On Wednesday, Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano made the inevitable-yet-stunning decision to change quarterbacks, benching Josh Freeman and inserting rookie Mike Glennon.
On Thursday, Schiano didn’t want to talk about the decision again.
“Yesterday I spent like the entire time on Josh [Freeman] and Mike [Glennon] and the quarterback change. Today I’m gonna stick to Arizona, Bucs. Josh practiced today, [he] did his job. And [I’ll] leave it at that,” Schiano said. (Thanks to JoeBucsFan.com for the head’s up.)
But some stories last more than a day, and the question Schiano refused to answer -- regarding Freeman’s new role and what Schiano said to him about the change -- is a legitimate one.
While Schiano has no obligation by league rule to answer the question, he’s entitled to be criticized for refusing to talk about the one thing everyone in Tampa is talking about.
It’s a big deal for the franchise, and the media is entitled to pose far tougher questions than “What did you say to Josh?” For example, are you giving up on the 2013 season by going with the rookie? Have any veterans or team captains complained to you about the move? Did you bench Freeman now to ensure he didn’t win on Sunday and essentially prevent a bye-week benching? Are you trying to save your job for 2014 by getting enough production from Glennon by late December to create plausible hope for 2014?
Was Carson Palmer pursued in the offseason, as Palmer claims? Why wasn’t Freeman traded in the offseason? Will he be traded now? Cut?
Schiano likely would have found a way not to answer those questions. But even Col. Nathan Jessup eventually cracked.
In this specific case, there’s a lot of truth to still be discovered. For now, Schiano has done a great job of keeping anyone from pursuing it. And if no one ever pushes it, he’ll never be at risk of making an admission along the lines of ordering the Code Red.