Solid season-opener

There was a strange sight seen at the Den of Depression today. [read more]

BY IRA KAUFMAN
JoeBucsFan.com columnist

Presented By

Click through and shop now online at Bill Currie Ford, just north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

Tim McGraw sang a few songs about heartache and regret before the home team supplied the chorus.

The Bucs were in a giving mood Sunday against a franchise that went 0-8 on the road last season, a 49ers team that traveled cross-country before facing 93-degree heat.

The worst part of all is that San Francisco didn’t play particularly well. The 49ers played hard — and they needed all that resolve to overcome two giveaways and 11 penalties, including three that nullified apparent touchdowns.

Here’s how the Bruce Arians era in Tampa began: [read more]

Bruce Arians explains.

Joe is going to go more into detail about a bizarre fourth quarter intentional grounding call against America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, which may have led to his game-deciding pick-six. [read more]

While a couple of second-year Buccaneers on defense showcased their weaknesses today, a couple of sophomore offensive players shined. [read more]

Stunned.

Pick-six(es) or not, one could make a fair argument the Bucs lost the game in the first half on two holding penalties — both by right tackle Demar Dotson. [read more]

“Ira, I told you I was gonna ball.”

Yes, there are a few rays light breaking through the nasty dark cloud hovering over Buccaneers fans. [read more]

Smelly game.

Prepare for the worst and expect the best. [read more]

The powers that be at One Buc Palace approve of an ex-Buccaneer talking to fans on their website and he doesn’t hold back.

If he’s lying, then the Bucs should fire the guy tomorrow. [read more]

Rough day for the 2017 first-round pick

Very rough day for the Buccaneers’ first-round draft pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. [read more]

No biscuit

At the 49ers’ 2 yard line with 13 minutes remaining in today’s loss to the 49ers, the Bucs had a fourth down and passed on an easy field goal that would have brought the Bucs to within three points of San Francisco. [read more]

Bad

Yes, today was a disaster from America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston.

Horrible.

And he and Bucs coaches can’t blame an absent running game or brutal defense. The veteran QB crapped the bed. [read more]

Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy on both sides of the ball and ugly in the red zone on offense.

And don’t forget the mind-numbing turnovers by the franchise quarterback.

Welcome to Buccaneers football. [read more]

Comment all game long about this critical opening day matchup.

It’s great fun! Play nice. No personal fouls. Of course, Joe will have plenty to type about after the game.

Go Bucs!

Ready for regular season.

Bucs left tackle Donovan Smith was out early Friday morning giving Bucs fans Bucs battle flags. Pretty cool.

And he moments ago finished scrubbing himself during an intense shower, so he explained to the lovely and talented Melissa Marino of WFLA-TV Channel 8. [read more]

Rookie shelved

No huge surprises on today’s list of inactive Buccaneers.
[read more]

Bucs OLB Lavonte David.

It finally started making sense for Joe last year. [read more]

Offensive line has work to do.

When Joe looked at today’s game, Joe believed the key element to beating the 49ers is how well the Bucs can pass block. [read more]

They’ve both been battling a flu-like illness, and they both will play today. Bucs fans will see Pro Bowl stud Mike Evans and rookie savior linebacker Devin White against the 49ers.

That’s the word from insider Adam Schefter of BSPN this morning.

Yes, it’s all about scoring a “W” by any means possible against the 49ers today, but Joe’s looking for more than that to determine if the Bucs are on track for a winning season. [read more]

Making America great.

Former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms is a big shot broadcaster with cake gigs like “Pro Football Talk Live” and Notre Dame football broadcasts. Simms might be higher up the broadcast food chain than his dad and he talked to Joe earlier this year. [read more]