Will Mason Foster play in New Orleans?

As he is wont to do, middle linebacker Mason Foster was ready to chat about Bucs football, wearing his trademark floppy hat in the style of Gilligan. “Mase” is always eager.

But of late, Foster hasn’t been ready to play football. He dislocated a shoulder against the Rams and hasn’t played since. That could change Sunday. (more…)

Dare to dream, Bucs fans. Your official “quarterback of the future” is.

Bucs starting gunslinger Mike Glennon has had his eye on the NFC South standings. (more…)

“You have to be s(p)itting me, Mark Davis! You actually want me to work with Derek Carr? Jiminy Christmas, take your sorry ass team elsewhere, man! Tirico would be a better quarterback!”

Periodically, Joe likes to share what is going on in the world of Chucky. You know, the guy who doesn’t get near the praise he should for bringing home the lone Super Bowl championship for the Bucs.

And frankly, the Bucs really haven’t been worth a squat since he was jettisoned that fateful Friday evening in January 2009. (more…)

A member of the Bucs offensive line weighs in on Snapgate

Considering the Bucs have had serious troubles snapping the football through the past two games, Joe can’t just write it off as a bad day.

And it is serious, especially when you’re about to head to the NFL’s southern cauldron of doom in New Orleans. (more…)

That quarter smile you couldn’t wipe off your face on Monday, that pride at the office, the lack of shame walking through Publix, that’s the sweetness of victory. (more…)

A plea to get physical emerges

Here’s a stat that’s surely got Lovie Smith seeking sleep aids: The Buccaneers’ defense is stuck with only one interception through four games. That ranks tied for 27th in the NFL.

The lone pick was a garbage-time theft of Falcons quarterback T.J. Yates by Danny Lansanah. Sadly, there is more troubling data. (more…)

Josh McCown will be back on the field sooner rather than later.

Joe can hear the cheers across the Tampa Bay area, from the white sands of Clearwater Beach to the strawberry farms of Plant City. (more…)

So what’s a wilder atmosphere for the visiting team? A crazy Thursday Night Football crowd in the Georgia Dome or a 1 o’clock Sunday Saints fiesta at the SuperDome?

Bucs right tackle Demar Dotson has the answer. (more…)

That odd-looking, low-driven 50-yard field goal, the one that clanked off the bottom of the left upright Sunday, was anything but normal for rookie kicker Patrick Murray. (more…)

In some circles the Bucs are in the middle of a quarterback controversy. Josh McCown, hand-picked by Lovie, has underwhelmed, to be polite. Garish interceptions and wanton disregard for ball security led to three losses in as many games.

Yes, every Buccaneer played like a dog deposit in a front yard that Thursday night in Atlanta. (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…)

It’s Tuesday. So that means the “JoeBucsFan Hour” was in full swing tonight, as Joe squared off with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620.

It got a little heated at times. (more…)

Lovie Smith is taking a page from Raheem Morris’ playbook

Is Lovie Smith channeling Raheem Morris?

The ol’ ball coach used to take the Bucs over to Tropicana Field to practice on Thursdays in order to stay cool and extra fresh. (more…)

Foster explains that he’s becoming a better football player on the bench

Mason Foster only missed one game through his first three NFL seasons entering 2014. But he’s been sidelined the last two games with an injured shoulder.

Foster explained to Joe today that there’s a silver lining to roaming the sidelines as an eager learner. (more…)

Numbers suggest Mike Glennon is a much better quarterback to run the “Dunkaneers” offense than Josh McCown.

Yes, Joe knows there may be too much praise for Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon after he led a come-from-behind win at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Wins, especially dramatic wins, tend to hide warts.

Then, here come the numbers geeks, among them Rivers McCown (not to be confused with Josh McCown) of FootballOutsiders.com. (more…)

In the Bucs’ locker room today, safety Dashon Goldson was asked to name the toughest tight ends in the NFL.

He gave a few names — interestingly, none were tight ends that roasted the Bucs through the first quarter of the season. But then Goldson quickly and genuinely referenced how the Bucs’ young tight end could hit that level soon. (more…)

Bucs coach Lovie Smith stated the come-from-behind win Sunday, led by Mike Glennon, proves the Bucs are not a garbage team.

The win over the Steelers did a lot of things for the Bucs. It got them their first victory of the season and the hollering and screaming and slamming of beer steins on bars came to an end… for the time being.

Pets in the Tampa Bay area began to venture out from their hiding places in peace. (more…)

When Joe snapped this photo in Atlanta, seconds before the start of the second Mike Glennon era, Joe had no idea snapping the ball would soon become a major issue.

Against Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay showcased a new brand of ball security. They had back to back delay of game penalties in the second quarter, despite being lined up and ready to snap the ball.

Those watching on TV saw Mike Glennon set in the shotgun looking furious when Evan Dietrich-Smith played a costly game of keepaway. (more…)