Employed again

Joe must congratulate leaky, sleepy Josh Freeman for being one driven guy.

The 27-year-old former Bucs franchise quarterback earned about $40 million in his career. There’s no evidence he blew his money, and yet Freeman keeps scratching and clawing his way to return to league that has rejected him for two years. (more…)

Completion percentage not trivial.

As Joe wrote yesterday, Bucs coach Lovie Smith is quick to embrace analytics and statistics… so long as they don’t make him look bad. (more…)

When the Bucs are on defense, the red zone would be more apt to called “green zone” for opposing offenses.

For when offenses enter the red zone against the Bucs defense — Lovie Smith’s defense — it has become a virtual free pass to score. (more…)

Lovie Smith let loose with an all-time knee-slapper yesterday.

Look, Joe has written countless times in recent weeks Bucs coach Lovie Smith returns next year.

Six wins is six wins, and Lovie got that mark, tripling last year’s total and perfectly overseeing the most important franchise transaction in decades: drafting America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston. Lovie could not have handled Jameis any better. (more…)

Perhaps all the Bucs’ woes are simply in their heads?

A mentally tougher team likely would be 9-6 now instead of 6-9. (more…)

There is one absolute reason Lovie Smith will return next season. It is because Lovie has done a masterful job developing and managing America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston.

And that great job should not end now. (more…)

Joe doesn’t think the following is outrageous, but some will not believe the following. (more…)

Lovie likes stats, so long as they don’t paint a negative picture.

Get a chance to ask questions of Bucs coach Lovie Smith, and he will have you know he is a new-age coach. He embraces football analytics. (more…)

Lovie — and the numbers — speak.

Numbers don’t lie when it comes to how much a player gets on the field compared to his teammates at the same position. (more…)

The GM sounds off

The Bucs have a couple of superstars on defense, but Jason Licht says only one of them is the best of the best. (more…)

How brutal has it been for Bucs fans the past five years? Losing is expected. Thanksgiving draft talk is the norm. Hope is fleeting if not hopeless. (more…)

Bucs cannot let OC Dirk Koetter escape.

Right now the most important employee of Team Glazer after rising star AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht (he of the grand slam) is offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. (more…)

OLB Danny Lansanah didn’t register one play yesterday.

The following sentence is both a damning sword and an uplifting thought: The Bucs terribly missed rookie middle linebacker Kwon Alexander. (more…)

A former Bucs teammate of Jameis Winston talks Jameis.(Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Joe has admitted his minor obsession with Bears right guard Patrick Omameh, the guy who started 16 games at right guard for the Bucs last year only to be told this offseason that he couldn’t play the position. (more…)

Jason Licht speaks

Though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have left a nasty skid mark on this season by losing to the lousy Saints, Rams and Bears these past few weeks, general manager Jason Licht is brimming with confidence. (more…)

Joe’s not going to act like a fool and start blubbering about how the Cover-2/Tampa-2 philosophy is dead. It’s not. (See Panthers)

However, the Lovie Smith/Rod Marinelli brand is having serious issues. The data is overwhelming. (more…)

Brace for the spin

Prepare yourself to hear a statistic this offseason that will make you take a hammer to your midsection. (more…)