Just because Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman struggled tonight against the Patriots doesn’t mean rookie Mike Glennon should start.

Joe is confident the Mike Glennon Mob will sleep little tonight, unless mass quantities of alcoholic beverages are consumed.

Glennon, the Bucs’ backup quarterback, came into an ugly game played by the Bucs at New England and led the Bucs on three scoring drives, often doing what Freeman struggles to do: Throw with accuracy.

And, no, that doesn’t and shouldn’t be a reason for Glennon to start Week 1 against the Jets, despite Freeman playing more like a rookie than Glennon.

Look, is it nice what Glennon did? Sure. But who was he playing against? The vast majority of players on the field for the Patriots facing Glennon will be filing for unemployment in two weeks. Why should Joe — or any sober fan — get all worked up that a quarterback moved this offense against a bunch of Arena League players?

Then throw in the fact the Patriots were running a vanilla defense for Glennon. No coach in his right mind, and Bill Belicheat is among the best, is going to put something on tape in preseason that may be important in the regular seaosn.

No, Glennon should not start. And, yes, Freeman gives the Bucs the best chance to get to the playoffs. This year.

Rather invisible through much of training camp and against the Ravens last week, rookie running back Mike James really introduced himself to Bucs fans tonight in Foxborough.

James got some first-team action after Doug Martin had his bell rung executing a cut block to open the Bucs’ second offensive series.

Two plays later, James ripped off an 11-yard run for the only first down of the first-teamers. He caught a short ball from Josh Freeman in between two sacks of the Bucs’ franchise quarterback.

James finished the first half with three carries for 33 yards, and two receptions for seven yards. More importantly under the New Schiano Order, James didn’t fumble.

Is it fair to judge Josh Freeman tonight on just two offensive series?

Of course. That’s all Joe and Bucs fans have.

Freeman was 2-for-3 for eight yards. He took three sacks, and at least one, possibly two, came because he held the ball too long.

Kevin Ogletree dropped a pass on Freeman on third down of the first series.

Ugly night for the Bucs’ first-team offense. Joe was having Raheem-era, slow-start flashbacks.

So here we are boys and girls, two weeks into the preseason as the Bucs play the Patriots and yes, Tom Terrific and his knee will play despite the presence of Adrian Clayborn.

A lot of Bucs fighting for a starting gig can do a world of good for themselves tonight by putting in a good game. Should be fun.

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Enjoy the game!

Preseason Game 2

Bucs at Patriots

Kickoff: 8 p.m.

TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13. Game will be broadcast via tape-delay on the NFL Network at 1 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM 103.5, and WDAE-AM 620); SiriusXM Channel 85.

Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, pretty good football weather. Kickoff forecast is 69 degrees with little to no wind with low humidity and no chance for rain. Forecast has temperatures falling to 61 by game’s end.

Odds: Per FootballLocks.com, Patriots -3.

Outlook: Well, the starters should go about two or three series or so, and Joe will be interested in a lot of players. For one, all eyes (as usual) will be on Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman. Joe wants to see how Freeman bounces back from, by all measures and reports, an abysmal week of practice. If his Six Flags ways continue, the rollercoaster tonight should be going up. There are also battles to watch. Can Gabe Carimi really unseat Damar Dotson at right tackle? Can Dekoda Watson secure the gig at strongside linebacker? Which cornerback is going to pull away for the slot corner spot? Can a No. 3 receiver be found? How about return specialists? These are the things Joe will be keyed in on because by next week, one would guess the projected starting lineup could be or should be pretty much set.

Gabe Carimi will land the right tackle job, predicts a Bucs beat writer.

Tampa Bay Times Bucs beat scribe Rick Stroud believes former 2011 Bears first-round pick Gabe Carimi will unseat Demar Dotson for the starting right offensive tackle job.

Stroud made the call this morning on The Sports Page on WDAE-AM 620. (Audio below.) Regarding Carimi, Stroud explained that he believes “that’s really the guy they feel more comfortable with.” Stroud cites Carimi’s recent increased practice with the first team and the presence of Bob Bostad, Carimi’s college coach at Wisconsin who now leads the Bucs’ O-line.

Joe can’t make this call yet. However, if Carimi is named the starter and is effective, then rockstar general manager Mark Dominik pulled off quite a coup securing Carimi for a sixth-round pick.

