As the Buccaneers and their emerging defensive line mourn the apparent season-ending knee injury to Adrian Clayborn, one must wonder how DaQuan Bowers’ recovery from an Achilles tear is going.

Thankfully, Bowers was in the locker room today and provided an update.

Bowers said he feels good, that his greatest challenges are mental and not physical, and he has “four weeks to go” and would be ready to play then if coaches give him the go-ahead.

Joe admires Bowers’ spirit and determination, but Joe doesn’t see the value in rushing back Bowers even if he’s cleared by doctors to get off the physically unable to perform list and start practicing. Maybe it would make sense if the Bucs were in some sort of legitimate playoff chase. Maybe. 

Let Bowers really heal fully and come back hungry and healthy next season.

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“Let me tell you something about this coaching staff and the guys upstairs. The reason I love them so much is that, you know, they welcome us with open arms, and everybody’s door is open whenever we need them. We’re allowed to go up there and make requests and talk to them about things. And me being the captain, and being a defensive linemen. I just to coach and made a few requests and sat down and talked to him about things and we discussed what we discussed. And he set up a gameplan and it worked for us.”  — Gerald McCoy on asking for changes to defensive playcalling before the Bucs-Cowboys game.

Earlier today, Joe brought you McCoy’s quote to his hometown newspaper, The Oklahoman, explaining that he wanted the Bucs to drop the defensive line stunts and play a more direct style against Dallas. McCoy said he asked coaches to make a change last week and they did.

The quote above in italics is McCoy elaborating on the topic today at One Buc Palace.

Frankly, Joe’s most impressed that the New Schiano Order obviously had great communication with McCoy and valued his input. That runs contrary to the view floated by many that Greg Schiano is a near psychotic control freak who wouldn’t kindly accept these kinds of demands from a young player, or any player.

Now Joe wonders who on the Bucs offense might take this kind of leadership role in preparation for the Redskins. Joe suspects there are a few who could call a better game than Mike Sullivan did Sunday.

With Adrian Clayborn on the shelf with a busted up knee, who’s going to play right defensive end for the Bucs?

Daniel Te’o- Nesheim, Sunday’s replacement?

George Johnson, the Rutgers holdover from the Raheem era who wasn’t activated yesterday?

Michael Bennett will be happy with either one of those guys there, as long as it’s not him at right end, so he told Joe this morning. Bennett also said Te’o-Nesheim is a guy who makes plays and just needs an opportunity like this.

“Daniel is a very impressive player. He was a third-round pick and he just needs the opportunity. Every time he gets the opportunity he makes a couple of plays,” Bennett said.

“I’m more comfortable playing my same position I always play. I don’t really want to go to the right end. But if they want me to go there, I’ll go there. But I really want to stay at the left side.”

Bennett went on to say he’s one of the versatile players on the defense and can play right end, and he rushes inside and lines up at linebacker.

Joe can’t blame Bennett for wanting to stay in his comfort zone. First, what player wouldn’t? And with the pace Bennett’s on, he’s going to collect a king’s ransom as an unrestricted free agent after this season. Legitimate NFL pass rushers make the big bucs — always.

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Joe has read it on Twitter, heard it on sports radio: The Bucs somehow have to overcome the lackluster play of Bucs starting quarterback Josh Freeman and the playcalling of offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, who some fans believe is as predictable as yesterday’s newspaper, if not sleep-inducing.

But hold up, says Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune! Freeman’s struggles and Sullivan’s penchant for running Doug Martin up the middle for three yards on first down is actually masking the true flaw with the Bucs this season:

The Bucs simply cannot run the ball, so Cummings Twittered.

@RCummingsTrib: The biggest problem facing the Bucs: they want to be a running team, but right now they can’t run the ball.

This is an element that Joe believes is very important and should be monitored. There is nothing that opens up a passing game like a running attack and right now, it sure seems like Freeman is petrified.

Trying to run Martin up the middle simply isn’t fooling anyone nor is it getting the job done. Two years ago when the Bucs unleashed LeGarrette Blount (who is now chained to Greg Schiano’s doghouse), Freeman’s passing attack opened up and it proved to be Freeman’s best season to date.

