Now Joe is sure all his readers fly to Vegas to wager legally, versus placing bets with the guy whose cell number changes every week. 

Regardless of how or why you wager, Joe knows there are many aspiring handicappers reading. So to please the gambling crowd, Joe has turned to superpicker Bob Fox. A writer for various sports publications over the years, Fox flashed his stellar picking skills back in 2008 on JoeBucsFan.com, when Joe had a contest here among sports media members.

Fox will be here to give you a few games every week. He’s 18-10 for the season. 

By BOB FOX
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

Iowa Hawkeyes 24, Michigan State Spartans 20
 
The No. 5 Spartans come into this game undefeated at 8-0. Sparty got quite a scare last week on the road at Northwestern, trailing 17-0 before coming back to win 35-27. The No. 18 Hawkeyes, meanwhile, suffered a painful loss to Wisconsin at home 31-30, after the Badgers came back with the game-winning TD with just over a minute to go. That loss was the Hawks first in the Big Ten (2-1)  and second overall (5-2).  If the Spartans thought Evanston was a tough place to play, wait until they check out Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The Spartans are balanced, as they have rushed for almost 200 yards a game, while throwing for over 255 yards. Sparty is ranked 21st overall in offense and led by QB Kirk Cousins, who has thrown 14 TD passes to just four picks. MSU also has a great tandem at RB with Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell, who have combined for over 1,300 yards and 15 TDs. The big threats at WR for the Spartans are B.J. Cunningham and Mark Dell. The Hawkeyes have weapons offensively as well, with QB Ricky Stanzi, who has thrown 16 TD passes to just two INTs, along with RB Adam Robinson, who has 737 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. The receiving threat for Iowa is Derrell Johnson-Koulianis, who has eight TD receptions. The Hawks have the edge defensively, as they are ranked 13th in the country overall, and are led by DL Adrian Clayborn. The Spartans’ D is ranked 32nd, led by MLB Greg Jones. I see the Hawkeyes making more big plays when it counts as they will upset Sparty in Iowa City.

New York Jets 20, Green Bay Packers 17
 
The 5-1 Jets are coming off a bye week, while the 4-3 Packers are coming off an emotionally charged game as they beat Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings 28-24 at Lambeau Field Sunday night. In addition, LOLB Brad Jones was added to the list of Packers starters put on injured reserve, as he now joins RB Ryan Grant, TE Jermichael Finley, S Morgan Burnett and ILB Nick Barnett. I look for the Jets to try and run the ball against the diminished defense of the Packers, much like RB Adrian Peterson did last week. The Jets are second in the NFL running the rock. It starts with LaDainian Tomlinson (490 yards rushing, 5.3 yards a carry and 5 TDs), who is running the ball like he drank from the fountain of youth. Shonne Greene is the inside rusher in this tandem as he has also put up nice stats as well, with 323 yards rushing, 4.5 yards a carry and 1 TD.  QB Mark Sanchez has been very effective in the passing game as well, throwing 9 TD passes to just two picks for a 86.4 QB rating. If the Packers are to win, it will be behind the arm of QB Aaron Rogers, who has thrown 12 TD passes, but has also thrown nine picks for 89.0 QB rating. Rodgers can not afford to turn the ball over against the Jets, but he will get some mismatches at times, as the Jets play a very aggressive 3-4 defense that sometimes sends extra pass rushers via blitz packages. The Packers need to pressure Sanchez into mistakes as well, as he has only completed 55.4 % of his passes, plus can be flustered with pressure early and often, as the Baltimore Ravens showed in the opening week of the season.  Still, I see the Jets winning this game because of fewer mistakes, although the Pack will play them tough.

