Lovie Smith needs to find a way to change an ugly late-season pattern the Bucs developed

Yes, a week from tomorrow, Joe will no longer have to think much about last year’s awful 4-12 record. That’s because the 2014 season will launch with the beginning of Tampa Bay training camp.

There were so many things last year that turned Joe’s stomach, from the putrid offense to never breathing on opposing quarterbacks. When Lovie Smith came aboard, he admitted one of his main goals was to put heat on quarterbacks. [read more]

A former Buccaneer weighs in

Yearning to find real hope that starting quarterback Josh McCown can lead Tampa Bay to the promised land, many Bucs fans evoke the name “Rich Gannon.”

Why? Because Gannon, like McCown, was a below average starter and a good backup who bounced around the NFL, but then he then changed his fortunes at age 34 under Chucky in Oakland. [read more]

Bucs MLB Mason Foster and several other teammates have been working out at off-site facilities to prepare for training camp, which begins next week.

The countdown continues. It is now eight days from the start of Bucs training camp. We’re almost there guys; hang in there Bucs fans.

Just as Tampa Bay fans are mapping out partying plans for fall weekends and stocking up on beers to fill the garage fridge, Bucs players are getting ready themselves. [read more]

Bucs news forthcoming.

This just screams (Oh, no!) Pasco County: “Dollar General Underwear Thief Flees in Ice Cream Truck” [The State]

Dude who likes to jog on train tracks with headphones meets his fate: Run over by a train. [WMActionNews5]

One way to get cops’ attention is to wing mangoes at them. [Miami New Times]

What do chimps think of the new “Planet of the Apes” flick? [Bloody-Disgusting]

Nothing like getting pelted at the beach by hail. [YouTube]

Joe is not sure what to make of this Kate Upton photo. [Guyism]

Floyd Mayweather seems like a real dirtbag. [Deadspin]

Will dropping weight help Dwayne Bowe? [NFL]

David Price’s tribute to Don Zimmer. [RaysIndex]

Endless Top-Whatever lists across the Internet got Joe thinking of the Tampa Bay drought since their Super Bowl glory. Not a playoff victory since! And that motivated Joe to rank the 20 worst Buccaneers of the past 10 years.

Serious deliberations went into this at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters. [read more]

Stinking Panthers DT Greg Hardy, who is appealing his guilty verdict for slapping around his girlfriend, should be suspended for the Bucs opener if there is a just world.

Joe knows just the mere mention of NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell makes Bucs fans grind their teeth enough to alarm their dentists. Tampa Bay faithful may loathe Goodell more than Raheem Morris.

Just look at the cash Goodell, indirectly, has cost safety Dashon Goldson. Geez, we could have all retired on the bread that Goldson lost to the NFL in fines. [read more]

“Count my fingers, Anthony.”

Bucs training camp might be nine days away, but prognostication season is just about in full swing.

A former Bucs coach says Tampa Bay is bound for the Super Bowl in February. A prominent ex-player says the Bucs will ride Lovie Smith to the division crown. [read more]

Endless Top-Whatever lists across the Internet got Joe thinking of the Buccaneers’ drought since their Super Bowl glory. Not a playoff victory since! And that motivated Joe to rank the 20 worst Buccaneers of the past 10 years.

Serious deliberations went into this at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.

Beers bottles were thrown. Game film came out. Arguments ensued. Chants of Sabby from wild interns were quieted by Joe. There was even an all-night screaming session where a top intern stood on a table and repeatedly yelled, “Put the damn Rockstar on the list!!” Joe had to give the poor kid a Hooters Calendar just to calm him. [read more]

How will Bucs TE Tim Wright fare now that he is no longer an unknown in the NFL?

Regular readers around these here parts of the Interwebs know Joe is a fan of tight end Tim Wright. One of the few bright spots under the administration of Bucs commander Greg Schiano was the discovery (if that is the appropriate word) of the rookie tight end.

Last year Schiano signed the former Rutgers (of course) wide receiver and transformed him. Now think about the difficulty in that. You are a wide receiver and you are busting your tail like you never have before hoping to make an NFL team and all of a sudden you are asked to learn tight end as well? Man. [read more]

Mason Foster may not be Lovie Smith’s ideal middle linebacker

You better jump high and run fast to get Lovie Smith’s attention as an NFL prospect.

That was a one of the more revealing messages to come out of the 30,000 or so words penned on Buccaneers.com chronicling Lovie Smith’s first 100 days in office. And it’s making Joe wonder about Mason Foster’s future. [read more]

Former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik believes in the Bucs this season.

Yes, last week former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik broke from his recent past and talked about the Bucs, while co-hosting “The Blitz” with Howard David, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Joe is delivering Dominik’s Bucs thoughts in nuggets. Below is the third element.

Dominik was asked if the Bucs could win the topsy-turvy NFC South, a division that has never had consecutive champs. The former 19-year Bucs employee went all in. [read more]

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

Bucs news forthcoming.

Group of men busted for cooking and eating over 200 swallows and other protected birds. [KETV]

Some voodoo witchdoctor left his/her chicken head and feathers on the road in Sarasota. [WWSB]

So the Klan has infiltrated a police department in Florida, huh? What is this, 1964? [Orlando Sentinel]

If the FCC allows Comcast to buy Time Warner, this phone call to customer service will be a reality for many in the Tampa Bay region. Somehow, Joe gets the sense this is staged. [WTOP]

Smokers/pet owners: Not too far in the distant future, you may be charged with animal abuse. [Tampa Bay Times]

Potential roster changes after the All Star break. [RaysIndex]

Endless Top-Whatever lists across the Internet got Joe thinking of the Buccaneers’ drought since their Super Bowl glory. Not a playoff victory since! And that motivated Joe to rank the 20 worst Buccaneers of the past 10 years.

Serious deliberations went into this at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters. [read more]

ESPN examines how the Bucs are building their team compared to the Stinking Panthers and the rest of the NFC South.

Training camp is — what now? — 10 days away. And before you know it, the exhibition season preseason begins. And just when you are getting over your massive hangover from the three-day Labor Day weekend (Joe warned you about the Guinness), the NFL is back!

From Tampa to Fort Myers to Orlando to Tallahassee and beyond, Bucs fans will be giddy when the Stinking Panthers take the field to open the season at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. [read more]