Bucs' Freeman: Thumbs up for Browns game

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman returned to practice Tuesday for the first time since he broke his right thumb in a preseason game three weeks ago, and he immediately threw caution to the wind.

Though he and the Bucs have discussed the possibility of protecting the thumb by wrapping it, putting it in a splint or having him wear a glove, Freeman has chosen to leave his thumb au naturel.

"I just feel a lot more comfortable going with bare hands," said Freeman, who has every intention of going into Sunday's season opener against Cleveland the same way.

"We're going to try out some different things this week, but right now I'm just going without any wraps or anything," Freeman said. "It felt really good (Tuesday), so that's going to be the plan."

Based on the throws he delivered to his receivers on Tuesday, there is little or no reason to alter that plan. Several Bucs wideouts said Freeman threw the ball as well Tuesday as he did before the injury.

"He looked fine to me," said Micheal Spurlock, who also caught several balls from Freeman during a pregame throwing test in Houston last Thursday. "He doesn't look like he's got a broken thumb at all."

Nor is Freeman preparing like he has a broken thumb. Bucs coach Raheem Morris said Freeman took all the snaps usually allotted the starting quarterback in practice Tuesday, including several from directly under center.

Those are the snaps the Bucs are most concerned with because the impact could cause more damage.

After the practice, though, Freeman said he didn't see the injury getting any worse. In fact, he said it's something he'll probably forget about once the game begins Sunday.

"By that time I'll be thinking about my progressions, about the run checks and my points," said Freeman, who looked good in limited action this preseason before he went down nine plays into the Sept. 21 game against Kansas City.

Though he participated in just three offensive series, Freeman completed six of eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown while compiling a team-best 142.7 passer rating during the preseason.

No one expects Freeman to produce at that rate once the regular season begins, but an improvement on the 54.5 completion percentage and 59.8 passer rating he posted a year ago is expected. Freeman says he will meet expectations.

"I feel like I'm a lot better quarterback this year,'' said Freeman, who started the final nine games and threw for 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions last year. "I mean, it's easy to go back and look at your mistakes and say 'How could I have done that.' But during training camp this year and OTAs, when I was in the exact same situation where (I) made the bad decision last year, that decision wasn't even in (my) train of thought.''

Freeman said the area he believes he has improved in the most since this time last year is in his understanding of the protection schemes he must call on passing plays.

Freeman left those calls almost entirely to center Jeff Faine during his nine starts last season, but he says he is now making almost all of the protection calls himself.

"That's something that comes with film study and time, and the addition of (quarterbacks coach) Alex Van Pelt, having an older guy in there help me understand things,'' he said.

Freeman understands that until the thumb heals completely, he will have to deal with some pain. It doesn't look like that's going to change his approach to the game.

"I'm a football player," he said. "I try to run people over every now and then. But I also understand that there's no need to take any unnecessary risks."

The Bucs feel the same way about Freeman. That's why they might opt to place a splint on the back of his thumb come game day to keep it from being bent backward.

As far as Freeman is concerned, though, he doesn't need extra protection. He says he's ready to go and when he was asked what could keep him from starting Sunday, he answered emphatically.

"Not my thumb," he said. "It would have to be something outside of that."