Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Sizing Up the Quarterbacks

(Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)

There's still a quarterback battle raging at One Buccaneer Place. With a new dawn and direction manifesting in Tampa Bay, it's no surprise that the Buccaneers are still experimenting and weighing their options in regards to the most important man on the field.

Raheem Morris' staff must eventually choose from the fairly experienced and gifted Luke McCown, the veteran Byron Leftwich, and newbie Josh Freeman.

Luke McCown

Most believe McCown is headed for the starting role. At 6'3", 212 lbs., McCown is known for being a true athlete and a great passer. He has the ability to find the open receiver and avoid sacks, and wouldn't have trouble running an offense. His best NFL year to date was in 2007 when he started three games, played in five, threw for just over 1,000 yards, and scored five touchdowns and three interceptions with a 91.7 passer rating.

However, McCown's sample size is so small, there's no guarantee that he will be clutch throughout the season. His career quarterback rating is 75.2: Raheem Morris and the staff should probably look to this number for a more accurate depiction of his future.

Byron Leftwich

Leftwich is a hearty 6'5" and 250 lbs. He has a strong arm, career experience, and ample leadership experience as well. He's a bit slow out of the pocket, though. In mini camp, McCown showed the coaching staff that he is faster and more dynamic.

Leftwich has 54 touchdowns and 34 interceptions thrown in his career.

Josh Freeman

Freeman is mighty similar to Leftwich at 6'6" and 250 lbs. This is what makes Leftwich seem even less desirable.

According to the coaching staff, Freeman has loads of potential. The problem is his lack of NFL experience and a tendency to force balls. Supporters of Freeman as starter fear that his lack of experienced has already stymied the young QB.

PewterReport.com, who has been watching the quarterback battle, has said that they believe McCown has simply made the best decisions out of the three.

We will learn more about the fate of the QB conflict in the coming weeks as Morris' staff make their decisions.

Please see my poll in the body of the article. -Jessica

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