Penn: Felt Like He’s Been There For A While
October 2nd, 2013Bucs ironman Donald Penn weighs in on Mike Glennon and Josh Freeman
Donald Penn is one of the most candid and open Buccaneers. He’s always worth a listen and Joe recommends Penn’s interview on NFL Radio yesterday right here.
Penn opened up about how frustrating the Josh Freeman situation is for him.
“It’s just real tough. You know, I feel bad for Josh being put in this situation,” Penn said. “You know, the stuff that came out yesterday [regarding Freeman’s ADHD medicine being monitored in NFL substance-abuse program]and stuff like that, it’s like they’re really trying to bring him down and Josh is a great guy. I mean Josh is a very humble spirit. He’s a very good guy. He’s a very good person and he really cares about him teammates and he cares about his team. I know it’s killing him what’s going on.”
Penn went on to say Mike Glennon earned his respect
“I think Mike Glennon did a great job this week coming in. I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried, rookie quarterback coming in, but I really thought he managed and handled the huddle very well and controlled the offense very well being a rookie coming in there,” Penn said. “I mean, he kept good poise; it kind of felt like he’s been there for a while.”
And Penn painted a picture of Josh Freeman working behind the scenes and behind the media circus to help his teammates, including Glennon.
“He’s still trying to help Mike out. That’s the kind of guy Josh is and, you know, people don’t see even that side of him because they just hear all the outside stuff. He’s still in Mike’s ear trying to help Mike’s out, you know He’s still in my ear and all the other teammates ears. And it’s not negative at all. It’s nothing negative. Josh has not said one negative thing since all this happened and I talk to Josh all the time. It’s just a tough time right now. We’re getting through it. We’re sticking together.”
None of what Penn talked about surprised Joe. Again, Joe recommends you listen to the interview above.
Joe’s pleased to hear Penn’s candid review of Glennon. The Bucs’ offense was ugly Sunday, but it certainly could have been worse.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:08 am
You’ve gotta feel for Glennon. He’s had nothing to do with all this drama.
It looks like the players know this. They’re not stupid! They know what’s going on, and they know who’s responsible. They can’t say anything for fear of reprisal.
For all you who believe this is all Freeman’s doing, do you REALLY think any free agents will want to play for this club as it sits now?
Schiano is nothing but an overrated college coach who’s more vindictive than a scorned ex-spouse.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:12 am
Penn also praised the coaching staff in the interview. But I haven’t seen that quote anywhere, of course. Agenda agenda agenda.
Idiotic statement, considering Joe advised readers to listen to the entire interview. –Joe
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:17 am
Finally a quotation from a real person, not an “insider” or “one of my sources”.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:20 am
Penn shouldn’t be saying anything considering the way he played Sunday. He was terrible. The whole offensive is so overated. One thing for sure they are offensive.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:22 am
Finally, for everyone arguing over whether Freeman bad-mouthed the Bucs, Donald Penn put those rumors to rest. Now can we just either trade the guy or leave the man alone. Even if you think he is worse than Trent Dilfer or Vinny, he doesn’t deserve all this drama and smearing from the media, his coach, or anybody.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:23 am
So you actually believe that Greg Schiano orchestrated all of this in conjunction with Dominik? Wow! It’s just scary how naive some people can be. There is absolutely no logical reason why Schiano and Dominik would do that….NONE, and yet that is the conclusion you draw. Why? You want to smear Schiano the same way you think he’s smearing Josh?
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:24 am
Good things will happen for you Josh !
I think Glennon will be good , he does have a quick release .
Schiano should be axed
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:24 am
Glennon didn’t create this and stepped in when asked even though he may not have been ready. I liked what I saw…sure he made mistakes.
If we can scratch a bit of good news here…its that Glennon will get the rest of this season to develop and we will be able to fairly evaluate him as a starter. If he succeeds, its a real bonus to get a starter in the 3rd round….if he doesn’t, we can acquire a new QB in the off season.
I’m rooting for Glennon to do well.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:26 am
Bobby , they are trying to save face , by making josh look bad . That way can get rid of him and say it was all Josh .
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:27 am
Someone inside and outside has it out for Schiano. This is not his doing and not Dominik – people don’t intentionally sabotage their own organizations.
