Bucs OLB Jonathan Casillas discusses his game suspension Saturday.

A remorseful, humbled linebacker Jonathan Casillas faced the large turnout of the Tampa Bay pen and mic club this afternoon at One Buc Palace (thanks Richie) to discuss his recent brush with Bucs law.

Casillas was held back in Tampa on Friday for an unspecified action as the Bucs traveled to Buffalo for their preseason game. [read more]

The GM sends a message

Breathe easy, Bucs fans. Richie Incognito is only talk at this point.

That’s the message from Bucs general manager Jason Licht. [read more]

Richie Incognito was a hot topic in the Bucs locker room

Tampa Bay center Evan Dietrich-Smith opened up this afternoon about the Bucs potentially signing checkered guard Richie Incognito.

Dietrich-Smith, a clear leader already on the Bucs’ offensive line, said he would expect an Incognito signing to draw a private chat with veterans in the Bucs locker room. [read more]

Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles talks about Richie Incognito coming to Tampa Bay today

Desperate times lead to desperate measures. Just ask the Arizona Cardinals, they’ve got Ted Larsen starting at left guard.

The Bucs are desperate, too, says a former Buccaneer, that’s why they’re interviewing Richie Incognito today. [read more]

Don’t think the Bucs are desperate for help on the offensive line?

Consider that sleazy Richie Incognito is getting an in depth look by the team today, so reports Jay Glazer of FOX sports. [read more]

A prominent former Buccaneer weighs in

Joe felt bad for Tampa Bay fans watching the opening minutes of the Bucs-Bills game Saturday. The offensive line was bad, Jacksonville bad, Sean Mahan and Keydrick Vincent bad. Perched in the Buffalo press box, Joe swore he could hear the screams of agony.

Thankfully, it got better in the first half. But how much better? [read more]

Stinking Panthers QB Cam Newton is not healthy.

In 13 days, the Bucs will host the Stinking Panthers at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway to kick off the 2014 season. Since Lovie Smith was hired in January, he has been talking about, emphasizing, demanding, pleading, praying, willing that the Bucs get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

If Lovie needs more incentive for his defensive front seven to hit and punish QB to start the season, it is here. [read more]

Joe caught up to the newest Buccaneer in Buffalo

Last week’s phone call came to new Bucs guard Rishaw Johnson while he was in his car en route to work at Chiefs headquarters. “You’ve been traded to Tampa Bay.”

The words absolutely stunned Johnson, so he told Joe in a happy Bucs locker room on Saturday night. [read more]

Bucs OC Jeff Tedford talks more about his offense.

There was always a perplexing nag in the back of Joe’s mind with all the jumping up and down at One Buc Palace about running an up-tempo offense, excitement as if Joe coerced Rachel Watson to join him on a private sunset cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. Was this mysterious Jeff Tedford offense going to be revolutionary?

Apologies, but Joe never asked. But Ronde Barber did. [read more]

Barring an absolutely unreasonable offer, Bucs QB Mike Glennon is not on the trading block.

Joe just couldn’t believe it. Yesterday, it didn’t take but 10 seconds for it to happen. The instant the news came across Twitter that Sam Bradford’s days in St. Louis have essential ended, as the Rams quarterback suffered another season-ending knee-injury; Joe got a question about the Bucs trading the quarterback of the future and the quarterback of the past but not the quarterback of the present, Mike Glennon.

Joe’s head almost hit the keyboard.

(Bradford is due $16 million next season in the last year of his current contract with the Rams. The Walmart-heir-by-marriage who owns the Rams, Stan Kroenke, would have to be drowning in Budweiser to cough up that kind of cash on a guy whose career is shattered.) [read more]

Lovie Smith told media numerous times that who plays in the “dress rehearsal” game in Buffalo, and when they play, will reveal an awful lot about what Lovie thinks of the player.

Rookie wide receiver Robert Herron was targeted on the opening call of the Bucs offense. [read more]

The man who was the Bucs’ No. 2 wide receiver for much of last season is jobless again, as he was about this time of year in 2012 and 2013. Tiquan Underwood was cut by the Panthers today.