New England Patriots 27, Minnesota Vikings 20
 
The big question going into this game is whether or not Brett Favre of the Vikings will be able to go at QB, after having two bones broken in his foot (allegedly) in the game vs. the Packers, or will it instead be Tavaris Jackson behind center. At stake is Favre’s NFL-record streak of 291 consecutive starts, but more importantly the biggest game of the season for the Vikes, who are 2-4 after six games. We will also have the Randy Moss situation playing out, as the talented WR will be returning to New England to face his former team. Reports on Friday said that head coach Brad Childress was leaning towards starting Jackson at QB. Favre and Childress never had a great relationship, but after Childress’ pointed comments about Favre after the Packer game Sunday night, one could call the relationship frosty. The Pats meanwhile are 5-1 and are tied for the AFC East division lead with the Jets. The Patriots are middle-of-the-road statistically on offense, both running (14th) and passing (17th). Defensively, the Pats are ranked 30th. Still, head coach Bill Belichick has the Pats at 5-1. QB Tom Brady is a big reason why as he has thrown 11 TD passes to just four interceptions for a 96.0 QB rating. The Vikings are ranked 24th in the league on offense. Defensively, Minnesota is ranked 13th. Bottom line, one can see why Childress is leaning towards Jackson, as Favre has thrown 7 TD passes to 10 picks for a paltry QB rating of 68.0. With or without Favre, it won’t matter as I see Brady and the Pats sending the Vikes another loss.
 
Arizona Cardinals 16, Tampa Bay Bucs 13
 
Head coach Raheem Morris of the Bucs says Tampa Bay is the best team in the NFC. Only two losses says that they are certainly amongst the best in the watered down NFC. Meanwhile, if the four games the Bucs have won were a beauty contest, the Bucs would not be winning any crowns or getting any flowers. Still, the Bucs are 4-dash-2 in the NFC, and only a half-game off the pace of the Atlanta Falcons (5-2) in the NFC South. The 3-3 Arizona Cardinals have been up and down, with their high water mark the 30-20 victory over the world champion Saints, a Saints team that also buried the Bucs at the Ray Jay a couple weeks back 31-6.  Both teams are on the back end statistically, as the Bucs are ranked 23rd in total offense and 22nd in total defense, while the Cardinals are ranked 32nd in total offense and 27th in total defense. The Bucs appear to have a clear advantage at QB, as Josh Freeman has thrown 7 TD passes to just 3 interceptions for a 82.8 QB rating, while the Cardinals expect to start rookie QB Max Hall again this week, who is coming off a concussion. Hall has yet to throw a TD pass, while he has thrown three picks for a 43.7 QB rating.  If Hall can’t go, the Cards will be lead by veteran Derek Anderson, who has thrown three TD passes to five picks for a 60.2 QB rating. So, why would I pick the Cardinals over the Bucs?  The Cardinals are very tough at home, as they are 2-0 in 2010, plus the Cards still have the best player on the field in WR Larry Fitzgerald, if the Cardinal QBs can ever get him the ball. This game could come down to a field goal margin, and although Connor Barth has only missed two kicks all year (10-12), Jay Feely of the Cardinals has been even better, missing only one (7-8).  Either way, it will be a Grimm game one way or the other, with Hall of Famer Russ Grimm, assistant head coach of the Arizona Cardinals on one side and with his son S Cody Grimm on the other.

Alright you fantasy football types. You cannot intelligently select your starting lineup before you consult with “The Commissioner,” Justin Pawlowski, and his spider, in this WDAE-AM video. His award-winning show, “The Blitz,” airs today from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Yeah, that headline got your attention, didn’t it? (Joe’s waiting for the headline whiners to cry again how it’s misleading. Wha!) After having a few beers on this Friday night, Joe thought he’d bring you this pleasant time-waster from Maxim.com: NFL cheerleaders on a trampoline, featuring lovely Bucs cheerleader Nina Stauffer. Enjoy.

Ron Wolfley, John Gambadoro, Mark Asher and Doug Franz of KTAR-AM 620 in Phoenix discuss the Bucs-Cardinals game Sunday. The constant theme in this video seems to be that Beanie Wells is going to run the ball right up the Bucs’…

You may be surprised at the predicted score at the end of the video.

The reason why coffee-slurping, popcorn-shoveling, oatmeal-loving Peter King writes for Sports Illustrated is because he is such a talented writer.

He’s also a good storyteller.

