Joe doesn’t care much about what the flimsily informed national NFL pundits have to say about the Bucs.  But it does matter, especially when TV networks are considering what teams get to play football in prime time.

With the Bucs now 4-2, they have a shot at getting a “flex game” on Sunday Night Football later in the season. In weeks 11-17, the NFL can pull the scheduled 8:30 p.m. game in favor of a more attractive matchup.

Curious Joe took a peek ahead and sees a reasonable chance for the Bucs to get “flexed” only in Week 14.

Yes, NBC has the Eagles-Cowboys game on the schedule, two big markets with star players. But Dallas is 1-4 and has a brutal schedule between now and then. Even if the Cowboys are sitting at 5-7, that might not be the most attractive game to the network.

The Bucs are in Washington that Sunday. A 6-6 or 7-5 Bucs team against a Redskins club with the same record and Donovan McNabb likely would have much greater playoff implications and interest. Keep in mind, while Dallas (No. 5) and Philly (No. 4) are big TV markets, Tampa Bay (No. 14) and Washington (No. 9) are no slouches.

Joe thinks the only other shot would be Week 16, when the struggling small-market Bengals and Chargers are scheduled on Sunday night. But Joe can’t yet imagine the Bucs in the playoff hunt that deep into the season. That’s a bit too much fantasy football for Joe right now.

Jim Mora, Charles Davis and Dick Stockton discuss the Bucs win over the Rams in this FoxSports.com video.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video/?vid=dca3af7c-8d7a-443b-9ba4-a28f19824ee5&#038;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_videocentral_player" target="_new" title="NFL on FOX: Bucs battle back">Video: NFL on FOX: Bucs battle back</a>

"Yes. We are the best."

Speaking now in his Monday news conference, Raheem Morris is standing very tall behind calling his team the best team in the NFC following yesterday’s comeback win against the Rams to give the Bucs a 4-2 record.

“Right now, we have the least amount of losses,” Morris said. “We’re the best team because of that.”

Pressed later about the statistical shortcomings of the Bucs in relation to being the “best team in the NFC,” Raheem fired back that “stats are for losers,” and that the Bucs are “counting wins.” This exchange sent the questioning reporter into a stammering mess.

Joe’s not sure if all the bravado is a good thing. But surely Raheem couldn’t walk away from yesterday’s strong statement. Joe knows that if the Bucs win next week in Arizona, they might very well be the best team in the NFC.

Almost as predictable as Joe not going to bed with Rachel Watson last night, the Bucs today announced they have rid themselves of troubled wide receiver Jerramy Stevens this morning after he was charged with several drug-related offenses.

Stevens was arrested by Tampa police when he was blasting his music too loud from his pickup Saturday night, so reports eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

A Tampa police officer stopped Stevens’ 2006 Ford pickup Saturday night after hearing loud music coming from the truck, according to a Tampa Police Department news release. After smelling marijuana, the officer searched the vehicle and found 38 grams of marijuana, police said.

Stevens was arrested on felony charges of possession of marijuana with intent to sell and possession, along with a misdemeanor charge of possession of drug paraphernalia. He didn’t play in Tampa Bay’s 18-17 victory against St. Louis Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

Stevens played 49 games for the Bucs, catching 72 passes and scoring seven touchdowns. He was supposed to be a threat in the red zone, but after his scoring reception in Week 2 of the 2009 season, Stevens failed to catch a touchdown in his final 18 games as a Buccaneer.

Stevens came to the Bucs with a rather less than angelic past. This latest incident likely means his NFL career is over.

A dead car battery had more energy than the Bucs’ rushing attack through the first 5 1/2 games this season.

When the Bucs hoisted Cadillac Williams and his sub-three yards a carry average as its answer to Adrian Peterson, any sober Bucs fans knew the running game would be in trouble.

The begging, pleading for someone, anyone to start other than Williams by Bucs fans so unnerved Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson that he pronounced the Bucs had no one on the roster better than Caddy.

LeGarrette Blount yesterday, finally, proved Olson’s remarks to be wrong or at least misguided.

