The loss in Seattle was the first time this season the offensive line played up to preseason expectations

Joe always chuckled when he heard Bucs fans on the radio scream into their phone about an All-World cornerback playing or not playing zone. This wasn’t what was crippling the Bucs in their frustrating quest to find their first win of the season. Talk about taking your eye off the ball.

The real reason the Bucs, short of sleepy, leaky Josh Freeman imploding and getting thrown off the team, were losing is that the offensive line wasn’t blocking. Running back Doug Martin had no room to run and Freeman/Mike Glennon had little time to set up to throw.

If an offensive line cannot block, the offense generally can’t do a thing and therein lies the issue.

ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas has been appalled at the Bucs’ offensive line and in his midseason grades, slapped the offensive line with a failing grade.

This unit was supposed to be one of the team’s biggest strengths. As it turns out, this unit has been a weak spot. Carl Nicks’ injury problems haven’t helped. There haven’t been a lot of holes in the running game and the pass protection hasn’t been great.

Yes, Joe understands Nicks got sick with MRSA but Nicks was hurt last year (as was Davin Joseph) and Bob Bostad, the Bucs’ offensive line coach, did a tremendous job of patchwork to get good production. This year, with a healthy Joseph (sans an infection) and the addition of Gabe Carimi, there is no way this offensive line should be playing this poorly. Only until the Seattle game did the Bucs have productive offensive line play (and look at the difference in the offense).

Joe still believes Joseph hasn’t fully recovered from his knee surgery last year and that is part of the problem.

Joe nearly drove off the road Monday when he heard Greg Schiano talking on the radio about how he wants to have two guys running the football and to lighten Doug Martin’s load when he returns. That just didn’t seem to fit the head coach’s philosophy, based on what’s played out on the field. 

Martin, when healthy, was pounded at a pace that approached NFL records. Consider that Martin has missed 2 1/2 games with an injury, the Bucs had an early bye week, and Martin is still 11th in the NFL in carries this season. 

Before Martin injured his shoulder, by Joe’s count, Mike James, Brian Leonard and Jeff Demps combined for a grand total of five carries — five! That doesn’t sound like a coach that wants two guys running the ball. And Schiano’s comment especially surprised Joe considering how much he lauded Leonard during the preseason.

“Hopefully, we’ll get Doug back. I think what we’re building is some real quality depth at the position. And we’re going to be able to, when Doug does get back, be able to, you know, not have to have so many carries on his plate, and be able to have them both carry the football, which is really what you want as a head coach,” Schiano said on WDAE-AM 620 Monday. “It’s a tough league to have one guy take every touch.”

Joe believes the bellcow use of Martin is a Schiano thing, not a Mike Sullivan move. Sullivan was with the Giants for years when they used multiple backs more effectively than any team in the NFL.

As Joe’s written many times before, Joe hopes Martin is kept out this season and starts the repair and recovery process on his shoulder immediately. There’s no reason not to in a lost season. And now that James is emerging impressively, he’s earned the carries and could prove extra valuable to the Bucs. If James can keep up his pace behind a revived Bucs offensive line, then he could become coveted in the offseason trade market and/or make Tampa Bay more attractive to a potential new head coach. (Who wouldn’t want two stud young backs?)

Regardless, if Martin does return this season, Joe’s going to hold Schiano to the two-back comment.

In this BSPN video, Keith Olbermann lauds Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy for sportsmanship that may or may not have gotten him into hot water with his coaches.

With a newfound porous offensive line for the Dolphins, the Bucs need to beat on Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill so hard and so often that his wife will be in tears.

OK, Dolphins week is officially on and no NFL team is in more disarray than Miami, after it was learned last night the Dolphins’ coaching staff ordered a Code Red on left tackle Jonathan Martin, so reports Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel.

Miami Dolphins coaches asked player Richie Incognito, who was the offensive line’s undisputed leader, to toughen up teammate Jonathan Martin after he missed a voluntary workout last spring, multiple sources told the Sun Sentinel.

