Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano has reportedly decided to bench quarterback Josh Freeman in favor of rookie Mike Glennon. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Glennon is expected to start against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
The Bucs are off to an 0-3 start, and many of their struggles center around the poor play of Freeman. Through three games, Freeman has thrown just two touchdowns and three interceptions. He has an abysmal passer rating of 59.3, but Schiano had endorsed him as the starter as recently as Monday.
“Josh is our starter,” Schiano said, via ESPN.com. “That’s where we are. He’s done some good things and he’s done some things that we’d like to change and he’d like to change. But it’s the whole offensive unit. We need to be more precise. We need to be coached more precisely.”
Things change quickly in the NFL. Schiano was not with the team when Freeman was drafted. A recent report indicated that Schiano’s relationship with Freeman was “beyond repair” after the head coach sold his quarterback out over a missed team photo. Schiano drafted Glennon, a former North Carolina State star, in the third round of April’s draft. It was only a matter of time before he handed him the reigns.
Tampa Bay has a bye week after facing a Cardinals team that ranks 26th in the NFL against the pass, so Schiano probably felt that now was as good a time as any to make the switch. Look for the team to attempt to trade Freeman now ahead of the deadline, though his value has officially hit rock bottom.
