Game 3

Bucs at Patriots

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: WTVT-TV, Channel 13 locally. Outside the Tampa Bay area, DirecTV Channel 710.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM 103.5, and WDAE-AM 620); SiriusXM Channel 139.

Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, expect the game to start off in the rain, but only briefly. Possibly by the second quarter the rain will give way to sunshine for the rest of the afternoon. Temperatures still are somewhat warm for the Northeast in late September; kickoff is expected to be 69 degrees and will climb gradually slightly from there into the low 70s.

Odds: Per FootballLocks.com, Patriots -7.

Outlook: There is no way to be polite about this. If the Bucs lose today, forget about the playoffs. There is no way the Bucs, in the stacked NFC, will be able to recover from starting 0-3. If the Bucs lose today, just to get to 8-8, they would have to finish the season with an 8-5 run. It is very doubtful that an 8-8 team will make a Wild Card in the NFC.

If the Bucs lose today, depending how the Bucs lose, there could be upheaval afoot. If franchise quarterback Josh Freeman has a bad day, say two or three picks and is generally off target, the Mike Glennon Watch will be in full force. Remember, in his last 16 road games, Freeman is a miserable 4-12.

Joe believes the only way to win this game is to put Patriots All-World quarterback Tom Brady on the ground. Before the season, Joe would have thought that was a preposterous thought. But no one, including Joe, expected the Bucs to be tied for the NFL lead in sacks.

Last week, the Bucs literally beat up Drew Brees, who is much more mobile than Brady. Granted, the Patriots’ offensive line is better than the Saints’ but Brees is a much more mobile target.

Just like in the old days of the Bucs, the glory days, the defense will have to carry the day.

Joe strongly recommends you read this morning’s investigative look into Greg Schiano’s relationship with his players, penned by Albert Breer of NFL.com.

Schiano opened up to Breer, who was at One Buc Palace last week attempting to get to the bottom of the reported angst in the Bucs locker room.

Breer paints a picture of Bucs players moaning about a tough training camp, and Dashon Goldson leading a players’ only meeting to not just give players perspective of his experience under hard-ass coaches in San Francisco but gather and assess potential changes to bring to Schiano.

The idea was to create an open forum, and Goldson took the complaints to Schiano. The coach addressed the team the next morning, telling the players that he would listen, but that they needed to trust that his way would lead to on-field results.

“When you come into a place and you have to change some things, you’re not looking for a whole lot of suggestions at the beginning, because first you gotta figure out who your guys are,” Schiano said when asked about the meeting. “Now, I really know who our guys are because they wouldn’t be here if they weren’t our guys. I really appreciate their feedback. But some of the pictures that have been painted … it’s not like they’re outside the door with torches, ‘We must change!’

“It’s what I ask them to do: Give me feedback if you feel there’s anything that needs to be said.” …

“I thought it was good, it was a good meeting, getting to hear guys’ opinions on certain things,” Goldson said. “We expressed that stuff, pulling together as a team. We have a lot of young guys out here, it was expressing what the expectations should be, being a professional, and at the same time, doing what’s right.”

Players had been upset about the nature of Schiano’s second training camp with the Bucs, which some viewed as unrelenting, and that prompted Goldson to solicit feedback.

Even after that, some players didn’t feel like enough changed, with one saying that, “He came into the team meeting, said you guys gotta trust me, we’re in half-pads that day, then the next day, it’s back to the same thing.”

Again, Joe advises you to read the entire piece via the link above.

First, Joe can’t sympathize too much with the Bucs players. Training camp was far, far more difficult during the Bucs’ glory years under Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden, when NFL labor laws permitted two-a-day practice sessions in pads.

As for the team having captains bring concerns and changes to the head coach? Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?

Right now, Joe sees a Bucs team playing hard that isn’t well coached. Perhaps that is, in part, a function of players tuning out coaches. Time will tell.

Joe heard the above quote in the headline countless times from frustrated Bucs fans last week on sports radio. And Joe was at a party last night where fans earnestly told Joe the same thing.

