Archive for 2015

Jim Miller Talks To Joe

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015
Former NFL QB and current SiriusXM NFL Radio host Jim Miller.

Former NFL QB and current SiriusXM NFL Radio host Jim Miller.

If there is a better football show available to a fans’ ears than “Movin’ the Chains,” heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio during afternoon drivetime, Joe has not heard it.

Co-hosts Jim Miller, a former NFL quarterback for the Steelers and Bears, and Pat Kirwan, a former linebackers coach and front office executive for the Jets, are music to football fan’s ears. They bring unmatched insight from the football field, the locker room and the front office. (more…)

Will Bucs Give Fans Excitement?

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015
Bucs fans will be hanging their heads in shame for the next two years (at least) if the team does not address the QB chasm on April 30.

Bucs fans will hang their heads in shame for the next two years (at least), if the team does not address the QB chasm on April 30.

After the Bucs were alley-beaten by the Dixie Chicks — on national TV no less — and chain-whipped by the Crows, Bucs fans had checked out.

The only thing exciting at that point was the season ending and, in particular, winning the Chase for Jameis. (more…)

Warm Recliner

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015
Was Bucs QB Mike Glennon hung out to dry last year?

Was Bucs QB Mike Glennon hung out to dry last year?

Joe mentioned in his “Top 30 Buccaneers Mysteries Of 2014” that it was awfully suspicious that the quarterback of the future and quarterback of the past but not the quarterback of the present, Mike Glennon, was benched.

Remember, it was Glennon, not turnover-prone Josh McCown, who rallied Tampa Bay at Heinz Field to beat the playoff-bound Steelers for half of the Bucs’ wins last year. (more…)

Jameis Watch: A Barber Blessing

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

jameis and jimboCrab-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 to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. (more…)

Bullish On Dirk Koetter

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015
Bucs OC Dirk Koetter.

Bucs OC Dirk Koetter

Though NFL drama pushed the transaction off the front page of Bucs news, Tampa Bay fans should be excited about new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter.

With Jameis Winston on board, Koetter can mold him the way molded Matty Ice. Joe knows Bucs fans grumble that Matty Ice is overrated, but compared to Josh McCown, Matty Ice is Dan Marino. (more…)

Countdown: Top 30 Buccaneers Mysteries Of 2014 – No. 28

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

McCown Rams

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…)

“Were The Analysts Completely Wrong?”

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

gerald mccoy 0916

Legions of NFL insiders were all over Tampa Bay last summer. They were talking playoffs and about how the Bucs could be the 2013 version of the Chiefs. (more…)

Team Glazer And Quarterbacks

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015
Glazers2013

Questions about their influence reach a national stage

You and Joe know the Bucs need a quarterback. Hell, Stevie Wonder can see the Bucs need a quarterback.

The only folks who don’t think so are the few Woody Hayes disciples who have yet to be thinned out by evolution.

You know the kind. They’re like the Japanese soldiers who took to the jungles of the South Pacific in the final weeks of World War II only to be found 30 years later thinking the war was still on. (more…)

Super Bowl Light Years Away

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2015

josh mccown 0913

Watching the Seahawks and the Patriots in the Super Bowl made it really, really, really difficult to comprehend the Bucs being on the greatest stage in sports within the next five years.

Look, when you are in the basement of the worst division in the NFL, when the division winner had a losing record, and you haven’t won a division game since the words “Bucs” and “Schiano” were used in the same sentence, you are not just a bad team, you are brutal. (more…)

Countdown: Top 30 Buccaneers Mysteries Of 2014 – No. 29

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

Leaky Sean Glennon

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 over the next 30 days. (more…)

NFL Network Fires Warren Sapp

Monday, February 2nd, 2015
Fired.

Fired.

Joe isn’t sure if former Bucs great and Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp has bailed himself out of an Arizona jail yet. If he hasn’t, he is in for a rude awakening when he hits the street. (more…)

Jameis Watch: “Excitement”

Monday, February 2nd, 2015
jameis winston 1225

Hall of Famer Michael Irvin checks in with Joe

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 to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. (more…)

Warren Sapp Pinched For Solicitation

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

warren sapp

Pro Football Hall of Famer and Bucs great Warren Sapp had an eventful time in Phoenix during Super Bowl Week. Apparently, too eventful.

