Jaworski: Freeman “Benching Wasn’t Warranted”
October 19th, 2013
Longtime NFL quarterback and noted film guru Ron Jaworski claims he studied all of Josh Freemans 2013 snaps and he did not see a bad quarterback. The Star-Tribune out of Minnesota snatched a chunk of Jaworski’s breakdown behind an ESPN subscription wall and shared some nuggets. Jaworski puts a load of blame on the Buccaneers’ offensive line.
As we know, the quarterback gets too much credit and takes too much blame for most situations on offense. So let me start by saying Freeman’s position certainly amplified his issues with the Buccaneers. When I re-examined all of Freeman’s throws thus far in 2013, I came away confident in my opinion that his benching — and ensuing release — wasn’t warranted. Moreover, I’m convinced Freeman has it within him to be a good quarterback in the NFL. And he’ll prove it in Minnesota.
I’m not about to give Freeman a free pass for the Bucs’ struggles, but he was a victim as often as he was a perpetrator.
Start with the pass protection. In Freeman’s 103 dropbacks in 2013, he was under pressure on 26 of them, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Compare that to Peyton Manning, who has felt pressure on just 29 of his 245 dropbacks to date in 2013, and you get a decent idea of the uphill battle Freeman was fighting the first three weeks.
Again, Jaworski is a top notch source on QB play. He has said in previous interviews that he spends a load of his time working out of NFL Films headquarters, often alongside Greg Cosell, the film guru who claims the Bucs are, in fact, using Darrelle Revis in zone coverage most of the time.
Whatever reality may be, the New Schiano Order’s credibility is taking beating after beating — seemingly day after day.
October 19th, 2013 at 7:35 pm
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!
Wait until Monday night when the GIANTS get their first win…
In Freeman’s best voice “uh UH, pllllshhh, um”
Gotdamn really? We’re getting into stupid funny with that one……
October 19th, 2013 at 7:40 pm
I’ve never seen a 45% QB that didn’t deserve to be benched.
October 19th, 2013 at 7:45 pm
jaws is braindead
October 19th, 2013 at 7:47 pm
I wish Freeman well with the Vikes, but will not be satisfied until Schiano is canned. He has turned an extremely talented team into a laughing stock.
October 19th, 2013 at 7:57 pm
One day Jaws thinks Josh is horrible, the next he thinks he should not have been benched. How wishy washy can you be Jaws? GO NOLES 3 MORE MINUTES!
October 19th, 2013 at 8:00 pm
Calling him inconsistent isn’t say bench and give up on the guy. Those are two very different animals.
October 19th, 2013 at 8:00 pm
I also remember Jaws saying that Jamarcus Russell would be the next Great , Prototype QB. He’s just trying to promote their N
October 19th, 2013 at 8:02 pm
^^^^ Nationally televised game
October 19th, 2013 at 8:06 pm
Nothing all of us( but 4 guys) didn’t all ready know.
Lost a good young QB because of a worthless lil coach.
Thanks Dom. Way to send us back into rebuild mode again!
Go Noles!!
Not that’s a team we can all unite behind!
October 19th, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Lets turn this into a Noles thread…..
Go Noles
Even though they havent won in Death Valley in 12 years….it ends tonight!
Hell of a game to watch!!!
October 19th, 2013 at 8:09 pm
go noles
October 19th, 2013 at 8:31 pm
Yes!! Dang, that was a catch!!
Noles, Baby!!
October 19th, 2013 at 8:36 pm
I’m pretty sure the Noles could beat Bucgers.
October 19th, 2013 at 8:40 pm
Jaws isn’t looking at the big picture. This was much more than a simple matter of benching a QB for sub-par play. This was a matter of moving on from a QB that had shown no progress after 59 starts, and had given the organization absolutely no reason to commit to him long-term.
Better to move forward now, while we have a chance to find out what Glennon has well ahead of the next draft.
And go ‘noles.
October 19th, 2013 at 8:44 pm
The bucs are so bad that my favorite bucs site wont stop talking about a former overrated, mentally soft quarterback. A guy that never brought us to a playoff birth, let alone a division title. Joe, lets write less about j free and more about our current roster.
October 19th, 2013 at 8:56 pm
@ Paul do u think bucs could beat Rutgers? Lol
October 19th, 2013 at 9:01 pm
Worst QB rating in the league warrants a well deserved benching. Free may do better on another team but with his lack of progression during his time with Tampa I would be assume that he will not. Mentally weak, cracks under pressure, has never won anything in college or the pro level. Mediocre at best.
October 19th, 2013 at 9:03 pm
Noles!! 17 -0 yes!!
Much more fun than talking about Schiano and losing every week!!!
Go Noles!!
October 19th, 2013 at 9:04 pm
Once Shiano is outta here if I never hear the name Rutgers again it will be too soon.
