Early reviews are stunning for the new beast on the Bucs’ offensive line

Tom Brady has cried about the loss of his All-Pro left guard Logan Mankins.

Poor Brady. Josh McCown understands his pain. (more…)

Doug Martin could return to his previous bellcow self this season.

When the Bucs’ new brass, Lovie Smith and Jason Licht, took over in January, they pored over tape of their new players and weren’t overly impressed with the man affectionately known as “The Muscle Hamster,” Doug Martin.

L&L loved how Martin ran the ball. Catching the ball? Eh. They thought perhaps Martin was overrated.

Think not? Well, take Charles Sims as evidence. (more…)

Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht, a fixture on the Buccaneers Radio Network, has studied the Tampa Bay defense and believes it will be special, but he wants to see more of — and more from — Michael Johnson.

It seems everyone is waiting for the big-money free agent defensive end with just 3 1/2 sacks last season to show up. (more…)

Per the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, 1990 Tampa Bay first round draft pick Keith McCants is in jail, arrested at 1:22 a.m. yesterday charged with possession of cocaine, a third-degree felony, per the Florida statute for the offense.

McCants’ bond was set at $5,000 but he remains incarcerated. (more…)

Connor Barth’s release was all about the Benjamins, says eye-RAH! Kaufman.

When the Bucs decided to keep untested Patrick Murray over veteran  Connor Barth, it raised quite a few eyebrows among Bucs fans. Actually, it shouldn’t have.

As Joe noted in training camp, the Bucs had brought in a Pro Bowl kicker for a tryout. You don’t normally do that in training camp unless a coach or general manager is unhappy or unsettled on what the incumbent kicker is doing. Or isn’t doing. (more…)

The Bucs cut and made Major Wright available to the rest of the NFL, and it seems Lovie Smith is happy Wright didn’t find a new employer.

The veteran safety, and veteran of Lovie’s defenses in Chicago, is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer again. (more…)

Joe calls the 2014 season

Bucs icons Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks have publicly cautioned Tampa Bay fans to relax and give Lovie Smith’s defense a little time to grow and become dominant. It’ll get there, they believe, but right out of the gate is too much to ask. (You can read Brooks’ direct comments here)

Joe’s not going to argue defense with the Hall of Famers.

Just look at big-money defensive end Michael Johnson struggling a bit in preseason while adapting to lining up wide, something he didn’t do in Cincinnati. Cornerback Alterraun Verner has been open about the required adjustments to his game and how it will take a little time. Adrian Clayborn, to name another, is playing a new position at left defensive end. On Monday, Gerald McCoy told media he believed Clayborn’s transition could be the key to the Bucs season. (more…)

Former Bucs DE Steve White, a 2014 coaching intern under Lovie Smith, identified fears for Bucs fans and opponents. Rookie kicker Patrick Murray made the list.

So how do you defend Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Doug Martin all on the field at the same time?

This is what will — and should — scare the life out of Tampa Bay opponents this season. (more…)

If you want to watch Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp slow dance, then you want to watch this NFL Network segment.

Sapp and his fellow analysts stand around and decide what 2013 playoff teams will be ousted from the postseason. (more…)

Lovie Smith doesn’t seem to be a big fan of questions about offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford this week. (more…)

Remember, every Tuesday at 5 p.m. is the world renowned JoeBucsFan Hour on WDAE-AM 620 with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig.

Joe was all over all things Bucs this evening in advance of opening day. (more…)

Peter King weighs in with his annual predictions

The fever for Tampa Bay playing meaningful January football games has jumped up a few degrees.

Pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball box score-reading, NPR-listening, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame is calling the Bucs a Wild Card team in his official season prediction. (more…)

Ronde Barber already has written children’s books, and Joe can’t wait until Barber gets around to penning a look at the four Tampa Bay head coaches he served under.

That’s going to be chock full of gems. (more…)

Joe knows it really irritates many Bucs fans that stud linebacker Lavonte David got snubbed for the Pro Bowl last year. Joe doesn’t give a damn about the Pro Bowl at all, but still, it was an embarrassing omission.

It was such a slap in the face, it seems as if national NFL types have sort of used David’s slight as a crusade to not let this happen again. (more…)

Carolina has bigger guard issues than the Bucs

Many Bucs fans struck themselves with hammers the moment running back Charles Sims was drafted in the third round back in May. These fans wondered how the Bucs could do such thing when they had pressing needs at guard and a strong stable of running backs.

The Panthers, however, went guard in the third round and snagged LSU beast Trai Turner and dropped him into their starting lineup. (more…)

The Bucs’ Super Bowl champ weighs in

New Bucs nose tackle Clinton McDonald, the man with the Barry White pipes and a shiny new Super Bowl ring, doesn’t like to compare anything about his time with the champion Seahawks and his new team.

He doesn’t like to go there. But Joe got McDonald to dip his toe into those waters in the happy postgame locker room in Buffalo. (more…)

If the Bucs had a pass rush, then they could persuade Stinking Panthers QB Cam Newton from doing his Superman schtick.

Only a few days ago the Bucs learned the projected starting opposing quarterbacks to start the 2014 season were less than 100 percent. First, Sam Bradford is out for the season, again, with a blown knee. Then there was Cam Newton.

The franchise quarterback of the Stinking Panthers suffered a hairline fracture of a rib. This is one of the most painful injuries a guy can have and, for a quarterback, it’s even worse. Every time he throws, unless Newton is shot up, he will know it. (more…)

Film don’t lie. Go back and watch film of Carolina-Tampa Bay games last year and you’ll see Gerald McCoy getting triple-teamed — when he’s not getting double-teamed.

Joe asked McCoy about whether he expects the same treatment on Sunday, and McCoy had a lot to say. (more…)