Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, now a popular analyst for NBC Sports, has long been a Josh Freeman supporter. King called for Freeman to get a new contract. He pleaded for Freeman to see a sports psychologist. He’s repeatedly told fans that Freeman is firmly in the tier of quarterbacks under the current elite QBs.

Today, King predicted there’s no chance Freeman returns in 2014, and King sounded more concerned about Freeman’s personal welfare than anything else.

King, speaking on the Ron and Ian show today on WDAE-AM 620, was asked whether he’d be surprised to learn there are significant off-the-field issues going on with Freeman. King said he wouldn’t be surprised but would not reveal specifics about what he’s been told about Freeman’s off-the-field life.

King, who lives in the Tampa Bay area, did say of things he’s heard about Freeman, “I hoping that they’re not true. … I don’t get involved in people’s personal lives. There are so many things that I know that happen over at One Buc that I don’t talk about because I don’t feel that’s my place. So I apply that as it pertains to Josh Freeman also.”

Co-host Ian Beckles, a former Bucs guard, also referenced numerous things he’s heard about Freeman in his neighborhood — he and Freeman live in South Tampa — and Beckles said he hopes they’re not true, either.

Also, King dove deep into the Bucs’ non-Freeman troubles on the field against the Jets, as well as how players don’t trust Greg Schiano. (You can hear the full audio below.)

The sky is falling around Josh Freeman and the New Schiano Order. 

It’s getting very ugly — again.

Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer eye-RAH! Kaufman was on SiriusXM NFL Radio this morning with Ross Tucker and Derrick Brooks and revealed that last week’s players-only meeting was driven by internal doubts about No. 5 and the New Schiano Order, via ProFootballTalk.com.

Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune appeared earlier this morning on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Ross Tucker and soon-to-be-Hall-of-Famer Derrick Brooks to discuss the situation.

Kaufman addressed his belief that the relationship between the team and its starting quarterback is reaching “critical mass,” explaining that he doesn’t believe the statement amounts to hyperbole.  The problem, per Kaufman, is a perceived lack of commitment to the team from Freeman.

“My information is that it’s not the first time Freeman has been late for or completely missed a team function,” Kaufman said.

With some prodding by Tucker, Kaufman acknowledged that a players-only meeting occurred last week.  While Kaufman initially explained the meeting as an effort to address Freeman’s lack of commitment to the team, Kaufman eventually conceded that, as he hears it, the meeting was aimed at addressing concerns about both Freeman and the coaching staff.

When a team meets before Week 1, after spending a training camp bonding in a team hotel and on broiling practice fields, and then it emerges questioning its leadership, there are serious problems. And those are the kind that likely can’t be fixed.

How serious is the trouble at One Buc Palace? Joe really can’t be sure. If Freeman’s having an off-the-field problem, then that’s not necessarily the end of the world. There are plenty of players who do stupid things and play effective football.

How Bucs players feels about the coaching staff, well, that answer will be given on the field.

Joe couldn’t give a crap about whether players like coaches, it’s about whether they show up playing hard on Sundays.

Slovenly Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan somehow, after bouncing from NFL team to NFL team, concocted a gameplan that narrowly beat the Dixie Chicks in Week One. So ecstatic with the win, Ryan went to a New Orleans dive bar, dropped a C-note and bought all the patrons a round.

Joe really hopes Ryan won’t be able to drink because his stomach is so nauseous after the Bucs game this week. Hottie Allie LaForce and outspoken Doug Gottlieb, co-hosts of “Leadoff,” seen nightly on CBS Sports Network, discuss in this CBS Sports video.

Will the Bucs-Saints game be televised Sunday?

Joe knows it’s arguably the biggest Bucs question on the minds of local Bucs fans. Legions of Bucs fans, from little kids to old folks and poor drunks, are hanging on the blackout/non-blackout announcement coming this afternoon at roughly 4 p.m.

Joe’s got no insight as to what will happen. However, the Bucs-Saints game last season did meet the blackout threshold and was televised. Given that fact, it would be thoroughly heinous if this year’s Bucs-Saints game didn’t get on the tube. Going backwards is always a bad thing.

Joe will keep you updated.

“I’ll see you in 10 days, Greg. We’ll be ready.”

Bucs icon Ronde Barber recently said many teams across the NFL will sign released players of teams they’re going to face in a couple of weeks in order to gather valuable “intelligence” on an opponent.

