Two of Lovie Smith’s hand-picked free agents found their names on SI.com’s “Most Disappointing” NFL team of 2014.

Joe isn’t quite sure the word “disappointing” fits the 2014 Bucs season. “Galling” springs to mind.

For Joe, disappointing would be if the Bucs just missed out on the playoffs, much like in 2010, when they lost a tiebreaker to Green Bay and watched the playoffs at home; only the second time the Bucs had double-digit wins since winning the Super Bowl. [read more]

Joe finds himself longing for 2012, when Tampa Bay owned the NFL’s ninth-ranked offense.

Not only do the Bucs have a shot at the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2015, the Bucs are in striking distance of consecutive seasons owning the worst-ranked offense in the NFL. [read more]

A national breakdown

Joe has just about tapped out his vocabulary detailing how miserable and how dreadful the Bucs offensive line has been. And to think the Bucs wanted this offensive line after gutting the roster from the previous regime. [read more]

Joe can’t emphasize enough how important it is for the Bucs to score the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.

The Bucs have the No. 2 pick locked up, but that’s nowhere near good enough. [read more]

With one more loss, this horrific Bucs season will go down as one of the very worst in franchise history. Given this team’s gruesome past, that is saying a lot.

Football coaches love to coach. But even Bucs coach Lovie Smith is tapped out. [read more]

Ronde Barber is down on the Bucs — in 2015.

Bucs icon Ronde Barber is down on his old team.

How far down? Barber writes off the Bucs for 2015. [read more]

Gerald McCoy is headed to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. Lavonte David will stay home.

Here’s a smile — and a frown — amidst this historically sour Bucs season. [read more]

It was that time again, for Joe’s weekly hour with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve “Big Dog” Duemig of WDAE-AM 620.

This evening, Joe and Duemig wrestled with the critical Bucs topics of the day and fan feedback. [read more]

Numbers suggest Johnthan Banks should be in the Pro Bowl discussion.

Today, Bucs coach Lovie Smith waxed poetic over a few Bucs players who he thinks ought to be playing in the Pro Bowl.

The rosters will be announced in a special broadcast tonight on the NFL Network.

Naturally, Lovie stumped for Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David, two guys he raved about for both their play, skill and professionalism. [read more]

How critical is the situation on the Buccaneers’ offensive line?

Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht says if the Tampa Bay can’t generate a fast fix, then they’re looking at multiple years of doom. [read more]

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers simply had too many tricks up his sleeve for the Bucs.

It was obvious before the Packers game that unless future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers had his typical lousy Tampa afternoon, he was going to light up the Bucs.

Well, he didn’t exactly go Dan Marino, but he sure was effective, as was the Bucs’ deep pass defense. In short, Rodgers took what the Bucs gave him and that wasn’t deep passes, documents Rob Demovsky of ESPN. [read more]

Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, national champion James Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. [read more]

Adrian Clayborn got plenty of face time on the Bucs-Packers broadcast on FOX, patrolling the sidelines with his teammates.

Will he be back next season? [read more]

Josh McCown turns 36 years old before next season, and he’s taken quite a beating lately.

So Joe thought it was timely to ask McCown today whether he’s thinking about hanging it up after the season, and whether he’s thinking about Sunday possibly being his last game. [read more]

Tomorrow, Joe will compare results here to those of previous weeks.

Julius Peppers snapped out of his slump to blow by Bucs G Josh Allen and rock Josh McCown. The Bucs must revamp their offensive line. Again.

Memo to NFL defensive lines: The Bucs have what ails ya’. If a defensive line is in a slump, it will magically snap out of it against Tampa Bay.

Take the Packers and former Lovie Smith protege Julius Peppers (a guy Joe hoped the Bucs would have signed last offseason). Peppers of late had been in a sack slump.

Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette noted, in fact, Peppers hadn’t had a sack since Thanksgiving. [read more]

The head coach’s list of names had notable inclusions and omissions

On Lovie Smith’s radio show last night, the coach was asked a simple question sent in by a fan.

“What hope can you give us for next year?” [read more]

Lovie Smith weighs in on Akeem Spence

One undeniable thing about second-year defensive tackle Akeem Spence is his strength. The man is known for being one of those brutally strong, fire-hydrant type of dudes.

You’re not going to see him get blown off the ball, though Joe’s not saying Spence is Pro Bowl material. [read more]