The Bucs cut and made Major Wright available to the rest of the NFL, and it seems Lovie Smith is happy Wright didn’t find a new employer.

The veteran safety, and veteran of Lovie’s defenses in Chicago, is a Tampa Bay Buccaneer again. [read more]

Joe calls the 2014 season

Bucs icons Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks have publicly cautioned Tampa Bay fans to relax and give Lovie Smith’s defense a little time to grow and become dominant. It’ll get there, they believe, but right out of the gate is too much to ask. (You can read Brooks’ direct comments here)

Joe’s not going to argue defense with the Hall of Famers.

Just look at big-money defensive end Michael Johnson struggling a bit in preseason while adapting to lining up wide, something he didn’t do in Cincinnati. Cornerback Alterraun Verner has been open about the required adjustments to his game and how it will take a little time. Adrian Clayborn, to name another, is playing a new position at left defensive end. On Monday, Gerald McCoy told media he believed Clayborn’s transition could be the key to the Bucs season. [read more]

Former Bucs DE Steve White, a 2014 coaching intern under Lovie Smith, identified fears for Bucs fans and opponents. Rookie kicker Patrick Murray made the list.

So how do you defend Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Doug Martin all on the field at the same time?

This is what will — and should — scare the life out of Tampa Bay opponents this season. [read more]

If you want to watch Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp slow dance, then you want to watch this NFL Network segment.

Sapp and his fellow analysts stand around and decide what 2013 playoff teams will be ousted from the postseason. [read more]

Lovie Smith doesn’t seem to be a big fan of questions about offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford this week. [read more]

Remember, every Tuesday at 5 p.m. is the world renowned JoeBucsFan Hour on WDAE-AM 620 with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig.

Joe was all over all things Bucs this evening in advance of opening day. [read more]

Peter King weighs in with his annual predictions

The fever for Tampa Bay playing meaningful January football games has jumped up a few degrees.

Pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball box score-reading, NPR-listening, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame is calling the Bucs a Wild Card team in his official season prediction. [read more]

Ronde Barber already has written children’s books, and Joe can’t wait until Barber gets around to penning a look at the four Tampa Bay head coaches he served under.

That’s going to be chock full of gems. [read more]

Joe knows it really irritates many Bucs fans that stud linebacker Lavonte David got snubbed for the Pro Bowl last year. Joe doesn’t give a damn about the Pro Bowl at all, but still, it was an embarrassing omission.

It was such a slap in the face, it seems as if national NFL types have sort of used David’s slight as a crusade to not let this happen again. [read more]

Carolina has bigger guard issues than the Bucs

Many Bucs fans struck themselves with hammers the moment running back Charles Sims was drafted in the third round back in May. These fans wondered how the Bucs could do such thing when they had pressing needs at guard and a strong stable of running backs.

The Panthers, however, went guard in the third round and snagged LSU beast Trai Turner and dropped him into their starting lineup. [read more]

The Bucs’ Super Bowl champ weighs in

New Bucs nose tackle Clinton McDonald, the man with the Barry White pipes and a shiny new Super Bowl ring, doesn’t like to compare anything about his time with the champion Seahawks and his new team.

He doesn’t like to go there. But Joe got McDonald to dip his toe into those waters in the happy postgame locker room in Buffalo. [read more]

If the Bucs had a pass rush, then they could persuade Stinking Panthers QB Cam Newton from doing his Superman schtick.

Only a few days ago the Bucs learned the projected starting opposing quarterbacks to start the 2014 season were less than 100 percent. First, Sam Bradford is out for the season, again, with a blown knee. Then there was Cam Newton.

The franchise quarterback of the Stinking Panthers suffered a hairline fracture of a rib. This is one of the most painful injuries a guy can have and, for a quarterback, it’s even worse. Every time he throws, unless Newton is shot up, he will know it. [read more]

Film don’t lie. Go back and watch film of Carolina-Tampa Bay games last year and you’ll see Gerald McCoy getting triple-teamed — when he’s not getting double-teamed.

Joe asked McCoy about whether he expects the same treatment on Sunday, and McCoy had a lot to say. [read more]

Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford isn’t working at the office yet, and the artist might not be available for the home opener on Sunday.

That would be a significant problem explains one former Buccaneer. [read more]

That’s right. Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave journeyman Josh McCown the fattest contract he’s ever seen to rifle balls downfield and go toe-to-toe with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton.

Well, that might be a stretch, but a stat pumped out this week BSPN seems to back up the premise. [read more]

One of the many impressive new Buccaneers is rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Yes, Joe is impressed with he can do on a football field, but more so, Joe is overly impressed by ASJ the person.

Joe will never forget when after a practice in training camp, Joe remarked that ASJ sure seemed like he had a good practice, ASJ looked Joe straight in the eye as if Joe spit on him and said, bluntly, “I didn’t come here just to be good.” [read more]

Is Oneil Cousins the winner?

If you came here to learn who will start at right guard for the Bucs on Sunday, you’re out of luck.

The actual starting right guard likely knows his status, but he will live incognito, if you will. [read more]

Joe realizes many Bucs fans hear the name Luke Kuechly and bang their head against the nearest wall because in 2011 the Bucs drafted Mark Barron but could have had Kuechly, who landed in the middle of Carolina’s dominant defense.

The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is everything he was hyped up to be. [read more]

The votes are in — and nobody is claiming the outcome is rigged.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced their 2014 team captains are JoshMcCown, Vincent Jackson, Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David and Michael Koenen. Each player voted, and Lovie Smith got one vote.

No surprises here.

The Bucs’ new fullback says he’s the team “pit bull.” (Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

Lovie Smith is one of the prominent coaches who has talked about the dying position of fullback in the NFL. However, the Bucs put a fullback on their roster, one who has worked quite a bit with the first-team offense.

All that fullback “dinosaur” talk made its way to Jorvorskie Lane, so he explained to Joe today. [read more]