Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Can They Win With Josh Freeman?

[michael89156]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Can They Win With Josh Freeman?
 

April 01, 2012 2:02 pm
 








Josh Freeman’s career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has been a roller coaster ride from going 3-6 as a starter in his rookie season, to leading Tampa Bay to a 10-6 record in 2010, to having Tampa Bay go 4-12 in 2011. The questions I want to answer in this article are, is Freeman’s mixed success a result of his inabilities at the quarterback position or is due to the lack of talent around him, and is this season a make it or break campaign for him.
 


Lack of Talent

One theory on Freeman’s problems on the field stem from a lack of talent around him. However, the offensive line has been consistently bad from 2009-2011, allowing 20 or more sacks in each of those seasons. Additionally, in each of Freeman’s three seasons with Tampa Bay, the team has failed to produce a 1,000- yard receiver, yet the team still managed to go 10-6 and narrowly missed the playoffs in 2010.
 
If the talent around Freeman is the problem, then it is a problem whether the team wins or loses. 
 
Tampa Bay did sign Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks this offseason, so maybe we will find out this season, how much a “lack of talent” has affected Josh Freeman.
 


Inabilities at Quarterback

If a lack of talent around Freeman is not to blame or only partially to blame for Tampa Bay's failures, then the team's failures must be related to Freeman's inability to play the quarterback position.
 
When Freeman is good, he is good, but when he is bad, he is bad. In 2010, in the season when Tampa Bay went 10-6, Freeman passed for 3,451 yards, 25 touchdowns, and had only six interceptions.
 
However, in 2009 and 2011, as a starter accumulated 5,447 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, but he also posted a record of 7-17, while throwing 40 interceptions. Additionally, in his three seasons with Tampa Bay, Freeman has been responsible for 16 fumbles.

Clearly, Freeman has a problem with protecting the football, and it has come at the expense of Tampa Bay winning football games. Whenever Tampa Bay gets behind in football games, Freeman tries to do too much with the football, which causes him to look lost and confused, resulting in throwing errant passes that are easily picked off by opposing defenders.
 
Recently new Head Coach Greg Schiano said, “No one who touches the football will get touches if they don’t protect the football. That is one of our core covenants: the ball. It’s so important, they named the game after it. So, we make a big deal about the thing”(thepigskinreport.com). While Schiano was specifically speaking to running back LeGarrette Blount, one has to imagine that Freeman is also going to be on Schiano’s turnover radar.
 

Make It or Break It?

 I do think this is a make it or break it season for Freeman. Schiano seems like he is not going to put up with turnovers, and Freeman is running out of excuses since the team signed Vincent Jackson, and hired Mike Sullivan as their offensive coordinator. Freeman must prove this season that he is this franchise’s quarterback for years to come.
 



http://www.footballnation.com/content/tampa-bay-buccaneers-can-they-win-with-josh-freeman/14167/

[smithcar]

I am still undecided about Freeman. He has only be in the league for three seasons so I am optimistic he can continue to improve. Is he a Brady or Bree's no, will he develop into one No. He is capable of being a top 10 QB, maybe that is all he needs to be if we run like Schiano wants. We better play some good defense along the way or it won't matter what Freeman does. Freeman might be the worst QB in the NFC south but so would 15 other QB's. We could be a much improved team for the next 5yrs and still not make the playoffs because of our competition and who we have to beat out to get in, winning our division might mean winning 12-13 games I don't see us doing that for a few years.

[Benchwarmer#1]

Freeman will do fine now that he has VJ to throw to and a better OL. But I do agree, it's make it or break it this season for JF. Too much money was spent for failure.

[BucBalla85]

Freeman will do fine now that he has VJ to throw to and a better OL. But I do agree, it's make it or break it this season for JF. Too much money was spent for failure.

Agree. He has no excuses to at least bring back 2010 play or better.

[TBTrojan]

One thing that didn't take into account was the coaching.
If you have poor coaching, gameplanning & play calling a young QB is going to struggle not matter his skill level or the talent around him.
It said volumes to me when I read that teams were telling our players they knew exactly what was coming because we were so predictable.
That has to be disheartening for the players and was likely the #1 reason the team quit on the previous coaching staff.

[Benchwarmer#1]

Freeman will do fine now that he has VJ to throw to and a better OL. But I do agree, it's make it or break it this season for JF. Too much money was spent for failure.

Agree. He has no excuses to at least bring back 2010 play or better.

None (besides injury).

He put up good numbers with a less experienced staff and team. He will have more to work with now talentwise, and the staff is more experienced, not to mention, with better credentials. If Schiano uses Freeman the way he's supposed to be used, and by all accounts I like what I'm hearing, he should play just as good as his first full season.

We also have to consider two other factors not mentioned a whole lot.

One, being JF and nearly everyone else knows they are on a VERY short leash. Whatever talent they do have, they had better put it on display while they can. The Glazers cleaned house with the whole staff, so the question is, whom is getting "cleaned" next? ..Not the staff again.

An two, trust. Dom went out on a limb for JF with the signing of VJ. It's obvious with or without Rah, JF is Dom's QB. Now, if I were Josh, I'd try to repay that trust tenfold. It's not very often a GM goes out and gets you two top tier FA's to work with. His time to "shine" is now. If he can't work hard and realise this, then he doesn't deserve to be an NFL QB.

[caradoc]

That article said absolutely nothing.  "Maybe it's the people around him, maybe it's not.  Sometimes he's good, sometimes he's bad".  No analysis or anything at all.  Just stating the blatantly obvious.

[The Anti-Java]

Big year for the big guy.  I think the Nicks signing will be more beneficial that Vjax TBH.  Freeman was under constant pressure last season, and with better protection up front he will be greatly improved.

[wreck ship]

Last season was his sophmore slump. No offseason + poor coaching = 5th pick in the draft.

The question this season is not can Free deliever but how quickly can he digest yet another playbook.

This will be his 3rd full season as a starter and his 2nd offensive coordinator.

[blind melon]

Agree with doc about that one...

No substance or analysis.

Freeman did try to do too much with no matured talent, no coaching, poor scheme, no protection, no defense,etc. Etc.   

Running for your life with no pass pro and an easy to read formation is not how you develop as a QB in this league.

All. On. Coaching.   

[Theoldbuc]

Please see 2010! 

[jcarruth]

Thought he played about the same in '11 as he did in '10, we got a lot of lucky breaks in '10 and more neutral to unfavorable in '11

[Benchwarmer#1]

Agree with doc about that one...

No substance or analysis.

Freeman did try to do too much with no matured talent, no coaching, poor scheme, no protection, no defense,etc. Etc.   

Running for your life with no pass pro and an easy to read formation is not how you develop as a QB in this league.

All. On. Coaching.   

^Agree

[JavaRay]

[Al Bundy]

Notice how on the last one when he steps up Jeff Faine is getting drilled 4 yards into the backfield off the snap?