"It's competition, and I love it," Schiano said as he begins his second season with the Bucs after a long run a Rutgers.
"But we have our starting quarterback. It's Josh Freeman," the coach added. "I'm not looking to find a new one, but I do like to have quality depth at every position. When you get that, just naturally these are the most competitive guys on the planet, and it raises everybody's level."
Although Schiano himself sparked widespread debate about whether Freeman, drafted under former coach Raheem Morris in 2009, fits into his long-term plans, he insisted his comments have been misinterpreted, especially by people who believe Schiano might prefer to pick his own quarterback.
"From the day we arrived, our whole program is there's going to be competition," the coach said. "Now we haven't always been able to have it because you can only get so many guys on your roster, but that's what we believe in. It's the most competitive sports league in the world."
Freeman was among four quarterbacks on the field for the start of organized team activities on Monday. He said he welcomed the addition of Glennon and declared that he and Schiano have a "great relationship."
"That's the way it works on every team, honestly. You want to have the best and most talented team you can have," said Freeman, who is also backed up by veteran
Dan Orlovsky and another young quarterback,
Adam Weber.
"No question, you want the best possible option behind you. ... You look at it as if down the road something happens to me, you want a guy who can come in and keep it going, win some games. ... We're competitors. We're going to work as hard as we can trying to find a way to get more wins."
Schiano echoed Freeman's sentiment that the relationship between coach and player is fine. He said he also shared his stance on the quarterback situation with Glennon after making him the third quarterback selected in the draft behind
EJ Manuel and
Geno Smith.
"I don't think it bothers Josh. He's a confident guy. He knows this is his team," Schiano said. "I don't think it bothers him one bit. I think he's ready to go have a great year, and that's what we're working for."