Live in Indianapolis, Joe loved hearing Mike McCarthy’s take on Lovie Smith.

For the better part of the last decade, Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay Packers have pretty much owned the NFC North. That is, unless Lovie Smith and the Bears rose up and batted the Packers away with a big ol’ paw.

As we all know, Lovie is no longer in Chicago. He’s with the Bucs. And his old foe in the frozen, snowy north thinks the Bucs couldn’t have found a better man to lead the Pewter Pirates out of a playoffless rut. [read more]

The Buccaneers’ fearless leaders, Lovie Smith and Jason Licht, praise Mike Glennon for being a steadily improving rookie with a great work ethic and strong throwing skills. On the other hand, they won’t dare call Glennon their starting quarterback.

Some Bucs fans inexplicably think that’s normal, despite the fact 14 of 16 starting quarterback jobs in the NFC already are established without controversy. [read more]

Bucs GM Jason Licht explains

Reasoned criticism of former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik’s tenure included that he seemed to fall in love with his own draft picks and hung on to them way, way too long hoping beyond hope they would turn around their fortunes — even when guys walking around with a white cane could see their careers circling the drain.

[read more]

Joe’s been around journalism long enough to know today’s Tampa Bay Times attack piece on Mike Williams, slapped on the front page of the print edition, is seriously lacking important substance.

First, the Times wants us to believe that somehow Williams lived in a quiet, posh Lutz neighborhood where he terrorized neighbors with wild house parties for more than a year but there was no significant community uproar, or dozens of calls to police, or arrests or citations at the property, or more.  [read more]

Hey, today is the day Bucs fans. The franchise quarterback of your dreams, Johnny Manziel, aka Johnny Football, is expected to take the podium to talk with Joe and other assembled NFL media at the NFL Scouting Combine from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Joe is expecting a Manti Te’o-like mob scene for the former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and most exciting college signal-caller Joe can remember. [read more]

Bucs GM Jason Licht said Thursday he will not “anoint’ quarterback Mike Glennon as the Bucs starter.

After spending 20+ minutes listening to Bucs general manager Jason Licht Thursday at the NFL Scouting Combine held inside (thankfully) toasty Lucas Oil Stadium in temporarily warm Indianapolis (not warm today), Joe is sure Mike Glennon is going to get some company.

Licht spoke at length about Glennon and quarterbacks in general. [read more]

Joe loves Lovie Smith’s win-now mindset.

On the heels of Lovie saying he wants to spend every nickel of available cash under the salary cap, Lovie’s urgency was on display this afternoon day before Joe and other media parked in front of the head coach at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. [read more]

Wild parties were reported at a home formerly rented by Mike Williams.

It seems the behavior of Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams away from the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway and One Buc Palace is a bit more concerning than previously known.

That’s what Joe can read from a detailed report of Greg Auman and Rick Stroud in today’s Tampa Bay Times. The duo dug through police records, talked to Williams’ neighbors and collected information that made the movie “Animal House” come to real life at Williams’ furnished Tampa rental. [read more]

Joe is far more interested in who will wear the fancy new helmets rolled out by the Buccaneers today than the helmets themselves. Sorry, Joe’s not passionate about gear.

But here’s the long-awaited new look for the Bucs, as rolled out on NFL Network. Oh, the drama.

As you can see, the Bucs tweaked their logo, too. It’s all good for Joe as long as the Bucs keep their colors and uniforms.

“Easy, Jason. I know you like Khalil Mack, but don’t tip your hand.”

Quick observation from Joe’s first-hand sessions with Lovie Smith and Jason Licht in Indianapolis:

Granted, it is still February. The draft is nearly three long months away. But if anything jumped out at Joe when talking to and watching the body English of both Bucs head man Lovie Smith and general manager Jason Licht, it is that serious changes to the offensive line very well could be afoot. [read more]

Lovie Smith is one busy man today at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Lovie’s granting so many interviews today there probably isn’t an aspect of the Bucs he hasn’t talked about, short of what uniforms the cheerleaders will (not?) wear this fall.

Squeezed among these briefings, Lovie gave Joe a few moments of his time to talk, yes, Mike Glennon, Davin Joseph and Doug Martin. [read more]

Bad news for those yearning for the human armoire, Carl Nicks, to make a full recovery.

Per the Twitterings of WDAE-AM 620 host Rick Stroud, Lovie Smith told him today the Bucs’ massive left guard isn’t sprinting or going all out in his rehabilitation from foot surgeries. [read more]

Lovie Smith is not one to brush off players’ funny business inside and outside of One Buc Palace.

You could just see — and hear — the frustration on Lovie’s face this afternoon when he spoke about Mike Williams before Joe and other media types at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. [read more]

“It’s a tough business, my son.”

“But if you ask me do I think we can win games with Mike Glennon? I’m going to say, “yeah, we can win games with Mike Glennon.’ If you ask me would you like to upgrade the position? I’m not running around the question. That’s a yes, too. If you ask me, would you like a veteran? Yeah. Really, that’s the case. It all has to go together. You have to look at what’s available at other positions, too.” — Bucs head coach Lovie Smith, speaking today at the NFL Scouting Combine.

You can read more of Lovie’s quotes here from TampaBay.com. Lovie also talks about how he wants a veteran quarterback in the mix of the four QBs he’ll bring to camp.

This is a depressing day for the Mike Glennon Mob.

“The Professor,” John Clayton of ESPN, talks to Joe.

When Joe wrote this morning he would try to overwhelm you, here is another example. Joe got a chance to talk to “The Professor,” John Clayton of ESPN, this morning at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Clayton doesn’t buy that having the No. 4 quarterback in a four-team division means the Buccaneers can’t be successful. [read more]

“Life won’t get easier, Matty.”

Head coach of the hated Dixie Chicks, good guy Mike Smith, was quick to praise his newest division rival this morning when Joe asked him about Lovie Smith (no relation).

It seems Atlanta’s head man thinks the Bucs have stepped up their game.

“Lovie is an outstanding football coach. I think his record speaks for itself,” Smith said at the NFL Scouting Combine this morning in Indianapolis. [read more]

Where would you want to play, Jacksonville, Oakland or Tampa?

That’s a scenario spelled out for nearly-free-agent (18 days) defensive end Jared Allen on NFL.com. [read more]

Chris Mortensen

Joe’s not f’ing around at the combine. Joe landed one of the biggest of big NFL media insider fish right away this morning when ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, just as he was about to go on set to air a report or some such thing, gave Joe a few minutes of his time to talk Bucs.

One nugget “Mort” dropped on Joe is that Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon has some other NFL owners with their briefs in a bunch. [read more]