1. Freeman is inexperienced and needs to be managed. He is a decent guy but it’s irresponsible to turn the reigns fully to him, especially since he has had significant gaps both on and off the field these last two years.
2. Freeman needs experienced coaches around him. Pony up & put the guy in a position to succeed. If you aren’t willing to do that then cut Freeman loose.
3. On the topic of putting him/the team in a position to succeed, work on scheduling in a way that helps rather than hurts the team.
4. And finally, address the ref issue. Either get our own or use neutral conference refs, but the disparity in penalties is an issue.
You always want to succeed someone who was either incompetent or hated, and ideally both. Well on at least one front, Swarbrick did new guy a solid.