The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released veteran quarterback Brian Griese on Monday. The release of Griese leaves the Bucs with four quarterbacks heading into training camp. First round pick Josh Freeman is still unsigned though but it is expected he will reach terms with the team before training camp begins. Also on Monday the Bucs signed defensive tackle Roy Miller who was their third round pick. He is expected to get some playing time along with veterans Chris Hovan and Ryan Sims.
Griese was expected to be released by the Bucs considering how many quarterbacks they already have on the roster. Griese was 12-9 as a starter with Tampa Bay as NFL betting numbers show. He had two different stints with the Bucs and played well at times. In 2004 with the Bucs, Griese had a 97.5 passer rating as NFL betting statistics tell us. Last year, Griese played in five games, completing 59.8 percent of his passes for 1,073 yards with five touchdowns and seven interceptions. Griese has completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 19,440 yards and thrown 119 touchdowns and 99 interceptions in his career as NFL betting numbers tell us.
The Bucs are counting on Freeman to eventually win the starting quarterback job. This season he will be in competition with veterans Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich. Also on the roster is second-year player Josh Johnson. Freeman should be able to work out a deal with the Bucs in the next couple of weeks. Only two first round players have signed so it is not unusual to see a first rounder unsigned at this point. The only two players to have signed from the first round are Lions quarterback Matt Stafford (No. 1 overall) and Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez.
NFL betting experts believe that Tampa Bay could be in for a long season in 2009. They have a new head coach in Raheem Morris as Jon Gruden is gone. They have an unsettled quarterback situation, a defense that has holes and a tough schedule. The Bucs are 40-1 longshots in NFL odds at the online sportsbook to win the Super Bowl this season. The NFL odds makers at the sportsbook don’t like Tampa Bay either as their over/under win total was set a 6.5 for 2009. Perhaps Griese knew what he was doing by leaving the Bucs as now he can sign with another team.