Barber was speaking on Jay Mohr Sports, heard locally on WDAE-AM 620, andhe told tales of how the Bucs did that at times to gain an edge.

Well, it seems the Patriots, who after facing the Jets tonight will have a whopping 10 days to prepare for the Buccaneers, have just snatched up their own fresh knowledge of the New Schiano Order.

Rookie defensive tackle Chris Jones made the Bucs’ 53-man opening roster but was cut this week to make room from fullback Spencer Larsen. He’s now a proud member of the Patriots.

What sort of edge can Jones give Bill Belicheat and Tom Brady? Joe doesn’t know. But Joe’s confident Greg Schiano is squirming just a tiny bit wondering what Jones might reveal.

Greg Schiano has praised the strength of player leadership on this 2013 Bucs team many, many times.

The leadership is so strong, Schiano said, he felt he could back off his intense culture change focus during training camp and spring practices.

Keep in mind rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has intentionally drafted team captains out of college and signed established free-agent superstar leaders like Vincent Jackson, Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and Carl Nicks.

Now, in the wake of media sharks attacking Schiano and Josh Freeman with an unprecedented intensity after Week 1, it’s time for the leaders to rise up and earn their pay.

Joe can’t sugarcoat it. That’s what has to happen — immediately.

Revis, the $1 million-a-game cornerback, is very used to the circus atmosphere surrounding the Bucs right now. In fact, it’s probably tame to him coming from the Jets. And Joe looks for Revis to speak out in the locker room and on the practice field, and tonight with sanity and strong words. The Darrelle Revis Show kicks off at 6 p.m. on WDAE-AM 620.

Most importantly, the Bucs’ leadership must lead with their play. If every one of the eight Pro Bowlers on this roster makes a big play Sunday, and others like Mike Williams, Mark Barron and Lavonte David do the same, then the Bucs likely beat the Saints. That goes for Josh Freeman, too. He’s capable of playing well. He did just that for two-thirds of 2012.

Joe’s remaining optimistic for Sunday. Yes, the Bucs have serious issues. Joe’s not discounting those. But Joe just can’t bury the Bucs after one game before the home-opener. That’s complete lunacy. Not this week.

The talent is on this team to beat the Saints on Sunday. Football is still very much about blocking and tackling and getting the most out of talent. Joe’s not going to be distracted into believing the Bucs are incapable.

Naturally, when drama seeps from the walls of One Buc Palace like in recent days, such as the manufactured news that Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman is no longer a captain and whispers of a classified team meeting that either did or didn’t take place before or after the Jets game, and the legitimate news that Freeman missed the official team photo session, there are bound to be all sorts of ways to spin this information.

The popular folks at Deadspin.com, who write about the Bucs as often as Joe wrestles with Rachel Watson between the sheets in the wee hours, is now on the trail of the Bucs and they seem to believe a) either Bucs commander Greg Schiano or Freeman will not be with the Bucs at season’s end; and/or b) the news of Freeman missing the team photo is a plant by the team in an effort to use the spin cycle to the team’s advantage.

Schiano denied vote-rigging yesterday, saying, “it’s 100 percent false. If there was such a thing as a 102 percent, this would be it.’’

Which might be true! And wouldn’t change the level of dysfunction one bit. That Bucs players would even entertain the possibility that their head coach is out to get their quarterback is not a sign of a healthy locker room. Then there’s this report in today’s Tampa Tribune. “Multiple sources” claim Freeman did not show up for the team’s photo day last week. Don’t bet against this leak only coming out now as a way for the front office to sway public opinion: See, Freeman doesn’t deserve to be captain.

The Buccaneers have a brutal first-half schedule and could easily be 1-7 at the halfway point. It seems certain that either Freeman or Schiano won’t be back next year. The more immediate question is whether they will even finish the season.

Now, there’s no way to know if Schiano went all Dick Daley on Freeman, but what the hell would be the point of pulling such a stunt when the only end result is a blowup in your face?

Joe truly believes the “captain” moniker on a football team is an empty, vapid figurehead moniker. Schiano may be a control freak but he is not a megalomaniac.

Joe can categorically write that the notion Photogate being a plant by the Bucs is absurd on every level. Joe was working on this story for days before he broke the story and can flat out state not one person who works at One Buc Palace in any capacity had any communication with Joe about this story until team sources were approached.