Earlier this week while co-hosting “The Opening Drive” with Ross Tucker, heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio, Joe heard King tell a story he learned from his NBC broadcast partner, Father Dungy, about Josh Freeman.

Though Joe’s not sure, it seems Father Dungy got to meet Freeman’s father just after Bucs drafted the quarterback from Kansas State.

Joe will let King take it from here.

“I love Josh Freeman. Love him. Like him a lot. Funny story: Tony Dungy lives in Tampa and is a friend to a lot of people with the Buccaneers and still knows a lot of people who work there. When Freeman was drafted, Tony had a chance to speak with Freeman’s dad. The dad said, half-kiddingly, to ‘keep an eye out for my son.’

“Tony said he could call him.

“So after the two met, Tony calls the father and says, ‘[Freeman] doesn’t need me, he is so mature.”

It seems the lovely Tifany Simons is enamoured with Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman in this NBCSports.com video. Joe is slightly enamoured with Simons.

Joe had a chance to touch base with Bucs offensive lineman Ted Larsen. He graduated from Palm Harbor University High School, a school known for its dominant soccer teams and strong academics but not football. Larsen became the first Hurricanes player to play Division-I football — at North Carolina State.  

Larsen played for the late Mike June, who had to leave Larsen and his teammates midseason in Larsen’s junior year when June was diagnosed with leukemia. Three years later, June succumbed to the disease.

Joe discussed Larsen’s local ties and how he now plays for the team he grew up watching.

JoeBucsFan: Surely, you must be pretty excited to be playing for the team that was your favorite growing up?

Ted Larsen: Yeah, that’s all great, but now that I’m starting, I have to help the team get better. That’s how I am looking at it.

Joe: Since the Rams game was your first start, did St. Louis run any kind of stunt or gimmick defense at you that you didn’t expect or were surprised with?

Larsen: No, this is the National Football League. You have to play your best. I made some stupid mistakes and I’m just trying to get better.

Joe: You made the mistakes?

Larsen: Yeah, I had a couple of penalties, stuff like that. I’ll try to get better next week. It’s not only an adjustment to the NFL, but an adjustment to a new position [left guard]. It’s just something I’ll have to work with. To be able to come back was exciting [and win in the fourth quarter], but it should not have to be like that and that’s something we will have to work on.

Joe: You played for Mike June in high school. Obviously this is an exciting, emotional time for you to start your first game with the Bucs. At any time recently or the morning before the game did June ever cross your mind? You would have been his only player to make it to the NFL.

Larsen: No, I didn’t. He was a great coach. It’s unfortunate what happened to him. He didn’t cross my mind only because I was so worried about what I was supposed to do.

Joe: How cool is it that you grew up watching this team, coming to games when you were a kid and now, people are paying to watch you play for the same team?

Larsen: Oh, yeah. It’s a great opportunity but I’m just worried about doing my best and helping the team. I keep working hard. However I can help the team. I have nowhere to go but up. That’s the way I’m looking at it.

So who does Bucs super rookie Mike Williams look like on the field?

Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, so says everywhere NFL analyst Pat Kirwan, the former player personnel executive and current senior analyst on NFL.com, NFL Radio and what seems like a million other outlets.

Kirwan is smitten with Williams, per his comments this week on the Miller and Moulton show on 770AM in Fort Myers.

“Mike Williams is a star in the making. And he’s a big hand-grabber. If you watch the way he catches, he grabs footballs like Michael Irvin did,” Kirwan said. “You know that’s what happens to guys [like me] who have been in this thing forever, every time you see a young player you think of him in terms of guys who played the game like him. And Mike [Williams] is a guy that doesn’t know he’s supposed to be covered, thinks he can score every time he catches it, and now the quarterback believes in him.”

Oh, and Kirwan also thinks meaningful January games might be in the Bucs’ future.

“Do I think they can make it to the playoffs as a Wild Card? …After Atlanta and the Giants, I don’t see the NFC. I think it’s just all up for grabs. Could they sneak into a Wild Card spot? I think they could,” Kirwan said.

Joe can’t imagine how big the Bucs’ bandwagon will get if they win in Arizona on Sunday.

