Will Josh Freeman Start for Bucs?
Rumor: Starting Quarterback Position May Go to New QB
Apr 29, 2009
Will Josh Freeman start from day one? It's doubtful, but he just might be able to beat out the other quarterbacks on the Bucs' roster. All the talk about Byron Leftwich being signed as a smoke screen is just talk. One source stated that the reason the Bucs signed Leftwich was because Luke McCown was unimpressive in the recent mini-camp.
Josh Freeman Starting Quarterback
The Bucs have many options at quarterback, but in reality, they have only one long-term solution -- Josh Freeman, and he will play soon. Any day now, backup QB Brian Griese will either be traded or waived as the Bucs cut down on the number of players at that position.
Many pundits felt Ben Roethlisberger could not play right away in the NFL and he has proven to be the most successful quarterback in his first five seasons in the NFL. While Freeman is no Roethlisberger, he does share his pedigree and stature. While that may not convince fans that he is ready to start on day one, the other quarterbacks on Tampa Bay's roster do not bring fans out of their seats. He will get a chance early and often should one of the others struggle.
Freeman Bucs Starter
Josh Freeman, a former quarterback for Kansas State University, was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 17th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. After earning honorable mention All-American honors in his junior season, Freeman chose to forgo his senior season of eligibility and declared for the Draft. Freeman is 6-feet, 6-inches tall, and weighs 250 pounds.
He played high school football at Grandview High School in Kansas City, MO. Freeman finished his high school career with over 7,000 career passing yards. Coming out of high school, he was ranked the 15th-best quarterback in the country by Scout.com. Freeman originally committed to Nebraska, but the Wildcats' hiring of new head coach Ron Prince convinced Freeman to switch his choice to Kansas State days before he was to sign his letter of intent.
Freeman Starting QB Rumors
As a freshman, Freeman started the final eight games of the Wildcats' season. He was also the only true freshman QB in the country to lead his team to a bowl game. Freeman passed for 1,780 yards in 2006, the most ever by a Kansas State freshman.
In his sophomore season, Freeman threw for 3,353 yards, a Kansas State record. He also broke school records for completions, attempts, and 300-yard games in a season. As a junior, he racked up 20 TD passes and only threw eight interceptions, while also rushing for 14 TD. Freeman finished his Wildcats career as the school record holder for completions, attempts, yards, touchdowns, and total offense, but his career record as a starter was only 14-18.
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