TAMPA, Fla. -- Josh Freeman doesn't waste much time wondering what might have been.
Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie feels he's as talented as the two quarterbacks taken ahead of him in this year's NFL draft, he's not concerned about how quickly he can convince everyone else.
An anticipated matchup between him and Mark Sanchez, selected fifth overall by the New York Jets, won't occur Sunday because Sanchez -- drafted four spots behind No. 1 pick Matthew Stafford -- has a sprained right knee.
Kellen Clemens will replace Sanchez, who started New York's first 12 games and has helped the Jets (6-6) remain in playoff contention.
Freeman, the 17th pick out of Kansas State, will make his sixth start for the Bucs (1-11), who are off to their worst record in 26 years.
If Sanchez had not sprained the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee during last week's win over Buffalo, this would have been the season's lone meeting of quarterbacks from the top of the 2009 rookie class.
"Of course you always want to be regarded as the best. ... We'll always be remembered together," said Freeman, who describes himself as "real supportive" of Sanchez and Stafford, who has made 10 starts for the Detroit Lions.
"Whenever they're playing and I'm watching TV, I'm pulling for them and want them to do well. When we're playing them, obviously you don't want them to do well," the 21-year-old Bucs QB said, adding he doesn't have any qualms about the way things have played out.
"If I had to go back and do the draft again I'd be fine with going 17th," Freeman said. "I love being in Tampa. I love the coaches. I love the people I'm working with."
The Bucs are just as impressed with the 6-foot-6, 248-pound rookie who's coming off his best -- and worst -- performance as a passer. He threw for a career-best 321 yards, but was also intercepted five times while failing to get the Bucs into the end zone during a 16-6 loss at Carolina.
Rebounding against the NFL's second-ranked defense will not be easy.
The Jets are No. 1 against the pass and have the ability to frustrate even the most experienced quarterbacks with variety of blitzes from coach Rex Ryan's playbook.
"Everything that they bring and everything that they do has robber packages, it has people coming from everywhere. You've got to be able to protect, you've got to be able to stand up, you've got to win your one-on-one battles," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said.
"I think Josh is one of those guys that's mentally tough enough to figure out what went wrong and not make the same mistakes. He made some mistakes in the preseason and we saw that kind of went away. He came back and made new mistakes the other day. Now, hopefully those will go away as well."
Clemens will make his first start since 2007, ninth overall for the Jets. He's thrown three passes this season.
Ryan said he sought the advice of team doctors before deciding Sanchez would not play against the Bucs, who've struggled to stop the run and also have a propensity to yield big plays in the passing game. Sanchez was not happy with the decision.
Ryan said Clemens is more than capable of leading the offense.
"He's a guy who's been in this system now for four years. So he actually knows the system better than Mark does," Ryan said.
Clemens, who led one scoring drive after replacing Sanchez last week, was drafted in the second round out of Oregon in 2006.
Once considered New York's quarterback of the future, he's played sparingly during his career.
"I'm excited for the opportunity," Clemens said.
"As far as Mark, it's certainly unfortunate, the injury that has happened to him. ... He's had his ups and downs this season, as any rookie will. But over the last two games that translated into two wins for us, he's really grown a lot as a quarterback. He works hard. He's quickly turned into a very good player at that position."
The Jets lead the NFL in rushing at 168.6 yards per game, so Tampa Bay doesn't expect a change of approach with Clemens taking over for Sanchez. The Bucs have allowed 160.1 yards per game on the ground, 31st in the league, which bodes well for 1,000-yard rusher Thomas Jones.
"We'll get ready for everything, but you know they're going to run the football," Morris said. "They were going to run the football no matter who played. That's what they do; that's what they do the best job of."
Clemens stressed his goal is to "just manage the game." The Jets and Miami are one game behind division-leading New England in the AFC after beating Carolina and Buffalo the past two weeks.
"We're sitting at .500 right now, but very much a part of the playoff picture. Guys are optimistic," Clemens said. "We can't afford to slip up, but I think we've got as good of a chance as anybody."