Reading Issues Plague Kaepernick

December 11th, 2013

Young quarterbacks struggle to read defenses and get through their route progressions. You could almost see the anxiety in Mike Glennon Sunday.

Glennon had time in the pocket, but at times it was as if the press clippings of the Bills’ mighty, sacks-leading pass rush got in his head and made him uncomfortable without reason.

Niners QB Colin Kaepernick is having his own issues. [read more]

Eric Wright Returns

December 11th, 2013

eric wright 1024Joe doubts there were many Eric Wright fans around Tampa Bay last season. The man loved his spa days — while his teammates went off to slaughter.

Aside from one of the greatest interceptions in team history, Wright offered little to celebrate — unless you want cheer how Wright’s Adderall-popping ways and subsequent suspensions spared Team Glazer massive quantities of cash.

After getting cut from the Bucs this offseason and more legal troubles, Wright landed with his hometown 49ers and has played the past four games after being activated midseason. Wright shined with the game-sealing interception against the Seahawks last week. (Video here)

Hopefully, Wright won’t have an inspired Sunday against the Bucs.

Will The Pro Bowl Vote Be “Rigged?”

December 11th, 2013

Hopefully, Darrelle Revis wasn’t seeing the future.

Remember those September days during the wild, all-angles, anonymous-source onslaught on Bucs commander Greg Schiano?

Those were tough times. The world seemed to be imploding and you didn’t want to be seen at Publix wearing a Bucs t-shirt.

For Joe, at least that time delivered one of the true funny moments of the season. [read more]

Gerald McCoy Continues To Dominate

December 11th, 2013

gmc 1211

Lost in the seven-sack, four-interception game Sunday was the play of Bucs stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Oh, he had a sack, too, no question. But it was the things he was doing that don’t always show up in the box score is a big reason why Bills quarterback EJ Manuel had such a horrible day.

That’s the analysis by John Breitenbach of ProFootballFocus.com, who documented just how much of a beast GMC was. [read more]

Goodell Won The War Against The Hawk

December 11th, 2013

Dashon Goldson talked about his new decision-making

Buffalo’s biggest pass play of the day Sunday came courtesy of Roger Goodell and the lawsuit-paranoid NFL.

Joe wanted to vomit. Fans were denied great football. And for what? [read more]

Mike Glennon And Colin Kaepernick

December 11th, 2013
The 49ers are horrible passing the ball, but Joe thinks Colin Kaepernick is light years ahead of Mike Glennon.

The 49ers are horrible passing the ball, but Colin Kaepernick is light years ahead of Mike Glennon.

So we’ve seen Mike Glennon log three so-so games, all in succession, against three teams in Detroit, Carolina and Buffalo that are known to be unkind to quarterbacks.

It doesn’t get much easier Sunday with the rugged 49ers coming to town. Yes, Glennon is beginning to look like a rookie selected in the third round, and the Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, pointed out how much the Bucs’ passing game this season, largely with Glennon behind center, is sputtering. [read more]

Quality Of Pass Rushers Forces Bucs’ Hand

December 10th, 2013
schiano and gmc

A candid Greg Schiano spoke today about acquiring more pass rushing talent and developing his own, so the Bucs aren’t forced to run so many defensive line stunts.

The Bucs are dancing along the defensive line on so many pass rush downs, and today Greg Schiano let the cat out of the bag when it comes to the dreaded line stunts. The Bucs have to employ them — even though coaches would prefer not to.

Joe’s written several times before about the apparent lack of confidence in Adrian Clayborn and other edge rushers. After all, if you have an All-World tackle in Gerald McCoy, and an acceptable nose tackle rush, plus a sound run defense, then solid edge rushers should be able to post serious numbers. But the Bucs’ defensive ends are not. [read more]

Another Poke At Mike Sullivan?

December 10th, 2013

mike sullivan 1126A couple of weeks ago, Joe noted the wacky chatter of Bill Sheridan relaying how Bucs coaches talk about finding ways to get Da’Quan Bowers more snaps because he’s so talented.

That was almost silly. ‘Hey, Coach, you want Bowers in, then just put him in!!’

Greg Schiano served up a similar type of comment yesterday about the Bucs’ passing game, and it set off Joe’s radar up again for the job security of offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan. [read more]

Tampa Airport Car Service, Airport Transfers Worldwide

December 10th, 2013

In-laws, family and friends flying over Christmas? Are you traveling for the holidays?

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Joe 100 percent endorses Paradise. The price is right and Paradise’s reliability can not be beaten! Click through below and call Paradise today. And don’t forget Paradise is there for you if you need anything from a St. Pete party bus to a Brandon wedding limo and more.

The Return Of The Pass Rush

December 10th, 2013

Da’Quan Bowers joined the Bucs sack parade Sunday against the bungling Bills.

Joe was going through official game statistics issued by the Bucs and had to do another one of those Bugs Bunny-cartoon double-takes. The Bucs actually racked up seven sacks Sunday.

