“Quarterbacking This Defense From The Back”

January 9th, 2015
Lynch

How critical is finding another John Lynch type to the current Bucs? Derrick Brooks weighs in.

Father Dungy and John Lynch are back among the Hall of Fame finalists for the second consecutive year.

They’re longshots to get in on the final vote on the 2015 class later this month, but it could happen for the Bucs icons. [read more]

“We Kind Of Got Our Coach Fired”

January 9th, 2015

Roddy White talked about the last hours of the Falcons’ 2014 offense under Dirk Koetter

New Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter sure left the Falcons with a sour taste in his mouth.

His last game was an epic nightmare. [read more]

Glum Mood Over Koetter Departure

January 9th, 2015
Folks from Atlanta are not in a good mood seeing Dirk Koetter taking over the Bucs offense.

Folks from Atlanta are not in a good mood seeing Dirk Koetter taking over the Bucs offense.

Researching new Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, Joe wanted to get a sense of precisely what Koetter meant to the Dixie Chicks.

Joe had heard Matt Ryan — he of the 19 picks his senior year at Boston College — was none too happy at Koetter leaving Flowery Branch, the site of the Dixie Chicks compound some 45 minutes northeast of Atlanta. [read more]

Doug Flutie Picks His No. 1 College QB

January 9th, 2015

Size matters, says one of the shortest quarterbacks of all time. [read more]

Charles Sims Breakout In 2015?

January 9th, 2015
Can RB Charles Sims have a breakout season this fall?

Can Charles Sims have a breakout season this fall?

If there was one player that played a lot of minutes in the second half of the season who maybe didn’t deserve it, it was rookie running back Charles Sims.

His play made Joe scratch his head as to why he got so many carries, and not Bobby Rainey. [read more]

Koetter Came Hester Approved?

January 9th, 2015

HesterLovie

Iconic, electric Falcons return man Devin Hester and Lovie Smith might have the closest relationship around, when it comes to a coach and a former player.

It’s still mind-boggling to Joe how Hester landed in Atlanta last season — while the Bucs struggled all year to find a returner and tapped their shaky receiver depth. [read more]

Worst At Third-And-Long

January 9th, 2015

Josh McCown got scant help from his leaky offensive line.

Offense isn’t rocket science, though the Bucs acted as if simple offensive football was calculus. What a team does on first and second down often tells the tale on how good the third down offense converts.

Well, the Bucs offense was downright turrible, mainly because the Bucs painted themselves into a corner possession after possession after sorry possession. [read more]

Warren Moon Is Down On Marcus Mariota

January 9th, 2015
MoonandRussellWilson

Warren Moon doesn’t see Russell Wilson in Marcus Mariota.

Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, the nine-time Pro Bowler who also is a CFL legend, would not draft University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the No. 1 overall pick, if he were in the shoes of Lovie Smith and Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht. [read more]

Which Dirk Koetter Does Lovie Want?

January 8th, 2015
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The Bucs’ new offensive coordinator has a diverse background

Man, Joe wishes he could have been a fly on the wall when Lovie Smith interviewed new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter on Saturday.

Joe can only imagine the giant grin on Lovie’s face when Koetter talked about handing the ball off to Maurice Jones-Drew a whopping 956 times in just three seasons (2009-2011), when Koetter was the Jaguars’ offensive coordinator. [read more]

Koetter’s Connections To Marcus Mariota

January 8th, 2015
New Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has indirect ties to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

New Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has indirect ties to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Joe knows there are all sorts of conspiracy theorists and dot-connectors out there, so consider this raw beef for the wolves. Feel free to dispute or condemn if you wish.

New Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has ties, indirectly, to current Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota of Oregon. First, when Mariota was not quite fully potty-trained, Koetter was Oregon’s offensive coordinator. But there is more. [read more]

Bucs Hire Dirk Koetter As New OC

January 8th, 2015
The Bucs have hired DIrk Koetter as new offensive coordinator.

The Bucs have hired Dirk Koetter as offensive coordinator.

Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a new offensive coordinator, buddy. And his name is Dirk Koetter.

The Bucs announced this afternoon the team and Koetter have agreed to terms for him to take over the Bucs offense, a position vacated by Jeff Tedford in the middle of the 2014 season. [read more]

A New Potential Glennon Trade Partner Emerges

January 8th, 2015

Glennonwide

Remember when Saints head coach and offensive guru Sean Payton told a long tale of how he wanted/planned to draft Mike Glennon and how talented Glennon is?

And that was days before Glennon sliced up the Saints in October, going 19-for-32 for 249 yards and two touchdowns — without Mike Evans. [read more]

Jameis Watch: “What’s To Debate?”

January 8th, 2015

jameis 0108Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, former national champion James Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. [read more]

“You’re Not Worried About Him Going To Mons Venus”

January 8th, 2015

lovie 1110bIs it such a bad thing to frequent an establishment that features naked women?

Joe doesn’t think so. But in a passionate discussion about Tampa Bay’s potential No. 1 overall draft pick, one former Buccaneer talks about a Dale Mabry hot spot, and much more. [read more]

Don’t Overlook Linebacker Shopping

January 8th, 2015
Just how secure is OLB Danny Lansanah?

Just how secure is OLB Danny Lansanah?

No team — no team in the NFL — needs a quarterback worse than the Bucs. It is truly how criminal how this franchise has neglected that most important position on the field.

And there is the leaky offensive line. (Joe is trying to play nice this afternoon, hence, why he used the term “leaky” rather than, say, “galling sieve.”) [read more]

Offensive Line May Not Be Worst

January 8th, 2015
Don't laugh at the notion the Bucs offensive line may not be the worst in the NFL.

Don’t laugh at the notion the Bucs’ offensive line may not be the worst in the NFL.

You would be hard-pressed to find a Bucs fan that doesn’t think the broken dam of an offensive line the Bucs had this past season is not the worst lot in the NFL.

From the complete and total turnstile that was Josh Allen, to the flag-happy Garrett Gilkey and the failed experiment with Oniel Cousins, to the benching of Anthony Collins and to the bruises all over Josh McCown’s body, it sure seemed like the Bucs had the NFL’s most inept front line. [read more]

Donovan McNabb Says Winston Is No. 1 & Lovie Won’t Be Swayed

January 8th, 2015

Jameis 1107Add Donovan McNabb to the Jameis Winston bandwagon.

The former Eagles star quarterback believes Winston unquestionably will be the best QB available in the 2015 NFL Draft. [read more]

“I Need To Do A Better Job This Year”

January 8th, 2015
Clinton McDonald the lone shining light of the March free agency haul?

Was Clinton McDonald the lone shining light of the March free agency haul?

Nothing but total accountability flowed from Bucs general manager Jason Licht’s mouth when he talked about his performance on the free agent market last season.

Of course, overlord of football operations Lovie Smith is a key cog, but Licht put it all on himself. [read more]

Tom Coughlin Calls For Raheem

January 8th, 2015

raheemsmileThe ol’ ball coach, Raheem Morris, got an important phone call from the elder statesman of NFL coaches, two-time Super Bowl winner Tom Coughlin.

Coughlin wants to interview Raheem for the Giants’ vacant defensive coordinator position, per BSPN. [read more]

Bucs’ Coordinator Search Hits Bumps

January 8th, 2015
lovie 0322

There’s uncertainty and hesitancy on the market

Behind the scenes, Joe is pounding the streets and phones trying to learn everything possible about the Bucs’ search for an offensive coordinator.

That’s how Joe was able to chat with Falcons’ OC Dirk Koetter in Tampa on Friday night before his Bucs interview Saturday. [read more]