National Football League

Bucs backup QB Johnson understands his role

Published Aug. 26, 2010 8:31 p.m. ET

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Josh Johnson doesn't have any misconceptions about his chances of winning Tampa Bay's starting quarterback job in the final two preseason games.

The Buccaneers are Josh Freeman's team.

No matter how well Johnson fills in while the second-year pro is sidelined with a broken thumb, the depth chart will not change unless Freeman is unable to play in the regular season opener on Sept. 12.

What Johnson can do, though, is bolster the club's confidence in his ability to lead the offense if Freeman does not heal as quickly as expected to face the Cleveland Browns in the season-opener Sept. 12.

''It's always that chance. In this league as a backup, you're one snap away. That's the mindset. ... I'm just playing it by ear,'' Johnson said. ''But I'll be ready for Week 1 if I'm called upon, just as the case is right now. We'll see what happens.''

The third-year pro, a fifth-round draft pick in 2008 out of San Diego, is confident in his ability. He made the first four starts of his career last season, replacing an ineffective and banged-up Byron Leftwich while the Bucs were stumbling to an 0-7 start that hastened the timetable to play Freeman as a rookie.

Despite going 0-4, completing just 54 percent of his passes and throwing for twice as many interceptions (eight) as touchdowns (four), Johnson showed enough in losses to Washington, Philadelphia, Carolina and New England that the Bucs don't feel it's necessary to have a seasoned veteran on the bench behind their 22-year-old starter.

Third-stringer Rudy Carpenter spent 11 weeks on the Dallas Cowboys practice squad last season and has yet to take a snap in a regular season game.

When Freeman, 3-6 as a starter in 2009, fractured the tip of the thumb on his throwing hand during last week's preseason game against Kansas City, coach Raheem Morris and general manager Mark Dominik responded by re-signing undrafted free agent Jevan Snead - in part because the rookie was already familiar with the Bucs offense.

''Quarterbacks are hard to find in this league,'' Dominik explained. ''We have a young one no matter who they are.''

Johnson, who will start Saturday night's exhibition against Jacksonville, is much more comfortable taking over this time.

The Bucs had hoped Leftwich's experience would buy time to develop Freeman, but benched the lumbering veteran him in favor of the much much quicker, more mobile Johnson a day after Tampa Bay was limited to 86 yards total offense in a 24-0 home loss to the New York Giants.

''I'm just a lot more prepared for it. When it happened last year, there was a lot of turmoil going on. It happened at a different time of the season. We were 0-3,'' the 24-year-old Johnson said, adding that this time he's clearly just filling in until the starter returns.

''With Byron, his whole situation wasn't necessarily his fault that he got benched. There was a lot more going on than what happened. But in this case, expectations are a lot different.''

Morris remains confident that Freeman, injured when his right hand struck the helmet of a pass rusher, will be able to practice the week of the season opener and face the Browns.

The coach also was encouraged by the way Johnson played after Freeman went down against the Chiefs, completing 6 of 10 passes for 113 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in just under two quarters.

Johnson felt one of the keys was relaxing and not feeling as though he had to prove himself.

''That's a lesson learned from last year. ... Last year, just the situation I was put in, I was going out thinking more about trying to prove something instead of just playing the game. Now I'm out there trying to play the quarterback position the right way,'' he said. ''If you do that, with the talent we've got on this team, we'll be all right.''