Whether this Photogate flap is the public beginning of the end of Freeman in Tampa Bay depends on one simple thing: wins. If the Bucs win Sunday, all of this nonsense is on the backburner. If the Bucs make the playoffs, it is all forgotten.

It is no more complex than that.

Gerald McCoy delivered some tough talk last night.

You could almost hear drool dripping from Greg Schiano’s mouth when he talked about his defense Monday.

Schiano was on the Buccaneers Radio Network talking about a Buccaneers defense, his defense, the Rutgers defense, that’s harder-hitting than anything seen around Tampa Bay in years.

And it’s not just Schiano brimming with defensive confidence and swagger. It’s everywhere in the Bucs’ locker room, as well.

Mason Foster told Joe there is new attitude and a stepped-up intensity this season.

“We definitely are a physical team. We feed off each other. Lavonte makes a big hit, I feel like I gotta make a big hit. If I make a big hit, Dashon feels like he gotta make a big hit. So it goes across the board, man,” Foster said. “And I love it. I love that type of football. I’m excited to go out there Sunday and get to hit somebody else.”

Gerald McCoy took things a step further on WDAE-AM 620 last night.

“I don’t want him to [change]. I don’t want him to. I don’t want him to,” McCoy said of Dashon Goldson’s ferocious, fine-inducing hits. “Because once you start worrying about penalties you can’t play as fast as you want to and you start slowing down. I love the hits. I love them. When you slow them down, it was all shoulder. But what the refs are taught to look at, from what they see at that moment, if it looks like your head was in there, then they’re going to call it. But once we slowed [the game film] down, clearly [Goldson] turned his head away and just used his shoulder.

“But the hits, they’re not dirty. They’re clean hits. He’s just playing physical. That’s what our defense is about.”

“When you turn on the tape, we want people to hate that they have to play our defense. We plan to inflict pain on people, you know, within the rules. But that’s the plan, whether it’s a quarterback, fullback, running back, offensive lineman, whoever. That’s the goal of this defense — to impose our will. We did that Sunday.”

Joe could type up more examples of the defensive confidence coming out of Week 1. And Joe’s talked to plenty of Bucs offensive players who are jacked up by what they saw from the defense.

Yes, the Bucs were facing a weak Jets offense with second-tier weapons, but the defense was sound, with arguably the best defensive player in the league, Darrelle Revis, still shaking off rust.

Joe will be a true believer if the Bucs can perform Sunday against Drew Brees. An organic, stunt-free pass rush will be critical. There’s no way the Bucs succeed blitzing the Saints the way they did the Jets.

There was happy news at One Buc Palace yesterday, starting fullback Erik Lorig, who missed opening day with a summer-long calf injury, was a full participant in practice, a session many players called physical and spirited.

Lorig’s return is significant. First, the Bucs use their fullback in the running game more than most NFL teams. Josh Freeman discussed this during his Tuesday radio show on WDAE-AM 620, and Freeman acknowledged that Lorig is a significant threat in the passing game. Second, the Bucs’ fullback play Sunday, led by tight end Nate Byham, was noticeably poor.

The Bucs’ defense will have a good day Sunday even if it allows 21 points. That’s just life against Drew Brees. So Joe’s especially happy about anything that could enhance the Bucs’ offense, which must produce. Lorig’s return will help.

Joe’s got a new podcast. In this first edition, Joe and Ronnie Lane of WDAE-AM 620 talked about the Bucs’ loss to the Jets, the communication issues, discipline, Lavonte David and the Saints. Joe hopes you enjoy this. As you will hear, Joe may have had a little too much caffeine before the podcast.

Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski is not man of hyperbole. the WHFS-FM 98.7 personality generally writes and talks from his heart, after his thoughts have been filtered by his brain.

After watching Josh Freeman struggle at the New Jersey Swamplands, and watching and listening to Bucs coach Greg Schiano, and studying Schiano at Rutgers, Pawlowski wrote that he is sensing the beginning of the end of Freeman’s days in Tampa Bay, a “divorce” between head coach and the Bucs franchise quarterback.

As we entered the preseason, Mike Glennon got a majority of the offensive snaps for the Buccaneers. This was not a surprise. The surprise was how little snaps Josh Freeman received in games to get ready for the season.

The Jets had the absolute right game-plan on defense this past Sunday. The key to stopping the Bucs offense is to load the box, shut down Doug Martin, pressure Josh Freeman, and force Freeman to beat you through the air.

