Tag: Josh Freeman (Page 6 of 7)

      2009 NFL Week 9 Picks & Predictions

      November 6, 2009 /

      Here are my top 5 picks for Week 9 against the spread. As usual, fade at will…

      Steelers (5-2) at Broncos (6-1), 8:30PM ET, Monday
      This game set up nicely for the Steelers, who have won four in a row, are coming off a bye and are playing a Denver team that was thumped last Sunday by the Ravens. But I fully expect Josh McDaniels and the Broncos to learn from their loss last week to Baltimore and rebound on Monday night. Denver is always a tough place to play – just ask the Cowboys and Patriots, whom the Broncos beat earlier this year at Invesco Field. I don’t expect Kyle Orton, Brandon Marshall and Knowshon Moreno to have a lot of success against Pittsburgh’s excellent defense, but I do think Denver’s defense will force a couple turnovers to set the offense up in good field position. Linebacker Elvis Dumervil has been a beast this season and Ben Roethlisberger has always had trouble holding onto the ball. While some will start to doubt the Broncos after last week, I’m holding strong that this is a good football team and will prove it with a small upset Monday night.
      Odds: Steelers –3.
      Prediction: Broncos 20, Steelers 17.

      Texans (5-3) at Colts (7-0), 1:00PM ET
      This game has trap written all over it. The Texans have won three straight and four of their last five, while the Colts finally looked beatable last week in their 18-14 win over the 49ers. Your head and gut tell you that Houston will be able to hang with Indy this weekend and at the very least cover the 9-point spread, if not win outright. But don’t be fooled – the Colts are 9-1 in their last 10 games against the Colts and have covered in six of those 10 games. While the ATS trends aren’t impressive, Peyton Manning should have his way with an improving, but suspect Houston defense at home. With Bob Sanders sidelined again, the Texans should score, but it’s not like Indy isn’t used to not having Sanders on the field. This one will be a little bit of a shoot out, but I see the Colts winning by a decent margin in the end.
      Odds: Colts –9.
      Prediction: Colts 35, Texans 24.

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      NFL

      Bucs to start rookie Freeman after the bye

      October 28, 2009 /

      The Josh Freeman era has started in Tampa Bay.

      Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris said Wednesday that the rookie will start at quarterback when the team takes on the Packers next Sunday (following their bye this week). Freeman, a Kansas State product, was the 17th overall pick in April’s draft.

      This will be the second quarterback change for the Bucs in 2009, as Freeman replaces Josh Johnson, who replaced Week 1’s starter, Byron Leftwich. Freeman took two sacks and fumbled once while going 2-for-4 for 16 yards in his NFL debut last week against the Patriots in London. He also completed just 44.9% of his attempts with one touchdown and three interceptions in preseason.

      Freeman was an incredibly raw prospect coming out of Kansas State, which is why the Bucs were hoping to leave him on the sidelines during his rookie year and learn from Leftwich. But the Bucs have been so abysmal this year that Morris is hoping the strong-armed Freeman will provide a spark.

      It’s doubtful that the rookie QB will turn around a Tampa team that ranks 23rd overall in total offense. The Bucs’ defense is often left on the field too long because the offense can’t sustain drives. The team has not gelled together since Morris has taken over and ranks near the bottom in every offensive and defensive category in the NFL. But hey, you never know. At least he’ll gain some experience and the Bucs will see what kind of player they have on their hands.

      NFL

      Will Freeman take over the Bucs’ starting QB job soon?

      October 16, 2009 /

      According to a report by NFL.com, the Bucs could start rookie first round pick Josh Freeman as early as Week 9, or the week after Tampa has its bye.

      From Rotoworld.com:

      NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora reports that “people in the (Bucs’) organization” expect first-round rookie Josh Freeman to take over as the team’s starting quarterback by as soon as Week 9.

