QB Josh Freeman: Uses N.E. Game To Get His Opportunity
by Site Staff of PatriotsInsider.com, October 30, 2009 at 10:55am ET
Josh Freeman Profile
QB Josh Freeman was named the starting quarterback for the rest of the season by coach Raheem Morris. He replaces Josh Johnson, who went 0-4 as a starter.
"Josh Freeman will take over as starting quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers," Morris said following practice Wednesday. "No discredit to what Josh Johnson did for this football team. He's gone out there and gave us his best efforts. But the preparation, the timing, how we want to acclimate our young man into our system, into our organization, into our town, into our community, we think it's best coming off the bye. It's the most time to prepare. It's time to see Josh Freeman."
Freeman, who played two series in his first NFL regular-season game Sunday against the Patriots in London, said he was excited to finally get his chance. He got all the first-team reps during the team's practice Wednesday and will get all of them Thursday.
"Obviously, it's something that's very exciting to me and it's something I've been working towards my entire career and it's not something I'm taking lightly," Freeman said. "I come out with a different swagger I guess because I'm the guy taking the majority of the snaps and I'm the guy who has to radiate that type of swagger so my teammates can catch onto it."
Unlike Byron Leftwich and Johnson, who had the eject button pushed by Morris after combining for an 0-7 record, the plan is for Freeman to start the rest of the season -- and beyond -- regardless of the won/loss record.
"This is a different deal," Morris said. "This is Freeman."
Freeman completed 2-of-4 passes for 16 yards and was sacked twice in the fourth quarter against the Patriots on Sunday. But the Bucs have not improved under second-year quarterback Josh Johnson, who lost all four starts while throwing eight interceptions. He owns a 50.4 passer rating. Morris said Johnson will serve as the Bucs' No. 2 quarterback.
The Bucs had targeted the Packers game as the time to launch Freeman's career.
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