Nothing steams Joe more than hearing chatter from those who blame the Bucs’ woes on a lack of talent.

Sorry. Joe can’t let those through. It’s a bogus take, floated this week by beat writer Stephen Holder and now ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas. The latter, in an ESPN live chat today, says Freeman’s struggling because he has a bunch of second-rate talent around him.

CC (Atlanta): Aaron (Bay Area) is right. Freeman should get alot more heat. You just make excuses for him. Funny… you have no problem blasting Matt Ryan despite a porous OL. And Ryan has been alot better than Josh this season.

Pat Yasinskas: Yeah, Ryan has been better than Freeman this year. And I don’t think I’ve blasted Ryan very much. My point on Freeman is this — have you seen what’s around him? A very bad team in a lot of ways.

First, the Bucs have a punishing 1,000 yard rusher in the backfield that they refuse to use with regularity.

Second, the Bucs have a very high-priced offensive line with two guys, Donald Penn and Davin Joseph, universally viewed with upper-echelon regard. That’s a damn good line in front of Freeman.

Third, Mike Williams was voted the 80th best player in the NFL by his peers for a reason this offseason. Anyone who watched the 2010 combine could see he was the most talented college receiver behind Dez Bryant, and he proved it his rookie year. He’s had too many drops this season, but Williams is not a “bad” player by any stretch. Arrellious Benn is a legitmate threat used all too sparingly. Preston Parker is the best slot receiver the Bucs have had since Ike Hilliard, far better than Sammie Stroughter last season.

Joe could go on, but the point is this offense with largely the same cast and coordinator moved the ball very well the second half of last season and churned up fat yardage on the ground. They even seemed to have an identity.

It’s not a “very bad team” around Freeman as Yasinskas claims. Joe has no explanation for Blount’s use, or lack thereof, or why the Bucs haven’t adapted to the increasing man coverage on their receivers. But Joe’s quite sure the answers aren’t that all these guys have turned into a pile of crap. The coaching just isn’t getting nearly enough out of them.

The thumping of the war drums is getting louder from a circle of fans, and it’s not the drum circle on the beach on Sunday afternoons at Treasure Island.

The drums are for a new coach.

There is a sect of Bucs fans that never accepted Raheem Morris from Day 1. Their yelps are growing louder with the Bucs seemingly free falling.

Now let Joe be crystal clear: He is not advocating a change in leadership. In fact, barring a complete meltdown, Joe doesn’t see Team Glazer making a change.

But like a Bucs win cannot be predicted at Lambeau Field Sunday, nor can Joe predict what Team Glazer is doing in the background, or what their mindset is. But eye-RAH! Kaufman is of the mind that how the team hustles will determine Morris’ job security.

The Glazers have not proven to be impulsive owners when it comes to making a change at the top. Tony Dungy lasted six years, Jon Gruden walked the Buc sidelines for seven seasons, and Morris is only one year removed from a 10-6 finish.

But when it comes to lack of effort, head coaches are vulnerable. You could argue some Bucs quit on Morris in the Houston game, and you can be sure the Glazers will be watching very carefully the rest of the way to gauge how hard the Bucs are playing.

Toward the end of his 3-13 first season, Morris could point with pride that the Bucs kept playing hard in December. Sunday’s debacle against the Texans might be an indication that his message is no longer getting through to the league’s youngest club.

A lot of this talk of Morris’ job security will vanish if the Bucs pull off the improbable and beat the Pack. As Joe pointed out earlier this week: At some point, it stands to reason the Packers will lose a game. The Bucs are on a losing streak. No one believes the Bucs won’t win another game. The Packers breezed through Minnesota Monday and on are on a short week and likely looking past the Bucs to Detroit on Thanksgiving.

In the immortal words of Joaquin Andujar, “Youneverknow.”

On Wednesday, Joe brought word that former NFL personnel executive turned NFL.com writer and NFL Network talking head Mike Lombardi skewered the Bucs and Raheem Morris on the league website.