They’re right. This is not a rebuilding year. Not a fan or analyst could legitimately make that claim.

The rightful expectations for the 2013 Bucs are what made this season — and offseason — so exciting.

The Bucs have eight former Pro Bowlers 30 years old and younger. And they are loaded with other talented players, like Lavonte David, Mark Barron, Adrian Clayborn, Mike Williams and, yes, Josh Freeman. Plus, it’s the second year of the regime. Team Glazer has invested heavily.

There is not one valid excuse for this Bucs team to not improve on last season. None! So Joe appreciates the passion.

Joe believes the Bucs, on paper, are more talented than their next three opponents — the banged up Patriots, Arizona and the Eagles.

But the presence of that talent is also why Joe can’t have an outright panic attack if the Bucs lose today in New England. Tampa Bay would still have the horses to rebound with home wins against the shaky Cardinals and Eagles, and head to Atlanta with confidence — and a 2-3 record — to a place they won in late December. And then it’s back home for shaky Carolina on a Thursday night.

The point is that hope is not gone, but there no excuse for the Bucs to not win at least three of their next five. If that doesn’t happen, look for Joe to freak out.

Bucs fans are still griping about the Bucs choking away two wins to start the 2013 season. That quashed the hopes of many fans just eight days into the season. as history suggests the Bucs already are playing for a draft pick next spring.

The Buccaneers have never recovered from an 0-2 start to make the playoffs. No team in the past four years has started 0-2 and made the playoffs. In the past three years, every team that started 0-2 finished with a losing record.

If the Bucs lose today, Joe cannot envision the Bucs getting back into the playoff race in the strong and stacked NFC.

A lot of fans are angry with Bucs coach Greg Schiano. They believe he is playing not to lose, thus you lose. Former NFL wide receiver and NFL Network analyst Sterling Sharpe doesn’t disagree. Speaking last week on the “Booger and Rich Show,” heard locally on WHFS-FM 98.7, Sharpe lauded the job Schiano has done with the Bucs defense but he agrees with fans who blame Schiano for the losing. 

Booger McFarland: What does it say that Greg Schiano is 0-5 in games decided by three points or less? What does it say about him as a coach?

Sterling Sharpe: [Stinking Panthers coach] Ron Rivera is going through the same thing. I think it says something about your mental toughness. What I mean by mental toughness is being able to get over the hump. Get your guys to understand that it is one play from here to there. “We got ourselves in a position to win the game, let’s win it. Let’s do it.”

I look at Greg Schiano and I think he is an outstanding coach in our league. But the way his teams perform down the stretch in close games, I can’t put that on anyone but him. Maybe it is a few more seconds on the four-minute offense or a few more seconds on the two-minute offense or whatever the case may be. But it is a button he is not pushing which is the reason why they are not winning close games.

Is Schiano a bad coach? No. Look, he took over a completely garbage defense a year ago and turned that defense into the No. 1 rush defense in the NFL. Last year the Bucs stunk at putting pressure on the quarterback, but after two weeks, the Bucs lead the NFL in sacks.

That right there shows Joe that Schiano has made significant accomplishments since he’s been here. Joe also knows Team Glazer has never ousted a coach with less than three seasons at the helm of the Bucs.

Former Giants Pro Bowl center Shaun O’Hara is a Rutgers man and spent time at One Buc Palace this summer tutoring Gerald McCoy.

But it’s the Buccaneers’ game’ film that impresses O’Hara most.

In this excellent Playbook segment from NFL Network, O’Hara, Sterling Sharpe and Brian Baldinger go deep into the tape for the Bucs and Patriots matchup.

“This doesn’t look like a team that doesn’t like their coach,” O’Hara explains about the Bucs.

There are great looks in the video of the Bucs’ goal line stand against the Saints. On the flip side, Baldinger’s film cut-up of Josh Freeman makes No. 5 look amateurish.

Unless something drastic happens, Tampa Tribune Bucs beat man, the “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman, is of the belief that the Josh Freeman era in Tampa Bay could come to an end.

