Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik Says He Still Has Confidence In QB Josh Freeman

They are in no hurry to re-sign him and have no intentions of scrapping their plans to bring in someone this offseason who could eventually replace him but don't let that fool you. Though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven't shown Josh Freeman a whole lot of love this winter, they still think he's the quarterback they need to become the consistent Super Bowl contender they want to be. "If you look at what Josh did over a 16-week season and take it all in you realize there are areas you are very excited about and things he did this year that were as good as he's been,'' Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said. "Some of the big plays he made and the way he used his feet; the way he moved around the pocket, which he did very well this year – that's why you're excited and why he set some of those franchise records.'' Freeman became the first quarterback in Bucs history to throw for 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns this year, but he struggled down the stretch, throwing eight interceptions in two key losses, sparking a minor quarterback controversy. The controversy quickly grew into the Bucs biggest offseason issue when coach Greg Schiano announced his intention to bring in a competitor for Freeman's job and Dominik followed up last week by expressing little desire to re-sign Freeman before his contract expires in 2014. The Bucs aren't altering any of those plans, but with his post-season analysis of Freeman's fourth season now complete, Dominik says he's as confident as ever in Freeman's ability to lead the Bucs. "Obviously Josh wants to have a higher completion percentage,'' Dominik said. "We all do. "But at the same time, you look at his (7.3) yards per attempt and his two starting receivers' yards per catch (Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams ranked first and eighth respectively with 19.2 and 15.8 marks) and those are significant numbers. "So that is very exciting to me, and to think that we can continue to build the offense and work on the defense now knowing that your quarterback is there, that your running back is there and that you've got two of your receivers, that's encouraging.'' Source: Tampa Tribune