This is a cowboy like drama being played out and all heads should roll.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:28 am
@Raphael, yeah but that only works if the team does well after Freeman is gone. And so far after one game, it doesn’t seem like it was all Josh.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:30 am
Raphael ,
This is not the Bucs team doing, I’m telling you this is external and a mole on the inside. Everyone has to go.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:31 am
I don’t think Schiano is leaking information on Freeman, but Schiano not even wanting Freeman on the sideline and not wanting him to show up to team meetings does not help one bit. He is isolating Josh from the rest of the team even though as of this moment he is still a Buccaneer.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:31 am
I really like what the rookie did
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:32 am
Walldaplank,
You can’t have Josh on the sideline after this mess. Too much of a distraction.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:33 am
I was impressed with Glennon, especially in the 1st half. Im sure Josh wouldnt have made some of those quick decision accurate throws.
But once again, the play calling, especially pounding Doug up the middle in overloaded boxes doomed our chances….then when you’d expect that kind of play calling, they change it up with a rookie QB against (a very smart Peterson, who knew the route since its so vanilla)….and boom. Interception.
And then no man coverage on Fitz by our 16 million dollar man? WTF was that???
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:33 am
I’m not upset at all about how he did considering it’s his first game as a rookie.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:35 am
That’s understandable, but not even wanting him to show up to a team meeting? Penn said himself he is trying to help Glennon out, not run him into the ground for taking his job, Josh will NOT be back next year, but until the Bucs trade him, cut him, or let him walk in the offseason he should still be treated like everyone else.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:38 am
You can’t run of first down and not gain yardage…any QB needs to be helped with the play-calling.
I remember we had a 1st and 5 and chose to run….what a perfect time for a pass…take the pressure off the rookie.
We had a successful huge gamble on a fake punt….then we started running up the middle again.
Even a good QB would strugle with that scheme.
For all we know…that play to VJ was called several times and he wasn’t open….Glennon finally chose to throw to him and got burnt…
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:40 am
Just to give you an idea of how this stuff gets started…some clown from the carolina panthers press writes that although the panthers are having drama it’s nothing like the Bucs. He says that the Bucs are used to smearing people and used the example that when they couldn’t get Brent Grimes they tried to smear him as not being a ‘Buccaneer man’. So I click on the link and it’s a quote from Ira Kaufman saying “My sources tell me to stay away from Brent Grime. I don’t think he’s fit in as a Buccaneer Man” Well, Ira Kaufman is a reporter, not someone from within the Buc organization. The reporter form Carolina was making it seem as though the Bucs as an organization tried to smear Grimes.
I’m just sick of all this “He said, She said” crap and no one is willing to put a source on the record. When someone like Dominik or Schiano does go on the record someone like Jay Glazer says “I’m not buying it” and that’s supposed to mean that he’s right???!? Glazer is entitled to his opinion but not if it means he gets to quote ‘his sources’ with no name attached to try and discredit someone who did come out and make a statement for the record.
It’s easy to run a smear campaign when you don’t have to quote named sources and basically you can just say ‘someone told me this’ and never have to say who that someone is. Like I said, it’s nothing more than gossip until their is a name behind who told you that is willing to confirm it. Very, very shoddy reporting. The NFL is becoming like one of those rag magazines you see at the check out line when you’re paying for your groceries. Just a bunch of totally unsubstantiated garbage. Even when Revis came out and denied the reports he was unhappy they STILL insisted the story that he WAS unhappy was accurate. How do you fight that crap??? There is some smearing going on but I don’t believe it’s coming from One Buc. If it turns out I’m wrong I’ll be the first one crying for Schiano and Dom’s head but ‘my sources’ tell me I’m not wrong.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:41 am
As far as Freeman is concerned….I think someone other than Schiano got involved….Schiano said….Josh is our starter…then he was benched…then he said Josh is our number 2 then he was deactivated. That sounds like either Schiano was overridden or the Josh did something to create it.
Nobody here knows what goes on directly between a player and his coach so all of this is total speculation.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:43 am
Fire the coach and see what happens. In a performance based league, the coach is not performing any ways….That would send a message to the locker room..
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:45 am
@Raphael….
Bobby , they are trying to save face , by making josh look bad . That way can get rid of him and say it was all Josh .