October 19th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000216251/article/josh-freeman-is-an-enigma-says-ron-jaworski?campaign=Twitter_atl
Funny… He calls him an “Enigma” here.
“Then Freeman tumbled off a cliff. “He was erratic with his accuracy. He had many communication issues with his receivers,” Jaws said.
“Jaworski pointed out a disturbing figure: Only Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets had a lower passer rating when facing pressure. That’s when we saw Freeman mightily struggle at reading coverages and making split-second decisions.”
Make up your mind Jaws 😉
October 19th, 2013 at 9:10 pm
Noles are killing it…..and I noticed something our Bucs dont do, (playing against the other teams guess)…..
Said it before, game over……..but set up our O line for the “JAMEIS” draft!!!!
October 19th, 2013 at 9:12 pm
Not to mention he ranked him 21 in his QB rankings as well
October 19th, 2013 at 9:16 pm
Freeman’s gone its time to move on. This kinda rhetoric is tiring.
October 19th, 2013 at 9:17 pm
Dan wins for all time dumbest comment. Did you even glance at the article before going full retard?
October 19th, 2013 at 9:19 pm
“The Bucs won five of those six games. Freeman played with a swagger. He was always willing to pull the trigger, attacking all levels of the defense. That six-game run ended with a dramatic Freeman comeback. What I really loved was the anticipation. Right here was when Freeman made the decision to deliver the football.”
“Following that game, Freeman regressed. He was erratic with his accuracy. He had many communication issues with his receivers. He struggled against the blitz. Only Mark Sanchez had a lower quarterback rating versus pressure. And Freeman was unpredictable reading coverage and with his decision making.”
“This James Laurinaitis interception makes the point. When you go play-action, you still have to locate the underneath defenders. You can’t assume they will not be a factor in coverage. Freeman clearly did not account for Laurinaitis. He threw this ball as if the linebacker wasn’t even there.”
“Freeman is an enigma. He has a lot of talent, but he should be a better quarterback after 56 NFL starts. He has a lot of snaps under his belt. This is a crossroads season for him. The Bucs drafted Mike Glennon. Freeman is on the clock.”
– Jaws
October 19th, 2013 at 9:26 pm
First of all; Go NoLeS!
When Freeman was here every analyst in the world talked about how much he sucked…know they all come to his defense when we cut him…smfh…
October 19th, 2013 at 9:34 pm
PRBucFan, that’s how it’s done! Good job!!!
I may wish Freeman was still our starting qb but I cannot deny he deserved to he benched. Mike Glennon has not won me over yet but he’s off to a good start.
Bucs first win is this week.
October 19th, 2013 at 9:38 pm
This week I pray the team sparks the fire of hope amongst the fanbase. Overcome. Conquer.
October 19th, 2013 at 9:39 pm
I hope by Christ the bucs better have their sh&@$ together by the miami game if we lose that I’m gonna puke all over myself. Go Noles
October 19th, 2013 at 9:46 pm
Haha Thanks Bonzai
October 19th, 2013 at 9:48 pm
Freeman is history, gone, departed, terminated, through, finished, vanished, elsewhere, SYONARA, ADIOS, AU-REVOIR, Auf WIEDERSHEN, CHEERIO, ADJO, ANTIO, DO SVIDANIYA, HASTA LA VISTA, BYE-BYE…. SO LONG
Of course, Schiano would say CAIO!!!
The Freeman benching was warranted….it wasn’t just his on field play….and the way he reacted demanded he be released.
Jaws is just trying to promote himself and the upcoming game.
October 19th, 2013 at 9:52 pm
I normally thinks jaws has good insight and one of the better analyst @espn but this article is pure horseS@&):
October 19th, 2013 at 9:58 pm
So, I’m making the rounds to the common Bucs news sources amd I happen upon the article on TBO about Sully moving to the box. Sully said that’s how he did it everywhere else so he feels it is more efficient.
“Sullivan is still calling plays, but is now relaying them to McNulty.” – Roy Cummings
Is it just me or does this sound more like McNulty is being given the final say on play calls? Or is this the normal way it is done?
I always hought the OC in the box spokexdirectly into the QBs headset. Was I wrong?
October 19th, 2013 at 10:12 pm
@Bonzai, its normal…dont read too much into that move
But read into the moves soon to be made….theyre coming….
October 19th, 2013 at 10:14 pm
Noles thread…..still lighting it uP here 😉
October 19th, 2013 at 10:14 pm
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohaaa.
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohaaa.
Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh Ohaaa.
Who’s going to beat my Noles?
Canes….psh
Gators…..lol
Who does not believe in Famous Jameis now?
Tim Tebow who? This is the best college QB to play in the state of Florida in the last 20 years!
