Freeman Expects To Run, Audible More
August 12th, 2010
Lucky for JoeBucsFan.com readers, Joe is unlike his media brethren and is not afraid to deliver you loads of Bucs news from Sirius NFL Radio.
It’s pretty simple: The NFL has a radio station. It covers the Buccaneers. So therefore Joe lets you know all the great stuff you’re missing.
On Wednesday, NFL Radio sent Movin’ The Chains hosts Pat Kirwan, Tim Ryan and special guest Bill Cowher to Bucs training camp to spend four hours talking Bucs football and interviewing players, Raheem The Dream and Mark Dominik. For Joe, this was almost as glorious as Rachel Watson asking him to apply sunscreen to 96 percent of her body.
The Movin’ The Chains crew got hold of Josh Freeman and hit him with a pile of Xs and Os questions. For those not used to down-and-dirty football interviews with Buccaneers players, prepare to be aroused.
Bill Cowher: Do you have some leeway now in this offense? Do you feel like you have a good grasp of it. The ability to maybe check plays based on what your seeing. How do you feel about all that?
Josh Freeman: Yeah. No doubt. Starting out when I first got in last year, I mean the checks were very minimal. Later in the year they started opening up a little more, putting some alerts on certain plays. And giving me the opportunity to audible versus certain looks. But I mean this year, it’s like, ‘hey, if you see it, and you’re 100 percent sure, go with what you feel is best.’
Cowher: Have you practiced a lot of one-minute drills already in this camp?
Freeman: Oh, yeah. Definitely. I feel like that’s an area where I thrive because I get to go out and I get to call the plays. I understand we’ve only been going against our defense so far. But I mean I understand what our defense tries to do in those hurry up situations. … Ask Raheem, they haven’t stopped us yet.
Pat Kirwan: Talk about protections. Are you invovled with calling them.? Is Jeff Faine handling it? How are you involved?
Freeman: Last year Jeff Faine was 100 percent or nearly 100 percent calling the protections. But this year they’re putting a lot of that on my shoulders. …From a quarterback’s perspective, being able to read the secondary players, the rotation a little better, I mean the majority of the protection calls are falling on my shoulders.
Tim Ryan: That’s got to help you in the 3rd-and-3-to-5. We all look at situations. ..That’s a manageable area. That’s what you want. You guys have to get better there.
Freeman: No doubt. Our stats in 3rd-and-3-to-5, they were terrible. They were bad. There’s no hiding that. But it’s definitely an area that we put a lot of emphasis on in OTAs and also early on in camp. So I can see us improving and being dramatically better in that phase.
Ryan: Do me a favor? Can you use those big legs and run the rock this year? Because I think that’s a big, big asset that wasn’t probably utilized enough. Ask [Cowher and Kirwan], they know a quarterback that uses his legs, you’re going to change coverages and do other things because you have that threat from the waist down.
Freeman: No doubt. We catch a lot of man-to-man, but hopefully we won’t see as much this year because those young receivers are able to do a lot of things. But I like seeing two-man, and we really didn’t see a whole lot two-man. …But this weekend Miami has shown a lot of tendencies with their new defensive coordinator …they play a lot of two-man in a lot of third down situations. So look for me this weekend to take off a couple of those times. Yeah, if it opens up I have no problem with running.
Kirwan: Winslow, can you feel his routes when you see him down the field in a stem? Can you tell what he’s going to do on a Y choice?
Freeman: Oh, yeah. Kellen does an excellent job. I mean there’s no indecision about what he’s doing. I’ve worked with the guy enough. You can tell all his moves, which one’s kind of a fake, which one’s kind of a stutter going that direction. But he finds a way to find those open areas.
Ahhhhh, the joys of Sirius NFL Radio. Of course, Joe will have more for you today and tomorrow.
Joe’s nervous about Freeman’s increased responsibilities. They’ll make him a better quarterback, but also probably lead to more mistakes.
All part of the painful process of building a “lasting contender.”