Per St. Pete Times scribe Rick Stroud, Raheem indirectly fired a shot back at Lombardi this afternoon before media at One Buc Palace.

Raheem explains that ignorant clowns don’t upset him. 

“Here’s the deal,” Morris said. “When we were young kids, right? I went to school, I was 6 years old, 7 years old. And this guy saw my grandmother and said my grandmother ran like a bulldog. And I beat the heck out of him. I beat the heck out of him. I went home and my mom was so disappointed that I beat the heck out of him. She said, “Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter what people say about you. It doesn’t matter what people say about your family.’ So I learned that lesson a long time ago not to get upset with clowns that don’t really know what they’re talking about that have something to say. So we’ve moved on. I learned that lesson. I don’t have to react to that kind of stuff.”

Joe finds this awfully amusing. 

Jason Howowitz and Pat Kirwan look at the Bucs-Packers game in this CBSSports.com video. Kirwan criticizes Josh Freeman’s reading of coverages and explains how the Bucs could get “slaughtered,” among other points.

When a team allows more than 400 yards a game (second worst in the NFL), usually the defensive coordinator comes under fire.

Yesterday, it was Tampa Tribune writer eye-RAH! Kaufman  turning up the heat under the Bucs’ defensive coordinator during an interview on Primetime on WHBO-AM 1040. Unsolicited, Kaufman talked about how he’s getting lots of questions about Raheem Morris’ ability to lead the defense, and Kaufman said Raheem might be under pressure to ease his workload if he returns in 2012.

“If they don’t turn things around, it’s going to be a big offseason question, ‘If he comes back, should he relinquish the D-coordinator?’ If it’s up to him, he’s not giving it up,” Kaufman said. “So, you know maybe it’s a question of, ‘Hey, if you want to come back [Raheem], you have to go hire somebody.’ Look at Wade Phillips … a very good assistant can have a big impact. I’m not saying the job is too big for Raheem. But the numbers are the numbers. They can’t stop anybody right now.”

For Joe, it’s way too early to start thinking about next season. As Joe’s written countless times before, Joe would be happy to see the Bucs hire a coaching consultant now, to not only assist Raheem with the defense but scrutinize the Bucs’ slow starts.

As for Kaufman’s suggestion of Raheem potentially stepping aside as defensive coordinator, Joe can’t envision that scenario. Considering Jim Bates was handpicked to run the defense at the start of the regime, Joe can’t see another switch in the cards.  

It amuses Joe when readers pound their fist on their laptops because popular sports radio personality Adam Schein does not discuss the Bucs each week in his award-winning Cosmic Schein, produced by FoxSports.com. Oh, but this week Schein does discuss the Bucs. In short, be careful what you wish for.

With rare exception, JoeBucsFan.com sticks to Bucs-related material. After all, this is your mecca for all things Bucs. But today Joe must comment on the fascinating game on NFL Network last night. (Yes, Joe still thinks your manhood is in question if you don’t have the channel.)

Seeing how John Fox and the Broncos have completely transformed their offense to get the most out of their lack of talent at quarterback is truly remarkable. Winning with wishbones and options against the Jets defense? Unbelievable.  

Joe’s not suggesting the Bucs dive into such a bizarre hybrid of ancient NFL and modern college ball, but what the Broncos are doing speaks to the value of an offensive coordinator. The Broncos could have stuck with the offense they ran with Kyle Orton to start the season, stuck Tim Tebow in it and then blamed “execution” when he failed, but their coaches took the reigns and crafted something that maximized their talent.

Joe’s seen largely these same Bucs score points left and right during the second half of last season, and have their moments this year. Yeah, the players must execute, but if they continue to fail, the coaches might have to reassess everything in a hurry.

As Joe’s written, the essence of coaching — win or lose — is getting the most out of your talent.  

Joe has seen it literally daily on this very corner of the interwebs from the day Raheem Morris was announced as the Bucs coach on that January Saturday afternoon in 2009: for reasons not totally known, a segment of fans loathe Raheem Morris, hate Raheem Morris and will not rest soundly until the day Raheem Morris cleans out his desk at One Buc Palace.

