Until now, veteran quarterbacks Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich have received most of the snaps during practice in what as been a two-man battle for the Bucs starting job.

That will change Friday. Coach Raheem Morris said that rookie Josh Freeman and second-year pro Josh Johnson will take the majority of reps while McCown and Leftwich essentially take the day off.

"The younger guys, they need some opportunities,'' Morris said. "They'll go out there tomorrow more. The quarterbacks coach (Greg Olson) designed it so if the two older guys came out and executed well and did the right things, they would give them a little Santa Claus treatment tomorrow and give them a little rest for their arms and we'll see the younger guys tomorrow."

Freeman, the Bucs first-round pick from Kansas State, struggled early in the week protecting the football. He has had some reps in team drills while Johnson has been limited to mostly individual periods.