Bowers admits Greg Schiano got in his head

Ok, now it’s a official. The leader of the New Schiano Order, Greg Schiano, scrambled Da’Quan Bowers’ brain to the point he didn’t recognize himself.

Bowers explained yesterday after practice. [read more]

Vincent Jackson is expecting an explosive Bucs offense.

Yes, Joe got excited yesterday, but it wasn’t as if Rachel Watson came out of retirement. Not quite that big news.

No, Joe was fired up watching rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins going ham on veteran cornerbacks. It didn’t seem fair and didn’t seem right but Joe got hooked on the rookie from the University of Washington. [read more]

Joe detected a change and David explained

Like any Bucs-obsessed lunatic, Joe is hypersensitive to all things happening with the team and detected a subtle change to Lavonte David’s game through the first week of practice.

So Joe decided to have a private chat with David about his new look yesterday. [read more]

“Jiminy Christmas, Lovie knows sleep is overrated.”

Yes, Bucs fans all know about Chucky’s wacko sleep habits as Tampa Bay head coach. He got up each morning shortly after 3 a.m. and within minutes, found himself at One Buc Palace going through film to seek any morsel of information he could turn into a win.

Chucky, so he liked to brag, stayed until well after sunset, working non-stop because he just loved football so much. [read more]

It was a muggy one Sunday afternoon as the Bucs began their second full week of training camp. But it was not uneventful.

Vincent Jackson continues to be a beast. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is one scary-looking talent. Robert Herron continues to struggle with the football. And Tommy Streeter continues to catch everything thrown at him. [read more]

Bucs rookie Austin Seferian-Jenkins said this is the first year he’s been coached up like a tight end should be

Joe is starting to understand why Bucs fans are giddier than Joe when there is free beer when they hear the name of tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Joe’s getting it.

Today, Joe saw the rookie tight end just toy with defenders at training camp. Yeah, it’s preseason, but frankly, rookies should not be doing that to veteran players. A rookie who missed virtually all of spring workouts due to ankle surgery and school commitments should not be shaming first-team defenders in practice. [read more]

Bucs C Evan Dietrich-Smith no longer has a toenail on his injured big toe, but he claims he will be ready to rock and roll in Jacksonville.

Joe figures the Bucs have heard enough talk about toes to last the next eight years after the Carl Nicks toe saga (and “Toes On The Line.”) So Joe understands how Lovie Smith feels about toetalk.

This subject about toes came up when Lovie was asked about the status of Evan Dietrich-Smith. The Bucs’ starting center had his big toe stepped on Thursday and not only was he unable to participate in the night practice at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, EDS also walked around in shorts and requisite Bucs floppy hat today. [read more]

Doug Martin weighs in on what he saw from Lavonte David and friends

Real football was played at One Buc Palace today. During goal line work, Lovie Smith gave the tackle-to-the-ground order — the stuff that separates the men from the future bellhops.

And the Bucs defense was dominant.

Doug Martin was stuffed twice, and Joe talked to Martin about what he’s seeing on the other side of the ball. [read more]

No helmet and pads for Pro Bowl corner Alterraun Verner for the fifth consecutive practice

Bucs All-Pro cornerback Alterraun Verner has been on floppy-hat-and-sneakers patrol for five consecutive practice, nursing a hamstring that Lovie Smith says is improving.

But this is getting a little scary, even Lovie acknowledged this evening that Verner’s absence is nothing to shrug off. [read more]

Yes, this was shot today during a team water break. Offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford is always coaching.

Your beloved Tampa Bay Buccaneers were back on the practice field this afternoon getting further prepared for the preseason opener on Friday night in Jacksonville.

Joe was on the scene and has plenty to share. [read more]

Why is Bucs DE Adrian Clayborn getting hammered by fans when he almost doubled the 2013 sack total of high-priced free agent DE Michael Johnson (above)?

In recent days, especially since fight-instigating, barista-training, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball box score-reading Peter King of theMMQB.com arrived in Tampa Bay for a few hours, doubt has risen about high-priced defensive end Michael Johnson.

King has professed his skepticism that Johnson will regain his form as a double-digit sack guy. [read more]

Training camp is filled with all sorts of elements. It is both boring and exciting, predictable and unpredictable.

Training camp is both a chore and a joy. A chore in that players are grinding in the brutal heat each day every day to secure a job — a joy as in the unknown.

What players, to date, are really making a push for a roster spot come September and which are setting themselves up for the unknown based on their practice performance? [read more]

Bucs starting quarterback Josh McCown already has mentioned how he’s been surprised by the level of passion exhibited by Tampa Bay fans he’s encountered. (What? You mean, Luke McCown didn’t share that with his brother?).

And now it appears McCown got another surprise: Bucs fans aren’t the typical A-holes McCown likely ran into in Chicago and at his other NFL stops. [read more]

“Chucky, you see that cheap shot Brooks got in there. That’s old Florida, baby.”

In case you haven’t realized, the No. 28 in the JoeBucsFan.com logo is a tribute to Warrick Dunn, a longtime favorite of Joe, and Dunn was a running back for the Bucs (again) when Joe launched this corner of the Internet six years ago.

Dunn will go down as one of the great people in NFL history. Period. Dunn was on NFL Network yesterday talking about Tampa Bay and Mr. Derrick Brooks, his college teammate and friend. [read more]

The Bucs play a total of six games a year against the hated Dixie Chicks, the Stinkin’ Panthers, and the bounty-loving Saints. For those who want to snoop on the Bucs’ hated rivals, Joe’s going to provide a regular glimpse at what’s happening around the NFC South. [read more]

Has Tampa Bay gone from making everyone laugh to commanding respect at the quarterback position?

Can one training camp practice reveal such a transition? [read more]

No. 55 was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame last night.

If you missed it, Joe’s got the full audio. Brooks started by vowing to work his butt off to make the Hall family a better team now that he’s in it. He then thanked his son who presented him, Tampa Bay fans, his hometown Pensacola faithful, and his wife and three other children. Brooks also said it’s hard for him to stay humble on such a day, before going on to give moving thanks to his late grandmother, stepfather (I thank you for whipping me in front of my fifth-grade class to get my life together.) and his mother. [read more]

Breakfast with Lovie Smith has Peter King singing an interesting tune

Hmm, a top NFL insider has breakfast with Lovie Smith on Thursday and walks away telling the world to prepare for Charles Sims to get plenty of work.

Esteemed fight-instigating, barista-training, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball box score-reading Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame, was at Buccaneers practice this week and has pumped out his thoughts. [read more]

Tonight, Derrick Brooks becomes the third Tampa Bay Buccaneer to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining Lee Roy Selmon and Warren Sapp, Brooks’ close friend since high school.

And possibly no one outside of Brooks’ family, his teammates and coaches know Derrick like a guy who grew up in Jacksonville, who never stepped on a football field with Brooks or against him. That man would be Gene Deckerhoff. [read more]