Well, Joe’s got some ugly information for this sect of fans by way of Pat Yasinskas of ESPN: Morris has more wins in his first three seasons than some of the iconic coaches in NFL history who have their busts in Canton.

Morris is 17-24. That’s’ not great, but Morris already has more wins than some very big names had in their first three seasons as a head coach. Tom Landry had nine wins. Jeff Fisher had 16. Chuck Noll had 12 and Mike Shanahan had 16.

Morris and the Bucs still have seven games left to play. That means he’s in striking distance of the win totals put up by Bill Belichick (20), Bill Walsh (21), Marv Levy (19), Bill Parcells (22) and Dick Vermeil (18) in their first three seasons.

Imagine what the history of the Steelers or Cowboys would be if not for Noll and Landry, respectively?

Does this mean Morris will guide the Bucs to multiple Super Bowls? Odds are no, but that does mean Morris perhaps should be cut some slack.

In this TBO Bucs vlog, Woody Cummings and eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune explain why Thumbgate is overblown and what some of the Bucs players think of the way LeGarrette Blount is (un)used.

Nothing like an NFL Films look inside a game. Joe’s just hooked on this stuff that makes the Real Man Channel, NFL Network, an absolute must.

During the Bucs-Texans game Sunday, Josh Freeman wore the famous NFL Films microphone, and you can watch a 3+ minute compilation here and get a look inside the game.

Sadly, it’s also a great look at how Dezmon Briscoe, Mike Williams and Arrellious Benn let down Freeman on Sunday.

Unless it involves calculating cash, poker-pot odds or handicapping racing forms, Joe’s not too interested in math.

Joe doesn’t play fantasy football or buy into how the numbers crowd has soiled baseball. But Joe will look at stats and assess their worth.

In an annoying yet interesting piece for Grantland.com, Bill Barnwell rolls out some sort of fancy “Pythagorean expectation,” as he calls it, to explain that the Bucs have run into an historically tough schedule. Here’s a snippet:

The closest example of a schedule this tough was in 2000, when the Washington Redskins played six games against teams who had an average Pythagorean expectation of 11.6 wins. That group included both the eventual Super Bowl winners (Ravens) and losers (Giants), along with the Titans (13-3), Eagles (11-5), and Buccaneers (10-6), each of whom made the playoffs. The 7-9 Jaguars, who had a Pythagorean expectation of 9.1 wins, finished out the slate. Amazingly, the Redskins went 5-1 against this murderer’s row and still managed to miss the playoffs. It’s no surprise that Norv Turner was involved.

Feel free to click through above to make your head spin delve into the exciting world of football math.

Yes, the Bucs have had a very tough schedule. For Joe, however, that’s really not the issue. The problem is how the team is playing. Joe suspects fans would rally behind a young 4-5 Bucs team if it was a hard-hitting competitive bunch. If they can re-morph into that team, then a playoff berth is still in reach.

It doesn’t all have to be bad news surrounding the sinking Bucs.

Davin Joseph, Jeremy Trueblood, Micheal Spurlock, Roy Miller and Sammie Stroughter headed out to a Tampa elementary school to work with kids as part of the NFL’s Play 60 program, so it was reported on Buccaneers.com.

“In addition to practicing their running, receiving and footwork abilities, the kids at Potter Elementary were also the recipients of a $10,000 contribution from the Buccaneers and NFL. The donation will help provide much-needed recreational equipment and educational resources to the public school in East Tampa that serves over 650 students, all of whom qualify for free lunch. 

“This gives us an opportunity to really get some things that we may not be able to afford to purchase for ourselves and for the kids,” said school Principal Kimberly Thompson. “Just having that huge donation will allow us to purchase sports equipment along with some books. Our goal is not only just to make them healthy on the outside, but get their brains working as well.”

This stuff is great to hear. It sure humbled Joe to read that the entire student body referenced qualifies for free lunch. That almost seems impossible, considering the low income threshold required for the government program. Not one kid there living out of poverty? These surely are tough times.

