Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Close, But No Cigar For Wild Card Berth

Let’s start off by saying that one Raheem Morris deserves serious consideration for Coach of the Year and a contract extension.

Morris’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from a bottom of the barrel team a year ago with little expectations entering the 2010 season to a team just missing out on the playoffs.

Morris coached a young and inexperienced team in the process of rebuilding to a 10-6 record in arguably the toughest division of the year. If you predicted it in the preseason, people would have tilted their heads at you and called you crazy.

The team came out of nowhere. Who would think a team with an injury-prone running back in Cadillac Williams, a fist-flying rookie running back in LeGarrette Blount, a second-year quarterback in Josh Freeman and two rookie wide receivers in Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn would be able to lead a team to a 10-6 record? It’s almost unheard of.

Yet led by Morris’ motivation and Josh Freeman’s never-say-die attitude, these “Young Bucs” got the job done week in and week out. With Freeman behind center, this team never thought they were actually out of a game. Even when they were down 13 in Atlanta in Week 9, they never thought they were out of it. They returned a kickoff for a touchdown with 30 seconds left.

No matter what, the team kept fighting.

That is what this season was all about for these Bucs.

To keep fighting.

They were constantly fighting off doubters throughout the season. Each week analysts said the Bucs would fall apart.

Yet they never did.

Why?

Josh Freeman and Raheem Morris.

This is a young coaching-quarterback combination that appears to have true lasting potential in this coaching carousel league we call the NFL.

Despite injuries at the end of the season to defensive players, the Bucs defense continued to hold on and play strong. Yes, the team cost themselves a playoff berth when they slipped up in a home overtime loss to the Detroit Lions. However, they should not hang their heads. They should hold their chins high and look forward to next season when they should make another run at the NFC South division title.

A 10-win season is extremely impressive.

Josh Freeman’s relentless surge in crunch time was remarkable as he has become the new “comeback kid” in the NFL, resembling Ben Roethlisberger. He finished his fantastic sophomore season with a 95.9 quarterback rating, with 3,451 yards, 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Freeman has revealed to the world that he is truly a winner and will be a driving force to be reckoned with in Tampa Bay for years to come.

LeGarrette Blount rushed for 1,007 yards and six touchdowns despite only playing significantly in 10 games. His signature hurdle has become a highlight just about each and every week now.

Mike Williams scored a whopping 11 touchdowns while catching 65 passes for 964 yards in his first season.

This young team is going to make waves next year in the NFC. The rest of the conference better take note before it’s too late. This group is going to be fighting for years to come. They may have missed the playoffs, but nobody can take away how successful this season was for these upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers.