You do know it was rigged

[GhostRider]

Whoever wins this battle, we all lose.  These guys showed beyond a doubt why they both belong on the bench.  Leftwich's insanely long wind up led to a forced fumble (don't think that teams won't be gunnin for that now), he's immobile and easy to sack.  McCown can make some plays with his legs, but drops back and runs backward vs the rush like he's playin freakin Techmo Bowl. 

If it's any consolation, all the non-Buc fans around me think that Leftwich looked pretty decent.  I'll set accuracy aside, as even Pennington struggled in that weather.

[blitz]

This is what you get with a quarterback competition.   The offense never gets in sync while the fake competition is going on and you've got players taking sides.  Yes..Alice...there is a schism here.

Very few experienced coaches and management have QB competitions for some very good reasons.   The chaos started when they brought Leftwich in and it hasn't stopped since.  The coach or management just selects their man and they get on with it.  If he fails, then the second in command takes over.  Pretty simple isn't it?

Unless this offense gets cranked  up....and we've all seen that there is zero upside with Lefty......they'd better just start the Freeman era now cause there is not much difference in the kind of game they both bring to the table.

Lefty's release is imminent......... 

[bizkitlimped]

I won't say it was rigged... but it clearly was less than fair... and it wasn't what Raheem claimed earlier in the week.

I am so over this whole "it's not fair, it wasn't the same." b/s! Each QB was given the oppertunity to practice and play with the first team players. Both had the SAME opportunities as the other. To sit there and say that one of them was not given a fair shot to take control of this team is ludicrous. The truth is, for what this offense will be based upon, and the skill set of both QB's you could say that Leftwich has it by default, but after watching McCown actually play and Leftwich actually you can plainly see that Leftwich's arm and ability to push the ball downfield is something that Jags and Morris are looking for.

Considering both have had split reps with the 1's and 2's, it's a little harder to get your timing down with the starters because your not getting the full reps with them in practice like you would if we had a clear cut starter. Therefore once Leftwich has the timing and gets rid of the anxiousness you will start to see those passes he over threw come down and connect for huge gains. Had he been settled down he would have had a monstrous first half and I'd like to see someone argue that fact. The laser he threw to Winslow would have put us in field goal range, possibly would have taken it to the house. Also he had two throws go over stovalls head which quite possibly could have been TD's as well.

Think about that for a minute and quit complaining.

[VA_Buc30]

Rah knew who he wanted before the game ever started. He gave us garbage about how they would both play with the same people and make it an even competition.

McCown came in and Faine went out. In came the receivers for the practice squad. Anyone who's truthful with themselves would admit that Leftwich couldn't have avoided the sacks. Lefty had all day to throw and Luke was running for his life.

I'm not thrilled with either one, but it's as plain as day that the competition was rigged in Lefty's favor. I hate being lied to. [banghead] [banghead] [banghead]

Dude, if he puts Faine, a guy with a history of back issues, back in there after a 45 minute delay in the preseason then he should be fired on the spot.

So that is a fire-able tenet, yet the last two drives by the BUcs were great calls by Rah and his staff?

What happened at the end of the game was simply MORONIC.  What Rah did was call STOOOPID plays, get Freeman clobbered by KEEPING HIM IN THERE WHEN HE WAS NOT EVEN SERIOUS ABOUT PLAY CALLING.

Why do you hand the ball off to Askew in the two minute drive deep in your own?  Explain this to me...

Who says Raheem calls the plays?  Doesn't the OC do that? 

[DanTurksGhost]

Who says Raheem calls the plays?  Doesn't the OC do that? 

Of course. Coach Morris isn't calling the offensive plays.

[dalbuc]

haha, Joe Buck said Fatty was going into the 3rd. So after the delay , it's pouring rain all the sudden there's number 12.   haha.

That was before we ran 20 plays to MIA's 3. If the game had gone according to "normal" form it would have taken a full half to throw 17 passes and not 1.5 quarters.

[DanTurksGhost]

If you're planning on changing QB's, following a 30-minute game delay is the appropriate time to make the change. It wouldn't affect Luke at all, because he hadn't been in the game up until that point anyhow.

[VA_Buc30]

Who says Raheem calls the plays?  Doesn't the OC do that? 

Of course. Coach Morris isn't calling the offensive plays.

I know,  I was trying to figure out why people are typing that Raheem called stupid plays.  They must still be stuck in Gruden, no OC mode.

[DanTurksGhost]

I know,  I was trying to figure out why people are typing that Raheem called stupid plays.  They must still be stuck in Gruden, no OC mode.

I know, too. I was confirming your point. Sorry if I didn't communicate that well.

[Booker Reese]

This entire thread is a joke -

why wouldn't Raheem have just named Lefty as the starter before the game if he was so intent on "rigging it?" A side-benefit for Raheem would have been that nobody would have criticized him for changing his mind about having a starter named for game 3.

[ilovebeer]

Rah knew who he wanted before the game ever started. He gave us garbage about how they would both play with the same people and make it an even competition.

