The Bucs have a new quarterback. The team announced it signed Jordan Rodgers to the practice squad today. He’s a 25-year-old rookie, who was undrafted and was cut by the Jaguars before training camp.

Joe not sure the Bucs are finished shopping for a No. 3 QB, but they’ve got one for now. Here’s what the Vanderbilt University website says about Rodgers’ 2012 season with the Commodores. 

2012 
An offensive co-captain, Rodgers put together one of the finest seasons ever by a Vanderbilt senior quarterback… Also became first quarterback in team history to guide Commodores to back-to-back postseason bowl appearances… Started all 12 games in which he participated, leading Commodores to 9-4 record and one of their best seasons in team gridiron history… His season passing totals -191 completions, 2,539 yards and 15 touchdowns – rank among the Top Ten single-season totals ever by a Vanderbilt QB… Rodgers completed 59.9% of his passes, the highest percentage by a Commodore QB since Jay Cutler’s junior season in 2004… Played remarkably consistent during Vanderbilt’s seven-game win streak to conclude the season, averaging 211 passing yards and nearly two TD passes per game… Passed for at least 170 yards in all but one start… Threw for a season-high 279 yards and two touchdowns to guide Commodores to thrilling 27-26 fourth quarter comeback win at Ole Miss… Also recorded 71 yards and two TDs on the ground vs. Ole Miss… Had two TD passes and a rushing score in Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl victory over N.C. State… Finished the campaign with 12 TD passes in the Commodores’ final six games…

“The best thing that they did was release Josh. Somehow, someway that situation had to end. It had gotten toxic from both sides. Josh was manipulating, everybody felt like Coach was manipulating, but I don’t feel like Greg was that kind of guy. Greg wants what’s best for this team. I think he can get the locker room back. I want to see him get the locker room back.” — Ronde Barber, yesterday on FOX NFL Sunday.

Joe’s not really sure how to accurately interpret Barber’s quote above. Barber saying he thinks Greg Schiano “can get the locker room back” implies that the head coach has lost it.

What does Barber know, or think he knows?

After hearing Bucs coaches and management talk so much this spring and summer about how challenging the Bucs offense is and how it takes years for a quarterback to master, Joe can’t buy in to the hope/hype that Mike Glennon can be a miracle worker.

Sorry. It’s just far too much to ask of a rookie third-round pick who didn’t get the majority of first-team reps until two weeks ago. Schiano himself even said the Bucs were not simplifying the offense for Glennon.

Success in the Bucs offense “takes great communication” between quarterback and receivers, explains former Bucs tight end Dave Moore, the Buccaneers Radio Network game analyst. Today, Moore used Xs and Os to detail why route running and receiver/quarterback connections are so challenging for Tampa Bay, via the WDAE-AM 620 audio below. It’s nothing new, but Joe thinks it is important to remember the difficulty level of the Bucs offense hasn’t disappeared just because Josh Freeman is gone.

Joe really hopes the New Schiano Order’s scouting and evaluation of Glennon is on the money. Joe’s really not up for the inevitable suffering if it’s not. (Enjoy Dave Moore’s full audio below. He’s always a good listen.)

Anthony Becht is not optimistic about the state of the Bucs

Former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht, an analyst on the Buccaneers Radio Network, gave sort of a state-of-the-Bucs address on WDAE-AM 620 this morning. And Becht didn’t bring great news.

He discussed an organizational failure on all fronts as it related to Josh Freeman’s tenure in Tampa, and he spoke of Freeman’s personal screwups, as well. But Becht had more daggers for the big crop of current Bucs veterans and young players who “didn’t live up to the expectation” through the first four games.

Becht also is frustrated by the most important position on the field. He didn’t sound like a Mike Glennon Mob member. “Who is our quarterback?” Becht asked rhetorically.

“It’s tough to swallow as a Bucs fan because you think they’re that close about a month ago, and then all of a sudden, bam, you know everbody’s world’s changed,” Becht said.

Becht also adds plenty more chatter in the audio below, including takes on the Eagles matchup Sunday.

Many Bucs fans are still outraged that Bucs commander Greg Schiano not only benched defrocked franchise quarterback Josh Freeman but cut him.

