People doubted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they drafted Josh Freeman in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft with the 17th pick. He had all the physical skills to be a great NFL quarterback but people doubted his ability to be a leader and manage an NFL game. The Tampa Bay coaching staff saw something in him that others did not and that intuition has paid off for them in spades since then. He had his first start against the Green Bay Packers in November of his rookie year. The Buccaneers won the game and it set off an 11 game winning streak that carried in to the next season.
In his second season Tampa Bay went 10-6 and narrowly missed a playoff berth. Things are only looking better as Josh Freeman combines his size, athleticism and newly found leadership skills to hopefully make his team even better this year. One of the most positive things about Freeman is his durability. He was one of the only quarterbacks in the NFL last year to start all 16 games for his team. This kind of continuity will only help Tampa Bay win more games. They do play in a touch division with New Orleans and Atlanta having great teams in the NFC South. But, a wild card berth is not out of the question for this young team with an extremely bright future thanks to the quick development of their young star quarterback. He was a Pro Bowl alternate in his rookie year and it looks like he could be at that caliber for many years to come for the Buccaneers.If you like what you see, keep going: