New Bucs defensive end George Johnson

There are great rise-from-the-ashes stories in the NFL, and many through Bucs history.

Earnest Graham comes to mind. The Florida Gators great, undrafted with a wife and child and clinging to his NFL dream, fought off homelessness in Tampa while he battled for a roster spot. (more…)

Those loveable Bucs couldn’t win a home game last year, but dammit, they pulled off one heck of a draft misdirection.

Are they doing it again? (more…)

It’s horrible that Father Dungy is buzzing Lovie Smith’s ear, trying to get him to pass on Jameis Winston while fueling the trade-down fires.

But at least a highly respected voice in NFL personnel is speaking logically. (more…)

It is realistic to expect newly-acquired George Johnson to resume his tackle-making game.

It may end up as a footnote in Bucs history, but there is reason for optimism with former Tampa Bay defensive end George Johnson returning after a trade of sorts with the Lions today. (more…)

If Joe ran the Buccaneers, the team would have added an A-list team of offensive line coaches and/or consultants this offseason.

Instead, the Bucs will return O-line coach George Warhop and his newcomer assistant Butch Barry, fresh out of Central Michigan University. (more…)

It’s not all love and hugs and kisses for Jameis Winston at the JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.

Joe has spent plenty of time scrutinizing the young man likely to start at quarterback for Tampa Bay when the preseason kicks off in four short months in Minnesota. (more…)

You know Silly Season is in full swing when Wonderlic test scores take center stage. That’s the 50-question, ancient intelligence exam given to prospective draft picks at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Some people want you to believe these scores matter. (more…)

BSPN.com has pumped out a long, fluffy, magazine-like Jameis Winston feature by Kurt Streeter.

Joe’s not sure it’s terribly enlightening, but it’s interesting nonetheless, considering it gives a glimpse into the likely next Bucs quarterback. (more…)

Peter King of NBC and theMMQB.com says Jameis Winston’s lawyer was not trying to short-circuit the draft on his client’s behalf.

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…)

If you were deemed a useless pass rusher by former Tampa Bay commander Greg Schiano, like George Johnson was, then there’s a damn good shot you have a bright future in the NFL.

Schiano’s track record of rejects and misreads, in just two seasons, was astounding. (more…)

The Bucs tried to add a lively, young emerging pass rusher, Lions restricted free agent George Johnson (no relation to ghostly, ghastly Michael Johnson), but Tampa Bay was quashed Monday by Detroit, via some sort of annoying technicality appealed to the NFL. (more…)

FootballOutsiders.com reveals some surprising and not so surprising data on Bucs coach Lovie Smith.

What is the antonym for aggressive? Passive.

And if Aaron Schatz, the headmaster of FootballOutsiders.com, is to be believed, Bucs coach Lovie Smith is just that. Passive. (more…)

Bucs GM Jason Licht stated the Bucs were going to rely on interior pressure to get to quarterbacks. But what about rush defense from tackles?

Lately, the Bucs, almost in a public display of surrender, seemed to have thrown their hands in the air about trying to find that elusive defensive end to get double-digit sacks since Simeon Rice left nine years ago. (more…)

It’s Tuesday, so that means Joe stepped into the cage with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, at 5 p.m.

The JoeBucsFan hour was lively, as usual, even though Duemig opened the show saying Joe turns his top-rated show “to crap.” (more…)

Prickly Pete Prisco of CBS Sports is firing at Jameis Winston haters today on Twitter.

It has come to this: in the midst of silly season, where rumors and bulls(p)it about “risers” and “fallers” in the draft are all the rage, folks wonder why Joe is just about fried with the draft.

Joe can only wonder how the casual fans thinks. (more…)

This was pointed out to Joe by a few readers, mostly on Twitter. Yes, prospective Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston is visiting with teams (visiting does not equate “work out”). Yesterday fresh off a two-day period socializing with ex-Bucs players at a function for the Mike Alstott Family Foundation, Winston was off to Nashville to see the Titans. (more…)

Ron “Jaws” Jaworski, the former NFL quarterback and current ESPN QBs guru, is not standing strong behind his claim that “wired in” sources have told him Marcus Mariota will be the Buccaneers draft pick at No. 1 overall. (more…)