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Freeman ready to 'let it rip' vs. Pack

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By ROY CUMMINGS

rcummings@tampatrib.com

Published: November 5, 2009

Updated: 11/05/2009 12:22 am

TAMPA - The odds are stacked against him. And in a big way, too. That doesn't seem to bother Bucs rookie quarterback Josh Freeman.

Tell him that only 18 of the 53 quarterbacks drafted in the first round between 1985 and 2008 have produced a career passer rating better than the 80.1 mark that stands as the league average during that span and he just sort of shrugs.

That's typical Freeman, though. The Bucs' first-round pick shrugs a lot. Quiet, laid back, Freeman seldom gets real excited about anything. He can excite a crowd with his big arm, though, and he swears he's ready to do it.

"I'm ready," said Freeman, who will make his first NFL start Sunday vs. Green Bay. "I'm comfortable with the offense and comfortable with a lot of the guys I'm throwing to, so I just want to get out there and let it rip."

Rip is the operative word there. Though he swears he's conscious of the need to take what the defense gives him and just move the chains, there's a gunslinger inside Freeman that's itching to get out.

"He's definitely got some gunslinger in him," former Bucs quarterback and current Bucs pro personnel director Doug Williams said. "He's going to take some chances downfield, no doubt about it.

"But you want that in a guy like him. If you look at the quarterbacks that are successful, they've all got some of that gunslinger in them. Look at that 40-year-old guy in Minnesota."

That 40-year-old guy in Minnesota is Brett Favre and he's been hurt as much by his gunslinger approach as he's been aided by it. The same may hold true for Freeman, but Bucs coach Raheem Morris seems to be OK with that.

"That's today's quarterback," Morris said. "They all go through their trials and tribulations and Brett Favre, well he's the guy everybody talks about there. He's the ultimate gunslinger.

"And he leads this league in interceptions but I don't think he ever remembers that stat. He just remembers how many wins he has and how many touchdowns he's thrown and how many titles he's hunting."

Freeman hasn't started hunting titles yet. He's still on the hunt for respect from his coaches and teammates. So far he's off to a good start. All have lauded him for his work ethic, both on and off the field.

What everyone wants to see now is whether this would-be gunslinger can earn the respect of opposing defenses by scaling back the range on his cannon-like arm when the need arises.

"That's what I'm interested in seeing from him this week," Bucs offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Greg Olson said. "I want to see how accurate he can be under pressure.

"That's what differentiates the average guys from the great guys. Arm strength - yeah it's nice to have that. But if you're not accurate with that arm strength and you're not accurate under duress it's a moot point."

Olson isn't the only member of the Bucs who has tried to drive that point home to Freeman. Freeman said former Bucs starter Byron Leftwich, a bit of a gunslinger himself, has been teaching the same lesson.

"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. "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."

It seems as though the message has gotten through. Though Freeman is clearly anxious to "let it rip" Sunday, he said he's definitely prepared to pull back when the situation calls for it.

"If it's third-and-2, I'm hitting the intermediate route or the short route so we can move the chains," he said. "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. Then it's just a matter of dropping back smooth and letting her rip."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979.

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