Josh Freeman And The Super Bowl
March 11th, 2013
One of the greatest quarterbacks to ever take an NFL field Dan Marino, showed up in the Tampa Bay area Saturday and was interviewed by WTSP-TV Channel 10 sportscaster Bobby Lewis (sorry, if there is video, Joe cannot find it on the station’s site).
In the interview, Marino actually used the term “Super Bowl” in the same sentence as Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman and it had nothing to do with buying tickets.
Marino believes Freeman could lead the Bucs to the NFL’s biggest stage.
“I think he has the talent that someday would be in position to get to the playoffs,” said Marino, and NFL analyst for CBS Sports. “If the talent comes around, he could get them to a Super Bowl.”
Here’s the thing from Joe’s perspective: Joe has heard Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik talk about getting Freeman toys — perfectly understandable and logical. But at what point does the Bucs’ braintrust say, “You know, many quarterbacks don’t have all these toys and still get their teams to the playoffs.”
Were the Redskins that loaded on offense this past year? Was Seattle? Cincinnati? Hell, Aaron Rodgers would love to have as many weapons as Freeman has, not to mention the offensive line the Bucs have.
Sooner or later, if Freeman continues to be an up-and-down quarterback, it will be time to stop blaming his offensive and defensive teammates for a subpar record.
In case it’s been forgotten, this season will be a contract year for Freeman. If he wants a massive payday, he better somehow dial it back to his 2010 form, not 2011 or 2012.
March 11th, 2013 at 10:06 am
I think Joe forgets this is a team game. As fans and media we get the entranced by the QB glamour position, but even the greatest QB’s don’t win without at least a complementary defense and supporting cast.
I put the lack of playoffs on the roster Dom has put together over the last few years. This will be year 5 of rebuilding, how long is this rebuilding going to take the Rockstar to complete?
March 11th, 2013 at 10:12 am
my problem with Freeman is the retention to learn from the coaches. As an example, during the first 2 games of the season Josh Freeman was doing the best play-action hand-offs and regular hand-offs he has ever done. Watch the tape, he keeps his head down, arm extended the same way no matter which option they ran. It was just as good as Eli’s. you could tell Sullivan really was drilling it in to him. By week 3 he was back to “Bad” ole Freeman. and worst yet he is a play-action QB that seem to like playing from the Shotgun formation even more. It makes no sense. And please lets no talk about more options for Freeman until he can read pass 2 options on passes, there is no sense in a third receiving option.
March 11th, 2013 at 10:17 am
Tbuc, I agree. Teams without great QB play can win it all if the other aspects are there. I am withholding judgment on Josh, but after all, just mediocre pass D in 2012 & the Bucs might have been 10-6, with Freeman’s having played exactly the same way, with the same stats.
March 11th, 2013 at 10:29 am
He had weapons THIS YEAR. most people couldn’t name anyone on the roster for the bucs in 2010 and 2011 other than Caddy and he had two busted knees. Freeman gets talent and the team has the best offense it’s ever had. If the worse secondary in history wasn’t on the other side we would be talking about playoffs. Does Freeman have his faults? Yes but no denying that MOST of the games this year he got the job done
March 11th, 2013 at 10:34 am
Sign him now….
March 11th, 2013 at 10:35 am
The Bucs have had weapons for ONE year and an Offensive line that just can’t stay healthy EVER. The two teams that ended up in the Super Bowl scored 8 points more than the Bucs! Freeman did his job well until he was forced to carry the entire team. He is not and will never be a shoot out QB. Only Brady & Bree’s can do so and be successful. Even Peyton Manning counted heavily on his D to keep them in games. If the Bucs can keep their offensive and defensive lines healthy and on the field; the Bucs have the talent to make the playoffs.
