On the Road, Again
The Josh Freeman I saw in Bucs practice was leaner (down to 237 from 258) and moved confidently in his new offense. The QB was disgusted by his -6 TD-to-INT differential last year. "I won't be as impatient this year," he said.... Coach Greg Schiano has been raving about WR Vincent Jackson's effort and leadership during camp. Jackson showed flashes of speed last Thursday, and it's clear Freeman was looking for him. "Great system for me," Jackson told me. "I can go downfield, and I can work underneath. Josh has the arm to get me the ball anywhere."
For one day, anyway, David Garrard looked like the Dolphins' starting quarterback. Watching practice on Aug. 1, traveling partner Neil Hornsby made a list of the top performances we'd seen on our (then) eight-camp trip: Drew Brees and Philip Rivers; after that, he had Carson Palmer and Peyton Manning. But I had Garrard no lower than fourth—ahead of Manning. He was consistently terrific, hitting a bomb to free agent Roberto Wallace, throwing well on the run across his body and looking comfortable in a West Coast offense. "This guy's got something," said coach Joe Philbin. "I like what I've seen."
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KIM KLEMENT/US PRESSWIRE (TAMPA)
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STEVE MITCHELL/US PRESSWIRE (DAVIE)