How does three in a row feel?

The Bucs’ second-half offensive impotence didn’t matter today. The defense and specials rose up big — without Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and Mason Foster. Unknown safety Kelcie McCray drilled Calvin Johnson near the goal line to dislodge the ball and lead to a Johnthan Banks game-icing interception.

Your New Schiano Order Buccaneers just beat a good football team. On the road!

The Bucs’ offensive line lost the battle in the trenches, but it didn’t matter with Mike Glennon converting his deep shots and staying pretty damn cool for a rookie.

The Bucs are back to their punt-blocking ways, with the second in as many weeks.

There’s a swagger about the Bucs right now. They believe, and it feels damn good.

OK boys and girls. It is a Sunday in late November. Just about everywhere in the NFL it is freezing. But not in the balmy dome known as Ford Field, where the Bucs and Lions grapple today.

Joe has scant hopes for a win today. The Lions have a good passing attack and the Bucs are decimated by injuries and suspensions in the secondary. The Lions likely will not need Calvin Johnson today so the anticipated duel between Darrelle Revis and Johnson may not even be a factor.

As always, please do not post URLs of illegal, pirated video streams of the game but Joe encourages you to e-mail them among yourselves.

Have fun and go Bucs!

Bucs Wide receiver Chris Owusu — remember him? — avoided the inactive list today.

Dashon Goldson is suspended, and here are the other official inactives in Detroit: recently-signed fullback Lonnie Pryor, LB Mason Foster (concussion), G Patrick Omameh, G Carl Nicks (MRSA), DT Gary Gibson & DE Steven Means.

Game 11

Bucs (2-8) at Lions (6-4)

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: WTVT-TV, Channel 13, locally. Outside the Tampa Bay area, DirecTV Channel 708.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM 103.5, and WDAE-AM 620); SiriusXM Channel 136.

Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, good thing the Bucs are playing in a soulless dome today because the weather in Detroit is ugly. For Bucs fans who may brave the elements to tailgate, it is in the low 20s this morning and by kickoff should be a toasty 25 degrees and that should hold through late afternoon.

Odds: Per FootballLocks.com, Lions -8.

Outlook: Matthew Stafford, amazingly, has taken the fewest sacks among NFL starting quarterbacks while attempting the most passes. You think the Bucs’ pass rush can get to him? Highly doubtful. And that should be a giant problem for the Bucs’ depleted secondary, which will be relying heavily on injured Johnthan Banks (shoulder) and Leonard Johnson, who has been disappointing in his second year.

Reports out of Detroit have been raving about how tight end Brandon Pettigrew has had a complete season and is getting more involved, and the Lions get back their No. 2 receiver Nate Burleson, which means Bucs fans likely won’t benefit from the Lions trotting out Michaeal Clayton Kevin Ogletree. And then there’s Reggie Bush out of the backfield, in addition to all things Calvin Johnson.

This should be a nightmare game for the Bucs if they can’t generate a pass rush.

*Fun note: “Run Micheal Run” Spurlock returns punts for Detroit.

So with the the Bucs’ secondary decimated by suspension and injury, and the Lions likely getting back Burleson, this is ripe for a blowout. Joe thinks the only way the Bucs can win is if they play keepaway. Let the newfound rush blocking for the Bucs lead the way. Feed the ball to Bobby Rainey.

The old adage of “Offenses can’t score if they don’t have the ball” certainly applies today.

Apparently in honor of today’s true head-to-head matchup of elite NFL superstars Darrelle Revis and Calvin Johnson (Joe can’t freakin’ wait!), The Tampa Tribune cobbled together a long series of quotes from various NFL and Bucs sources that detail what Revis brings to the game.

Joe found one from Darren Woodson noteworthy. Woodson references that Revis’ interception total (21) is extraordinary for a player who is primarily in press coverage, which doesn’t lead to many clean interception opportunities.

And here’s a good one from Chucky: (You can click here to read them all.)

