Rookie Josh Freeman to Start for Tampa Bay
October 28, 2009 by Stephen Kersey
Filed under Football
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 0-7. They’ve already tried two different starting quarterbacks. They will now try a third. Rookie Josh Freeman, who the Bucs selected in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft, will get the start in Week 8 when Tampa Bay plays the Green Bay Packers.
To begin the season, the Buccaneers had Byron Leftwich at quarterback. After three starts, the Bucs changed up and went with Josh Johnson. Neither quarterback was too effective — Leftwich had a quarterback rating of 71.2, while Johnson’s QB rating was 50.9.
In Week 7, Freeman saw his first NFL action. He was 2-for-4 with 16 passing yards. He was also sacked twice.
While the Bucs will continue to struggle, it makes sense to throw their 6-foot-6 rookie into the fire. The 21-year-old out of Kansas State has reportedly frustrated the coaches at times with his lack of stellar work ethic, however his physical skills are obvious.
Freeman will likely struggle early on but if he can show some quality signs, perhaps this season won’t be a complete waste for the Tampa Bay organization.
Josh Freeman will now start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Image: Zuma Press)
