That quarter smile you couldn’t wipe off your face on Monday, that pride at the office, the lack of shame walking through Publix, that’s the sweetness of victory. [read more]

A plea to get physical emerges

Here’s a stat that’s surely got Lovie Smith seeking sleep aids: The Buccaneers’ defense is stuck with only one interception through four games. That ranks tied for 27th in the NFL.

The lone pick was a garbage-time theft of Falcons quarterback T.J. Yates by Danny Lansanah. Sadly, there is more troubling data. [read more]

Josh McCown will be back on the field sooner rather than later.

Joe can hear the cheers across the Tampa Bay area, from the white sands of Clearwater Beach to the strawberry farms of Plant City. [read more]

So what’s a wilder atmosphere for the visiting team? A crazy Thursday Night Football crowd in the Georgia Dome or a 1 o’clock Sunday Saints fiesta at the SuperDome?

Bucs right tackle Demar Dotson has the answer. [read more]

That odd-looking, low-driven 50-yard field goal, the one that clanked off the bottom of the left upright Sunday, was anything but normal for rookie kicker Patrick Murray. [read more]

In some circles the Bucs are in the middle of a quarterback controversy. Josh McCown, hand-picked by Lovie, has underwhelmed, to be polite. Garish interceptions and wanton disregard for ball security led to three losses in as many games.

Yes, every Buccaneer played like a dog deposit in a front yard that Thursday night in Atlanta. [read more]

Joe’s proud to continue his partnership with LandryFootball.com, run by former NFL personnel man Chris Landry, who has worked as an assistant coach and scout for Bill Belichick, coordinator of the Titans scouting department, among other positions in pro and college football.

Landry provides an exclusive podcast for JoeBucsFan.com readers, which you can enjoy here every Tuesday evening, as in right now. [read more]

It’s Tuesday. So that means the “JoeBucsFan Hour” was in full swing tonight, as Joe squared off with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620.

It got a little heated at times. [read more]

Lovie Smith is taking a page from Raheem Morris’ playbook

Is Lovie Smith channeling Raheem Morris?

The ol’ ball coach used to take the Bucs over to Tropicana Field to practice on Thursdays in order to stay cool and extra fresh. [read more]

Foster explains that he’s becoming a better football player on the bench

Mason Foster only missed one game through his first three NFL seasons entering 2014. But he’s been sidelined the last two games with an injured shoulder.

Foster explained to Joe today that there’s a silver lining to roaming the sidelines as an eager learner. [read more]

Numbers suggest Mike Glennon is a much better quarterback to run the “Dunkaneers” offense than Josh McCown.

Yes, Joe knows there may be too much praise for Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon after he led a come-from-behind win at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Wins, especially dramatic wins, tend to hide warts.

Then, here come the numbers geeks, among them Rivers McCown (not to be confused with Josh McCown) of FootballOutsiders.com. [read more]

In the Bucs’ locker room today, safety Dashon Goldson was asked to name the toughest tight ends in the NFL.

He gave a few names — interestingly, none were tight ends that roasted the Bucs through the first quarter of the season. But then Goldson quickly and genuinely referenced how the Bucs’ young tight end could hit that level soon. [read more]

Bucs coach Lovie Smith stated the come-from-behind win Sunday, led by Mike Glennon, proves the Bucs are not a garbage team.

The win over the Steelers did a lot of things for the Bucs. It got them their first victory of the season and the hollering and screaming and slamming of beer steins on bars came to an end… for the time being.

Pets in the Tampa Bay area began to venture out from their hiding places in peace. [read more]

When Joe snapped this photo in Atlanta, seconds before the start of the second Mike Glennon era, Joe had no idea snapping the ball would soon become a major issue.

Against Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay showcased a new brand of ball security. They had back to back delay of game penalties in the second quarter, despite being lined up and ready to snap the ball.

Those watching on TV saw Mike Glennon set in the shotgun looking furious when Evan Dietrich-Smith played a costly game of keepaway. [read more]

Veteran left tackle Anthony Collins is committing ugly penalties, and veteran center Evan Dietrich-Smith has had bizarre ball snapping issues. (First, he can’t snap it successfully in Atlanta, then he refused to snap it in Pittsburgh.)

But there’s nothing too noteworthy about the least experienced member of the Bucs’ offensive line, and that’s a good thing. [read more]

One of the bright spots Sunday, aside from the glorious win over the Steelers, was the first appearance of defensive end Michael Johnson. Sure, the big-moneyed free agent was on the Bucs roster all season. But he finally showed up in the win.

Johnson had two sacks and five tackles. Cynics might say Johnson should have had a sack if he wasn’t blocked. Well, what is Johnson supposed to do, lie down on the ground because no Steelers offensive lineman put a body on him? [read more]

Bucs GM Jason Licht sounds like a Mike Glennon Mob member

It sure sounded like Bucs general manager Jason Licht has a Mike Glennon Mob membership card.

The man who passed on Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Football in favor of the “quarterback of the future” tossed around noteworthy accolades of No. 8. [read more]

Like former Bucs commander Greg Schiano, current Bucs coach Lovie Smith dismisses the concept of “halftime adjustments.”

Pardon Joe if he thinks too much about football, but he always though the term “halftime adjustments” had more to do with jock straps than football.

Football, Joe is convinced, is like baseball. Adjustments are made play-to-play, drive-to-drive, much like baseball adjusts pitch-to-pitch. If one waits until halftime to change things, then the game is likely over. [read more]

Gerald McCoy, again, was dominant in his return to the starting lineup against the Steelers.

There is no question who is the leader of the Bucs. It isn’t Vincent Jackson, though some fans want him to be. It isn’t Josh McCown, though he is a good dude.

No, the leader, without question, is Gerald McCoy.

Players rave about him. In the locker room, GMC is famous for going up to teammates, lauding their work or, if need be, giving teammates a needed pat on the back for support. [read more]

Joe has written a few times today how Pittsburgh folks are unhinged at the Bucs beating the Steelers. The passion of the football crowd up here is true.

So, to give you a taste, below is video segment from a WPXI-TV Sunday sports roundtable show in which the three panelists all but want Steelers coach Mike Tomlin gone because Lovie Smith beat him. LOL. [read more]

The Bucs used all eight available defensive linemen yesterday. (Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

NFL fans watched the Seahawks rotate a seemingly endless stream of nasty defensive linemen on the field en route to Super Bowl glory last season.

Bucs fans have long heard about how Tampa Bay plans to revive that kind of glory days Bucs rotation that struck fear in opponents. [read more]