue. That was the issues for all of Freeman time in Tampa.
Glennon started playing better in the 2nd half of the game and finally putting up yards and tds. Yet, Freeman success late in game is written off as garbage time.
When Glennon and the Bucs lose close games, then it the defense fault, no pressure on the qb by the d linemen, coaches fault, and GM fault. When Freeman loses close games and or left it up to the defense to protect the lead, then it’s just Freeman fault or as they say, “QB get most the blame and credit.”
The point is horrible qbs don’t set positive record for a franchise. If he’s truly a bad qb that set records, then what does that say about our franchise history of qbs? All qbs struggle at some point.
This year team issues have existed for 6 years now. Horrible blocking, no consistent pass rush, defense not stepping up and making plays in crunch time consistently, horrible defense ranking, lack of talented depth, and bad play calling. The stuff going on this year “isn’t new.” And Glennon win- loss record is taking a hit whether his fault or not just like Freeman.
Our defensive and o line players have been a joke since Gruden and Kiffin were fired. For 5 years, some fans and reporters didn’t hold the defense and o line accountable for loses. This year is a reality check for those that ignored the real issues for the previous 5 years.