What’s going on with Josh Freeman and the Vikings?
Freeman threw 33 incomplete passes in his debut with the Vikings on Monday Night Football against the Giants in mid-October.
It’s been 45 days since that disastrous game. With Christian Ponder likely out with a concussion, the Vikings are turning to backup quarterback Matt Cassel this week in Baltimore.
Cassel played well enough to earn the start, but why not give Freeman – a former Pro Bowl quarterback – a chance to redeem himself?
“I don’t think there’s any concrete reason,” Freeman said, via the Pioneer Press. “I think they want me to get more fluent and continue to understand the system, and I’m continuing to do that, learning a lot. I’m watching a lot of film and staying in these game plans.
“If you ask coach and he feels he wants to go with the other guy, . . . coaches are paid to coach, and players are paid to play.”
Head coach Leslie Frazier says he’s sticking with Cassel because he’s earned the opportunity.
In the meantime, Freeman says he’ll continue working hard until his opportunity comes.
“At a certain level, anybody who’s not playing, any competitor, is going to be frustrated to a point,” he said. “But I’m just trying to be the very best I can be in the moment.”
Freeman plans to test the free agent market at the end of the season, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio says it might be better for Freeman if he doesn’t take another snap.
