Bucs ironman Donald Penn weighs in on Mike Glennon and Josh Freeman

Donald Penn is one of the most candid and open Buccaneers. He’s always worth a listen and Joe recommends Penn’s interview on NFL Radio yesterday right here.

Penn opened up about how frustrating the Josh Freeman situation is for him.

“It’s just real tough. You know, I feel bad for Josh being put in this situation,” Penn said. “You know, the stuff that came out yesterday [regarding Freeman’s ADHD medicine being monitored in NFL substance-abuse program]and stuff like that, it’s like they’re really trying to bring him down and Josh is a great guy. I mean Josh is a very humble spirit. He’s a very good guy. He’s a very good person and he really cares about him teammates and he cares about his team. I know it’s killing him what’s going on.”

Penn went on to say Mike Glennon earned his respect

“I think Mike Glennon did a great job this week coming in. I’m not going to lie, I was a little worried, rookie quarterback coming in, but I really thought he managed and handled the huddle very well and controlled the offense very well being a rookie coming in there,” Penn said. “I mean, he kept good poise; it kind of felt like he’s been there for a while.”

And Penn painted a picture of Josh Freeman working behind the scenes and behind the media circus to help his teammates, including Glennon.   

“He’s still trying to help Mike out. That’s the kind of guy Josh is and, you know, people don’t see even that side of him because they just hear all the outside stuff. He’s still in Mike’s ear trying to help Mike’s out, you know He’s still in my ear and all the other teammates ears. And it’s not negative at all. It’s nothing negative. Josh has not said one negative thing since all this happened and I talk to Josh all the time. It’s just a tough time right now. We’re getting through it. We’re sticking together.”

None of what Penn talked about surprised Joe. Again, Joe recommends you listen to the interview above.

Joe’s pleased to hear Penn’s candid review of Glennon. The Bucs’ offense was ugly Sunday, but it certainly could have been worse.

Former Bucs great Ronde Barber has his take on the Josh Freeman saga while appearing on FOX Football Daily in this FOX Sports video. Barber is appalled. Among other highlights, Barber calls the smear campaign against Freeman a “travesty.”

Wow, it has gotten so crazy over at One Buc Palace — Joe has seen saner kindergarten classes — that insiders with a pulse of the team are already stating the Bucs should be looking for a new coach immediately, despite the fact Bucs commander Greg Schiano is still at the helm.

That coach should be former Bears coach Lovie Smith, says FOX NFL insider Jay Glazer.

In an odd twist of events, if one is to believe Glazer (who has one of the better batting averages of any NFL writer), Bucs commander Greg Schiano asked Josh Freeman to skip a meeting (or meetings) to create the impression to the other 52 men on the Bucs roster that Freeman once again missed a team meeting.

Now, why Schiano would go through such a time-consuming, elaborate ruse to shame a No. 3 quarterback whose days are numbered when there are bigger fish to fry — you know, like winning the first game of the year? This is beyond Joe.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, (hidden behind the Times’ dastardly paywall) that he asked Freeman to stay in the training room (but his missed meeting would be an excused absence) and not attend a team meeting because Schiano wanted to speak with him about the turn of events Monday evening that rocked the very foundation of One Buc Palace.

But Glazer, in his Twitter feed, claims the timeline of events does not jive with Dominik’s explanation to Stroud.

This is all very confusing.

Joe’s head is spinning from the daily bombshells out of One Buc Palace and beyond. Each day it is dizzying.

Joe does know one thing, Schiano must have really PO’ed enough people that they are working overtime with their hand-picked favorite national writers to distribute scandalous information about Schiano in order to motivate Team Glazer to pull the rug out from under him before he finishes his second season.

As for Lovie Smith, color Joe lukewarm. He’s a Father Dungy football clone through and through. He rode the coattails of a fantastic defensive coordinator (Rod Marinelli) and his offense and hand-picked offensive assistants were, well, meh. Look, Mike Tice as an offensive coordinator? No wonder bratty Jay Culter was a mental patient last year. There’s a reason the Bears jettisoned Smith after posting a 10-win season in 2012 (think Father Dungy in 2001).