“He’s got ideal size and strength. He’s not fast on the watch, and maybe that’s why he wasn’t a Top 10 draft pick, but Revis is a tremendous technician. He takes a lot of pride in playing press coverage and he can lock you out. He reads splits and he’s a detail freak. He knows when he has help, where he has help and when he doesn’t have help. And he can change his leverage unlike any guy I’ve ever seen. He can be physical or rely on finesse. I’ve seen him literally throw Terrell Owens off the video screen with his strength.’’ — Jon Gruden, ESPN analyst

Dekoda Watson, stripped of his starting linebacker job this month, was seen as an edge rusher on the left and right sides of the defensive line last week against Atlanta. Watch for a lot more of that today.

Watson wasn’t blitzing on those downs. He had his hand on the turf and was a replacement for the Bucs’ rather anemic pass-rushing ends.

Greg Schiano and Bill Sheridan both spoke last week about the speed element Watson brings off the edge, and fans saw the results when Watson impeded Matt Ryan’s arm, which led to Mason Fosters pick-6 while the Bucs-Falcons game was still close.

Of course, this all ties into the Bucs’ new listen-to-McCoy strategy of taking a more direct route to the quarterback. Speed rushers are negated if they’re asked to dance and run inside rush games that look like a synchronized swimming.

Joe’s made the case that the Bucs are losing confidence in Adrian Clayborn for his poor production for a first-round pick. In this game today especially, the Bucs will need a pass rush to stop the pass-happy Lions. Matthew Stafford throws more per game than any QB in the NFL and takes the fewest sacks, a stunning stats combination.

Joe will be looking for plenty of Watson today. Perhaps he can be the one (finally) to capitalize on having a Pro Bowl defensive tackle creating havoc for offensive lines.

Gerald McCoy explains that he had enough

One of the coolest, nicest guys you can ever meet in the national NFL press corps is Peter Schrager of FOX Sports, who is simply a workaholic. You may be familiar with Scharger’s work for FoxSports.com or his Sunday hits on Fox News Network. Schrager really is a cool cat.

How so? Last week, Joe found an e-mail from Schrager in his in-box. Schrager recently started a weekly NFL podcast and he wanted to tip Joe off to a podcast he did with Bucs stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (the podcast also recounts a visit Schrager made to One Buc Palace and some behind-the-scenes stuff that is really cool).

Anyway, GMC stated that before the Seattle game, he finally had his fill of all the crazy stunts Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan had the Bucs dancing around in, which rendered the Bucs pass rush listless.

Joe will let GMC explain the Schiano meeting in his own words to Schrager.

“Great thing about Coach Schiano, his door is always open. He’s always open to suggestions from his players. He knows what makes us comfortable with the gameplan. I made the decision, ‘You know, I am going to Coach. He will hear me out.’ [Schiano] made some changes and [starting with] Seattle, we have done a lot less stunting and he has let us go more often.”

So let’s starting connecting dots, shall we? In recent weeks, Schiano has made it clear that his coordinators are the ones calling the shots in-game. Schiano may offer a suggestion here or there but when the bullets are flying, Schiano leans on his coordinators to do their jobs. Schiano, in so many words, has said when the game is live, he’s got too much on his plate to be calling defensive or offensive plays.

Now two weeks ago, Bucs defensive tackle Akeem Spence told Joe that the defensive linemen have been begging defensive coaches (Spence was not specific who these coaches were but he did not mention Schiano’s name, either) to knock off the stunts and, in the words of Bucs icon Warren Sapp, let the defensive linemen hunt the quarterback.

So it sure smells like Sheridan is the culprit for all the stunts and that he was turning a deaf ear to the pleas of his linemen to let them go after the quarterback.

And Sheridan didn’t stop this nonsense until GMC went over his head and straight to Schiano about it.

The podcast with GMC and Schrager is roughly 35 minutes. McCoy also says NFL Films told him he was going to be mic’ed up almost a week before the Dixie Chicks game and never talked to him again because they wanted the real GMC to come out, not an acting job.