Seven!

Shoot, the way things were going this season, Joe was beginning to wonder if the Bucs would even have seven sacks, the pass rush was so non-existent. Four of those sacks came from the embattled Bucs front line Sunday. Even better. [read more]

“Disappointed” With Second Half Woes

December 10th, 2013

greg schiano 1023b

Joe was number-crunching this morning (Joe hates math, always did), and from what Joe has found with help of the greatest invention of man, the calculator, the offensive numbers for the Bucs are truly offensive. As in awful.

Yes, Bucs commander Greg Schiano knows this. Before Joe offers what Schiano had to say about how the Bucs struggle in the second half worse than Joe trying to choke down a warm beer, let’s look at the damning numbers: [read more]

Sunday’s Game Is Sold Out

December 10th, 2013

Before this season started, Bucs executives talked about how offseason ticket sales had picked up and were showing glimpses of a “glory years” pace. Well, there’s more evidence now that fans are continuing to respond.

The Bucs announced today that Sunday’s Niners-Bucs game, the home season finale, is sold out.

Winning three in a row at home doesn’t hurt, and neither does having a mighty Niners team in the building. Joe also knows many women will do anything to get within 100 yards of Colin Kaepernick.

Bucs fans yearning to spend money can gobble up cheap season tickets for next season at Buccaneers.com. Donations to Joe also are always accepted.

Coach Talks “Trashy Magazines” & “Snicker Bars”

December 10th, 2013

It’s safe to say Greg Schiano doesn’t read National Enquirer or fantasize about Brett Favre or Johnny Football in his backfield.

A rare improvisational moment from Mike Glennon on Sunday led Schiano to explain one of his core beliefs. [read more]

“More Conservative By Design”

December 10th, 2013

mike sullivan 1126

The Bucs’ second half offense this season is as constipated as a dog on a Saltines and water diet. The Bucs try and try and try and rarely does anything good come out. The numbers are historically dreadful.

A caller to Greg Schiano on WDAE-AM 620 last night expressed his frustration and said the offense looks too conservative. [read more]

Bucs Defy Football Logic 101

December 10th, 2013
The Bucs have turned NFL logic on its ear by leading the league in takeaways despite having a rotten record.

The Bucs have turned NFL logic on its ear by leading the league in takeaways despite having a rotten record.

The adage is as old as football itself: teams that win the turnover battle come out ahead. In fact, listed first in Gen. Robert Neyland’s famed Seven Maxims of Football is the following:

The team that makes the fewest mistakes will win.

Joe reminds Bucs fans after reading a Twitter from the Custodian of Canton yesterday, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune:

@IKaufmanTBO: The Bucs lead the NFL with 29 takeaways and top the NFC with a plus-13 TO ratio. With the right moves, this could be a scary defense in 2014 [read more]

The First Linebacker

December 10th, 2013
lavonte david 1210

“Flash” now holds an NFL record

Joe is starting to run out of superlatives when discussing “Flash” Lavonte David. What cannot the man do? The second-year Bucs linebacker tackles, sacks quarterbacks, buries running backs in the end zone, picks passes off and drills people.

The guy damned near is the second coming of Derrick Brooks. He is virtually everywhere on the field.

It is getting to the point where Joe thinks he can catch passes out of a red zone offense. Why would that surprise anyone? [read more]

That Is Good Football

December 9th, 2013
The ball pops free of Buffalo wide receiver Robert Woods after getting blasted by Bucs corner Darrelle Revis late in the third quarter Sunday.

The ball pops free of Buffalo wide receiver Robert Woods after getting blasted by Darrelle Revis late in the third quarter Sunday.

There were all sorts of plays that could jump out as the best during the Bucs’ beat down of the bungling Bills yesterday.

There was, of course, Bobby Rainey’s pace-setting, 80-yard touchdown run seconds into the game.

Joe’s favorite, however, was good, old-fashioned football by the defense, specifically Darrelle Revis. In this vanilla, watered down, offensive-stats-loving, fake- (fantasy) football-focused, lawsuit-paranoid, flag-football-trending state of the NFL, it warmed Joe’s heart to see a receiver get blown up and no defender flagged for trying too hard. [read more]

Glennon Ordered To Leave One Buc Palace

December 9th, 2013
schiano and glennon

“Get outta here, kid.”

Joe shared a story earlier about Mike Glennon’s perfectionist ways.

But Greg Schiano has put a stop, albeit for 24 hours, to Glennon’s savage intensity. [read more]

The Freshly Wounded Bucs

December 9th, 2013

Per Greg Schiano this afternoon, Jeremy Zuttah “has a shoulder” and is “day-to-day.” Davin Joseph has a shoulder. And emerging rookie defensive lineman William Gholston is being treated for a head injury and is going through the NFL’s head injury protocol.

Superhero (though not the Flash) Vincent Jackson came out of the game well with his troubled hamstring.