The Keydrick Vincent experiment is over. The big veteran left guard championed by so many Bucs fans as the savior to replace allegedly overmatched Jeremy Zuttah is now back on his couch.

Surely, this will stun many fans who were so quick to throw Zuttah under the bus before his third season because they believed foolish rumormongering and anonymous inside sources that were trashing young Zuttah.

Yes, Joe has always been in Zuttah’s corner.

Joe is surprised though that Vincent was flat out cut. Is he not a better backup guard than rookie Ted Larsen, who made his first start last week in place of Vincent who had back spasms? Apparently not.

The Bucs just got a lot younger. And Mark Dominik’s veteran free agent scorecard just took another hit.

Per Twittering expert Rick Stroud, of the St. Pete Times, center Jeff Faine is on track to return against Atlanta in nine days and Zuttah will reclaim his starting left guard spot after filling in for Faine on Sunday. Larsen would then go back to the bench, so Tweeted Stroud.

 Bucs sign T Will Barker from their practice squad. Team has hope C Jeff Faine might return next week vs. Atlanta. J Zuttah would start LG

Again, Joe is stunned that the Bucs have gone so thin and young on the O-line. Vincent must have looked pretty bad on film.

Trey Wingo, Kordell Stewart and Mark Schlereth break down the Cardinals-Bucs game in this BSPN video. Joe believes the last time he saw Stewart, Derrick Brooks made him cry.

Now Joe knows Rich Gannon isn’t exactly Rachel Watson. He’s not a Bucs cheerleader for a variety of reasons. The Bucs crushed him in the Super Bowl, Derrick Brooks ended his career shortly thereafter and then the Bucs jettisoned Chucky. Gannon is an avowed Chucky acolyte and close confidant of the former Bucs Super Bowl-winning leader.

So when Joe heard Gannon, with his co-host of “The Blitz,” Adam Schein, heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio, sing the praises of the Bucs and specifically Josh Freeman, it took Joe aback.

Adam Schein: The Bucs travel to the desert and if they win in Arizona, that’s a huge win for our Buccaneers, Rich.

Rich Gannon: They are learning how to win. They are learning how to win. Josh Freeman, this kid gets it. I really like what I see from him. He takes care of the football and he makes good decisions. There’s not a guy I’d rather have in the league in the last two minutes of the game than my guy Josh Freeman.

Wow. Pretty strong compliment from a guy not necessarily known for tossing out praise to the Bucs in any form.

It seems Bill Cowher, the man some Bucs fans yearn to be Tampa Bay’s next head coach, is liking the we’re-the-best messaging Raheem Morris is serving his players.

Per NFL.com’s Pat Kirwan, a former player personnel executive and a frequent Sirius NFL Radio co-host with Cowher, the former Steelers head coach is all in favor of overhyping players if it’s working.

Kirwan talked about this on the Miller and Moulton show on 770AM in Fort Myers on Wednesday.

“Bill Cowher says this all the time. At some point, and the Bucs are his example, those players in Tampa believe in themselves now and have the confidence to go out [and win]. Bill said, ‘We had a couple of teams in Pittsburgh that weren’t very good but they were really confident, and we weren’t about to tell them they weren’t that good. And they went out and won games they shouldn’t.’ I think Tampa fits the mold there, as does Kansas City,” Kirwan said.

Look out.

With a win in Arizona, and losses by the Steelers, Jets and Patriots, the Bucs might be the “best team in the NFL.”

Joe enjoyed this interview of Hall of Famer Russ Grimm, assistant head coach of the Arizona Cardinals and Cody Grimm’s dad. Interestingly, an Arizona reporter asks him if Cody has his “stubborness.” And the video ends with Larry Fitzgerald explaining that Grimm gave him the green light to hit his son. …Joe supposes that’s what happens when your dad is a four-time All-Pro hog.

Raheem Morris made waves this week when he boasted the Bucs were the best team in the NFC. Good guy Stephen Holder and Rick Stroud discuss this in this St. Petersburg Times video.

