During Year 1 of the Lovie Smith regime in Chicago, somehow, someway, that quarterback-challenged club learned how to play the Tampa-2 defense quickly and jumped out to a 4-5 record. In seven of those nine games, that Bears team held opponents to 20 or fewer points.

Man, Bucs fans would kill for that kind of production.

(more…)

Where are the red jerseys?

Greg Schiano’s goofy, ineffective, blitz-happy pass rush last season generated 35 sacks and Tampa Bay finished with the NFL’s 17th-ranked defense.

But that’s old news, Lovie Smith’s Bucs have just 14 sacks through nine games — in a defense that revolves around the pass rush. (more…)

Leading 14-10 in the fourth quarter yesterday, the Lambs defense melted down losing 31-14 on the road to Arizona. It was a Bucs-like loss for Lambs coach Jeff Fisher.

The loss may have been ugly, but it seems, based on one game, Fisher may have gotten a win over Bucs overlord of football operations Lovie Smith. (more…)

Prepare yourself for Lovie Smith to tell media this afternoon that the Bucs remain in contention for the NFC South title, as Tampa Bay sits just three games back of division-leading New Orleans with seven games to play.

Then, after the spit-up clears from your throat, you can cheer yourself up with thoughts of the NFL Draft. (more…)

Joe’s one of those psycho Bucs fans who listens to all the player shows that air each weekday on WDAE-AM 620.

And earlier this season, Bucs special teams coach Kevin O’Dea joined Lovie Smith on the air to engage in some over-the-top raving about punter Michael Koenen. (more…)

A long look at the Bucs yesterday, today, and what to expect tomorrow and beyond.

Joe doesn’t know where to start. Is it the “Den of Depression,” where the Bucs are 14-31 since Chucky was jettisoned?

Is it the five leads in the fourth quarter gagged away this season? (more…)

Joe has made a point over the past couple of weeks that the Bucs defense improved and maybe turned a corner. To quote Lee Corso, “Not so fast.”

Yes, holding the Vikings to 13 points in four quarters was a good thing. And in the loss to the Browns, it was not the defense that caved in so much as the not-so-special teams. (more…)

Once upon a time, about six weeks ago, Lovie Smith proudly provided insight into how he evaluates quarterbacks.

”You do judge quarterbacks on what they do late [in games],” Lovie said while he praised Mike Glennon’s finishing of the win in Pittsburgh.

So what about Josh McCown’s crunch-time screwup today? (more…)

Sometimes gadget plays work. Sometimes they don’t.

Sometimes, they’re ridiculous calls at ridiculous times. Tampa Bay fans were treated to one of those today. (more…)

Right after the Bucs’ beating by the Falcons, Joe and Chris Fischer of WTSP-TV, Ch. 10, took to the field for a quick recap.

Well, Joe has to applaud Lovie Smith today. No, not for anything he did in outwitting (?) Dixie Chicks coach Mike Smith. Joe isn’t sure that ever happened.

But Lovie, despite his decision to drop $24 million guaranteed cash in the lap of ghostly defensive end Michael Johnson, finally sacked up and decided no matter what he was paying Johnson, he could no longer justify putting him on the field. (more…)

A rare Bucs sack, this from Akeem Spence last week. Joe is done writing about the Bucs pass rush because they don’t have one.

Joe is tired of typing it. Fans are tired of reading about it. Everyone is sick of hearing about it.

Simply put, the Bucs do not have a pass rush. Even with one of the elite defensive tackles in the game, the Bucs do not have a pass rush and cannot rush the passer. (more…)

“Dear Historians, Did you hear what Gerald McCoy said about the 2014 Bucs?”

Wait a minute!

Timeout!

Gerald McCoy spent two years playing for Raheem Morris but implied today that Raheem’s teams were more disciplined than Lovie Smith’s. (more…)

Joe cannot figure out why the Bucs have abandoned Bobby Rainey and the run game against garbage rush defenses. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

Generally, in football, you take your strength and try to expose the opponent’s weakness. But Joe guesses in the world of Lovie Smith, it might be the opposite.

That is the only reasoned explanation for the Bucs just throwing in the towel on the run game this afternoon.

The Bucs were virtually running at will on the Browns last week with Bobby Rainey averaging over five yards a carry and 80 yards at halftime. In the second half, the Bucs ran the ball a grand total of eight times. (more…)

New regimes look to improve, hopefully quickly, but at least steadily. They focus on growth. They’re trying to build something.

Right now, following a beating by a bad Falcons football team, Joe’s not sure what the Buccaneers have accomplished this year, if anything at all. (more…)

It appears Joe irked one of the most mild-mannered men in the Buccaneers’ locker room this afternoon, following the latest beating at the hands of the Falcons. (more…)

The “Den of Depression,” otherwise known as the home of the Bucs.

NFL fans have heard of the “Factory of Sadness” on the lake in Cleveland, otherwise known as the home of the Cleveland Browns.

After the franchise was ripped out of the city and moved to Baltimore, the Browns were reborn as an expansion franchise, and have been miserable. (more…)

McCown was overcome with emotion after today’s loss

Either you’re going to respect Josh McCown more when you hear this, or you’re going to bang your head against the wall.

Joe realizes the notion of athletes crying is polarizing. (more…)

This could be nothing. Or it could be something. It explains why Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was not always on the field in the fourth quarter.

Joe was in the locker room after the game as one would expect from Joe. GMC had his right thigh taped with an ice bag attached. Joe wasn’t sure if it was a hamstring or a hip issue or a groin. (more…)

Bucs re-starting quarterback Josh McCown performed like the player he is today.

He was reasonably solid with his throws, minus a bad red-zone pick and a few other dangerous clunkers, and his overall decision-making was questionable at times.

Did you expect more? (more…)

No surprises today. The Bucs moved the ball better against a garbage Atlanta defense but still lost because they couldn’t play consistent special teams, avoid costly mistakes, or slow down Matt Ryan and friends.

Your beloved Buccaneers are 1-8 and 0-5 at home this season.

At least the Jets stunned the Steelers and helped the Bucs’ draft position. The next time Joe goes to Publix and is asked, “paper or plastic?” you can rest assured Joe’s going paper. (more…)

Good afternoon from cloudy and a bit chilly Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, where two rotten teams will battle for the basement of the NFC South, the Dixie Chicks and the Bucs. Lots of good seats are still available if you want to enjoy this game in person.

Joe is fighting depression. Joe is depressed because the Bucs are so, so bad and Lovie is playing games with fans. It’s a sad scene. Oh, in case you still haven’t heard, defensive end Michael Johnson is inactive today. As Andrew Dice Clay would say, “It’s because he’s been inactive all year — OH!”

Bang your keyboard here to get all your frustration out of your bodies. As always, we encourage you to e-mail URLs of illegal video streams among yourselves but posting them here can and will get you banned. Go Bucs!