Bucs QB coach John McNulty tasked with finding balance

TAMPA, Fla. – A search for balance awaits quarterbacks coach John McNulty as he begins his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and his friend Greg Schiano: push incumbent Josh Freeman but also develop rookie Mike Glennon.
In recent weeks, a potential controversy behind center has been the white elephant within One Buc Place. Since Tampa Bay took Glennon in the third round, 73rd overall, the questions were natural. The national perception is that Freeman and Schiano's relationship is strained, that Freeman is not Schiano's guy, that Glennon's selection is an indictment on Freeman’s four-year tenure in Tampa Bay.
Publicly, Schiano has said much of the noise is nonsense. Still, innuendo tends to linger longer than it should. 
Enter McNulty, a former Rutgers offensive assistant under Schiano who was most recently part of Ken Whisenhunt's Arizona Cardinals staff. He will be part teacher, part facilitator for a veteran entering his final contract year and a rookie eager to make himself known. He will have quite the introduction to his role.
"Competition, obviously, helps everybody," McNulty said Monday. "Josh, I think in his mind, from the day I got hired here (in January), and we started to talk, everything was very positive. ... I think he was already motivated."
The questions surrounding Freeman are a product of his environment. He plays in the NFC South, so he is compared to Drew Brees and Matt Ryan and Cam Newton. That is inevitable. That is also somewhat misguided -- Brees needed a move from San Diego to New Orleans to become elite, Ryan has been part of stronger teams throughout his career, Newton has more bravado but is less centered -- but this is the life Freeman leads as a face of a franchise that last reached the postseason after the 2007 campaign.
That, too, is part of his profile.
The fact hovers over Freeman, like a thundercloud waiting to burst. Some view him as too reserved, too soft-spoken, too laid-back to guide the Bucs to the top of the NFC South and a deep playoffs run.
He is too unlike Brees, critics say. Or Tom Brady. Or Peyton Manning. Or Aaron Rodgers.
Some want fire and brimstone. Freeman carries himself like a college professor.
Consequently, McNulty will be tasked with the challenge of changing Freeman's image around the region and elsewhere -- all while developing Glennon. Of course, this is a job that will not be McNulty’s responsibility alone; second-year offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan will be part of the work as well.
But make no mistake: This is Freeman's team. Since the NFL draft, Schiano and others have left little doubt that they believe Tampa Bay's best chance to win lies with the 6-foot-6, 240-pound former first-round pick.
The Bucs' future rests with Freeman. McNulty, for one, likes their chances.
"I know this: there are a lot of guys that would take him today," McNulty said. "Honestly, there's not one person that has said, 'Good luck with him.' Everybody has said, 'You know what? I’ll take him.'"
A similar message has been repeated at One Buc Place this spring. In late May, Schiano said, "We have our starting quarterback. It's Josh Freeman." Freeman, for his part, has said all the right things: That he welcomes Glennon, that he embraces competition, that his relationship with Schiano is strong. (The coach has said this as well).  
Still, the upcoming season comes with a caveat: The Freeman Watch will be a theme throughout the fall. Despite career-high numbers last year -- 4,065 yards passing and 27 touchdowns -- Freeman must sell some to keep the Glennon whispers quiet. He has work to do.
Critics point to his interception totals the past two seasons (a combined 39) and say, "He's not the guy." They point to the fact that he has guided the Bucs to just one winning season (10-6 in 2010) and say, "He's not the one."
McNulty, the man at the center of it all, stood in a small room Monday at One Buc Place and considered Glennon's effect on Freeman this season and beyond. Time will show.
"It seemed to me that he was already motivated to play well and to lead the team," McNulty said of Freeman. "What effect (Glennon's drafting) had? I don't know. He would have to tell you. But it certainly couldn't hurt."
The balance has just begun.
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.