As it turned out, Freeman not only became a bad quarterback, not only became a distraction for a team scrambling to win its first game, but turned into a petulant child where the Bucs had to run him.

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune apparently obtained documents that detailed all the issues Freeman created for himself. It’s a wonder a law-and-order guy like Schiano would put up with Freeman this long. Cummings typed an article and seemed to agree.

It’s a sad tale, this Freeman saga. It might be the saddest and ugliest in the history of a franchise with a long history of sad and ugly sagas. The saddest part is that it all could have been avoided.

Clearly, the Buccaneers tried to avoid it. They gave Freeman a pass after he missed the team photo shoot and cut his fines for the opening-day offenses to a third of what they could have been.

And for three games they stuck with him despite a level of play that had him ranked 33rd in a 32-team league in passer rating and produced a league-low three offensive touchdowns.

So, Freeman blows off a team breakfast the morning of the season-opener, then he’s late for the bus going to the stadium. Then on the first series, in three consecutive plays, Freeman calls two timeouts and the team is flagged for delay of game.

Sure sounds like a guy who was preparing for the game, doesn’t it? A first series of a game, which is always scripted, and Freeman bungled that?

Look, Freeman is no innocent soul in this saga. In fact, he pulled a Terrell Owens. He was anything but a leader, anything but a team guy, which was proven in his final days.

Freeman’s departure may be addition by subtraction. He’s Minnesota’s problem now.

Schiano didn’t wreck Freeman. Freeman wrecked Freeman.

The newest member of the Minnesota Vikings is getting paid.

Per ProFootballTalk.com, Josh Freeman, who will collect more than $8 million from the Bucs this season, is double-dipping to the tune of about $260,000 per game with the Vikings.

The financial commitment shows that Freeman will be given every chance to claim the job.  For a full year, the pay projects to a base salary of $4.25 million.  That’s more than twice Matt Cassel’s $1.65 million for the year.  It’s nearly three times Christian Ponder’s base salary of $1.29 million.

This shows Freeman had leverage on the NFL market. There’s no way Minnesota rolls out that kind of cash if Freeman didn’t have multiple offers on the table.

It also illustrates just how badly the Bucs bungled the closing days of the Freeman circus. Freeman’s new contract is evidence he had trade value. If only the Bucs could have played their poker hand, rather than folding.

The New Schiano Order prides itself on managing, predicting and planning for details. They clearly were blindsided by what ensued when they decided to bench Freeman.

And, yes, the Josh Freeman era in Tampa Bay is over. “This Joe” was away for the weekend and hasn’t really had a chance to weigh in.

Oddly enough, Joe found out about Freeman’s release while switching planes in Kansas City, Freeman’s home town.

Joe has had mixed feelings. When Freeman was drafted in 2009, Joe was vehemently against drafting Freeman with the 17th pick in the draft. Oddly enough, if one is to look at the first round in the 2009 draft, it is largely, well, blah.

Joe didn’t think Freeman warranted that high of a draft pick. He threw for less than 60 percent completion percentage in college (a trend that would continue in the NFL – imagine?!). The list of quarterbacks who flamed out in the NFL who also threw for less than 60 percent in college is astounding. In fact, the odds of a quarterback who did not break the 60 percent plateau in college and then blew chunks in the NFL is staggering. Jay Cutler is one of the rare quarterbacks who did not pass for 60 percent who has had a decent NFL career, and to this day he still has a great deal of warts.

Joe is of the belief that quarterbacks in the NFL lead. They touch the ball every play. They are the engineers of the offense. Good quarterbacks raise the level of play of their teammates. Freeman surely didn’t do that at Kansas State, and only rarely did that for the Bucs.

Freeman was one of those rare quarterbacks that needed to have virtually perfect play from his teammates in order to succeed. Joe believes the opposite should be true.

When 2010 rolled around, no one was happier than Joe. But as the games, seasons and years have gone by since, Freeman’s 2010 season appeared to be more anomaly than signature.

