“An Epic And Colossal Failure”
September 26th, 2013
The Buccaneers demise of Josh Freeman has former Bucs QB Shaun King hot. The St. Pete native and Tampa resident is a lifelong Bucs fan and is unhappy.
King, one of three quarterbacks to lead the Bucs to the NFC title game, is very troubled by what he perceives is the mishandling of Josh Freeman since 2009.
According to King on the Ron and Ian show today on WDAE-AM 620, “Continuity, stability and a clearly defined set of standards and expectations,” were missing from the Freeman era.
“And because I don’t think that ever existed with Josh Freeman as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I think this is an epic and colossal failure by everyone within that organization,” King said. “From the time this young man got here, that organization has been dysfunctional, there’s been turmoil, and there’s been turnover and no direction. I blame them for him failing. I’ve never as disappointed as I am with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since they fired Tony Dungy. They’ve done a disservice to this kid, continually changing coordinators, quarterback coaches, never being in an environment that’s conducive to playing winning football on a consistent basis.
“And I’m saying that to say this, I have nothing against Mike Glennon whatsoever. I want him to succeed. They’re about to do the same thing to him that they did to Josh Freeman. They didn’t make this decision because Mike Glennon played at such a substantially high level in the preseason that you had to do it. They didn’t make this decision because he’s come in and captivated everyone within that organization. They didn’t make this decision because it’s the best football move. So you’re about to put this young quarterback in the same situation that you continually had Josh Freeman in. And that’s unfair.”
Now Joe can’t buy into King’s premise on all levels. Freeman returned in 2011, after a superstar season in 2010, with the same offensive coordinator and the same experienced quarterback coach (Alex Van Pelt) and head coach. That season Freeman crumbled along with his teammates as the Bucs went from 4-2 to 4-12. So what was missing, aside from better receivers?
King went on to say the Bucs screwed Freeman by not giving him a veteran quarterback to learn from.
“I had no idea what it was like to be an NFL quarterback until Brad Johnson came to Tampa,” said King, citing him being exposed to “a disgruntled, immature Trent Dilfer” early in his career.
The cut below is arguably King’s most passionate radio appearance ever. Enjoy.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:07 pm
I never been more disappointed when Shaun threw that pick against St. Louis and cost us the SuperBowl in 1999.
If Brad Johnson was brought in to teach him, it must have been about the training table, all Shaun has done is gain weight.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:09 pm
Seeing the title and a picture of Shaun King, I thought the article was going to be about the 2000 NFC Championship Game
September 26th, 2013 at 12:10 pm
Freeman deserves a large portion of the blame. The bottom line is he failed us as much if not more than the Bucs failed him.
This regime will fail any QB we draft.
Fire Schiano
September 26th, 2013 at 12:10 pm
WTF????????????
what is he talking about???????? The guy was given every opportunity short of spoon feeding him.
jibberish………shaun king just looking to get noticed.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:13 pm
Wow, now we are blaming the lack of a veteran teacher. Must be the same case for Luck….and Wilson….and Dalton…..and Tannehill ….and RG3…..and Manuel….and Geno….and Cam….
September 26th, 2013 at 12:16 pm
I have to agree with King. Every word of it.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:17 pm
This is total BS. Blaming everyone but Freeman…the man can’t think on his feet and King can’t think on his butt.
“Shaun King, one of two Buc Quarterbacks that lost a NFC Championship game when his defense gave up 11 or fewer points.”
September 26th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
“From the time this young man got here, that organization has been dysfunctional, there’s been turmoil, and there’s been turnover and no direction. I blame them for him failing. I’ve never as disappointed as I am with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since they fired Tony Dungy.”– Shaun King
King talking bad about the the higher ups in the organization? No never! He’s the biggest Buc fan right Joe? Well maybe size wise. Now we’ll all just sit here and continue to take Joe at his word that King is not bitter at all toward the Bucs organization.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:20 pm
The most disappointed he’s been since the Dungy firing… *whispers* which led us to our first superbowl.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Yeah nice try Shaun. Freeman has lost at least $30 million and maybe closer to $50 million with his play since the middle of last year. Putting all on the organization is typical for the angry, incredibly bitter Shaun King.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:21 pm
Meh. C’mon Shaun, if you can’t take coaching, then maybe you’re not cut out for the league. A veteran QB willing to teach you how to be a QB in this league is a nice-to-have, not a must-have.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
“A disgruntled, immature Trent Dilfer”…yeah, Shaun, who you only took over for because he broke his collarbone…and Brad Johnson, who was brought in to take YOUR job because you couldn’t get it done but once again, it’s someone elses fault. And King NEVER learned to be an NFL QB-even after Brad Johnson got here-what did this piece of trash EVER do in the NFL after that? NOTHING. And it was Dungy and Mckay who replaced his lazy ass also. And then “Gruden did a horrible job of developing me”.