The Mike Glennon Mob has been heard all afternoon screaming, “You see. You see. Glennon had no one to throw to.” [read more]

Solid camp not strong enough.

Joe was a bit surprised to read the name of Tommy Streeter on the list of a dozen cuts today by the Bucs, who need to slice three more players to get down to the mandated 75 by Tuesday afternoon. In training camp, Streeter sure seemed like a keeper.

On the first day of training camp, Streeter, who often worked with the second team, caught a long ball from Mike Glennon and put a move on corner Rashaan Melvin so badly that Melvin hit the turf, blowing out an ankle. [read more]

Still surviving.

Joe knows DE/DT Da’Quan Bowers is anything but a popular player around these parts of the NFL universe. A second round pick in 2011, Bowers, who has a grand total of 5.5 career sacks and is far more experienced in the cold tub than the line of scrimmage, has been a disappointment.

But when the Bucs released a dozen players today in the process of eventually cutting down to the mandatory 75 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday, Bowers was not on the list (yet). [read more]

Former Buccaneer Eric Page

Rookie wide receiver/returner Solomon Patton didn’t do much against Buffalo yesterday, but he did prove he could take a ferocious hit as a punt returner and hold onto the ball.

It seems that play, and Patton’s consistency (but not greatness) this preseason led to him ousting the NFL’s 13th-ranked full-time punt returner in 2013. Eric Page was cut this afternoon. [read more]

The Grim Reaper arrived at One Buc Palace today, as the Bucs lopped 12 from their roster.

Hyped undrafted rookie free agent defensive linemen Euclid Cummings and Chaz Sutton were in the mix, as well as a handful of Schiano men. [read more]

Joe got reaction last night

Gerald McCoy got light duty yesterday in Buffalo and the Bucs were still dominant on defense. In one early series, McCoy even sat out a first and a second down before coming in on third.

In that instance, it was Clinton McDonald sliding over to do what he did for the Super Bowl champs last season. [read more]

The Bucs’ offensive line gets just enough push to allow Doug Martin to score a first half touchdown Saturday. Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.

Of course, the Bucs’ first-team offense, after some early, frightening jitters, broke out finally yesterday, actually looking like an offense. A nice catch-and-run down the middle to Doug Martin to set up a Martin touchdown run and a too easy-looking lob to Mike Evans in the end zone showed the Bucs have life on offense.

As Joe stated yesterday, it was fun to watch the running game work. It is nice to have cute plays on a whiteboard or stubborn running plays on an iPad, or for the offense to look sharp on a walk-through, but an offense needs blocking. [read more]

In Lovie Smith’s official “dress rehearsal” for the 2014 season yesterday, Lovie trotted out second-year safety Bradley McDougald, an undrafted Dominik-Schiano pickup last year, as the starter at strong safety alongside Dashon Goldson.

No, Mark Barron wasn’t hurt. And Joe, with his own eyes in Buffalo, saw McDougald working with the first team in pregame warmups. [read more]

Peter King of theMMQB.com is impressed with Lovie’s defense, as he should be.

Joe had typed time after time after time this past summer he wasn’t worried about the defense. Sure, Joe groused that the Bucs let go of All-World corner Darrelle Revis, but Joe has pretty much let that water flow past the bridge.

Of course, if the Bucs are hurting for corners and Revis returns to his pre-surgery form, yes, let’s just say Joe has the memory of an elephant. [read more]

Offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford says he has “to get used to” it.

Joe has poked fun at how the Bucs have done their best to keep offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford’s offense under wraps, as if it is a design for a revolutionary new stealth fighter. Tampa Bay all but promised fans will only see 20 percent of Tedford’s offense in the preseason.

In a sitdown with former Bucs great Ronde Barber broadcast on WFLA-TV Channel 8, just after the smackdown of the bungling Bills yesterday, Tedford confessed that, yeah, 80 percent of his offense hasn’t been showcased, and yes, he’s sort of uncomfortable with that. [read more]