No, Joe doesn’t believe Bucs commander Greg Schiano wrecked Freeman. Freeman wrecked Freeman. Shoot, Freeman had arguably his best statistical season with Schiano as his head coach. Joe’s not sure how people can argue Schiano Pearl Harbored Freeman’s NFL career.

The revolving door of coaches doesn’t wash with Joe ,either. Freeman had his worst season (2011) with stability on the coaching staff. (Stop with the nonsense that Freeman’s defense forced him to throw so many picks. Geno Hayes, Stylez White and Barrett Ruud were not his receivers).

Freeman turned out to be what he was in college: an inconsistent quarterback with a losing record who did not raise the level of his offensive teammates, but with just enough talent and physical skills to tease the hell out of you enough to give the guy umpteen chances and excuses and rope. It was time for the Bucs to move on.

Bye week: The Bucs return from the bye week and unlike what a few Bucs fans thought, there was no head coaching change. Schiano is still here, and Joe isn’t so sure Team Glazer is as fed up with Schiano as Bucs fans are. Joe really believes if Schiano can finish the season .500, he may be safe. That means he would have to win six games. Anything under that and all bets are off.

How Schiano and the Bucs finish the season in December will be telling. If the team has thrown in the towel (i.e. Raheem Morris’ pitiful finish), then its a decent bet the Bucs will be coach shopping as well as quarterback shopping.

Eagles week. Since the first half of the first week, when all the NFL sophists proclaimed Chip Kelly (the almost Bucs coach) to be the next Vince Lombardi, the Eagles have crashed and burned. A loss to a team that is circling the drain will be damning to Schiano and his college-of-coaches staff.

No more pink: Joe knows he is going to get hammered for this, and doesn’t care. This Pink October nonsense in the NFL has to come to a stop. Now.

On face value, it is noble of the NFL to raise awareness for breast cancer, truly an evil menace. But the more Joe peels the onion peel, the more it appears it is a money-making scheme under the guise of caring, which is shameful beyond words.

Joe reached his boiling point this week with the garish pink first down marker on NFL Network that burned the retinas in Joe’s eyes, and pink flags for the zebras. It was so bad Joe turned to college football where he didn’t need to make an appointment with his optometrist the next morning. Enough!

Now Joe is OK if this was for one week a season, not for a full 25 percent of the schedule. Does baseball have six weeks devoted to pink bats? Does basketball do a similar thing? Hell no, nor should they. Notice the NFL doesn’t have a full month for prostate cancer with baby blue everything? Or perhaps the full month of November to honor veterans and the armed services where camouflage is all over the place? That’s because the vast majority of men are football fans and, yes, the Armed Forces is largely male-dominated, and of course, they’re already NFL addicts.

But women, well, that is still a demographic to mine to get addicted to the NFL, and more importantly, spend money. So of course the NFL is going to go overboard for breast cancer awareness. Women who follow the NFL is a growing market, somewhat untapped. There’s gold in them thar hills. Pink gold.

If the NFL was so concerned with breast cancer awareness, instead of assaulting fans with pink, how about each team donate $1 million annually to the American Cancer Society to be earmarked for breast cancer research and study. Meanwhile, on the one weekend where teams wear pink stuff, there can be a real-time telethon to encourage viewers to donate to this fund throughout the telecast? Imagine the millions that could be raised?

But that would take away from precious commercial time with the television networks, and of course, take away revenue.

It grates Joe that the NFL, though its partner NIKE and its dubious Asian sweatshop factories, pump this pink crap out and then it is either sold or auctioned off. The NFL may claim they are not making cash off the sales and auctions of the pink apparel but someone is making money. NIKE isn’t producing these items free. Is NIKE giving the NFL a break in the production costs?

How about giving 100 percent of the gross revenue – not net — from these items to the American Cancer Society, if this month-long optical barrage is truly for above-the-board purposes?

This whole pink stuff sure stinks to Joe. It’s one thing to promote cancer research awareness, it’s another to pander, and it’s quite another to self-promote off the pain and suffering and – shall Joe say? – the death of cancer victims.

NFL
Browns: What does it tell you that after trading Trent Richardson, the Browns appear to be on a roll.