The Bucs have a real shot at a playoff run. Strange and awkward as that sounds, it’s true. So the time has come to stop clowning around with the running game. Enough with the touchy, feeling emotions of keeping Cadillac in the game only to drag down the offense. Start Blount now, demands Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune!

The Buccaneers rushing statistics in their 18-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday tell you one thing: rookie backup LeGarrette Blount needs to be the starting running back.

Blount busted a 47-yard run that was nullified by a blocking in the back penalty against tackle Jeremy Trueblood, which had nothing to do with springing him on what would have been the best run from scrimmage the team has had from a running back this season.

Not counting fullback Earnest Graham’s 61-yard run against the Bengals in Cincinnati, of course.

Balog went on to write that no less than quarterback Josh Freeman had more yards rushing than Williams.

Look, Joe gets that Williams is a great guy. Joe loves him too. But the NFL is about results. This isn’t high school. Cadillac simply hasn’t been getting it done. That’s not a knock on the man; he’s got two man-made knees for crying out loud.

Joe also gets that Cadillac may be the Bucs best running back at picking up blitzes. But to continue to start him at running back and futilely watch him not read holes and run right into the backs of offensive lineman, the Bucs can no longer justify Williams’ blocking ability with such feeble rushing results.

That’s no different than continuing to trot out Michael Clayton as a starting wide receiver because he can block. Williams is a running back. Keyword: running.

Bring Williams in on obvious passing situations where he can pick up blitzes and catch passes out of the backfield. That’s fine, that’s great, that’s probably a smart thing to do.

But to keep Williams as a starter when his productive days are past, and keep a buy like Blount on the bench when he has proven he can produce yards, with the Bucs having a clear shot at a playoff run, well, Joe believes that’s inexcusable.

The debate about why the Bucs aren’t selling tickets could rage on endlessly. Some blame the poor economy and high ticket prices. Some blame Team Glazer. Some say it’s a lack of star power on the roster. Some say it’s a dislike of the head coach. And some blame a combination of real or perceived issues.

But for Joe, a new question has emerged, what’s with all the unused tickets?

The Bucs’ reported attendance (aka tickets sold) yesterday was 42,020 and actual in-the-house attendance was 36,008, per the St. Pete Times. That means there were 6,000+ unused tickets, about 15 percent of those sold.

Joe finds that to be a pretty darn high no-show percentage, especially on a beautiful day for a 3-2 football team.

Surely the economy isn’t preventing people from attending a game for which they’ve already purchased tickets, or from giving the tickets to someone who would use them.

Joe gets that there’s always unused tickets. But 15 percent? That would be the equivalent of 10,000 empty seats at Heinz Field.

Joe finds it hard to call the Tampa Bay area a football town when residents won’t use NFL game tickets already paid for.

Joe’s still shaking his head in disbelief, and it is not from the copious amounts of adult beverages he threw down yesterday after the Bucs beat the Rams.

How did this happen? The Rams had their foot on the Bucs throats in the first half. It was looking like a third straight brutal loss at home.

It’s really amazing. Seems as though Tampa Tribune columnist Joe Henderson is also shaking his head in wonderment, trying to figure out how Josh Freeman once again pulled out a fourth quarter win.

For two quarters the Bucs were about as bad as can be as they fell behind 17-3. Actually, they were boring and that’s worse than bad.

We’ve seen it before with this team, though. They hang around, grind out a little something, make a play or two, and the next thing you know Freeman has the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to win.

If we have to keep talking about how they won a game that logic says they shouldn’t have, maybe it’s time to shift the focus somewhere else.

The Bucs got gouged on the ground (again) by Steven Jackson. They imploded with penalties.

Once again, this is the NFL. Wins are wins. Style points are for college football. Count your blessings with a W, raise a beer and look to the next opponent.

No need to apologize for taking advantage of being left to hang around in a game.

Paul Severino and Cris Carter look back at the Bucs win over the Rams in this BSPN video.