“I mean, that’s going to be the formula to stop our offense. It’s not a mystery,” Schiano said [of shutting down Doug Martin. “We have to throw and catch. We missed open guys, and then we dropped some passes. We have to protect better; we [allowed] three sacks, but we also were hurried. If people are going to do that, you’re going to have to be able to throw the football effectively, consistently, accurately, and move the ball down the field. We did at times, and at other times, we didn’t.”

This was the first time Greg Schiano’s words about the quarterback position has matched his actions. The question is whether this is the beginning of the end for Josh Freeman. The only way Josh Freeman can prevent this from happening is to perform well on the field.

Now mind you that Pawlowski wrote this before the public learned of Photogate.

Look, Joe has no clue if Schiano really wants to rid himself of Freeman or not. Joe is convinced Schiano wants Freeman to succeed. If Freeman succeeds and the Bucs make the playoffs, then it’s not unlikely that Schiano would get a second contract.

As for Freeman, of course he wants to succeed. That inflates his market value when he hits free agency. To suggest Freeman wants to fail here is crazy.

As Joe has been saying for months: Freeman controls his own destiny. Play well and get a fat new contract. Play lousy and back up up Carson Palmer in Arizona or bratty Jay Cutler in Chicago.

Yes, as Joe learned previously, Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman missed the team meeting recently for the official team photo. Team officials have confirmed the absence was unexcused.

Per the Tampa Tribune duo of eye-RAH! Kaufman and Woody Cummings, Freeman responded to the incident with a rather cryptic if not haughty exchange.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Freeman was late and did not participate in the annual team photo, which was held a few days before Tampa Bay players voted for team captains.

Freeman was not selected, despite having been a team captain since 2010.

When asked to comment on his absence from the team photo, Freeman responded with a text message to the Tribune: “You know I can’t do Buc non-sanctioned interviews.’’

On face value, this is not good. An official team photo is for the franchise’s annals. For a former captain and franchise quarterback to not show up for the photo, at best that is inconsiderate and at worst, irresponsible.

But there seems to be a pattern here and it troubles Joe. Remember when Freeman was late to his own football camp and Vincent Jackson had to pinch hit for him? Freeman cited car trouble, yet never called his father for a ride (who was at the camp) nor called a cab, nor a car service, nor Enterprise Rental, which will pick you up. It’s not like Freeman cannot afford a $50/day fee for a compact rig.

Joe is going to tack on this last little nugget and let Bucs fans mull it over. The massive communication issues that happened Sunday on the first drive of the season? Why was Freeman so rattled when roughly the first 15 plays are scripted? Or, why, like most teams, didn’t the Bucs coaching staff just let the quarterback take over play-calling duties until the communication issues were solved on the fly?

It’s starting to smell as if the Bucs coaching staff doesn’t trust Freeman.

Yes, it was open locker room today and there were loads of Buccaneers available to talk. Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620 have all sorts of audio.

Among the players that spoke today included guard Davin Joseph, cornerback Johnthan Banks, safety Dashon Goldson, linebacker Jonathan Casillas, guard Carl Banks, left tackle Donald Penn, wide receiver Mike Williams and defensive end Adrian Clayborn.

Also, there is audio of Saints coach Sean Payton‘s teleconference call, Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan‘s press conference and the daily press conference from Greg Schiano.

Again, all audio courtesy of Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620.

In the wacky world of the NFL, where everything’s a story, Joe brings you the story of Josh Freeman missing the Bucs’ official team photo session earlier this month.

Yes, it happened. You might have read about it in the comments section on this site days ago.

Joe has confirmed that Freeman was a no-show for the annual photo ritual and Freeman was not excused by the Buccaneers.

Joe talked to various Buccaneers today at practice about it and no player told Joe it was a big deal. “Stuff happens,” was the common response.

Speculators, of course, will say this could be a reason Freeman was not voted a team captain. But Joe doesn’t buy it. Freeman himself said on his radio show last night that he voted for Vincent Jackson and Davin Joseph, the eventual offensive captains, two worthy veteran leaders.

Does Joe think this is a big deal? No. However, when you add other very minor screwups in Freeman’s career, it is a happening worth noting.

Yes, track star/LeGarrette Blount trade throw-in Jeff Demps, the former Florida Gator, has re-joined the Bucs and was practicing today.

