Joe cannot figure out why the Bucs have abandoned Bobby Rainey and the run game against garbage rush defenses. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

Generally, in football, you take your strength and try to expose the opponent’s weakness. But Joe guesses in the world of Lovie Smith, it might be the opposite.

That is the only reasoned explanation for the Bucs just throwing in the towel on the run game this afternoon.

The Bucs were virtually running at will on the Browns last week with Bobby Rainey averaging over five yards a carry and 80 yards at halftime. In the second half, the Bucs ran the ball a grand total of eight times. [read more]

New regimes look to improve, hopefully quickly, but at least steadily. They focus on growth. They’re trying to build something.

Right now, following a beating by a bad Falcons football team, Joe’s not sure what the Buccaneers have accomplished this year, if anything at all. [read more]

It appears Joe irked one of the most mild-mannered men in the Buccaneers’ locker room this afternoon, following the latest beating at the hands of the Falcons. [read more]

The “Den of Depression,” otherwise known as the home of the Bucs.

NFL fans have heard of the “Factory of Sadness” on the lake in Cleveland, otherwise known as the home of the Cleveland Browns.

After the franchise was ripped out of the city and moved to Baltimore, the Browns were reborn as an expansion franchise, and have been miserable. [read more]

McCown was overcome with emotion after today’s loss

Either you’re going to respect Josh McCown more when you hear this, or you’re going to bang your head against the wall.

Joe realizes the notion of athletes crying is polarizing. [read more]

This could be nothing. Or it could be something. It explains why Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was not always on the field in the fourth quarter.

Joe was in the locker room after the game as one would expect from Joe. GMC had his right thigh taped with an ice bag attached. Joe wasn’t sure if it was a hamstring or a hip issue or a groin. [read more]

Bucs re-starting quarterback Josh McCown performed like the player he is today.

He was reasonably solid with his throws, minus a bad red-zone pick and a few other dangerous clunkers, and his overall decision-making was questionable at times.

Did you expect more? [read more]

No surprises today. The Bucs moved the ball better against a garbage Atlanta defense but still lost because they couldn’t play consistent special teams, avoid costly mistakes, or slow down Matt Ryan and friends.

Your beloved Buccaneers are 1-8 and 0-5 at home this season.

At least the Jets stunned the Steelers and helped the Bucs’ draft position. The next time Joe goes to Publix and is asked, “paper or plastic?” you can rest assured Joe’s going paper. [read more]

Good afternoon from cloudy and a bit chilly Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, where two rotten teams will battle for the basement of the NFC South, the Dixie Chicks and the Bucs. Lots of good seats are still available if you want to enjoy this game in person.

Joe is fighting depression. Joe is depressed because the Bucs are so, so bad and Lovie is playing games with fans. It’s a sad scene. Oh, in case you still haven’t heard, defensive end Michael Johnson is inactive today. As Andrew Dice Clay would say, “It’s because he’s been inactive all year — OH!”

Bang your keyboard here to get all your frustration out of your bodies. As always, we encourage you to e-mail URLs of illegal video streams among yourselves but posting them here can and will get you banned. Go Bucs!

Wow! Michael Johnson will not play against the Falcons today. [read more]

 Dixie Chicks  (2-6) at Bucs (1-7)

Kickoff: 1 p.m. [read more]

No reason for an O-line setback

They run blocked like champs in the first half. They passed blocked all day.

No, it wasn’t the fault of Tampa Bay’s offensive line that Mike Glennon flushed touchdown throws down the toilet in last Sunday’s five-point loss to Cleveland.

Now what? [read more]

Starting quarterback Josh McCown is known to talk about his “journey,” one of the more amazing longevity stories in the NFL.

Consider McCown was hired this year and given his biggest contract by a head coach who had cut him a few years prior in favor of Jason Campbell. [read more]

Dixie Chicks QB Matty Ice roasted Bucs Alterraun Verner in September.

It doesn’t look too good for Alterraun Verner playing today. The Bucs cornerback was hobbled all week and we won’t know for sure until 90 minutes before kickoff whether he is on the active list or not.

Given Verner’s play during the chain-whipping at Atlanta earlier this year, he may not be missed much. Consider the numbers dug up by Tom Bassinger of the Tampa Bay Times.   [read more]

“Well, you know, there have been quite a few bright moments, obviously the Pittsburgh game, and then New Orleans [he] played a very good game. I thought he was outstanding in that game. He’s a had a lot of throws, not to sound cliché, that he’d like to have back, including [in Cleveland]. It’s been a little up and down. We’ve got eight games left to go. And we’ll see how it goes after that. But right now I would say, I don’t want to say incomplete, but we’ve got a ways to go, and so does Mike.” Bucs general manager Jason Licht on Mike Glennon, Monday, Nov. 3. [read more]

Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, national champion James 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 regular nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida.

Tonight, the undefeated Winston and Seminoles try to keep their national title run alive as they host Virginia, a team that shut down Brent Hundley and UCLA earlier this year. Bang it here for all your Jameis thoughts as the game proceeds.

Kickoff is 6:30 p.m. on BSPN.

It’s preview time!

Yes, there’s a football game tomorrow, a Draft Bowl, if you will. And WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 sportscaster Dave Wirth takes a look for JoeBucsFan.com readers. [read more]

With the second half of the season here and Lovie Smith returning to his handpicked quarterback with loads of optimism and talking about being “still in it,” one thing is crystal clear: Lovie wants Josh McCown to be his starting quarterback in 2015. [read more]

You asked for it, you got it. It’s the TV map for tomorrow’s game between the Dixie Chicks and the Bucs live from the Den of Depression.

If you are a resident of Florida or Georgia, there is a better than average chance you won’t have to run to a local bar or find someone with NFL Sunday Ticket to watch the game. [read more]

No more rope for Lovie Smith special teams coach and guru Kevin O’Dea

A realist would say the Bucs lost in Cleveland last week because their special teams imploded.

Sabby medals would go to Mike James, Will Gholston and Logan Mankins for their incompetence. Typically, when there’s a special teams goat, there’s only one, but the Bucs had three on three different plays. Nice! [read more]

Joe gets a chuckle out of the revisionist historians that whine about how former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik passed on middle linebacker Luke Kuechly and, instead, drafted safety Mark Barron. Yeah, Barron was/is a bust.

However, in the next round, Dominik traded up to get his linebacker. That man’s name is Lavonte David, who Joe pimped the Bucs to draft in December prior to his selection. [read more]