ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The Buccaneers aren’t too happy with a comment made by Fox television analyst Tim Ryan, who said he was told rookie quarterback Josh Freeman isn’t ready from the neck up.

"Tim Ryan didn't get that from me, so I'll just comment on how I feel about Josh Freeman,’’ coach Raheem Morris told the Tampa Bay media Wednesday. “Josh Freeman's development is really going well. Josh Johnson, however, has been here for a year. He's been through the six o'clock meetings in the morning, class for a year, he's known Greg Olson for a year, he's been through these protections for a year, calling the protections, being on the same page with the center, which we had some issues with this week in the game, but not the fault of a young quarterback, the fault of all of them. And Freeman's going through that process. So I wouldn't necessarily say he's having a problem from the neck up, because everything that Josh Johnson's doing, Freeman's doing. He's going through the process of being the wingman, so to speak. He's sitting there and learning from Josh and he's also learning from Byron (Leftwich)."

Not sure exactly what Ryan heard, but I’m thinking there’s a very good chance both he and the Bucs could be right on this one. No one I’ve talked to with the Bucs says Freeman is ready, but they also are not saying they’re disappointed with his development.

Fact is, from the day Freeman was drafted, the Bucs said they didn’t want to play Freeman right away. This guy is not Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco or Mark Sanchez. He came out of college a year early and no one expected him to come right in and grasp everything.

His time will come and I continue to think it’s coming pretty soon -- like after the Bucs return from their upcoming London trip and go through their bye week.