McCown came in and Faine went out. In came the receivers for the practice squad. Anyone who's truthful with themselves would admit that Leftwich couldn't have avoided the sacks. Lefty had all day to throw and Luke was running for his life.

I'm not thrilled with either one, but it's as plain as day that the competition was rigged in Lefty's favor. I hate being lied to. [banghead] [banghead] [banghead]

Dude, if he puts Faine, a guy with a history of back issues, back in there after a 45 minute delay in the preseason then he should be fired on the spot.

So that is a fire-able tenet, yet the last two drives by the BUcs were great calls by Rah and his staff?

What happened at the end of the game was simply MORONIC.  What Rah did was call STOOOPID plays, get Freeman clobbered by KEEPING HIM IN THERE WHEN HE WAS NOT EVEN SERIOUS ABOUT PLAY CALLING.

Why do you hand the ball off to Askew in the two minute drive deep in your own?  Explain this to me...

I don't understand this complaint at all. 

On that 2 minute drill,I remember the hand off the Askew being right before the 2 minute drill.  I see no problems with that play call.  We had been running pretty well.  Freeman was lost during that drive.  He was rushing to the line when the clock was stopped, he was looking at his #1 reads the whole time.   

And I'm probably in the minority in this but Freeman getting hit is a GOOD thing.  It means he knows how to take hits and now he is starting to figure out what he can and can't do in terms of escaping the rush and decision making.

Can you imagine the Red Board if Rah would of taken Freeman out for JJ for the final minutes of the game?  They would of ripped Rah to no end saying "how can you take out a rookie in such a great learning experience"

[TBsports55]

I don't understand this complaint at all. 

On that 2 minute drill,I remember the hand off the Askew being right before the 2 minute drill.  I see no problems with that play call.  We had been running pretty well.  Freeman was lost during that drive.  He was rushing to the line when the clock was stopped, he was looking at his #1 reads the whole time.   

And I'm probably in the minority in this but Freeman getting hit is a GOOD thing.  It means he knows how to take hits and now he is starting to figure out what he can and can't do in terms of escaping the rush and decision making.

Can you imagine the Red Board if Rah would of taken Freeman out for JJ for the final minutes of the game?  They would of ripped Rah to no end saying "how can you take out a rookie in such a great learning experience"

I think Freeman getting banged up is a good thing too. I agree with everything you say. If Josh Freeman cannot take a couple hits, he is not a starter in the NFL, or even a QB that should ever play at all in the NFL.

[Mellow]

I won't say it was rigged... but it clearly was less than fair... and it wasn't what Raheem claimed earlier in the week.

I am so over this whole "it's not fair, it wasn't the same." b/s! Each QB was given the oppertunity to practice and play with the first team players. Both had the SAME opportunities as the other. To sit there and say that one of them was not given a fair shot to take control of this team is ludicrous. The truth is, for what this offense will be based upon, and the skill set of both QB's you could say that Leftwich has it by default, but after watching McCown actually play and Leftwich actually you can plainly see that Leftwich's arm and ability to push the ball downfield is something that Jags and Morris are looking for.

Considering both have had split reps with the 1's and 2's, it's a little harder to get your timing down with the starters because your not getting the full reps with them in practice like you would if we had a clear cut starter. Therefore once Leftwich has the timing and gets rid of the anxiousness you will start to see those passes he over threw come down and connect for huge gains. Had he been settled down he would have had a monstrous first half and I'd like to see someone argue that fact. The laser he threw to Winslow would have put us in field goal range, possibly would have taken it to the house. Also he had two throws go over stovalls head which quite possibly could have been TD's as well.

Think about that for a minute and quit complaining.

I think you're missing the point.  I don't think anyone is questioning the fairness of the whole evaluation process--including OTAs, training camp, pre-season games, and past performance--but just the fairness of this final test, WHICH WAS PUBLICLY ANNOUNCED BY MORRIS.  And now matter how you try to spin it, it most certainly wasn't a "fair" (look up the word)--different center, different WRs, different TE.  Sometimes it seems like the same people who were (correctly) pointing out that you can't compare the performance of Josh Johnson against third stringers with those of Leftwich and McCown against 1st stringers are now actually trying to make the argument that Leftwich won the job based on his superior showing last night.  Rubbish.  If Leftwich won the job I sure as hell hope it was based on the whole evaluation process I described above, not last night's blatantly unfair challenge.

[sammy8887]

One thing about BL: he's going to make a lot of mistakes, but that won't for a second stop him from going back out there and letting it fly. McCown? Probably not.

Both QB's have shown that they are what they are. No minds have been changed. Leftwich has a poor completion percentage and a big windup, McCown is a slow decision maker and if you blitz the guy you're going to completely take him off his game.

The excitement is building...Man I'm getting pumped!

[ilovebeer]

Lefty is the right man for this team.  His arm (hopefully) will keep the safeties back a bit.  When was the last time you could say that about a Tampa QB?