Joe hopes the Bucs eventually score one those Play 60 school bus commercials that play incessantly on NFL Network. Perhaps the best thing about this season is not having to watch Arthur Blank and the stupid Falcons mascot bopping their heads over and over, pretending to have rhythm on the bus.

Joe would much prefer to see Bryan Glazer feeling the beat sandwiched between Cody Grimm and Aqib Talib as they ride down Florida Avenue.

The crew that covers the Packers for the Green Bay Gazette discuss stock options, financial talking heads, and the state of the Packers as the Super Bowl champs prepare for the Bucs Sunday.

Prior to the Bucs game with the Texans last Sunday, Joe got a brief moment with Rich Gannon. The former Super Bowl quarterback was in town to call the game for CBS-TV. As a result, Gannon got to spend time watching the Bucs practice Friday and had one-on-one interviews with Bucs players and coaching staff members. Currently, football fans enjoy listening to Gannon as he co-hosts “The Blitz” with popular sports radio personality Adam Schein, heard exclusively weekdays on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

JoeBucsFan: Your observations of Josh Freeman, why is he struggling?

Rich Gannon: I think there are a number of factors. The fact they have been inconsistent running the football, that has factored into it. I think another thing is he has taken some unnecessary risks with the ball. He’s been a little bit more aggressive. I talked to him on Friday about that and he said he came out in the beginning of the season and was overly aggressive. He tried to fit every ball in there, taking chances with it. I think he has learned you can’t do that.

I think he trusts some players. He trusts a guy like Mike Williams, he trusts a guy like Kellen Winslow. You have to be able to pull it in. The one [thing] that really troubles you is the five interceptions in the red zone, four coming on first downs.

Another thing I have seen on tape is that he at times is sloppy with his footwork. He gets a little lazy, not getting away from the center fast enough. I think a lot of that is being in a shotgun so much, you can develop bad habits, you are just sitting there.

I see him falling away from throws at times when there is pressure inside. There are some things, some fundaments and some technical things he needs to work on, but hey, he has a ton of talent. He’s a big, strong guy who stands in there and is willing to take a hit. He just has to fight his way through it. He is capable.

Joe: There has been some talk that the Bucs receivers aren’t getting open is a factor in his struggles. How do you see that?

Gannon: I don’t think either one of those guys [Bucs receivers] are speed demons. They are guys who use their size. The receivers have to get separation and you don’t see that right now on the film.

The Twilight Zone theme music eerily pounded through Joe’s head as he drove on I-275 listening to The Josh Freeman Show on WDAE-AM 620 last night.

Freeman was talking about having lengthy football conversations with Albert Haynesworth after the Bucs-Texans game. Freeman praised Haynesworth and said he valued having a veteran like Haynesworth around and called him “a mentor.”

Joe looked in his back seat to see of there was Talking Tina doll there waiting to stab him.

All this Haynesworth stuff is just surreal to Joe. Joe’s rooting hard for Haynesworth. The Bucs desperately need him to perform. But it’s still hard to accept that No. 95 is a positive influence who left all his baggage on the plane from New England.

Yesterday, Raheem Morris praised Haynesworth for being communicative and for his work ethic, describing a scene of seeing Haynesworth already in at One Buc Palace working with trainers at 8 a.m. Wednesday. “He just wants to help his team win,” Raheem said.

Joe hopes it continues. Haynesworth has to know his career rides on his performance and behavior over the next seven weeks.

Step aside, Nostradamus, Scott Reynolds is in the house.

Per a report on PewterReport.com, the lead writer of the online outfit says he’s 100 percent sure the Bucs will open the team checkbook in 2012 and start wining and dining the big names when the free agency bell sounds in March.

“… Mark down these words. This team will be an active player in free agency next year,” Reynolds said on something called Pewter Report Radio. “The plan, as I’ve come to understand it from talking to several people inside the building, is to have three draft classes to acquire talent and depth that has experience. Then, I believe next year, you will see this team go out and get some big-time free agents at key positions, some we know about and some yet to be defined. But there will be the free agency splash coming next year. I can guarantee you that.”

