Joe likes how real Gerald McCoy is. Ask him an honest question and you get an honest answer. Joe really appreciates candor.

So Joe was more than impressed yesterday when GMC, speaking before a large gaggle of the local pen and mic club, stated flat out he is unworthy of postseason honors he has received in the past. (more…)

Joe got after it today with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio. Steve “Big Dog” Duemig of WDAE-AM 620. The “JoeBucsFan Hour” was a lively event.

All kinds of Bucs topics were on the table. (more…)

Joe’s proud to continue his partnership with LandryFootball.com, run by former NFL personnel man Chris Landry, who has worked as an assistant coach and scout for Bill Belichick, coordinator of the Titans scouting department, among other positions in pro and college football.

Landry provides an exclusive podcast for JoeBucsFan.com readers, which you can enjoy here every Tuesday evening — as in right now. (more…)

There was zero talk Sunday of trying DE Michael Johnson on the left side.

Thus far, Bucs right defensive end Michael Johnson has been a major swing-and-miss by head coach and overlord of football operations, Lovie Smith.

The very first guy the Bucs targeted in free agency, and reportedly dropped $24 million guaranteed in his lap, Johnson has largely completely invisible to date. (more…)

Lovie Smith was emphatic with Joe today

The Bucs have a questionable situation at offensive coordinator. Quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo, an NFL newcomer, has been filling in since late in the preseason.

Considering Lovie Smith often will say he’s always focused on improving the Buccaneers, Joe thought it was reasonable to ask the head coach if he’s starting the preparation process to potentially hire a new OC when this season ends. (more…)

Josh McCown was getting dressed in the Bucs locker room today with nothing on his bad thumb. It didn’t even look swollen. (more…)

Oh, the drama of a post-bludgeoning practice before the bye-week break.

Yes, the Bucs were back on the soggy grass of One Buc Palace this afternoon. (more…)

A coaching change is suggested

Yes, the Tampa Bay offense averages a little more than four points in the first halves of games. It’s reprehensible.

Joe might recommend a witch doctor or a team of strippers massaging players in the pregame locker room. But de facto offensive coordinator, Marcus Arroyo, wants answers. (more…)

A thing that irks Joe is that the Bucs are  led by someone and built by the same fellow who is believed to be a defensive wizard. The man’s name is Lovie Smith.

Make no mistake: Lovie oversees all football transactions. A player is not signed; a player is not traded for without Lovie’s stamp of approval. (more…)

GMC explained he was a marked man Sunday.

In his postgame eulogy Sunday, Bucs coach Lovie Smith dropped a line that implied the Bucs simply don’t have the horses to do battle with the big boys of the NFL. That’s not a far-fetched notion, the way the Bucs have been alley-beaten.

When Bucs stud defensive tackle held court after the game, he said the Crows attacked him like they didn’t give a damn about any other player on the Bucs defensive line. (more…)

Joe’s still flummoxed by how flat and lifeless the Bucs came out on Sunday.

How does that happen, and why does it continue through an entire first half? (more…)

One Bucs coach wasn’t afraid to radically change his schemes. And it led to a significant stretch of winning.

Joe will give Raheem Morris credit. The man was unafraid of change.

Heck, in his first season, Raheem fired his offensive coordinator in August and changed his offense. Three months later, he fired his defensive coordinator and radically changed the Bucs defense. (more…)

It’s kind of hard for a quarterback to throw the ball when he’s prone on the ground.

Many Bucs fans were irrational the way they attacked the offensive line. Joe thought it was lazy to lay all the blame for Doug Martin being a shell of his former self on the O-line. (more…)

No, the Bucs offense didn’t remind anyone of the “Greatest Show on Turf” during the seal-clubbing by the Crows Sunday.

Frankly, even if it did, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, the way the Bucs pass defense treated Crows wide receivers as if they had the shingles. (more…)

The fastest man in the NFL has made a quick exit from One Buc Palace. (more…)

The leader of Lovieball, Lovie Smith, had a firm message for fans today.

And the head coach also offered up a question at his afternoon news conference. (more…)

Akeem Spence explains the Meltdown on Dale Mabry Highway yesterday in great detail.

Bucs fans will want to listen to this audio of Joe interviewing Bucs defensive tackle Akeem Spence in the Tampa Bay locker room after the game yesterday. You can just feel the frustration oozing out of him.

Spence, in a very candid interview — which Joe greatly appreciates — explained how the Bucs were not prepared for Crows quarterback Joe Flacco’s three-step drop, that the defensive line was helpless as a result, and that the Bucs actually know Lovie Smith’s precious defense. (more…)

Mike Glennon remains the most interesting aspect to Tampa Bay’s season.

Despite all the Bucs’ question marks, the No. 1 question surrounding the team — and one that will drive the team’s future — is at quarterback. (more…)