The Bucs, however, went all in on a bruising running attack. It isn’t working as well as planned. Sooner or later, if Martin continues to average three yards a carry, the Bucs will have to open the offense up to score more than a touchdown a game.

Arguably McCoy’s biggest detractor is now smitten by his play

Among Tampa Bay media types, former Bucs guard Ian Beckles has long grabbed the reigns when it comes to cracking a whip on Gerald McCoy. 

Essentially Beckles, via the airwaves of WDAE-AM 620, has found various ways to explain that McCoy doesn’t make plays there’s no evidence he’s “a good football player,” just a guy with great get-off and the dreaded “potential.”

Well, it now seems like Beckles has done a complete about face after seeing the 2012 edition of McCoy.

“I’ve seen him make guards miss completely. Whiff!” Beckles said today. “You don’t see that. I haven’t seen that since No. 99. I don’t want to say [Sapp’s] name to jinx it. You play like that, you go to Hawaii.”

McCoy now has proven to everyone that he can be an elite player. The reamining challenge is for him to remain consistent and healthy, two qualities necessary for greatness.

Joe heard some local radio hosts talk last week about how perhaps the Bucs ordered Sammie Stroughter to go on injured reserve with a bogus foot injury, seemingly so the team could open roster space to sign Tiquan Underwood or Chris Owusu as they did last week.

Well, Joe can put that conspiracy theory to bed.

Stroughter will go under the knife to repair his foot, so rockstar general manager Mark Dominik said during the Bucs’ radio broadcast Sunday. Exactly what happened to Stroughter is unclear, but the inury occurred against the Giants.

Regarding Owusu, Dominik went on to explain that the team was trying to sign him when he was cut from the 49ers, but Owusu opted to stay on the west coast and sign with San Diego.

Against the Giants, the Bucs relied on all kinds of defensive line stunts and pass rush games, plus repeated failed blitzes, to generate pressure on Eli Manning. And Tampa Bay was torched as a result.

This didn’t sit well with Gerald McCoy, so he told his hometown Oklahoman yesterday.

Seemingly taking a direct order from Warren Sapp, Gerald McCoy said he played defensive coordinator before yesterday’s loss in Dallas and demanded that coaches rely on the defensive line to beat the opposing offensive line and attack the quarterback like rabid dogs.

“I represented the D-line and went up to coach and said, ‘Give us an opportunity to go straight at them instead of going sideways on all these stunts,” McCoy said. “I said, ‘If it don’t work, it don’t work and we’ll go back to whatever.’ We took advantage” against Dallas.

McCoy was dominant yesterday, with four tackles, two sacks and a brain-jarring, fumble-inducing hit of Tony Romo that should have been a Bucs touchdown if not for the heinous replacement officials fleecing the Bucs. Michael Bennett also had a ferocious two-sack day that showcased his relentless drive.

The Bucs’ run defense also was extraordinary.

Clearly, McCoy’s recommendations were on the mark. Perhaps he’d be willing to lend his expertise to Mike Sullivan?

As Joe is wont to do during Bucs games when he is not otherwise distracted, he likes to hang on Twitter and respond to queries about the game, and the Bucs in general.

But yesterday, it was as if Bucs fans became unhinged.

Look, Josh Freeman and the Bucs offense was horrible yesterday. They couldn’t run, they couldn’t pass and boy, must be nice of Team Glazer to cough up so much cash for Vincent Jackson and yet the stud receiver was hardly targeted yesterday against a beat up Dallas secondary?

The longer and uglier the game got, the Twitter messages Joe received  grew equally bizarre. Here are a few along with Joe’s responses:

Josh Freeman should be benched.

Joe got this more than a few times. Really, Freeman should be benched? So the immortal journeyman Dan Orlovsky is going to do any better, seriously… really?

Besides, in most cases — not all — it takes a while both for a starting quarterback to get comfortable with an offense and for a coaching staff to get used to his toys. Joe just had to laugh when someone suggested Alex Smith (!) didn’t need a full year to grasp a new offense.

