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Mike Evans hauls in a Josh McCown pass Sunday. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
A long look at the Bucs yesterday, today, and what to expect tomorrow and beyond.
When the Bucs lost to the Vikings in overtime, Joe deemed the defense had turned the corner. Holding an NFL team to 13 points in regulation is damned good.
However, Bucs defenders all told Joe, no, they had not turned the corner. You won’t hear them saying that now. [read more]
Dalton’s condition was revealed
The way Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton played in the first half, with the Bucs picking him off three times, it was enough to make NFL fans vomit.
On Twitter, Dalton’s woes were widely discussed. It made some sick watching Dalton try to throw. [read more]
It was a crazy sequence. The Bucs had just gotten into field goal range in the waning seconds with 12 players on the field. All kinds of people had their head up their rear end including the 12th man — you can decide who to blame — as well as the refs.
Yes, there are multiple referees who are supposed to count the players on each team. They also blew it. Marvin Lewis didn’t. [read more]
In the past few weeks, when Bucs coach Lovie Smith stood behind a microphone and said with quiet confidence the Bucs were only two wins from a division lead, Joe knew what Lovie was trying to do.
Still, it made Joe want to ram his head into a wall. [read more]
Do the right thing, Roger.
This fantastic Mike Evans video is making the rounds nationally tonight. It should make Bucs fans proud.
Young Evans is caught blocking like a monster downfield for Charles Sims. But the CBS video also reveals two disgusting cheap shots Evans had to endure. [read more]
Lovie Smith will have to sing a new tune
Joe’s got the fresh, hot math.
You can stop the wacky Bucs-in-the-hunt talk. [read more]
Was Oneil Cousins the goat?
How bout that 12-men-on-the-field penalty that fried the Bucs with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter and Tampa Bay in field goal range to win the game!
What a mess.
So who was to blame? Josh McCown offered insight after today’s nut-kick loss to the Bengals. [read more]
LB Danny Lansanah wraps up Bengals RB Jeremy Hill in the second half today. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
The defense is playing well. They held the AFC North division leader to two scores today, and that was without stud linebacker Lavonte David.
One bright spot has been the play of Danny Lansanah. Playing in David’s spot, Lansanah racked up 14 tackles today, to lead both teams. He also had three tackles for loss. [read more]
Doug Martin had maybe his best half of the season in the first half today, only to vanish in the second half. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)
Running back Doug Martin seemed to be on his final days with Tampa Bay. The man who made the Pro Bowl his rookie season has seen his numbers steadily decline to the point he was dead-last in the NFL in yards per attempt.
Last!
Joe is convinced, after watching enough of Martin’s runs with binoculars, that for reasons unknown Martin was just putting his head down almost every time and trying to burrow through defensive linemen and linebackers. [read more]
Sadly, one could craft a long list of reasons why Lovie Smith is on track to enter the 2015 season under massive scrutiny from an impatient fan base.
A veteran head coach, Lovie’s Bucs team looks like it’s being coached by a rookie. [read more]
De facto offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo and his unit have major issues under pressure
On their final play from scrimmage today, the Buccaneers were facing a 4th-and-20 and decided to pass on a shot for a game-winning, 63-yard field.
Ok, so be it.
But what happened next was disgraceful. [read more]
Usually, when an offense enters the red zone, it’s a great thing and an alert for the defense.
With the Bucs offense, the opposite is true. It is the offense that that causes strife and indigestion. [read more]
Bucs offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey had never played center in his life before today.
Here is one for you. Most NFL teams often have back-up centers. Said back-up centers usually have experience at some point in their lives snapping the ball.
This could be college or even the NFL. Apparently, the Bucs, under overlord of football operations Lovie Smith, thought that experience was a luxury. [read more]
You want penalties? You like penalties? Well, one team you need to embrace is the Bucs.
Now 2-10, the Bucs are the fourth-most penalized team in the NFL.
Entering today, the Bucs averaged 8.1 penalties a game per TeamRankings.com. Of course, the teams with more than the Bucs are all playoff bound (Seattle, New England, Denver). [read more]
With the Bucs now three games out of the NFC South lead with four games to go, Joe hopes those who engage daily in silly division-title talk will change their tunes.
It’s now all about the NFL Draft. [read more]
How much more McCown should Bucs fans endure?
Look, Joe’s been calling for the end of the failed Josh McCown experience within hours of McCown’s third consecutive bad game on Sept, 18.
So none of the hot mess that is the Bucs offense surprises Joe.
Today, McCown imploded again late in the first half, just like he did in Chicago, and never recovered. [read more]
Bad teams find ways to lose consistently.
And the Bucs found a familiar one today. They crumbled late in the first half and failed to show up out of the halftime tunnel.
Welcome to Chicago. “Inept” is the first word that comes to Joe’s mind. [read more]
So the banged up Bucs, with too many starters out, host the Bengals at the Den of Depression today. It doesn’t look good.
The Bengals, leading the AFC Central, are in a playoff race. The Bucs are in a race to the toilet. Two teams going in far different directions. [read more]
GM Jason Licht announces who will return punts and kicks for the Bucs today.
If Bucs fans were wondering what the team would do without a proven return man after this week’s release of the immortal Trindon Holliday, Joe has the answer.
And the news comes straight from the lips of Bucs general manager Jason Licht. [read more]
The Bucs have several key cogs on the shelf
Ouch!
Lavonte David’s bad hamstring will keep him sidelined for the second consecutive game. [read more]