Per TMZ.com, Sapp was pinched in Phoenix for soliciting a woman of the evening. The site has all the details. (more…)

“The Strongest Dude I Pretty Much Ever Blocked”

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

lovie and lichtBefore last night’s Super Bowl, Seahawks guard James Carpenter had started 40+ NFL games over his first four seasons.

So he’s got a feel for tough guys in the NFL trenches. (more…)

“I’ve Never Met One More Willing To Sacrifice”

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

Mankins

Joe’s been hammering barbecue-venue-challenged Logan Mankins lately.

The Bucs have a big decision ahead of them, whether to pay the declining veteran guard about $7 million next season. (more…)

Free Agency Dinner Bell Rings In 36 Days

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

36

Joe’s already fired up. There’s no doubt the Bucs will be shopping for bodies on March 10, when the free agency dinner bell rings that Tuesday afternoon.

The only real question is whether or not Tampa Bay will be discount shopping. “Value” is the buzz word from the Bucs’ front office.

As always, stick with Joe all month long for all kinds of angles on free agency. Joe’s already taken a look at Bengals guards Clint Boling and James Carpenter, among others.

Dirk Koetter And “Inferior Players”

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

New Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter

The Super Bowl is over and the New England Schianos were victorious, but Joe still has all kinds of Bucs-related goodies to share from his journey to Phoenix.

The latest comes from a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback who is a big fan of new Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. (more…)

The Great Quarterback Divide

Monday, February 2nd, 2015
ira  with russo

The “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune, left, with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo from the SiriusXM stage at Radio Row in Phoenix.

On Thursday, Adam Schefter of BSPN floated the notion the Bucs were narrowing their quarterback search to Marcus Mariota of Oregon with the No. 1 overall pick.

That got the attention of the “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. (more…)

Notes From Phoenix

Monday, February 2nd, 2015
Looking at the downtown Phoenix skyline from inside the Phoenix Convention Center, the epicenter of Super Bowl activities.

Looking at the downtown Phoenix skyline from inside the Phoenix Convention Center, the epicenter of Super Bowl activities.

Joe usually does this after he returns from a work trip, give a quick recap of his stay in a strange land. Joe’s notes from Phoenix continue the tradition. (more…)

Hiring A Non-NFL QB Coach

Monday, February 2nd, 2015
Was the hiring of Mike Bajakian as Bucs QB coach a good hire?

Was the hiring of Mike Bajakian as Bucs QB coach a good hire?

One could argue the Bucs’ season went down the drain the day former offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford had a heart issue. That meant ill-suited quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo, who may have been over his head as a quarterback coach in the NFL given his zero experience in the league, was suddenly thrust into running the offense.

This flashes back to the Bucs’ recent hire of Mike Bajakian as quarterbacks coach, a guy with scant NFL experience but seemed to be an up-and-comer as a quarterbacks coach in college. (more…)

Super Bowl Open Thread

Sunday, February 1st, 2015

bill belicheatAhh, nothing like watching a couple of great football teams. This won’t be a typical Bucs game this evening.

Joe’s got a hard time envisioning Seattle getting beat by the New England Schianos.

Joe doesn’t expect the Patriots to be able to run the ball effectively. However, Joe does expect big plays out of the Patriots defense, and they have what Tampa Bay doesn’t — a winner at quarterback.

Should be a fun one. Bang your comments all game long right here.

Al Michaels Talks To Joe

Sunday, February 1st, 2015
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Al Michaels calls tonight’s Super Bowl

Among the heavy hitters Joe spoke with in his days in Phoenix lsst week was arguably the greatest broadcaster walking the face of the earth. That would be Al Michaels.

What hasn’t this guy called?

From the “Miracle on Ice” to World Series to college football and the NFL, Michaels’ resume is astounding. He could make a broadcast of a guy mowing his backyard sound exciting. (more…)