Has some explaining to do.

Joe knew Mike Smith and his defense had a bad day last Sunday. Joe also saw the same defense simply fail to get the job done last night. [read more]

Jason Licht’s Cecil Shorts signing is failing

Starting wide receiver Cecil Shorts is reminding Joe of sackless George Johnson and sackless Kyle Moore.

Those defensive ends combined to play 26 Bucs games without a sack. [read more]

Where’s the pass rush?

Joe swears he’s witnessed better defenses in Pasco County high school summer league 7-on-7 games than what the Bucs trotted out on the Den of Depression turf. [read more]

One Buccaneer came to play at a different level than his peers last night. [read more]

Dirk Koetter was in gift-giving mode last night.

Matt Ryan started a late-first-quarter drive with a handoff and then a fumble on second down.

Then there were a couple of strong runs, a short completion and two incompletions. And then came Dirk Koetter’s gift. [read more]

BY IRA KAUFMAN

With an opportunity to remain relevant at the halfway point of the season, the Bucs disappointed their fans yet again. Despite an encouraging start, Tampa Bay was overwhelmed by the NFC South leaders in a 43-28 setback that effectively ended any playoff hopes.

Here are 10 morsels to digest after the Bucs proved they weren’t ready for prime time: [read more]

Joe is a fan of big-money defensive end Robert Ayers, but the guy is starting to resemble Michael “Ghost” Johnson, the ugliest memory of the 2014 season. [read more]

Hell, it’s 3:30 a.m. Friday and Joe is just starting to type this. [read more]

Maybe his worst season in NFL.

Bucs fans gnash their teeth in rage because they claim Bucs stud Gerald McCoy doesn’t do anything. [read more]

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Why exactly would The Custodian of Canton, Tampa Bay’s only Hall of Fame voter, go to bed early after such a critical Bucs loss? Well, he didn’t. Ira was with Joe in the Raymond James Stadium press box breaking down the state of the Bucs. The octane got cranked up on this one.

Enjoy!

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More losing at home.

It is getting to the point that Bucs fans are ready to wing an empty whiskey bottle into moving traffic rolling down Dale Mabry Highway. [read more]

What you won’t see on the postgame news conference video of America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, was Jameis stepping off the podium, scowling and then intensely dancing. [read more]

Shame on you, Dirk Koetter.

Maybe now you’ll learn to sit your most valuable players when a game is out of reach. [read more]

Welcome to draft watch, a Bucs tradition unlike any other in the NFL. [read more]

Flirting with the enemy.

Jameis, be careful. You just may have fans try to hound you out of town for being nice. [read more]

Perhaps the home turf makes the Bucs uneasy, or perhaps the Bucs learned a few things from the Raiders, but for some reason the penalty bug returned tonight in a huge way. [read more]

The Bucs were at home tonight. And you know what that means at the Den of Depression.

Tip your bartenders and waitresses, folks. They’re the ones who are good to you. The Bucs, however, are not. Tampa Bay is now 0-4 at home and have lost 17 of 20 in Tampa. [read more]

It’s Thursday Night Football!

The Bucs Bucs (3-4) pretty much have to win tonight if people want to talk about playoffs with a serious face. The task is difficult: The high-flying, NFC South division-leading Dixie Chicks (5-3) are in town.

Bang it here with comments all game long. And prepare yourself for postgame coverage.

Play nice. Personal fouls at not tolerated.

Game 8

Dixie Chicks (5-3) at Bucs (3-4)

Kickoff: 8:25 p.m. [read more]

Yes, Joe was on ESPN Tallahassee radio yesterday talking Bucs with Jeff Cameron, he of “The Jeff Cameron Show.”

Joe has long been a fan of Cameron, a St. Pete native who puts together damned good radio. [read more]

For the second consecutive season, America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, is the most hit QB in the NFL.

A former stud NFL offensive linemen is pointing fingers. [read more]

Can the secondary rebound?

Can the defense bounce back? Can the passing game of the Dixie Chicks be corralled? [read more]