Dotson did sign a barely-starters-money contract extension this offseason, and he was the weak link on the Bucs’ line last season, though Greg Schiano, Davin Joseph and Bostad were all on record praising him in the spring and early summer.

The sun could be setting on Anthony Gaitor’s career

With Darrelle Revis and Danny Gorrer not playing tonight, the Bucs’ remaining cornerback depth with be in the spotlight in New England. Rashaan Melvin, Johnthan Banks and Leonard Johnson likely will have plenty of opportunities to shine — or crumble — against Tom Brady.

Or will the Bucs roll out Michael Adams as the No. 1 slot cornerback? He’s a guy Schiano praised for his tackling against the Ravens last week.

Joe will be zeroing in on how, when and where those guys play.

Raheem-era holdover Anthony Gaitor also had good moments in practice this week, per various Twitter reports. Can he stick his name back in the mix?

Rookie CB Branden Smith, undrafted out of Georgia, is another guy to keep an eye on. He looked decent against the Ravens scrubs and was solid returning kicks for the Bucs.

Oh, the drama.

Greg Schiano said his Bucs made a “truckload” of mistakes against the Ravens last week, and the leader of the New Schiano Order followed that up saying he’d be happy to cut that number in half tonight.

There’s no doubt four turnovers were among the messes, as well as penalties and many issues common in preseason when players soon to be grad students and gym teachers are on the stage.

Veteran WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 sportscaster Dave Wirth looks at this and other elements to tonight’s Bucs-Pats game in Foxborough. Click below.

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Aside from Bucs quarterbacks and defensive linemen, the position that makes Bucs fans twist and turn is tight end.

During this offseason, whenever a tight end’s name recognizable from fantasy leagues popped up, fans wondered aloud whether rock star general manager Mark Dominik would lunge to sign said tight end.

In fans’ minds, tight end is a critical position. In offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan’s mind, it isn’t. That is the key element here.

So when the Bucs signed Tom Crabtree, it was met with much head-scratching. Never mind Crabtree was buried on a depth chart behind one of the game’s best tight ends, Jermichael Finley.

This subject was touched upon recently by the master numerologist of the stat-heavy ProFootballFocus.com outfit.

The “word on the street” is that Tom Crabtree has a shot to overtake Stocker at tight end, but that might not be too helpful even if it does happen. This could be a real area of concern with Freeman desperately needing an outlet valve underneath.

This isn’t just word on the street. Joe would be shocked, barring an unforeseen trade or other roster move, that Crabtree doesn’t start. He made his bones with the Packers as a crushing blocker. He did well with the rare opportunities he had to catch balls down the field. Well enough that the Bucs jumped on him when he was available.

For those who want the Bucs to get a high-flying tight end, consider that with Sullivan as the Giants receivers coach, Big Blue won a Super Bowl after their Pro Bowl tight end was injured.

Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman, at a public outing this summer, was questioned about the Bucs getting a household name for a tight end, Freeman shrugged his shoulders and said the Bucs don’t use a tight end much in Sullivan’s offense so what’s the point.

Luke Stocker, given his erratic play and injury troubles, simply is not reliable.

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Much has been made of the Da’Quan Bowers Odyssey, where the Bucs (mistakenly?) have put a whole lot of trust in a whole lot of production. From Bucs commander Greg Schiano’s own words, one can easily infer the move may have been premature.

Last year Clayborn went down with an ugly knee injury, but he’s back and in incredible shape so Joe has been told. Clayborn for the first time in his life had football taken away from him, the story goes, and it fueled an even deeper passion to rip off an opposing quarterback’s head.

Slowed by a groin injury early in training camp, Clayborn seems to have bounced back and Schiano couldn’t be happier from the sounds of his words after yesterday’s closed practice with the Patriots. Schiano about Clayborn playing tonight for the first time since his knee injury.

“That will be good,” Schiano said. “AC [Adrian Clayborn] brings not only his play, but his tenacious attitude and his energy. It going to be fun to have him back out there on the field.”

The Bucs need a pass rush worse than Joe needs Advil after a long Friday night pouring session at Hooters. We all know Gerald McCoy will be fine. Getting rushes from the edges is imperative.

If Bowers is not up to the task as the Bucs had hoped entering the season, then it is even more important for Clayborn to be healthy and active. Bucs fans should get a taste of how well Clayborn has recovered tonight.