For this I would like the Bucs to tank this season and the next one. Bring me Famous Jameis.
Oh and bring on Bama.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:20 pm
Gruden just said Freeman starting in favor of Ponder is confusing to him. Hahaha
October 19th, 2013 at 10:20 pm
…and the kid has to deal with THIS blaring in his ears
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjFqww7XiVs
and….we get a brief glimpse of Gruden talking up Freeman.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:22 pm
or not talking up Freeman??
October 19th, 2013 at 10:23 pm
Don’t let your head get too big 1987, act like you’ve been there 😉
Underestimate my Canes, we like it that way haha
October 19th, 2013 at 10:24 pm
He was doing the opposite of talking him up lol
October 19th, 2013 at 10:29 pm
Good lord PRBuc..I said Mac truck earlier…no the Mac truck is for Gators.. the U gets the steamroll.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:30 pm
Guys, Im telling you, we have the perfect opp to build up an O line this year (through the draft and FA) and plan for Jameis….and in the mean time, we’re going to cut some dead weight…..Nicks and Revis could be victims, (sorry, calling it as I see it)…..unless they improve!!!
October 19th, 2013 at 10:33 pm
Can’t wait!
Hopefully Duke will be ready.
Dorsett our best WR is out for the rest of the year pretty much.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:33 pm
Tajh vs Jameis…winner, JAMEIS!!!!
October 19th, 2013 at 10:35 pm
I don’t agree on Revis, even below 100% he’s still playing well above average.
Most analysts say the same thing.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:36 pm
Seminoles are making a statement tonight
October 19th, 2013 at 10:37 pm
This game is rather boring…
I’ll give clemson 1 more drive before I flip the channel lol.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:39 pm
The KID is for real…the pick he threw the receiver clearly ran the wrong route. Manziel who?
October 19th, 2013 at 10:43 pm
It’s really not all about Jameis though they do have grrrrreat young D too. It’s great to be a Nole. F L O R I D A S T A T E Florida State Florida State Florida State woooooooooooooooooo
October 19th, 2013 at 10:50 pm
Lol Jameis looks real good but he has a couple national championships to win before he gets put in Tebom territory.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:56 pm
Couch Fan …oh those are on the way man. Back to back btw.
October 19th, 2013 at 10:59 pm
I agree with Jaworski 100%. He did say he doesn’t give him a pass, & I understand his previous criticisms of Freeman, but it wasn’t all his fault for the inept offense, which many agree. It’s neither here nor there, now. However, it’s important that someone made this statement who has a clue about being a QB in the NFL.
If Tampa Bay loses against the Falcons tomorrow, no one can blame Freeman or Jaworski; like it or not, it’s all on Schiano, his staff & Dominik.
That being said, JUST WIN, BUCS! Bring it! Prove doubters (in the coaches & GM), like myself, wrong!
October 19th, 2013 at 11:00 pm
Game over.
Bout to watch some netflix.
Blow outs are no fun to watch hahaha
6 of the top 12 down lol
October 19th, 2013 at 11:04 pm
HEISMAN! PRBuc…no keep watching the game…just envision Clemson wearing Canes colors. Scout the Noles for the steamroll.
October 19th, 2013 at 11:07 pm
I agree 100% with Jaws too.
“Freeman regressed. He was erratic with his accuracy. He had many communication issues with his receivers. He struggled against the blitz. Only Mark Sanchez had a lower quarterback rating versus pressure. And Freeman was unpredictable reading coverage and with his decision making.”
October 19th, 2013 at 11:08 pm
There is no way in hell we will get beat like this ahahaha.
October 19th, 2013 at 11:09 pm
Boyd has always crumbled like Freeman under pressure 😛
October 19th, 2013 at 11:10 pm
@PR
You gotta give the Nole Fans a break. It’s been a long time since they’ve been relevant. bwahahaha
October 19th, 2013 at 11:16 pm
The Freeman benching against AZ was likely a deliberate move by Dom/Glazers because a win against AZ would have forced them to continue with Freeman and his inconsistancy.
They were finished with Freeman at that point and were willing to take whatever consequences.
It may not have been justified to anyone else but it was to the Owners.
I actually think Schiano only played a minor part in the decision. It always easy to blame the coach but the Freeman situation had to have GM/Owner backing or instigation.
October 19th, 2013 at 11:21 pm
@Couch
TRUE! AHHH HAHAHA
October 19th, 2013 at 11:45 pm
Wow. FSU is legit. Winston is legit. This was a dominant display tonight. Not a Noles fan. I bleed Green and Gold but gotta give Jimbo and FSU their props.
October 20th, 2013 at 12:00 am
Noles are going to pay us Noles fans back for the next 2 years. My Sox are 1 out away from going to the Series. Now I need the Bucs to win tomorrow and the weekend will be complete.
