Here’s little known Bucs history for you. It was former Rays manager Joe Maddon who was the reason Raheem Morris went public with his famous “Race to 10” slogan back in 2010.

Frankly, that mentality-before-reality approach worked for Raheem that season. [read more]

A BSPN scribe believes the Bucs are just what Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater needs.

Joe knows this will wake up Bucs fans this morning, if they haven’t yet had their morning ration of caffeine. It sure got Joe’s attention and it isn’t even 7 a.m.

A BSPN scribe who covers the Vikings, a cat by the name of Ben Goessling, typed a piece in which he states the Vikings will win Sunday by two scores, mostly because the Vikings are used to close games against far superior opponents. [read more]

Lavonte David and Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater were high school teammates.

Long before players come to the NFL, they were high school players (with rare exceptions). That includes Lavonte David and Teddy Bridgewater.

The outside linebacker and the rookie quarterback for the Vikings actually played high school football together down at Miami Northwestern. It was there, David said today, it was clear Bridgewater would play on football’s highest levels. [read more]

Joe always laughs when he reads fans all bent out of shape because Lovie Smith never gets bent out of shape.

It’s like some feel if a coach isn’t going all Jim Leavitt, acting like the madman he is, somehow a coach isn’t doing a good enough job.

Joe finds this all hogwash of the first order. It seems Vincent Jackson believes the same thing. [read more]

Many Bucs fans are expecting a win Sunday, but few are expecting a great football game against the struggling Vikings.

Yes, both teams have issues. But what do the Bucs need to look good? [read more]

Mr. Derrick Brooks mostly talked about Florida State football and other non-Bucs pigskin matters on his radio show this week.

But the Bucs icon also shared interesting bye-week thoughts. [read more]

The ESPN statistical gremlins are buzzing about data inside the horrid Vikings passing game, and the dreadful Buccaneers pass defense.

It’s a clash of the have-nots. [read more]

It’s about time those “Dunkaneers” get the ball aired out to them more often. Let these big-bodied Bucs go all Chocolate Thunder on the Vikings cornerbacks.

After all, the Bucs paid handsomely for Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and the Vikings have issues in their secondary. [read more]

Too much has been made about how Leslie Frazier’s knowledge of some Vikings personnel might be able to help the Bucs. Rarely will something like that materialize into a true positive.

However, left tackle Anthony Collins’ intimate knowledge of the Mike Zimmer defense the Vikings employ, that’s more worthwhile. [read more]

Interestingly, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer, the former Cincinnati defensive coordinator, dropped a lot of cash on DE Everson Griffen, now in his first season as a full-time starter, rather than sign his former protege, Michael Johnson.

When Bucs fans decide to partially fill the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway Sunday, they should expect to see a pass rush. No, not from the Bucs! Just what have the Bucs done this year that you would actually expect them to harass Teddy Bridgewater, even with a porous offnesive line? [read more]

The beginning of the Lovie Smith regime offered so much hope. A man who knows how to build defenses and make the playoffs with a Tampa Bay pedigree was coming to save the Bucs.

Bucs fans were giddy. Still searching for that first playoff win since Chucky hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft in victory in January 2003. [read more]

Before Bucs fans turned apathetic — the worst thing for any team is its fans just throwing in the towel — they were downright angry with players they believed were not playing up to their potential.

Oh, there were several names involved. And Joe cannot blame the fans. Well, now it seems Bucs coach Lovie Smith is joining them. [read more]

The Bucs defense has been abused by three-step drops this season.

So doesn’t it make sense that the Vikings, a team with a good defense and a struggling offense, might try and see if the Bucs have figured out this quick-release riddle? [read more]

As usual, the leader of Lovieball, Lovie Smith, took questions this afternoon from the podium at One Buc Palace.

Lovie actually was eager to talk about his QB situation, though the chatter did remind Joe of his favorite James Brown song. [read more]

Lovie Smith loves to play high school espionage. His attempted cloak-and-dagger dodging of who is playing quarterback this week is just silly. (And it continued this afternoon)

We all know who is playing quarterback and, as Joe pointed out earlier, there is so much video of both starter Mike Glennon and turnover-prone Josh McCown, Joe doesn’t understand what Lovie is trying to accomplish.

It’s like Joe sitting at his normal barstool trying to pretend he doesn’t like beer. [read more]

Earlier today, Bucs wide receiver Vincent Jackson seemed flattered by trade rumors but claims he is perfectly happy in Tampa Bay. Joe can understand why.

This week, Bucs overlord of football operations Lovie Smith seemed to bristle — as he always does with unsourced reports — about news that was leaking out of NFL circles that the Bucs were open to moving wide receiver Vincent Jackson. [read more]

Two days prior to Gerald McCoy’s brutally harsh words this afternoon, a former Buccaneer lashed out on his beloved team.

“Who do we have that’s tough?” he asked. [read more]

Gerald McCoy released frustration today

Gerald McCoy is sick of the talking. The Bucs captain was extremely fired up today at One Buc Palace.

The film don’t lie and he’s sick of motivational speeches. [read more]