SI offseason report - Good read

[caradoc]

I am not worried about a backup plan for Freeman right now.  Just play him the whole season, then make a decision after the season is over. They need to be 100% sure he is.....or is not the guy.  It will take 16 games to decide that. 

lets not be hasty.

No one will be happier than me, if he comes out in the 2013 season looking like Tom Brady..    But the team can only wait so long before pulling the trigger.  And I am sure Freeman himself realizes that.

C'mon man he's only 25, he's got plenty of time.  Besides, it took Eli 6 years to figure out the offense, so it's not fair to expect Josh to get it for another five...

Again, what's the fix? You're  great at stating your opinion of the problem, yet strangely absent in discussions regarding solutions. That takes a little more effort, doesn't it?

On a more serious note, noting and defining a problem, and providing a solution to one are two separate things.  Pretending there is no problem because you can't find a solution is just sticking your head in the sand and hoping the lion goes away....At least some of us are willing to admit there is a problem.  And I hear that's the first step....

[Benchwarmer#1]

I am not worried about a backup plan for Freeman right now.  Just play him the whole season, then make a decision after the season is over. They need to be 100% sure he is.....or is not the guy.  It will take 16 games to decide that. 

lets not be hasty.

No one will be happier than me, if he comes out in the 2013 season looking like Tom Brady..    But the team can only wait so long before pulling the trigger.  And I am sure Freeman himself realizes that.

I think Freeman is a good QB, but if he can't do better next season with a better passing defense helping him, then we have to let him go.

We cannot extend him for bad play, and we certainly need to grab a good QB while they're avalible. This season is it for him, but I believe he will do much better if the defense shores up and keeps him from having to play keep up the entire game.

 I gotta believe that initself is something that lingers in his mind from week to week before the games even start. If jf does play badly, and we have to draft a QB, I would be thrilled if they drafted Johnny. That guy is going to be able to do anything at the NFL level IMO.

[1sparkybuc]

I am not worried about a backup plan for Freeman right now.  Just play him the whole season, then make a decision after the season is over. They need to be 100% sure he is.....or is not the guy.  It will take 16 games to decide that. 

lets not be hasty.

No one will be happier than me, if he comes out in the 2013 season looking like Tom Brady..    But the team can only wait so long before pulling the trigger.  And I am sure Freeman himself realizes that.

C'mon man he's only 25, he's got plenty of time.  Besides, it took Eli 6 years to figure out the offense, so it's not fair to expect Josh to get it for another five...

In a comparison of their first 41 games Freeman outperformed Eli in TDs, yardage, completion percentage, and turnovers. He did that without Coughlin and without a strong veteran team supporting him. Somehow I doubt Eli would have two SB rings dealing with Raheem and the least experienced roster in the NFL. Carry on with your crusade and continue to ignore situations. It's what you do.

[BucsFan18]

This off-season report is brutal, they are trying to find every way to say how bad we were this season. Mark Barron played a lot better the last 4 games of the season and will get better as we add some decent CBs as for Freeman he was great until the Saints game as soon as he corrects some tweaks in his consistency he will be a great QB

Nothing "brutal" about that report at all.  It took a fair look at some of our weaknesses, something many fans are unwilling to do.  Your beef really seems to be with them not singing any praises to Barron, but there is nothing wrong with that -- to this point Barron has been a major disappointment.

OK, they did take a "fair" look at our team but what would you call a major disappointment by Barron. He had no help from any CB and he is not used to that, remember he came from "stacked" Alabama who were filled with good CBs and a supporting cast. As soon as we help our secondary he will be just fine
 

[CaptainStagger]

I think calling Barron a disappointment speaks more to an inability to manage expectations. I expected a hard hitting 8th man in the box to shore up the run D....so I got what I wanted....if you were expecting a speedy coverage guy that could cover top receivers after they blew past our JV corners.....then maybe your expectations didnt fit.

[jerseybucsfan]

I am not worried about a backup plan for Freeman right now.  Just play him the whole season, then make a decision after the season is over. They need to be 100% sure he is.....or is not the guy.  It will take 16 games to decide that. 

lets not be hasty.

No one will be happier than me, if he comes out in the 2013 season looking like Tom Brady..    But the team can only wait so long before pulling the trigger.  And I am sure Freeman himself realizes that.

C'mon man he's only 25, he's got plenty of time.  Besides, it took Eli 6 years to figure out the offense, so it's not fair to expect Josh to get it for another five...

In a comparison of their first 41 games Freeman outperformed Eli in TDs, yardage, completion percentage, and turnovers. He did that without Coughlin and without a strong veteran team supporting him. Somehow I doubt Eli would have two SB rings dealing with Raheem and the least experienced roster in the NFL. Carry on with your crusade and continue to ignore situations. It's what you do.

Freeman has played 57 games, though, not 41. In Eli's fourth season he led his team to a Super Bowl win. Freeman led us to 7 and 9.

[moose40]

I am not worried about a backup plan for Freeman right now.  Just play him the whole season, then make a decision after the season is over. They need to be 100% sure he is.....or is not the guy.  It will take 16 games to decide that. 

lets not be hasty.

No one will be happier than me, if he comes out in the 2013 season looking like Tom Brady..    But the team can only wait so long before pulling the trigger.  And I am sure Freeman himself realizes that.

C'mon man he's only 25, he's got plenty of time.  Besides, it took Eli 6 years to figure out the offense, so it's not fair to expect Josh to get it for another five...

