Ornery Alan Dell of the Bradenton Herald believes the Bucs sorely need Austin Seferian-Jenkins to block.

One cool things about this past training camp — Joe let his baseball fandom get the best of him yesterday while appearing with his good friend, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, and slipped up calling training camp “spring training — is the impression tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has made on everyone watching.

With apologies for being repetitive, ASJ is a freaking monster. He is a complete and total mismatch over the middle. But it isn’t just his hulking physical size that has won Joe over. No, Joe is more than impressed with ASJ’s attitude. [read more]

How can any quarterback perform when this is the result on virtually every snap?

Bucs fans are still buzzing — not in a good way — about the offensive line that showed up for the first preseason game in Jacksonville. Yes, Joe believes the offensive line will get better. It simply can’t get worse than what we witnessed.

The numbers crunchers over at Pro Football Focus watched the game, too. Joe guesses on GameRewind. For the spreadsheeters like Steve Palazzolo, who typed the breakdown, he wasn’t exactly warmed over with the quarterback play from the pewter and red troops. [read more]

It was a spirited “JoeBucsFan Hour” on WDAE-AM 620 this evening. And what else did you expect after finally seeing the Bucs face a real opponent?

Joe’s weekly sit-down with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, is always a fun time. [read more]

An annual Bucs training camp highlight for Joe is when Warren Sapp comes bouncing in, like he did a couple of weeks ago. You don’t have to see the Hall of Fame defensive tackle to know he’s there: you hear him.

Sapp is hardly a vague person. Ask him a direct question, you get a direct answer. Loudly. Confidently. Sometimes, spiced with colorful profanities. [read more]

Bucs fans are “this close” to hitting the panic button over the state of the offensive (keyword) guards, and it is only Aug. 13. Man, Joe doesn’t know what Tampa Bay fans will do if the line collapses Saturday against Miami anything close to the way it impersonated turnstiles last week at Jacksonville.

The hyperventilating over the offensive line has even taken Joe aback. Wow. It is as if fans will storm the pirate ship Saturday in order to jump off it. [read more]

Will Eric Page — and/or those around him — force Lovie’s hand?

Following the Bucs’ competition at punt returner, Joe gets the distinct impression Lovie Smith doesn’t want Eric Page winning the job. But Lovie’s problem is he must find someone better, and that just hasn’t happened.

Consider that Lovie made it very clear twice that he doesn’t have warm feelings about the position. The first time came in May when the head coach called punt returner “an area of concern.” [read more]

It goes hand-in-hand with training camp. Folks breaking down the good and analyzing the bad. It is as traditional as roasting summer sun and the sweat-soaked uniforms of the Bucs.

There is much to like about the Bucs this season. The defense should be stout with an expected improvement in the pass rush. The team may never have been this loaded with so many talented receivers. The Bucs are an easy five-deep at running back, each likely could start for another squad. [read more]

“Keep grinding, my son.”

Joe’s written countless times how gosh darn lucky the Bucs are to have Mike Glennon on the roster.

The man is a good backup quarterback. He played very well for a third-round rookie last year.

[read more]

Tampa Bay Times writers have their edge detectors up

Preaching patience to media in various ways yesterday, something he did earlier this week, Lovie Smith now has multiple media types wondering whether the head coach is edgy and/or grumpy, or just being a little playful. [read more]

Twice over the past week, Bucs general manager Jason Licht has talked about how his role is “to serve the head coach.”

Licht used those specific words on the Buccaneers Radio Network and on SiriusXM NFL Radio. [read more]

Bucs LB Lavonte David talks takeaways.

It was a funny scene yesterday. Josh McCown dropped back and noticed wide receiver Chris Owusu breaking loose on a crossing pattern from the right to the left side. As Owusu neared the sideline, he shook linebacker Lavonte David loose and got behind him.

Trouble for McCown (and Owusu) was that David read the pass perfectly and was in position for a pick. [read more]

Kudos to Bucs backup defenders, cornerback Deveron Carr and linebacker Dane Fletcher, for picking off former starting QB Mike Glennon in practice yesterday.

Hey, interceptions happen, but these were on consecutive plays in 7-on-7 work. [read more]

Will the Olympian be gifted a coveted roster spot?

Joe sees various media types issuing 53-man, final-roster predictions for your beloved Buccaneers. And they all include speedster running back Jeff Demps.

Even former Bucs DE Steve White, who was a coaching assistant on Lovie Smith’s staff this spring, says he believes the Bucs will keep Demps and work him into the offense consistently. [read more]

Josh McCown stated on SiriusXM Radio he doesn’t know who will start at either guard position come Sept. 7.

Every day at Bucs practice, Joe and other members of the Tampa Bay pen and mic club are looking for and asking seemingly the same things: “What guards are starting with the first team?” and “Is Da’Quan Bowers practicing today?”

(Column intermission: Bowers missed his second consecutive day Tuesday with what Bucs coach Lovie Smith considered an upper leg/groin issue). [read more]

Twice this evening, and during previous news conferences, Lovie Smith has emphasized that safety Dashon “Hawk” Goldson is a smart football player.

He’s also called Goldson the type of guy who’s an extra coach on the staff. [read more]

RT Demar Dotson was anything but smiles when he spoke of the level of Bucs offensive line play Friday

Joe is confident many Bucs fans share in Demar Dotson’s disgust. Bucs fans watched the offensive line last Friday and wanted to hurl.

Dotson, the lone member of the Bucs’ offensive line who played reasonably well, watched the film more than any Tampa Bay fan and left that experience searching for Scope because he had such a bad taste in his mouth. [read more]

Ahh, the spirit of liberation, aka Greg Schiano leaving One Buc Palace and holing up in his South Tampa home.

It’s a such a freeing feeling it even evokes new words for the English language. [read more]

Good not good enough for Bucs DE Adrian Clayborn.

Bucs fans have actually consulted professionals while trying to cope with their depression after seeing the Bucs’ offensive line act like matadors, waving a red flag and having defenders chase quarterback Josh McCown around like Joe does Rachel Watson in his dreams.

The difference is, the opposing defenders catch their prey. [read more]