Last year, the Bucs went to New Orleans in December and got their clocks cleaned 41-0. It was a shocking beating from the opening whistle for a Bucs team that was still in the playoff hunt.

Joe remembers talking to a Saints player off the record who said New Orleans was stunned by the Bucs’ lack of intensity for a big division game. [read more]

Taylor Lewan is being touted as a Tampa Bay target

Damn that tough Bucs strength of schedule, one of the toughest in the NFL. It’s killing Tampa Bay’s shot at Johnny Football draft position.

Five teams are tied with an ugly 4-11 record — Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Oakland, Cleveland and Jacksonville — but the Bucs are behind all of them in the draft if the season ended today. Strength of schedule is the main tiebreaker, and it works against the Bucs. [read more]

Will Gholston gives a take on the sputtering offense and a new head coach

Get used to hearing the name Will Gholston. He’ll likely be the 2014 Da’Quan Bowers, minus the disappointment, hopefully.

The emerging rookie made his first NFL start at left defensive end in St. Louis. Joe talked to Greg Schiano about Gholston’s development last week, and he was made available to media yesterday via conference call. [read more]

No, Joe can’t fault the defense too much in the ragged loss to the Rams. Sure, they let Zac Stacy burn them, but Joe thought Bucs coaches should have put more guys in the box to stop Stacy and force a nobody journeyman like Kellen Clemens to beat them.

When asked Monday whether, given the Bucs offensive offense, he could cast blame on his defense because they pretty much had to pitch a shutout, Schiano wouldn’t nibble at the bait or call anyone out. He, instead, stated the loss was a team loss and not on any one unit. [read more]

Now here’s what Greg Schiano didn’t want for Christmas, a report from a reliable source that he showed backhanded interest in the Penn State head coaching job, which potentially could open up next week

Nittany Lions head coach Bill O’Brien has become a hot name in NFL circles for potential vacancies, which, of course, has prompted rumblings of his replacement. Schiano spent years at Penn State as an assistant under Joe Paterno before heading for an assistant gig with the Chicago Bears. [read more]

You don’t have to listen to BSPN’s Lisa Salters to understand if you don’t move the chains, you are screwed as a football team.

So, in a manner of speaking, the Bucs were screwed yesterday in a painful loss to the Rams where the Bucs went into winter hibernation in the frosty city along the Mississippi River. [read more]

Greg Schiano is down on the other WRs

The Bucs had a miserable day yesterday on offense. This is nothing new. The Bucs have been tail-spinning offensively the past month and currently rest in the basement of the NFL with the worst offense in the free world.

And if it wasn’t for Vincent Jackson, it would be a whole lot worse. [read more]

Schiano spelled them out

Speaking today at One Buc Palace, Greg Schiano seemed to need to two hands to count everything troubling his highly-paid, veteran offensive line.

The unit is struggling mightily, and Schiano was asked why. [read more]

Money clouds his murky Bucs future

Yesterday, Bucs fans saw left guard Jamon Meredith get a mid-game benching in favor of Ted Larsen, who’s not new to being told to ride the pine.

Together they were filling in for the human armoire, Carl Nicks, who has been a mess over two seasons with a bad toe on a bad foot, made more complicated by multiple bouts with MRSA. [read more]

Christmas is in the air, but Joe wants to remind readers that Joe doesn’t avail himself of holiday cheer that interferes with all things Bucs on these here pages.

It’s going to be darn busy here over the next few days.

Today is a typical Monday and Christmas Eve — aka tomorrow — is a big day at One Buc Palace, with Greg Schiano, Mike Sullivan and Mike Glennon standing before the media. Schiano restructured the Buccaneers schedule to give the team Christmas off. Tuesday’s regularly scheduled rest day is now a work day.

Also, Joe is planning something special for Christmas here that should be quite popular. 

Lastly, Joe wants to thank readers for their continued support through these tough days of Bucs fandom. Joe’s traffic on these pages continues to amaze. And Joe’s pleased to say, without any doubt, this is the most popular news/commentary outlet for Bucs fans. Thanks again to the folks who jumped from traditional news coverage to Joe’s brand of delivery.

