The free agency dinner bell rings in 14 short days

Early last preseason, Lovie Smith and Jason Licht advised Bucs fans to stop panicking about poor offensive line play.

The rest is history. The Bucs’ leaders, one could say, panicked themselves a few weeks later and made a deal with the devil. (more…)

Bucs GM Jason Licht weighs in

So what do Bucs officials really think of the performance of big-money cornerback Alterraun Verner, who was part of last year’s free-agency frenzy? (more…)

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Mike Tomlin might understand Lovie Smith’s often forgotten statement

In many ways, Tampa Bay’s 2014 season was more bizarre than the MRSA-infected, quarterback-gone-mental, Fire-Schiano-billboards campaign of 2013.

There were plenty of real Bucs mysteries last year, and Joe’s revisiting the most interesting of the bunch. (more…)

Upon arriving to the baggage pickup at Indianapolis International Airport, you are quickly reminded why you traveled to Indiana in the dead of winter.

So Joe survived frozen Indianapolis. For a few minutes there last week, that wasn’t a sure thing.

Joe grew up three hours from Indianapolis and went to college two hours away. Never has Joe been so cold. Wednesday was simply brutal.

The charm of Indianapolis, aside from so many craft beer houses within a couple of blocks of each other, is the labyrinth of skyways connecting buildings and hotels, where one could work in Indianapolis for a week and never have to step outside.

Sadly, Lucas Oil Stadium is not connected but is across the street from the Indiana Convention Center (nee: Hoosier Dome), a main hub of the skywalk maze. Joe’s hotel was on the outskirts of downtown, about a half-hour walk from Lucas Oil, maybe 10 minutes of which is walking inside the Indiana Convention Center.

Joe was so bundled up even while walking through the convention center, he didn’t notice a man who called out, “Alright, Joe!” The voice was that of Lovie Smith. (more…)

The chorus of NFL insiders claiming Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston has charmed the Bucs into selecting the former Heisman Trophy winner No. 1 overall continues to grow.

This time, the missive is from Maoist Michael Silver of NFL.com and NFL Network. He, too, had an all-access badge to get behind the curtains of the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. (more…)

A Dunedin dentist once left Joe’s mouth all screwed up and screaming for pain medication and Valium.

Joe never returned to that dentist. (more…)

Maybe it is because Peter King of theMMQB.com wrote about it this morning, but Joe is starting to see a brushfire beginning to grow about Jameis Winston and baseball.

Yes, for those who aren’t familiar, Winston is a baseball pitcher. And a damned good one. His Florida State ERA last season was 1.08 and he had a strikeout/walk ratio of 31/7, and a fastball often clocked in the mid-90s. (more…)

What exactly was Jameis Winston talking about Saturday on NFL Network? (more…)

Marcus Mariota was in the huddle five times last season

So you think huddle proficiency and presence doesn’t really matter for a quarterback?

NFL types think the opposite, including Bruce Arians, two-time NFL Coach of the Year. (more…)

Last week, when Joe was trying to stay warm in frozen Indianapolis, and wasn’t killing two days waiting for Jameis Winston to talk, Joe discussed Bucs football with NFL movers and shakers at Lucas Oil Field, site of the NFL Scouting Combine.

In the final hours of the combine (for media types) Joe corralled soon-to-be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, former NFL general manager Bill Polian. Now a fantastic analyst for SiriusXM NFL Radio and BSPN, Polian talked to Joe about Marcus Mariota becoming an NFL quarterback, Lovie Smith’s blueprint and how much the Bucs could improve this fall. (more…)

Is Oneil Cousins love just hot air?

Don’t laugh, but Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches have shared all kinds of love for the work ethic, effort and professionalism of versatile offensive lineman Oneil Cousins.

(No, “versatile” doesn’t mean dreadful at multiple positions). (more…)

So more than two months before the NFL Draft, which begins with Tampa Bay on the clock on the night of April 30, it seems we have a leader in the two-horse(?) race to be the Bucs’ pick.

And that is Jameis Winston. (more…)

Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, former national champion Jameis Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback ever to wear No. 5 in the state of Florida. (more…)

Joe can’t believe how much inhaling is going on around town and across America.

And nobody should be happier than the folks working and puffing at One Buc Palace. (more…)

Chris Landry went from Browns and Titans scout/personnel guy to media dude and draft consultant for various NFL teams. So Landry was at the NFL Scouting Combine studying prospects and joining team interviews of players last week. (more…)

There has been a whole lotta talk about quarterbacks in this neck of the woods we call Tampa Bay. That’s because quarterbacking here recently has been like a cheap Sharknado movie on the Syfy Network.

Only problem is, since leaky, sleepy Josh Freeman went mental, the quarterback play has eaten up this team so badly it has a chance to select Jameis Winston with the first pick in the draft. (more…)

Joe hasn’t lost sight of Marcus Mariota. What a fantastic prospect the kid is, outside of the charisma department. There’s a clear reason he will be a high first-round pick.

Mariota’s “buzz” didn’t match Jameis Winston’s at the NFL Scouting Combine, but there was still plenty for the Oregon quarterback. (more…)

The evidence is overwhelming

Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, former national champion Jameis Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback ever to wear No. 5 in the state of Florida. (more…)

In many ways, Tampa Bay’s 2014 season was more bizarre than the MRSA-infected, quarterback-gone-mental, Fire-Schiano-billboards campaign of 2013.

There were plenty of real Bucs mysteries last year, and Joe’s revisiting the most interesting of the bunch. (more…)

Jameis Winston haters, minds bolted shut, always scream at Joe for not preferring the Bucs draft Marcus Mariota. ‘

Joe’s reasons are twofold:

1) Virtually every person Joe has spoken to that is either currently or formerly employed by an NFL personnel department, claims Winston is a better quarterback. No more complex than that. That has really reinforced what Joe has seen with his own eyes. (more…)

The Bucs have spoken with Penn State OT Donovan Smith “many times.”

Joe has been pushing for the Bucs to at least draft two offensive linemen this spring. Third and fourth rounds would be fine. Lord knows the Bucs need offensive linemen.

This draft is believed to be deep on offensive linemen, not so much top-heavy, but a lot of valuable talent to be had in the middle rounds. (more…)