Now that Raheem Morris has taught Joe and media everywhere that “stats are for losers,” Joe is focused on important stuff like game film, cheerleaders and wins and losses.

And when it comes to film, Arizona quarterback Max Hall looks quite unfit to be a starting NFL quarterback, so says Ron Jaworski, a great former QB himself and Chucky’s sidekick on Monday Night Football.

Joe’s pals over at ProFootballTalk.com transcribed Jaworski’s comments on a Phoenix radio station. Simply stated, he skewered Hall, the Cards’ undrafted rookie starter. Here’s an excerpt:

“The one thing we’ve heard about Max is the moxie and the leadership,” Jaworski told The Gambo and Ash Show on 620 KTAR in Phoenix.  “Those are all wonderful attributes for a quarterback but the attributes you have to have week in week out to be successful over a long period of time is the ability to throw the football accurately and with velocity.  When I look at the tape I don’t see either of those.

“I don’t see the ball going down the field.  You see the bubble screen, the bootleg thrown in the flat and nothing down the field.  You just don’t see a skill set that projects to be a consistent NFL quarterback.  Things don’t look good when you’re on the field with Max Hall.  It’s that simple.  I’m sure he’s a wonderful guy giving everything he’s got but the skill set just isn’t there.”

Jaworski kept on roasting Hall.

In today’s Arizona Republic, there is a story about how the Cardinals are scaling back the playbook for their young starter. Now Joe’s going to trouble Raheem with the following eye-opening statistic in that story: (Sorry, coach. Joe believes that stats are a valuable tool in assessing and evaluating a football team). 

So far, Hall has done little to impress. In his first start, the Cardinals beat the Saints, and Hall was lucky his two fumbles were recovered by teammates. In 25 possessions with Hall at quarterback, the Cardinals have yet to score a rushing or receiving touchdown.

Think about that number. Twenty-five posessions and no touchdowns.

The Bucs are getting an early Christmas gift in Max Hall. The defensive coordinator needs to earn his money in this critical game.

It absolutely blows Joe’s mind the vapid and weak excuses women come up with for not having the NFL Network. It truly is amazing.

There isn’t a day that goes by that Joe doesn’t watch the NFL Network. Incredible work these guys do.

Take for example last night in a weekly show called “Sound FX,” where NFL Films mics up various players and coaches and takes viewers to areas otherwise unseen or unheard, on the field, on the sidelines and in the locker rooms.

In this episode, NFL Films has mics on both Bucs coach Raheem Morris and quarterback Josh Freeman. Some really cool stuff here.

Joe likes how Raheem works the officials. Pretty neat.

Now for the women without NFL Network that read Joe, do yourself a favor and step into the 21st century. You will thank Joe for it.

As usual during the NFL regular season, the gorgeous Jenny Dell offers her weekly numerical gibberish on the Bucs in this BSPN video.

Joe knows the Bucs nailed the winning drive Sunday with the likes of backups James Lee and rookie Ted Larsen on the offensive line, along with backup center Jeremy Zuttah.

Joe doesn’t want to think of the Bucs having to play an entire game with that group, but that might be what lies ahead Sunday.

Jeremy Trueblood (knee), who Lee replaced late against the Rams, didn’t practice yesterday, and neither did left guard Keydrick Vincent, who missed Sunday’s game with back spasms. Jeff Faine will be out at least a few more weeks.

If the Bucs can win this group, it’s more gold stars from the coaching staff and front office.

It’s worth noting that Josh Freeman has a bit of a milestone game on Sunday in Arizona.

It will be his 16th start for the Bucs.

Essentially, Freeman will have a full season under his belt come Monday. Right now Freeman’s record stands at 7-8 and, obviously, he can pull to 8-8 with a victory against the beatable Cardinals.

Freeman, who Jeremy Zuttah and others quickly call a vocal leader of the Bucs, is unlike a lot of fans; He’s got a Bucs-are-winners mindset. He sees the Bucs on the cusp of greatness.

And why shouldn’t he? The guy’s 7-8 over two seasons playing for a team that’s hardly been brimming with established talent.

