Cerebral ex-quarterback Boomer Esiason issued a firm stance on University of Oregon QB Marcus Mariota.

Esiason isn’t sold on Mariota and says his NFL obstacles will be immense. (more…)

Before Lovie Smith was fired in Chicago and hung out in his basement with Jeff Tedford and others, Lovie finished coaching the Bears to a 10-6 record and the NFL’s fifth-ranked defense in 2012.

Two guys anchoring the back of that defense could be reunited in Tampa. (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.

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…)

Chatter out of New Orleans claims Step 2 of the Saints dumping of superstars is a plan to send Drew Brees to the Buccaneers for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. (more…)

The sun came up yesterday and the sun set. Yet the Bucs’ roster was virtually unchanged.

Oh, on the very day the free agency dinner bell rang, virtually every team made a transaction, or so it seemed. Teams signed players. Teams traded players. (more…)

The Bucs have interviews and schmooze sessions lined up with a bunch of free agents, per various reports.

A couple of ex-Bears — Lovie Smith Bears — are in the mix. (more…)

Jimmy Graham won’t be haunting the Bucs’ secondary next season.

Joe’s former Eastern Illinois University brethren Sean Payton, without trying, made the Bucs’ day minutes before free agent dinner bell was heard from coast-to-coast and beyond yesterday (more…)

Joe had a hunch it would start, but wasn’t sure when. “It” began early in the evening last night.

It is Darrelle Revis revisionist history. And it needs to stop before folks make themselves look like sniffling dummies. (more…)

The Buccaneers officially are courting free agent center Stefen Wisniewski. So Joe thought he’d call a guy who knows Wisniewski — and the Bucs — quite well. (more…)

The mere thought of young, fresh, angry talent coming to the Bucs’ offensive line has Joe celebrating like he just won free beer for life.

And a new report says a live, quality body is coming to Tampa. (more…)

It looks like Lovie Smith has gotten a thumbs up from his old pal Rod Marinelli, the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. (more…)

It was clear the Buccaneers waved the white flag on Anthony Collins in early December. And now it’s official. (more…)

Lovie Smith wants to retain guys who know his defense, and nickel cornerback Leonard Johnson is one of them. (more…)

(Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

The Buccaneers made Bobby Rainey sweat it out, but the end result today was great for both sides. (more…)

The Bucs lost a fish on the hook today.

Via Joe’s friend Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, defensive end Trent Cole and his 85.5 career sacks, have signed with the Bucs after Tampa Bay “put a totally aggressive and professional fight right to the end.” (more…)

Joe will publish free-flowing rumors and nuggets of interest throughout the day right here.

Readers, of course, are encouraged to comment and bang their thoughts as the NFL free agency dinner bell approaches at 4 p.m. Will it be a Merry Christmas in March for Buccaneers fans? (more…)

The Bucs swung and missed in free agency last spring worse than windmill Karlos Pena.

Get burned once? Oh, well, shove that hand back in the fire again. Gotta grab that log.

That’s pretty much the philosophy of Bucs coach Lovie Smith.

A year removed from largely getting their clocks cleaned (and Team Glazer’s wallet lifted) in free agency last year, Lovie is ready to jump back in the deep end of the pool, types Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. (more…)

Joe is not big on spending high draft picks or big money on running backs.

History reveals running backs just get the hell beat out of them and teams can be just as fortunate finding decent running backs later in the draft, or even off the street, rather than breaking the bank in free agency or with a first-round pick. (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…)

Lovie Smith is one of the all-time great optimists. The man could see light in a black hole. (more…)

What will Bucs GM Jason Licht do in the coming hours?

Joe has written it before and will write it again: There are nine potential spots where the Bucs could use an upgrade. And compared to some, Joe is being conservative.

We all know the positions; the most important are quarterback, offensive line and defensive end. (more…)