The sources told the paper they believe that Incognito, who is accused of using racially incendiary language and bullying tactics against Martin, may have taken those orders too far.

Joe’s not going to dig into this alleged Code Red the Dolphins coaches are reported to have ordered but in the course of a short six days, the Dolphins have lost their starting left side of their offensive line. A line that is to keep immobile Ryan Tannehill upright.

Monday night’s objective for the Bucs can’t be any simpler; Load up the right side of the defensive line, pin your ears back and make a beeline for Tannehill. Each play. Every play. Like your life depended on it. If you have to, blitz every play from the right side. Lavonte David, Mark Barron, Darrelle Revis, doesn’t matter.

Of all games, there shouldn’t be one friggin’ line stunt. Not one. This game does not require being cute. The shortest distance to Tannehill is a straight line. Go!

As for all of these cute stunts, in the immortal words of Chucky, “KNOCK IT OFF!”

Joe cannot remember a bigger distraction for the Dolphins than this week. If it is proven the Dolphins coaches ordered a Code Red, then there will be heads rolling, deservedly so.

Joe truly believes Bucs fans are so hoarse from hollering for Greg Schiano’s head on a silver platter that they have worn themselves out .

(A former co-worker of Joe’s once had a dog that had barked itself permanently hoarse, which Joe didn’t think was possible. When the dog tried to bark, it sounded like a dude having an asthma attack).

 Given how the drama has significantly died down since leaky Josh Freeman was thrown off the team (hhhmmm… coincidence?), and the near-upset in Seattle last week, Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski of WHFS-FM 98.7 spoke with Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune and asked if it is a sure bet that Schiano’s days with the Bucs are numbered.

Cummings has a hunch there is a small chance Team Glazer could retain Schiano for 2014.

“I think there is a chance that he does come back,” Cummings said. “I think it’s probably in the 20%-30% range that he does come back because, again, look at the situation objectively, they’ve been in an awful lot of football games, they’ve proven they can compete in this league, and they’ve had injuries which is a big part of what’s gone on.

“It’s a quarterback driven league, and let’s face it, the quarterback did not help them win those first two or three games. He put them in position a couple times, but they couldn’t get it done. When you make a big quarterback change, that’s a big part of it.

“There’s a lot of little things going on. The MRSA thing, which is not in his control, these things are not necessarily the fault of Greg Schiano, but at the end of the day, when you’ve lost 13 out of 14 and you’re 0-7 in games decided by 3 points or less, that’s a bit of an indictment on your staff as well.”

Now Cummings makes a lot of sense here in that it seemed the season was doomed from the start with the sleepy Josh Freeman circus, the MRSA mess — only a psychotic conspiracy theorist or a lame sports radio host would suggest Schiano planted the MRSA — and a lot of stuff out of Schiano’s control. It’s not completely out of the question Team Glazer could give Schiano a mulligan as a result.

But at the end of the day, doesn’t a coach once or twice have to hang a “W” next to his name, you know, like maybe twice every 14 games? The Packers are without two of their top three pass catchers, their stud linebacker and Hall of Fame quarterback due to injuries. You don’t see Mike McCarthy crying in his beer. The Bears lost bratty Jay Cutler to injury and they are still in first place in the NFC North.

As far as the issue at quarterback, surely the Bucs are likely draft a quarterback next spring. Is Schiano the kind of guy who can develop a quarterback?

With so much hazing discussion happening around town in the wake of the wacky situation in Miami, Joe found this nugget very interesting.

Lavonte David hit the local radio airwaves today and talked about hazing rituals within the New Schiano Order locker room. David said it’s all business outside of rookies carrying pads for veterans. However, David did say traditions of sticking rookies with massive dinner bills and night-out tabs is alive and well.

Speaking on WHFS-FM, 98.7 today, David said he was charged with bringing in snacks as a rookie and taking the linebackers out to dinner.