Joe’s quite certain Freeman believes the Bucs are the best team in the NFC, too. And while Joe wouldn’t make such a claim, Joe’s glad Freeman’s leading the Bucs.

Though some of Joe’s readers think otherwise, Joe greatly respects Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, even if Joe often needles him. One of the things Joe respects about King is he does his research (yes, it’s true).

This came through yesterday when he was co-hosting “The Opening Drive” with Ross Tucker, heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio.

The subject of the Bucs came up and Tucker was aghast at the empty seats at the CITS for the Rams game. Unlike far, far, far too many of his northeastern media brethren, like that glorified romper room four-letter network, King understood why there were red seats disguised as fans and didn’t start pointing fingers at fans or the Tampa Bay area as a whole.

Ross Tucker: Peter, there was tons of empty seats, almost full sections empty. Even the lower bowl was empty, I couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t that long ago that the place was packed when Brooks and Sapp played.

Peter King: When you had Brooks and Sapp, you thought you were watching a team that had a chance to go to the playoffs. The Bucs played the Steelers and the Saints at home and lost both games by 25. That’s not going to do much [to draw fans].

I understand the economy is a huge, huge factor there. The unemployment is 13 percent and that’s not counting many who are working any job just to have some income. If you go out of the immediate area just a little bit it’s a virtual Tent City, people are going homeless.

Also, so many people in that area are also invested in college football so you are not going to have a long waiting list for season tickets. But there are so many people there who, frankly, have yet to believe in that team.

Bingo! King summed the entire situation up in just a few sentences. People here are hurting financially. A third of homes are underwater. There are actually examples of people with PhD’s working at Publix in an attempt to keep a roof over their heads. These are desperate times for many.

And after the Bucs were gutted over a year ago to begin a rebuilding program and finished with a measly three wins, fans are a bit jaded after years of winning teams. Many see the 4-2 record, look deeper behind the numbers, and have a raised eyebrow.

Joe can already hear the whispers from various sources and it is disturbing him.

Local morning sports radio show hosts have stopped just short of saying it. Some crazed Bucs fans have not.

Perhaps with the memories of the late Gaines Adams all too fresh in people’s minds, some impatient, impractical Bucs fans are already calling Gerald McCoy a wasted draft pick.

One fan even had the nerve to suggest this to eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, in a recent TBO Bucs question-and-answer feature.

Q: With us being six games into the season and Gerald McCoy having 0 sacks and only 8 tackles so far, what’s your opinion on his play so far? Do you think Raheem moving him around on the line has anything with him not getting sacks?

Buco Pat, Tampa

A: The Bucs believe McCoy played his best game of the season Sunday against the Rams. He was active across the line of scrimmage and perhaps the sight of former Sooner teammate Sam Bradford motivated him. I think his days of lining up everywhere on the line are behind him. The Bucs want him to settle in at the crucial under-tackle spot. That’s why they drafted him.

— eye-RAH! Kaufman

Joe has been over this too many times to count. Much more learned NFL men such as Gil Brandt and Pat Kirwan have detailed how difficult it is for rookie defensive tackles to make the transition from college to the NFL.

In college, it’s not uncommon for a defensive tackle to go against a glorified child, a freshman or sophomore still unable to buy a beer legally in the United States. In the NFL, often, the same player is going against grown men, skilled in the art of blocking.

It can be a huge, difficult leap.

Kirwan earlier this calendar year documented just how difficult it is for rookie defensive tackles to do anything their first year. Last year, Roy Miller had better stats than any defensive tackle selected in the first round.

Sure, Joe knows someone will bring up Manbeast Ndamukong Suh. He will always be the benchmark for McCoy, which is rather unfair as a guy like Suh comes around once a lifetime.

Oh, and Suh is playing alongside Kyle Vanden Bosch, one of the better veteran defensive ends in the league. Don’t think that’s doesn’t help Suh out? How much better would GMC be if he had someone like Vanden Bosch playing next to him?

In short, lay off GMC. Expecting him to do anything this year is premature.

Not even Warren Sapp — who GMC is often compared to — did much if anything his rookie season.