Bears coach Marc Trestman is happy Bucs starting quarterback Josh McCown got a promotion

Bucs starting quarterback Josh McCown will have a lot of eyes on him when training camp begins. A journeyman QB who will be 35 in July, McCown’s only real success in the NFL came last year in relief of bratty Jay Cutler.

Whether McCown can bring that success to Tampa Bay is another matter. Lovie Smith is gambling a lot on it.

Another guy smiling on McCown happens to be Bears coach Marc Trestman, as he told Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. He’s glad McCown is not returning to Chicago. (more…)

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Mike Williams’ brother.

[UPDATE 12:58 a.m.: The warrant issued for Mike Williams’ brother, Eric Baylor, is for aggravated battery, a second-degree felony in the Sunshine State, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times].

[UPDATE; 12:04 a.m. Per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, Williams was stabbed in the left thigh. His brother is still on the loose. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office asks if anyone knows the whereabouts of Williams’ brother, Eric Baylor, 23, should call 1-800-873-8477. Legitimate tips may receive a reward.]

[UPDATE: 12:02 a.m. Chris Fischer of WTSP-TV Channel 10 reports Williams was stabbed with a kitchen knife.]

In the wake of the news that Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams was stabbed in the thigh which required a trip to the hospital, authorities have now issued a warrant for Williams’ brother, so Twitters Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

[UPDATE: 11:45 p.m. Tammie Fields of WTSP-TV Channel 10 reported that it was witnesses that told police Williams was “roughhousing” with his brother when he was stabbed.]

[UPDATE: 11:18 p.m. WTVT-TV Channel 13 is reporting Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office expects to issue a warrant for the arrest of Mike Williams’ brother, who authorities believed stabbed Williams today. Currently, the alleged assailant remains on the run from police.]

Yes, Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams was stabbed this afternoon in the thigh. In his home. That much we know.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which noted they are receiving conflicting reports of what happened, claims Williams may have engaged in “roughhousing” when the incident occurred.

That’s the word from Caitlin Johnston of the Tampa Bay Times. (more…)

[UPDATE: 10:20 p.m. Per WFLA-TV’s Candace McCowan, Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams has been discharged from the hospital.]

It may be a while before Bucs fans find out exactly what happened when Bucs receiver Mike Williams was stabbed in the thigh in his own home this afternoon. Initially, it was believed Williams was stabbed by his brother.

But after interviewing witnesses and trying to reach Williams’ brother, who remains on the run from authorities, it seems there is not a clear picture of what happened in Williams’ posh Avila home, per Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. (more…)

Mike Williams was allegedly stabbed today by his brother, per WTSP.com

[UPDATE: 9:36 p.m. Per Candace McCowan of Channel 28, Williams was stabbed in the thigh.]

Bucs wideout Mike Williams was stabbed this afternoon and, per Bobby Lewis of Joe’s good friends at WTSP.com, allegedly the attacker was his brother, who is on the run from authorities, said Cristal Bermudez Nunez of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. (more…)

“Geez, man, the last of my fingerprints are gone from this team. This Jason Licht character better know what he’s doing. I love me some Zuttah. You can’t just buy a guy like that at Publix.”

The Lovie Smith regime has shown plenty of win-now urgency in its offseason moves, but today’s trade of Jeremy Zuttah wasn’t one of them.

The Bucs’ offensive line looks a bit flmsy now, losing a very durable, versatile and still young member. (more…)

Jeremy Zuttah was traded today to the Baltimore Crows for a 2015 draft pick.

[UPDATE: 4:59 p.m. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports Twittered the draft pick the Bucs will receive from the Crows is a fifth round pick.]

The wholesale house cleaning of last year’s offensive line is near complete. This afternoon, the Bucs announced they traded Jeremy Zuttah to the Baltimore Crows for an undetermined draft pick in 2015.

The lone remaining starting offensive lineman from 2013 is Demar Dotson at right tackle. Donald Penn and Davin Joseph were cut and the Bucs had no interest in bringing back free agent Ted Larsen. Part-time starter Jamon Meredith was retained. Of course, there is still the question mark of Carl Nicks. (more…)

With the NFL contemplating driving up the values of kickers to ridiculous levels, Joe is breathing easy knowing that Bucs kicker Connor Barth is ready. (more…)

A healthy, young, explosive NFL superstar in his prime could be cut very soon — and his name isn’t Darrelle Revis.

Joe’s been following and studying the saga of Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Word out of the Philadelphia Inquirer this morning is practically a farewell to Jackson, who played his college ball for Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford. (more…)

Lovie Smith’s coaching staff has as much influence on Evan Dietrich-Smith signing with the Bucs as Lovie did.

When center Evan Dietrich-Smith signed with the Bucs, it marked yet another cog in the team’s massive roster makeover. Shoot, it seemed whenever Lovie was asked about the roster prior to the free agency dinner bell ringing, he would finish his answer with, “but we were 4-12.”

