Well, this is a Sunday morning eye-opener. Tampa Tribune columnist Martin Fennelly is a lot of things. A gifted writer. A hilarious wordsmith. A scribe who finds and flushes out the absurdities in sports, specifically locally.

A headhunter Fennelly is not and never has been. So it was jarring for Joe to read Fennelly’s latest piece this morning calling for a regime change at One Buc Palace. Fennelly is calling for a MRSA-like delousing of the building not just including Bucs commander Greg Schiano, but also Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. [read more]

It’s the last Bucs game for eight long, long months. It is what aggravates Joe so much about the NFL. The non-basketball association season never seems to end. The NHL is right behind that followed by baseball. Only college football has the most painful offseason. Below is the map of where fans can watch the final Bucs game of the 2013 regular season via their local FOX over-the-air affiliate. As always, map is courtesy of 506sports.com.

Sean Payton and the Saints are unstoppable when they eliminate one element from their offense.

Look, Joe’s not paid to spin things for the Bucs. He has to call things as he sees them, which unnerves many Bucs fans because they want Joe to tell them what they want to hear.

Barring a total and complete meltdown unforeseen by sober minds, the Saints will beat the Bucs tomorrow. If you are still alive in a survivor pool, picking the Saints or Eagles tomorrow is about as safe as a bet as you will come upon in the NFL.

The Saints need a win to get in the playoffs. They are a far different team at home. The Bucs are, well, the Bucs, with four of their key skill positions being manned by reserve players including quarterback, tailback and No. 2 and 3 receivers. [read more]

Many tens of thousands of JoeBucsFan.com readers only come here once a week or so. They’re people with meaningful lives, unlike Joe and many Bucs-obsessed lunatics who live on these pages 24/7. So with no Bucs football until Sunday afternoon, Joe thought he’d re-visit a handful of this week’s headlines — for non-regular readers who want to catch up. Enjoy!

The Ugly Sullivan 3.0
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103891

Bobby Rainey Mans Up
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103904

Black Monday chatter
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103899

No more Rex Ryan nonsense, please!
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103942

Anthony Becht on Schiano-Dominik-Glennon divorce
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103976

Spinning stats on run defense
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103968

Numbing news on Nicks
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103985

Saving grace: Vincent Jackson
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103997

With the 7th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft …
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104058

Schiano denies Penn State report
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104081

Schiano heaps praise on Glennon
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104066

Keep Greg Schiano
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104116

Fire Greg Schiano
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104130

Offensive line a simple solution?
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104027

Red zone = Bucs zone
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104160

Shaun King challenges Bucs fans
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104195

Brian Billick dives into Bucs
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=104204

Hawk has an upside

Are Dashon Goldson’s bone-crushing, fine-inducing ways worth anything more than 15-yard penalties and an occasional suspension?

Saints All-World tight end Jimmy Graham illustrated to New Orleands media that they are. [read more]

The Saints have woes on their O-line

Exotic blitzes, multiple looks and loud noise are a toxic combination for a rookie quarterback with no running game.

Joe feels for Mike Glennon, and the whistle hasn’t even blown yet for kickoff of Sunday’s Bucs-Saints game. [read more]

More and more each day, it seems once honorable, mainstream media outlets (the MSM), have become little more than bad sports talk radio the way they cover sports.

This thought came to Joe’s mind when he read a piece of fiction thrown out as fact by USA Today when the outfit decided to do a power ranking of NFL coaches. [read more]

Learned football people, not just fans, Twittered Joe often last night aghast that Bucs linebacker Lavonte David was snubbed by the people who concoct what is now known in Joe’s eyes as the “Pro Blow.”

In fact, David was trending globally on Twitter more so than this Duck Drop schlock or whatever it is on A&E that Joe has never watched a second of and is oblivious to but has made national news the past week.

How big of a miscalculation was it to ignore David for the Pro Blow? Joe will let NFL Network talking head and star of the Red Zone Channel, Andrew Sicilano, explain. [read more]

Gerald McCoy and Darrelle Revis made the Pro Bowl; Lavonte David did not.

Another disappointing day for Bucs fans. Gerald McCoy and Darrelle Revis made the Pro Bowl, but Lavonte David got hosed.

Despite setting a record for linebackers with six sacks and five interceptions, David will stay home and watch on TV. Jimminy Christmas! David is second in the NFL among outside linebackers with 101 solo tackles. What the hell more was the guy supposed to do? [read more]

$1 million per game and two draft picks got the Bucs a Pro Bowl cornerback

The NFL will announce this season’s Pro Bowlers later tonight, but it seems the players honored already know.

Darrelle Revis’ close friend and business manager, John Geiger, has Twittered out word that Revis will eat pineapple with fellow NFL greats in late January.

Revis’ going to Hawaii is no surprise. Opposing offenses have avoided him like the plague, and he largely performed well when tested.  

Now the question is whether Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David and Vincent Jackson will join him.

A former Bucs QB weighs in

If you think the Bucs are carving a path to Super Bowl glory with Mike Glennon at quarterback, then there’s no reason to click the “read more” link below.

But if you, like Joe, think the Bucs might be very well served snagging a quarterback with their high overall first-round pick this spring, then continue on. [read more]

Wednesday afternoon, Dashon Goldson told Joe he was in the clear from Roger Goodell’s fine squad for his Sunday hit on Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey.

“The Hawk” was oh so confident (click above). Well, he spoke too soon. It was revealed today that Goldson was whacked for $60,000.

This is goofy. If this was such a nasty, dangerous hit, then why didn’t Goldson get hit with another six-figure fine and a suspension? Either a receiver is “defenseless” or he’s not. Fining Goldson $60K is the equivalent of fining Joe a hundred bucks for upsetting readers — annoying, but not enough to change anything.

Someday, a spreadsheet geek will study whether Goldson’s handful of penalties are a worthwhile trade-off for having a punishing hitter in the secondary. It sure didn’t seem to slow down the 49ers in 2012.

These are exciting times for Bucs fans. Nobody knows whether Bucs commander Greg Schiano will remain at the helm on Monday. Team Glazer has been quiet.

This week, SiriusXM NFL Radio personality Pat Kirwan, the former Jets personnel man and linebackers coach, and current CBS analyst, talked about hearing changing and surprising takes on Schiano’s job status.

And today, Sports Illustrated brought more conflict into the debate. [read more]

Greg Schiano said recently that the Bucs defense is two players away from being “dominant.” He didn’t offer more detail, but it’s safe to assume he wasn’t referring, in part, to the newly-predicted 2014 revival of Da’Quan Bowers.

Chris Wesserling of NFL.com dove into a study of NFL defenses and claims the Bucs have the NFL’s 12-best defensive nucleus. [read more]

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Joe went back and forth this morning on WDAE-AM 620 with former Bucs guard Ian Beckles. All sorts of topics were on the table, from regime change to Mike Glennon and more. Full audio below.

Schiano is always teaching

Bucs commander Greg Schiano spent years working for Joe Paterno at Penn State and wore a tie to work there everyday, so he told NFL.com back in September.

Why so formal?

Paterno demanded it because “we were teachers,” Schiano said. [read more]

Bill Sheridan makes a stunning revelation

Now this should spread immense hope and optimism throughout the Tampa Bay area for the next eight months leading into the 2014 season.

Struggling defensive end Da’Quan Bowers “has never been well” this season, Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan said. [read more]

Greg Schiano has stayed away from reflecting on the 2013 season during his chats with local media this week.

When asked big-picture questions or to evaluate players, Schiano largely has said he’ll get to that on Monday after the Saints-Bucs game. But Schiano did engage in a little reflection with the New Orleans media. [read more]