Look, a lot of the things he cites on Freeman-the changing of offensive coordinators, head coaches, etc, I don’t disagree with a lot of those things Shaun said..but at the end of the day, King shows his same old mantra…blame everyone else for someone’s troubles, on and off the field. King is credible and knowledgable in one regard-the ability to NOT take one ounce of responsibility, nor accountability for one’s own lack of success.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:30 pm
King makes great points. Freeman has had success in this league, is more than capable of being great and is still very young. Under quality consistent coaching and quality talent around him he very likely succeeds. Too bad he has had neither throughout his 4 years in Tampa. Blame can be pretty evenly spread all the way to the top.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:31 pm
The QB played for half a decade as a starter. Quit coddling this man. Either he can make it in the NFL or he cant. His skills have deteriorated, not improved not because of his coaches but because of him. He made the choice, now we fans are living with it. Glennon at least looks and acts like an adult. I can almost gaurantee you he wont pose for a “Mike Jackson-Thriller” photo shoot during the middle of a season. He actually may be in the film room studying tape. Lets move on Tampa. See you at Raymond James on Sunday- I gotta watch this…….
September 26th, 2013 at 12:33 pm
It’s everybody’s fault but Josh Freeman’s fault. Whatever. Obviously, Freeman is not 100% responsible for his stats, but his is mostly.
Some QBs lift up franchises instead of the other way around. Some QBs win Super Bowls after their OC gets fired in December. This “too much change” excuse doesn’t click with me.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:35 pm
King will say anything to get some face time. Let’s quit referencing his “leading” us to the NFC conference, he took over for Dilfer who was injured and we scored a whopping 6 pts that game. He was such a stud that he accomplished nothing from that year on. It’s this simple, if Freeman is as good as he is advertised or King believes him to be, teams will be knocking down our door to get him via a trade. Let’s see King’s in depth analysis on what a team will trade for such a talent. I bet you he wont go out on that limb.
King is the classic ex-player “Bucs Fan/Analyst” whose still bitter how the business treated him but rides the coattails of the team for his own self promotion and gain. Every chance he gets he bashes coaches or management then follows it up with how much he “LOVES THE BUCS”. He “LOVES” the Bucs because its the only organization to which he has any successful ties and how he makes his living. He will always side with the players being treated poorly because he’s never known anything else. It’s always a massive conspiracy that involves politics and desperation. The business is simple, every regime wants “their type of guys” and the players that dont recognize that are always “blindsided” and bitter…..forever.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:36 pm
this is like saying the jets or NYC ruined hairband….I mean sanchez
September 26th, 2013 at 12:40 pm
Brad Johnson was brought in to REPLACE you, Shaun…and when you later had the opportunity to win back your job, YOU didn’t get it done.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:42 pm
“I had no idea what it was like to be an NFL quarterback until Brad Johnson came to Tampa,” said King, citing him being exposed to ”a disgruntled, immature Trent Dilfer” early in his career.
Didn’t Freeman worked out with Drew Brees in some offseasons (http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/14216/drew-brees-has-tutored-josh-freeman) ? He should have taken notes I guess and King should really put the mike down he’s bashing more the Bucs than anyone..
September 26th, 2013 at 12:43 pm
Shauns just mad because he won’t be able to go to anymore all night parties at Free’s house . I guess they always had the kingcut prime rib waiting for him along with some doughnuts.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:44 pm
If King is right, then there will be 4 or 5 teams lined up to get their hands on this fantastic mismanaged talent !!!
September 26th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
i’ve never seen a team and fan base make as many excuses for a player as i have for josh freeman. he’s a well-spoken kid with all the physical tools, so i guess people (including me) have a hard time reconciling that image with one of an NFL bust, but 60 games of tape tell a story of an ill-prepared, inconsistent, frontrunner. this guy has been outplayed by teams with supposedly inferior QBs and substantially less talent, like gabbert’s jags, nick foles’ eagles, and geno smith’s jets. the same week that rookie RG3 took charge when his helmet mic went out, freeman wet the bed on a 2 minute drive under the same circumstances. this guy may be better then he has shown over the recent ugly stretch, but he is not a championship QB and may not even be a playoff QB. the bucs organization does deserve some blame for its instability, but good NFL QBs can do much more than freeman has with much less than he’s been given. if you put him on the roster of some of the league’s most stable organizations he would immediately become the weakest link. freeman stood out at times here partly because there were so many holes on the roster that he looked like a beacon of excellence by comparison. it was like being aubrey huff on the Devil Rays
September 26th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
C’mon, you guys have to admit, except for this season, that it is true what Shawn said. “From the time this young man got here, that organization has been dysfunctional, there’s been turmoil, and there’s been turnover and no direction.”
