Jim Zorn Talks To Joe

January 19th, 2015
Former NFL QB and head coach Jim Zorn chats with Joe about quarterback development.

Former NFL QB and head coach Jim Zorn chats with Joe about quarterback development.

Anyone who watched the Bucs after Brad Johnson left the team knows this franchise needs a quarterback in the absolute worst way. Just look at the quarterbacks who played yesterday. They weren’t slappies that coaches are hiding behind a run game and a defense.

You think a journeyman quarterback, or some fraud naive fans like to tag with a “manager” label can engineer a comeback like Russell Wilson did yesterday? Yeah, right. [read more]

Stop Whining About Blount!

January 19th, 2015
LeGarrette Blount heading to the Super Bowl has Bucs fans manufacturing revisionist history.

LeGarrette Blount heading to the Super Bowl has Bucs fans manufacturing revisionist history.

Some followers of Joe on Twitter remind Joe of his old man. A hardcore Cardinals baseball fan (Joe’s dad in high school once saw Dizzy Dean pitch), Joe’s dad whined like an old woman for decades about the Cardinals trading away Steve Carlton.

Didn’t matter that Carlton eventually retired, went to the Hall of Fame and the Cardinals won countless pennants and three World Series titles since Carlton was dealt for the immortal Rick Wise, Joe’s dad never got over it. [read more]

AFC Championship Game Open Thread

January 18th, 2015

schiano-belicheat

Ahh, it’s Championship Sunday! Great football is here. What an epic comeback by Seattle! Joe picked that game right.

Now it’s time for the Patriots and Colts in the AFC. Joe’s confident it will look nothing a 2014 Buccaneers game.

Kickoff is 6:40 p.m. on CBS.

Joe expects the Patriots to roll in a big way here, much like they did against Indianapolis early this season. The Patriots are a better team now, and the Colts are playing over their heads.

Joe’s going to call New England 35, Indianapolis 21.

Bang it here all game long in the comments section with fellow Bucs fans. Joe wishes cold beer and great barbecue for all.

NFC Championship Game Open Thread

January 18th, 2015

bennett

Ahh, it’s Championship Sunday! Great football is sure to grace the tube. It should look nothing a 2014 Buccaneers game.

Green Bay heads to Seattle in the NFC. Kickoff is 3:05 p.m. on FOX.

Joe expects the Packers to struggle. Green Bay didn’t score a lot of points on the road this season, and Aaron Rodgers is banged up, and Seattle’s defense is nasty. Plus, don’t forget the loud Seattle crowd that will be too noisy for Rodgers to change much at the line of scrimmage.

Joe’s going to call Seattle 27, Green Bay 17.

Bang it here all game long in the comments section with fellow Bucs fans. Joe wishes cold beer and great barbecue for all.

“Whatever Team Gets Him Is Going To Be Great”

January 18th, 2015

WinstonMariota

A true NFL great, a quarterback before his time, a guy young Joe worked with on a TV game show in 1993, issued a powerful endorsement for one of the premier college quarterback prospects. [read more]

Jameis Watch: “I Guess They Just Love Me”

January 18th, 2015

Jameis 1107Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, former national champion Jameis Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. [read more]

“They Take It Very Personally”

January 18th, 2015

Glazerlovie

Fans may not always like their moves and methodology, like firing Jon Gruden with three years and $15 million left on his contract, but Team Glazer yearns to win and is driven to win. [read more]

More Offense?

January 18th, 2015
Could Bucs coach Lovie Smith be overseeing another all-offense draft?

Could Lovie Smith oversee another all-offense draft?

Led by defensive-minded Lovie Smith, the Bucs drafted all offense last year. Lovie must have felt like he was in some out-of-body experience.

Thus far, those selections, with the exception of rookie Godzilla wide receiver Mike Evans, have made little to no impact. [read more]

Licht Not Scared Of Free Agency

January 18th, 2015

jason licht 0126

The way the Bucs spent Team Glazer cash last offseason — the way a college kid uses his dad’s new AMEX gold card at a bar — and largely struck out too often, one would think general manager Jason Licht would still bare the singed eyebrows and stay clear of the fire.

Not so. [read more]

Jameis Watch: The Only First-Round QB?