Following Sunday’s thrilling victory against the Rams, Joe had some one-on-one time with Donald Penn. The Bucs’ left tackle talked about the running game, playing next to rookie guard Ted Larsen, his weight loss and more.

JoeBucsFan.com: Knowing you had a rookie first-timer in Ted Larsen next to you at guard who got in trouble with some penalties, did you have any words of advice for him during the game?

Donald Penn: I just told him to keep fighting, man. That’s been the motto of our team. This year and last year. You know, last year we lost a lot ofgames and we were down [by a lot of points] a lot. But one thing us as an O-line did was fight ’til the end. I think that’s one thing that’s helping us. It helped us in the Cincinnati game and against the Rams. You know, we always keep fighting. So when we do have a chance to win now, it’s easier now because you’re in the game, not losing and trying to push yourself to fight hard. Now you have a reason to push yourself hard because the score isright there and the team is winning so it makes it easier. I just told him to keep fighting.  I was tyring to help him a little bit (physically) but I was getting power rushed. But he told me at halftime, ‘Do you. Do your thing, I got it.’

Joe: Xs and Os-wise how were you trying to help Larsen?

Penn: I was sitting tight and trying to give him a hand. And then my guy was power rushing me and I wasn’t able to get off. You know, because I was trying to help him too much. I adjusted and the coach adjusted in the second half and brought the center with him so I could do my thing on an island. In the second half I played a lot better. I played pretty bad in the first half, the whole team did.

Joe: What else can you say about the O-line helping Larsen and his performance?

Penn: I told [Larsen] a little story. It’s a quick story. ‘I got in the game. I never got out since. It’s up to you to do it.’ He was like, ‘Thanks.’ It happens that fast, you know. I experienced that. I love seeing a young guy like that. I stayed in his ear. Coach stayed in his ear. [Jeremy] Zuttah and Davin [Joseph] stayed in his ear. He got tossed in that fire, man. It’s hard, especially in the middle of the season. It’s real tough. You know he wasn’t here all camp. So he’s still learning. My hat’s off to him, man. He came in and played his butt off. He got those penalties, came in the huddle and said, ‘My bad,’ and bounced back.

Joe: What was the difference [Sunday] being able to run the ball?

Penn: I can’t even say, man. In the second half, we came out and opened it up and I think it helped us. You know, we got this win. At halftime people didn’t think we were going to get this win and we came out and we were still close enough into the game where we didn’t have to pass, pass, pass. You know we got two good backs. It’s looking up, man. I keep telling everybody we’re working, we just need to get more consistent with the runninggame. We just have to get more consistent. The last couple of games we’ve been down, so it’s hard to get the running game down when you’re losing. We got to build off this.

Joe: Talk about LeGarrette Blount and Cadillac Williams.

Penn: I’m proud of Blount. And he’s got a great teacher too in Cadillac Williams. You know Cadillac’s a vet, and he’s a great teacher. He’s helping [Blount] every day in practice. He’s standing by Cadillac every day in practice and Cadillac is coaching him up and helping him out. We got some veterans and some young guys, but the good thing is the veterans are helping the younger guys and it’s starting to show. …We’ve been making it real hard on Cadillac, you know. I guess today we opened it up a little bit more. I think any running back that would have been back there would have made the same runs [Blount] made, you know, because we opened it up. That’s why I say it’s all up on the line. We gotta do better.  The last games, I feel bad for Cadillac. A lot of people are on him and on him and it’s not Cadillac’s fault. Cadillac can’t do nothing without us. You know, so we take that responsibility 100 percent.

Joe: You were on the playoff team in 2007, one of the few guys with playoffs experience on the roster. Does this feel like a playoff team?

Penn: Of course. I always have that feeling. I had that feeling last year. …We’re just being patient. We’re being humble. We’re going onto the next week in Arizona. We just have to keep winning, keep winning and keep getting better. You know we can’t do this the way we played the first half against another team. It might not go the same way. Luckily, it went our way.

Joe: You lost a lot of weight in the offseason. Do you feel better playing at this weight? And how did you lose the weight? Are there specific foods you gave up? What was the difference?