David said his tab for six or seven linebackers at Ocean Prime in Tampa ran a cool $4,000. David said he did wince a bit as the orders hit the wait staff. “C’mon, y’all ain’t gonna eat all this.” Fellow 2012 rookie Najee Goode, David said, had a similar experience.

OK, OK, OK. Joe has heard the cries of the soccer moms out there demanding Joe write something positive about a team that has won but one game in its last 14 outings. Joe’s already done that today, but Joe can assure you, one has to dig and dig deep to find positives about an 0-8 team.

So Joe spend the good part of the day researching and finally came up with the ice cream needed to give all the little soccer players a reward for showing up to the game on time, despite the fact they lost by nine goals. Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is a midseason All Pro. Yes, really. That’s what Khaled Elsayed of Pro Football Focus typed. In the same sentence with J.J. Watt, no less.

Defensive Interior – Ends: J.J. Watt, HOU and Gerald McCoy, TB

If you didn’t see this coming you’re not watching enough football. His sack numbers aren’t as high but Watt leads his peers in defensive stops in the run game (23) and quarterback disruptions (41). He’s still the best player in football. When you watch McCoy make plays you forget briefly all about the struggles of Tampa Bay. He’s so good on every down.

Damn that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik for drafting GMC!

If that is not enough evidence for you, consider Ben Stockwell, writing for the same outfit.

For anyone who keeps a close eye on the Bucs’ defense you will know that bright spots are few and far between, but there are some that are extremely bright and catch the eye and two of those did again [Sunday]. Up front, Gerald McCoy was as ever the leading light in the Tampa Bay pass rush proving far too hot to handle for Seattle tackles and guards alike with some eye-wateringly quick pressure that often had Russell Wilson bailing from the pocket before he had set at the top of his drop-back. This was a welcome bounce back for McCoy in the passing game having registered his first negative grade of the season last week recording only one hurry against the Panthers. Six total pressures yesterday matched his season high and earned him his highest single game pass rush grade of his career.

GMC, the best defensive tackle in the game, yet somehow Bill Sheridan can’t take advantage of this to generate pressure from the ends?

Maybe if the Bucs weren’t running so many silly stunts, with GMC’s disruption, defensive ends might be able to bruise a quarterback instead of running around in the flat guarding nobody?

GMC has turned into a warrior. Too bad some folks are actually of the mind he should be cut? Imagine.

Joe can say from personal experience that former Bucs running back/fullback Earnest Graham is a very uplifting spirit. So Joe doesn’t want anyone to think that Graham’s earlier fire-Schiano talk was that of a hateful man who is always negative.

Graham’s interview on the Ron and Ian show this morning on WDAE-AM 620 can be heard below in its entirety. Graham seemed most excited talking about rookie running back Mike James. Graham doesn’t see any holes in his game.

“Mike James, I really love his rhythm. You know as far as running the football, he seems to be really, really in sync with the whole concept that happens with running. I think he does a lot of things off natural instinct. He’s not the strongest guy. He’s the fastest or the quickest guy. But, you know, he does everything with a certain rhythm. So he’s very in tune with the game of football. The guy does everything well. He makes the right cuts. His instincts are on point. So I like everything about Mike James.”

Graham went on to say James is valuable on drives because of his consistency, a guy who can be counted on to play mistake-free, and always get positive yardage.

That’s high praise from Graham. And it should have Bucs fans very excited. (Wednesday tease – tomorrow, Joe will deliver a very interesting take from Greg Schiano about James.) Enjoy the full Graham interview below. It’s interesting that he calls the Mike Sullivan offense very, very simple and not complex.

Joe knows many Bucs fans are begging for Bucs commander Greg Schiano to put his house up for sale and find a new home. Joe is not one of those people. That’s not to suggest Joe thinks Schiano and his staff have done a good job. They have not. Joe likes Schiano and feels for him; a good guy caught in an awful situation (leaky Josh Freeman).