________________________________________________________________
Josh looked bad all by himself with his play on the field. They didn’t need to manufacture an excuse to bench him, his play on the field was excuse enough. All the pundits have agreed that it was time to make a change.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:45 am
Josh was benched because of his performance, and he was deactivated for talking to ESPN. But Schiano going out and saying that “Josh is our starter” and two days later he benches him? That’s hypocrisy at its finest. And if it wasn’t bad enough that he got benched AND deactivated, his coach told him he doesn’t want him to show up on the Bucs sideline on Sunday and not show up to the team meeting on Monday. Schiano is just fueling the fire, whether he started this crap or not, he is still fueling it.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:46 am
@ Bobby
I agree entirely….They are calling Schiano a liar because he said Josh was our starter then benched him. How do they know that Schiano lied….is it possible that something happened after that and he changed his mind…or he got a call from Dom or the Glazers saying ‘bench him”….
To suggest that Schiano is behind the leak of Josh’t medical condition is ludicrous.
Schiano would be risking his job, career and a huge lawsuit for what purpose?…..to smear someone who has already had a mental meltdown….that’s absurd!!!
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:46 am
@Bobby
Dead one and 100% correct sir! Mark it up there will never be a come to Jesus for this drama. But the only to kill the drama is empty all the hands and start with a new deck.
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:57 am
Who in their right mind would want to come and coach here if Schiano’s career ends up being destroyed by “unnamed sources”? Heres a hint: subpar coaches desperate for cash. And no free agent in their mind will be chomping at the bit to play here either. If we could just cut Freeman and get back to football WITH Schiano for the rest of the year, this organization might actually save some face. Firing Schiano will just continue the circus. If you want to fire him, wait until the offseason.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:03 am
Hey Donald, try blocking better and provide more than 2 seconds of time for Glennon to throw without running for his life. Saw you give up at least one sack last Sunday. Do your job and Glennon will do his . Go Bucs!
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:26 am
@TampaBayBucFan…My guess is that Schiano didn’t make the call to bench Freeman. I think that came from the Glazers. If I’m paying Freeman’s salary and I have to make a decision on whether or not to renew his contract..I know after 4 games this isn’t my guy. Next move…get the rookie in so we know what we have in him and do it now before the bye week. The trade deadline is coming up and I want to make this move now. If I leave Freeman in and he continues to struggle then his trade value continues to deteriorate while we lose. If I start Glennon now then I have the rest of the year to evaluate this kid and see whether I have to draft a QB or not in April.
I have a feeling that when Schiano said he had some ‘intense’ meetings with Mark Dominik that he was probably against this move initially but didn’t have a choice. When he came out Monday and said Freeman was his starter that was probably the case until he got the call from Dom. Schiano has seemed pretty fair to me. Schiano didn’t gift the job to Bowers just because he was a second round pick and Leonard Johnson didn’t sit the bench just because Jonathan Banks was a second round pick. I really do think he’s tried to go with the guy who was the best for the position. I think he felt Freeman, although not playing good, still gave him a better chance than Glennon to win. Benching Freeman was a business move from upstairs and looking at it from the Glazer’s point of view it made perfect sense. Remember BEFORE Freeman was benched the huge outcry from the fan base was to bench him. Now that the fans got their wish it’s like “Oh, Poor Josh!! Fire the evil Schiano!!” Oh well, coming on here and reading the latest conspiracy theories is entertaining.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:29 am
Fire greg schiano
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:31 am
Idiotic statement? Yeah, that quote has no importance in your post given the fact that the coaching staff is being painted as the ones orchestrating a smear campaign against a player on their team.
Do you know how to read? The post is simple. Here’s the order: Listen to Donald Penn speak because it’s worthwhile. Here’s what he said about Freeman. Here’s what Penn said about Glennon. Here’s what Penn said about Freeman and Glennon. Listen to Penn because it’s worthwhile. … For you to have a problem with that is ridiculous. –Joe
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:37 am
i dont give a s*** what the most overrated left tackle says.
he gives more about the lakers and his cars then the bucs.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:41 am
Ok, so we disagree that the quote was important. You really need to insult your readers?
You accused Joe of having “agenda, agenda, agenda.” Misrepresentations of Joe are not tolerated. And calling your statement “idiotic” is not an insult. –Joe
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:46 am
Fire Schiano and make Wannstedt the interim HC.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:54 am
I was pointing out the broader agenda to get rid of the head coach, wasn’t directed at you in particular. Sorry you took it that way.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:54 am
Raphael, eat a d!ck!