March 11th, 2013 at 11:12 am
It’s a contract year…..I’m sure he’ll step it up
March 11th, 2013 at 11:17 am
It definitely is a team sport. Ask Marino. He was one of the greatest ever, but ask him how many Super Bowl rings he has. How many does Dilfer have? You need a complete team, few injuries heading into the playoffs and a lot of luck to win a Super Bowl. The best team rarely wins.
March 11th, 2013 at 11:17 am
“If the talent comes around, he could get them to a Super Bowl.” That’sa pretty generic statement. If mine and Hawaiian Bucs talent comes around we could get them to a Super Bowl. 🙂
March 11th, 2013 at 11:44 am
Good Post 1976Buc! LOL, if I clean enough roofs, I can get to the Super Bowl too, just not as a player.
Tampa needs the first year Josh Freeman, remember him ?
The QB who was known for 4th quarter comebacks.
March 11th, 2013 at 11:55 am
Joe, Joe, joe.
Throwing the baited hook again?
“Wish they had offensive line”
Really? Big fan of Meredith? Dotson ?Larsen?
Our Oline for 12 weeks was Penn, Zuttah, Larsen, Meredith, And Dotson.
That a bunch of world beaters to you? Zuttah is a very good center, but just an average(at best )guard. Larsen is a quality backup. Meredith walked on. Dotson was a first year starter.
I’m sure you must of noticed who played on the line for us this year. Nicks was hobbled for a few games- then went on IR. Joseph didn’t make the first starting bell.
You take a couple snaps behind this ” enviable Line!”- good luck, Buddy.
This is the first year Josh has had a real Wr. They were starting Williams out of desperation, as a rookie- long before he was ready to carry the load.
Last year was Martins first year.
Still no TE. Got an old guy, and a stone handed, can’t block Rookie.
And our offense is waaaay better than our defense!!!
Josh is a great Qb, to win 7 games with that mess.
I think I’ll trust Marino’s opinion on this, more than anyone else.
After all, there were people here arguing with me, that our secondary was a “team strength”, just two years ago! Lol
March 11th, 2013 at 12:06 pm
This staff needs to uncuff Freeman, no sense in having a QB who’s as intelligent and physically gifted as Freeman is to have him boxed in by a budding OC like Sullivan. Take the knee brace off him, as he’s never been injured below the belt and has a history of using his legs to extend plays and drives as Steve Carrell would agree, if you don’t use it, you’ll most certainly lose it. Phillip Rivers has had “Toys” his entire career, think about guys who’ve passed through SD, like Sproles, VJax, Turner, Gates & a few others, yet one can argue a QB like Eli has done more with a littler less in the talent depot. It isn’t the options that make the QB, it’s the QB that makes the options better,Free isn’t all the way there yet.
March 11th, 2013 at 12:32 pm
tJoe! Let’s keep it real here. The teams you listed like Seattle & Cin had DEFENSE! You mention Redskins who’s secondary was more than above average thanks to “your boy” Radio Raheem. Then you mention Rodgers who has 3 very very good WRs + a above TE. So let’s stop all this talk please! I promise you if the Bucs D was in the middle or even early 20s in D that they would’ve found their way into the playoffs. The Bucs had a top 15 offense in the NFL & trust me you don’t do that by accident. Freeman will lead the Bucs to great things & will continue to progress as long as the talent around him is good enough & Sheridan decides to actually allow corners to cover within the 1st 8-5 yds. His scheme is what is making the corners look the way they do. Letting them run free constantly then tries to tighten up in the redzone SMH that doesn’t work!!!! Go back & watch the film from the season, see what I’m talking about.
March 11th, 2013 at 12:34 pm
@Joe
Aaron Rodgers really? Aaron has arguably one of the best receiving corp when healthy. The only thing they don’t have is Doug Martin.
Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, and Dallas Clark < Jordy Nelson, Greg Gennings, Randle Cobb, Donald Driver, and Jermichael Finely.
