Joe must admit he has come around to the Bucs’ new uniforms. They’ve got sizzle in person, and they just might be a made-for-TV sensation. (more…)

Mike Florio believes there is clear evidence of what the Bucs think of backup quarterback Mike Glennon

Somewhere in a near-empty bar in the Tampa Bay area, as closing time inches closer, a member of the Mike Glennon Mob sits in the corner and softly mutters to himself. “Yes, I’m pleased with the way the Bucs have reshuffled their roster.”

But there is one roster move that gnaws at this MGM member. It’s that Mike Glennon was benched in favor of journeyman free agent quarterback Josh McCown. (more…)

It was a lively session this evening as Joe sat down with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620. Joe hit on a wide range of Bucs and NFL topics. Enjoy!

Ross Tucker explains why Donald Penn struggled in 2013.

Bucs fans ragged about the offensive line last season almost as much as the putrid amount of sacks the defensive line racked up. It got so bad, bartenders in the area threw patrons out of their establishments for using what they deemed a profanity, “Ted Larsen.”

So Bucs fans got their wish when Bucs general manager Jason Licht and coach Lovie Smith gutted the offensive line. With the exception of Demar Dotson, no regular starter on the offensive line returns from last season. (more…)

Why is Bucs icon Derrick Brooks talking about an elephant?

Joe assures you it has nothing to do with the obsession of former Bucs captain Davin Joseph. Brooks is talking quarterbacks. (more…)

Lovie and Pat Kirwan discuss

Now Joe knows the vast majority of his readers would in no way be able to take a year’s vacation after being jettisoned from a job. Mortgages, car payments, rent, NFL Sunday Ticket fees, bar tabs, they all keep us working and unable to blow off a year of work, short of winning the lottery or robbing a bank. (more…)

Will Jason Licht heed the words of his former teammate, Kurt Warner?

Regardless of who actually has final say on the Buccaneers’ draft picks, it’s clear general manager Jason Licht will have at least a very loud voice in the process. And given that fact, it’s interesting to note that much of Licht’s 19-year NFL career was spent around four historic giants of the quarterback position.

Is Licht really a guy who’s going to be ok going to battle with unproven Josh McCown and/or Mike Glennon? (more…)

A Sabby clone?

Joe’s research into potential new Bucs safety Major Wright reveals a guy who had a brutal season last year after Lovie Smith departed Chicago.

Former Bears Super Bowl champ center Tom Thayer analyzes all things Bears for the team’s official website, and he was no fan of 2013 safety starters Wright and Chris Conte, who both took other public beatings, too. (more…)

When Doug Martin Twittered he was cleared officially Monday to begin practicing, one week before the Bucs hold their first OTA of the Lovie Smith era, Joe quickly remembered Martin’s 2013 season, a snapshot of the Bucs horror movie that the year turned out to be

First, there was the leaky, sleepy Rip Van Freeman saga, soon after, a MRSA outbreak. Then All-Pro guard Carl Nicks got the MRSA and was out for the year. It just got worse, and quickly, like an out of control snowball rolling downhill. (more…)

Yesterday the Bucs were heavy present on Pro Football Talk, which Joe is sure all of you enjoy daily on NBC Sports Network, co-hosted by Erik Kuselias and the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio.

Joe will bring you excerpts of the roundtable discussion, which also included former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker, and former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, one of but three QBs in franchise history to lead the Bucs to an NFC title game. (more…)

Lovie Smith sure seems to be a man of his word. One of the first things Lovie told the NFL world as Bucs head coach was that he saw no good reason to leave any cash in the coffers when it comes to building his roster.

With veteran safety Major Wright now in/headed to Tampa, it seems the Bucs are about to buy even more talent. (more…)

Former Bucs QB Shaun King released his latest mock draft

It’s the Season of Smoke right now. It’s hard to gauge just what an NFL team will do leading up to the NFL Draft. Who will a team take? Will a team trade up? Will a team trade down?

