One thing that totally baffled Joe as to why the defense was so horrible last year was it’s not like the cupboard was bare. [read more]

It was an awful lot of fun to see the ol’ ball coach take a fresh shot at modern technology, explain how he’s squeezing a hell of a lot from training camp walk-through sessions and simulating TV timeouts, among other things. [read more]

The Buccaneers are off today, but Joe has plenty more football nuggets from yesterday’s practice at One Buc Palace, Day 4 of training camp. 

Enjoy! [read more]

The Sage of Tampa Bay sports went 1-on-1 with defensive coordinator Mike Smith

BY IRA KAUFMAN

Whether you’re a gymnast or a defensive coordinator, flexibility is a beautiful thing.

Mike Smith wants no part of a pommel horse, but he can’t wait to showcase his horses up front this fall. [read more]

Peyton Barber?

For you fantasy football players trying to decide what Bucs running back to pick for your team (why?), here is a good hint that Dirk Koetter is leaning towards one guy. [read more]

Rated with elites.

When Joe read this stat, it fried his mind. [read more]

Early prognosis. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)

Joe could almost hear a collective gasp from Bucs types yesterday when first-round pick defensive tackle monster Vita Vea went to the ground and he didn’t even try to bounce back up and play. [read more]

Mike Smith lost his cool on one Bucs veteran

One great joy of the Buccaneers’ practicing in full pads — finally! — is the 1-on-1 drill work of offensive linemen versus d-linemen.

And that kicked off today in grand fashion. Joe’s got highlights. [read more]

Didn’t fool around this time. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

Noah Spence is one chiseled football player. [read more]

GM Jason Licht is loving this film

Joe has fielded many questions about what it looked like in the trenches at One Buc Palace today, the first practice in full pads of the 2018 season. [read more]

Shows skills.

Joe will never forget the morning he got so peeved thinking about how the Bucs franchise has ignored an edge rush for over a decade, Joe spiked his USS Midway coffee mug on his tile floor. [read more]

Microcosm of training camp

This is such a great example of the wave of emotions that is training camp. [read more]

Props to DeSean Jackson

Joe has been so impressed by a lot of little things being done at training camp by DeSean Jackson. He seems like one happy Buccaneer.

Consider what happened today during practice. [read more]

It was glorious.

The beasts of the Buccaneers’ trenches squaring off for 1-on-1 pass rush drills during the first padded practice of the season. [read more]

Connection!

A big reason why so many Bucs fans rip open an empty beer can with their teeth in rage, wanting to run off America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, is because he has a hard time in games connecting with speedy DeSean Jackson. [read more]

Just a brief update on the bad news Joe brought this morning during the opening 11-on-11 session in full pads. [read more]

No silver lining, says the head coach

Joe got a resounding one-word answer today from head coach Dirk Koetter.

Either the question struck a nerve, Joe believes, or Koetter thought it was foolish. [read more]

Injured (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)

Some major rookie action this morning as practice kicked off in pads for the first time at Training Camp 2018 — and none of it was good. [read more]

No clashing of egos.

Man, when a team is freaking loaded like the Bucs in the passing game, how can a quarterback give any receiver enough touches? [read more]