Off to a rocky start to the 2013 season, the Bucs franchise quarterback already was the center of controversy between his arch defenders, the Freemanites, and his mortal enemies, the Mike Glennon Mob.

Now with the Bucs facing a very likely win-or-plan-for-the-draft game against Bill Belicheat and the Patriots, Kaufman told the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo earlier this week, heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio, that if Freeman doesn’t turn things around, he could be benched as the Bucs enter their bye week the first week of October.

“I’m here to tell you that through two weeks, [Freeman is] playing terrible. He’s playing terrible,” Kaufman said. “He’s completing 45 percent of his passes. Chris, the league average is 60! You can’t win throwing 45 percent completions!

“Chris, he’s got a couple of weeks to salvage his career in Tampa. If he wants to stay here — which I don’t think he does any more; he’ll have that decision as a free agent next year — after two or three more weeks and Schiano is probably going to turn to Glennon. And who can blame him at that point?”

Now Joe never thought of this before, but if the Bucs are 0-4 entering the bye week, if a quarterback change was going to happen, that may be the best time for it as Glennon would have roughly two weeks to prepare for a home game with the now reeling Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles have a rotten defense. That may be the time to enter Glennon as a win over any NFL team, regardless of who it is, would give him a modicum of confidence.

Joe’s not saying this will happen, but Joe does find it interesting that a longtime Bucs beat writer like Kaufman who has his a hand on the pulse of the team would suggest that.

Will Brinson and prickly Pete Prisco discuss the Bucs-Patriots game in this CBS Sports video.

On the day prior to playing Bill Belicheat and the New England Patriots, the Bucs released running back Peyton Hills, per Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida.com.

Hillis had yet to take a handoff this season. With Doug Martin the workhorse and Erik Lorig back in action, Hillis, apparently, became expendable.

This just increases, in Joe’s eyes, the need to keep Martin on a pitch count. If Martin goes down or gets burned out, this team is in a world of trouble.

The Patriots’ defense has dominated two second-rate offenses through its first two games.

It’s been a notable turnaround for New England, which has played a load of two-linebacker sets and other unique stuff this season. Yes, they only faced the Bills and Jets, but the Bucs have hardly proven more potent than those clubs.

Boston’s sports radio giant, WEEI, penned a thorough look at Sunday’s Bucs-Pats game and unveiled the striking numbers of New England’s defense.

8. Bucs fans should be worried about … another excellent performance from the New England defense. Yes, the first two games came at the expense of rookie quarterbacks, but the numbers are undeniably impressive. The defense yielded three touchdowns on 29 offensive drives, allowed an average of 15.5 points per game, forced six turnovers and has held opponents to a 32.3 conversion rate when it comes to third down (eighth-best in the league). Again, the numbers were against occasionally ragged offenses, but still need to be singled out as exemplary.

Given how the Patriots have kept teams off the scoreboard, Mike Sullivan/Greg Schiano better find more weapons and diversify the playcalling in a hurry, not to mention eliminating the presnap penalties in loud, hostile Gillette Stadium.

Joe’s glad the Bucs’ offense is coming up against a sharp defense. A breakout game tomorrow could give No. 5 and friends tremendous confidence.

FOX Sports anchor Erin Andrews compared the Bucs offense to the struggling Gators offense, led by quarterback Jeff Driskel.

Bucs fans always used to moan that the Bucs never got any attention from national media types. Well, the past couple of weeks, Joe can never remember the Bucs getting so many words typed and spoken from scribes based out of New York, Bristol, Conn., and other points beyond Florida since the team played in the Super Bowl.

And little of the content has been good.

This is what happens when you choke away a pair of wins — one of which came in sheer stupid fashion in the media capital of the world.

How bad has the deluge been? It’s even coming from non-NFL circles.

As Joe is wont to do on football Saturdays, he lounges in his leather couch and soaks up as much college football as a human is allowed. Despite today’s slate of games being dreadful and unappealing, Joe still got up and watched the college football pregame shows.