Hmm, well, Joe has marked it down, as Reynolds’ requested. But Joe’s not sure he’s buying this one. Though given the glaring liabilities in the Bucs’ linebacking corps and the desperate need for another running back, among other needs, Joe’s not seeing how the Bucs can draft their way into the coveted lasting contender status next season.

The lovely Tiffany Simons and Gregg Rosenthal discuss who should not be blamed for the Bucs struggles in this NBCSports.com video.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Former Bucs defensive end Steve White (1996-2001) is a real treat to have around town investing time enlightening Bucs fans.

White’s a true student of football, a deeply passionate Bucs fan, and he takes the time to watch Bucs games numerous times and share his detailed and entertaining takes. It also helps that he understands the intricacies of the Bucs defense. You may disagree with White, but he calls it straight from his knowledgable football head, as well as his heart. 

Tuesday, White took to the Internet-only airwaves, those unregulated by FCC profanity statutes. He joined Derek “Old School” Fournier on WhatTheBuc.net to breakdown the Bucs-Texans debacle. This was not a broadcast for young children or squeamish types.

Needless to say, Joe enjoyed it very much.

White unloaded on offensive coordinator Greg Olson, saying he deserves a big share of the blame for the Bucs’ impotent offense. How bad was it? White said he would take Mike Shula immediately to replace Olson.

White explained in great detail, but in the center of the cauldron is the inexplicable lack of use of LeGarrette Blount. He also begs the Bucs’ brass to stop the BS of calling the Bucs a running football team.

Joe found himself standing and applauding in front of his laptop numerous times. Why Joe hasn’t cheered that much since the Bucs’ last victory. You can listen to the broadcast here. 

Here’s one of White’s take on Kregg Lumpkin.

“We got a running back in Kregg Lumpkin that absolutely 100 percent is not looking to block anybody on a passing play. All he’s looking for is, ‘What’s the quickest way I can get out into this route? Because I know Josh is going to have to throw it to me because there ain’t nobody blocking for his ass.’ 

“Listen, Kregg Lumpkin is not a good football player. He’s our third-down back somehow. Don’t ask me how that happened. This is a guy who had several opportunities on Sunday to get first downs, and I swear, every single time he made the wrong cut or the wrong decision to get the final yard or yard and a half to get the fu*kn first down.

“So now we got an offense where we have a quarterback whose confidence is obviously shaky. You’re not giving him any help. You’re not chipping the defensive ends. You’re not leaving anybody in to help block. So he knows that he’s going to get hit pretty soon after he gets the ball out of shotgun. So he’s looking to throw it as soon as possible. Then everbody gets on his ass about throwing interceptions and being aggresssive.  … So [Freeman’s] like, ‘Let me hit the dumpoff pass and jog off the field.’ Man, we’ve got the most inept offense I’ve seen around here in a long time.”

Joe’s no fan of Olson, though the offensive coordinator surely has been stymied by numerous drops and a quarterback who’s not throwing the ball like he did last year. But the Bucs offense is inexplicable at times, (Joe’s given up on ever seeing a pounding of Blount) and the first quarter results aren’t merely coincidence.

OK boys and girls, here is the TV map for the 1 p.m. eastern time kickoffs on Fox. You will see the Bucs-Packers game (in red) will be broadcast to much of the nation. Fox’s No. 1 crew, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, will call the game. (Click on the image for a larger view.)

Red: Bucs at Packers
Blue: Dallas at Redskins
Yellow: Panthers at Lions
Green: Cardinals at 49ers, 3 p.m.
Brown: Seahawks at Rams, 3 p.m.

Image courtesy of the506.com.

"Hey Coach, remember me?"

The Bucs are the youngest team in the NFL. Rarely do teams with a roster full of young talent do much unless they have a quarterback that is the new standard of excellence, such as an Aaron Rodgers.

