Wake-Up Call: Was Leftwich a Bucs 'smoke screen'?

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

Well, it wasn't boring.

You can say that much about the Buccaneers' decision to draft Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman in the first round - even moving up two spots to No. 17 - which had a predictable polarizing effect on Tampa Bay's fan base.

Freeman provided a few unexpected sparks of his own by saying the Bucs' recent signing of free-agent quarterback Byron Leftwich was a "smoke screen" designed to trick other QB-seeking teams and pave the rookie's path to Tampa Bay. Freeman tossed out that concept Saturday during a live Web chat with NFL.com, the league's Internet site.

Q: Any idea the Bucs were seriously considering you?

A: "Oh, yeah. I felt that all along. Even when they picked up Byron Leftwich. It was something they told me - they told me it was a smoke screen, everybody would think they didn't want a QB. They said they were ready to trade up. I think it worked out great. I was sitting there with my family and enjoying it, and I got to go to the team I wanted to go to."

Leftwich's reported contract status - no signing bonus, no guaranteed money - adds to the conspiracy theory. Bucs coach Raheem Morris worked to diffuse the situation Sunday night, saying Freeman's quotes were taken out of context (although it seems difficult to confuse the context of the Q&A above).

"The young man was asked the question, and he kind of answered it the wrong way," Morris said.

Morris said the QBs already have spoken by telephone - and Leftwich jokingly promised to put Freeman in a headlock the first time they meet.

No doubt, Freeman will elaborate on all smokescreens (and non-smokescreens) this morning when he meets the Tampa Bay media at One Buccaneer Place.

The national media already has weighed in on the Freeman-to-the-Bucs transaction.

Here's a sampling:

Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN.com: "Evidently, the Bucs made this trade to make sure that Denver didn't take Freeman, but everything pointed toward the Broncos taking a defensive player at No. 18 (which they did by selecting Robert Ayers). I'm not sure why the Bucs' organization didn't listen to the draft buzz and stay where they were to select Freeman."

Pat Yasinskas, ESPN.com (describing it as the NFC South's riskiest move): "Nothing else is even remotely close to the Freeman selection when it comes to risk. When you draft a franchise quarterback, something the Bucs hadn't done since Trent Dilfer in 1994, you're obligated to try to build your team around him. The result almost always is either great or terrible. I'm not doing the math here, but it seems like for every Matt Ryan, there are two or three Joey Harringtons or David Carrs. At a time when patience isn't a strong point for most NFL owners, Morris is staking his future on a quarterback who came out of college a year early and is viewed as a raw prospect by a lot of personnel people."

Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com: "This is awfully high for Freeman. He's a project. How many quarterbacks do they want? But they obviously liked this kid all along."

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News Today: "The Bucs needed to land a future franchise-type passer to stand out from their messy situation. Freeman has all the physical tools to be special in a few years."

Albert Breer, Sporting News Today: "Tampa might have gotten a little trigger-happy in jumping Denver to get QB Josh Freeman. If Freeman's the player GM Mark Dominik and Coach Raheem Morris think he is - the cornerstone for the franchise - then it was well worth it."

Nolan Nawrocki, Pro Football Weekly: "With questions about whether the Broncos feel comfortable with Kyle Orton as their starter, the Buccaneers clearly did not take any chances missing on their quarterback and traded up two spots, reuniting former Kansas State defensive coordinator Raheem Morris with the strong-armed pocket passer. Freeman has really impressed teams with his intelligence and should get a chance to play right away."

Gregg Rosenthal and Evan Silva, Rotoworld.com: "Freeman is the Bucs' quarterback of the future. He has a long release and a huge arm, but he is far more athletic and a threat to run. It will take Freeman time to learn how to read NFL defenses, so he should sit on the bench for a season."

Raiders excited about Murphy

University of Florida WR Louis Murphy (Lakewood High) was a fourth-round pick (124th overall) of the Oakland Raiders, who also took a receiver (Maryland's Darrius Heyward-Bey) in Saturday's first round.

"We didn't think Murphy would be there," Raiders coach Tom Cable said. "We just couldn't pass him up. Could not pass him up."

