The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Are Josh Freeman’s Team, And He’s Glad to Have Mike Glennon Around

Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The internet and television media have been filling the void of news this offseason with every rumor and quote they can get their hands on, and a recent quote from Greg Schiano about the competition at the quarterback position set off a flurry of speculation about the possibility of Mike Glennon starting for the Buccaneers in 2013.

I gave my thoughts on the situation here. Our staff writer, Garrett, gave his thoughts here. But now we have the thoughts of Greg Schiano and Josh Freeman.

Schiano told the media on Monday that this team is Josh Freeman’s team, and that he is the starting quarterback. The NFL Network reported that the Bucs’ head coach told assembled reporters he has a good relationship with Freeman, despite many reports to the contrary. This is all PR driven coachspeak, to be clear, but Schiano had the opportunity to further the notion that Glennon was his favored quarterback, but instead chose to defend the signal caller that has led the Buccaneers for the past few seasons. There is a difference between competition and open competition, and it’s apparent that while the QB job is open for competition, there is no opening at starting quarterback.

The Buccaneers’ official website got the chance to speak to Josh himself, and he was very confident of where he stands on the team. When he was asked if this was still his team, he told the team’s reporters “No question.” Freeman also had the following to say:

"“That’s the way it works on any team, honestly. You want to have the best, most talented team you can possibly have.  They feel like, and it’s obviously true, that Mike is a very talented player.  You want the best possible option behind you.  I feel like Dan [Orlovsky] is obviously a great player.  They obviously wanted to grab a younger guy and Mike’s a perfect fit.  You look at it – if it’s down the road and we’re making a run and something happens to me, you want a guy who can come in and keep it going, win some games while you’re sitting out.“It will be fine.  We’re both competitors. We’re both going to work as hard as we can, trying to get more wins on the Buccaneers’ side.”"

So let’s make it clear, once and for all. Josh Freeman is the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, and he’s going to have to be hurt, or turn into Mark Sanchez to lose his job. So keep calm, Buc Nation, because Josh Freeman is still at the helm of the Buccaneers’ offense. And that’s not changing anytime soon. Mike Glennon is a worthy backup, and a Josh said, he’ll be able to step in if anything happens to Josh. But the Bucs’ best chance of winning is with number 5 taking snaps and running the offense.