Lastly, about the Bucs’ recent turnaround, GMC said the following:

“It’s nothing to throw a parade about. But we know the talent on our team, the players we signed and the players we drafted and it just wasn’t showing.”

Until GMC went to Schiano to have him put a stop to the crazy defensive line stunts.

Some Bucs fans are still giddy this evening (no, nothing about a Saturday evening tryst) because of the running of Bobby Rainey.

Now Joe would say this is just an example that teams should not draft a running back in the first round as there are tons of talented running backs that can be found late in the draft (Mike James) or off the street (Rainey).

This is not armchair quarterbacking by Joe saying the Bucs should never have drafted Doug Martin. Hogwash. First, the Bucs traded their second round pick to jump into the late first round to get him.

One reason why Rainey was so successful so quickly is that, so types PewterReport.com chieftain Scott Reynolds, the Bucs use virtually an identical offense as Rainey played in at Western Kentucky when now-USF Willie Taggert ran the show.

“[Rainey] runs the inside zone plays so well,” said Bucs right guard Davin Joseph, whose play is improving as he is getting healthier each week. “It’s reading the defense, understanding the defense, and understanding the blocking scheme and going out there and executing. He’s been able to run in some tough looks. We’ve been able to give him some premium looks and he’s been able to capitalize on them. He’s a smart player and he really, really fits our offense.

“The guy just knows how to run power plays. It’s crazy how he reads so well and he’s able to get up in the holes. He rarely takes any negative runs or has losses on runs. He has the strength to keep the drive going, but also has that big-play factor about him.”

Of course, Joe also wants to give credit to Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik for pulling Rainey off the sidewalk to play. Sadly, Joe knows that ruins the narrative of too many haters.

Below are the areas of the country where folks can watch the Bucs-Lions game free on their local over-the-air FOX affiliate. As always, map courtesy of 506Sports.com.

NFL.com, CBS Sports and others ran wild this week when noted NFL Films senior producer and film guru Greg Cosell compared the quarterback play of Mike Glennon and Robert Griffin, III, aka RGIII.

“Mike Glennon is so far more advanced than RG3 playing NFL quarterback that it’s not even close,” Cosell said during an appearance on WHFS-FM 98.7. “They shouldn’t even be in the same discussion.”

Joe shook his head.

Cosell, of course, is dialed into the film and decision-making and execution. That’s interesting and worthwhile, but that just doesn’t account for intangibles that make guys winners and, of course, the ability to produce on the ground. Joe remembers what RGIII did to the Bucs in Tampa last year.  Through RGIII’s first seven NFL starts (Glennon has seven starts), he had 468 yards rushing with six touchdowns. Glennon can’t do such things. RGIII had passing stats similar to Glennon through those seven games, but a completion percentage over 70 percent.

Joe’s not taking anything away from Glennon’s development and progression, but at some point Joe’s got to put his foot down on stats and film and judge quarterbacks on wins and losses and playoff efforts. 

Jimminy Christmas! Can we at least see Glennon beat a team with a winning record first before saying he’s more advanced than a guy now on surgically repaired knees who put a team on his back to the playoffs in his rookie year last season? Can we please see more from Glennon before writing off Johnny Football drafting a QB in 2014? 

Yes, RGIII, like Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick, seems to have taken a significant step back after a great 2012. Only the Hall of Famers, the greats of the greats, do not. Glennon’s got a long way to go. Joe’s hopeful but can’t get caught up much yet in the Mike Glennon Mob mentality.

The leader of the New Schiano Order was asked point blank Monday on his radio show, “[With Mike Glennon performing] better, if we got a high draft pick, is that out of the question drafting a quarterback?”

Look for Schiano to get that question over and over and over.

“To start with on Mike, you know, as we talked about as Mike took over the job, we have a whole season here to be able to see how he’s improving, how he’s progressing. Up until this time I think he’s doing a great job. So I have no reason to believe that’s just not going to keep moving forward and doing the same thing. But we’ll have plenty of time to evaluate where we in the draft and all those things when the appropriate time comes,” Schiano said. “Right now, we’re just trying to give our players the best chance to win and Mike’s one of those guys. Like I said, he’s doing an incredible job of preparing for the games all week long and then going out and executing the game plan pretty much just the way we ask him. And when you get a guy doing that, as a coach you get excited.”