examples
2008-09 Tampa Bay was among the bottom franchises in salary cap
don’t forget the Manchester United fiasco
release of all veteran leadership
moratorium on free agent spending
inexperienced head coach
constantly changing OCs
Josh Freeman was brought in at the most inopportune time in his life. I think had he been drafted by another organization at that time Josh wouldn’t probably be a headcase.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
I agree with everything he said.
Except to say if Josh was never going to develop no matter what it falls directly to the GM who drafted him.
But his other points are spot on.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:50 pm
yeah King, no effort was made to put in a good environment:
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcsouth/post/_/id/14216/drew-brees-has-tutored-josh-freeman
“Yep, Drew Brees and Josh Freeman were almost teammates for a week in July. That was in the San Diego area as Freeman joined Brees and a few other NFL quarterbacks for a week of workouts. That was arranged by Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who has a long friendship with Brees.
“
September 26th, 2013 at 12:51 pm
He’s right… to a degree. But he shouldn’t need a coach to tell him how NOT to bounce a pass to a RB in the flat.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
Shaun “small hands” Burger King actually was more angry with the Raheem Morris firing.
He went on a 45 minute monolog rant about the Raheem Morris firing the very next day on his radio show. Notice he isn’t on the show anymore.
I’m sure he is upset about Freeman’s performance proving him wrong.
To be quite frank, he comes off as racist evertime
September 26th, 2013 at 12:56 pm
BREAKING NEWS! All remaining Buc home games to be televised
September 26th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
I hate when people play the victim card…it’s a sign of weakness.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
BLACK OUT NEWS!!!
Glazers just committed to have all remaining home games for the 2013 season televised locally .
For all the crap going on, it is nice to see the owners show the fans some loyalty.
Now if only they could directly impact the performance on the field for the remainder off the season.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
But Freeman DID succeed. He had success in 2010 only to regress in 2011. Then he had success in 2012 only to regress at the end of the year and then there’s this year……
I would agree that ultimately the scheme is not the best for him but if he played lights out in this scheme for 6 games last year where he was arguably the hottest QB in the NFL then it’s hard to say the coaches have done nothing to develop this kid. The ultimate responsibility for a player to perform is on the player himself. I can’t blame the coaches for inconsistency. That’s Josh’s fault.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
… every time he protects black people, regardless of their performance. See Raheem Morris. Even Ian Beckles said Rah had to go.
September 26th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
atleast when raheem morris did a press conference we knew he was just talking to talk and that he was more or less throwing out cliche’s BUT this guy schiano is the biggest fraud the biggest liar we’ve ever had to witness…..ok freeman is alittle softhearted but this guy is a fool, even has to take the blame for having the lead in games last year and this year at the end of the game, freeman takes the lost and he gets to blame him….well that excuse is gone so i fully expect this generic offense, mike sullivan, and this rutgers trash to be gone hopefully by the end of the season. now that we’ve moved on from freeman its time to move on from the guy that drafted him too…doesnt matter how well you build a team if you’ve picked two busted head coaches in a row…they are all done
September 26th, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Bucs just announced all their home games will be televised locally? ???
September 26th, 2013 at 1:02 pm
Shut the F up Shaun “Burger” King…
You wanna know what happened to Freeman;
1-8 in the last 9 games is what happened…
This is a “what have you done for me lately” kinda league, and Freeman simply hasn’t performed with any kind of consistency in 3 flippin years; he’s shown flashes but when you’r 5 years in fans and coaches want results and that’s the bottom line…there is NO market for Freeman right now period…How in the heck does a “veteran” QB have a completion percentage of 45% (the lowest in the league); 42 int’s since 2011, 6-20+ versus teams with winnings records…
I was one who always stood up for Free but it got to the point were I just could no longer justify the horrible play; the constant brain farts and inaccuracy in particular…I have never seen a QB regress the way Freeman has…beside the accuracy issues most of his problems seem to be mental; along with some bad technique issues…
From the neck down he’s a stud but from the neck up, he’s a mental midget…Freeman can’t say he never got a chance to succeed because he did, he had 5 years…next man up
September 26th, 2013 at 1:03 pm
Last week King said he had heard lots of bad things about Josh off the field.
