Former Saints Pro Bowl linebacker Jonathan Vilma (2008-2013) looked into a national TV camera the other day and stomped on the reputations of Donald Penn, Davin Joseph, Jeremy Zuttah, Demar Dotson and other former Bucs offensive linemen.

Listening to Vilma, it’s a wonder Tampa Bay won any football games. [read more]

A Lovie Smith team leader paints a picture of the head coach being a throwback

Don’t think for a minute that Lovie Smith isn’t yearning to run the football.

Lovie bought all kinds of offensive toys this offseason and in the draft, but that wasn’t necessarily to break new ground under Jeff Tedford’s mysterious offense. [read more]

A report claims Tom Brady is PO’ed over the trade of Logan Mankins to the Bucs.

Bucs fans wondered how Josh McCown would stay upright three weeks into the regular season the way the offensive line, specifically the guards, were (not) blocking. After just one preseason game, McCown’s life insurance policy was canceled.

This all changed when Bucs general manager Jason Licht went out and obtained All-Pro guard Logan Mankins from the clutches of Bill Belicheat. [read more]

Logan Mankings was not the initial target of Bucs GM Jason Licht’s cold calling.

It is interesting that the seed that grew into the Logan Mankins trade for Tim Wright and a fourth-round pick was planted back in late July, per Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s comments Tuesday.

Yesterday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com Twittered that the genesis of the trade actually was Licht dumpster-diving for a different guard. [read more]

The always fiery and entertaining JoeBucsFan Hour with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, was especially intense today.

Joe’s never been called a “tree hugger” before. [read more]

Tasty Bucs nuggets were dropped during the appearance of center Evan Dietrich-Smith on SiriusXM NFL Radio last night.

Of course, Joe was paying attention. [read more]

The forgotten new guard in Tampa, Rishaw Johnson, doesn’t exactly have fans doing cartwheels like they are about the acquisition yesterday of Pro Bowler Logan Mankins.

However, there is growing confidence inside One Buc Palace. [read more]

Few media types in New England are not scared of Bill Belichick like good guy and straight-shooter Tom Curran. The long-time football scribe in the Boston area now types for CSNNE.com and is never holds back.

In his reaction to the Patriots trading All Pro guard Logan Mankins to the Bucs, Curran came out blasting the Patriots for what it seems he believes to be a desperate move, that it is so unsure at tight end it had to let an icon like Mankins go. [read more]

Mike Giardi, Phil Perry and Patriots beat man Tom Curran, of CSNNE.com, discussed the Logan Mankins deal to the Bucs at length yesterday.

The trio described how Mankins was “visibly shaken” by the news, and told stories about how important Mankins was in the locker room and to rookies of all positions. [read more]

The celebratory hangover has worn off and Joe remains fired up by the Bucs’ acquisition of superstar guard Logan Mankins.

And Joe’s really liking general manager Jason Licht’s approach: the man is patiently impatient. [read more]

Man, Joe cannot tell you just how crazy the last couple of days at One Buc Palace were.

From an unbelievably, head-scratching, morgue-like pall over the place with news sleazy Richie Incognito was visiting for cookies and tea, to the bombshell that the Bucs traded for All-Pro guard Logan Mankins, wow. The place went from a funeral parlor to a dizzying Fourth of July celebration in roughly 28 hours. [read more]

Treated as an incompetent evildoer by most Bucs fans, former rockstar Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik has a bigger stamp on this year’s team than would have imagined a month ago.

With yesterday’s trade of Tim Wright, 2011 fourth-round pick Luke Stocker has emerged with a job — a real job as this year’s blocking tight end. [read more]

Boy, Joe doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry or just pity the poor folks who live in Boston. It seems the Logan Mankins trade to the Bucs has made their lives even more bitter.

Forget their beloved BlowSux are out of the pennant race. Forget the fact that after this weekend, they have winter staring them straight in the face. Nevermind the taxes they have to cough up. Ignore they are trapped in a non-basketball association town. [read more]

After a roster shakeup yesterday with cuts, additions and Danny Gorrer placed on injured reserve, the Bucs are down to 10 cornerbacks.

Two are injured. Will Tampa Bay keep seven to start the season?

Here’s a look at who’s still around: [read more]

Bucs general manager Jason Licht and director of player personnel Jon Robinson both logged years with the New England Patriots serving Bill Belicheat. That’s when Licht and Robinson got to know guard Logan Mankins up and close and personal.

In fact, likely no one who works at One Buc Palace knows Mankins the way those two do. So when Licht raved yesterday about what a solid citizen and teammate Mankins is, not only did Mankins sound like the anti-sleazy Richie Incognito, but it seems their take was dead on based on the depression in New England. [read more]

It helps that this past spring and summer, FOX brought back Jack Bauer and “24” for (at least) a season. It gave people who like espionage and conspiracies all sorts of fresh firewood for the noggin.

Since the Bucs brought in sleazy Richie Incognito for a five-hour dinner and chat Monday night, the Bucs reportedly threw in the towel on acquiring 49ers guard Alex Boone but did pull the trigger on a deal to bring in All-Pro Logan Mankins for a price far less than Boone’s ransom demand. [read more]

The roster now sits at 75. Final cuts are Saturday.

Mandatory roster cuts are a cruel thing, and Tampa Bay had to get its roster down to 75 by 4 o’clock this afternoon.

In a flurry of moves, the defensive backfield thinned out first with Danny Gorrer placed on injured reserve. [read more]

The tough guy stories on new Bucs superstar left guard Logan Mankins are all over New England. There’s immense sadness that the Bucs now own their warrior for the NFL equivalent of a nice lunch, aka Tim Wright and a fourth-round pick.

Christopher Price, of the Patriots’ flagship radio station, shared great takes on Mankins playing through a torn ACL for most of the 2011 season and his impact last year. [read more]

The Bucs have yet to release names of the two players the team must trim in order to get down to the mandatory 75-man roster today. Joe is not sure what the holdup is.

As Joe is typing, it is nearly 4:30 p.m. The deadline is 4 p.m. Lovie Smith tried to claim he didn’t know who was getting cut. (C’mon, Lovie, that’s lame.) [read more]

Pats coach Bill Belicheat talks about new Bucs guard Logan Mankins.

Today, the Patriots of Bill Belicheat fame parted ways with All-Pro guard Logan Mankins. This has Patriots fans in an uproar, partially because they are paying attention to football now that the BlowSux are out of the pennant chase, and partially because they forgot to buy a six-pack of Sam Adams summer ale.

Belicheat opened up about the trade of Mankins to Tampa Bay, by way of Adam Schefter of the four-letter. [read more]