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Tarkenton: Josh Freeman has proven 'he can't play'

 
"Unfortunately, if you've got to wait till your fourth or fifth year to prove you can play when you've been playing, that means you can't play,'' former Vikings and Giants quarterback Fran Tarkenton said of Josh Freeman, right.
"Unfortunately, if you've got to wait till your fourth or fifth year to prove you can play when you've been playing, that means you can't play,'' former Vikings and Giants quarterback Fran Tarkenton said of Josh Freeman, right.
Published Aug. 21, 2013

Safe to say, Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton is not a fan of Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

Tarkenton on Tuesday was on 620-AM's The Sports Page with Tampa Bay Times writers Tom Jones and Rick Stroud and said he is not sure Freeman, in the final year of his contract, can succeed in the NFL and that rookie Mike Glennon might eventually beat him out for the starting job.

"Unfortunately, if you've got to wait till your fourth or fifth year to prove you can play when you've been playing, that means you can't play," Tarkenton, 73, said of Freeman, and added, "If you put a gun to my head, I'd say he's not going to make it."

Tarkenton said given that the 6-foot-6 Glennon, drafted 73rd overall out of North Carolina State, has so far taken most of the game snaps, the question is being answered.

"You've got to look at the signs," he said. "The signs never lie. The signs are reality. If you're giving the rookie most of the reps, you want to see if he can play.''

"He plays sometimes at a nice level," Tarkenton added of Freeman. "I've watched him a lot. … Josh Freeman has proven to me that he can't play."