Every time a team uses one of its draft picks on a quarterback, it puts pressure on the previous starter. There’s no doubt that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will use Josh Freeman as their starter next season, with Mike Glennon watching from the side. There’s also no doubt that the men in charge are crossing their fingers Freeman proves them right.

Freeman threw for a career high 4065 yards and 27 touchdowns, but he was also intercepted 17 times and completed only 54.8% of his passes. He had a rocket of a start as the Bucs stormed to a 6-4 record, but he also had a three game stretch with 10 interceptions, as the talented receiving crew he had in front of him wasn’t enough to make up for his inconsistency.

With Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams to throw to, Freeman has one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league. Doug Martin had a huge rookie year with 1454 yards, and barring any injuries, should provide the same kind of backup for Freeman once again.

The Bucs didn’t draft Glennon for no reason. Freeman is a risk, and a bad season, or a disappointing one from him, which probably means being quite far away from the postseason picture once again, will mean that the team is going in a different direction. It also means that Greg Schiano and Mark Dominik might start thinking about looking for another job, as this very expensive project in Tampa Bay, which includes a lot of their own draft picks (8 of Tampa Bay’s 22 projected starters this year will have come through the draft) does have an expiration date.

Freeman works out in his fifth season? The Bucs give him a massive extension, while Glennon continues to develop as his backup. Another sub .500 season means a lot of people not holding on to their jobs, and Freeman probably becoming a quarterback for another team.

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