Oh, and one Twitterer claimed if the Bucs cut Freeman now, the Bucs chances of drafting Matt Barkley would increase.

Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan should be relieved of duties.

This was another question Joe got where he hoped the party who asked Joe said question wasn’t driving home. So all the work the offense puts in through the offseason, training camp and preseason should be tossed to the curb after the third game because of one awful play-calling game? Well, if one’s goal is to win two or three games, sure, why not?

Where is LeGarrette Blount?

Joe got this question by far the most. It is painfully obvious, as Joe wrote about last week, that Blount has a penthouse in Greg Schiano’s doghouse. No, Joe cannot answer why.

Look, Joe understands how the masses became enraged yesterday, letting another win slip from their grasps, two weeks in a row now. Let Joe talk you off the ledge.

How good did the defense play yesterday? Damned good. And about those two losses, if this were last year, the Bucs would have been absolutely rolled by 30 points, or worse.

With the exception of the Bucs offense yesterday (would it kill Sullivan to not run Doug Martin up the middle on first down and perhaps have Freeman roll out once or twice a game?), Joe sees improvement in the Bucs. Yeah, Joe said it.

What, you would rather the Bucs be the Saints, still looking for their first win of the season at 0-3?

There is no need to look for a launching spot on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge this morning.

Former Bucs QB Jeff Carlson goes deep into the mess that is the Bucs offense

Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson (1990 & 1991) writes The QB Blast column here at JoeBucsFan.com. Joe loves when Carlson fires away. Carlson is often seen as a color analyst on Bright House Sports Network, and he trains quarterbacks of all ages locally via his company,America’s Best Quarterback. Plus, he’s a really cool dude.

By JEFF CARLSON
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

I was at church (the same where one I regularly see Gerald McCoy and other Bucs during the offseason) before the Bucs kicked off in Dallas and the pastor illustrated how fishing is based on tricking the fish with the lure. But underneath there is always the hook, and that is how the sinful pleasures of life can be; they look good on the outside but the hook lies inside and we know how deadly the consequences of that hook can be. 

In the NFL, the consequence of that deceptive lure can very often be the difference between being on the right side of the “victory formation.”

Following their third game of the season, even Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are bored and frustrated with the Buccaneers offense and it is becoming painfully obvious that Mike Sullivan does not understand the concept of successful fishing. He probably goes out on the lake, throws the unbaited hook into the water and after a few hours of no bites, wonders what the problem is.

Sullivan has not even attempted to lure the defense into any false illusions of the Bucs acting like they might be doing one thing while actually doing something else. He has fallen into Greg Schiano’s philosophy of just banging his head into a wall until the wall gets tired and quits being a wall.
 
Sullivan’s biggest sins are the following:
 
1) The running game does not go outside of the tackles or use any change of pace plays. Doug Martin isn’t the problem and LeGarrette Blount isn’t the answer. There is absolutely no deception in the running game to make the defense get itself out of position. This is the NFL and you cannot physically dominate the opponent week-in and week-out on straight-ahead running plays. Has Martin gotten one pitch play to see if he even has any shifty moves?

2) He does not use motion to create space in either the running game or passing game. The only weapons available are formations and motions by which to gain an advantage and he doesn’t use motion to help create mismatches.

3) He does not use Vincent Jackson’s height advantage to his own advantage (they should have thrown the fade to Jackson at least 5 times against Mike Jenkins, both to the front and back shoulders). One time late in the game, Jenkins was able to knock it down, but every time Jenkins turned his back to Freeman, Jackson had a “big” advantage. With Jackson set as a single receiver on one side of the formation, a receiver from the opposite side of the field should have been motioned across and run a “seam route” through the over-the-top safety and you would guarantee a one-on-one situation for Jackson that he would have won consistently and he also would have won the game single-handedly, in my opinion.

4) He asks Josh Freeman to fake left on play-action passes most of the time, which puts the right-handed quarterback in a bad situation for getting rid of the ball quickly. Freeman’s mechanics struggles have always been to get his shoulders back on line from the left side and he consistently fades away to the left on throws to his left, but Sullivan more often than not, makes him go that way anyway.

