Well it’s been awhile and I would personally like to thank Sky for allowing me to return after a much needed break. Before you ask, I was not banished from the island of Razzball. Like a bad episode of Survivor, I was on vacation and a much needed vacation at that. Speaking of Survivor, I just joined an interesting fantasy football league that is a draft only, best ball format, but the team with the lowest points each week gets removed until there is only one left. I’ve seen lots of interesting formats but that one is above and beyond cool, looking forward to it although I will probably be out week 1, being an outcast sucks….but well enough of that, I’m writing today to bring you a perspective of a very different quarterback then that of rising star Tannehill whom I spoke of in my last post which you can find here with my Ryan Tannehill Dynasty diatribe. That player we are talking about somewhat in the hot seat is quarterback Josh Freeman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Freeman in the hot seat?! Let’s trudge on into the ether that is the second paragraph to find out…
Josh is a quarterback who was 13th overall in points in standard scoring leagues at his position in 2012…how is he a risky proposition you ask? I completely understand that reaction and although Freeman has shown flashes of greatness he has been incredibly inconsistent, most of the time when it counts the most. Mainly towards the end of the season…yes your fantasy football playoffs and championships! In the last 5 weeks of the the 2011 season, Freeman was only able muster 215 yards 1 touchdown and 1.4 interceptions per game and in 2012 the same thing: 268 yards 1 touchdown and 1.7 interceptions per game in his last 5 games. Not exactly what you want from your fantasy quarterback and more importantly not what a team wants for their team to be competitive in a very strong NFC South division. Freeman will be entering his 5th NFL season this year and will be turning 26 in January. The 2013 season is an important one for Freeman who will be playing out the last year of his current NFL contract, so in some aspects it’s a make or break. This could be great for fantasy football short term and he might be a decent option late in re-draft as a 2nd quarterback but what is more concerning for me is if he drops off at key moments as he has in the past two years. If so, he could be testing the free agent market sooner rather than later. Tampa Bay under head coach Greg Schiano has built a very impressive offense to include former Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson, young standout wide receiver Mike Williams, rookie superstar running back Doug Martin and have now acquired former Green Bay Packer tight end Tom Crabtree in free agency. This is an explosive offense in a conference where lots of points are scored so I would be interested to see what they would be capable of with a better option than Freeman at quarterback.
In the year’s NFL Draft, the Buccaneers made an interesting and telling selection with their 3rd round pick. With lots of other talent on the board they decided to go with North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon who – at 6’ 7” 225 – towers over all other rookie quarterbacks. He has a huge arm and is surprisingly athletic for his build. Of all the prospects in this quarterback class, Glennon probably has the most intangibles physically as a passer but is considered a developmental talent that struggles under pressure and is easily flustered in the pocket. Glennon isn’t a quarterback who is going to come in and start immediately but he does have huge upside to possibly become the next down field passing threat in the NFC South, joining Drew Brees and Matt Ryan for weekly shoot-outs. Of course this is all speculation and Freeman could keep his job, cementing Glennon on the bench for the next few years. But if you want a late round guy in rookie and start up dynasty drafts the rookie quarterback from the Bucs, Glennon is your guy especially if you are a Josh Freeman owner in deeper leagues.