Josh never showed the dedication required.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:07 pm
@Cody
i guess were gonna find out if it’s this simple minded offense or if its coaching and playcalling…theres no need to dumb down the playbook for glennon because it cant get more simple than it is. it looks like it was drawn up with crayon and coloring books. freeman is done so who cares but barring injuries to both qb’s he’s probably done in tampa.
the problem is schiano is a liar and knew he didnt want this guy since he got here…..now we know why they kept 3 quarterbacks because glennon be out orvlosky from day one…if you look at tampa bay’s history and now knowing that we’ve never given a quarterback a 2nd contract then hey dont blame freeman or glennon for sucking, blame the front office and coaches for choosing them
without a doubt if tampa drafts a quarterback in the 1st round of next year’s draft, it wont be schiano and dominick making the pick
September 26th, 2013 at 1:16 pm
Freeman doesn’t have enough talent???? Quick name an impact player of the Jets Shaun King? Thought so, they don’t have one yet they are 2-1. Why? The rookie QB made his teammates better… That’s what good QB’s do! Quick name an impact player Brady has had for 3 weeks??? He lost all his weapons and are 3-0. Why??? Thats what good QB’s do! Meanwhile Freeman has all his weapons, he’s in the second year in the offense and still sucks. Enough excuses, this is the NFL not pee wee, great players don’t need to be coddled, fondled, or kissed. He…Is…Not…Good. Simple as that!
September 26th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
Jeez, almost any former player can get a job as a talking head commentator nowadays, regardless of their contributions while playing.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:19 pm
Say what you will, this guy has been right the whole time. besides the name calling, dispute his point about having a plan or direction or leadership or unity. take the emotion out of it. it is not a plan to let two solid DL go to other teams on the cheap when you have cap space and put in a guy that no one knows can play football in the nfl yet (Bowers) and a lack of depth in general. It is not a plan to not have a TE. Look at the Colts and Dolphins. The plan is to fit a system and a scheme around there FRANCHISE QB. The bucs have not done that. Don’t believe local sports media, look at CBS sports website. They have an interesting take on the Freeman topic. THere is still a great divide within the bucs organization that is not done playing itself out.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:25 pm
@Joe, I agree with you on that Alex Van Pelt comment. He did fall apart.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:28 pm
PTFD – Post Traumatic Football Disorder = Freeman
Docs will create a name for any and every ailment on the planet. Pharmaceutical Companies will spend Billions$ researching it and then make Trillions$$ selling it.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:29 pm
And Congress always gets their cut $$$
September 26th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
This is the Society we now live in ..No one can take blame for their own Failures ..if King is saying this imagine what those in Josh’s Camp are saying…Wake up the original HC was a former College coach of his , the OC helped develop BREES ,,spent money on OFFS LINE ,WR drafted a stud RB and still POOR Josh and the organization failed him ..
September 26th, 2013 at 2:08 pm
When Tebow who is terrible has a Higher Winning pct and a higher Td to Turnover Ratio …its time for a Benching.
September 26th, 2013 at 2:10 pm
LOL!!! Thanks for the laugh Joe. Only thing missing was SK calling, again, for the Buccs to lock up Josh with a long term deal.
September 26th, 2013 at 2:15 pm
Yeah really. How many millions have been dumped in the oline? How many millions has been spent on the WRs? 1st round draft pick trade UP for a HB.
4 years and 3 games as a starter. What more do the Freemanites want?
Free goes the way of Barret Ruud and Shaun King in his NFL future.
Free made a ton of money too. I feel no sorrows for him.
September 26th, 2013 at 2:38 pm
I love Shaun King. Dude tells it just as he sees it, and I agree with him.
September 26th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
T in Orlando Says:
September 26th, 2013 at 12:57 pm
BLACK OUT NEWS!!!
Glazers just committed to have all remaining home games for the 2013 season televised locally .
____________________________________________________________
awesome. just like I said theyd do it..
btw, there were tickets on ebay for $23, 3rd level, 30th yd line. I could get 16 regular season tickets for around $400-$500, rather than dropping over a thou on 18 tickets, being forced to watch those awful preseason games.
September 26th, 2013 at 2:58 pm
I believe there is credence in much of what King has to say.
Let’s consider just a small part of it, quarterbacks coaches. Since his arrival in Tampa, Freeman has had three quarterbacks coaches: Greg Olson ’09, Alex Van Pelt ’10-11, Ron Turner ’12, and John McNulty ’13. That’s four different position coaches in five years.
