"I know you've never run this play before. It doesn't matter. That's what games are for Tito. Now get out there."

Joe thought it was nuts that offensive coordinator Greg Olson decided to scrap the Bucs offense that the team had been working on all offseason and training camp, and try to revert to Chucky’s playbook in the first month of the season.

All the time practiced for a run-first, throw deep offense and the money spent on players for such an offense (Antonio Bryant, Kellen Winslow, Michael Clayton, Derrick Ward, Byron Leftwich) has been all thrown away.

But what Joe read Tuesday night from Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune was so mind-numbing Joe nearly dropped his blackberry.

In a question-and-answer article by Richardson, he drops the bomb that for many Bucs players, the first time they actually practice a play from Olson is in the middle of a game!

Q: Do You think that the big changes 10 days before the season’s start has come back to haunt the Bucs? Very rarely has this ever been done before, it’s almost like it was planned to ruin the season. Is this a way for Glazers to save or make money?
Richard Denney, Ruskin

A: I think Tampa Bay’s handling of its offensive coordinator position is the major reason this offense has played so poorly. The Bucs should have done a much better job of pre-screening Jeff Jagodzinski. They should have known what his strengths and weaknesses were long before offering him the job. The team practiced a new scheme throughout the offseason and training camp only to have it ripped up 10 days before the season. Now, the first time many offensive players practice plays is during games. I don’t think the Glazers were trying to sabotage this season. They just oversaw the development of a bad team.
— Anwar Richardson

Joe did a little more digging and found the exact damning words of Jerramy Stevens in an Oct. 21 story by Richardson.

“One thing people don’t realize is one of the main reasons we’re struggling on offense is because we practiced one offense all off-season, training camp and the preseason,” Bucs tight end Jerramy Stevens said. “We fired the offensive coordinator and we’ve got a whole new offense being put in on the run.

“People don’t realize this is the NFL. It’s damn near impossible to put a new offense in and practice it during the game. A lot of the first time we’re running it (plays) is in the game. It’s not anybody’s fault.”

This is simply outrageous! Any two-bit high school coach knows better than to pull a stunt like that. To think an NFL coordinator would stoop to such a level, Joe is at a loss for words. No wonder this offense has been beyond dismal.

What the hell is the purpose of having a practice squad?