Bucs notch first win of 2009 campaign

I've expressed my lack of confidence in first round pick Josh Freeman. I said that I just did not see what the coaching staff sees in him.

Now I'm beginning to see.

This was the second game of the season where I thought the Bucs had a decent chance to win (Carolina at RayJay was the other). Freeman completed only 14 of 31 passes, but at the same time demonstrated a good number of the things one wants to see from an NFL quarterback. Poise in the pocket. A strong arm. Accuracy when throwing on the run. An ability to throw TD passes.

Yes, Freeman made some rookie mistakes. He was intercepted after slipping and ended up throwing flat-footed. He slid down too early on a third-down scramble and came up a yard short of the first down. He took a sack he could have avoided by throwing the ball away.

On the whole, however, I was very pleased with his game. He played winning football, and his performance hinted that he can do much better with experience.

The win made sweet irony of the orange throwback uniforms donned by the Bucs for this game--possibly the losingest uniforms in professional sports history as measured by win percentage.

I eagerly look forward to seeing my assessment of the Buccaneer quarterback situation turn out as one of my worse written analyses ever.

*****

When the Packers faced third and long late in the fourth quarter after falling behind, I exclaimed something along the lines of "I'd like to see the Bucs intercept and take it in for a touchdown." Safety Tanard Jackson promptly obliged by taking an intercepted pass in for a touchdown.

Amazing prediction on my part? Certainly not. I merely expressed a wish. But having that type of wish granted makes for a better game experience.