Real Headline
from
Lincolnreport
“In fact, in Gruden’s mind, early success can be just as dangerous for a young quarterback. Think Josh Freeman, the former first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who looked like a start in the making. Before he had turned 23 years old, Freeman rang up 25 touchdown passes to only six interceptions in 2010 — his first full year of starting. Less than three seasons later, Freeman’s starting days were effectively over after his career went into a flat spin, accused of not putting in the requisite time and hard work. He appeared in only one NFL game after the midpoint of the 2013 season and was released by three different clubs. Freeman won’t turn 30 until January, but he’s been without a job for almost two years and his career is likely finished. “You have to remember, a lot of these guys, they might not be able to handle success either,” Gruden said. “As soon as they light it up their rookie season, or even for two or three weeks, they come back as second-year players and they forgot how to work. The point is, you don’t know unless you really know who you’re dealing with.” But in Trubisky, Gruden sees a “grounded” young player with rare ability. The ESPN analyst and former Super Bowl-winning coach admittedly rated Patrick Mahomes higher in the 2017 draft class, but Gruden also said his biggest reservations were with Trubisky’s lack of game reps. “The interesting thing these days is that these guys are now all coming out early,” Gruden said. “We used to get a lot of fifth-year seniors. Now we’re getting a lot of third-year juniors. “Trubisky played one year. I was a little surprised he came out after one year of starting, with one year left. I think he wanted to leave with that class, so … you can’t really think too deep on it. You just have to realize that guys aren’t as experienced because they haven’t played as much.””
