Lovie Smith applauded the news of a 2014 season free of home TV blackouts.

Not long ago during the Chucky regime, when the Bucs had more trouble selling a ticket than warm beer on a hot Sunday afternoon, fans not buying Bucs tickets was a growing trend. Empty seats at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway were common.

The Tampa Bay blackout era began during the Raheem Morris days and, in retrospect, that was a blessing for Bucs fans. [read more]

Bucs brass is hoping no-name guard Jace Daniels can be the next Donald Penn

Once upon a time, when the free agency bell rang in 2007, Tampa Bay shelled out big cash for a left tackle named Luke Petitgout, three years, $15.5 million.

Petitgout was coming off a broken leg with the Giants and had chronic back problems, but Chucky didn’t care. Petitgout was going to save his freakin’ O-line and keep Jeff Garcia from an early retirement into the comforting bosom of his renowned wife. [read more]

Bucs WR Louis Murphy goes up for a catch against the Jags on Friday

Yes, the Bucs are loaded with wide receivers. Joe can’t believe he has typed that previous sentence. Stunner, isn’t it?

With Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans leading the way, the Bucs have the best set of wide receivers since they won the Super Bowl with Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicius (only Keyshawn was a “Father Dungy player”). The backups seem to be good, too. [read more]

Bucs D-line coach Joe Cullen

Yes, the Tampa Bay defensive line dominated Jacksonville and has owned its competition in practice.

Even the Bucs on their official website seem to be taking a defense-is-winning stance. [read more]

The Bucs have a weakness, and a renowned NFL analyst thinks it could sink the 2014 team to ugly depths. [read more]

No.

Yesterday, Bucs coach Lovie Smith responded to questions about the possiblity of pursuing the notorious Richie Incognito. Only Lovie did so indirectly. Sort of.

Members of the Tampa Bay pen and mic club, apparently bombarded by Incognito questions, especially since Friday’s offensive line debacle at Jacksonville, hit Lovie with two Incognito questions. [read more]

So what if Josh McCown’s ball security was poor Friday and he tossed a senseless pick-6, that’s no reason to throw the guy off the St. Petersburg Pier with a football helmet tied to his shoe.

Even a Mike Glennon Mob boss likely would agree. [read more]

Are the Bucs really after 49ers G Alex Boone, or are the 49ers trying to start a bidding war?

So what are we to make of the news Ian Rapoport of NFL.com broke last night, that the Bucs are sniffing the oranges in the basket known as holdout guard Alex Boone? In Joe’s eyes, it’s NFL poker playing at its finest.

Yes, the Bucs — as of August’s second week — have an issue with their guards. This is nothing new, not remotely a surprise to Bucs general manager Jason Licht and coach Lovie Smith. [read more]

Lovie Smith told media and, indirectly, fans to not overreact after a few ugly series by Tampa Bay’s first-team offensive line on Friday.

But now it seems the Bucs are pondering an overreaction. [read more]

Yet again, Bucs DE/DT Da’Quan Bowers finds himself watching practice, nursing an injury.

For a moment today, Joe thought Da’Quan Bowers was again being rewarded with a day off for hard work. That’s what happened last week when Bucs coach Lovie Smith gave Bowers a vacation day to stand on the sidelines and watch practice.

Monday, Bowers again was found without a helmet. Alas, after practice, the Tampa Bay pen and mic club found out the defensive lineman was not rewarded. Instead, he is injured. Again. [read more]

While not speaking about him directly, Bucs coach Lovie Smith all but stated a player like this Richie Incognito will not be a Buccaneer on his watch

Hardly a day goes by that Joe isn’t asked why Lovie Smith and Jason Licht have not signed the notorious roidhead/locker room hand grenade known as Richie Incognito.

The former Rams and Dolphins guard has been virtually run out of football, all by his own actions. Two lousy teams, the Bills and the Rams, got tired of his antics and kicked him to the curb. [read more]

So how would you defend the Buccaneers?

Before you make an offensive line joke, consider that the line won’t be that dreadful on every play, and hopefully a lot better when the Bucs rollout their real offense. [read more]

Lovie Smith and Jonathan Casillas weigh in

Often overlooked, especially when a team’s offensive line drives fans to commit dangerous acts, specials teams are a critical component to any winning football team.

Lovie Smith offered praise for what he saw Friday night, and one of his special teams aces weighed in, too. [read more]

General manager Jason Licht (right) was on the field and studying action in the trenches at One Buc Palace today.

Rain didn’t stop the Bucs from having a spirited training camp practice this evening at One Buc Palace. And Joe was on hand be your eyes and ears.

Here are highlights and lowlights. [read more]

The NFL has a fight on its hands and it has nothing to do with litigious lawyers trying to score both an easy payday and water down the NFL as we know it. No, the war is with HDTV.

It’s increasingly clear that fun-loving, beer-swilling, hardcore football fans prefer the at-home experience to the in-game experience. [read more]

The Bucs’ defensive line was nasty good Friday night, and newcomer defensive tackle Clinton McDonald was right in the middle of it all.

The man with the shiny new Super Bowl ring, however, isn’t where fans should expect him to be. [read more]

Former Bucs TE and current BSPN football analyst Anthony Becht offered an interesting thought on repairing the Bucs’ porous offensive line.

Bucs fans have one thing on their minds (no, not Bucs cheerleader Tricia Cusmano) and that won’t going to change until Tampa Bay shoes improvement. The subject? You guessed it: The offensive line.

Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht appeared on WDAE-AM 620 this morning and, like everyone else, he had to search for antacids after watching the first team offensive line Friday night. [read more]

Bucs defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier seems confident with his defensive charges.

Yes, you know Joe pondered through the summer just how the Bucs were going to put together a decent offensive line; Joe wasn’t totally sold this line could get the job done. As we all saw Friday night, Joe’s fears were legitimate.

The one area that didn’t worry Joe was the defense. The Bucs already had one of the better defenses in takeaways and, with Lovie Smith’s defense, he would get the best out of stud tackle Gerald McCoy and find a way to get to quarterbacks. [read more]

There’s a clear pattern to the impressive catches Mike Evans has made in practice. They all seem to be over the middle of the field.

But that’s new terrain for the Bucs’ first-round draft pick, who offered Joe a little detail yesterday. [read more]

The Bucs legitimately go four-deep at running back with Doug Martin, Charles Sims, Bobby Rainey and Mike James.

That’s a nice luxury, but it’s especially unnecessary when/if your offensive line can’t open a hole. [read more]

A former Bucs offensive lineman is appalled

A big voice on local sports radio is former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996), who co-hosts the Ron and Ian show heard weekdays on WDAE-AM 620. And one might have guessed Beckles would have a harsh word or two for the Bucs’ offensive line performance on Friday in Jacksonville.

And Beckles did.

He took to the airwaves this morning and cautioned fans not to read much into any preseason opener, but that came with a giant “but,” as it related to the O-line debacle. [read more]