ESPN NFL

TAMPA, Fla. -- Greg Schiano isn’t a good dancer, so someone please stop the music.

The coach of the 0-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a good chunk of his Monday doing his best not to directly answer questions about the status of former starting quarterback Josh Freeman.

"I’m not going to be naïve," Schiano said. "There are a lot of factors involved. This is not high school football. It’s professional football. There are salaries and there are contracts and there are those things involved. What I do is I focus on the things that are going to help us win games."

What’s going on around One Buccaneer Place is a soap opera, and it has more of a high school than professional feel. Schiano and Freeman are involved in a standoff that needs to end now because it’s not doing the rest of the team any good.

The Bucs have plenty of other problems to work on as they go through a bye week. They need the couple that already has divorced internally to go ahead and officially separate.

No matter which side you came down on in the original benching of Freeman, it’s pretty clear he can’t be around this team anymore. Intentionally or not, he has become a distraction and the situation has become a circus.

The latest example came Monday afternoon when the locker room was open to the media. Mike Glennon and Dan Orlovsky, the team’s other two quarterbacks, appeared to come out of a meeting. Each of them went to their locker, grabbed some things and left.

A few minutes later, a team employee was seen gathering up a few items at Freeman’s locker. The employee walked into a hallway by the equipment room and handed the stuff to Freeman, who never entered the locker room.

If there’s any logic in the building, Freeman should never enter the locker room again. In an exclusive interview with ESPN last week, Freeman said he would like to be traded.

So trade the guy -- if you can. Minnesota and Tennessee look desperate for quarterback help, but are they desperate enough to take a shot on Freeman after watching what has happened the past few weeks? Is anybody going to get more desperate in the days before the Oct. 29 trade deadline?

Maybe and maybe not. If the Bucs want to wait to see if someone pushes the panic button and gives them a draft pick for Freeman, they should do what former coach Jon Gruden did to former receiver Keyshawn Johnson back in the day. They should send Freeman home, pay him to stay away and keep his rights.

Or there’s another option. The Bucs could go ahead and just release Freeman now. It would mean giving up on a former first-round draft pick and that never looks good.

But the Bucs already have given up on Freeman and the whole thing has been ugly. There’s no sense dragging this out any longer.

The Bucs need to stop the music.

TAMPA, Fla. -- After announcing that rookie Mike Glennon will start at quarterback Sunday, Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano said that Josh Freeman will take over the No. 2 role.

I’m not sure that’s really a good idea. For all intents and purposes, Freeman’s time in Tampa Bay is over. If they can find a taker, the Bucs gladly will trade Freeman for just about anything. No deal has happened yet and that’s why I think it would make more sense to make veteran Dan Orlovsky the No. 2 quarterback for the moment.

If Glennon gets injured, Orlovsky can take over. That makes more sense than handing things back to Freeman. The danger there is that Freeman could get hurt.

If Freeman gets injured, his trade value becomes zero.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Wednesday morning’s news that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to start rookie quarterback Mike Glennon on Sunday against Arizona effectively means Josh Freeman’s tenure is over.

You don’t make a move like that on a temporary basis. You make a move like that only when you’ve firmly decided that a guy who once looked like the franchise quarterback isn’t the answer. Glennon is coach Greg Schiano’s guy and Freeman is not.

The only way Freeman gets his job back is if Glennon gets hurt. Even then, the Bucs might turn to Dan Orlovsky over Freeman, who has been dismal in the first three games. This situation has been simmering for some time and it has become increasingly obvious that Schiano and Freeman aren’t on the same page.

You can choose which side to blame for this disastrous result. I put it more on the coach for trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, instead of letting Freeman play his game. But I think Freeman also deserves some of the blame because his play was so bad.

Freeman’s contract is up at the end of this season and there’s no way he’ll get a new deal in Tampa. The best thing the Bucs can do right now is try to trade Freeman for a draft pick. The Bucs would be doing themselves and Freeman a favor.

It’s the only way to get anything to show for what should have been a franchise quarterback.

After making their cuts Saturday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a roster that looks a lot like what I projected Friday.

I hit on 51 of 53 roster spots. Defensive tackle Gary Gibson and offensive lineman Cody Wallace were the two guys I had making the team who didn’t make the final cut. I didn’t have tight end Tim Wright and safety Keith Tandy making the roster, but they did.

Let’s take a brief overview of the composition of Tampa Bay’s roster:

QB (3): Josh Freeman, Mike Glennon and Dan Orlovsky

Comment: The question is whether Glennon or Orlovsky will be the No. 2 quarterback. My thinking is the Bucs wouldn’t have held onto Orlovsky if he’s going to be No. 3.