If the Bucs plan on developing a quarterback via the draft next spring, you don’t want someone like Lovie Smith picking the offensive coaches, unless you want him to produce Rex Grossman II and be right back where you started without a Bucs signal-caller in 2018.

Joe simply cannot remember so much drama circulating around One Buc Palace like what has been the past week or so. It’s like a bombshell being dropped on a daily basis. The creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio, talks about how all this got started, and the best way for the Bucs to stop this nonsense in this NBC Sports video.

The mysterious illness that afflicted Bucs offensive lineman Gabe Carimi recently was, indeed, an infection, Carimi admitted Tuesday at One Buc Palace.

Hold up! Carimi was quick to point out his infection had nothing to do with One Buc Palace being deloused — twice — recently.

Yes, Carimi said, it was an infection. An infection of Mononucleosis, the second time Carimi has caught the ailment.

“I had a fever, infection — no, it is NOT MRSA!” Carimi quickly laughed. “Don’t put that out there. it is not MRSA. [It was], bacterial something. It took it out on me. It was mixed with mono, too. A little bit of both.”

Carimi said he dropped some 20 pounds while fighting the sickness.

“I have been sleeping 14 hours [daily] the last two weeks,” Carimi said of how hard the mono has kicked him.

While on the rebound, Carimi confessed he isn’t sure when he will be medically cleared to play as the infection affected his spleen.

“That’s why I can’t go back yet,” Carimi said. “We have to take CT scans of my spleen to determine when I can come back. Hopefully sooner than later.”

Carimi said he wasn’t give a time-frame at all by the doctors when he could return to full practice participation on a regular basis.

Former Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Chucky answers questions from fans in this BSPN video and he talks about how a quarterback change is so dramatic for a team, and gushes over the greatest rock band in American history, Van Halen.

Tight end Nate Byham now joins fellow tight end Luke Stocker on injured reserve, the Bucs announced today.

Tom Crabtree has yet to take a regular-season snap, so it’s fair to say the Bucs’ tight end position is in historic disarray. Rookie tight end/converted receiver Tim Wright is a not a blocker. Literally, he looks more like an NBA shooting guard than a tight end. Former New Schiano Order tight end Dallas Clark has 16 catches this season for the Ravens.

The Bucs also promoted training camp star receiver Chris Owusu to replace jettisoned Kevin Ogletree. Owusu seemed to be a lock to make the opening-day roster but was derailed by drops and an injury.

Ironically, last night Greg Schiano said he would “like people to quit complaining” about the Bucs attempting to blow up the line of scrimmage to possibly disrupt the closing-seconds victory formation of their opponents. But it seems there are complaints — from Buccaneer Men.

Today, Cardinals kick Jay Feely took exception to Schiano’s explanation that his team was hungry to engage in the unorthodox and potentially dangerous play. Feely jumped on Twitter to say members of the Bucs’ defensive line apologized to Cardinals players for doing just that Sunday.

@jayfeely – Schiano said. “And if anybody saw it, Gerald McCoy was shaking his head telling [Arizona], ‘We’re coming” Tampa DLine was apologizing

During his Monday radio show, Schiano earnestly detailed that his defensive players want to do the unorthodox and potentially dangerous play. Schiano even made the point that he wants all fans to know his Buccaneer Men are on board.

“But most importantly, you know, I want everybody to know, our players, I ask our players, ‘if we don’t want to do this, we don’t do it.’ I mean, that’s where I am. I’m not going to force guys,” Schiano said. “Because is there’s always a risk involved? Sure. I mean there’s always a risk involved when you’re hitting other people. And I’m talking about a risk for our players.

“But, you know, when your players believe it can give you an opportunity, now why do they believe? Because they’ve seen the video. They’ve seen the ball on the ground in a situation that that shouldn’t happen. So I think that they understand if done correctly, there’s a good opportunity. …”

Joe really doesn’t doubt Feely here. Joe knows a handful of Bucs players were not happy with the end-of-game tactic when it was unveiled against the Giants in New Jersey last year. It’s reasonable to think the brotherhood of the NFL doesn’t like it, even if Schiano is getting a “yes-sir” response from his team.

