"Quarterback Josh Freeman was a man on the move Thursday when he reacted to the big move of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"To be honest, I think he's a great fit," Freeman said after the Bucs made Greg Schiano the ninth head coach in franchise history.

"I'm rushing to the airport right now to catch a flight to Tampa, and I'm excited about the news. From everything I hear about him, he's the right guy. I can't wait to meet him."

Freeman is one of several prominent Bucs players eager to meet Schiano, who will be introduced today at an afternoon news conference at team headquarters.

Fifth-year guard Jeremy Zuttah, who played for Schiano at Rutgers, spent much of the day responding to text messages from Tampa Bay teammates curious to gather information about their new 45-year-old boss.

"He's a great coach," said Zuttah, who started 40 games for the Scarlet Knights before the Bucs selected him in the third round of the 2008 draft.

"Coach Schiano believes in doing everything the right way, and the man's very energetic. More than that, he knows how to instill energy to his players. This is his first time as a head coach at the NFL level, and I'm confident he'll get the job done."

Schiano spent three years with the Chicago Bears as an assistant coach, moving up to secondary coach in 1998."