It’s hardly a surprising answer from Schiano, but he surely could have gone different directions with his answer, such as calling for competition at all positions.

It’s the JoeBucsFan weekly podcast with Joe and the Tampa Bay’s finest baritone, Ronnie Lane, of WDAE-AM 620 and the Buccaneers Radio Network.

Joe hits on various subjects, including interpreting the Bucs’ performance, Sunday’s Lions game, and more.

The Bucs are not in danger of losing the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week next season

Imagine if Bobby Rainey has a strong final six games as the Bucs’ No. 1 running back? What stunning depth and tough decisions the Bucs would have next season! They’d be stocked with three young, promising backs that have actually shouldered the load in NFL games and had 150-yard games.

Rainey, though, seems like he might be a bit confused by what 2014 could hold for him.

The Bucs signed him off the street last month, after spending 2012 with the Ravens, mostly injured (Yes, he’s got a Super Bowl ring). Rainey was among the final cuts with the Ravens this summer and was scooped up by the Browns immediately before the Ravens could sneak him on their practice squad, so Rainey explained yesterday on Pro Football Talk, hosted by Mike Florio. Then the Bucs claimed Rainey off waivers when the Browns cut him in October.

Florio asked Rainey about his future in Tampa, and Rainey referenced that he too busy showcasing himself and doing his job to worry about next year.

“Once the season is over then I can actually think about that. But right now I’m actually just trying to, I’m still auditioning for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the other teams out there,” Rainey said.

While Rainey has no contract for 2014, he isn’t really “auditioning” for the rest of the league.

As a second-year player, the Bucs hold his exclusive rights for 2014. All they have to do is offer him a take-it-or-quit, one-year contract after the season. It’s roughly a half-million bucks. Essentially, Rainey won’t have any free agency rights.

It’s impossible not to pull for Rainey. He’s the underdog, and a little guy, who’s shocked the NFL world. If he continues to shine, it will be quite a training camp/preseason battle for carries next season. Somewhere, Doug Martin is shaking his head.

In this TBO.com video, Olivia Stacey gets Bucs commander Greg Schiano to discuss making the Bucs a family and how much he has learned from his players.

Though Joe isn’t sold — yet — on Bucs starting quarterback Mike Glennon as the signal-caller of the future for the Bucs (would love to see him rifle a few passes downfield, connecting with receivers in stride rather than throwing rainbows), wide receiver Vincent Jackson sure seems to be.

Jackson, who made a one-handed Willie Mays basket catch of a Glennon deep ball along the right sideline last week in a beatdown of the DIxie Chicks, waxed poetic about Glennon today at One Buc Palace. That’s sure to warm the cockles of the Mike Glennon Mob, led by Dave the TV Producer.

“I’ve just been so impressed with him from the start,” Jackson said of Glennon. “From the first game that he was asked to come in and take the reins of this offense. He was prepared, he did everything he needed to do in the offseason, training camp and when his number was called, he was ready. Very mature for a young man, a young quarterback, we ask him to handle a lot on his offense with the protections and the sights and making all the adjustments and he’s done it without missing a beat, so he’s only going to continue to get better and improve with experience like any quarterback would. But where he’s at right now is very impressive.

“With any position you play in this league, the more you’re out there, you’re seeing live snaps, you’re seeing defenses, getting a different look each and every week. It’s only going to help him in his experience, in kind of his catalog of understanding where he needs to go with the ball. He’s taking care of the football, that’s one of the biggest things [for] a young quarterback, not having a lot of impulse throws. If he has to eat it he’ll eat it, if he has to run with it he’ll run with it. A lot of people don’t give him credit for what he can do with his feet, but he’s made some plays outside of the pocket, throwing the ball and running the ball.”

