Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman appears destined for the bench before the season ends, despite what Bucs coach Greg Schiano said on Monday. If Tampa Bay is unable to turn its season around, Mike Glennon, Schiano's hand-picked quarterback, could get the starting nod, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
"...The Bucs are 0-3, and already, you can feel the season pulling away from them. And you can feel a rookie get closer to the huddle," Gary Shelton of The Times wrote on Sunday.
It's a familiar narrative for any team facing a losing season with a question mark at quarterback. Yet, given the talk of a strained relationship between Freeman and Schiano, Glennon taking the reins seems imminent, despite the "I'm confident in our quarterback" routine Schiano appeared to do on Monday.
"Josh is our starter," Schiano said, via ESPN, on Monday. "That's where we are."
Tampa Bay's 0-3 start can't be entirely blamed on Freeman, but his performance through Week 3 makes it difficult not to point the finger at him. In three games, Freeman has completed just 43-of-94 passes (45.7%) for 571 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions, ranking 30th in passing yards and 29th in touchdown passes.
Even with the poor stats, Schiano defended his starting quarterback.
"I think he understands what we're trying to do with our offense," Schiano said. "I think when he's in the pocket, he feels comfortable delivering the ball. It's when things break down a little bit that it hasn't been as good as it's been before, and it will be again.
"One of his strengths is extending plays. But, again, when you have variables, where we're not sharp enough on the details, it's hard to be the trigger man when some things aren't going the way they're supposed to."
Schiano sounded less committed to Freeman after Sunday's loss, which could suggest his comments on Monday were damage control to minimize drama in the locker room.
When asked on Sunday about when to make a change, Schiano answered (via The Times): "Whenever that's your best chance to win."
If Freeman continues to be unproductive under center, Glennon may give the Bucs a better chance to win. Freeman, inherited by Schiano when he was hired as coach in January 2012, is in the final year of his contract. Even if the 25-year-old makes it through the entire year as the starter, Tampa Bay is doubtful to re-sign him.
Assuming the season continues to fall apart for the Bucs, starting Glennon, an unproven rookie, makes sense: it at least allows Schiano to evaluate whether the rookie is a quarterback to build around.