March 11th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
until he gets it between tha ears we won’t be winning s#*t. He also needs 2 be more accountable 4 his screw ups and quit having that retarded look on his face when it’s his fault. Once teams studied film and saw his go to plays were deep throws and jump balls all hell broke loose. I pray he learns 2 read defenses ALOT better and that will help both sides of tha ball
March 11th, 2013 at 12:41 pm
C Alaka- great post!
And you are right. Film doesn’t lie. My question was- is this Sheridan’s scheme? Or is this the CBs giving up a huge cushion, because they didn’t have the skills to press the WRs.
I think it was a little of both. Think Sheridan knew what he had to work with, and tried to protect them, and prevent long passes, as much as possible.
Either way- the results were that opposing WRs were open from step one. The QB had his pick of uncovered targets!
Great analysis and film breakdown!
March 11th, 2013 at 12:54 pm
You need to stop it Joe. The bucs offense was ranked #9 at the end of the year and that’s with all of the so-called “shortcomings” of Josh Freeman. I just do not get why so many in this market are down on Freeman. Some even wanted Alex Smith. The same Alex Smith who for the first 6 or 7 years of his career completely stunk. BTW…he had multiple OCs as well. Funny how now he looks better. Maybe it is because he has matured. Freeman has looked much better than Smith looked in his early years and therefore there is no need to rush and get rid of a QB with so much untapped talent.
Don’t forget this is a TEAM game and if the broncos can make the playoffs with a QB who completed 2 passes in a game 2 years ago and still won, then that should tell you how important a defense is to the overall success of a team. Or maybe you believe that Tebow performed better than Freeman and that’s why his team made the playoffs. If you believe that, I have a three legged thoroughbred for sale if you are interested.
March 11th, 2013 at 1:50 pm
10 game losing streak in 2011… after a 4-2 start.
5 game losing streak in 2012… after a 6-4 start.
Freeman’s consistencies tie directly into our Wins vs. Losses.
Freeman plays up and down, the Bucs are up and down in the W-L column.
Give me a consistent performance each week at the QB position, and we can be a playoff team.
If Freeman comes out “All-World” just to come down to “Ryan Leaf” level, then it will be all for lost.
March 11th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Freeman in 2012 vs Andy Dalton in 2012.
The two are very close in stats, but Dalton got the Bungles into the playoffs for the 2nd consecutive year (out of the AFC North: Ravens 2X, Steelers 2X, and the Brownies twice).
Dalton and Freeman each had 27 Tds, and similar INTs. Freeman had twice as many fumbles lost (5 for Dalton, 10 for Freeman), and Freeman completed 20-30 less passes in 50+ more attempts.
Bottom line, the NFL QB position, is a position of: poise, consistency, and talent. Right now, Freeman has “talent”. Let me see some poise and consistency before we resign this guy.
March 11th, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Uh, if he doesn’t lead us to the playoffs this year, he’s OUT. Period.
March 11th, 2013 at 2:54 pm
let me ask you guys this. did anyone notice that when Josh Freeman got into a rhythm early in the game he played great? That should be the main priority in the beginning of the game is to get Freeman into a rhythm with some short easy passes to boost his confidence up and then turn him loose as the game goes on. I think where we went wrong was to throw everything at him while he was ice cold. get him into a rhythm early and he plays fine.
March 11th, 2013 at 2:54 pm
Some of you just don’t get it. In 14 games, Freeman In 14 games, freeman threw 26 tds and 8 ints. In the other two games he threw 1 td and 8 ints. You throw out those two games and he performed well enough for the bucs to be in the playoffs. Oh and remember even the great Drew brees had a game where he threw 5 ints this past year because it can happen to any player and sometimes you press the issue because your defense sucks. Funny, even the Saints finished 7-9 and was not close to the playoffs. Why? Because they too had a defense that sucked. How many of you blame Brees for that? Surely he should have gotten the Saints to the playoffs right according to some of you guys logic. If your defense sucks, then chances are you are not going to the playoffs regardless of how the QB performs. Open your eyes and stop putting all the blame on Freeman.