5) He does not move Josh Freeman out of the pocket on controlled roll-outs to help the offensive line and receivers find open space.
 
Although I believe the majority of the problems begin with the play-designer, Josh Freeman does not escape his dose of criticism. 

Freeman has no understanding of his time on three-step drop passing plays. He gave up sacks and a sack-fumble by holding the ball far too long on those short drops. 

Freeman is taller than most, but chooses the lower release option more often and makes the ball sail a bit. Although the interception was D.J. Ware’s fault on the missed pass, Freeman slung it low through the defensive lineman’s arms and too hard for the distance, which is why it caught Ware unaware.

Vincent Jackson looks beautiful in his uniform and I like a guy that just goes to work, but he has to start fighting for balls and for penalty flags. Early against the Cowboys, Freeman threw a good ball on a fade into the end zone. Jackson was well past 5 yards downfield and was continuing to get pushed by the defender. The ball fell harmlessly to the ground and instead of fighting to get to the ball and draw the pass-interference penalty, Jackson calmly returned to the huddle. He needs to get some of Schiano’s fight in him.

As I wrote this, I was watching the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens fight it out and Mike Sullivan and Josh Freeman would do well to review this film multiple times.

The Patriots just used a formation-and-motion combination with Julian Edelman to create another easy TD pass for Tom Brady to take a halftime lead. For Freeman, I think he resembles Joe Flacco quite a bit and Flacco is very disciplined in his proper shoulder alignment and arm slot for all of his throws.

Josh, please watch Joe and take notes. Tell Sullivan to take notes of both teams’ offenses.

I don’t know if it is possible before the Bucs host RGIII and the Washington Redskins next Sunday, but can someone please get Sullivan out on the water and show him how to bait a hook?

If not, then we will get to watch the Bucs play great defense and stay just close enough to line up at the end of the game and once again blast mindlessly into the Redskins’ “victory formation.”

How bad did Josh Freeman play Sunday? Veteran sports columnist Gary Shelton suggested Freeman’s play unearthed ghastly memories of some hideous Bucs of yesterday in this Tampa Bay Times video.

Adrian Clayborn getting carted off the field late in the second half in Dallas was a sad sight today, but now it seems that the injury is indeed serious.

Tampa Bay Times beat writer Stephen Holder says there’s a grim look to Clayborn’s injury in the Bucs locker room and Clayborn’s teammates believe he might be done for the season.

An emotional Adrian Clayborn left the locker room here at Cowboys Stadium wearing a brace from the thigh to ankle on his right leg, and early indications are that his injury is quite serious, with several players suggesting it is season-ending.

This is a brutal blow to the Bucs’ thin defensive line.

Daniel Te’o-Nesheim replaced Clayborn, and another backup, George Johnson, was inactive for today’s game.

This will be a problematic issue for the Bucs, if Clayborn is indeed lost for the season. You don’t just pick up a high-motor, solid end off the street. Though it might be time to dial up Andre Carter.

There’s so much Buccaneer blame to go around today, it’s amazing the Bucs only lost by six points.

And a lot of that blame falls on the special teams. The man rockstar general manager Mark Dominik called a Pro Bowl caliber special teams ace this week, Dekoda Watson, really choked away points for the Bucs.

Dallas was punting with the game tied 7-7 midway through the second quarter from their own 21 yard line. Watson was unblocked on the punt rush and over ran the punter, missed an easy block and plowed into the punter for a 15-yard penalty.

To make matters worse, Jordan Shipley fumbled away that punt and Dallas tacked on Watson’s 15 yard penatly to their recovery. Then they drove down for a field goal to lead 10-7. 

If Watson blocks that kick, it’s a six-point, or maybe 10-point swing. Unbelievable!

And this special teams mess ends with D.J. Ware completely hitting the wrong gap on Dez Bryant’s late 44-yard punt return in the fourth quarter. That’s not pretty film.

The New Schiano Order’s Buccaneer Men were not on the details today.

The Bucs were close. They played hard. The defense was strong. The Bucs battled.

