The Buccaneers wanted to bring 1st round pick (#17 overall) QB Josh Freeman (out of Kansas State) along slow last season but they couldn’t.  With Byron Leftwich hurting and Josh Johnson failing the Bucs just threw Freeman into the fire.  He played in 10 games for the Buccaneers last season and he completed 159 of 291 passes (54.6%) for 1,857 yards with 10 TD passes and 18 INTs (59.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 30 times for 161 yards (5.4 ypc) last season for the Bucs.  If Freeman takes better care of the football he could turn into a really good QB for the Bucs because he has great arm strength and he is a great runner.  The 2nd best pick of the Bucs’ last draft wasn’t until the 7th round (#233 overall) when they selected WR/KR/PR Sammie Stroughter.  He played in 13 games for the Bucs before his season ending with a injury and he caught 31 passes for 334 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Stroughter also returned 11 kickoffs for 324 yards (29.5 avg) with a 97-yard TD return.  He also returned 12 punts for 119 yards (9.9 avg) and he made 2 tackles on special teams.  He is a solid all-around football player for the Bucs and he has a bright future for them.  DT Roy Miller was taken in the third round (#81 overall) out of Texas.  He played in 15 games for the Buccaneers last season and he made 33 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks and he defensed 1 pass.  Miller could develop into a starter down the line for the Bucs.  DE Kyle Moore was picked in the 4th round (#117 overall) out of USC and he played in 8 games in which he made 10 tackles and he defensed 1 pass.  OT Xavier Fulton out of Illinois (5th round, #155 overall) spent his rookie season on I.R.  CB E.J. Biggers (7th round, #217 overall) out of Western Michigan did not get on the field as a rookie last year.

GRADE FOR 2009:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  B

Rookie 7th round pick Sammie Stroughter will replace the injured Clifton Smith returning punts and kick-offs.  Stroughter has returned 11 kickoffs for 324 yards (29.5 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 8 punts for 45 yards (5.6 avg).  Stroughter is also making a mark on offense for the Buccaneers this season as he has caught 27 passes for 288 yards (10.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Stroughter was a outstanding pick by the Bucs last April and he should be able to do a decent job filling in for Clifton Smith.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to start rookie first round pick Josh Freeman at QB starting with the November 8th matchup in Tampa against the Green Bay Packers.  I’m not so sure that is a good team to break him in against as they have two great corners in Charles Woodson and Al Harris.  Freeman got into the game in England against the Patriots late to get his first taste of real NFL action.  He completed 2 of 4 passes for 16 yards (60.4 QB Rating) but he also got sacked two times.  Freeman rushed for 5 yards on 1 carry in that game too.  23-year old Josh Johnson will return to the bench for the Bucs as he had a rough time as the starter.  He has played in 6 games for the Bucs this season and he completed 63 of 125 passes (50.4%) for 685 yards with 4 TD passes and 8 INTs (50.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 22 times for 148 yards (6.7 ypc) so far this season.  Johnson will likely be the #2 QB behind Freeman with Byron Leftwich still being #3.  Leftwich has played in 3 games this season and he has completed 58 of 107 passes (54.2%) for 594 yards with 4 TD passes and 3 interceptions (71.2 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 6 times for 6 yards (1.0 ypc) this season.  Hopefully the offensive line will protect Josh Freeman well enough to give him a chance for success the rest of the year.  The Buccaneers made a good decision to play Freeman as this is a lost season anyway.  Might as well see what the rookie can do.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded up two spots with the Cleveland Browns costing them a 6th round pick (#191 overall) for the right to select QB Josh Freeman.  It was surprising to me that the Bucs selected a QB when they had so many other needs.  Freeman is a little raw and will likely take time before he’s ready to start in the NFL despite Coach Morris saying that he will compete with Byron Leftwich and Luke McCown for the starting job.  Freeman is a good athlete standing at 6′6″, 240 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40.  There’s no doubting that Freeman has a big time arm but he often throws the ball where he shouldn’t.  Freeman played in 35 games (32 starts) in his 3 years at Kansas State and he completed 680 of 1,151 passes (59.1%) for 8,078 yards with 44 TD passes and 34 interceptions.  Unless Freeman turns out to be a franchise QB (doubtful) then the Buccaneers should have picked someone else in the first round.

1st round pick (CB) Aqib Talib could move into the starting lineup as a sophomore.  Talib played in 15 games (2 starts) for the Buccaneers last season and he made 23 tackles, defensed 9 passes and had 4 interceptions.  He could wind up being a impact player down the road for the Bucs.  WR Dexter Jackson was a complete bust for the Bucs in 2008.  He played in 7 games (0 starts) for the Bucs last season and he didn’t make any catches.  He returned 14 kickoffs for 327 yards (23.4 avg) and 20 punts for 97 yards (4.9 avg) before being replaced in both roles.  Offensive guard (3rd round) Jeremy Zuttah played in 12 games (5 starts) as a rookie for the Bucs.  He could develop into a starter in the near future for the Bucs.  DT Dre Moore (4th rounder) spent his rookie season on the practice squad.  5th rounder (QB) Josh Johnson was drafted as a project for the future.  He didn’t make it to the field in 2008 for the Bucs.  Outside linebacker (6th rounder) Geno Hayes played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Bucs last season and he made 13 tackles and defensed a pass.  Running back Cory Boyd (7th rounder) played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Broncos last season.

GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  D+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C