Joe just happened upon FOX College Saturday hosted by leggy Erin Andrews. The panel discussed the wretched woes of the Florida Gators offense and quarterback Jeff Driskel’s struggles inside the red zone when Andrews invoked the Bucs.

“It’s like watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their defense is just balling. I feel sorry for these guys because the offense is not helping them out at all,” Andrews said.

Andrews then made a face as if she was about to toss her breakfast across the table.

Now Joe isn’t going to go so far as to compare Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman to Driskel, who looks completely inept at times.

To Driskel’s credit, while he may struggle mightily, he’s getting the job done off the field with his cheerleader girlfriend.

Darrelle Revis talks about the Bucs pass rush and singles out Adrian Clayborn

Darrelle Revis hasn’t experienced the pain of the heinous Bucs pass rush and sack totals in the post-Simeon-Rice era. Revis plays for the team that leads the NFL with nine sacks.

That’s your Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“I think we got the best pass rush in the NFL. I mean, we get after it. And one of the guys I’m going to point out is Adrian Clayborn. I mean this guy is tearing up the field left and right,” Revis said on WDAE-AM 620 Thursday. “So, you know, that’s how we’re going to play. We’re going to bring the heat. Because coach feels that we have those types of players to do that. And we want to put pressure on quarterbacks. … We’re going to make [them] uncomfortable.”

Revis went on to reveal a slice of the Bucs’ approach against the Patriots.

“Tom Brady, you know I’ve played against him in the past, if he can sit back there in the pocket with no pressure in his face, he will shred a defense apart. So one of our gameplans is, hey, get him off his mark. Get him moving around,” Revis said. “Make him be mobile, which he’s a pocket passer, to put pressure on him.” 

Yes, Bill Sheridan — with Greg Schiano in his headset — will get to play blitz — and line-stunt chess with Brady on Sunday.

Joe likes Brady’s odds in that chess match. However, Brady is lacking weapons. A career 64 percent passer, Brady is throwing for less than 53 percent this season. And he hasn’t faced the likes of Revis and Dashon Goldson.

Regardless, Brady, in Foxborough, represents a huge challenge for the Bucs defense, especially if Josh Freeman can’t move the chains.

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Perhaps Roger Goodell should fine NFL Network reporters for wasting fans’ time with BS about the Bucs.

Joe’s really had enough of the outright BS being slung around by various media types.

Frankly, Joe’s embarrassed to be connected to a lot of the stupidity seen in the past couple of weeks.

Darrelle Revis, if anything, is no fool, and he’s a very savvy businessman. One could argue he’s the smartest player off the field in league history. Essentially, Revis engineered three new post-rookie contracts six years, the last being $16 million annually from the Bucs with no guaranteed money. The Tampa Bay deal was amazing considering he signed it with plenty of uncertainty surrounding the health of his knee.

Revis literally got back on the game field two weeks ago, and early this week an unsourced report from FOX Sports claimed Revis was upset with how he was being used in the Bucs defense and with Greg Schiano’s rules.

It made no sense that Revis would want to paint himself as a malcontent, or that he would actually be unhappy. And why would Revis want to piss off the organization that holds the keys to him earning $16 million a year — state tax free? Keep in mind Revis, by his own admission, is not yet 100 percent game-fit. He played about two-thirds of the snaps on opening day against the Jets and had cramps against the Saints. He’s had his own special set of rules and didn’t have to put his toes on the line during training camp.

Joe’s talked to Revis several times, and Revis says he addressed the rumors in a 1-on-1 meeting with Schiano to be sure his coach didn’t believe them and so his new teammates were certain his commitment to the Bucs was authentic. Revis has told anyone that would listen that there’s “zero truth” to the rumors.

But none of that logic and reality satisfied NFL Network.

They flew top “insider” Albert Breer to Tampa yesterday in order to gather intelligence, and Breer wasted no time getting on the air to deliver more nonsense Friday.  In this video, Breer references “the Revis problem” and what’s happening at One Buc Palace “after the little blowups there with Freeman and Revis.”

