Freeman: 2013 Predictions

[BucBalla85]

Ok so we have all talked about Freeman and we know how everybody feels about him. My questions are:

How do you guys think he does in 2013 with a full offseason with these coaches and maybe an improved team around him??

If they improve the team and Freeman improves his play they should probably be a playoff team. How would that change your opinion of him if this happens and they make the playoffs??

If you doubt Freeman, what does he need to do this season to win you over??

If you doubt Freeman will ever change, who do you want to bring in now to improve the QB play??

[tbc_bucs]

4 negative choices and one positive.

We see where you stand on that alone

[moose40]

Same as last year, unfortunately.  How can you improve on Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams as the number 2 guy, with Dougernaut running? It's not like Freeman was running for his life last year, so Joseph and Nicks back may provide some additional time/ throwing lanes and help road grade in front of Martin, but it's still the inaccurate lobs of Freeman that are going to stall drives.

In all honesty, if Freeman is capable of winning 1-2 more games next year, and we are on the cusp of the playoffs, is that truly an improvement? yes, i know it's an improvement record wise, but Garcia could get us to the playoffs and so did Simms. not many people wanted to keep either guy, so why keep Freeman?

The problem for me currently is, there is nobody out there that I can say is clear cut better then Freeman. Flynn is unproven, and Smith may or may not bring the 7-2 caliber qb with him into a new system.
I think Freeman is getting next year to prove himself, but Schiano has already hinted nobody is safe.

[BucBalla85]

4 negative choices and one positive.

We see where you stand on that alone

Well hes either gonna get better, stay the same or get worse. Only ones what we really want to see. Ive let everybody know what I think. I want to know what everybody thinks.

[TBayXXXVII]

4 negative choices and one positive.

We see where you stand on that alone

Nah, BB85 has been a pretty constant supporter of Freeman, so you're reading too much into that.  He's just posing the question.

[chace1986]

4 negative choices and one positive.

We see where you stand on that alone

Nah, BB85 has been a pretty constant supporter of Freeman, so you're reading too much into that.  He's just posing the question.

^that^

[BucfanNC12]

If he gets fat again he'll be awesome.

[BucBalla85]

I guess I could have put, improves but teams record stays the same or gets worse. That would have positive I guess for Freeman but not for the team. Ive always felt its a team game and it wont just take Freeman to get better the whole team needs to get better. If that happens then good things happen to this team I think. Or at least I hope haha.

[TBayXXXVII]

How do you guys think he does in 2013 with a full offseason with these coaches and maybe an improved team around him??

Not sure.  I know, a cop-out.  But truth is, I really don't know how good these coaches really are yet.  Freeman still has to improve on reading defenses, going through his progressions, and his accuracy, that's a lot to ask for.  If I were a gambling man and had to bet right now, my money would be on him not doing very well and not being a Buc in 2014.

If they improve the team and Freeman improves his play they should probably be a playoff team. How would that change your opinion of him if this happens and they make the playoffs??

If you doubt Freeman, what does he need to do this season to win you over??

I can answer both of these together.  Yeah, if he improves as well as the defense, I think they definitely would be a playoff contender.  That though wouldn't change my opinion of him until he does it twice.  The biggest knock we all have on Freeman is consistency.  He had a nice year in 2010, but followed that up by 2 mediocre/below average seasons.  He needs to show improvement this year and next year for me to be fully on board with him.  Sure, he'll be a free agent after the season, but they could franchise him.  If he shows improvement, I'd be ok tagging him to give him one more shot before I invest big money in him.

If you doubt Freeman will ever change, who do you want to bring in now to improve the QB play??

I'd draft Nassib.  I believe that come 2014, he'll be a better QB than Freeman.

[Rusty]

Provided Dom has a similar year as last off season, which I think he will and TE, RB, Slot Receiver is addressed  and the line is healthy on offense, I think he will be more CONSISTENT. Not sure that necessarily translates into more wins as the defense has a lot to do with it. I have been harping on 2013 as the HUMP year for drastic changes for Schiano, so I do expect multiple improvements on defense. The fact that Schiano replaced 5 coaches with pro experience demonstrates to me that heś going to turn it up big time next year. Overall, I like what I see, as do most NFL people when they speak about waht is transpiring at One Buc. No Super Bowl next year but playoffs are attainable. 10 or 11 wins. Fewer holes. The down side is if Freeman flounders, then what.

[leeroybuc93]

It was his first year in a new system and he still played much better than the year before. I think the guy is going to be miles better in 2013.

[1sparkybuc]

Half of his interceptions came in two consecutive games. That's not going to happen again. My guess would be ten or less for the whole season. He had over 4,000 yards passing in what some here consider to be a bad year. 4,500 yards is certainly a reasonable expectation since the pass protection will surely be better with Nicks and Joseph. A second year with VJax and MW should mean more than just 27 TDs. 35 sounds about right. Hopefully Schiano doesn't work Doug to death and finds someone he trusts to share the load and catch a few passes. I can only conclude that Blount had an attitude problem and will soon be history. I'm confident Freeman will be more consistent and lead the team to the playoffs. With a better pass defense they would have been in the playoffs this past season.

The foundation is here for the future. There is talent on this roster. There are still a few pieces missing, but QB is not one of them. This team is going to be competitive for a very long time, and Freeman is going to be the main reason why.

[jerseybucsfan]

I believe Freeman will lead us exactly where we feared: neverneverland.
28 tds, 16 ints, 4100 yards. 9 and 7 record. Big games versus bad teams, not enough in others.

[chace1986]

I believe Freeman will lead us exactly where we feared: neverneverland.
28 tds, 16 ints, 4100 yards. 9 and 7 record. Big games versus bad teams, not enough in others.

Just as long as he is breaking franchise records....nothing else matters....

[BucBalla85]

I believe Freeman will lead us exactly where we feared: neverneverland.
28 tds, 16 ints, 4100 yards. 9 and 7 record. Big games versus bad teams, not enough in others.

This is probably a pretty accurate assessment based off what we have seen. But what if the team picks up the slack where Freeman falters in those bigger games. Say he throws an Int in one of those games and doesnt have the best outing but the team still wins. In the end are we thinking that Freeman did enough to win or are we trying to get rid of him because he doesnt do good enough vs the good team?? I think in these situations you still have fans criticize him and he deserves it but a lot of people forget about his play because the team won. When the team wins all is good, when the team loses it seems the QB gets the biggest criticism of the bunch. Freeman deserves some but not all the blame or responsibility for team wins/losses.