These are the time-honored cliches of the vanquished. And similar utterances were heard on the Bucs radio network when Bucs stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was interviewed.

And GMC would have none of it.

At points, so disgusted by the loss, it almost seemed like GMC was about to burst into tears. GMC didn’t want to hear any rationalizations or tripe about moral victories. The Bucs lost and GMC was sickened.

GMC was reminded that today, with two sacks and a forced fumble, was likely his best as a professional.

GMC, clearly emotionally drained, didn’t want to hear about it. The Bucs lost, he said, and that was what was truly important.

“The Cowboys played a great game,” GMC said. “They made the plays. We didn’t. The start? The start was fine but “finish” is the word. Doesn’t matter how well or how fast we start.

“Getting to Cowboys quarterback Tony “Romo? Doesn’t matter because we didn’t get the ‘W,’ that’s all that matters. We didn’t win, that’s all that matters.”

Joe could just feel the pain in GMC’s voice; it made a listener cringe. But Joe applauds GMC that, despite a fantastic game, he would have taken a no-tackle, no-assist, no-sack, invisible game if the result was a victory.

That’s the type of player Joe likes and appreciates.

A frustrated Bucs coach Greg Schiano spoke on the Buccaneers Radio Network following the game. Though he was polite, there was no denying the frustration in his voice amid the despair of lacking offense that blocked the Bucs from a valued road win in North Texas today.

When asked of what looked to be a scoop-and-score by Eric Wright off of a Tony Romo fumble, which would have given the Bucs a lead in the second half, Schiano dismissed any talk that the non-play cost the Bucs the win.

“It’s in the rule book,” Schiano explained. “When a whistle is blown on a play that is later determined to be a fumble, the ball is spotted at the point of the fumble recovery. It’s in the rule book.”

What Schiano did not dismiss was the rash of turnovers and stupid penalties that all but torpedoed the Bucs this afternoon.

“I thought the defense had a good day, played well and we had more pressure on the quarterback than we have had all year,” Schiano said. “But as a team, we were not ham-and-egging it too well. We had too many penalties, too many turnovers. We will get it fixed. We had an opportunity to win on the road and two weeks in a row we didn’t finish it and make it happen. That’s part of our growth, I imagine, but it is frustrating.

“It is disappointing. We did not find a way to win; I did not as a coach. Dallas is a good football team. I’m not going to make any excuses. We got whooped. The beauty of it is six days from now we will play the Redskins.”

Much like Chucky couldn’t figure out how to use both Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway, Mike Sullivan can’t find a way to maximize the talents of LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin.

Rookie Doug Martin has 63 carries under his NFL belt, and Martin is averaging 3.4 yards per carry.

The ol’ ball coach says, “Stats are for losers,” but Joe knows otherwise.

Look, Joe’s not down on Martin, but clearly his production is not what it needs to be yet for the Bucs to be successful.

LeGarrette Blount, who averaged 4.2 yards a carry during an “off season” in 2011, remains on the bench.

Clearly, Mike Sullivan can’t figure out how to use both players, let alone how dangerous the Bucs might be with a few plays designed to get both Blount and Martin on the field at the same time. This reminds Joe of how Chucky couldn’t find a way to get Joey Galloway and Antonio Bryant on the field together.

Joe just doesn’t get it, especially from Sullivan who comes from an offense that found a way to use three running backs successfully in 2008, and routinely rotated Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs for years after.

Bucs fans haven’t seen ferocious, relentless defensive end play like Michael Bennett has turned out this season in many, many years.

Bennett was a handful last week without recording a sack, but this week Bennett shined for all to see. Dallas right tackle Doug Free didn’t known what hit him. Bennett had two sacks, was stout against the run and never let up, even late in the fourth quarter he tipped Tony Romo’s first-down pass when the Cowboys were driving to lead by two scores.

Bennett has three sacks in three games and is en route to a massive unrestricted free agent payday if he can stay healthy.

There’s a lot to celebrate on the Bucs defensive line. Hopefully they’ll make a meal out of an athletic rookie QB next week against Washington.