Perhaps Roger Goodell could fine Breer $20,000 for pelting defenseless fans with garbage?

As for the Josh-Freeman-will-formally-request-a-trade report floated by CBS Sports last weekend, that had to be the most unbelievable BS Joe’s heard in a while. So we’re to believe that happy-to-be-here, laid back Josh, and/or his agent, decided to leak a story that would make Freeman look like a team-killing, immature cancer by requesting a trade? In a contract year? That’s just lunacy. 

Not only does that not fit Freeman’s history in any way, it’s stupid. Freeman and his camp know he’d never be traded to anything but a lousy team, one without Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, Doug Martin and three Pro Bowlers on the offensive line to keep him upright.

Again, Joe’s had enough of the outrageous, unsourced media assaults. And that’s another reason to hope for a Bucs win in New England. The only way to beat back the growing swarm of sharks is with a victory.

The folks at BSPN are building a Greg Schiano implosion watch.

In this video, the NFL Live crew dives into Bucs leadership and locker room issues with some intelligent takes from Teddy Bruschi, Damien Woody and Jerome Bettis. On the BSPN website, this video was wrapped around a story titled, Bucs’ Top Problem Is Greg Schiano.

“We have good players, proven methods, good schemes, good coaches. So when you have all those good components and you’re doing things the right way, it’ll turn. You know everybody who’s been in competitive athletics goes through some stretches where, you know, they wish it were better. But if you have the components, now you’re kidding yourself if you don’t have the components, then you’re just wishing, but I know we have the components. So you just gotta stick to our guns and it’ll turn.” — Greg Schiano, Sept. 20, 2013.

You can hear Commander Schiano’s full news conference via the WDAE-AM 620 audio below.

Yesterday, Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan faced the media for the first time since the Bucs-Saints loss and was hit with the day’s tough question within a few minutes (2:50 of this Buccaneers.com video.) 

(Joe’s paraphrasing) Mr, Sheridan, why wasn’t Darrelle Revis covering superstar receiver Marques Colston as the Saints were frantically marching down the field?

“We definitely thought about it afterwards, for sure,” Sheridan said smiling. “We do try to orchestrate [Revis on the opponent’s top receiver] during the game, as far as getting him on receivers we want him to cover and/or the coverage types that we play. He’s not as dependent as having, you know, a half-field safety behind him necessarily.”

Thanks, Coach.

Sheridan went on to say the Bucs will continue to look find ways to use Revis in the Revis Island role, as well as whatever makes the most sense with the defense.

Yes, Joe believes it was a screwup by the Bucs, having their $1 million-per-game cornerback covering rookie fifth-round pick Kenny Stills on a critical passing down. Hopefully, the Bucs learned their lesson.

One of Greg Schiano’s greatest dreams is coming true: Pro Bowl guards Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph are expected to start Sunday.

Schiano shared the good news at One Buc Palace today, and Nicks is fired up, via beat writer Rick Stroud’s Twitter account.

@NFLStroud – Can Nicks play the whole game? “That’s the plan but we’re going to find out. You guys will see it sooner than I will if I’m gassed.”

Joe can’t wait to see the human armoire, Nicks, take the field. Doug Martin must be drooling. Schiano came to the Bucs expressing his desire to run the football over and over again, and Nicks and Joseph are massive keys to that plan.

Yes, Joe wants to see the Bucs trust Josh Freeman and be more dangerous on offense, but if they can successfully grind out 40 carries and win ball games, Joe’s just fine with that, too.

For your dining and dancing pleasure, above is where Americans can watch the Bucs-Patriots game via the over-the-air FOX broadcast. Areas shaded in yellow can watch the game free in the comfort of their living rooms. As always, the map is courtesy of 506sports.com.

Joe took a little time this morning to talk about all things Bucs on the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620. Joe hit on various topics. As for Joe’s assessment of the failings at No. 3 receiver, at one point Joe was indirectly referencing this connection between Greg Schiano and wide receivers coach John Garrett. Enjoy.