Penn: I just changed the way I was eating. That was the biggest thing. And I hired a trainer in the offseason. You know I never hired a trainer before. It’s hard to do it yourself. It’s hard to motivate yourself when you’re working out. It’s easy in a game when you have something to lose. So I have a trainer that was with me and is there for me. It’s working good. I feel great out there. I feel tremendously quicker. And that’s the biggest thing I needed.

In his weekly wrapup of Sunday’s NFL games, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports lists the day’s winners and losers.

Not surprisingly he has the Bucs as a winner but in particular, he cites Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman
Even at 4-2, the Bucs are a long way from being a good team. That said, people can stop sleeping on Freeman. He’s not just a big arm and a bundle of athleticism. Watch the Buccaneers’ game-winning drive against St. Louis in the final seconds – Freeman was in total command. The guy is a leader, too. He’s going to be a big-time player.

As Joe wrote yesterday, he is very impressed with Freeman in the fourth quarter. So far, it’s almost as if you want the Bucs to trail in the fourth quarter and give Freeman the ball. That’s when he plays his best.

Crazy but true.

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes Sam Bradford and the Rams choked Sunday.

Many Bucs fans are giddy on this Monday morning that the Bucs rallied (again) in the fourth quarter for their fourth win of the season.

Denizens of the Midwest see a different outcome. They see a tank job by the Rams.

Joe’s good friend Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch didn’t mince words. He outright called the game a Rams choke job.

There is no polite way to put this: the Rams choked.

They absolutely, positively, handed a game to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by blowing a 17-3 lead in a disappointing 18-17 loss.

It’s a game that the Rams had won, only to give it away with a hideous second half. This was a gag job. This is a game that the Rams had control of, with Tampa Bay all but looking for a hole to crawl into after the Rams took charge early.

Miklasz went on to type that the Rams coaching in the second half was “a joke.”

How refreshing it is to read a columnist type his mind. Bravo Bernie, bravo! His column is a quality read.

While Joe likes to believe the Bucs won the game in the fourth quarter, any NFL team that coughs up a two-touchdown lead in the second half with a running back averaging five yards a carry and the opponent’s offense trying to outdo itself with creative penalties, yeah, Joe can see how others would see this outcome as a choke job by the Rams.

Veteran sports columnist Gary Shelton shares his thoughts on the Bucs come-from-behind win Sunday against the Rams in this St. Petersburg Times video.

Oh, that Raheem Morris. He’s an excitable one.

The Bucs coach with the infectious personality who will back his team to crazy proportions actually tossed out a new one-liner he’s been working on for his next Chucklehut appearance by claiming after the game there is no team better in the NFC than his resilient Bucs, documented by good guy Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times.

Raheem Morris was as pumped as ever after the Bucs secured their last-minute victory here at Raymond James Stadium today. And he wasn’t shy about making a few bold statements about his young team, which is fast becoming one of the surprise stories of this NFL season.

“I like where we are,” Morris said. “We’re 4-2. We’re the best team in the NFC. Yeah, I said it. We’re excited.”

Now Joe has learned that Morris also tried out some other one-liners but Joe cannot find any reference to them online. Here are some Joe heard of:

“I come from a rough neighborhood, Irvington, N.J., yeah. The kids there are mean. Why, they are so mean they used to tape worms to the sidewalks just to watch robins get hernias these kids are so mean.

“I’m telling ya,’ Irvington is a rough neighborhood — tough! What would you expect from Jersey? I once put my hand in wet cement and felt another hand.

“Dogs are tough too in Irvington. Their favorite bone is their master’s arm.”

Please remember to tip the waitresses and bartenders folks.

Now Joe knows Morris was just having fun. He can’t possibly believe his team is the best in the NFC when just last week no less than a division foe completely seal-clubbed the Bucs.

Know what? I bet his players will be ready to beat themselves up and work like maniacs in practice this week after hearing their coach claim they are the best in the conference.

Since we’re on the subject of comedy and one-liners, how about some Rodney?