Well, Bucs fans are getting their wish. Schiano is trying hard to unload his house. His house in New Jersey, that is.

Still on the market nearly two years after taking over the helm of the Bucs, Schiano’s Jersey house is vacant, so Schiano lowered the price big time in an effort to get it off his books.

Kelly Heyboer of Newark Star-Ledger has the details on the massively reduced rate.

Schiano recently dropped the price — for the third time — on his 8,500-square-foot house near Rutgers’ football stadium, his real estate agent said. The house, which was originally listed for $2.3 million 19 months ago, is now available for $1.595 million.

“It definitely would be a bargain at the price it is now. It’s less than it cost to build it,” said Schiano’s agent, Jerry Kienlen of Kienlen Lattmann Sotheby’s International Realty in Basking Ridge.

Check out the photos on the link above. It has a way cool home theater (for film study?), a neat office and a huge kitchen.

The house, across a highway from Rutgers’ football stadium, is the most expensive house for sale in Piscataway, even after Schiano dropped the price. But be ready for a tax sticker shock. Last year, Schiano had to cough up $24,000 in real estate taxes. Ouch!

“It truly is like a jump shot. You gotta lay it up there for Tree to get it. And usually, when we practice it every time, [Tom Crabtree] is kind of working his way back towards the back of the end zone and you just throw it. Well, when you trip up, now it even becomes more [difficult]. And I thought it was a great adjustment by Mike James, a guy who, you know, I think you can see keeps his cool and doesn’t get overwhelmed by the situation.” — Greg Schiano, speaking yesterday on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

Joe appreciated the Seattle Times photo above. It gives some great perspective on Mike James’ jump-pass touchdown throw to Tom Crabtree in Seattle, when Crabtree slipped to the ground on the play but got up in time to adjust for the catch.

Schiano’s quote above offers some insight into what a poised play James made. The video replay is phenomenal. James (no relation to LeBron) skies off the turf for the pass and, like a jump shot, releases the ball at the apex of his jump after adjusting for Crabtree’s clumsy feet. If you watch closely, James released the ball with Crabtree on the turf.

It was one of the coolest plays in Bucs history — sadly in a meaningless game.

Revered former Buccaneer Earnest Graham is a fan nowadays, since his career (and the Bucs 2011 season) ended during the Bucs’ last visit to London.

Graham still bleeds pewter and red, though, and is still a fixture in the area. Asked today whether he would retain Greg Schiano beyond this season, Graham said he’s not on board with that

“I don’t think you do [keep Greg Schiano for 2014]. You know, I just don’t think you do. I think with what has happened the last dozen or so games, what has happened this year, as a fan, just pulling myself away from being a player, as fan sitting in the stands it just wasn’t a very (laughs), nothing was interesting as far as the team was concerned,” Graham told the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620.

“I was actually bored watching the Buccaneers play. And I mean that’s just being honest. So I don’t think so. I think the product that they are putting out on the football field doesn’t warrant a person [keeping] their job. And that goes for any players and any coaches. And that’s what I love about the game. I love that truth about the game, is that if you’re hired to do something, you have to come through on it. And if you don’t, organizations and teams move on. So, no I don’t think so.”

Graham also lamented the 2013 mess and said it reminds him of his beloved Gators.

“Defensively for a while, they were playing some tough football but, you know, I haven’t seen this much go on with a football team like really ever, man. It’s just been a real, real tough year,” Graham said. “I was like everybody else, man. I bought my season tickets, and I’m in the stands, yeah, high hopes to start the year, but things haven’t gone real well at all. The offense isn’t doing much at all. It’s kind of similar to the Gators actually, at this point.”

The close games the Bucs have played don’t impress Graham, he said, because most NFL games are close and the mark of a good football team is winning those games.

Interestingly, Graham went on to say he’s excited about what next season could hold for Bucs because they have so much talent.

Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch didn’t have much of a problem running against the once-stingy rush defense of the Bucs.

