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QB Josh Freeman is feeling confident heading into his first NFL start

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The Time Has Come

Nov 06, 2009 - Josh Freeman has finished the week of practice that spills into his first NFL start. His Tampa Bay Buccaneers will hold one more brief walk-through on Saturday morning but, as the name suggests, it will be more of a slowed-down mental exercise.

The next defender to barrel at Freeman full speed will be wearing green and yellow, and will be intent on making the young quarterback's debut a miserable experience.

Raheem Morris thinks Freeman is ready. One practice-field moment that helped convince Morris of this occurred when the 21-year-old passer picked up on a mistake made by one of his more veteran teammates and corrected it, allowing the designated play to work.

That confidence and awareness has been building since Freeman became the number-two quarterback on the practice field earlier this fall.

"You started to see that with the scout team, you started to see him develop that, now you've got to develop that rapport with the first unit," said Morris. "That's all a part of him being on the same page with [Jeff] Faine and Donald Penn, making the calls, talking with his running backs. He looked good [in practice]. He had a chance to go out there and get in the huddle, take control and have a chance to talk to some of the veterans in there with him."

The Buccaneers have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL overall, and that's true on both sides of the ball. However, the starters who will surround Freeman on Sunday are mostly experienced players. The anticipated starting 10 (barring injuries, see below) have an average age of 26.5 and have started roughly 50 NFL games apiece, on average. Freeman will have a good support system, both emotionally and in terms of relaying critical information, on Sunday. Tight end Kellen Winslow, in particular, has begun to build a strong rapport with the Bucs' new starter.

"I feel really comfortable with the offense right now. I’ve been working really hard with Coach Olson and I feel comfortable with a lot of the guys I’m throwing it to. I just want to go out there and let it rip."

"Kellen's one of those guys who does a lot of extra work on the scout team, so even when Josh was running some of the scout-team things I saw Kellen jump in with him," said Morris. "They talked about routes and progressions and things of that nature. That's a little bit of a nice relationship that we'd like to see get done here for the next couple years. Yesterday you saw those guys out there throwing extra routes and doing extra work. I think that's good."

Of course, Freeman has quietly exuded confidence since he arrived in Tampa, and the Buccaneers probably wouldn't have invested a first-round pick in the Kansas State star if he hadn't. Freeman obviously expects to succeed, particularly because he knows how hard he has worked on absorbing the Bucs' schemes since he was drafted.

“I feel really comfortable with the offense right now," he said. "I’ve been working really hard with Coach [Greg] Olson and I feel comfortable with a lot of the guys I’m throwing it to. I just want to go out there and let it rip.”

Again, though there is the matter of those Green Bay defenders, who will have no mercy on Freeman if they can find a way to get to him, mentally or physically. NFL defenders lick their chops at the thought of playing a first-time starter, and the Packers have some particularly aggressive players on that side of the ball. Their starting cornerbacks, Charles Woodson and Al Harris, have a combined 61 career interceptions, including six this year.

"You're talking about two excellent corners, and you're talking about one, especially, being a big-time ballhawk," said Morris, keying on Woodson. "He's been that throughout his career. They are playing some more off coverage. They're doing some different things on defense, but when they're off you know they're going to be very aggressive, they're going to be very confident. They're something to deal with."

Freeman is ready to deal with it.

“I take it as a challenge," he said. "I can’t really control what the defense does but I can control what the offense does. I'm the quarterback. Ultimately as an offensive player you look at it as no matter what defense or special teams are doing, it’s our job to score one more point than the other team. That’s the mindset we are taking into it.”

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Injury Report

Freeman could conceivably be without both of the team's usual starting receivers as he makes that first start.

Both Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton were listed as questionable on Friday's injury report, the first one of the week to include game status designations. Since Bryant was held out of practice Friday while Clayton participated in the full 90 minutes, it would appear the former is a bigger question mark heading into the weekend.

However, Bryant has played in all but one game this season despite dealing with a knee issue every week. He has played after varying levels of practice during the week, as the team has tried to help him manage soreness and swelling in the knee that required arthroscopic knee surgery in August.

"It's never good when you don't practice; that will always be an issue," said Morris. "He's missed a bunch of practices this year. We've got him on the questionable list right now. We've just get him to the game and see if he's going to go."

When Bryant was held out of the team's Week Two contest at Buffalo, there was no official replacement because the Bucs opened the game with two tight ends and only one receiver on the first snap. In the end, Bryant's role as the "X" receiver was split up by a number of players, including Maurice Stovall, Brian Clark and Sammie Stroughter. That would be the approach again if Bryant can't take the field against the Packers.

"It would probably be platoons," said Morris. "You've got B.C., who is probably listed as the backup on the depth chart, but you've also got Mo, who knows the position. You also have Yamon Figurs, who we got off the street. We also have Sammie Stroughter who goes in there and plays a bunch of X for you when he has a chance at spot duty. He's our starting Zebra but he can come in at X a little bit as far as some spot duty."

Cornerback Elbert Mack, who suffered an ankle sprain on the practice field on Thursday, was held out on Friday and is also considered questionable for Sunday's game. Cornerback Aqib Talib (ankle) and guard Jeremy Zuttah (shoulder) practiced without limitations on Friday and are probable for the game."

The Packers have already ruled four players out of Sunday's game: linebacker Brandon Chillar (hand), tight end Jermichael Finley (knee), wide receiver Jordy Nelson (knee) and center/guard Jason Spitz (back). Of those four, only Spitz is listed as a starter on the Packers' depth chart, at center, but all have played extensively. Chillar is the team's third-leading tackler, while Finley and Nelson have combined for 24 catches and two touchdowns.

Probably the two most significant entries on the Packers' 12-player injury report are quarterback Aaron Rodgers (feet) and tackle Chad Clifton (ankle). Clifton's injury, suffered earlier in the season and then aggravated in October, has sidelined him for roughly half the season and clearly affected the team's pass-protection. However, Clifton is probable for Sunday's game and almost certain to return to his left tackle position.

That's good news for Rodgers, who has absorbed 31 sacks already, just three fewer than he took in 16 games last year, and finished the last game with injuries to both of his feet. He, too, is probable and expected to play. Two other notable Packer starters, cornerback Charles Woodson (hip) and wide receiver Donald Driver (neck) are also listed as probable on Friday's report.

The only players in that could-go-either-way "questionable" arena are a pair of reserves: wide receiver Jake Allen (quad) and guard/tackle T.J. Lang (oblique). Neither was on the report to start the week; both were added on Friday after being limited in practice.