Hearing and reading Ronde Barber’s quotes over the years, Joe knows that Barber isn’t one to single out players and break away from the whole team concept thing.

So it really stood out for Joe when Barber called out Josh Freeman and Mike Williams, as quoted by columnist Joe Henderson of The Tampa Tribune. Barber talked about the win and the ups and downs of a football game.

“That speaks to our resiliency,” cornerback Ronde Barber said. “There are a lot of variables in this game that you can’t control and throwing yellow flags is one of them. All you can do is deal with the situation and make the best of it.”I’m not surprised. We have a lot of guys who don’t like to lose, a lot of guys who like coming to work and competing to be great. It shows in (receiver) Mike Williams, it definitely shows in 5 (Freeman).”

That’s hefty public praise for Freeman and Williams from No. 20, who was nearly a major goat in this game. No, Joe didn’t forget Barber “encroached” on the Rams field goal, which resulted in a first down, took the points off the board and led to an eventual touchdown for St. Louis.

Outside of that screwup, Barber continues to amaze by his high level of play at 35. Ten tackles today and a good shot on Sam Bradford.

Joe can only pray Barber stays healthy for the rest of the season. Barber, unlike several others Bucs apparently, is not replaceable on this team.

You want highlights of today’s Bucs win over the Rams? Joe’s got highlights. All courtesy of the good people of the NFL Network, a channel in every real man’s castle.

Why not start with Cadillac Williams’ game-winning touchdown? Here’s another clip.

Bucs force Rams quarterback Sam Bradford into a fumble.

Connor Barth has a field goal. And another. And another. And another.

Mike Williams with a sweet 20-yard catch.

LeGarrette Blount with a solid run.

Josh Freeman with a solid run.

Stylez White doubles his sack total for the season.

All of the game highlights.

Postgame press conferences of Raheem Morris and Josh Freeman.

Forget what a Bucs sack looked like? Joe almost did.

The Bucs didn’t do much to get off their crazy-ugly pace of notching just 13 sacks for the season today.

In fact, they’re still on pace for 13 for the season. (13.3, up from 12.8 before the game)

But the Bucs did get a sack today in the thrilling 18-17 comeback win against the Rams, and a huge one at that, from Stylez White in the Rams’ opening series.

White (finally) beat his man badly off the edge and crushed Sam Bradford who fumbled and the Bucs recovered at the Rams’ 6 yard line.

Sadly, the Bucs proceeded to get hit with two penalties and face a 3rd-and-34. But they got the field goal and a 3-0 lead. That offensive series made Joe want to puke, but it was still a huge play by Stylez, who is on pace for 5.3 sacks himself.

Joe has written several times since January that no matter how much he likes Cadillac Williams the man, Cadillac Williams the running back, is washed up.

After the first four games it became apparent to even Stevie Wonder that Williams’ best days as a running back are over. Rushing for less than three yards a carry in the NFL and not being able to read holes or adjust a run on the fly (like Rams running back Steven Jackson did multiple times today) is not the way to keep a job as a starter.

But as Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson said last week, there’s no one on the roster better.

The fans have even turned on Caddy. Just look at today’s game live chat and see how people were freaking out. So amid all the negatively and criticism, Caddy responds not by running for 100 yards or rushing for three touchdowns, but for catching the winning touchdown from quarterback Josh Freeman.

Again, Joe thinks the world of Cadillac. Great story. Great guy. Great heart. But this isn’t college football. This isn’t a fan club. The NFL is a results-based business.

Cadillac got the results today. But will it be enough to keep him in the starting lineup?

These 4-2 Bucs threw caution to the wind and actually handed the rock off to LeGarrette Blount today. And, voila, he found holes and ran threw them with a nasty, get-out-of-my-fuc*n way edge.

It can’t be a coincidence that he finds holes where Cadillac Williams falls in invisible ditches.

And for those blacked out fans who couldn’t see a replay, Blount’s 20+ yard run called back for a foolish Jeremy Trueblood block in the back came after Blount had run past Trueblood and the Rams defender victimized by Trueblood.

