It’s official, Gerald McCoy’s hand is broken and his return is unknown.

McCoy is frustrated. [read more]

Jiminy Christmas, the Tampa Bay offense was awfully predictable today. The Bucs ran Bobby Rainey left and right, and rarely up the gut.

Third down? No problem. It was Rainey time. Even with all that predictable pounding of Rainey, the Rams didn’t slow him down much. [read more]

Damn it to hell, Joe thought it was embarrassing enough to get carved up the likes of Derek Anderson last week with the Stinking Panthers. It couldn’t think it could get much worse than that. Right?

It does! Today, the Bucs lost to the Lambs with a friggin’ third string quarterback, the immortal Austin Davis. Austin Davis, sounds like some benchwarmer for Duke’s basketball team. [read more]

After the loss to the Rams this evening, Bucs OC Jeff Tedford told Joe he doesn’t know when he will resume full-time duties

Joe was bombarded before and during the game today. No, Bucs fans didn’t want to know the status of Lambs quarterback Shaun Hill or the status of Bucs running back Doug Martin or the cell number for a random Bucs cheerleader (Joe doesn’t have such a cell phone number).

The most popular question Joe got was whether Jeff Tedford was calling plays for the Bucs Sunday. It was as if the game against the Lambs was secondary. [read more]

If a team doesn’t trust its quarterback, then it has little shot at success. That’s just NFL Reality 101.

So what the heck was Lovie Smith thinking just before halftime, and on multiple occasions in the second half when he wouldn’t let Josh McCown throw the ball on sure third-down passing situations? [read more]

Welcome to Lovieball. How do you like it?

Ultra conservative play calling + not-good-enough defense = tough, close losses at home.

Your beloved Buccaneers are 0-2. [read more]

It’s unknown how serious Gerald McCoy’s second-quarter injury really was today, and how long he’ll be out of the Buccaneers’ lineup, but it doesn’t sound good. [read more]

Joe doesn’t believe in “must-wins” in September. But if the Bucs want to sniff the playoffs this year, now might be the time for a win.

Isn’t it about time the Bucs make another team pay for starting some slug at quarterback? Isn’t it time for the Bucs to make people pay for triple-teaming Gerald McCoy instead of break dancing for offensive tackles? Isn’t time Josh McCown look like a starting NFL quarterback?

Bang it here all game long for the Lambs-Bucs game in steamy Tampa. Go Bucs!

Game 2

St. Louis Lambs at Tampa Bay

Kickoff: 4:05 p.m. [read more]

It sure seems Lovie Smith is more of a detail man than self-proclaimed details junkie Greg Schiano

Your Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be tested by the Rams today, but they also were drilled the day before the game.

The Bucs don’t get a day off on Saturday when they play on Sunday. They’re at the Tampa team hotel living and working and sticking to an 11 p.m. curfew. [read more]

This will be a short post because there is really nothing to write about. Bucs Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks can’t be summed up in a few paragraphs, and Joe’s not about to type a long tome.

Brooks is the greatest linebacker in Bucs history and perhaps the best outside linebacker in NFL history. Jack Ham, widely considered the greatest outside linebacker, was great but not sure Ham was any better than Brooks. Ironically, Brooks molded his game to mirror Ham’s. Brooks likely surpassed Ham. [read more]

Joe is sure the Bucs will see a steady diet of stud Lambs RB Zac Stacy today

The Lambs are not much different than the Bucs. They, too, lost their first game, embarrassingly so, with virtually no offense. The Lambs lost behind a backup quarterback; the Bucs lost behind a career backup quarterback.

The Lambs could be on their third- or possibly fourth-string quarterback today as backup Shaun Hill is a game-time decision for Jeff Fisher. When he was healthy last week, Hill sure didn’t scare the Vikings.

Fisher never has been fond of the passing game. Fisher comes from the Buddy Ryan school of football where you beat up your opponent physically and pass only if you have to. [read more]

The man of the hour, Tampa Bay starting quarterback Josh McCown, knows all about today’s opponent.

McCown was battered and bludgeoned by St. Louis last year, when McCown played for the Chicago Bears. [read more]

The “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman, stated Bucs QB coach and last week’s play caller Marcus Arroyo can’t be blamed for the Bucs’ impotent offense

It is such a depressing statistic, Joe doesn’t want to type it.

The percentage of teams that lose their first two games and make the playoffs is dismal.

(Joe will type the actual data tonight in the event of a disaster at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway). [read more]

“The Road Warrior,” WTSP-TV traffic reporter Holley Sinn, has tips on how to get to the Bucs game quicker.

Driving to the Bucs game can be a major pain in the posterior. Just getting late to a tailgate is enough to ruin your day.

Leave it to WTSP-TV traffic reporter, “The Road Warrior,” Holley Sinn to help. She knows all the tricks to get you past the congestion and to your tailgate (or the game) quicker. Life is not made to be stuck in traffic. [read more]

Joe’s Sunday watch list

1) Is There An Edge Rusher In The House? – Former Chargers bust Larry English, cut-Monday-returned-Friday Scott Solomon, recovering Da’Quan Bowers and Will Gholston, both making their season debut, will try to generate a pass rush off the edge against the shaky Rams offensive line tomorrow — while Michael Johnson rests his bum ankle. Good luck, fellas. [read more]

The Bucs host the Lambs at 4:05 p.m. It is one of five late-afternoon games today.

So, the odds are, since this is a battle of two winless teams, unless you live in Florida, Illinois or Missouri, you will need DirecTV or have to go to a bar to watch the game. Below is the map showing where Bucs fans can watch the game free with the broadcast piped into their hopes from their over-the-air FOX affiliate. [read more]

Josh McCown needs a quicker start Sunday and simply must take better care of the football

For three quarters last week, the Bucs offense was pretty much non-existent. That is, if you don’t count the mind-numbing turnovers by Josh McCown. Yet, the Bucs rallied in the fourth quarter and nearly pulled off a victory.

Had the Bucs had any kind of an offense in the first three quarters, or McCown took care of the football, the Bucs would not have needed a three-score rally late to tie or win. [read more]

Wacky as it might be, many Bucs fans and observers believe a loss at home to the bruised, bungling Rams tomorrow would be an apocalypse to the Lovie Smith regime.

One longtime local analyst says failure “would almost erase all the goodwill established by Lovie.” [read more]

There are official injury reports, and then there’s a player talking directly about his injury. The latter provides a lot more information.

Doug Martin detailed his issue and status last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network. [read more]