And one final note. Joe hopes readers are somewhat pleased by the navigation speed increase in JoeBucsFan.com that took effect about 10 days ago. Most readers are experiencing no (or very few) video or audio ads now. More speed is coming before the end of December. And great things are in store for Joe’s mobile users. Joe will have more on that soon.

Team Glazer can’t divide its team leadership, says Buccaneer Radio Network pre- and post-game host Anthony Becht. It’s either all-in or adios for Greg Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik.

Becht offered tough talk this morning on WDAE-AM 620, explaining there’s “nothing for us to hang our hat on as a fan base with what went on this year.” [read more]

Ian Beckles sees no hope for Mike Glennon

Sometimes ornery yet always bubbly former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996) was on fire this morning on WDAE-AM 620. Beckles had mixed reviews for the New Schiano Order and thinks the Bucs have become too much of a reflection of their head coach.

Beckles noted Greg Schiano’s defense looks promising and developing with emerging young talents, but the Bucs offense looks like it’s dying under a defensive-minded head coach. [read more]

Zac Stacy punished the Bucs

Greg Schiano met the media after yesterday’s drubbing in Missouri and did a masterful job spinning stats to make his run defense look great.

Joe knows better.

Schiano noted his run defense allowed 3.3 yards per carry against the Rams, “which when a team is going to run the ball 39 times, you do that over the season, you lead the league in rushing defense.” [read more]

Sometimes Joe just wants to jump in an empty swimming pool the way some Bucs fans react after hearing a familiar name and all but demanding the Bucs get said name with no thinking whatsoever to the consequence.

This happened Sunday when Bucs fans learned Jets Captain Lou Albano told his team he expected to be fired. All of a sudden, Bucs fans began Twittering Joe for Team Glazer to hire Captain Lou Albano. [read more]

Robert Quinn of the Rams tracks down Bobby Rainey. The disgraceful way Rainey was misused likely sealed Mike Sullivan’s fate as Bucs offensive coordinator.

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

Look, Joe likes Mike Sullivan, the person. He is kind, considerate, a really decent man. Joe really respects him. He’s a West Point grad and a former Ranger. Major props!

But whatever that display was yesterday in the Ed Jones dome along the Mississippi River in St. Louis was worse than whatever is flowing down America’s biggest liquid polluted artery. [read more]

No. 8 doesn’t have it

When Josh Freeman was a rookie starting nine games on a garbage team, he closed that 2009 season with every last Bucs fan knowing he had a ton of promise. The raw skills and special talent were there.

Freeman had some standout games, despite his No. 1 wide receiver target being Maurice Stovall. (That’s right. Stovall was the WR with the most catches from No. 5 that season.)

But Joe’s not getting that standout feel from Mike Glennon. He hasn’t done much in a month. [read more]

Gerald McCoy had some real talk about the Bucs defense today.

The Bucs locker room was as despondent as Joe has seen in quite some time. For the longest time, Donald Penn sat in front of his locker, in uniform sans helmet, looking straight ahead in a faraway, empty look. It seemed he wanted to just belt someone.

Gerald McCoy, the Bucs stud defensive tackle who now has nine sacks this season and who was mauled with double- and triple-teams on virtually each play, was his usual amiable yet honest self. [read more]

“A new offensive coordinator and we’re good to go, Boss.”

Joe’s got no clue whether Greg Schiano will have a job next week.

That’s the reality of the NFL. Team Glazer will be scrutinizing, especially after the Bucs were punished by the cellar-dwelling Rams, featuring their backup quarterback and second-rate receivers.

Schiano’s job is not safe. [read more]

Darrelle Revis explains his disgust

You know, the thing that most depresses Joe about this ugly loss to the Rams was the Bucs defense knew exactly what Jeff Fisher and the Rams were going to try to do. They knew it was going to be Zac Stacy running the ball early, running the ball late, running the ball all the time, little to nothing else.

And still the Bucs couldn’t stop him. Sure, the Bucs slowed Stacy down in the second half, but too little and way too late. [read more]