Yes, it was just the first game of the season. Yes, it was a loss. No, the season is not over. But Bucs quarterback Josh McCown made such a lasting impression, and not a good one, that it may take a few weeks of solid play (and a few sick packs) for Bucs fans to forget what they witnessed.

McCown’s reckless disregard for ball security not only cost the Bucs the game, but scared the hell out of Joe that an 11-year NFL vet would have the same discipline as a scared high school sophomore. [read more]

Andrew Astleford of Fox Sports Florida believes the honeymoon for Bucs coach Lovie Smith is over after Sunday’s debacle.

Is Lovie’s honeymoon over? Joe doesn’t think so, but what we witnessed for three quarters Sunday was the equivalent of walking in on your new bride in a compromising position with the hotel concierge.

Man, Bucs fans were some kind of livid Sunday. And Monday. And likely today. Joe hasn’t seen this kind of September vitriol in a while toward the home Pewter Pirates. [read more]

Lovie Smith weighed in on his radio show

Lovie Smith has called Doug Martin his bell cow back.

But with the game on the line Sunday, the Bucs with the ball and driving for the winning score, it was Bobby Rainey on the field. [read more]

Was Josh McCown just feeling things out in Game 1?

Yes, Joe has calmed down somewhat from watching Josh McCown pretend to be a high school sophomore, the way he panicked under pressure and was so irresponsible with the football.

His rank careless Garo Yepremian impersonations led to Carolina picks, which directly led to two Stinking Panthers touchdowns.

And that, boys and girls, was your ballgame. [read more]

The Bucs’ special teams coach explains why rookie Solomon Patton is the man in the punt return game

Returner Solomon Patton getting called up from the practice squad to return punts against the Panthers wasn’t just a one-time thing.

The Bucs are extraordinarily high on him and believe Patton is already raising the play of those around him. [read more]

Adam Schein

Popular sports radio personality Adam Schein couldn’t believe his eyes Sunday. The host of “Schein on Sports,” heard exclusively on “Mad Dog Radio,” part of the family of sports channels on SiriusXM Radio, was monitoring the Stinking Panthers-Bucs game Sunday and thought for sure his guy Josh McCown would make journeyman/Browns castoff Derek Anderson pay for stepping onto the field of the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

As the game unfolded, Schein, who has a weekly column on NFL.com, was rocked when he saw how the Stinking Panthers chain-whipped the Bucs for three full quarters. [read more]

Lovie Smith found a bright spot on the stat sheet yesterday.

Man, he might have had to scan that thing a couple of times. [read more]

Good news from One Buc Palace moments ago, Lovie Smith said offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford was back at work today “full-time” and fulfilling his duties. [read more]

Among the nuggets coming out of Lovie Smith’s news conference today is that big-money defensive end Michael Johnson was injured early in the loss to the Panthers.

“Michael Johnson hurt his ankle about the third play of the game, rolled it,” Lovie said, as part of discussing how his defensive line wasn’t good enough. [read more]

Anthony Collins and the Bucs offensive line wasn’t as horrible as many Bucs fans want to believe. Even former Bucs TE Anthony Becht agrees.

Joe took all sorts of heat from fans who trashed Joe for suggesting the offensive line didn’t play that bad — it didn’t play great, no doubt. It wasn’t like the offensive line was the reason the Bucs lost.

In fact, a guy who knows something about blocking, former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht, part of the Buccaneers Radio Network and a columnist for Buccaneers.com, saw positives as well. He didn’t think the offensive line was that horrible, but certainly needs work. [read more]

Gerald McCoy weighs in on the defensive struggles

Gerald McCoy had heavy praise for the blocking schemes and performance of the Carolina Panthers yesterday.

Jiminy Christmas! The more Joe listens to Buccaneers talking, the more Joe is believing the unthinkable, that Mike Shula outcoached Lovie Smith. [read more]

As he is wont to do, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball box score-reading, NPR-listening, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training Peter King, of theMMQB.com and NBC Sports fame, did his drive-by visit to training camp at One Buc Palace this summer.

He was so charmed by many of the Bucs, including suits, coaches and players, he came away convinced Tampa Bay was going to be one of the great turnaround stories of the season, that Lovie Smith would sprinkle his pixie dust on the team and it would turn into a playoff contender. [read more]

Greg Olsen made it look too easy against Tampa Bay yesterday. Why?

Ahh, an Achilles heal of Lovie Smith’s old school Tampa-2 defense, a smart tight end combined with a decent running game.

Former Bucs tight end Dave Moore has seen it before. [read more]

TampaBay.com Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud, who doubles as a morning show host on WDAE-AM 620, got to the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway early yesterday and talked to healing offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford.

This morning, Stroud shared good news and bad on the radio. [read more]

A former Buccaneer says he’s ready for Mike Glennon if Josh McCown continues to play like he did yesterday

Yes, Joe realizes a Bucs victory next Sunday against St. Louis will bring a calm over the Tampa Bay area. Man, Joe doesn’t want to think about the alternative — followed by quick-turnaround, Thursday night game in Altanta.

Bucs fans need that calm, because it’s crazy out here in the real world of Bucs fandom. There’s mass rage and crazy talk. [read more]

Stats are a funny thing. Some think they’re “for losers,” as Raheem Morris claimed. Others swear by them, and teams even employ “analytics” departments (Bucs included) to spreadsheet every last thing to search for an edge.

But stats are also worthless at times, jibberish junk food for the brain. Lovie Smith evoked one of those yesterday. [read more]

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

Towards the end of the third quarter, Joe could not believe what he was watching. Joe has seen some awful Bucs quarterbacks in person.

Trent Dilfer still gives Joe nightmares he was so awful. Maybe Joe should seek therapy?

Witnessed Son of Bob, who was a pick-six waiting to happen. If you laid cash on a pick happening every time Son of Bob threw to the sideline, you’d have more cash in your pocket than you did when you started wagering.

Joe once watched Rob Johnson, who Chucky tried and tried and tried to find an excuse to start at quarterback over Brad Johnson. Yet even stubborn Chucky could see how awful he was.

Yes, even last year, mostly against teams with strong defenses, Mike Glennon looked lost.

But in none of those games, none, zero, did Glennon look as out of place as Bucs starting quarterback Josh McCown did yesterday. This is supposed to be the leader of your offense, a guy who treated the football as if it was contaminated with the Ebola virus?

Time and again McCown was headed for the ground and he simply just lolly-popped the ball in the air in a fit of panicked desperation. It was fortunate he only had two picks.

An 11-year NFL veteran? Joe has heard people say McCown looked like a rookie. No, he looked like a high school sophomore. Joe was so blown away he even Twittered after that ghastly fumble/interception late in the third quarter that McCown needed to be pulled. Somebody had to settle him down or get someone in there (Glennon?) who wouldn’t treat the football like a bocce ball. [read more]

Bucs fans were told Josh McCown is a superior leader of men.

Bucs fans were told Vincent Jackson is a leader and would be asked to make greater strides in that area this season.

Gerald McCoy acknowledges he’s had success but not yet as a leader who makes those around him better. [read more]