The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 0-3 with no signs of improvement in sight. Things continued on a downward spiral as the New England Patriots completed a 23-3 victory at home. Naturally quarterback Josh Freeman is getting most of the blame in the struggling start for the team, leaving many fans to wonder if a change at the position would do Tampa Bay any good. With rookie Mike Glennon waiting in the wings, head coach Greg Schiano says a benching is not necessary.
There was a moment in the fourth quarter that Glennon appeared to be taking the field with Freeman getting the boot. The loss was all but guaranteed and the timing seemed right for the rookie to take a few snaps. However, Glennon never got but a few steps onto the turf as the veteran remained in the game. Schiano downplayed any idea that there was about to be a change at quarterback.
Schiano told the Tampa Bay Times after the game that at the time, Freeman was the team's best chance to win the game. So when would he consider exchanging Glennon for Freeman? "Whenever that's your best chance to win."
A 0-3 start could be that moment. For the third straight week, Freeman put up a quarterback rating of less than 70. He completed less than half of his passes and Tampa Bay once again dropped the ball on a number of key plays. The final boxscore was not pretty as the quarterback went 19-of-41 in passing for 236 yards and one interception. It is not pretty, but neither is the rest of team, leaving many to wonder where blame really falls in Tampa Bay.
Doug Martin went on Pro Football Talk last week to note that the players held a meeting that mainly centered around the coaching staff and the teachings of Schiano. A lot has been made about his rigid methods. Darrelle Revis has also spoken out about his distaste for the coaching staff. Schiano is insisting on trust.
"I've been coaching 26 years, and there are gonna be some things you're gonna disagree with, and you gotta trust me because I've been coaching longer than some of you have been alive," Schiano said, via NFL.com. "And then there are some things I gotta trust them on. They're doing it, and if they don't feel they can, then we have to adjust. But that isn't new - Is that new this year? - it's been my whole career, that's how I've operated."
At this point, the downhill is only getting steeper for Tampa Bay. Josh Freeman's confidence is all but gone. The players do not trust the head coach. Greg Schiano continues to sit on the hot seat. At this point, putting Mike Glennon in at quarterback cannot make things any worse.