Joe still has a pit in his stomach (no, he didn’t swallow a beer bottle cap) thinking of how the Bucs gagged away a three-touchdown lead Sunday against the Seahawks. In case you didn’t know, the 21-point deficit the Seahawks overcame was a franchise record for Seattle. Isn’t it nice to be on the wrong end of a franchise record?

There is no question the Bucs offense departed from what was working beautifully for three quarters: running the ball. That gave Seattle ample chance to rally. This, however, should not give the Bucs defense a pass. When the Bucs needed their defense the most, it had a difficult time getting off the field, except after Seattle scored.

Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus had choice words for a subpar effort by the defense of the Bucs.

One crucial failure from the Bucs in their attempt to hold their lead yesterday was their inability to make the Seahawks one dimensional as they chased a three-score deficit. While the Seahawks’ composure and the time left in the game certainly played a part, the Bucs at no point looked like being able to take the Seattle ground game out of the equation. This meant that in spite of playing from behind the entire game, the Seahawks still ran more than they passed (32 runs to 29 drop-backs) with the energetic and physical running of Marshawn Lynch a crucial factor in the home team’s recovery.

What the heck has happened to the rush defense of the Bucs? It was so special last year and this year, well, eh. They are currently No. 13 in the NFL, a pretty big drop off from last year.

It says something about what other NFL teams think of the Bucs that, down by three touchdowns, Peter Carroll and the Seahawks didn’t blink and kept feeding the ball to Marshawn Lynch. If teams like Seattle wasn’t concerned or scared of the Bucs’ rush defense. If so, they would have all but grounded their run game.

There’s a couple of things to know about the leader of the New Schiano Order; he’s still maximizing every day’s 1440 minutes and he doesn’t take himself too seriously.

A caller to Greg Schiano on WDAE-AM 620 last night said he was at the Bucs-Seattle game and wanted to know what/why Schiano endured standing near the tunnel on the field watching Seattle warm-up while a Seahawks fan berated him vigorously.

Schiano explained that the Bucs finished their pregame routine and Schiano wanted to seize the precious extra time to study the nuances of Pete Carroll’s team’s pregame activities. The rabid Seahawks fan? Well, that was entertainment, Schiano said.

“There was one Seattle fan in particular, who I thought was one of the more intelligent hecklers that I’ve been around in a number of years, had some great lines. He was being very creative and then he saw that I wasn’t gettin’ frazzled; I actually started laughing,” Schiano said. “So then he enjoyed the back and forth, and at the end he wanted to know if I wanted, he had homemade brewed beer. I said, ‘Nah, I don’t think I can have one right now before the game but I appreciate the offer.’

“So I think he might have had a few, just from the tone and tenor of his comments. But, no, it’s all in good fun. You know, part of it is you can’t take yourself too seriously. I enjoyed watching Seattle, I had maybe five, seven minutes that I got to watch them warm up an see how they do things. And I had a little guy chirping in my ear, which was fine, too.”

Schiano is an interesting cat. He can be obsessed with meal temperature, room temperature and seemingly ridiculous minutiae, but he can laugh at himself and he seems to be extraordinarily focused and consistent in the face of adversity no Bucs fan could have imagined.

Joe’s not surprised the Bucs are playing hard for their head coach. But that’s also what’s so troubling about the Schiano regime.

The massing coaching staff is busting its butt, as are players, yet the results are ugly. That means the talent and/or the coaching are lacking. At 0-8, Joe has to put the majority of it on the coaching.

Joe has sensed a malaise among Bucs fans. After enduring 13 NFL weekends of winless football in the last 14 NFL Sundays (or Thursdays), and after having their say about the Bucs quarterback situation (Freemanites or card-carrying members of the Mike Glennon Mob) and hollering themselves hoarse over Bucs commander Greg Schiano, Bucs fans are building new rage.

So, needing a new target to throw spears at, Bucs fans have turned their sights on Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. This same angry lot wants Dominik gone tomorrow, for no good logical reason.

