Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman needs to know when it's best to throw the ball away or take a sack, offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said Saturday on SiriusXM Sports radio.
Sound decision-making is an area of emphasis this offseason, Sullivan said.
"When an incompletion is not only OK, but it's a good thing," he said of what the team was working on with Freeman. "When a sack is not only OK, it's a good thing. It's all about protecting the football and making those smart decisions."
Freeman was inconsistent last season after having a breakout season in 2010. Freeman threw for 16 touchdowns and 22 interceptions in 2011, after throwing for 25 touchdowns and six picks the season before.
"I think with the quarterback position, regardless of the system, regardless of style of play, it really comes down to those three key variables: leadership, decision-making and accuracy," Sullivan said.
Sullivan said that Freeman will also become a better leader when he gets a better grasp of the offense he and new head coach Greg Schiano are installing.
"I think the biggest thing from a leadership standpoint, it's not so much a guy being 'Rah, rah' and head-butting guys and being fired up on the sidelines, but it's really that sense of preparation and that confidence that I think that other players will have in that quarterback because he knows the system inside and out," Sullivan said.
