jhenderson@tampatrib.com

TAMPA - Last year about this time, Matt Ryan had wrapped up his first practice amid much hype. The Atlanta Falcons used their top draft pick to make him their quarterback of the future, but there was a lot to learn.

That much became clear when he called his old coach at Boston College, Jeff Jagodzinski, after practice with an update.

"He told me the first pass he tried skipped out there three times in the flat," Jagodzinski said Friday afternoon, not long after another new quarterback, Josh Freeman, had finished his first professional practice at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie minicamp.

Jagodzinski chuckled at the memory because we know how Ryan morphed from a jittery pass-skipper into the National Football League offensive rookie of the year, leading the Falcons to the playoffs as a rookie and raising expectations for all highly drafted quarterbacks who follow him.

That group includes Freeman as we know so well, since the Bucs traded up to make him their No. 1 draft pick out of Kansas State. Jagodzinski has moved on to become the Bucs' new offensive coordinator and it's his challenge to help Freeman have the same kind of success Ryan enjoyed.

Well, that connection makes a good story and everything, but c'mon! Would the Bucs really turn to a rookie, albeit one with Freeman's potential, out of a stable of five quarterbacks?

Maybe, even though that never could have happened under the previous coaching regime because Jon Gruden's offense was renowned for its complexity and could take years to master.

That's where Jagodzinski comes in, though. His approach is as simple as Gruden's was complicated, and that just might help ease a rookie's indoctrination into the NFL.

Simpler is better

Luke McCown will enter training camp as the favorite to start, but it's clear nothing has been decided. And although Freeman joked Friday that Jagodzinski has given him only "the Reader's Digest version right now" the full playbook probably isn't that much different.

"I think simpler is better," Jagodzinski said. "It's just how you can say it simply and get it out of your mouth in the huddle."

Most of the time the words coming out of the quarterback's mouth will signal a run, which usually is simple enough. A simple approach will help a rookie quarterback especially. It all sounds familiar to Freeman, which can only accelerate his learning curve.

"A lot of the concepts we ran at K-State," Freeman said. "[Jagodzinski] calls them all different names. Sometimes I have to catch myself from wanting to say it the Kansas State way and remember to say it the Tampa Bay way."

For what the "Tampa Bay way" will be, just look at Jagodzinski's history and influences.

As offensive coordinator at Green Bay in 2006, running back Ahman Green was a 1,000-yard rusher and it helped provide cover for quarterback Brett Favre. During five years as the Packers' tight ends coach, Jagodzinski oversaw the rise of Pro Bowler Bubba Franks. And during two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, he worked closely with Alex Gibbs - considered one of the finest molders of offensive lines in the NFL.

During Gibbs' three years in Atlanta, the Falcons led the league in rushing and averaged 5.1 yards per attempt.

"I think he's the best Football coach I've ever been around. I loved watching the way he taught things. He'd take something people thought was complex and made it simple," Jagodzinski said.

Know it when you see it

That brings us back to Josh Freeman. A quarterback in this system doesn't have to win the game by himself. He just has to take charge and make good decisions.

"The guys who are really good have a common thread of being good leaders, they know how to win, and they rally their guys around them and elevate the play. That's what you look for in a quarterback. He still has to be born with some physical talent, but guys like that have the 'it' factor. You just know it when you meet it, "Jagodzinski said.

"The first time I met Matt Ryan, I knew exactly what I had. You just know it, the way he carried himself and the way he presented himself in practice."

He smiled.

"It's so early right now and it's going to take some time, but Josh presents himself so well."

So much has changed at One Buc in the last few months. Why shouldn't the idea that a rookie quarterback can't play right away change too?

Maybe it already has.

Photo: Jeff Jagodzinski

Photo credit: Tribune photo by CLIFF MCBRIDE

Photo: Bucs rookie QB Josh Freeman is familiar with the concepts Jeff Jagodzinski likes to run in his offenses.

Copyright ? 2009, The Tampa Tribune and may not be republished without permission. E-mail library@tampatrib.com