Hooray, just in time for Jackson and WIlliams to be too old to be reliable weapons, and Martin will have 5 more years of being the workhorse..... So even if Freeman somehow figures out how to be a good NFL qb, we'll then be at the point where more then likely we won't have weapons to utilize his discovered ability.
I 'm so looking forward to 5 more years of crappy qb play.

THanks Caradoc, you have given me nightmares thinking that the Bucs brass might wait out Freeman

[Feel Real Good]

I think calling Barron a disappointment speaks more to an inability to manage expectations. I expected a hard hitting 8th man in the box to shore up the run D....so I got what I wanted....if you were expecting a speedy coverage guy that could cover top receivers after they blew past our JV corners.....then maybe your expectations didnt fit.

Barron was drafted to do both. Any stiff can hang out 5-10 yards off the line of scrimmage and drill people. Barron was supposed to be so special he can pop players in the box and cover deep. Read any article or thread from when he was drafted. They all talk about how he was picked so the Bucs could match up against Jimmy Graham and all the young stud tight ends. Here's Todd McShay: "“He can cover tight ends. I need him to cover Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and he can do that.” But it looks like Russ Lande is closer: "The reality is Barron is a good football player, but he’s not a premier athlete and there are teams that definitely have questions about his ability to be effective in deep pass coverage."

[Hayseed]

I am not worried about a backup plan for Freeman right now.  Just play him the whole season, then make a decision after the season is over. They need to be 100% sure he is.....or is not the guy.  It will take 16 games to decide that. 

lets not be hasty.

No one will be happier than me, if he comes out in the 2013 season looking like Tom Brady..    But the team can only wait so long before pulling the trigger.  And I am sure Freeman himself realizes that.

C'mon man he's only 25, he's got plenty of time.  Besides, it took Eli 6 years to figure out the offense, so it's not fair to expect Josh to get it for another five...

Again, what's the fix? You're  great at stating your opinion of the problem, yet strangely absent in discussions regarding solutions. That takes a little more effort, doesn't it?

On a more serious note, noting and defining a problem, and providing a solution to one are two separate things.  Pretending there is no problem because you can't find a solution is just sticking your head in the sand and hoping the lion goes away....At least some of us are willing to admit there is a problem.  And I hear that's the first step....

Where have I ever said there wasn't a problem? Ive said that you can't place all of the fault on Josh for 2012. Doing so if flat out idiotic. Obviously Josh needs to become more consistent and this season is his last chance with this organization to prove that he can get the job done. Ive simply said that it wasn't time to give up on him and he is our best choice for 2013.

So where do you stand? Keep him? Cut him? If so, who takes his place? Strangely you avoid answering questions like that.

[GameTime]

So where do you stand? Keep him? Cut him? If so, who takes his place? Strangely you avoid answering questions like that.

i trade him.  i use matt moore and derek anderson this coming year.  i then draft my future QB from the 2014 draft.

[TampaBucks05]

I think calling Barron a disappointment speaks more to an inability to manage expectations. I expected a hard hitting 8th man in the box to shore up the run D....so I got what I wanted....if you were expecting a speedy coverage guy that could cover top receivers after they blew past our JV corners.....then maybe your expectations didnt fit.

Barron was drafted to do both. Any stiff can hang out 5-10 yards off the line of scrimmage and drill people. Barron was supposed to be so special he can pop players in the box and cover deep. Read any article or thread from when he was drafted. They all talk about how he was picked so the Bucs could match up against Jimmy Graham and all the young stud tight ends. Here's Todd McShay: "“He can cover tight ends. I need him to cover Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez and he can do that.” But it looks like Russ Lande is closer: "The reality is Barron is a good football player, but he’s not a premier athlete and there are teams that definitely have questions about his ability to be effective in deep pass coverage."

Nah, he was defiantly drafted to be more of a 'physical'' safety and I don't think 'any stiff' can sit back there and drill people (see Sean Jones, Sabby Piscitellli, and Corey Lynch). On Graham, I remember Barron drilling Graham so hard he knocked the ball out of his hands after what should have been an EASY reception in New Orleans. Barron is in fact more of a physical safety, but that doesn't mean he is as bad in coverage as you seem to be insinuating. He shown us he has ability in deep coverage this season (see Barron's pick 6 against Brady, his 1st career interception vs the Chiefs, and his clutch fourth quarter pass break ups vs Carolina & Atlanta).  Put the right amount of talent around Barron and you will see a vast improvement in the coverage aspect of his game.

[spurzo]

I'd say continue to surround him with talent, Martellus Bennett, Jared Coo,k  Ertz, Eifert, Reed, Kelce Or Escobar there's tons of TE talent around to be had.  For a slot receiver  I'd say through the draft Tavon Austin, Ryan S**CENSORED**e, Markus Wheaton, Quinton Patton.  A new RT would help him too  Brennan Williams ?

[Feel Real Good]

Barron is in fact more of a physical safety, but that doesn't mean he is as bad in coverage as you seem to be insinuating. He shown us he has ability in deep coverage this season (see Barron's pick 6 against Brady, his 1st career interception vs the Chiefs, and his clutch fourth quarter pass break ups vs Carolina & Atlanta).  Put the right amount of talent around Barron and you will see a vast improvement in the coverage aspect of his game.

24. Combined first downs and touchdowns allowed within the primary coverage of Mark Barron, third-highest among safeties, per Pro Football Focus.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130208/tampa-bay-buccaneers-offseason-preview/#ixzz2KVsR4HLJ