The Buccaneers soap opera continues with word from Jenna Laine, formerly of NFL.com, who covers the Bucs for SportsTalkFlorida.com.

Joe knows Laine has some excellent sources, and one is telling her that Josh Freeman was ordered by Bucs’ team security to leave his personal suite Sunday and take his ass over to the official Bucs suite for inactive players.

Another wrinkle in the Freeman-Buccaneers saga was how his benching was handled, not just in terms of keeping him off the field Sunday, but the team mandating where he sat. Freeman was not only told he could not be on the field Sunday and was also told he could not sit and watch the game with his family in the suite he paid for himself.

A source close to Freeman stated that security actually came to the Freeman suite and told him he had to leave. Freeman obliged and was escorted to another suite to be with other inactive team members.

The source recalled, “It was as if he was being put into time out and punished, like a child.”

Would the Bucs really have security order Freeman to change his seat? That seems almost impossible to believe but given how the Freeman saga has unfolded under the New Schiano Order, Joe surely wouldn’t be surprised.

Joe can almost hear Freeman say to a security guard, “Dude, man, I paid for the seat. For real, I got a stub.”

Clarification: Joe has learned that the security who asked Freeman to sit with his teammates was security for the Bucs; a Bucs security employee, not stadium security. Stadium security are not employees of the Bucs.

Josh Freeman is battling for his old job back, the No. 2 QB job he held for a day or so before being banished by the New Schiano Order to an “inactive suite” for last Sunday’s game.

Rick Stroud, of TampaBay.com, Twittered that Freeman is back practicing today and “all are playing nice in the sandbox” on the fields of One Buc Palace.

There are only five men in the NFL’s 400 club, and Doug Martin is on pace to join them.

In NFL history, only Larry Johnson, Jamal Anderson, the Bucs’ James Wilder, Eric Dickerson and Eddie George have tallied 400 or more carries in one season, per ProFootballReference.com. Johnson set the record of 416 with the Chiefs in 2006.

Martin has 100 carries for only 342 yards through the Bucs’ first four games. He had 319 carries last season. So he’s on pace for more than a 20 percent increase.

Joe wrote numerous times in the summer about how fans should expect Martin to be given the full workhorse treatment. Joe understands the mentality of the Bucs using Martin, but it’s getting extreme.

For example, Greg Schiano praised Mike James for his debut carry for five yards against the Patriots in New England. But then James didn’t get a handoff on Sunday? Brian Leonard has shown sure hands. Will he get more third-down work?

Martin has fumbled three times this season, more than he did all last year, and he’s had blocking troubles and issues holding on to the football in the passing game. Martin is a great young running back, without question, but perhaps fatigue is hurting his effectiveness.

Regardless, Joe expects the Bucs to keep pounding Martin relentlessly and maybe cut his load late in the season when everything is clearly meaningless.

A quick thank you note here from Joe. The response to this website continues to amaze.

More than 120,000 unique visitors made 600,000+ actual visits to JoeBucsFan.com in September. New records were reached. And various tracking methods and research reveal that JoeBucsFan.com is the most popular team-specific NFL site in the country not owned by the league. Given the size of the Tampa Bay market, that’s pretty darn cool.

Joe appreciates your patronage. Joe remains committed to giving you unmatched Bucs coverage 24/7.

The leader of the New Schiano Order took a beating from fan callers to his radio show last night on WDAE-AM 620. Props to the head coach for embracing the fans’ frustration and responding eagerly. And props to the Buccaneers Radio Network for letting fans vent.

One fan spewed a list of complaints and told Greg Schiano to stop his micromanaging ways and let his coaches coach.

Schiano responded and made it clear that his staff has “quite a bit of autonomy.”

“Offensively, we have a system that is, you know, Mike Sullivan came from the New York Giants where he was for a long time. And that’s the basis of our system. It’s been adapted. But we have a great offensive staff who puts together the plans. Without a shadow of a doubt, I am aware of everything we’re doing. And if I think that something isn’t going to work, I’ll say, “You know what, I’d rather not do that.” But really, overall, they have a quite a bit of autonomy,” Schiano said.

