Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, one of three QBs to the lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game, tells his NBC Sports Network brethren why Johnny Football will not be a first-round draft pick in May.

There is no truth to the rumor that King was taken to a mental institution for testing following shooting this video.

Joe knows that quarterback is a divisive position on the Bucs. Whether it was leaky Rip Van Freeman or Mike Glennon, nothing short of uniforms gets Bucs fans worked up more than talking about quarterbacks.

Of course, there is the Mike Glennon Mob who believes the youngster is the second-coming of Brad Johnson, though Joe cannot remember when Johnson led the 32nd-ranked offense. (more…)

Yes, the Bucs uniform chatter hasn’t died down much since they were unveiled Monday. And one would have to search long and hard on the interwebs to find a positive critique (short of perhaps a NIKE employee).

It’s no surprise that ornery Alan Dell of the Bradenton Herald is no fan of the uniforms. And while some focus on the CFL-like different colored shoulders or the alarm-clock-number font, Dell’s criticism comes with a unique angle.

Dell believes the new Bucs uniforms look too much like Rutgers’ and believes former Bucs commander Greg Schiano — who Dell despised and had an ax to grind with from his first day as head coach – had a hand somehow in the design.

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Great audio below of Buccaneers free-agent-to-be defensive end Jared Allen on SiriusXM NFL Radio this morning.

Allen says his family’s happiness in his next city is “heavy on my mind.” He loved his previous communities of Kansas City and Minneapolis during his first two NFL stops. It sure sounds to Joe like Allen and his wife would be down on a big-city, less-family-friendly town. Having spent time in Kansas City and Minneapolis-St. Paul, Joe can say that Tampa is similar in many ways.

Allen didn’t hide his uneasiness about joining the Raiders, citing their woes in general, and specifically at quarterback and running back. Enjoy via the orange button below.

With free agency looming in just five days — five days! – it’s the time of year Joe actually cares about accounting and salary cap numbers.

Per the reputable salary tracker OverTheCap.com, the Bucs have the seventh-highest amount of 2014 funds devoted to defense in the NFL. That’s stunning, especially considering it’s no secret Lovie Smith is gearing up to invest heavily and quickly at defensive end. (more…)

Laid back Lovie Smith is very much on top of what’s happening in his locker room. Funny business is not permitted. No hazing. Lovie demands to know what’s being said. 

Former Bears great Brian Urlacher reminisced with the Waddle and Silvy show on WMVP-AM in Chicago this week. (more…)

For almost a year, some Bucs fans, in a perverse way, were looking past the 2013 season to the free agency season of 2014, hoping, drooling that Vikings defensive end Jared Allen would become a free agent and the Bucs could land him.

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Money is the mystery

It seems famed kick return specialist Devin Hester and Florida native Devin Hester would welcome a reunion with his former Bears coach, current Bucs head coach Lovie Smith. But do the Bucs want to revisit the relationship?

Yesterday, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport crushed and quashed the dreams of many Bucs fans hoping free agent return wizard Hester would want to come to Tampa Bay. Rapoport hinted there isn’t much interest from the Bucs. (more…)

Start your day with the Morning Cup of Joe from HootersCalendar.com. And don’t forget to visit HootersCalendar.com for the 2014 calendar, amazing videos, pictures and cool gifts. It’s Joe’s second favorite website.

Bucs news forthcoming.

Joe told ya this Mike McQueary gambling thing was going to blow up. [TheBigLead]

No more “home” games in Toronto for the Bills. [Buffalo News]

Profile of the dude who left the NFL Combine because God told him he would play for the Seahawks. [Los Angeles Times]

Drunk claims he lost half-million in a casino wagering. Now suing casino for taking advantage of him. Of course he is. [MyNews3]

This guy really does look like someone who just might fornicate with a pit bull; which is what police allege he did. [Twitter]

Desmond Jennings hits homer out of Steinbrenner Field. [RaysIndex]

Without all the boring details of what it means to become an exclusive rights free agent, the Bucs avoided that situation with running back Bobby Rainey. They signed him today to a one-year deal, yes, a one-year deal for 2014.

Rainey enters his third NFL season. He started with the Ravens and sports a 2013 Super Bowl ring.

Rainey did a heck of a job off his coach late last season. There’s no question the Bucs have a deep stable of running backs, with Doug Martin, Mike James and Rainey, the only one of the bunch not coming off a major injury.

Team Glazer’s private jet awaits

Lovie Smith is on record saying he wants a double-digit sack guy on his edge and the Bucs don’t have one. (Sorry, 2011 draft picks.) That means Tampa Bay has to buy one, or gamble that they’ll find one in the draft that can produce immediately.

There are zero indications Lovie is willing to make that May gamble. (more…)

Poor Gerald McCoy gets virtually no help pass rushing. That will change, says WDAE-AM 620′s Tom Jones and Rick Stroud.

Joe just shakes his head about the Bucs’ defensive. Poor Gerald McCoy. The dude gets no help from his teammates. If the Bucs had any kind of pressure from the edge, imagine how fearsome GMC would actually be.

Bucs coach Lovie Smith is nearly as nauseous as Joe is about the lack of an edge rush. Lovie believes if he can’t get pressure on the quarterback, then the defense will never live up to its hype.

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In this NBC Sports video, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio, gives his take on the new Bucs uniforms. One  comment Florio had was “Bucco Bruce gently weeps into the sword that dangles from his mouth.” The subject starts at the 3:05 mark.

Another respected draft analyst delivers a stunning report

Why is Joe feeling like he’s in the minority when it comes to the Bucs’ quarterback situation? (more…)

Lovie likes how Bucs rivals invest

Lovie Smith already has told the world he believes in how the Panthers, 49ers and Seahawks are “set up to win football games.”

And Lovie said that’s how he was doing in business in Chicago and would continue operating in Tampa. Presumably, he meant investing heavily in his defensive front-7 and establishing a punishing running game. But what will it mean for the Bucs’ secondary? (more…)