Demps is not on the roster. He’s got a roster exemption while the Bucs see what he has to offer their return game and/or backfield. (Perhaps he catches better than Kevin Ogletree?)

Demps wowed Greg Schiano and his new teammates with his speed. What that means on the NFL practice field is unknown — inactive list captain Michael Smith had 4.3 speed, but various Bucs said Demps’ wheels were impressive.

Beat reporter Tom Krasniqi, of WDAE-AM 620, penned in his daily notebook that Demps is playing the role of another really fast guy the Bucs will see on Sunday against the Saints.

RB Jeff Demps took part on his first practice on Wednesday for the Bucs.  The former Florida Gator and track star reported on Monday. Demps was wearing #32 and is simulating Darren Sproles on the scout team in practice. 

It’ll be interesting to see how Schiano reacts to a guy like Demps, who is not a football-first guy. Joe’s not sure the Bucs really need Demps, and would Bill Belicheat really have tossed Demps away if he was game-changing returner?

Joe has one piece of advice for Demps; don’t fumble.

Aside from Lavonte David’s game-losing penalty, an outcome that SiriusXM’s Adam Schein referred to Monday as “The dumbest play of all dumb plays,” Joe was simply aghast at the Bucs communication breakdowns during the first series. That resulted in a timeout and two delay of game penalties, on three consecutive plays, that killed the drive.

Monday, Bucs guard Davin Joseph stated the communication issues were due to crowd noise. This simply floored Joe. The Bucs practice calling plays with pumped in crowd noise and blaring music daily, sometimes up to 30 minutes of practice.

This has taken place since the first practice of training camp back in July. How exactly a team that spends so much time practicing for just such a circumstance can blow up mentally at the first occurrence of trouble absolutely blows Joe’s mind.

Thus, Joe tried to find answers Wednesday.

“There is a plan in place,” Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan said of what happens when headsets go out during games or the crowd amps up its racket. Sullivan said in such cases various people are to signal to Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman whether to call a run or a pass. “We have to continue to reinforce that so we don’t continue to have those mishaps at the beginning of the game.

“There’s a lot [of ares] to point a finger. It’s disappointing we didn’t execute the way we are capable of… we didn’t coach the way we are capable of. A lot of time is spent [preparing for crowd noise]. We just have to continue to work on those things to make sure they don’t happen again.”

Joe also spoke with Joseph, who  believes the communication meltdown was just first-game jitters and something the Bucs will consistently improve on as the season grows old.

“It is not an easy situation,” Joseph said of the communication issues Sunday. “Just like third downs. Hard to win in this league. Takes a little more focus and takes time and we will get better at is as the season progresses. We have to get better.”

There was a bulging Priority Mail envelope in Dashon Goldson’s locker this afternoon at One Buc Palace. Perhaps it was a box of Greg Schiano’s favorite pasta, or perhaps it was a fine from Roger Goodell for Goldson’s ferocious hits on allegedly defenseless receivers against the Jets.

Goldson said today that he was fined “a pretty significant number” by the NFL for his hit on Jets wide receiver Jeff Cumberland. Godlson wouldn’t disclose the amount but acknowledged it was not Ndaumukong Suh money.

Goldson was clear that his numerous fines over the years have not — and will not — alter his style of play.

“You can’t play timid,” Goldson said.

What happens when you put Tampa Bay sports radio icon Steve Duemig and Joe in the same studio to talk all things Bucs for an hour?

Find out at 5 p.m. on WDAE-AM 620. The Wednesday “JoeBucsFan Hour” rolls on. You don’t want to miss this. And now the JoeBucsFan hour follows Duemig and Bucs icon Derrick Brooks talking all things football at 4 p.m. It’s must-listen radio for football fans!

The human armoire, All-Pro guard Carl Nicks, practiced today in pads and was happy to talk to media about it.

Nicks declared that his bum toe is fine, though he’ll still have a lifetime issue there, and now it’s just getting into shape after beating a MRSA infection in his foot.

“The only thing that held me back was the MRSA. Now that it’s gone I’m ready to go,” Nicks said.

Nicks took limited snaps today and it’s unknown whether he’ll be ready for Sunday, against the team he won a Super Bowl ring with, the Saints.

On a funny note, Joe asked Nicks whether he took the extra time off his feet to perhaps add some upper body strength. Nicks laughed and said he’s never had a problem with upper body strength.

