Stinking Panthers QB Cam Newton was held out of practice due to his sore ribs.

It wasn’t long ago that Joe and all Bucs fans learned Stinking Panthers franchise quarterback Cam Newton has a hairline fracture in his ribs. This is a downright painfully injury. Joe only had bruised ribs once and just taking a deep breath or coughing was an adventure.

It seems Newton’s rib may be bothering him more than expected. [read more]

The Bucs haven’t seen the playoffs since 2007. And we all know how Tampa Bay has been mired in a playoff winless streak since Chucky hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy. An ugly rut.

There, however, is a line of thinking out there that the Bucs could snap that streak this year. Fresh with a proven head coach and a totally revamped lineup, Bucs fans are on their edges of their seats, like experiencing an unexpected appearance by Rachel Watson. [read more]

The loss of All-Pro guard Logan Mankins to the Bucs is still a tough subject for the Patriots head coach

The Bucs have All-Pro guard Logan Mankins. The Patriots don’t.

Joe was listening to Tom Brady and Bill Belicheat talk on Boston sports radio about the subject Tuesday, and Joe’s got fresh audio of Belicheat sighing and sounding like a man who just turned his faithful Labrador over to the Humane Society. [read more]

The eyes of the “Custodian of Canton” are focused on Bucs DE Michael Johnson.

There is a lot of pressure on Bucs defensive end Michael Johnson. Tampa Bay dropped a whole lot of cash on him for one thing and one thing only: to dirty opposing quarterbacks’ jerseys.

(Yet, again, Joe was Twittered by a loyal reader insisting on invoking the name of Simeon Rice in discussing Johnson. Can we stop this idiotic trend? Joe doesn’t give a damn how much cash Johnson earns. Does anyone really believe he is a borderline Hall of Famer? How about let Johnson become the next Michael Bennett — who former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik let walk away for no good reason — before we begin comparing Johnson to Rice, which almost made Warren Sapp throwup this summer. It’s not only stupid, but unfair to Johnson and a slap in the face to Rice.) [read more]

New Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks got his weekly football season show off to a fun start today with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620.

Joe was out there on Clearwater Beach to soak in the program and talk to Brooks. [read more]

Josh McCown admitted the illness of Jeff Tedford has not been a positive for the offense.

The Bucs are trying their best to downplay the loss of Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford to an unknown medical condition.

Joe doesn’t expect them to come running out of One Buc Palace in a full-blown panic, screaming to traffic on Martin Luther King Blvd. “FOLLOW ME. FOLLOW ME TO FREEDOM!”

Of course the Bucs are going to put their best spin on Tedford’s absence. Lovie must be a fan of Jack Bauer and 24 the way he embraces secrecy and espionage. [read more]

Joe’s got an update on the absent offensive coordinator

The Bucs have been excited to roll out the real Jeff Tedford mystery offense for several months.

Sunday was/is going to be the day, but Tedford has been out sick/recovering after some sort of significant medical procedure about 10 days ago. [read more]

Who knew Lovie Smith was a Panthers fan during all those hours in his Chicago basement last year?

The Bucs head coach explained this afternoon, though there’s no word on whether Lovie does that Cam Newton Superman celebration when nobody is watching. [read more]

Early reviews are stunning for the new beast on the Bucs’ offensive line

Tom Brady has cried about the loss of his All-Pro left guard Logan Mankins.

Poor Brady. Josh McCown understands his pain. [read more]

Doug Martin could return to his previous bellcow self this season.

When the Bucs’ new brass, Lovie Smith and Jason Licht, took over in January, they pored over tape of their new players and weren’t overly impressed with the man affectionately known as “The Muscle Hamster,” Doug Martin.

L&L loved how Martin ran the ball. Catching the ball? Eh. They thought perhaps Martin was overrated.

Think not? Well, take Charles Sims as evidence. [read more]

Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht, a fixture on the Buccaneers Radio Network, has studied the Tampa Bay defense and believes it will be special, but he wants to see more of — and more from — Michael Johnson.

It seems everyone is waiting for the big-money free agent defensive end with just 3 1/2 sacks last season to show up. [read more]

Per the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, 1990 Tampa Bay first round draft pick Keith McCants is in jail, arrested at 1:22 a.m. yesterday charged with possession of cocaine, a third-degree felony, per the Florida statute for the offense.

McCants’ bond was set at $5,000 but he remains incarcerated. [read more]

Connor Barth’s release was all about the Benjamins, says eye-RAH! Kaufman.

When the Bucs decided to keep untested Patrick Murray over veteran  Connor Barth, it raised quite a few eyebrows among Bucs fans. Actually, it shouldn’t have.

As Joe noted in training camp, the Bucs had brought in a Pro Bowl kicker for a tryout. You don’t normally do that in training camp unless a coach or general manager is unhappy or unsettled on what the incumbent kicker is doing. Or isn’t doing. [read more]

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]