Things are going from bad to worse in Tampa Bay. First the Buccaneers lose in heartbreak fashion to the New York Jets in Week 1. Now there is drama between Greg Schiano and Josh Freeman that could divide the locker room. The quarterback was not voted team caption, leading to the two throwing darts at one another in the media.
In a surprise move, Freeman was not voted a team caption prior to the season starting. Being a franchise quarterback, it is to be expected that Freeman would be a captain. After the vote as announced, some accused Schiano of tampering with the votes. Then Freeman opted to skip the team photo and things have just exploded from there.
Schiano went on the defense about the captain vote, noting the players were the ones to decide, not him. However he is not hiding his disappointment over the quarterback being absent from the photo, claiming he has been constantly late to things.
"Any time that as a coach you're trying to instill winning habits in your entire football team, in your organization, really. The way we cook the food, the way we practice, the way we clean the building. We want everything to be an elite level," Schiano said, via ProFootballTalk.com. "So when you have mishaps, you have things where guys don't do things they're supposed to do when they're supposed to do it, does it concern me? Sure it does."
Schiano notes that he dealt with the Freeman situation internally. Freeman claims he missed the team photo because he overslept, not because he was angry at the team about not being named a captain. While he was not happy to hear Schiano claim he was constantly late for things, he insists all if fine between he and the head coach.
"I think Vincent Jackson deserves every bit of the captain spot," Freeman said. "I feel like the talk about me not being a captain kind of takes away from the honor of those guys being captains. Do I want to be captain? Yeah, sure. But it's not something that's going to make or break anyone."
Freeman's situation with the team has been rocky since the offseason when the Buccaneers opted to draft rookie Mike Glennon and not offer the veteran a contract extension. Now in a crucial contract year, Freeman must step up if he wants to remain in Tampa Bay. Starting the season off completing 15-of-31 passes is not the best way to kick off the year.
The Buccaneers appear about ready to exit the Freeman train. If the quarterback continues the poor play, Glennon could see the field sooner rather than later.