Moreover, these men have 14 years of experience as a quarterbacks coach between them with Olson having the most with six. However, none of them have been predominantly QB coaches, although Olson has spent significant time as the OC. Still, I’m not sure if any of them could be considered part of a recipe for success, for any young QB, as they all have journeyman coaches resumes.
For mentors, Freeman has enjoyed the company of Byron Leftwich, Josh Johnson, Dan Orlovsky, and now Mike Glennon – not exactly the most sterling examples to imitate.
Just my two cents but I agree with King that the Buccaneer organization failed to develop Freeman properly and in the process let Freeman, the team, the city and the fans down.
Finally, I want to point out the “interesting timing” of the Glazer decision to buy out the tickets for the rest of the season to avoid blackouts. Think anyone will remember that the Glazers made this decision just as Freeman was replaced after refusing to take the same action for two of his three years as a starter? Or will we just remember that once the “failure” Freeman was benched the long suffering Buccaneer fans at last got to watch games on TV once the savior Mike Glennon was made the starter?
Watch out Glennon, you may find yourself going down the same road as your predecessor. I do wish Glennon well, but this is a dysfunctional organization that seems incapable of developing players.
September 26th, 2013 at 3:01 pm
The funniest thing he said was the 2010 season and the 6 games he did in 2012. But paused once he was asked about the other games. Note to Shaun king: in 2010, josh Freeman’s worst games came against superior competition. Atlanta x2, New Orleans , Pittsburgh , Baltimore.
He regressed bc in this league the style of play he examples in 2010 cannot stick an entire career. He needed to turn into a pocket qb.
September 26th, 2013 at 3:03 pm
People like King and all the other Bucs bashers can say what they want but the basics of it is that Freeman just isn’t very good and never should have been drafted, but Raheem had a man crush…………..
September 26th, 2013 at 3:04 pm
I like how King imagines things and then states them as if they are fact.
Ron should have said “I don’t know… do you?”
It seems like guys like King think the organizations exist for the players, to make them happy or something. This isn’t kindergarten. They are professionals earning millions of dollars, it’s not too much to ask them to deal with situations that aren’t 100% perfect 100% of the time.
Get that dude some Pamprin.
September 26th, 2013 at 4:58 pm
Yea, Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams and Doug Martin = toys for freeman = EPIC FAILURE??? Nuff Said, Kings a Idiot. This has been the only time I have been excited about the team since the saints game. Go Bucs!
September 26th, 2013 at 5:01 pm
Shawn King reporting live from Burger King.
“Say Man, Where’e my Whopper?”
“Sorry sir, you’ve already had six, but it’s coming”
September 26th, 2013 at 6:05 pm
Wow, the excuses never end when defending Freeman!!
September 26th, 2013 at 7:20 pm
Does he want a tissue?
September 26th, 2013 at 7:42 pm
Freeman has had plenty of time to “develop.” Funny that guys like RGIII, Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck “develop” judt fine after year one and prove themselves to be leaders of their teams and stand-up guys. Show some sack, King (and Freeman), and take responsibility for your actions. It’s time for a change. Let’s see what Glennon can do. If he sucks, bring back King!
PS: Unfortuneately, I happen to live in the Washington D.C. region, and am watching the worst NFL secondary implode under Raheem Morris.
September 26th, 2013 at 11:02 pm
Bucs have done a disservice to Freeman? Really Shaun King?
So it couldn’t possibly be the off-field issues that YOU referenced
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=95792
“King, who lives in the Tampa Bay area, did say of things he’s heard about Freeman, “I hoping that they’re not true. … I don’t get involved in people’s personal lives. There are so many things that I know that happen over at One Buc that I don’t talk about because I don’t feel that’s my place. So I apply that as it pertains to Josh Freeman also.””
—————-
Everyone said “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” in regards to the Schiano-Freeman riff. If the smoke revealed this benching, then these off field “issues” can’t be that far from the truth either.
September 27th, 2013 at 9:34 am
Hey Shawn, lose those freeman spectacles dangling over your eyeballs…
Now granted, there were some dropped passes, but that happens. Thing is, he still would have one of the lowest completion ratings! Come on man! He cant read a D, cant pump fake, cant look off receivers….like I stated in a post back during preseason when I got jumped on by some folks….the slow brain is a slow brain and you cant fix it…..just like you cant fix speed in running.
A fast brain, with skill, and poise, um yea, thats what I want. Gosh is gone! Get over it! ….or better yet dont! I usually dont read or listen to you anyway chump!