      Week 8 is the Buccaneers’ bye. There has been a startling lack of commitment to quarterbacks among team brass so far, so this isn’t a surprise. Coach Raheem Morris also admitted following Week 5 that he strongly considered letting Freeman make his debut against Philadelphia. La Canfora says a change may only happen if Tampa loses its next two games, but that’s a fair bet to happen against Carolina and New England.

      I’ve been befuddled by the way Raheem Morris has handled things in Tampa since taking over for the fired Jon Gruden. I don’t know if the guy is completely overmatched and incapable of being a NFL head coach, or if he’s just feeling his way through things in the early going. He deserves a chance either way, but he has plenty of skeptics already.

      As far as Freeman is concerned, the Tampa coaching staff knows if he’s ready or not. If he has made significant strides since offseason workouts and preseason, then maybe he deserves to start. Personally, I wasn’t very high on him as a prospect. He’s a great kid with great work ethic and he has all the physical tools to succeed in the NFL, but he’s incredibly raw and will probably need a few years to develop.

      Hopefully Morris and company exercise patience with Freeman.

      NFL

      With Bucs’ QB job Leftwich’s to lose, is trade coming for McCown or Johnson?

      August 26, 2009 /

      According to the St. Petersburg Times, the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback job is Byron Leftwich’s to lose. Unless he’s absolutely brutal in this week’s preseason game against the Dolphins, it appears that Leftwich will be under center for the Bucs in Week 1.

      On a related note, NFL.com is reporting that the Bucs are gauging trade interest for Leftwich, Luke McCown and Josh Johnson.

      Bucs coach Raheem Morris originally planned to name a starter after Saturday’s preseason game against the Jaguars, then postponed the decision for at least one more week. Veterans Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown have been competing for the job, with first-round draft pick Josh Freeman the quarterback of the future.

      Two NFL sources said the Bucs have been calling teams, willing to listen to offers for Leftwich, McCown or second-year pro Josh Johnson, a player thought of highly internally but who likely wouldn’t have great trade value.

      “They sounded like they’re willing to deal any one of those three,” one executive said. “They’re looking for someone to make the (starting quarterback) decision for them.”

      I think it’s safe to assume that the NFL.com report doesn’t apply to Leftwich now, but that doesn’t mean that Tampa won’t try to ship McCown or Johnson out of town. And considering McCown threw two touchdown passes in the Bucs’ second preseason game, he seems to offer the best value in a trade.

      Then again, given Leftwich’s troubles with inconsistency and with rookie Josh Freeman off to a slow start, the Bucs may want to hang onto McCown for the time being. It doesn’t make sense to hang onto four quarterbacks, but it’s not like the Bucs have a clear-cut starter out of the group either.

      I don’t see Johnson netting much (if anything) in a trade.

      NFL

      Kiper’s latest mock has Sanchez falling to Redskins

      April 23, 2009 /

      In Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, he has USC quarterback Mark Sanchez falling to the Redskins at No. 13.

      5. Cleveland Browns (4-12)
      Michael Crabtree, WR, Texas Tech: The stress fracture in his left foot shouldn’t affect his draft status. He’s a big-time player who should have a Larry Fitzgerald-type career in the NFL.

      13. Washington Redskins (8-8)
      Mark Sanchez, QB, USC: Sanchez definitely is one of the top five to eight players available in this draft, and getting him here would be a bit of a steal, because had he returned to USC for his senior season, he likely would have been the No. 1 overall pick.

      14. New Orleans Saints (8-8)
      Chris Wells, RB, Ohio State: Wells is a nice fit for the Saints after they let running back Deuce McAllister go in the offseason. He could be a perfect complement to Reggie Bush.

      19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
      Josh Freeman, QB, Kansas State: Freeman is an interesting prospect because he throws a great ball and has imposing size at nearly 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds. However, his inconsistent play puts him in the boom-or-bust category.

      24. Atlanta Falcons (11-5)
      Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State: Pettigrew remains the No. 1 tight end on the board and would be a help to young Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

      It’s easy to disagree with someone’s mock just days before the draft, but the above are the projections I find the most fault in.

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      NFL, NFL Draft

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