January 17th, 2015

JameisCrab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, former national champion Jameis Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. [read more]

Syracuse LT On Radar Of Bucs

January 17th, 2015
Syracuse LT Sean Hickey talks to Joe after a Shrine Game practice this week. The Bucs have already interviewed him.

Syracuse LT Sean Hickey talks to Joe after a Shrine Game practice this week. The Bucs already interviewed him.

For anyone who watched the Bucs last year, the alarming rate of the offensive line allowing pressure on turnover-prone Josh McCown and an overall inability to open holes for runners was jarring.

As a result, Joe expects the Bucs to load up on offensive linemen in the draft. The Bucs will need to in order to block for Jameis Winston. [read more]

Ryan Fitzpatrick > Josh McCown

January 17th, 2015

josh mccown 0920Is there anyone paying attention who thinks Harvard man and veteran Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t a significantly better player than Josh McCown?

So shouldn’t the Bucs consider replacing McCown with Fitzpatrick? Heck, Fitzpatrick won six games as a starter last season and earns a lot less than McCown. [read more]

“Where My Heart Was Taken”

January 17th, 2015

LynchYou remember Bucs icon John Lynch; he’s the guy who called Tampa Bay’s trade of Mark Barron to the Rams a “colossal failure” of Lovie Smith and Greg Schiano.

Lynch and Father Dungy are back in the news as finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [read more]

Mike Evans: Mariota Is Like Johnny Football

January 17th, 2015

JohnnyEvans

Barring a legal hassle or a miserable throwing performance in front of scouts, the Marcus Mariota-Jameis Winston debate will rage on for many Bucs and NFL fans. [read more]

George Warhop Stays?

January 17th, 2015
It appears that Bucs OL coach George Warhop will be retained for the 2015 season.

It appears Bucs OL coach George Warhop won’t be looking for work.

To the swing-and-a-miss of Anthony Collins, to the left-his-heart-in-New England Logan Mankins, to the underwhelming Evan Dietrich-Smith, to the mistake that was Oniel Cousins, to the small glimmer of light that is Demar Dotson, the Bucs offensive line was nothing short of a trainwreck last season. [read more]

Mike Glennon And The Jets

January 17th, 2015
Trade bait?

Trade bait?

If one is to believe the hyper talk radio heads in Gotham, Jets quarterback Geno Smith makes turnover-prone Josh McCown look like Drew Brees. Smith is more often than not bad, but not McCown bad.

So Jets fandom can’t wait to throw Smith into the Hudson River. [read more]

With The 34th Pick In The 2015 NFL Draft

January 16th, 2015

Preston smith

Mock draft season is here and it drives Joe bananas, but it becomes more interesting when a college player shares a mock draft with his Twitter followers.

Defensive end Preston Smith liked what he saw on NFL.com. [read more]

Another Bucs Coaching Move

January 16th, 2015
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Bucs assistant OL coach Matt Wiegand is also leaving the team.

In the wake of the news that ill-suited acting offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo has left the Bucs, Joe has learned of another coaching transaction.

It seems assistant offensive line coach Matt Wiegand will not return. [read more]

Bucs QB Coach Marcus Arroyo Gone

January 16th, 2015
Bucs QB coach Marcus Arroyo has been relieved of his duties.

Bucs QB coach Marcus Arroyo has been relieved of his duties.

The inevitiable has happened. Arguably the worst (acting) offensive coordinator in the NFL has been relieved of his duties.

Ill-suited Marcus Arroyo, the Bucs quarterbacks coach who attempted to fill the shoes of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford when Tedford fell ill, has been relieved of his duties. [read more]

Will Koetter Produce Points?

January 16th, 2015
Bucs OC Dirk Koetter.

Bucs OC Dirk Koetter.

It is nice that the Bucs’ new offensive coordinator isn’t, well, offensive (coughmarcusarroyocough). He seems to have a clue. More importantly, he knows how to move the ball.

Joe can’t remember a team that didn’t trumpet a new offensive coordinator as the second coming of Sid Gillman. However, the objective it so outscore the opponent. [read more]

Jameis Watch: “They’re Going To Tell Jameis That”

January 16th, 2015

JameissquintCrab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, former national champion Jameis Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. [read more]