March 11th, 2013 at 3:48 pm
You have Dan Marino saying that Freeman has the talent to get us to the Superbowl. Marino. One of the most talented QBs in history, who has since spend decades as an analyst.
And you still have ^** here doubting the guys ability. The ignorance posted here is nauseating. And the worst part, is they have remained *+*%- despite making the same mistake over and over.
These are the same %*% that ran Doug Williams out of town. And Vinny Testaverde. And Steve Young.All of whom we critiqued heavily here- then went to other teams, and showed exactly little the fans here know about QBs( nothing- absolutely nothing)
You £¥*^+€ represent the worst of uneducated fans.
Freeman won 10 games,3 seasons ago- with the most talentless team in the league. A team that refused to sign free agents( why? Stupidity!), drafted badly, and had no talented skill players. Just rookies and cast offs.
The next season- he was one of the few players who didn’t quit playing for Morris. His key Reciever was Winslow
Last year, in a brand new system, with a brand new coach, brand new Reciever, TE, And Running back- the guy breaks every 35 year old offensive record in club history. Best offense in Buc history- top ten in the league
And there are still totally clueless ” people ” here bitching about him.
You guys drop %**% to a new low
March 11th, 2013 at 4:07 pm
^^^^^ your generalizing, not all bucs fans hate Freeman. I for think hes great, he just needs to iron out a few aspects of his games. also when your trying to cuss at least give a the first letter of the word so we have a clue about what word your trying to sensor.
March 11th, 2013 at 4:41 pm
he {J. Freeman} could get them to a Super Bowl…
Proof that this IS the time of year that you can’t or shouldn’t believe everything you hear… It is good for something though…. A good laugh!
March 11th, 2013 at 4:50 pm
Josh isn’t close to the caliber of Aaron Rodgers right now.
That being said, I think Rodgers has some of the best receivers in the league. VJ would start on their team, but that is about it at the WR positions. And Martin is a superior RB to anything they have. But the RB in their Offense basically just sets up the pass. I don’t think they would trade Cobb for Williams. And Findley, though at times having questionable hands, is a pretty athletic TE. So I’m not so sure Freeman has “superior tools” to work with.
March 11th, 2013 at 5:52 pm
Nobody hates Freeman. Stop talking out your ass, just because somebody doesnt agree with your meaningless opinion doesnt mean we hate Freeman. But he is a loser. Wins and losses prove my point. His inconsistancy proves my point. That has nothing to do with hating the guy. Put together a consistant winning season and peoples opinion would change. Just because YOU want to ride the guys jock strap doesnt mean we all have to.
Stuff that in your pipe and smoke it stupid head. LMAO. See I can act like a child to!
March 11th, 2013 at 7:03 pm
Inconsistent-? Only one thing has been consistent- this team has had no talent, what so ever!! Our O- line has been bad at at least 2 of 5 positions every year! We have had NO threat at WR! On rookies trying to learn, while being forced into staring position! With no Vets to assist. No talent at TE. Only one RB capable of playing each year. A defense that , until this year, could not stop the run or the pass. Now, it can’t stop the pass
No Talent. No depth. Constant change of coaching, co-ordinators, and schemes.
And still this guy has won 10 games one season. And had the best offense in Buc history.
And there are still hollow heads here, that think somehow it’s the QBs fault!!
Most Buc fans here are smart enough to realize that you win or lose as a team. 48 talented players, with good coaching, are needed to win consistently in this league.
Only idiots would blame one player- for the dozens of problems this team has had. I don’t care how much you whine and bellyache- you have to stone brainless to believe that is the fault of one person- unless meybe you are talking about Dom. And it has taken this long, to rectify the horrible drafting of the past
I think most of you bitch out of jealousy, more than anything else. You are jealous of Freeman for being young, Rich, famous , and successful.
Things some of you will never be. Be glad that no one is judging you by your own lofty standards