Yesterday was a great day to be a Bucs fan. The creamsicles came back (as did the hot swashbuckler unis). Lee Roy Selmon was given a long-overdue honor of being inducted into the new ring of honor. Many Bucs alumni showed up as well.

Oh, yeah. And the Bucs won. With their rookie, first round draft pick Josh Freeman scoring three touchdowns, including two in the fourth quarter to rally from an 11-point deficit for the win.

Joe isn’t crazy enough to expect that every day from Freeman. There likely will be further peaks and valleys. Unlike the Packers, the Dolphins now have a full NFL game tape to go on.

Still, as former Bucs beat writer and current SI.com columnist Don Banks points out, Freeman’s play gives the Bucs hope in a hopeless season.

Tampa Bay isn’t going anywhere this season, but at least the Bucs now have some honest-to-goodness hope with rookie first-round quarterback Josh Freeman making some big plays in his first NFL start. After a shaky beginning, the 21-year-old Freeman — the Bucs’ youngest starting QB ever — got better as the game wore on and finished with 205 yards passing, three touchdowns and just one interception. He also showed he can make plays on the move, and wound up as Tampa Bay’s second-leading rusher with four carries for 20 yards.

For a team that has looked completely overmatched on offense this season, the dawn of the Freeman era was a start.

Granted, any prayer for a playoff spot has long since expired. Even though the Bucs may still lose a ton of games, seeing how Freeman progresses will give Bucs fans reason to turn the Bucs on each Sunday.

Watching the game from the CITS yesterday with Freeman at quarterback, Joe had the feeling that the Bucs had a shot at moving the ball.