Blount finished with 11 carries for 72 yards and about 40,000 new fans.

Joe’s just excited about the guy, probably because there’s been so little excitement in the Bucs backfield for since Earnest Graham got banged up in 2007.

Joe wonders what the Bucs might look like if Blount is carrying the ball significantly in the first half and the team actually gets a lead and serves up a more balanced attack. 

As everyone who is a regular reader of Joe knows, Joe’s a man. Therefore, Joe watches the NFL Network. Daily.

Occasionally on the NFL Network they talk about the clutch quarterbacks of all time. Roger Staubach, Joe Montana, Kenny Stabler are just a few of the names discussed as clutch NFL signal-callers.

Could Josh Freeman be the next on that list?

The Bucs were losing against Cleveland but Freeman marched the Bucs in a fourth quarter rally for the season-opening win.

The Bucs were losing against Cincinnati. Down 10 points in the fourth quarter in fact. But Freeman gets the job done with a key touchdown pass to Mike Williams and a clutch pass to Michael Spurlock to set up the winning field goal.

Then came today. The Bucs were listless. Penalty-plagued. Hurt. Tired. But not Freeman.

Fourth quarter. Down five. Less than five minutes left. Ball at the Bucs-18.

Freeman, cool as a Gulf breeze as usual, engineers a 16-play drive before hitting Cadillac Williams for the winning score.

Ballgame. 4-2.

Now Joe’s not crazy enough to put Freeman in the class of Staubach, Montana or Stabler. But if the Bucs need a touchdown in the fourth quarter, even for a win, Joe’s comfortable seeing No. 5 with the ball in his hands.

Yes, the Bucs evoked the ghost of Jim Bates — again — in the first half, but followed that with their third second-half shutout of the season.

Joe had a chance to chat with Barrett Ruud after the thrilling 18-17 win today. Ruud is under no illusion that the Bucs are a defensive juggernaut.

“Eventually we’re going to hit our mark and string some good games together. It was more blown assignments in the first half,” Ruud said. “You have to tackle [Stephen Jackson] at the line of scrimmage, or at least attempt to tackle him at the line of scrimmage. Because then you get a chance for the next guy to come in and help out. When he’s getting the ball and he”s not getting touched for five or six yards, he’s going to be a problem. We did a lot better job of being on our keys, being on our assignments [in the second half].”

Ruud went on to say the 4-2 Bucs will be a better team but he’s not sure when.

“What I’m encouraged about is we’re not playing our best right now. And eventually, we’re going to get it. I don’t know what it’s going to take quite yet,” Ruud said. ” But we are 4-2 and we haven’t hit our peak. And eventually we’ll hit our peak and hopefully get better throughout the year. Because it wasn’t our best football game.”

Listening to elated, thrilled Bucs players, Joe heard a lot of realism and humble speak after the game.

Look, if Joe could tell the future, he’d be wealthy beyond his imagination, lounging with cold cocktails on  his private Cayman beach with Rachel Watson hanging all over him.

Alas, Joe has a modest, land-locked condo with standard-def TVs and no Rachel in sight.

But what Joe can tell is that the Bucs made the correct turn this afternoon, pulling out an ugly win against the St. Louis Rams.

This game, the Bucs were at a T-intersection. A wrong turn and this season very easily could have spiraled into a dismal depth. But the Bucs turned right and, for a few days at least, all is well. Four more wins in the next 10 games and the Bucs could be flirting with a playoff berth.

The Bucs won despite a makeshift offensive line, due to injuries. The Bucs have a backfield largely consisting of rejects, thanks to injuries. The Bucs best receivers and starting quarterback still get carded on a regular basis at Tampa’s hottest nightspots. The Bucs defensive line struggles to stop a cool breeze.

Yet the Bucs fought. They hung tight. They battled through injuries. They won.

Now the season could still turn out to be terrible. The Bucs could still finish with a subpar record. But who among us could have guessed the Bucs would be 4-2 with the aforementioned issues?

Playoffs aren’t such a crazy visision from this standing point.

“Hey, Rachel, over here!”