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Joe really felt for Bucs quarterback Josh McCown Friday night. And, no, it wasn’t just the pain in McCown’s ribs and his head that Joe was feeling.
Whatever the Bucs were trying to do offensively in the first quarter, you may as well have taken the playbook and thrown it in the St. John’s River, after you threw down a six-pack at the underrated Bud Zone. [read more]
Bucs fans are getting up this morning, hoping their day-long bender made them think the Friday play of the Bucs’ offensive line was a mirage. Alas, once the hangover fog leaves, that nightmare was all too real.
Saturday online, whether it was this here corner of the Interwebs, or on Twitter, Bucs fans were freaking out, demanding a trade or even believing the impossible, that a man of morality and standards like Lovie Smith would actually stoop so low and go out and acquire that roided up piece of human debris known as Richie Incognito. [read more]
On that depth-chart thing the Bucs issued this week, the Tampa Bay starting cornerbacks are injured Alterraun Verner and Mike Jenkins.
They didn’t play last night, but Lovie Smith shared some love today for two of their fill-ins. [read more]
Bucs fans are supposed to be out-of-their-mind excited about their beloved football team that is striving to be “relevant,” the buzz word of new head coach Lovie Smith.
But fans are, you know, fans, which is short for fanatics. Heck, the Bucs even had their in-house reporter chronicle Lovie’s activities for his first 100 days and share 30,000 or so words about the experience. [read more]
Why are Lovie Smith’s words in support of Mike Glennon getting stronger? [read more]
There were many bright spots for your beloved Bucs in Jacksonville last night. Don’t let the skeptics ruin your Saturday.
One came from a guy Lovie Smith says is his “prototype” defensive end. And that performance threw an interesting wrinkle into the D-line competition. [read more]
Jaguars DE Chris Clemons celebrates putting Bucs QB Josh McCown on the ground Friday.
Since Lovie Smith began adding offensive pieces to the Bucs rebuilding puzzle, expectations if not mysteries were aroused. There was the Jeff Tedford offense that fans were told over and over again would be “up-tempo.”
Then there was the “Duncaneers,” where NBA-sized wide receivers would catch virtually any ball not intended for Andre the Giant and turn it into six points. Oh, and the running backs, the many, many, many quality running backs were too numerous to name. [read more]
Doug Martin had a scant eight yards of offense in his return from an injury-shortened season
As Joe tried to drink away last night’s memory of one of the most horrid NFL offensive line displays ever witnessed, Joe nearly wiped out the memory of the return the Muscle Hamster himself, stud running back Doug Martin.
Aside from the fact it was Martin’s first game back after a season-ending injury, when he lost half of 2013 with a ripped up shoulder, it was a forgettable night. The Bucs lost and Martin had but six yards on three carries and caught one pass for a paltry two yards. [read more]
Lovie’s defense seemed to trouble him tonight as much as the offensive line
The smile in Lovie Smith’s voice disappeared tonight.
Yeah, it’s just a preseason game, but the leader of Lovieball doesn’t like to lose and his tone was clear on the Buccaneers Radio Network after the game. [read more]
Did running back Charles Sims make any rookie mistakes tonight?
Did he look like a rookie?
Joe suspects Bucs fans are shaking their heads side to side. [read more]
Bucs DT Da’Quan Bowers buries Jags RB Storm Johnson for a loss Friday. Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.
Yes, Joe knows Bucs defensive end Da’Quan Bowers has been a major disappointment, now entering his fourth season (and maybe last) with Tampa Bay.
What few good plays Bowers has made — you could count them on one hand — have been largely forgotten amid allegations by coaches (of two different staffs) of him being out of shape, and by him being spotted kneeling on one knee in practice more than participating. [read more]
Former Bucs tight end Dave Moore, an astute analyst on the Buccaneers Radio Network, said after tonight’s loss to Jacksonville that starting quarterback Josh McCown should not be judged by his performance.
Moore said the offensive line was so porous, so troubled, that an honest read on McCown couldn’t be had. [read more]
One of the many craters on the Bucs’ first-team offensive line tonight was at a surprising position: left tackle.
That’s where veteran, big-money, free agent Anthony Collins is trying to anchor the shaky unit. Tonight, he failed miserably. [read more]
Bucs DT Gerald McCoy (93) gets his teammates fired up before the preseason opener at Jacksonville. Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.
For fans grappling tonight for their car keys to race to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge after watching that screen door on a submarine of an offensive line display, Joe has something more smoothing than Crown Royal on the rocks.
Gerald McCoy was unblockable tonight (no, smart alecks, GMC was not playing against the Bucs’ offensive line). In the first appearance by the defense this preseason, GMC was everywhere. If he wasn’t putting pressure on the quarterback, then he was blowing up a run play in the backfield or chasing down running backs from behind. [read more]
Joe knew the Bucs’ offensive line would have question marks. Never did Joe think the Bucs offensive line would be found guilty in an assault and battery.
Poor Bucs quarterback Josh McCown. In his first start in the pewter and red, McCown got jostled, mocked and robbed. He was beaten, pummeled and bruised. [read more]
Defense! Defense! Dee-Fence!
“Ugly” is the word of the night for the Bucs’ first-team offense, and the second-team offense. At least the blend of second- and third-teamers was effective. [read more]
Joe offers his greetings from Jacksonville as the Bucs open the 2014 preseason against the Jags. You should check Joe’s Instagram account. All in crystal clear HD.
So there are all sorts of questions for Bucs fans. Too many to list, on both offense and defense. It should be an interesting game if for no other reason than the newness of the Lovie Smith regime. [read more]
Preseason Game 1
Bucs at Jags
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
TV: WFLA-TV, Channel 8, locally. Game will be rebroadcast on NFL Network at 7 a.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Monday.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM 103.5, and WDAE-AM 620); SiriusXM Channel 108.