October 20th, 2013 at 12:03 am
Winston will probably only play 1 more year in college before
October 20th, 2013 at 12:04 am
going into the draft
October 20th, 2013 at 12:06 am
I want AJ McCarron. Scratch that. I want AJ McCarron’s girlfriend.
October 20th, 2013 at 12:53 am
Benching Freeman the 3rd game of the season for a subpar rookie that cant connect on a long ball was the Bucs way of telling the fans they were scraping the entire 2013 season! Instead of ensuring this circus was televised for the remainder of the season, the Glazers should have reimbursed the season ticket holders!
October 20th, 2013 at 1:02 am
“Instead of ensuring this circus was televised for the remainder of the season, the Glazers should have reimbursed the season ticket holders”!
As a season ticket holder, I’m not even asking for that. I just want free parking. It cost me 15 in gas and 15 to park.
Then they just televise the sh!t for everyone in the bay area. 50% of the reason why I bought the damn tickets was to not have to listen to it on the radio anymore. I can’t count on Buc fans to go to games, even before this mess. Hey Bryan and Joel…how bout some free parking?
October 20th, 2013 at 3:32 am
I’m sorry but when a QB ranks 33rd for QB Rating in a 32 team league the benching is warranted.
How long should we have waited, until every team had 2 QBs rated higher than him?
Fact is if you are playing that bad you are a hugh part of the problem, sure other factors such as drops and line play come into it to a degree but NO good QB would ever fall to the point that Cleveland had 2 QBs ranked higher, CLEVELAND!!!
I also love how he says “I re-examined all of Freeman’s throws thus far in 2013” like it’s just the throws that come into it, did he also re-examine how Josh stared down wideouts, threw balls that couldn’t be caught in stride, held the ball for 6-7 seconds even when the line held up.
It’s fine to assign blame elsewhere IF the play of the QB improves when those other “outside” issues vanish but with Josh that didn’t happen, he was as bad when protected and the targets were open as he was when he was under pressure and everyone was covered.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:58 am
“….and the way he reacted demanded he be released.”
Not gettig argumentative here, but when did Free ‘demand’ to be released? To be truthfull, I don’t recall him ever ‘demanding’ anything. Isn’t that one of the things the Schiano apologists say was WRONG with him, that he lacked the leadership to ‘DEMAND’ good play from the rest of the team? Post it, or drop it. I feel Free needed to go, probably best for both sides, but let’s not mack shit up to justify it, it was already fully justified.
October 20th, 2013 at 7:35 am
Y’all keep looking at Freeman numbers and not the game in whole. Freeman dropped back a total of 93 times in three games and most of those were 2nd and 3rd amd lone. Low percentage throws. Deep balls wih no underneath help as outletsbut yet he had one of the bestcompletion percentathrowing the deep ball. Glennon has thrown 83 times in two games and now all of a sudden throwing a lot on first down shall I not in the shotgun formation. Wasn’t freeman at his best throwing out the shotgun with a spread offense? Yeah I thought so. Also, they have givien glennon more short easy throws underneath to put him in a rythm and make throws easy for him. Curls, slants, quick seam routes, in routes and what do u say a slot wr or TE Who can catch. Where was that wih Josh? Oh and shall I say horrible play calling and no direction on offense. Freeman done a lot of five amd seven step drops those are deep routes three step drops are shorter throws designed to get ball out of hands quick. Glennon is getting everything he needs to be successfull but yet still losing games. Freeman didn’t get put in the best spot to suceed. Schiano didn’t like him and was replacing him not matter what. See he thought if he didn’t it after week three than he could use the bye to correct his mistakes. Wrong a rookiw gonna make mistakes coach. Cant throw deep ball and can’t run from pressure with a poor OLine. Feeeman will show you that your head coach Mr. SHI SHALL I SAY. vmcant coach and sabatoged the season to go with Glennon. I hope u all will be watching Monday night. I know I will!
October 20th, 2013 at 7:41 am
Ha Jaws. 3.5 years of games and Jaws can’t figure him out. He’s an enigma. So now 3 games later he finally has him figured out.
I think Jaws is an enigma. Sometimes I think he’s very smart and insightful, and sometimes I think he’s a brain dead popcorn fart.
October 20th, 2013 at 10:18 am
@Derrick, Oh I cant wait to see Gosh hand the Giants their 1st win 😉
October 20th, 2013 at 10:34 am
Simply put
Jaws can’t be used in Josh’s favor without being used against Josh as well. 😉
October 20th, 2013 at 11:06 am
Remember when Jaws said that Colin Kaepernick might be the best quarterback of all time? Then he went out and in 6 games has averaged 200 yards passing, 1.3 TD’s, 1 INT, and has lost 4 fumbles.
GOAT!