Bucs veteran cornerback Michael Adams, an impressive Tampa Bay newcomer in preseason, went under the knife after injuring his knee against on Sunday.

Adams put out a note about having surgery in Miami via his Twitter account.

Rookie cornerback Rashaan Melvin has a bad hamstring. And before those injuries, Greg Schiano acknowledged the Bucs couldn’t afford another setback at cornerback in the wake of Danny Gorrer groin surgery after he picked off Joe Flacco during preseason.

Cross your fingers that Darrelle Revis stays healthy.

Update: 3:32 p.m.: Greg Schiano said Adams is expected back this season after the break. Joe presumes Schiano was referring to Week 6, after the Bucs bye in Week 5.

Joe and WDAE-AM 620 personality Ronnie Lane are going to bring a weekly podcast to readers this season. The first will appear on these here pages later this week. But in the podcast, Joe honestly does not predict doom and gloom for the Bucs against Drew Brees.

Readers will have to listen to the podcast for the details, but readers won’t have to read the words of Ady Benoit. The noted NFL analyst whose duties include working for Peter King’s theMMQB.com, believes Bucs commander Greg Schiano got enough of a taste of works and, more importantly, what doesn’t work against Brees. With the additions to defensive personnel in the offseason, what defense Schiano employs Sunday will be a window to the 2013 season, Benoit believes.

Saints @ Bucs

When rookie coach Greg Schiano faced the Saints for the first time last year in Week 7, the Bucs played a lot of seven- and eight-man zone coverages. Schiano learned that’s not a great approach against this offense because it allows Drew Brees more than enough time to work through his progressions (which is exactly what the seven-time Pro Bowler does best). When the teams met again in Week 15, the Bucs changed up their defensive looks, switching between man-free and Cover 2. But injuries had depleted their secondary and pass rush, leaving them unequipped to match up against New Orleans’s aerial weapons. With both teams at full strength this weekend, Tampa Bay’s approach could say a lot about what kind of defense Schiano plans on employing in 2013.

Very few things, sadly for the Bucs, work against Brees. This is why the guy already has a bust waiting for him in Canton.

It really comes down to putting Brees on the ground. Running stunts taking your best defensive lineman out of the play isn’t going to cut it this week. Brees is not Geno Smith.

Joe’s never seen his local media brethren in such an intense feeding frenzy, eager to take deadly bites out of the tail of a Bucs head coach — after one game. 

The 2011 Bucs tanked on opening day at home against Detroit. It was a game that featured clueless coaching, with former offensive coordinator Greg Olson and head coach Raheem Morris admitting that they lost their heads and got away from running the football. Then No. 1 running back LeGarrette Blount had only five carries in the seven-point loss, a guy who had just torn up the league the year before. 

But Joe recalls no such wild outrage at Raheem in the aftermath. Schiano, however, is getting pelted by various media.

Yesterday’s top sports headline in the print edition of the Tampa Bay Times, “BLAME HIM,” was a Tuesday Schiano beating by Tom Jones.

And the most glaring example of a team completely out of sorts? How about the very first drive of the season?

Let me repeat: The first drive, the one you have been getting ready for since last season ended.

After four plays from scrimmage, the Bucs were forced to call a timeout because quarterback Josh Freeman’s helmet communicator went on the fritz.

Coming out of the timeout, when you assume the Bucs had gotten their act together, they were so discombobulated they were flagged for not one but two delay-of-game penalties. Then came a sack. Then came a false start penalty. Then, on third and 35, they completed a pass for a 2-yard gain.

Who was in charge of scripting that series, Moe, Curly or Larry?

Does that sound like a team ready to play? Does that sound like a team that is well coached and able to handle adversity?

I realize that Schiano can’t go out there for his players. He can’t complete passes that Freeman should complete. He can’t block or rush the passer or cover anyone. But what about the things he and his staff can control?

Joe is no shrink, but Joe suspects the intensity of Schiano’s beating around town comes because Schiano is so intense and demanding and focused on details.

Perhaps media types don’t feel right giving Schiano anything less than a clubbing when he fails, sort of a mentality that the head coach will only feel it if it’s rough?

Regardless, Joe wants to see what happens Sunday before Joe goes off the deep end. Literally, if the Bucs win Sunday, then they’ll be on top of the NFC South with all tiebreakers in hand.