Joe knows in the wake of news that Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman had one of his notorious Six Flags days yesterday and was roundly outplayed by a glorified third-string quarterback, the Mike Glennon Mob was happily wringing their hands in glee.

Joe is sorry to burst their bubbles, even those of the lunatic fringe, but Glennon will not sniff an NFL field this season in a meaningful game, short of Freeman going down from an injury. Even the crowd at ProFootballFocus.com, who get their calculators all in a bunch over Freeman, have noted that Glennon is not ready prime time, writes Rick Drummond.

Proper Motivation?

In our first look at Josh Freeman’s designated motivator, rookie QB Mike Glennon (-2.6 passing) came off less than polished. To be expected for sure, but the giraffe-like passer didn’t do much to avoid cementing early thoughts that had him pegged as a clumsy-footed, inaccurate slinger at this stage in his progression. A couple of big gains — escaping pressure to hit his wide-open tight end on a busted coverage to end the first quarter, and an underthrown deep ball to end the half – couldn’t outweigh the handful of other off-target attempts he put on tape. After showing sophomore promise in 2010 and not much since, Freeman’s desire to right the ship in time for his next contract — and not the rookie breathing down his neck — should still be the driving force behind hope for an improved 2013 campaign.

No matter how many times Joe types it, no matter how many times Glennon says it, the message is the same: the rookie from North Carolina State is simply not ready to play.

Yet the Mike Glennon Mob believes (hopes?) otherwise.

JoeBucsFan photo by Michael Hamm

With all the analysis of the Bucs-Patriots practice happenings yesterday, Joe found Pats writer Jonathan Lemons’ notes to offer the most bold takes.

Joe referenced Lemons take note of the Bucs’ tackling work ethic earlier, but below Lemons answered the question Bucs fans ask most often: ‘How did Josh Freeman and the Bucs look?’

The Pats won practice, per Lemons, and No. 5 was “awful.”

Former Bucs QB Shaun King is no fan of this summer’s handling of Da’Quan Bowers

There’s a blow torch under the buttocks of defensive end Da’Quan Bowers. That’s not up for debate.

But is it a good tactic? Former Bucs QB Shaun King is not waiting for the end result to cast judgment. One of three QBs to lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game, King says Greg Schiano’s tactics are beneath his office.

 “That’s Little League coaching. I mean that’s what college coaches that don’t have a lot of experience in the National Football League do. You know, and it ultimately goes to what I’ve been saying, you know, the entire last couple of years. That’s what happens when you depend on guys to do things that they’ve never done,” King said today on the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620. “And when you look at this Tampa Bay defense, they have, you know, four, five, six guys that they’re going to ask to do some things and produce at a level that they’ve never done before. You know some of those guys are going to underachieve. In a perfect scenario, you’re just hoping one of them pans out. But we’re dependent on probably on five, six guys to really step up. …

“I don’t know if that’s a way that they’re trying to motivate Da’Quan Bowers. I mean, I wouldn’t take that route because they have no other options.  You know, if you get Bowers in a situation where he just mentally checks out, then what?”

Joe can’t judge the Bowers approach yet. Joe’s must see the final product. But King does have a point regarding the Bucs counting on at least four unproven defensive players to come through in big ways. Akeem Spence, Bowers, Dekoda Watson, Johnthan Banks, and whoever is the official/unofficial third cornerback.

You can catch King’s full interview below, and you can find King during football season as an NFL analyst on NBC Sports Network.

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Multiple members of the Boston media have been wide-eyed with surprise this week at the Bucs’ daily routine of Pop Warner tackling fundamentals practiced by the New Schiano Order.

The tackling focus should be nothing new to readers here. Heck, last year Gerald McCoy made waves saying he was learning how to tackle. Mason Foster, a tackling machine in college, recently told Joe how much he’s learned about tackling over the past year. Johnthan Banks, honored as college football’s top cornerback last year, even told Joe recently that Schiano and friends have completely overhauled his tackling technique.

But for most New Schiano Order outsiders, teaching Tackling 101 at the NFL level is something fresh.

Pats writer Jonathan Lemons was among them, so he mentioned in his practice-notes highlights yesterday from Foxborough.

