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Bucs QB Freeman ready to 'let it rip' in first NFL start

Staff photo by BOB HANSEN

Freeman says he feels comfortable with the offense and many of the teammates he will be throwing to.

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 4, 2009

TAMPA - Eager to show his new fan base what all the fuss has been about, Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie quarterback Josh Freeman is ready to "let it rip'' against the Packers on Sunday.

"I feel really comfortable with the offense right now, and I feel comfortable with a lot of the guys I'm throwing to, so I just want to go out there and let it rip,'' Freeman said Wednesday.

The game will mark Freeman's debut as an NFL starter. Coming off a two-series stint against the Patriots in London, Freeman has no illusions about what he'll see from opponents.

"Teams are probably going to (throw) a lot at me in terms of blitzes and stuff," said Freeman, the No. 17 overall pick in the NFL Draft. "And I'm prepared for that because that opens up a lot of stuff down the field and in the middle of the field.''

Freeman was described Wednesday by former Bucs quarterback Doug Williams as something of a gunslinger. And though Freeman is ready to show he has the ability to win a duel, he has been warned against trying to be too much of a gunslinger by Byron Leftwich, the veteran quarterback who started the season under center for the Bucs.

"He was telling me that in every game, no matter what the score is, you're going to feel like you need to make a play,'' Freeman said of Leftwich. "And he said what you have to fight is the urge to maybe take that shot.

"He said that if the shot play is called and it's kind of clean but not really (clean enough), just (don't) take it and remember that the ultimate goal is just to keep the chains moving.''

Freeman said Bucs offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Olson has coached him on that aspect of the game and he's already developed a trust in Olson's approach.

"He's the play caller, and I'm trusting everything he calls,'' Freeman said. "If it's third-and-2, I'm hitting the intermediate route or the short route, so we can move the chains.

"It's one of those things where 'let her rip' doesn't mean taking a lot of chances. It means feeling comfortable within the system so that when you get the looks you need, you can let it go.

"There's not a whole lot of thinking about, 'Should I throw it here?' It's just a matter of dropping back smooth and letting her rip.''

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