Never mind virtually everyone in NFL circles is shocked by how the Bucs are winless despite the talent on the roster.

But sober, reasoned minds can see the winless Bucs are not the doing of Dominik. Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune can see through the hate and envision retaining his position with the Bucs after the coming purge, so Cummings wrote in a TBO Bucs Q&A.

Q: Do you see (Bucs GM Mark) Dominik getting the boot this year as well?

A: I can see why he might survive a purge, yes. The primary reason would be that he did everything ownership asked him to do for three years when he first took over. He gutted the team of its aging star players, which was not popular but necessary, and he started the rebuilding process through the draft. He’s taken some heat for some poor draft picks but every GM misses and he has been given very little credit for the hits he’s had. Mike Williams in the fourth round was a very good pick; trading up to get Doug Martin in the first was another and getting Lavonte David in the second was exceptional. Look, no one argues the Bucs are not a talented team and it was Dominik who oversaw the acquisition of all that talent. He seems to have done his job about as well as can rightfully be expected.

— Woody Cummings

To add to Cummings’ list, Joe would include a couple of third day draft picks who are playing well as rookie starters, defensive tackle Akeem Spence and running back Mike James.

Joe understands why Bucs fans loathe Dominik, mostly because of a dumb re-signing (yes, Joe typed that) of blocking icon Michael Clayton and some blown draft picks. Dominik bragged at the time he re-signed Clayton for his blocking skills, which floored Joe because that is like re-signing an offensive lineman who can’t block because of his pass-catching skills.

How many years has it been since Clayton was on the Bucs roster? Turn the page, people. It does a body and mind no good to live life as a hater.

There are certain puzzles in life that stump Joe. Riddles such as why people contaminate otherwise delicious carrot cake with nuts? Or, what’s the purpose of caffeine-free, sugar-free soda? Or, why torment innocents with brown M&Ms?

Another questions for the ages is, “why do the Bucs vanish in the first half?” This mystery is offered up by Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com in his look back at the choke in Seattle.

The second-half woes continue: The Bucs scored three points in the second half against Seattle. That’s not surprising. They’ve been collapsing in the second half all season. Think back to the losses to the Saints and Jets. If this team wasn’t so bad in the second half, it could be in playoff contention.

Playoffs? Well, Joe’s not getting ahead of himself, but Joe can see where Yasinskas is coming from. The Bucs could have a .500 record if Bucs commander Greg Schiano didn’t put his offense in mothballs in the second half.

The Bucs have scored a grand total of three touchdowns in the second half through eight games, and one was by Mason Foster. THREE! Joe thinks Mike Sullivan is one of the nicest guys, but Sullivan should be thanking his lucky stars he is working for patient owners like Team Glazer. Had Sullivan, for example, worked for Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder and gone through half a season like this he’d be interviewing with Allstate or State Farm about now.

Why does Joe suspect it’s not just Sullivan’s philosophy that is grinding the Bucs offense to a screeching halt in each game’s final 30 minutes of play?

As Antonio Bryant used to like to tell Joe, “Film don’t lie.”

Well, Greg Schiano went to the film of yesterday’s devastating defeat and found plenty of “good stuff.” Schiano said that after dealing with the emotions and disappointment of the loss, his staff saw “a lot of good stuff on that tape” and he addressed a few of those in his afternoon news conference today. There’s nothing groundbreaking in here, but you can listen to every last word from the leader of the New Schiano Order below.

Interestingly, Schiano, among other topics, talks about how the Bucs’ locker room is galvanizing and showing immense character, something Schiano says bodes very well for the second half of the season. Joe can’t wait!

Bucs commander Greg Schiano seemed slightly more upbeat today at his daily presser than he did yesterday, when he looked like a man at the wake of a family member. But he was still subdued less than 24 hours after choking away a three-touchdown lead against the Seahawks.

