As the Buccaneers prepare for what could be a make-or-break season for quarterback Josh Freeman, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy would like to see folks take a break from bashing the 2009 first-round pick.
“I think the reason I’m so sensitive about [the Freeman bashing] is because I got it for two years,” McCoy told reporters on Tuesday, via JoeBucsFan.com. “They talked bad about me for two years. So, it’s like, I don’t take to well to it when they talk about my teammates.
“He had a real good year. People give him so much scrutiny. I’m like, ‘Man, you all got to relax. Like, calm down, man.’ They just, I think he gets treated unfairly a lot. Like I said, to me, it’s a sensitive area because, you know, I got it for two years. Actually still get it.”
McCoy never got it as bad as Freeman. Most recently, Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton teed off on Freeman, explaining that the fifth-year player has had plenty of chances to show that he can play, and that Freeman has so far failed.
“He just plays God awful. And that’s who you are, right?” Tarkenton told WDAE radio on Tuesday morning, via JoeBucsFan.com. “Josh Freeman has proven to me that he can’t play.”
Tarkenton thinks the Bucs are giving rookie Mike Glennon a chance to take the job from Freeman, who has yet to perform at a high level on a consistent basis.