With the Bucs, one could answer all questions, “yes.” The Bucs could draft a quarterback, could draft a tackle, could draft a wide receiver, could draft a tight end, maybe even draft a defensive end at No. 7. The Bucs could easily trade up with the Rams for Johnny Football, for example, and they could easily trade down to stock up on draft picks in a deep draft. (more…)

Expect Mason Foster to blitz more.

The more Joe hears from Bucs head coach Lovie Smith, the more Joe grows comfortable that the days of opposing quarterbacks being able to sit in the pocket and get a haircut without concern or fear of being breathed on are over.

It was simply galling how the Bucs, under defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, would prance around with crazy stunts and quarterbacks would simply pick the defense apart, knowing they had all the time in the world for receivers to get open.

First, of course, is Lovie’s resume. The way the Bucs have signed pass rushing defensive linemen is another sign. Now, it appears, Lovie will be bringing the house at times (sans stunts). (more…)

The newest Buccaneer, Jorvorskie Lane.

Meet the living NFL dinosaur position: fullback.

Bucs fans got used to seeing Erik Lorig and Earnest Graham blocking in two-back sets over the past handful of years, but that didn’t mesh with what was happening on most NFL teams. (more…)

Is Bucs icon Derrick Brooks taking a shot at Gary Gibson and Stylez White in the latest Pewter Panel video on Buccaneers.com?

Joe won’t go that far today, but Brooks was clear that Gerald McCoy is finally getting a veteran presence that can impact him in a big way. (more…)

Yes, the Bucs offense is a big mystery, highlighted by the mystery of what Josh McCown can actually offer as a full-time, season-long starter. McCown hasn’t been handed the keys to an opening-day offense since the Raiders’ in 2007. (more…)

Is Marlon Moore the next Bucs’ free agent signing?

In a potential move that screams “special teams,” it seems the Bucs are not quite done fishing for free agent wide receivers.

Per NFL insider Howard Balzer, the Bucs yesterday worked out former 49ers wide receiver Marlon Moore. (more…)

Bucs fans still aren’t laughing

Looking back, the 2009 offseason was, well, strange for the Bucs, and that’s being polite.

It began some two weeks after the Bucs ended their regular season when Team Glazer decided to jettison the only coach in franchise history able to reach the Holy Grail and win the Super Bowl. And this happened after two consecutive winning seasons, and winning seasons in three of Chucky’s final four years — years that saw the Bucs win the NFC South twice. (more…)

Bucs OLB Jonathan Casillas describes Lovie Smith’s defense.

The Jeff Tedford Mystery is one thing that keeps Bucs fans awake at night. Will the Bucs run the ball? Pass the ball? Keep it about 50/50? Will they pass the ball downfield or go Chucky dink-and-dunk?

Fans won’t know until the regular season starts. But Joe and other Bucs fans do know what the defense will look like. Per Alterraun Verner, the Bucs under coach Lovie Smith will run a Tampa-2 defense only a fraction of the time. (more…)

Joe’s been doing his homework on the Bucs’ new free agents, and Joe finds it noteworthy that newcomer linebacker/special teamer Dane Fletcher earned the confidence of the Patriots’ coaching staff last season to the point he was awarded the infamous “green dot” for a brief stretch.

That’s the lone helmet — marked with a green dot — that is delivered the defensive signal calls of the defensive coordinator/head coach. (more…)

It was a big splash recently when Yahoo! Sports NFL writer Anwar Richardson detailed how Bucs safety Dashon Goldson, seemingly atop NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell’s enemies list for physical tackling, hired his old youth football coach in an effort to re-learn tackling this offseason.

Why was Goldson’s going to this extreme? Well, it seems a combination of rule changes and not being coached up properly was making Goldson cough up his children’s college education fund to NFL elders. (more…)

Olivia Stacey was on hand at Friday’s fanfest/uniform debut at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway and spoke with a few Buccaneers in the process.

Her work was documented in a TBO.com video. (more…)

Joe continues to see recognized draft gurus pointing to Johnny Football getting past the Bucs and landing with the Vikings and grouchy Mike Zimmer with the No. 8 overall pick.

Has the world gone mad? Would Lovie Smith and his handpicked QB guru Jeff Tedford really pass on a chance to upgrade the most important position on the field with the most talented QB in the draft? (more…)