Up until recently, Freeman was not unlike Joe Flacco, a middle of the road QB with a lot of physical talent and encouraging/developing upside. Then Flacco won a SB and Freeman saw his career crash thanks in part to Greg Shiano.
Is the following an accurate snapshot of him?
6'6", 250 lb
He's generally been fit as a pro but had poor conditioning early in college. Light came on in latter part of college career.
Top 10 arm. Huge arm and hands. Powerful thrower and can throw it with people draped all over him a la Big Ben. Throws a tight spiral.
Reasonably accurate, but not a precision passer like the elite guys.
Lacks pocket awareness. Takes a lot of sacks. Although, I can't put my finger on how much of his 25+ sacks a year were on him versus his line in TB.
Outside of the pocket, he displays surprising athletic ability. Not a speed demon by any stretch but certainly not Eli like where its painful to watch the guy run. Also seems to throw it well if on the move.
Intangibles: Intelligence? Work ethic? Leadership? Competitiveness? Ability to inspire? I know the Shiano experience was a disaster for Freeman. I don't know how much was his fault nor do I recall his reputation pre-Shiano. Any off the field concerns?
Old (pre draft scouting report) that I found:
GENERAL REPORT
GRADE: 6.94
Body Structure: Freeman has a solid build with long limbs and a well-proportioned, tall frame, looking the part of a classic pocket quarterback. He has a tight waist and thick thighs and calves, but doesn't have much more room for additional growth without an adverse impact on his quickness.
Athletic Ability: Well-built athlete with excellent height and muscle tone for his position. He shows good strength and balance as a runner with the strength to break arm tackles. Has good quarterback skills, but needs to quicken his release. He displays one of the strongest throwing arms in this draft and shows good change-of-direction agility running with the ball or when escaping pressure. He has very good lower-body explosion to run into the second level, and the result from dropping weight (10 pounds) prior to the 2008 season was better footwork driving back from center to his set point and 14 touchdown runs. Takes long strides, shows good savvy setting up the defender when forced to run with the ball and enough scrambling ability to make things happen rolling out of the pocket. Has a strong arm to make throws on the move and has the arm velocity to get the ball deep downfield. He has made improvement in his timing and shows much better field vision than he did in the past. Sets up quickly and shows good mechanics and precision in the intermediate passing game. Can do a better job anticipating receivers coming out of their breaks and had a tendency to be late hitting targets on deep throws. For a player his size, he has decent mobility, but does get his feet crossed at times. GRADE: 8.0
Football Sense: Is a good rhythm passer, but could have used a year or two in a pro-style offense. Not great anticipating breaks on deep routes by his receivers and must do a better job of reading coverage and making checks, as he is prone to throwing into tight areas. There could be questions about his ability to make proper reads and act instinctively. He showed a better grasp for the system as a junior, but needs time before he is comfortable calling his own game. GRADE: 6.0
Character: Comes from a football family and gets good support. He has no known off-field issues and spends a lot of his spare time in the film room. He is a solid leader on the field and players have total confidence in him. He is a hard worker who also takes well to hard coaching. GRADE: 7.1
Competitiveness: Freeman is highly competitive on the field which can also get him into trouble on the field. He plays as if the next snap is his last and even though he was yanked from just one game during his career, his sense of urgency to create something with the ball in his hands could lead to costly interceptions, especially when he tries to fire into tight areas. He will show no hesitation running with the ball but he has coughed up the ball quite a bit when trying to do something on the run (23 fumbles, turning it over 12 times in his three years as a starter). GRADE: 6.6
Work Habits: Freeman has a strong frame and likes being "one of the guys" in the locker room and weight room. He is a good self-starter with solid football bloodlines (father played in the USFL and is a high school coach). He is well-respected, yet assertive in the huddle and a take-charge type in a positive way. He plays through pain and despite poor pass protection, you will not see him get openly frustrated on the field. He throws under duress and plays with good poise and confidence. GRADE: 7.0
But yeah...I'd love to see some competitive fire out of our QBs.
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Agree about his time in Tampa Bay though. And hopefully it was a learning experience for him. He's still a pretty young guy.
I would like to see him resurrect his career. More than likely it won't happen here long term, but this would be a great place for him to get started.
If a guy like Kerry Collins can come back from everything he went through, Josh Freeman certainly can if he chooses to.
Let me be very clear. I have NEVER tested positive for any illegal drugs or related substances. Further, I have agreed to take, and have PASSED 46 NFL-regulated drug tests over the last year and a half.
Since the confidentiality of my medical status has been publicly violated, I am choosing to address this matter so that grossly erroneous assumptions about me do not persist. Like millions of Americans, I have ADHD and I have been prescribed and permitted to take medication to treat this condition for the entirety of my NFL career. Well over a year ago, I took a different medication for the same condition (Ritalin rather than Adderall) , and to assure everyone that the error was a one-time mistake, I agreed to be voluntarily tested in the “NFL Program”. Since that time, I have taken and passed all 46 drug tests I’ve been given, which test for every drug and banned substance imaginable. I agreed to allow such testing to be done at my workplace (team facility) because I spend all of my time there and I have nothing whatsoever to hide or be embarrassed about.
Unfortunately, it appears that some people who may have noticed the testing at my workplace have made hurtful and incorrect assumptions and chosen to disseminate inaccurate and very disturbing information. It is a shame that when times have gotten tough, people have chosen to attack the character of others, rather than supporting each other. I remain dedicated and focused to being the best quarterback I can be and to help a team win a championship.
I think he has a chance to play well, learn to be a better pro and then he could get another shot at QB somewhere. And talent wise, he's better than Painter for sure. In the meantime he upgrades the Giants in terms of talent.
Also lets the Giants trade Nassib if they are inclined to do so.
To me thats pretty laughable. When has this organization ever given up on a draft pick so quickly? They just don't operate that way.
Nassib isn't going anywhere and I don't really understand how people have come to the conclusion that he is or isn't going to be a good QB or that Freeman has anything to do with him being here.
Following the 2008 season, Woodson was re-signed to a future contract on January 12, 2009. He was waived on September 5, 2009.