Buccaneers Hold Players Only Meeting After One Week

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers held a players only meeting this week. The meeting comes as a surprise considering the NFL season is only one week old.

The Buccaneers lost to the Jets 18-17 on Sunday. It was a game they should have won. With time running out and Geno Smith scrambling out of bounds, linebacker Lavonte David pushed him late. The hit drew a 15-yard penalty and puts the Jets into field goal range.

It’s unlikely the players only meeting was called as a result of Tampa Bay’s fourth quarter meltdown though. Early speculation is that the meeting was called as a result of QB Josh Freeman losing his captaincy.

Players vote on the captains of their team. Pro Football Talk was told by a league source that players are questioning the legitimacy of the vote this year.

The Buccaneers who called the players only meeting could have a real problem on their hands. It’s no secret that head coach Greg Schiano is not a fan of starting QB Josh Freeman. Schiano came to Tampa Bay the year after Freeman was drafted. Most new coaches like to draft their own QB.

Josh Freeman has also been wildly inconsistent starting in Tampa Bay. Some games he’s brilliant while others he makes mistake after mistake.

Schiano drafted Mike Glennon in the 2013 Draft to push Freeman out the door. So far Freeman is still the starter while Glennon develops. Could Schiano have fixed the captain vote causing Freeman to lose title?

Of course, that’s just wild speculation.

There is no known reason why the players only meeting was called. All that is known is there was one. It’s surprising to see a move like this happen after the first week of the season.

It could also be a brilliant move by the leaders of the Buccaneers to call the meeting though. If they saw something they didn’t like Sunday, there would be no reason to wait a few weeks and let the losses pile up.

The next few weeks in Tampa Bay will be fun to watch.