Murphy said he was disappointed not to be taken on the draft's first day - "last night was pretty rough" - but added he was happy to be on the team with QB JaMarcus Russell, the former LSU All-American.

"When we played them [LSU] in the Swamp my sophomore year, I saw him throw the ball and not even thinking about it, I said, 'I wouldn't mind playing with JaMarcus Russell.' The way he throws that ball, it was crazy. Now I won't mind being on the receiving end and catching those deep balls from him."

Murphy became the eighth former Lakewood player to be taken in the NFL draft. Here are the others:

• Eastern Kentucky WR Tron Armstrong (1984, Jets, fifth round).
• Vanderbilt PK Ricky Anderson (1985, Cardinals, 11th round).
• Louisville WR Ernest Givins (1986, Oilers, second round).
• Notre Dame DB Pat Terrell (1990, Rams, second round).
• Notre Dame DB Tom Carter (1993, Redskins, first round).
• Florida State RB William Floyd (1994, 49ers, first round).
• Auburn WR Tim Carter (2004, Giants, second round).

Span-demonium

Minnesota Twins OF Denard Span (Tampa Catholic), in his first full big-league season, always relishes the chance to face his hometown team, the Tampa Bay Rays. Span gets another chance tonight when the Rays visit the Metrodome. Span, Minnesota's everyday leadoff batter, is hitting .309 and drove in the team's only two runs Sunday during a pinch-hitting appearance on a planned off-day.

Joyce settling in

OF Matt Joyce (Armwood), the Rays' Opening Day center fielder, is batting .400 (10-for-25) in his last seven games with Triple-A Durham.

Clippard off to blazing start

RHP Tyler Clippard (Mitchell), now in the Washington Nationals' organization, is 2-0 with an 0.96 in five appearances with Triple-A Syracuse. Clippard has one walk and 14 strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings.

Nice April for Swauger

OF Chris Swauger (Jesuit), drafted last season by the St. Louis Cardinals after finishing at The Citadel, is batting .326 for the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits. Swauger is riding an eight-game hitting streak.

Calorie counter

Sickles High School's boys basketball player John Henson, the 6-foot-10, 200-pound North Carolina-bound McDonald's All-American, is "a milkshake away from being a lottery pick," writes Sports Illustrated.

Bulls sweep Mountaineers

South Florida defeated West Virginia 9-6 on Sunday to complete a three-game sweep in the weekend Big East baseball series. The Bulls (27-15, 15-3) lead the Big East by three games. OF Ryan Lockwood (Jesuit) collected three walks, extending his streak of reaching base to 84 straight games. The Bulls visit Central Florida on Tuesday night.

Fayson, Duvalt turning heads

As spring football ended at the University of Illinois, Coach Ron Zook cited junior WR Jarred Fayson (Hillsborough), a transfer from Florida, as one of the team's leaders. But Zook also can expect contributions from senior WR Chris Duvalt (Lake Gibson), entering his season season after converting from the defensive backfield. Duvalt had five receptions for 49 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown reception, in Saturday's spring game.

Ward the new AD at Sarasota Riverview

Jim Ward has been named athletic director at Sarasota Riverview High School. Ward will resign his boys basketball head-coaching position, which he has held since 1989. Ward replaces John Sprague, who will continue to coach the football team.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Leto High and Florida State QB Gary Huff, who was the Bucs' starter in 1977 when Tampa Bay won the first game in franchise history (after an 0-26 start). Huff now serves as senior associate athletic director at FSU. Today, Huff turns 58.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Friday's trivia question:

There have been three No. 1 overall NFL draft picks from Florida colleges - University of Tampa DE John Matuszak (Houston Oilers, 1973); Miami QB Vinny Testaverde (Bucs, 1987); and Miami DT Russell Maryland (Cowboys, 1991).

Monday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

DE Kyle Moore, Tampa Bay's fourth-round selection, was the ninth all-time Southern Cal player drafted by the Bucs. Can you name the other eight? OK, we'll settle for half of that - four USC players.

Check for the answer in Tuesday's Wake-Up Call.