Schiano, when pressed, talk about the injury status of three key members of the Bucs, safety Dashon Goldson, guard Carl Nicks and running back Doug Martin. Of the three, Schiano believes Goldson has a good shot of playing against the Dolphins a week from tonight and ruled out Nicks. But Schiano did say there is still a chance Martin could suit up.

“Dashon is the furthest along in the process,” Schiano said. “Then, I’d say probably Doug and Carl. Not sure, just have to wait and see how that comes. Hopefully, we get a chance to see them both back playing.

“I don’t know if Carl is (available), Carl would not be in play for next Monday. Right now, Doug [is] and Dashon definitely is.”

Joe has touched on this before, but it bears repeating. With running backs in the NFL (before anyone jumps in, Adrian Peterson is not the rule, but the exception), they have only so much tread on the tires, only so many carries in the tank. The Bucs are in the middle of a lost season. Why risk further injury to such a talented and valuable running back? Shelve Martin for the season.

Joe understands Schiano is currently like a drowning man, desperately grasping at a life preserver just out of reach. Joe gets that. That is why Schiano is so hungry to get Martin back on the field.

This is where the Bucs front office needs to step in and put Martin on the disabled list. Mike James showed yesterday that if the offensive line can block, James is capable of grinding out big yards.

There is simply no reason to jeopardize the long term value of Martin for the short term gain of a lost season. There is simply no logical reason to run Martin out there during the calendar year of 2013.

The more Martin gets beat up now, the less of a chance Martin can help a new Bucs coaching regime down the road.

Can anyone say, “Cadillac Williams?”

Tom Crabtree made a nice catch of Mike James’ jump pass for a touchdown, but his holding penalty in the third quarter killed what looked to be a promising Bucs drive.

Joe has harped on the Bucs getting away from the one thing that worked as beautifully as anything had all year. That was Mike James having his best game since high school and the best game by a Bucs running back this season.

But the blame wasn’t totally on Bucs coaches, at least, not directly.

On the Bucs’ second possession of the second half leading 24-14, James ran through the Seahawks defense for 17 yards for what looked to be a first down on the Bucs-40. Not bad field position at all. But wait. There was a yellow hanky lying on the ground! Holding on Bucs tight end Tom Crabtree. Play nullified.

Instead of the Bucs with the ball at their own 40 with a first down, the Bucs were backed up to their own 30 with a first-and-20. And the Bucs never recovered from that penalty.

Whether it was because Crabtree, due to an injury, had not played a whole lot or if it was simply undisciplined play, Crabtree’s penalty killed what looked to be a promising drive that could have put the Bucs over the top.

Instead, the Bucs are still winless. And Joe asks a rhetorical question once again: How can such a disciplinarian like Greg Schiano have a team that plays so undisciplined?

With so many Bucs fans already focused on next year, Joe will focus on a Buccaneer almost sure to be around Tampa in 2014: rookie tight end Tim Wright.

At the halfway point of this miserable season, Wright has 24 catches for 259 yards and two touchdowns in limited action. The kid’s athletic, has made some very tough catches, and he’s clearly a handful to cover for linebackers.

Undrafted out of (all together now) Rutgers, Wright has come a long way from being a rookie who looked a little lost at times in training camp and when Josh Freeman threw him a sure touchdown pass in New England in Week 3 — one that went through Wright’s hands.

If you like rooting for underdogs, Wright is your guy. Rutgers fans seem to best know him for his two drops the cost Rutgers a conference title last season. And he only caught 50 balls during his college career. He’s also a converted wide receiver that, at roughly 6-4 and 225 pounds, looks like he has no business playing the position in the NFL.

Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht praised Wright this morning on WDAE-AM 620 and suggested the Bucs need to get him more involved.

Bucs coaches refer to Wright as a “tough guy” who will sacrifice his body and is attacking learning blocking at the position.

In this dismal season, Joe would like the see the Bucs keep developing Wright and grooming him for the future. Wright could be a great legacy from the New Schiano Order.