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]

It is part of football lore, how in the first round of the 1995 draft, the Bucs selected Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks and the duo helped reverse the fortunes of the sad sack Bucs into a Super Bowl champion.

Two Florida guys, born and bred, would make football history. Sapp was disgusted the Bucs selected him. Brooks was happy. As different as two personalities can be — the two were friends since high school — Brooks and Sapp not only made history on the field, both are Hall of Famers; Brooks is inducted this evening. [read more]

Derrick Brooks’ impact on Tampa Bay, given time, may be greatest off the field.

Later today, Bucs icon Mr. Derrick Brooks, “Double-Nickel” as Gene Deckerhoff likes to call him, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Brooks will be the third Tampa Bay player enshrined, following the late great Lee Roy Selmon and, of course, Brooks’ teammate and long-time friend Warren Sapp.

A lot has been made of how Brooks and Sapp changed the losing culture of the Bucs. [read more]

What the Bucs’ tunnel looks like after the team has taken the field and the smoke and flamethrowers have been cleared out.

Bucs fans always have a blast at the annual night practice during training camp, held at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. This event, which replaced the old Fan Fest, is much more popular.

First of all, it is held at night, fans get to see football like 11-on-11 scrimmages, skills competitions and 1-on-1 passing drills. During Fan Fest, there was none of this stuff.

Also, Fan Fest was held in the middle of a scorching hot July Saturday afternoon, where fans roasted in long autograph lines. [read more]

Mike Glennon has a starter’s mentality

Bucs fans loved Mike Glennon’s absolute bomb to Chris Owusu last night for a touchdown. They also cringed when Glennon coughed up the football needlessly.

But that’s how practice goes sometimes, and Glennon’s not pressing. He’s got a starter’s mentality. [read more]

Lovie Smith changed his tone last night

Greg Schiano was all about cracking the whip all the time. Schiano’s attitude was that every minute of every day — literally — was critical to winning games.

Lovie Smith is all about timing and patience and teaching and picking his spots. [read more]

The man who cut Derrick Brooks, re-signed Jerramy Stevens, kept Bucs payroll painfully low at the start of his tenure, and dumped fan favorite Cadillac Williams against the desire of his head coach, says the opinions of Bucs fans and media played a role in shaping team decisions.

Joe had to listen to former rockstar general manager Mark Dominik’s take twice to be sure.

[read more]

Lovie Smith talks about Bucs fans.

Lovie Smith feels your pain, Bucs fans. Missing the playoffs going on seven years and not winning a playoff game since winning the Super Bowl in January 2003, the Tampa Bay head coach understands your frustration.

Lovie talked Friday night about trying to bring a winner back for the long-suffering fans. Also, Lovie discussed how his team practiced last night and gives an update on injured center Evan Dietrich-Smith in this SportsTalkFlorida.com video. [read more]

It was an autograph hound’s paradise Friday night as the Bucs held their annual night practice at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. Autographs could have easily been obtained both before and after practice.

Oh, yeah, there was practice, too. And fireworks! Below are some video glimpses of the night practice courtesy of the Bucs’ official Vine account. [read more]

Doug Martin shares his investigative work

The running back fraternity around the NFL is pretty tight. These guys talk, especially the top-dog backs.

Joe chatted about the new Tampa Bay offense with Doug Martin, and Martin revealed that he tapped his share of contacts to know what he might be in for under the new Tampa Bay regime. [read more]

The Bucs entertained just shy of 15,000 fans tonight at their annual training camp night practice at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. The autograph hounds were out hawking current and former Buccaneers. And there was even football being practiced on the field. [read more]

Yes, this is a special weekend for not only the Bucs, but for one of the greatest linebackers whoever donned a helmet in the NFL. Mr. Derrick Brooks, double-nickel, No. 55, will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tomorrow evening.

(Hint, those planning on watching best not be late. Brooks will be the first of this year’s class to be inducted and to speak.) [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]

Jeff Demps tells TBO.com’s Olivia Stacey about his newfound desire.

One reason Joe wasn’t doing cartwheels when Tampa Bay got running back Jeff Demps as a throwaway item in the LeGarrette Blount trade was because Demps was an Olympic star with his focus on winning a gold medal.

Joe has no problem with that in itself. It’s a noble goal that few humans have ever accomplished. More power to him. But Joe was worried about the Bucs and had no use for a guy who treated the team as an offseason hobby. [read more]

Lovie Smith isn’t losing sleep over new NFL rules

There are new NFL rules for 2014, and rules the NFL will enforce a bit more, which the league refers to as “point of emphasis.”

One is the “Mel Blount Rule.”

Never heard of the Mel Blount Rule? It’s where defensive backs can’t touch a receiver once he gets five yards downfield from the line of scrimmage. [read more]

Bucs fans fantasize that the Tampa Bay offense will hum with Vincent Jackson or Mike Evans drawing single coverage and Josh McCown will hurl a well-placed jump ball to be plucked out of the sky, and over the outstretched arms of a too-short cornerback.

The Bucs are expecting that, too. [read more]

Bucs TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins is a monster.

Watch Bucs general manager Jason Licht talk about rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and you will see a grown man’s face light up as if Carmella Garcia was whispering naughty thoughts in his ear.

ASJ hasn’t performed a ton of work with the first-team or second-team offense in training camp thus far. He’s still somewhat learning the ropes after missing spring workouts recovering from ankle surgery and attending classes at the University of Washington, which conflicted with the Bucs’ schedule.

When ASJ does get on the field, this dude is a matchup nightmare. Think a young Vincent Jackson playing tight end. [read more]

Peter King wagged a finger at a new Buccaneer

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 yesterday and shared a little negativity with Buccaneers.com. [read more]