Bucs TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins didn’t seem to ashamed of his penalty that aided Atlanta’s game-winning drive. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

If you want to know what is wrong with the Lovie Smith era, Joe has it all in one microscopic social media post.

It demonstrates that whatever Lovie is telling his players, it’s not sinking in.

Before Joe gets rolling, one of his favorites in the Bucs locker room is Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Joe loves the guy’s attitude (not to be confused with “tude.”). He is talented as hell and Joe is convinced he will be a stud player. [read more]

During Year 1 of the Lovie Smith regime in Chicago, somehow, someway, that quarterback-challenged club learned how to play the Tampa-2 defense quickly and jumped out to a 4-5 record. In seven of those nine games, that Bears team held opponents to 20 or fewer points.

Man, Bucs fans would kill for that kind of production.

[read more]

Where are the red jerseys?

Greg Schiano’s goofy, ineffective, blitz-happy pass rush last season generated 35 sacks and Tampa Bay finished with the NFL’s 17th-ranked defense.

But that’s old news, Lovie Smith’s Bucs have just 14 sacks through nine games — in a defense that revolves around the pass rush. [read more]

Leading 14-10 in the fourth quarter yesterday, the Lambs defense melted down losing 31-14 on the road to Arizona. It was a Bucs-like loss for Lambs coach Jeff Fisher.

The loss may have been ugly, but it seems, based on one game, Fisher may have gotten a win over Bucs overlord of football operations Lovie Smith. [read more]

Prepare yourself for Lovie Smith to tell media this afternoon that the Bucs remain in contention for the NFC South title, as Tampa Bay sits just three games back of division-leading New Orleans with seven games to play.

Then, after the spit-up clears from your throat, you can cheer yourself up with thoughts of the NFL Draft. [read more]

Joe’s one of those psycho Bucs fans who listens to all the player shows that air each weekday on WDAE-AM 620.

And earlier this season, Bucs special teams coach Kevin O’Dea joined Lovie Smith on the air to engage in some over-the-top raving about punter Michael Koenen. [read more]

A long look at the Bucs yesterday, today, and what to expect tomorrow and beyond.

Joe doesn’t know where to start. Is it the “Den of Depression,” where the Bucs are 14-31 since Chucky was jettisoned?

Is it the five leads in the fourth quarter gagged away this season? [read more]

Joe has made a point over the past couple of weeks that the Bucs defense improved and maybe turned a corner. To quote Lee Corso, “Not so fast.”

Yes, holding the Vikings to 13 points in four quarters was a good thing. And in the loss to the Browns, it was not the defense that caved in so much as the not-so-special teams. [read more]

Once upon a time, about six weeks ago, Lovie Smith proudly provided insight into how he evaluates quarterbacks.

”You do judge quarterbacks on what they do late [in games],” Lovie said while he praised Mike Glennon’s finishing of the win in Pittsburgh.

So what about Josh McCown’s crunch-time screwup today? [read more]

Sometimes gadget plays work. Sometimes they don’t.

Sometimes, they’re ridiculous calls at ridiculous times. Tampa Bay fans were treated to one of those today. [read more]

Right after the Bucs’ beating by the Falcons, Joe and Chris Fischer of WTSP-TV, Ch. 10, took to the field for a quick recap.

Well, Joe has to applaud Lovie Smith today. No, not for anything he did in outwitting (?) Dixie Chicks coach Mike Smith. Joe isn’t sure that ever happened.

But Lovie, despite his decision to drop $24 million guaranteed cash in the lap of ghostly defensive end Michael Johnson, finally sacked up and decided no matter what he was paying Johnson, he could no longer justify putting him on the field. [read more]

A rare Bucs sack, this from Akeem Spence last week. Joe is done writing about the Bucs pass rush because they don’t have one.

Joe is tired of typing it. Fans are tired of reading about it. Everyone is sick of hearing about it.

Simply put, the Bucs do not have a pass rush. Even with one of the elite defensive tackles in the game, the Bucs do not have a pass rush and cannot rush the passer. [read more]

“Dear Historians, Did you hear what Gerald McCoy said about the 2014 Bucs?”

Wait a minute!

Timeout!

Gerald McCoy spent two years playing for Raheem Morris but implied today that Raheem’s teams were more disciplined than Lovie Smith’s. [read more]

Joe cannot figure out why the Bucs have abandoned Bobby Rainey and the run game against garbage rush defenses. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

Generally, in football, you take your strength and try to expose the opponent’s weakness. But Joe guesses in the world of Lovie Smith, it might be the opposite.

That is the only reasoned explanation for the Bucs just throwing in the towel on the run game this afternoon.

The Bucs were virtually running at will on the Browns last week with Bobby Rainey averaging over five yards a carry and 80 yards at halftime. In the second half, the Bucs ran the ball a grand total of eight times. [read more]

New regimes look to improve, hopefully quickly, but at least steadily. They focus on growth. They’re trying to build something.

Right now, following a beating by a bad Falcons football team, Joe’s not sure what the Buccaneers have accomplished this year, if anything at all. [read more]

It appears Joe irked one of the most mild-mannered men in the Buccaneers’ locker room this afternoon, following the latest beating at the hands of the Falcons. [read more]

The “Den of Depression,” otherwise known as the home of the Bucs.

NFL fans have heard of the “Factory of Sadness” on the lake in Cleveland, otherwise known as the home of the Cleveland Browns.

After the franchise was ripped out of the city and moved to Baltimore, the Browns were reborn as an expansion franchise, and have been miserable. [read more]