“Defensively, I am probably more involved. But again, Bill Sheridan runs that show. He calls the game. He puts the gameplan together.  Again, I am involved in every part of it. And if I disagree, we’ll discuss it, then come up with a decision. Same thing in the kicking game …”

Joe found it interesting that Schiano talked about the Bucs having the core basis of the Giants’ offense under Tom Coughlin. Didn’t that offense always feature two and three running backs when it was successful?

Joe is unsure who is behind the Bucs’ stubbornness in featuring Doug Martin to such an extreme. Even Ray Rice had his touches dialed back significantly last season with the addition of Bernard Pierce. The Bucs offense is so unnecessarily predictable. 

As for how heavy-handed Schiano is with his coaches? That’s unclear. But now you’ve got the coach’s response above.

Greg Schiano offers high praise

Considering the Bucs offense is more impotent than a Viagra-free Hugh Hefner, it’s downright amazing how the Bucs defense looks on the NFL stat sheets.

Through four weeks of the season, the Bucs are ninth in points allowed per game (17.5), 12th overall yards allowed (332.2 ppg.) and their pass and run defenses are each in the upper half of the league.

“I thought it was probably the most efficient we were defensively since we’ve been here in actually executing our jobs to a man,” Schiano said. “You know, I’ve talked about it often; It’s a team defense we play. It’s reliant on each other doing their jobs. You know it’s never going to be perfect, but it’s much, much better than we’ve been. And we just need to keep improving and understanding what we’re doing.”

On the negative side, Schiano said there was too much poor tackling against the Cardinals. 

Joe’s proud of the Bucs defense, but it can only do so much. Also, Schiano’s praise for the Bucs’ efficiency “to a man” makes the Ahmad Black release today that much more curious, especially considering Mark Barron is hurt and Dashon Goldson is a suspension waiting to happen.

After talking with a Bucs suit last week, Joe got the distinct impression that the Bucs were content to wait until the trade deadline to move defrocked franchise quarterback Josh Freeman, reasoning that whatever market there was for the Kansas State product could increase.

Additionally, if a playoff contender’s quarterback went down with an injury, that quickly would create a primary suitor.

Apparently, those plans have been scrapped. Ed Werder of BSPN fame keeps his ear to the railroad tracks of the NFL and hears from other teams’ general managers that the Bucs are trying to move Freeman like a telemarketer tries to sell aluminum siding to old ladies.

@Edwerderespn: Source says Bucs have called nearly dozen teams about trading Josh Freeman and indicated plan to reach out to all 32 by end of today

Given all the he said/she said nonsense the past four or five days, it appears the Bucs are willing to eat whatever cash they have to ensure Freeman is gone.

Also, the notion that the Bucs are leaking information to damage Freeman, Joe just cannot wrap his head around that. Exactly what do the Bucs have to gain by making Freeman virtually untradeable? Not a damned thing. It just doesn’t make sense.

Want to find out who may have leaked Freeman’s NFL drug program participation? As always, follow the money.

All-around good guy and the executive producer of “Schein on Sports,” heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio, Nick Kostos, has a weekly Monday morning vlog on the SiriusXM website where he discusses the previous day’s games in a series called “Monday Morning WTF.” In this episode, Kostos makes the case that the benching of Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman cost the Bucs a win over the Desert Rats.

Greg Schiano went on a passionate 1 minute and 57 second monologue yesterday on his Buccaneers Radio Network show in response to a fan who told him he thinks the Bucs’ attempt to blow up an opposing team’s victory formation is a “bush league” embarrassment.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians expressed that he’s no fan of Schiano’s closing-seconds tactics after the Bucs-Cardinals game Sunday, and it’s well documented how Tom Coughlin feels.

Interestingly, Schiano said he wants “everybody to know” that his Buccaneer Men have a choice not to dive low at opponents, among other techniques. His team is on board, Schiano claimed, and people need to “quit complaining.”

“I can say it’s misunderstood. Maybe I’m misunderstood. Who knows? But there’s a couple of things that I can tell you. No. 1, it’s an organized play. It isn’t just a mayhem of diving,” Schiano said.

