TAMPA — Rookie quarterback Josh Freeman wiped the sweat off his forehead, took a deep breath and answered another question about taking over the offense of the only team yet to win a game in the NFL.
Ready or not, the 17th pick in this year’s draft will make his first start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, facing the Green Bay Packers (4-3) on a day the Bucs (0-7) will reflect on the past while looking to the future.
Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon will become the first inductee into the Ring of Honor at Raymond James Stadium, and the Bucs will don throwback creamsicle uniforms and helmets that are an ugly reminder of the franchise’s winless inaugural season in 1976.
The 1979 Bucs, who reached the NFC championship game, will be recognized, too. But the main attraction will be Freeman, the third quarterback selected in the draft behind Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez.
“The good thing about him is there’s no pressure on him. He can go out and relax because of where we are right now,” said Doug Williams, quarterback of the ‘79 Bucs and currently the team’s director of pro personnel.
“I told him I wish I would have had an opportunity to be in his position, where you didn’t have to go out there and put the team on your back from the start. He’s got to let the other guys make plays for him.”
Conventional wisdom says young quarterbacks benefit more by being given time to develop as backups, much like the Packers groomed Aaron Rodgers while the fifth-year pro sat behind Brett Favre.
The Bucs drafted Freeman, hoping he would not have to play as a rookie. Veteran Byron Leftwich led the team for three weeks before second-year pro Josh Johnson was given the first four starts of his career.
At 0-7, and riding an 11-game losing streak that’s the longest in the NFL, rookie coach Raheem Morris and first-year general manager Mark Dominik decided it’s time to see what the 6-foot-6, 248-pound Freeman can do.
The 21-year-old out of Kansas State doesn’t see himself as a savior. However, he is well aware of the expectations that come with being the new face of the franchise.
“Obviously that’s been brought up to me. A lot of people have said things,” Freeman said. “But that’s not all that heavy on my mind. ... I think the pressure I put on myself kind of outweighs that.”
Rodgers, in his second season as Green Bay’s starter, is the NFL’s top-rated passer through seven games. He has no problem with the way the Packers brought him along as a first-round draft pick.
“I think there’s merit to waiting and learning, and also merit to being on the field and taking your bumps and bruises, and learning and improving and getting experience that way,” Rodgers said.
“Personally I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Although you think you’re ready to play in Year 1, you look back for me, and the lights kind of came on in Year 3. That’s when I really felt like I was ready to play at the level that I would have wanted to play at.”
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