RB (5): Doug Martin, Erik Lorig, Brian Leonard, Mike James and Peyton Hillis

Comment: Leonard, James and Hillis all looked good in the preseason. They all can be used to help keep Martin fresh.

WR (5): Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, Kevin Ogletree, Tiquan Underwood and Eric Page

Comment: The first four were pretty much set in stone. Page made the roster mostly because he’s going to be the return man.

TE (4): Luke Stocker, Tom Crabtree, Nate Byham and Tim Wright

Comment: Presumably, the Bucs kept Wright around because they expect Crabtree to miss some time with an ankle injury.

OL (8): Donald Penn, Carl Nicks, Jeremy Zuttah, Davin Joseph, Demar Dotson, Gabe Carimi, Ted Larsen and Jamon Meredith

Comment: By carrying only three backups, the Bucs appear to be optimistic that Nicks won’t miss too much time due to a staph infection.

DL (9): Adrian Clayborn, Da'Quan Bowers, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Trevor Scott, William Gholston, Steven Means, Gerald McCoy, Akeem Spence and Derek Landri

Comment: McCoy, Spence and Landri are the only true defensive tackles. The Bucs must be planning to use at least one of their ends on the inside at times.

LB (6): Lavonte David, Mason Foster, Jonathan Casillas, Dekoda Watson, Najee Goode and Adam Hayward

Comment: The starters have a chance to be one of the league’s best units, and the backups aren’t bad either.

DB (10): Darrelle Revis, Johnthan Banks, Leonard Johnson, Danny Gorrer, Rashaan Melvin, Michael Adams, Dashon Goldson, Mark Barron, Ahmad Black and Keith Tandy

Comment: This should be the most improved area on the team.

Specialists (3): Rian Lindell, Andrew Economos and Michael Koenen.

Comment: Lindell is the third projected kicker the Bucs have had. Connor Barth and Lawrence Tynes both are out with injuries.

Roster cuts don’t have to be made until 6 p.m. Saturday. But let’s have a little fun in the meantime.

Let’s take a look at my best guess as to how the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 53-man roster will shape up:

Quarterbacks (3): Josh Freeman, Mike Glennon and Dan Orlovsky

Analysis: A rough outing by Glennon in the preseason finale might have convinced the Bucs it’s best to keep Orlovsky around.

Running backs and fullbacks (5): Doug Martin, Brian Leonard, Mike James, Peyton Hillis and Erik Lorig

Analysis: Hillis is very much on the bubble. The fact he doesn't play special teams could hurt him. But he also could stick around because he has the size to be a backup for Lorig at fullback and could be a valuable short-yardage rusher.

Tight ends (3): Luke Stocker, Tom Crabtree and Nate Byham

Analysis: The Bucs may have to keep Danny Noble if Crabtree’s ankle injury is going to keep him out for an extended period.

Wide receivers (5): Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, Kevin Ogletree, Tiquan Underwood and Eric Page

Analysis: Page has emerged as the return man and that should earn him the final roster spot.

Offensive line (9): Davin Joseph, Carl Nicks, Donald Penn, Demar Dotson, Jeremy Zuttah, Gabe Carimi, Ted Larsen, Jamon Meredith and Cody Wallace

Analysis: The Bucs could carry an extra lineman if it looks like Nicks will be out for an extended period.

Defensive line (10): Gerald McCoy, Akeem Spence, Adrian Clayborn, Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, Da’Quan Bowers, Gary Gibson, Trevor Scott, William Gholston, Steven Means and Derek Landri

Analysis: The last few spots are very competitive and the Bucs could look to bring in a defensive tackle from the waiver wire.

Linebackers (6): Lavonte David, Mason Foster, Dekoda Watson, Jonathan Casillas, Adam Hayward and Najee Goode

This position is pretty clear-cut unless the Bucs bring in someone off waivers.

Defensive backs (9): Darrelle Revis, Johnthan Banks, Dashon Goldson, Mark Barron, Leonard Johnson, Danny Gorrer, Michael Adams, Rashaan Melvin and Ahmad Black.

Analysis: Melvin is very much on the bubble.

Specialists (3): Michael Koenen, Andrew Economos and Rian Lindell.

Analysis: Kicker Lawrence Tynes still is recovering from a staph infection and could end up on injured reserve.

 
TAMPA, Fla. – Observations on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 30-12 loss to the Washington Redskins at Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night.

