Joe never dreamed he would see a Bucs linebacker as good as Derrick Brooks. The former outside linebacker someday will wear a yellow jacket and have his bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame; he could be elected as soon as February.

Now Joe loves Lavonte David, also an outside linebacker who, like Brooks, is insanely fast and racks up tackles like Joe does dead soldiers on a sultry college football Saturday afternoon. (more…)

Bucs defensive lineman Will Gholston drags down Buffalo quarterback EJ Manuel.

Last spring the one player that intrigued Joe more than any other draft pick was defensive lineman Will Gholston out of Michigan State (Sparty has had a good weekend, huh?). Gholston was raw, had loads of talent, but needed that talent honed and manicured and sanded.

Joe thinks he can say few rookies have risen as far as Gholston. He was so invisible during preseason games and mired with the third team in training camp practices, Joe was afraid for Gholston that he wasn’t going to make it to the final cut of 53 men. (more…)

Greg Schiano is all pumped up because the Bucs reached their goal of being the more physical team today against Buffalo. It was the best they were in that area all season defensively, Schiano said, and the head coach is filled with pride for the pass blocking of his offensive line against the NFL’s top sacking unit. (Audio via the Buccaneers Radio Network. Enjoy.)

Winning is wonderful, but it does have its price.

Based on the results of today’s NFL slate and Joe’s tiebreaker calculations, the Bucs’ victory moved their current 2014 draft position down to the ninth overall pick.

The Bucs’ (4-9) tough strength of schedule, including upcoming games, costs them tiebreakers against other 4-9 teams: Cleveland, Buffalo, Jacksonville and Oakland. That group is ahead of Houston (two wins), and Atlanta, Minnesota and Washington (three wins.)

With another win, the Bucs surely lose any shot at a top-5 pick.

Mike Glennon racked up his fourth win against six losses in a laugher today at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, surpassing leaky Rip Van Freeman’s mark of 3-6 in his rookie season.

But how should Bucs fans evaluate Glennon’s performance against Buffalo as the future face of the franchise? It’s a question that the New Schiano Order and Team Glazer surely will be scrutinizing at the end of the season. (more…)

Gerald McCoy thinks Lavonte David is so good, that he is a superhero.

Joe thinks it is safe to suggest Bucs linebacker Lavonte David is one of the best players in the NFL and his name can be said in the same breath with Patrick Willis.

At least Bucs star cornerback Darrelle Revis thinks so. (more…)

Oh, these Bucs had demons and monsters living under their beds.

Winning was light years away six weeks ago. Hell, the Bucs seemed to be professional losers, but it all changed fast. (more…)

Why is the defense talking about Bobby Rainey?

It was one of the better defensive performances in recent memory for the Bucs defense. Players were flying all over the place and not just the well-paid stars like Darrelle Revis or Gerald McCoy, but a budding superstar like Lavonte David, unheralded Mason Foster and rookies like cornerback Johnthan Banks and defensive lineman Will Gholston.

The Bucs defense held a strong Bills rushing attack to a mere 67 yards, picked off quarterback EJ Manuel four times and limited the Bills to just a pair of field goals in a 27-6 win. (more…)

This summer, the Bucs’ marketing department started pimping the “No Fly Zone” slogan for the Bucs secondary in response to the big-money acquisitions of Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis.

It sounded good, but now it’s actually reality. (more…)

What’s stirring inside the collective brains of Team Glazer? Joe sure would love to know.

The New Schiano Order has now revived itself from the depths of 0-8, MRSA, sleepy-leaky Josh Freeman, brutally painful losses, and repeated media beatings to emerge as winners of four of five games. (more…)

Seven sacks today for the Bucs!

Crappy teams tank on the road in December. Solid teams dominate on their home turf in December.

The Bucs dominated today. It was a near masterpiece on the defensive end, but not so much offensively. But that’s ok. You win __-__ and it doesn’t matter one damn bit.

How does 4-9 feel, Bucs fans? How does it feel to win four out of five?

The Greg Schiano revival tour presses on.

Hat tip out of the gate to the Bucs’ offensive line. The vaunted NFL-leading Bills pass rush didn’t do squat, except when Mike Glennon held the ball too long.

A few times when Mike Glennon was hurried in the first half, Joe felt like it was just Glennon feeling nervous footsteps that weren’t there. As Joe wrote last night, Joe was not about to bet against Donald Penn, and he delivered.

The Bucs delivered four more picks and seven sacks of overmatched EJ Manuel. Rockstar general manager’s fourth-round pick, rookie defensive end William Gholston, delivered 1.5 sacks. That’s three rookies now contributing in a big way for the Bucs defense.

Offensively, Mike Glennon had a good share of rookie moments, but also made a few top-shelf throws. He finished with ugly numbers, 9-for-25 for 90yards. The “W” and two touchdowns throws are the key stats against two interceptions.

Bobby Rainey popped a tone-setter, 80-yard TD on the Bucs’ second play from scrimmage, and while the running game didn’t take off after that. It was enough.

Now what? San Francisco, St. Louis and New Orleans await.

Game 13

Bungling Bills (4-8) at Bucs (3-9)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: WTSP-TV, Channel 10, locally. Outside the Tampa Bay area, DirecTV Channel 704.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM 103.5, and WDAE-AM 620); SiriusXM Channel 113.

(more…)

The Bucs will accomplish a rare feat when their defense takes the field this afternoon against Buffalo. Every opening-day starter will be healthy and ready to roll.

How often does that happen in Week 14 of a season?

Remember when the Bucs opened the year playing nasty, physical, swarming defense against the Jets, Saints and Cardinals? (more…)