So it stands to reason the young Bucs are still learning the ropes. That’s what Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik suggested yesterday while chatting with Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

“We are going through some growing pains, obviously, with this football team right now,” Dominik said while watching a workout at One Buc Place. “But in terms of being panicked or desperate or worried, I’m not at that point.”

Tampa Bay is coming off a 37-9 loss to the Houston Texans in which players’ effort was called into question by head coach Raheem Morris.

“We have a high standard around here in terms of what a loaf is in terms of Buccaneers history,” Dominik said. “So, when an effort is questioned, it is because we hold guys to a very high standard.”

Why are the Bucs struggling this year? Well, Dominik is on to something, of course. But there are other factors as well; it’s not just one element fans can point a finger at.

There is a much tougher schedule, certainly, and injuries have played a smaller role. When your stud running back has a hurt knee and your franchise quarterback has a bum thumb, it sort of limits your options.

No offseason for the Bucs to gel also likely hurt the team worse than anyone cares to admit.

"Olie, you can still be your best self and dial up a first quarter touchdown."

Joe’s fascinated by new media and all it’s done for sports coverage. Especially the way leagues like the NFL allow biting commentary on their official websites. That’s fun stuff.

Though Joe wonders how much fun the folks at One Buc Palace are having with former NFL executive Mike Lombardi’s latest blast on NFL.com. Lombardi also doubles as a frequent analyst on NFL Network. He penned an I-told-you-so piece on the Bucs today, essentially saying his fears after the Bucs were torched in the preseason by the Patriots have led to the sad state of the Bucs today.

Here’s a snippet: 

My premise this summer was that the Bucs were a young team that could be molded the right way. They were like a college team that craved leadership and needed to learn how to be a pro, and Morris had their full attention. But Morris chose not to put the hammer on them and made excuses for their poor play. Now, Morris has been making excuses for them all season. The Bucs are young as babies, but Morris does not have to baby them. He should lead them.

When the Bucs came from behind at Minnesota to win their first game in Week 2 and followed it up with a home victory against the Falcons, everything seemed fine — the young Bucs were getting it. But then they got blown out in San Francisco — no problem, just a bad day, because the next week they beat the Saints. These inconsistent patterns are typical of a young team.

But that way of thinking is very dangerous. Being inconsistent shouldn’t be blamed on youth. There is an old saying in football, “You are either coaching it, or allowing it to happen.” Being inconsistent happens. It happens because there is not a high level of competition at practice, bad practices are tolerated and there is no attention to detail. And all this occurs because no one is accountable.

You can click above to read the entire column.

Man, the heat is cranking up under Raheem Morris. And as Joe has written numerous times, that’s where the heat belongs, versus being directed at the front office. Joe might feel differently if the coaching staff was getting the most out of its roster, but that’s nowhere near the case.

Earlier this week, former Super Bowl quarterback Rich Gannon, who co-hosts “The Blitz” with popular sports radio personality Adam Schein, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, stated after watching the Bucs lose to Houston, “I’m convinced Josh Freeman is not 100 percent,” referring to Freeman’s sprained thumb.

Gannon was correct, so Freeman told Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times, though Freeman insists his thumb is improving.

Freeman was asked if the injury has had any effect on how he can throw or grip the football: “Maybe a little bit,” Freeman said. “But at the same time, being out there, you can’t really make excuses for anything. If you’re going to be out there playing, you’ve got to go out and prepare to play well.

“The Bears game, I kind of strained it. Then, right out of the gate in the Saints game, it gets hit again. Then it gets hit again and again. I’m feeling really good about it because this past week, Houston, I didn’t get it hit at all. I mean it feels good. Maybe the Saints were going for it, maybe not. I don’t know.”

Since injuring his thumb, Freeman has a unnerving Trent Dilfer-like touchdown-to-interception ratio of two touchdowns and seven interceptions.

It’s a good thing Freeman’s thumb is improving. If the Bucs have a prayer of beating the Packers in Green Bay Sunday, Freeman will have to play like the stud quarterback he showed last season, given the fact that the Bucs simply refuse to use LeGarrette Blount.