Right guard Ali Marpet was abused tonight. Logan Mankins was beaten badly a couple of times and looks nothing like the guy who played for the Patriots.

And Evan Smith isn’t playing average ball yet. (more…)

Doesn’t matter who is calling the defense when it ignores tight ends.

Why do the Bucs think the tight end position is a friggin’ guard?

How many times last season did we witness this vaunted Bucs defense get gouged by tight ends worse than George Patton slicing through France? (more…)

Big game tonight. The Bucs might extend their winning streak! Joe’s kidding, of course, but there are all kinds of things to discuss in the Bucs-Browns matchup.

Tonight’s open thread is in the all new JoeBucsFan Message Boards. The direct link is HERE.

The message board is easy. If you haven’t already, just register, confirm the automatic email, and then sign in and play. Easy!

Have fun. Bad words and naughty posters will be filtered.

Go Bucs!

So how bad is Jacquies Smith’s injury? (more…)

Preseason Game Three

Browns at Bucs

Kickoff: 7 p.m. (more…)

New Bucs right tackle Gosder Cherilus

There all kinds of things to watch in tonight’s Bucs-Browns game (Joe will have a preview soon), but a huge and early spotlight will shine on new right tackle Gosder Cherilus.

The man known as “Goz” has 100 NFL starts and will be counted on heavily. (more…)

Encouraging words from Jay Glazer.

As Joe noted earlier today, MMA-head Jay Glazer of FOX Sports did a drive-by hit at One Buc Palace this week where he got to hang out with his old pal, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht.

Glazer, a name-dropper, told Buccaneers.com multimedia maven Scott Smith that he co-owns a gym in Hollywood with Brian Urlacher and that is how he got to be acquainted with Bucs coach Lovie Smith. (more…)

Mike Evans won’t play tonight, but one of his mentors will. (more…)

“It’s not about that.”

One thing Joe sort of snickers about is how big-named, big-time national NFL writers do their one-day drive-by visit to One Buc Palace and then pretend they are authorities on the team.

It looks good, but they are not there every day. Oh well, the effort is appreciated. (more…)

You want a preseason test to see if your Buccaneers are a new team in 2015? Here you go.

In comes journeyman Josh McCown and the Browns tonight. McCown is even a little banged up. (more…)

Yet to miss an NFL extra point.

So the Bucs are unsure of their kicker position. That’s apparent since they brought back Connor Barth.

At least we’re not talking about punters, who are not people. Some suggest punting is a waste of time. (more…)

A teammate of cornerback Johnthan Banks paints him as the ultimate Lovie Smith defender

It feels like Lovie Smith isn’t a big fan of cornerback Johnthan Banks. But listening to one of Banks’ teammates, it seems Banks is the ultimate Lovie kind of player.

It’s an odd contradiction. (more…)

From camp meat to starter?

In the NFL, it is all about making the most of your opportunities. In training camp and preseason, Bucs coach Lovie Smith always talks about “getting noticed.”

(When fans Twitter Joe about “Why haven’t you written/mentioned/talked about [Player-x]?” See previous paragraph.) (more…)

A new Doug Martin?

The past two seasons, largely because of injuries, Bucs running back Doug Martin has been pretty much invisible. In both seasons, the Bucs’ offense struggled terribly.

Coincidence? Joe doesn’t believe coincidences. (more…)

It was time this afternoon for Joe’s weekly visit to the popular Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620.

Joe got peppered with all kinds of rapid-fire questions. (more…)

Bucs rookie WR Kenny Bell has no catches this preseason

All eyes on the Buccaneers’ receiving corps tomorrow night.

The Bucs are down two men from a unit sporting a lot of competition and little depth. (more…)

Yes, when Joe mentions “rock star,” folks around these parts immediately think of former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. Not all agree.

Take stud wide receiver Mike Evans. He has a different definition of rock star, and that would be Johnny Football and America’s Quarterback, Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston. (more…)

Joe’s already called opening day against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 13 in Tampa a “must-win.”

It’s not a must-win for the standings. Duh. But it is necessary for the psyche of a fanbase that’s hasn’t seen a home victory since 2013, and compares Jameis Winston to Marcus Mariota. (more…)

Gerald McCoy shares an eyebrow-raising nugget about Jameis Winston

Now here’s a somewhat troubling take from the mouth of Gerald McCoy, the reigning face of the Buccaneers franchise. (more…)