Was it only two weeks ago that Tampa Bay Buccaneers jettisoned Josh Freeman, a quarterback in decline who supposedly was late for team commitments, held in low esteem by teammates and unwanted by all other teams, who declined all trade offers for him?
This guy bounced back faster than a yo-yo hitting bottom and spinning into your grasp.
The Minnesota Vikings claimed Freeman, indoctrinated him into their system and fast-tracked him to starter, all within a week.
Oddly, Freeman explained his choice of the Vikings over other suitors by observing that they had an incumbent quarterback and he would not be rushed into duty.
“It’s an opportunity to pump the brakes,” he said upon arriving in Minnesota.
Then Minnesota stomped on the accelerator, demoting Christian Ponder in favour of Matt Cassel for the latest game, then hurrying Freeman past both of them into the line-up.
“I like the things he’s done in his career, along with what he’s done here with our football team,” Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said. “I think now is the time.”
Freeman’s reputation seemed ruined following his divorce from the Bucs, even though coach Greg Schiano took heat for his perceived role.
Schiano, a control freak even by his profession’s standards, could not abide Freeman’s occasional tardiness, which included the quarterback sleeping through a team photo session. He was absent for at least one meeting and was skipped over as captain for the first time since his rookie season.
Whether Schiano influenced the players’ vote could not be determined. The coach fined Freeman at least twice, once for speaking to the media without permission.
The tiff became downright nasty when someone disclosed evidence to a TV reporter that Freeman had entered the league’s substance-abuse programme.
He later attributed the involvement to having mistakenly taken the wrong prescription drug to treat an attention-deficit disorder and that he had passed every test for performance-boosting drugs administered by the NFL.
Such was the animus between player and his coach that Schiano was pressured to deny that he leaked the information, which is confidential.
When Freeman characterised the Vikings to USA Today as “quality human beings [who] do things the right way,” the contrast he was making with his former employers was unmistakable.
Freeman, who has yet to directly address his responsibility concerning the fallout, cannot hide lingering bitterness.
“Do I have a chip on my shoulder? Sure, I do,” he said.
“I think it’s more deeply rooted than just the past six months, 12 months.”
Freeman, who left Tampa after four-plus seasons as the franchise statistical leader in most passing categories, once was regarded as among the new wave of quarterbacks sweeping the league.
Though his membership has been revoked, he is benefiting from a peculiarity of sports: If you have talent, you always can count on getting a second chance.
sports@thenational.ae
Profile of Whizkey
Date founded: 04 November 2017
Founders: Abdulaziz AlBlooshi and Harsh Hirani
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 10
Sector: AI, software
Cashflow: Dh2.5 Million
Funding stage: Series A
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
BELGIUM%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3EGoalkeepers%3A%20Thibaut%20Courtois%2C%20Simon%20Mignolet%2C%20Koen%20Casteels%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EDefenders%3A%20Jan%20Vertonghen%2C%20Toby%20Alderweireld%2C%20Leander%20Dendoncker%2C%20Zeno%20Debast%2C%20Arthur%20Theate%2C%20Wout%20Faes%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMidfielders%3A%20Hans%20Vanaken%2C%20Axel%20Witsel%2C%20Youri%20Tielemans%2C%20Amadou%20Onana%2C%20Kevin%20De%20Bruyne%2C%20Yannick%20Carrasco%2C%20Thorgan%20Hazard%2C%20Timothy%20Castagne%2C%20Thomas%20Meunier%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EForwards%3A%20Romelu%20Lukaku%2C%20Michy%20Batshuayi%2C%20Lo%C3%AFs%20Openda%2C%20Charles%20De%20Ketelaere%2C%20Eden%20Hazard%2C%20Jeremy%20Doku%2C%20Dries%20Mertens%2C%20Leandro%20Trossard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