“Has it worked here yet in the NFL? No. Has it worked before? Sure. It’s worked or I wouldn’t do it. You know, we’ve caused several balls to be put on the ground in the past in doing this. And there’s a technique, a series of techniques that are involved.

“But most importantly, you know, I want everybody to know, our players, I ask our players, ‘if we don’t want to do this, we don’t do it.’ I mean, that’s where I am. I’m not going to force guys. Because is there’s always a risk involved? Sure. I mean there’s always a risk involved when you’re hitting other people. And I’m talking about a risk for our players.

“But, you know, when your players believe it can give you an opportunity, now why do they believe? Because they’ve seen the video. They’ve seen the ball on the ground in a situation that that shouldn’t happen. So I think that they understand if done correctly, there’s a good opportunity. …

“When it’s a one-score opportunity, and especially a field goal opportunity and there’s time left to do it, that’s part of our beliefs. And guys can disagree with it, call it, you know, there’s no Bush league to it. You know it’s coming. And if anybody saw it, Gerald McCoy was shaking his head telling [Arizona], ‘We’re coming.’ So I mean, you know what, run the play. If there’s time on the clock, run the play. I’d like people to quit complaining, and that’s what we’re going to do, and get ready for it.”

Joe gets Schiano’s mindset, but count Joe among the fans who are no fan of the tactic. Schiano’s logic is sound, but it still doesn’t take away the queasy feeling in Joe’s stomach when the tactic is employed.

The Bucs are trying to find ways to get their first win of the season and have made an eye-opening pair of moves this morning.

Per Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, Kevin Ogletree and Ahmad Black are no longer Buccaneer Men.

@RCummingsTBO: The Bucs are letting go of WR Kevin Ogletree and S Ahmad Black and will bring WR Chris Owusu back to the 53-man roster

The cutting of Black is a bit of a surprise since he played so much, and especially since starting safety Mark Barron suffered a hamstring injury Sunday and those things don’t heal so quickly. Perhaps Black’s history of running afoul of the law had something to do with this move?

Joe had had it with Ogletree and his drops. Joe scolded Bucs commander Greg Schiano Monday for having the gall to keep Ogletree, who made Michael Clayton look like Cris Carter, yet benched Josh Freeman for “performance.”

Joe didn’t have an issue with benching Freeman but as Joe had pointed out, if Freeman got benched for performance, how could Schiano justify keeping Ogletree on the roster?

Joe’s question was answered this morning.

No. 5 fired back last night (see below) after someone dropped a No. 2 on his reputation, via a leak of Freeman’s substance abuse/medical status with the NFL to Chris Mortensen of BSPN.

Per Freeman’s statement, he voluntarily entered the basic “Stage 1” of the NFL substance abuse program more than year ago after changing ADHD meds and has never failed one league drug test, including 46 league-supervised tests since he entered the program.

Freeman says those tests were “for every drug and banned substance imaginable. I agreed to allow such testing to be done at my workplace (team facility) because I spend all of my time there and I have nothing whatsoever to hide or be embarrassed about.”

Joe thinks it’s very weak that BSPN, with a clear communication avenue to reach Freeman or his agent, didn’t include any comment (or no comment) in their story last night from the Freeman camp, driving Freeman to release his own statement.

Given that Freeman was drug tested routinely at One Buc Palace, it was widely known around the building and surely the results were part of the evaluation of Freeman entering this season, when the New Schiano Order determined Freeman was the best man to lead the franchise. So Joe can’t give Greg Schiano any kind of pass, as if Freeman had a new problem that just emerged.

So who would leak this confidential information? Why?

Joe can speculate like anyone else. Perhaps it was orchestrated by Freeman’s own camp, eager to quash growing rumors that Freeman has a serious problem with recreational drugs? Perhaps it was a team interested in Freeman that’s trying to drive down his trade value? Perhaps it’s a Schiano hater eager to inject more turmoil into the Bucs organization? Maybe Mortensen just cashed in a big favor with a mole at the NFL office to break the story?

Regardless, Freeman is likely to not fade away anytime soon as he tries to fix/clarify his image in the public eye. And the Bucs, since it’s not “high school football,” will keep him around while they try to trade him.