Ex-Bucs QB Jeff Carlson

By JEFF CARLSON
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson writes the weekly QB Blast column here at JoeBucsFan.com. Joe is ecstatic to have him firing away. Carlson has TV gigs in the Bay area and trains quarterbacks of all ages via his company,America’s Best Quarterback.

It is easy for anyone, even those that did not see the Bucs-Carolina game at all, to stand around the water cooler at work (if you are blessed enough to be employed) or comment on your favorite website that Josh Freeman played terribly in his FIVE interception game last Sunday.

Freeman’s performance is one of the reasons players and coaches often say that they need to look at the film before a final assessment is made. 

IN THE FILM ROOM, I DON’T THINK FREEMAN GOT A POOR OVERALL GRADE FOR HIS DAY SUNDAY!

This just in. After another look, Freeman had a very good day, very good.

Did he throw his interceptions? Yes.

Did he throw a perfect touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow? Yes.

If I was the QB, I would have a big issue with Winslow’s effort at that pass in the end zone. He had a defender not looking at the ball and should have planted and caught it at a higher point over safety Charles Godfrey’s head, then the two options are TD catch or pass interference, ball at the 1 yard line.  A better effort ties the game and puts Freeman in a different position the rest of the way.

His interceptions were as follows:

1. Bad pass to Sammy Stroughter on a dig route.  Maybe Stroughter could have come out of his break a little quicker, but the ball sailed high regardless.
2. The first Beason INT was a play similar to the Super Bowl interception by Steelers’ LB James Harrison before halftime. The LB squats near the line of scrimmage and bounces back just in time to snatch it. Future Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner got caught, so did rookie QB Josh Freeman.
3.  The second Beason INT was another bad pass, with a bad decision, as well. The ball was so underthrown, the LB way in front of the play caught it, but even if it was at his target, it would have been intercepted by the DB. He forced that one, no doubt, but didn’t see any others.
4.  This one was similar to his first, sailed on him in the middle of the field.
5. The final INT was an ill-advised choice to go for it on fourth down from the four after running on 3rd-and-5 from the five yard line. John Lynch made the point of the poor decision on the FOX broadcast. Nonetheless, after looking all over the field, Freeman finally let it go to his tallest receiver and the defender came back to the ball better than the receiver.
 
The only one that gets much criticism is the second Beason INT.  This was a bad decision and a bad throw. The others have to be measured against so many throws with “pinpoint” accuracy and his ability to avoid pressure and get rid of the ball. 

This game could have been changed significantly by sideline decisions, including taking a timeout on 3rd-and-1 in the red zone (where Caddy picked it up).
 
Josh Freeman doesn’t need to “overcome” this “horrible” outing. Freeman was relatively impressive again.

Go back and watch it again if you don’t believe me.