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:55 am
Joe, why WOULDN’T you mention that Penn praised the coaching staff? Is that not as important as him praising Glennon, especially when you know that 90% of the posters on here think that the players hate Schiano and are just afraid to speak up. Also it’s important since it’s being portrayed that Schiano asked Freeman to miss the meeting to make him look bad. You quote Penn as saying “It’s like they’re trying to bring him down and Josh is a great guy” but you don’t clarify that Penn didn’t mean the ‘them’ as being ‘the coaches’. That wasn’t important enough to mention? You know not everyone is going to listen to that interview and the article could give the impression that Penn thinks the Bucs organization is trying to bring Freeman down.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:57 am
I think it’s pretty obvious the leak was Josh’s agent. Josh (and the team that wants him) would rather be cut then traded. He would then be able to pick the team he wants to go to AND this team would not have to pick up his salary or make a trade. The agents are usually the unnamed source for reporters. Oh yeah..it makes the Bucs organization look bad too which is what Josh wants to do also.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:00 am
The easiest way to get Raphael to disappear is to bring up the complete Josh Freeman “Thriller” pictorial he has hanging above his head. Everytime I bring it up he seemingly never returns to a thread.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:12 am
Has anyone brought up Tines or his wife as the possible leak? The guy probably spent most of his time in the training watching Josh come and go for his testing. I wouldn’t put anything past his bat shiz crazy wife.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:14 am
Look I’m going to say this once again. It’s not an excuse for the HC either. If David never shoved Geno, the Bucs would have 1 win and possibly if Lindell made the FG in week 2 they would have 2 wins. How many fans would be calling for Schiano’s head right now if the Bucs were 2-2? Hell even the Freemanites would be happy too, he’d still be the starter. Raphael would praising Schiano and still praising Freeman as well. Then again the Bucs are 0-4 so it’s fire Schiano foolishness. It’s like Buc fans have forgotten about the first 2 weeks and how close Schiano had their team being 2-0. Once again it’s not an excuse for Schiano, but it is something fans HAVE to think about.
Another thing they have to think about as fans is, they don’t call the shots.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:28 am
Shut the buc up …. Blow me
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:30 am
“And calling your statement “idiotic” is not an insult. –Joe”
Don’t you know the truth is insulting to these people, Joe? After all…THEY have “agendas – agendas – agendas”.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:35 am
Josh to Raphael every night “No teeth this time bro”.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:41 am
I am hetero sorry , I am the opposite of you 1987
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:42 am
Or bucrightoff … I got my trolls mixed up :/
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:46 am
Raphael..I only have ONE screen name and that’s this one. I don’t play silly games with dual or multiple screen names. I’m a married 43 yr old man with 2 kids who has seen his fair share of crappy Buc seasons. I can deal with this season just fine. I am able to look above the drama and outside of it. So back off punk.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:46 am
When Raphael calls you a troll you must be a really good one. Well he’s a really bad one but you get my point.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:48 am
Raphael…Yah so mixed up that you typed numbers instead of letters….
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:52 am
“Firing Schiano will just continue the circus.”
ShutTheBucUp…. that’s my take as well.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:53 am
Buc1987. The did not win thise games or seven other ones out of the last ten. We usually agree, shiano shoukd go.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:55 am
Lol @ 1987 …. Pos
October 2nd, 2013 at 1:16 pm
Firing Schiano – is the beginning of happiness – like it was when you guys cried for Gruden’s head.
If it was good then – it will be TWICE as good now – this guy hasn’t even won a Super Bowl!
October 2nd, 2013 at 1:30 pm
This thing has gone Sooooo Far off the Reservation! Where is the Team GM?
I mean, why has Marky D remained Invisable?
Penn’s Statement Regarding Freeman’s Positive Back Channel involvement is Good to hear. Some of the comment here have been bias against Freeman because of his Production yet come in the form of Personal Attacks and then there is the Idiot making RACIAL COMMEMTS.
Freeman Should be Dismissed (Not Required to be at One Buc Place, Practice, etc) ala Keyshawn. No smear Campaign Crap. Pay him, leave him in Peace and ride out 2013.
Had the Buccaneers just done that from the beginning without any childish orders that are both a violation of Freeman’s Rights and NFL Policy, the magnitude of Obsurdity would not reached the level that it has.
Schiano is the Target of Scorn because HE IS THE PERSON WHO IS IN THE POSITION OF CONTROL (Or Dominik is too much of a Coward to face the media).
Maybe its actually the Glazers & Dominik Leaving Schiano left Hanging out to dry while they remain SILENT as a Symbol of:
YOU CREATED THIS MESS GREG….NOW GET YOURSELF OUT OF IT