Joe’s trying to remember a worse day for Josh Freeman, and he can’t, short of the last game of the horrible 2011 season.

Freeman couldn’t find open receivers, couldn’t get rid of the ball, threw too often to receivers who were defended, rarely stretched the field.

When there were open receivers, Freeman couldn’t quite get the ball to the receivers, and in some cases, that’s being polite.

In a play-by-play summary on NFL.com, even professionals in the press box seemed to guess who was covering some Bucs receivers they were so wide open.

As Joe stated earlier, Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan did Freeman no favors today. Here is a guy gifted with wheels. Did SUllivan call for a play for Freeman to roll out, dodge the heat from the Cowboys’ pass pressure and perhaps make a play with his feet? No!

Oh, Mr. Sullivan, you seem like a swell guy, but running Doug Martin up the middle each and every first down is beginning to become tiresome. Just a hunch, but NFL defenses can figure out this pattern too.

Hat tip to Twitter follower @BennyCL for the graphic.

Once a upon a time, Josh Freeman consistently made plays with his legs. He extended plays. He was dangerous, like Tony Romo, Ben Roethlisburger and other quarterbacks that feel the game and deliver the magic that defines an elite quarterback, and Freeman was the No. 2 rushing quarterback in the NFL in 2010.

Nowadays, Freeman looks more like Brian Griese. And Freeman plays like he’s got too much coaching swirling around in his head. It’s as if Freeman’s instincts are in hiding.

Today, Freeman was almost as bad as his offensive coordinator.

There are no more excuses for Freeman.

Decent quarterback play would have won today’s game for the Bucs. It’s not acceptable for a fourth-year quarterback with 40+ starts.

The Bucs are going nowhere fast if Freeman can’t become an above average quarterback.

It appears the time has come for Bucs cornerback Myron Lewis to begin a search for a real estate agent.

The third-year Bucs cornerback has largely been invisible in his NFL career, largely because he is oft-injured. When there is a Lewis sighting, it is often cringe-worthy. He is far more apt to get torched like a welding arc than he is to make a productive play.

Then there was his little stunt today. Late in the game when the Bucs defense was putting forth a heroic effort to keep the Bucs in the game, down by a touchdown, the Bucs force a punt.

On the punt return, Lewis tried to play tough guy and was flagged for unnecessary roughness. In other words, Lewis was a fool.

It was a grossly immature, head-up-your-caboose penality, as if there is a neccesary penalty.

When Lewis came to the bench, FOX TV cameras caught Bucs coach Greg Schiano having choice words with Lewis. It didn’t take much imagination to figure out what one of Schiano’s words were.

Simply put, Joe can’t see how Lewis is still on the roster when Schiano has gotten rid of players who at least are somewhat productive when they take the field. Preston Parker springs to mind; at least he was a threat on offense. Lewis is a threat all right: a threat to the Bucs’ progress.

What does it say that an undrafted free agent (Leonard Johnson) and a guy off the street (Brandon MacDonald) are as high or higher on the depth chart than Lewis?

Joe is trying to recall any play Lewis has made in his three NFL seasons that benefited the Bucs. Despite being of sober mind, Joe’s mind is failing.

First, let Joe say that the replacement refs really looked like garbage today in Dallas. It’s no exaggeration to say this was a horribly called game.

And this mess that Roger Goodell has treated fans to cost the Bucs a touchdown today — and possibly the game.

Michael Bennett sacked Tony Romo cleanly in the third quarter with the Bucs trailing 10-7. Romo fumbled and Eric Wright scooped up the ball and ran 30 yards or so into the end zone. Touchdown. Right?

Nope.

The clueless zebras senselessly believed Romo was in the grasp or already down. It was reversed on a challenge, but rules state the Bucs can’t be awarded advancement of the ball on the reversal.

Of course, as was the case nearly all game, the Bucs did nothing with the turnover, went backwards, in fact, and punted.

And while Joe’s on the officials, what did Myron Lewis do to deserve a key personal foul in the fourth quarter on punt return team?

Terrible day for the zebrasa. It’s bad enough the Bucs offense was dreaful. To have a TD stolen is disgusting.