At Numero Siete we have another great young QB, and our final NFLer on the list. For all the nice things I wrote about Sam Bradford, I can write even more kind words about this young man and what he has already accomplished in Tampa Bay.
Josh Freeman did not take the Heisman Trophy finalist path to the NFL. He was not the high-profile quarterback that everyone is clamoring over to draft when he was coming out of Kansas State University. He was, however, a highly touted recruit coming out of high school in Missouri. As a senior he was rated by Rivals.com as the #92 national prospect and #1 in his home state. Among quarterbacks he was #9. Originally committed to Nebraska, Freeman was convinced to play for the Wildcats at the last minute.
At Kansas State he put up terrific numbers, but was never really in the national spotlight, due mostly to the team's performance. As a freshman he set school records for passing yards and also owns the career mark. He is one of two KSU QBs to score 60 total touchdowns - 44 through the air. His passer rating at KSU was over 100 each year, and his career rating was a robust 124.73
Despite the team's lack of accomplishments, it is easy to see why some NFL organizations were eager to get a closer look at Freeman during workouts and the combine. Freeman and his 6'6" frame with tremendous physical abilities shot up draft boards in the weeks leading up to the draft. Some casual fans weren't sure about him, and even some analysts thought it might be a reach to expect him to be your franchise quarterback. The Bucs, however, were not swayed and moved up two spots to #17 to select Freeman in the first round of the 2009 draft.
Freeman made his debut in November, 2009 and became the youngest QB in franchise history to win his first ever NFL game. A few weeks later he would lead the hapless Bucs over eventual Super Bowl Champion Saints in a huge upset.
By the time 2010 rolled around, there were actually some expectations on Freeman. He surpassed those expectations and some in 2010 putting up some gaudy numbers by any standard, and leading Tampa Bay to a near playoff berth when most experts didn't give them a shot. Able to stretch the pocket and make plays with his feet as well as his arm has Freeman looking like the prototypical NFL QB of the future. He threw for 25 touchdowns to go with only 6 picks. He ranked tied for 10th in touchdown passes with Joe Flacco, and ahead of Matt Schaub, Jay Cutler and Mike Vick. His passer rating of 95.9 was good for 6th in the league and ahead of names like Flacco, Cassel, Schaub, Manning (PEYTON!), Ryan and Brees! Only Brady and Roethlisberger threw less picks, and Big Ben played 4 less games. He also completed over 60 percent of his passes on the season, which put him in the upper echelon of QBs in that regard.
Needless to say, 2010 was a very good season for the young Freeman. The alternate spot on the Pro-Bowl squad he earned was more than deserved. The big step going forward for Tampa Bay and Josh Freeman will be making sure that he doesn't regress into a flash in the pan. 2011 (if there is one) will not be a season of Freeman sneaking up on opponents. The game plan will be in place to stop him and he will need to adjust. Tampa Bay fans are certainly hoping that he will - and they're even more hopeful that the next season will bring a playoff appearance, and maybe even a deep run. They have what surely looks like their franchise QB in place, and at just 23 years old he should be plenty productive for the foreseeable future.
