Evading tacklers and extending plays, allowing receivers to get open, is what makes Ben Roethlisberger so special, said Dashon Goldson.

Joe is frankly scared to death of what Ben Roethlisberger might do to the Bucs on Sunday.

If Matty Ice can shred the Bucs, imagine what Roethlisberger could do?

For a defense that has yet to demonstrate an ability to shut down a third-string scrub, much less Matty Ice, now comes the best quarterback the Bucs have faced this season, Roethlisberger, on his home turf no less. [read more]

The Bucs will see a familiar smile Sunday

Now here’s a trivia question: What former Buccaneers running back ranks among the all-time greats in yards per carry?

No, it’s not James Wilder (3.6 yards per carry), Errict Rhett (3.5) or Warrick Dunn (4.1). [read more]

Damn, the Bucs need a pass rush. It’s been the same song since Greg (later Stylez) White had eight sacks and seven forced fumbles in 2007, when the Bucs made the playoffs behind the strength of the NFL’s No. 3-ranked defense. [read more]

Former Lovie Smith linebacker Brian Urlacher still believes in the Bucs.

Brian Urlacher, the man who personified Bears defense for 13 seasons, including all the years current Bucs coach led the Bears, is about as tight with his former head coach as a player and head coach can be.

In fact, Lovie invited Urlacher to spend time with the Bucs in training camp to help out the Bucs in learning Lovie’s defense. [read more]

More national analysts call for Glennon to start permanently, and they believe Big Ben will feast Sunday.

Heading to the angry confines of Heinz Field is a tough assignment for any team, especially for Mike Glennon, who was sacked over and over and over on the road last year. (Not so much at home)

Interim offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo also gets to match wits with legendary Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau. [read more]

The seal-clubbing the Bucs received at Atlanta last week is fresh in the minds of Bucs fans. Just the thought of it gives fans acid reflux.

In some cases, Bucs fans who bravely watched all four quarters of that debacle are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and have been found to aimlessly wander their neighborhoods in the small hours of the night, muttering the same question over and over about Mark Barron covering tight ends. [read more]

Mike Kafka gets a promotion.

In as close to a sure sign that the Bucs will turn to quarterback Mike Glennon to lead the Bucs out of the abyss and to the team’s first win of the season, the Bucs have added a quarterback to the 53-man roster.

The new quarterback is an old quarterback. Well, with his shaved head he looks old. [read more]

We have had the opportunity to be around Mike [Glennon] and Josh [McCown] quite a bit now, meeting rooms, not just the practice field. And, you know, when you look at the top things we look for in a quarterback, No. 1 being intelligence, No. 2 being accuracy, No. 3 being toughness, and then the fact that both of these guys have a strong arm, particularly Mike has a cannon. — Bucs general manager Jason Licht. — May 2014. [read more]

Joe senses some Bucs have taken advantage of Lovie Smith’s gentle ways

Joe thought it was interesting if not amusing earlier this week when, discussing the Bucs, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of Lovie and his horrid start, “Knowing Lovie Smith, I know he will be undeterred by the start. As a matter of fact, he is going to be energized by it.”

Joe understands where Tomlin was going, but “energized?” Awful strange word to use when starting 0-3. PO’ed, maybe. Upset, maybe. Driven, maybe. Energized? [read more]

So what are the Bucs made of? What kind of character and will is in this Gerald McCoy-led locker room?

More answers are forthcoming. So far, reality hasn’t looked good. [read more]

Barring something terribly unforeseen, Mike Glennon will get his first 2014 start Sunday at Pittsburgh. Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.

The future is now.

The man who was the quarterback of past but not the quarterback of the present (for a few more days), who Bucs coach Lovie Smith deemed the quarterback of the future, will have a “good chance,” Lovie said, of starting Sunday at the Steelers in place of hobbled, turnover-prone Josh McCown.

As he did this spring at the draft when Lovie spoke glowingly about Glennon, Lovie resumed his love for the NC State product yesterday, lauding how he has handled the past 12 months. [read more]

Lovie Smith friend and former mentor Father Dungy shared perspective on quarterback controversies on NBC Sports Network last night. [read more]

Lovie Smith reacts

The number of wounded Buccaneers is dropping.

Only three missed practice today: Josh McCown, Michael Johnson (who?) and Mason Foster. [read more]

Gerald McCoy blamed players for not practicing what Lovie Smith teaches during the seal-clubbing in Atlanta.

You think you wanted to toss your dinner all over the bathroom last week with the way the Bucs shat the bed in Atlanta? You are not alone.

The unquestioned leader of the Bucs defense, who was not a part of that debacle against the Dixie Chicks, fingered his teammates for a lousy effort while holding court in front of his locker today. [read more]

“The Dini,” as Gerald McCoy calls himself, looks ready to play with his healing broken hand Sunday. [read more]

The Bucs offense will take a page from Vladimir Lenin in the post-Jeff Tedford era.

De facto Bucs offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo wanted to make it clear to all Bucs followers out there: The offense, for better or worse this season, will dabble in Leninism. It is all about the collective, not the individual.

Arroyo (nee: Bucs quarterback coach 2014), has been foisted to spokesman of the offense in the absence of Jeff Tedford, though he insisted the offense will be run by a “collective effort” twice during the first two questions of today’s weekly coordinator news conference. [read more]

The Mike Glennon Mob is euphoric.

Unless Lovie Smith is playing quite a chess game, the Bucs trotted out Glennon for the weekly starting quarterback press conference today. [read more]

Lovie Smith got passionate

Laid back Lovie Smith does get passionate occasionally.

Talking about bouncing back Sunday against the Steelers, following the beating of the century last week, that got the Bucs head coach sounding like a man on a mission. [read more]

Josh McCown supporters are dwindling outside of One Buc Palace

It’s not just Joe who sees zero point to continuing the Josh McCown Experience.

Hired primarily to be a leader, protect the football, and make smart decisions while maximizing his talent, McCown has failed on all fronts. And, more important, the Bucs are 0-3 and the season is lost. [read more]

As Joe wrote yesterday, the Bucs shouldn’t just roll over and play dead and absorb the loss of offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford without adding a new offensive mind and body to the staff ASAP. Especially with a defensive minded head coach and a very inexperienced playcaller in Marcus Arroyo. [read more]

Peter King of theMMQB.com suggests one reason for the horrid Bucs defense is that the roster built around S Mark Barron isn’t good enough.

Many national media types who hyped up the Bucs as potential playoff contenders are now grasping for reasons why the Bucs have been so godawful.

From a hand-picked quarterback who displays ghastly ball security, to injured and fumbling running back,s to a high-priced free agent defensive end as invisible as a ghost, to a secondary that couldn’t cover themselves with a blanket, to the failed health of the offensive coordinator, this season has unfolded in a nightmarish way that few if any could have predicted. [read more]