Freeman has been answering the call

Until recently, there was a point in every game this year where everything started to unravel for the Buccaneers. In the past two weeks, however, not even the most ruinous of situations has caused the Bucs to come completely unglued.

Two weeks ago, there was that winning rally in the wake of a quick and demoralizing Green Bay scoring drive that had given the Packers an 11-point lead with 13 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Then last week, there was another rally, this one in the wake of what seemed a far more serious blow - that controversial replay ruling of an apparent Michael Clayton catch and the 13-point deficit it helped create.

Leading the charge in both rallies, of course, was rookie Josh Freeman, the precocious Bucs quarterback who has added the ability to pull his team out of the abyss to what is fast becoming a lengthy list of rare traits.

"You never really know what to expect from a rookie quarterback, but he's lived up to expectations," Bucs middle linebacker Barrett Ruud said. "When you're a first-round draft pick people expect a lot from you, and he's definitely delivered so far."

Nowhere has Freeman delivered more during his first two starts than in the fourth quarter. He enters today's game against New Orleans ranked third in the NFL with a 117.9 passer rating in that critical period, a mark topped only by Drew Brees of the Saints and Brett Favre of the Vikings.

"You're talking about the area where quarterbacks are judged the most, where they make their reputations," said Bucs coach Raheem Morris. "It's only two games, but who knows."

It's more than just two games. Freeman displayed the same ability in college, bringing his Kansas State team back in his first start against Oklahoma State and leading late rallies against Louisville, Oklahoma State and Iowa State later in his career.

"Maybe he's like a Troy Aikman or somebody like that," Morris said, referring to the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback. "The only thing you can judge him on are his stats, and he's up there with those elite names right now."

Freeman, whose overall passer rating is 79.9, will be the first to tell you he's not solely responsible for either his lofty fourth-quarter rating or his success in bringing the Bucs back. The 17th overall draft pick credits a new attitude among players on both sides of the ball, big plays by the defense and special teams and an improved rushing attack for the success.

"It's not necessarily because of me," said Freeman, 21. "I think the whole offense has turned it up. I mean, we got the ball back late in the game (last week) and we knew we had to get something done, but we actually called a number of runs and we were getting 6, 7, 8 yards a chunk."

Perhaps, but there is something in Freeman's makeup that tells Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson the late rallies are as much about Freeman as anything else. Against the Packers, the go-ahead touchdown pass to Sammie Stroughter came on fourth down.

"We talk about the game slowing down in those pressure moments for guys," Olson said. "The good ones, they're just cool and under control at that time, and he's that way. He doesn't get rattled.

"On the sidelines, everything is very clear to him. In speaking to him between series, he's very calm. He sees the field very well. And the real good ones, they have an ability to perform under duress."

Freeman says he's not sure where that ability comes from. It's apparent, though, that he has thought those pressure situations through enough to supplement his calm demeanor.

"There's a lot that goes into it," Freeman said of the ability to perform at a high level in crunch time. "You definitely have to take into consideration the time you have left on the clock and the field position.

"And there are times, especially in the two-minute offense, where you're just as well off dumping it down and getting 10 yards instead of taking a shot and getting an incompletion and wasting a valuable down."

Freeman did just that during his winning drive against the Packers, sandwiching a 3-yard pass to Stroughter between a 22-yard pass to Kellen Winslow and a 29-yard pass to Clayton.

He did something similar last week, running out of the pocket for 14 yards on first down and throwing 4 yards to Winslow during the Bucs' fourth-quarter, go-ahead drive in the eventual 25-23 loss against Miami.

"I think the key to it is just remaining even-keeled," Freeman said. "When you score a touchdown or get a big gain you're going to get excited, but it's being able to come back down from that and stay even-keeled throughout the whole game that allows you to be your best in crunch situations."

The Bucs are trying to stay even-keeled about Freeman. He's only been their starter for two weeks, and his game does have some noticeable flaws.

There's little question, though, that Freeman's play his first two games, particularly in the fourth quarter, has instilled a new confidence in his teammates.

"We know that if we can just keep it close, we've got a chance to win with him," Ruud said. "When you don't feel like you have a chance, it's hard to stay motivated. But with Josh, we know we've got a chance."