There was no question the Bucs didn’t think much of their offensive line. Three starters are gone and Joe wouldn’t be shocked if there is more movement. (more…)

Auburn DE Dee Ford, shown sacking FSU QB Jameis Winston, is scheduled for an official visit to One Buc Palace.

It’s no secret what Lovie Smith thought was the deepest hole on the Bucs roster. That’s why defensive end Michael Johnson was shown the big money.

Bucs general manager Jason Licht noted the football staff deemed the position its most important upgrade and targeted Johnson early and fast.

In fact, news had leaked out well before the 4 p.m. free agent dinner bell rank that Johnson and the Bucs had come to terms on a contract. It seems Lovie may not be done there. (more…)

Bucs coach Lovie Smith recaps the busy free agent period for the Bucs.

In case you haven’t realized it yet, the NFL is a year-round business. Shoot, Joe gets as much traffic for the first days of free agency as he gets in the waning weeks of the regular season.

The NFL nearly has something going on each month, including June when the last OTA is held about six weeks before the start of training camp. Soon the Bucs will release their exact OTA/mini-camp schedules. (more…)

New Bucs CB D.J. Moore explains how Lovie Smith’s defense works.

This subject came to a head just after Team Glazer tagged Lovie Smith as the next Bucs coach. “How will Darrelle Revis fit in?” the NFL sophists wondered.

Many Bucs fans believed Revis couldn’t play for Lovie because Lovie primarily runs a Tampa-2 defense, which is a zone defense. Revis is a killer man-coverage guy. Of course, Revis was released so we will never know or get to enjoy how Revis played for Lovie.

One cornerback the Bucs signed was D.J. Moore, who played for Lovie in Chicago. Moore took a break from his birthday to appear this afternoon on “The End Zone,” co-hosted by Zig Fracassi and Alex Marvez, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, to clear up the confusion over what type of defense Lovie runs. (more…)

It’s never good for a head coach’s legacy when one of his respected players calmly and quietly talks about how the team had multiple issues with the coach. (more…)

Jonathan Casillas

In typical Bill Belicheat/KGB fashion, the New Schiano Order didn’t reveal much information about linebacker Jonathan Casillas’ knee injury last year.

Greg Schiano spoke about the loss of his special teams star and a starting linebacker with hush tones and dejection. (more…)

Could Lovie deny his DNA if Khalil Mack is available?

Make no mistake, mild mannered, God-fearing Lovie Smith wants a defense that busts people in the mouth, takes no prisoners, pursues the football like Joe hunts beer on sweltering July afternoons, and runs to the football in unison until the whistle blows. (more…)

Behold. Adam Hayward’s contribution to Bucs history.

Unless you’ve been lounging on a private island off the coast of Belize with zero access to the Interwebs or a TV (that would drive Joe to drown himself after a couple of days), you know the Bucs were really active in free agency.

Some may suggest the Bucs “won” the free agency period, though that usually is a double-edged sword, right Jerry, right Danny? (more…)

Johnathan Banks is hardly out of the picture.

Joe knows there are Bucs fans out there, for reasons beyond Joe’s realm of fantasy, that want to run Johnthan Banks out of town. That’s the only logical conclusion for the rejoicing by some over the news that cornerback Mike Jenkins is a Buccaneer.

Some will point to Jenkins’ Pro Bowl appearance. Joe will point to Vince Young (of all people!) lighting up Jenkins play after play and Dallas doing its best to wash their hands of him, not to mention Jenkins’ shameful pulling up on a would-be tackle and waving the red cape at Derrick Ward as the Giants running back walked in for a 17-yard touchdown run. Ole’ indeed. (more…)

Few general managers — shoot, maybe none — were as busy last week as Bucs GM Jason Licht. The first-year Bucs front office man all but turned around his roster in a handful of days. He was so busy that Licht told CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora that since the first few days of free agency, he has all but played solitaire on his computer for being “bored.” (more…)

Everybody knows Jeff Tedford is an extraordinary college quarterbacks guru. The man pumped out a basket full of NFL first-round picks.

It’s not on Tedford that a lot of those guys were marginal at best as professionals when they weren’t under his tutelage. For Joe, that fact only enhances Tedford’s reputation. (more…)

It’s used to be all about No. 5, then it was all about No. 8. Now it’s all about No. 12, and Joe hopes it’s soon all about No. 2.

Bucs math sure has been challenging the over the past six months. (more…)

The Bucs should lean on Tedford’s assessments

There is no denying that the likely/rumored trade of overpaid Texans quarterback Matt Schaub to the Raiders should put a bounce in the step of any Bucs fan who believes a more promising QB option is needed (more…)

With the addition of veteran cornerback Mike Jenkins yesterday, Joe started thinking about the state of the Bucs’ crop of cornerbacks.

Yeah, it’s early, but are they deep enough or good enough? Here’s a look:

(more…)