3. Tampa Bay spends a lot of time on tackling fundamentals

Before the teams practiced against each other they ran through drills separately. During Tampa’s warm ups, the Bucs were grouped by position and rotated through five stations, each of which emphasized a different aspect of form tackling: getting the helmet in front of the ball carrier, wrapping up with the arms, driving up with the hips and stripping the ball loose.

Bucs cornerback Michael Adams, who joined the Bucs in late June after six years with the Cardinals, told Joe he credits the Schiano focus on tackling for him being regular-season ready for last week’s preseason opener against the Ravens.

“I’m coming from [Arizona] where we didn’t tackle anybody, or anything like that, until the [preseason] game. I felt real good [against the Ravens] tackling. I didn’t feel like I should miss any tackles. The drills have made me a better tackler already. I know I felt ready because of them,” Adams said.

Without being asked, Schiano praised Adams’ tackling following the Ravens-Bucs game.

Overall, the Bucs were stout tacklers last year. That wasn’t among their many defensive weaknesses. The continued push on fundamentals should keep that area sound.

Yes, Joe posted this information last night, but it bears being put under the microscope for further examination: The Da’Quan Bowers Odyssey.

Yesterday, Joe read a report that noted Bowers was mostly participating on passing downs during the Bucs-Patriots joint practices in Foxborough. This seemed a odd to Joe as the Bucs are bound and determined to make Bowers an every down defensive lineman. Shoot, the Bucs played Bowers the entire first half last week in the preseason opener. Rarely are starters left out in a preseason opener longer than, say, 20 minutes into the game.

That was eye-opener No. 1. Eye-opener No. 2 was Greg Schiano’s comments about Bowers and the starting left defensive end gig.

“There are no starting jobs right now. Guys are competing on the defensive front. You’ve got Gerald McCoy, that’s a guy who is definitely starting,” Schiano said. “If AC [defensive end Adrian Clayborn] can come back healthy, then he’s definitely starting. After that it’s wide open.”

Whoa.. whoa… whoa… whoa! Wait, what? Bowers not starting? Joe can just hear Vince Lombardi yelling, “What the hell is going on out here?”

Bucs fans were told in the offseason that, in part, the Bucs didn’t re-sign 2012 Bucs sack leader Michael Bennett because he was damaged goods and that Bowers was ready to fill the void. The Bucs turned their noses up at John Abraham because, in part, Bowers was ready to be the bookend to Adrian Clayborn. The Bucs looked the other way on Osi Umenyiora and Dwight Freeney, in part, because it was now Bowers’ time to shine.

Now we are being told Bowers may not even start? Good grief, how quickly Bowers has fallen in the eyes of the Bucs. He went from future Pro Bowler to perhaps a part-time player in a matter of weeks.

Joe had a hunch all along it was a gamble — a big gamble — to put so many eggs in Bowers’ basket, a guy who came out of Clemson with a lot of potential but has been injured and has yet to come remotely close to reaching that potential.

If Bowers, three weeks from the season-opener against the Jets, hasn’t locked up a starting gig, how silly do the Bucs look at being penny-wise and pound-foolish with Bennett? Sure, he was/is damaged goods, but for the (relatively) minimal amount he would have cost and all the cash the Bucs have under the salary cap, what the heck. If Bennett couldn’t hack it, you make an injury settlement or cut him and walk away.

Something really smells fishy here (and it’s not the empty beer bottles at Joe’s side). Joe totally understands how Schiano wants competition, but my goodness, what has happened to Bowers?

If Bowers can’t cut the mustard with Schiano, Joe thinks it is safe to say that Clemson defensive ends are just like Penn State quarterbacks and Florida wide receivers: Stay away. Stay very far away.

The No Excuses Tour heads to Tropicana Field from Tampa Lee Roy Selmon’s locations. Click here for the schedule.

**STAYING FOR THE SATURDAY AUGUST 17 POSTGAME CONCERT!

Catch the famous No Excuses Tour luxury bus departing Lee Roy Selmon’s locations in Tampa for this weekend’s Rays-Blue Jays series and the Yanks-Rays series later this month.

Your Paradise Worldwide Transportation chauffeur is waiting — and it’s only $9.95 roundtrip!

More than 1,000 fans have enjoyed this amazing service.

Lock your seat down NOW at NoExcusesTour.com.

The quick dry wit of Adrian Clayborn is on display in this NESN video, as Clayborn deals with the New England media getting in his face like gnats on a hot summer night. Joe loves it when players reveal some of their personality.