Where's Josh?

It's been nearly two months since the Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Josh Freeman. A couple weeks after his arrival in Minnesota he stumbled through a simply brutal throwing performance against the New York Giants on a forgettable Monday night. Freeman hasn't been seen on a football field since. He's rarely been seen in a football uniform since. He's only been active for one game and that came when the team didn't even have the required number of healthy players for a game. Did the Vikings just toss away $2 million? Fans and media talking heads have asked and wondered, where's Josh?

I think that the Vikings may regret trotting out their new quarterback after about a week of practice but I doubt that they regret their investment. Josh Freeman clearly wasn't ready to play for the Vikings against the Giants. Maybe the addition and elevation to starter, if only for one game, of Freeman was done to light a fire under supposed starter Christian Ponder. If that was the intent, it's been hit and miss. Ponder has had some nice moments since his demotion and promotion but he's also had some of the same issues that has plagued his play the past two years. I think that the Vikings signed Josh Freeman simply to have an extended job interview with him. If he was an immediate hit instead of a train wreck in that first start, great! The job is likely his. Instead, I think that the Vikings had an opportunity to bring in a football player that intrigued them. The Vikings have been looking for a franchise quarterback for years. Freeman has shown the potential to be a franchise quarterback. In essence, the Vikings have him for a redshirt year. They can see him practice and workout with the team. They can see him in meetings. They can see how he interacts with coaches, teammates, trainers, and equipment managers. They can get to know the person behind the football player. From his recent experiences with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Josh Freeman, the person and the quarterback, has been questioned. It's not often that a team has the opportunity to audition a player, let alone a quarterback, in a manner like this. I think that the Vikings are taking advantage of that opportunity. Freeman is only signed through the end of the season. If the Vikings wish to sign him after this season, they have the first shot at doing so. With that Giants game and the mess in Tampa still fresh in everyone's mind, the price tag shouldn't be steep.

The media just wants to draw out the drama of every story. Even if they have to create that drama themselves. The fans just want to know everything that's going on with their team. Both feel like the Vikings are keeping something from them. I don't think that there's any conspiracy. I don't think that the Vikings feel that they stepped in something with the signing of Freeman and that they can't shake it off. I just think that they signed Josh Freeman with the future in mind rather than the present.