What it means: Not all that much, really. I can’t say it strongly enough that preseason games, especially the fourth one, have no meaning. I’ve seen teams go undefeated in the preseason and go on to struggle in the regular season, and I’ve seen teams go from dismal preseasons to great regular seasons. The Bucs finish with a 1-3 preseason record. It doesn’t matter. But still, it would have been nice to see Tampa Bay look like it was in sync for just a few minutes of the preseason. That never happened.

Very Goode: Tampa Bay’s highlight of the night came early in the second quarter when linebacker Najee Goode picked off a Pat White pass and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown.

Very bad: I think the Bucs would have preferred to go into the regular season with only two quarterbacks on the roster. But I no longer think they can afford to do that. After watching rookie Mike Glennon (7-of-16 for 63 yards with an interception and a lost fumble) struggle, I’m thinking the Bucs should keep veteran Dan Orlovsky around as insurance in case anything happens to Josh Freeman.

Not what they needed: Tight end already looked like a potential weak spot, with Luke Stocker and Tom Crabtree expected to share most of the playing time. But this might be more of a problem area than ever. Crabtree had to be carted off the field with an ankle injury midway through the first quarter. If Crabtree is out for a significant period of time, it could mean more work for Nate Byham, or the Bucs may look for a tight end off the waiver wire.

Not so special: Tampa Bay’s special teams haven’t had a great preseason, and the trend continued Thursday night. The Bucs allowed a punt to be returned 69 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Derek Dimke missed an extra-point attempt. And return man Eric Page had what would have been a 105-yard kickoff return nullified by a holding penalty.

What’s next: The Bucs will trim their roster to 53 players by Saturday evening and begin preparing for their Sept. 8 season opener on the road against the New York Jets.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Most of the starters aren’t expected to play in Thursday night’s game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins. But there still are plenty of important decisions that could be impacted by what happens in this game.

Let’s take a look at three things to keep an eye on for the Bucs:

1. The backup running backs. Brian Leonard, Mike James and Peyton Hillis all have looked good in the preseason. They’re all competing to be the top backup to Doug Martin, but I don’t think anyone has pulled away from the pack just yet. This game could be a final opportunity to do that. The Bucs also face a tough decision on if they want to keep three or four running backs. If they go with three, Hillis could be the odd man out.

2. The offensive line. The starters won’t play, but the Bucs still need to set the tone for better pass protection. In the first three preseason games, the Bucs have allowed 12 sacks. Guard Carl Nicks hasn’t played at all in the preseason, and guard Davin Joseph appeared in only one game. You can put some of the blame for the offensive line’s play on the absence of Nicks and Joseph. But, still, the linemen have to do a better job in pass protection.

3. Mike Glennon. The rookie will get the start at quarterback as starter Josh Freeman gets ready for the regular season. Glennon has played extensively this preseason and has shown some good things at times. But he also has completed only 48 percent of his passes. He needs to show he can be more accurate. The Bucs also need to decide if they want to go with just Freeman and Glennon on the roster or if they want to keep veteran Dan Orlovsky around as insurance.

If Josh Freeman’s regular season goes the way the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hope, Thursday night’s exhibition finale against the Washington Redskins could be the last we see of rookie Mike Glennon this year.

Coach Greg Schiano said Glennon is likely to start with Freeman and most of the starters sitting out.

"That's kind of what I've been used to these past couple years (in college), is starting the game, so it will be kind of nice to get back in that way,’’ Glennon said. “I've just got to make the most of my opportunity in there, keep building on what I've learned this preseason and just execute out there. It's the last time for the whole preseason, and I want to make the most of the time I'm out there."

Although most roster spots have been decided and the game is meaningless for many players, it’s important for Glennon. The Bucs have to make a decision on if he’s ready to be the top backup for Freeman or if veteran Dan Orlovsky should remain in that role.

Glennon said he feels like he’s improved as the preseason has gone on.

"Just understanding the defenses more, understanding our offense, the protections and just what we're trying to accomplish on each and every play,’’ Glennon said. “When you're out there in a game situation you understand why the play is called depending on the down and distance and the situation. It's just little subtle things like that that I'm getting more comfortable with, and I'll continue to grow as I get more reps."

But Thursday night’s reps could be the last Glennon gets this season. In a perfect world, Freeman will find the consistency he sometimes has lacked in the past and the Bucs will stick with him all season. But there are no guarantees.

That’s another reason why Glennon’s last audition is important. With a good showing, Glennon could put himself in line to start if Freeman struggles during the regular season.