Hhhmmm. It doesn’t take J. Edgar Hoover to read between the lines there: Jackson wasn’t much happy with leaky Rip Van Freeman, was he?

Again, Joe doesn’t know if Glennon is the long-term answer. He may be better suited for a West Coast offense, but you cannot ignore his solid completion percentage and his lack of picks. Joe can only wonder if Glennon would be that much better with better receivers. No, Jackson is fine. But Tiquan Underwood and the notorious Skye Dawson will never be confused with Mike Willams.

Joe still isn’t convinced the Bucs should pass up  chance to land a certain Heisman Trophy winner who plays for some school in College Station, Tex.

Every person who follows the Bucs, whether it is Warren Sapp of Steve White or Booger McFarland or Joe or the drunk in the corner bar and other simple people, has been hollering how awful the Bucs pass rush has been.

Many want to tar and feather Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan for having his defensive linemen run tryouts, play after play, for “Dancing with the Stars” — the favorite TV programming of the NFL-AM crowd — rather than doing their jobs of rushing the quarterback.

After losing the season, and on the cusp of losing their jobs, Sheridan and company seem to have had an epiphany and relented by letting defensive linemen go after quarterbacks directly in recent weeks. Since, the Bucs have racked up sacks and pressures. Can you imagine?

Well, even with only rumors of a Bucs pass rush for seven or more games this season, the pass defense has improved. Dramatically, so, notes the Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune.

@IKaufmanTBO: In 2012, the Bucs yielded 69 completions of at least 20 yards. With the additions of Revis & Goldson, that figure is now 28 with 6 gms left

Now Joe understands Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik doesn’t call defensive plays, but he does pick talent and his moves to bolster the Bucs’ defensive backfield have worked well.

If the Bucs continue to utilize this novel, untried approach of having their defensive linemen attack the quarterback, instead of some perverted square dance of constant stunts, then maybe the Bucs might develop into a suffocating defense?

Mason Foster’s blow to his coconut last Sunday also has knocked him out of Sunday’s game at Detroit. Foster’s concussion is serious business, Greg Schiano said today, and there’s no timetable for his return.

This is a huge blow to the Bucs’ chances against Detroit. It’s brutal to lose two components up the gut of your defense: Dashon Goldson (suspension) and Foster. Both those guys had interceptions last Sunday and are playmakers. Replacements Keith Tandy and Adam Hayward are significant steps down.

As Joe noted yesterday, this is Foster’s first missed game since before high school.

If Mike Glennon keeps earning accolades from coaches and media, Bucs fans could be saying, ‘Johnny Who?’ come April.

Mike Glennon fever is gripping the nation. ProFootballTalk.com of NBC Sports monitored Greg Schiano’s news conference this afternoon (for a 2-8 team?) and is sharing the leader of the New Schiano Order’s words about Glennon’s decision-making.

One interception for Glennon in his past five games has the attention of the football world.

In fact, Glennon is throwing so few interceptions that Schiano was asked at his press conference today whether Glennon is too cautious with the ball. In Schiano’s view, Glennon is taking some shots downfield, but he’s taking them at smart times.

“You can get to be that way, but Mike hasn’t,” Schiano said when asked whether Glennon has become too safe. “I don’t think that’s an issue with Mike. Mike will rip it in there with tight coverage. But what he’s not done is rip it in there with tight coverage and a man behind, and that’s where you get the tipped passes and interceptions and that kind of thing.”

Joe’s glad that Glennon fever has calmed the masses and injected hope that the Bucs can thrive in 2014 without drafting, say, Johnny Football.

And Joe’s also glad that Glennon has a very tough schedule in his final six games. Bucs fans should have few questions about Glennon at the end of the season. Thirteen games is a solid audition, especially when your offensive line is blocking well.

Bobby Lewis, of Joe’s media pals at WTSP-TV, Ch. 10, put together a neat video here to explain Sunday’s “Optimus Prime” vs “Megatron” event in Detroit. Bucs fans like Joe, who only engage in fantasy games revolving around real women, will enjoy the education.