August 12th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Nothing gets you going in the mourning better than a good cup of coffee and Bucs news on JoeBucFan. This article really gets you fired up for real football. Josh Freeman may or may not be a superstar in this league, but I see why people are high on his potential.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:34 am
Because he understands things a pro quarterback is supposed to understand?
August 12th, 2010 at 8:39 am
After a long night/early morning of writing posts, Joe generally needs a 16-ounce bottle of Diet Mountain Dew and a 22-ounce container of Dunkin Donuts coffee (black only) chaser to get Joe going, sans an improptu visit from Rachel Watson.
Thanks for the kind words Bucnjim.
August 12th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Very nice, at the very least he understands what he is supposed to be progressing in, and whats that thing they always say about knowledge?
August 12th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Half the battle, Gary, half the battle.
(queue music..G—I—Joooeeee, GO JOE!) Dated myself a little there..couldn’t resist though.
August 12th, 2010 at 9:03 am
Half the battle, Gary, half the battle.
(queue music..G—I—Joooeeee, GO JOE!) Dated myself a little there..couldn’t resist though.
August 12th, 2010 at 9:19 am
hope you have something coming on Price and Mccoy… price cracks me up, and those guys are rearing to go and make some noise early on… they may hit a couple walls this year but after listening to them (and rhonde and faine talk about them) I’m very excited about our defense
August 12th, 2010 at 9:30 am
Please, please, more of stuff like this and less of ‘oh my god, someone said this, could that mean this? was it a slight to this guy?’
Thanks Joe.
August 12th, 2010 at 9:39 am
I must say, I was one of the ones that questioned his drafting. But, after some of the news/reports on him this offseason, I will tip my hat to him. Hope it makes it way onto the field!
August 12th, 2010 at 9:40 am
McBuc, It doesn’t mean I’m throwing away my “bad guy” status, just cause I said that!
August 12th, 2010 at 10:01 am
Wow, a young QB learning how to audible?
When will the innovations stop with these guys. Reminds me of when Walsh invented the West Coast Offense.
Good thing the rest of the league doesn’t know about this!
August 12th, 2010 at 10:27 am
McBuc, Sorry about that. I meant Sensiblefan.
August 12th, 2010 at 10:38 am
Wow another positive comment from Eric…… we might need to call the guys in the white jackets to make sure he is stable ……
%$#$%^&**&^%$##$^&
August 12th, 2010 at 10:41 am
No Doubt, No doubt.
Josh may want to throttle back on giving away too many “tendencies” and what “he likes” and what he is “seeing”.
The NFL is a mega billion dollar industry salivating for any competitive advantage each team can muster. When other teams get wind of the idea that Winslow has tendencies with his route running, he’ll be shut down.
Dang it Freeman, I know you were trying to impress your future coach in Bill Cowher, but, you may want to throttle back on giving away any of your reads.
August 12th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Javier…If you do not think that every team the Bucs play is not studying K2 you are nots. They all watch film and look for “tendencies”, and all great QB / receiver combos make these types of statments.\
OAR – I was gonna say, I never considered you one of the bad guys. We do not always share the same view, but your approach is logical and respectful of pthers ideas. And we do agree at times as well.
August 12th, 2010 at 10:55 am
Oops, that should have said if you do not think every team is studying K@…nuts anyway. It is common knowledge that players have tendencies, that is why the more reps they get with eachother the better.
August 12th, 2010 at 11:29 am
McBuc, I know. I had posted on another article and you were agreeing with Sensiblefaan and must of had a brain fart! Mixed you two up.
August 12th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
No doubt, no doubt McBizzle.
August 12th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
@oar
I’m sorry bro but your bad guy status is revoked. You’re not extreme enough. Tell the wife that myself and my selection staff apologize.
August 12th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Sensiblefan,
Yeah, I already tried to tell her about my new found “bad guy” status and she just laughed! Revoked hey? Damn, I can’t stay/fit in any club!
August 12th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Lmao!