Adrian Clayborn got plenty of face time on the Bucs-Packers broadcast on FOX, patrolling the sidelines with his teammates.

Will he be back next season? [read more]

Josh McCown turns 36 years old before next season, and he’s taken quite a beating lately.

So Joe thought it was timely to ask McCown today whether he’s thinking about hanging it up after the season, and whether he’s thinking about Sunday possibly being his last game. [read more]

Tomorrow, Joe will compare results here to those of previous weeks.

Julius Peppers snapped out of his slump to blow by Bucs G Josh Allen and rock Josh McCown. The Bucs must revamp their offensive line. Again.

Memo to NFL defensive lines: The Bucs have what ails ya’. If a defensive line is in a slump, it will magically snap out of it against Tampa Bay.

Take the Packers and former Lovie Smith protege Julius Peppers (a guy Joe hoped the Bucs would have signed last offseason). Peppers of late had been in a sack slump.

Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette noted, in fact, Peppers hadn’t had a sack since Thanksgiving. [read more]

The head coach’s list of names had notable inclusions and omissions

On Lovie Smith’s radio show last night, the coach was asked a simple question sent in by a fan.

“What hope can you give us for next year?” [read more]

Lovie Smith weighs in on Akeem Spence

One undeniable thing about second-year defensive tackle Akeem Spence is his strength. The man is known for being one of those brutally strong, fire-hydrant type of dudes.

You’re not going to see him get blown off the ball, though Joe’s not saying Spence is Pro Bowl material. [read more]

Peter King of theMMQB.com adds intrigue to the Jeff Tedford mystery

Yes, Bucs fandom was buzzing last week after former offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford accepted a head coaching job with the BC Lions of the CFL.

In his introductory press conference, Tedford said he had been “good to go for a couple of months.”

It’s clear some folks at One Buc Palace think Tedford tanked on the Bucs. [read more]

Josh McCown’s recent numbers mirror leaky, sleepy Josh Freeman’s in his final weeks as a Bucs quarterback.

One reason the Bucs offense is circling the drain is the play of noted turnover machine Josh McCown. One could live with turnovers from a quarterback if they were offset by plenty of touchdown passes or a gaudy completion percentage.

McCown has none of those. [read more]

Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, 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]

Bucs overlord of football operations Lovie Smith took to the podium at One Buc Palace today and was his usual glass-half-full self about the future.

This isn’t surprising. Lovie believes the Bucs are “on the verge” already. [read more]

Big national voices are piling on

Offensively, whatever the hell that was the Bucs put out on the field and displayed to the free world yesterday was worse than an embarrassment. It was an insult.

If Joe were a season ticket holder in attendance, there would be no way Joe would even think about renewing until or unless the Bucs drafted a first-round quarterback, or acquired a veteran QB with playoff experience. [read more]

Josh McCown absorbed seven sacks by the Packers yesterday.

Joe was up for some pain and went back to the film of each one. [read more]

Before Joe gets rolling here, let’s address the (Alabama?) elephant in the room: Barring something totally unforeseen, Lovie Smith will return next year as head coach. Joe’s willing to lay cash on this.

There haven’t been any signs, rumors, hints or tips coming from One Buc Palace that Lovie is in danger. Everything points to a return. Now Joe has stated many times before, and will again, if Joe had to slap a grade on Lovie, it would be an “F.” [read more]

(Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

It’s always worth noting everything Ronde Barber says when he calls a Bucs game for FOX, like he did yesterday.

Aside from being close to some Buccaneers and knowing Lovie Smith’s scheme, Barber is part of private, FOX “production meetings” with Lovie, select players, as well as assistant coaches. [read more]

Bucs must be ready in seven days

Damn! Dolphins ownership loved the team’s high-flying, 37-35 win against a very sound Vikings defense yesterday.

Head coach Joe Philbin was granted another season after the game, so that means first-year offensive coordinator Bill Lazor won’t be free work for Tampa Bay. [read more]

Man, Lovie Smith wasn’t messing around last week when he said, “We feel like we know our roster right now, know exactly what we need to do going forward.”

Yesterday, Joe learned general manager Jason Licht already has his draft boards set and expects little to change. [read more]

A long look at the Bucs yesterday, today, and what to expect tomorrow and beyond.

Joe has a headache.

Joe just cannot get out of his head that woeful lot the Bucs trotted out for offense yesterday.

That was supposed to be an NFL offense? In what world? [read more]

It has come down to this. For the first time, Joe will root for the Buccaneers to lose Sunday when the whistle blows.

Lovie Smith can try to spin the benefits of victory against the Saints all he wants. He can’t fool Joe. He can’t fool the fans. And surely he can’t fool Team Glazer.

Losing Sunday is the right thing for the franchise – to secure the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015.

Joe considers this a major announcement because cheering for a Bucs loss will go against Joe’s DNA, but it is critical.

The Bucs have a shot to get a guy who, if all works out, can lead the team out of the depths of a miserable offense, out of the basement of irrelevance, out of the dungeon of losing. A player who can lead this team to relevance, to sell tickets, to deliver hope, to ignite a fan base.

As much as Joe loves big-time, bone-crunching offensive linemen, he has never seen a left tackle in his life lead a team 80 yards for a go-ahead touchdown in crunch time.

After ignoring quarterbacks last year with the rare chance to draft one early, the Bucs are on the cusp of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (again) to draft a quarterback of their dreams, a position the Bucs need in the worst way.

And to secure this ticket to a bright future, the Bucs must do one thing in six days.

Lose.

No. 1 Is Much Better Than No. 2 [read more]

Joe’s got a major announcement coming tomorrow at 5 a.m., one that really is a little painful.

Yes, Joe always gets his day rolling at 5 a.m., but this one will be a little different.

Joe would like to thank Josh McCown for making a postgame point today that Joe’s made for months:

The Bucs could use another offensive coach. [read more]