Bengals: Mock Andy Dalton if you wish, but the Bengals haven’t been this good with him as a quarterback in years. Oh, he’s led them to two playoff berths in his two seasons in the NFL while Josh Freeman has yet to watch a playoff game in shoulder pads.

Packers: A win is a win and Aaron Rodgers owns the upper Midwest.

Colts: Solid win against the Seahawks, arguably the best team in the NFC. Interesting that you don’t hear Colts fans make excuses for Andrew Luck because he simply gets the job done.

Ravens: Knock off the talented Dolphins in South Florida. Joe Flacco again earns his contract.

Eagles: Joe gives them little credit for beating one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Giants are a complete and total mess right now. How far the mighty have fallen.

Rams: Joe watched this miserable game in person and will have more about it later, but, sadly, Sam Bradford is slowly turning into Josh Freeman . Bradford actually looked like Elway compared to the quarterback he faced, bumbling Blaine Gabbert.

Chiefs: Give Joe Alex Smith any day. So he doesn’t throw long passes. So what? He wins. That’s what counts.

Cardinals: Two wins in a row for grossly average team. Sort of reminds Joe of the Bucs, only the Cardinals win. Some.

Broncos: Oh, Peyton Manning is lighting up things again. In the regular season. Joe will be willing to bet he stumbles yet again come January.

49ers: With all the injuries the Niners have suffered, they grit out a strong win against a good team, even when their quarterback has a lousy game.

Raiders/Chargers: Sorry, Joe is not staying up until 3 a.m. to watch the Raiders.

Random thoughts:

1. Joe sympathizes with the plight of Jerry Kill, Minnesota Gopheres head coach. But the guy is having a seizure now just about every gameday. This has happened on and off since he took over the Gophers but now it happens seemingly every other week. This week, he had a seizure before the Minnesota-Michigan game and could not attend. Two weeks ago he had to leave a game after suffering a seizure on the sidelines.

Just when does the Minnesota hierarchy just tell Kill to take a desk job? Without trying to sound insensitive, how can a head coach earn his pay and do his duty when he cannot even attend a game? With all due respect, this is not fair to his players, nor the university which is paying Kill a handsome salary to, you know, coach. It’s noble that Kill is trying his best despite his health issues. But it’s getting to the point that those health issues are preventing him from doing his job. Again, it’s time for Kill to come to grips with the sad fact that it may be better for everyone, including himself, if he works in an administrative job. Perhaps the stress of coaching is in some way triggering his seizures?

2. The Turtles: Maryland came into this weekend’s games ranked No. 25 and after getting throttled 63-0 by Florida State, has gone from ranked to just plain rank. Simply put, the Turtles are Big Ten ready.

3. The Hoosiers: Joe Paterno is rolling in his grave. For the first time since joining the Big Ten, Penn State lost to Indiana. Just for that, the NCAA should reinstate its penalties against Penn State that were waived a few weeks ago. Embarrassing.

5. Rams WiFi: Joe was under the impression that the NFL ordered all teams to install WiFi for the fans in the seats. The dome the Rams play in had none. What’s going on?

6. Rams II: This team is bad. Sam Bradford is getting no help from the collection of so-called receivers he has, dropping passes right and left but Bradford can’t quickly read defenses. He is slowly treading on Josh Freeman territory. Rams fans are beginning to lose patience.

7. Rams III: The dome the Rams play in is really nice, for a dome. It is sad that somehow Rams owner Stan Kroenke can’t make ends meet there. From a fan perspective, there isn’t a bad seat in the house. However, if you haven’t had lunch or breakfast, you better like hot dogs and nachos because that is about all the “food” that is sold there. If you don’t like hot dogs or nachos, then you are SOL.

8. Blaine Gabbert is atrocious. Whoever wasted a first round pick on this clown needs to be dragged through the streets of Jacksonville.

9. Joe still thinks, as a freshman, Jameis Winston is more polished than Josh Freeman is as a fifth-year pro. If Winston doesn’t get hurt, then this kid is going to be something very special.

10. Joe hopes the Rays can somehow win three straight from Boston, but Joe just cannot see it happening. Rays pitching hasn’t lived up to its hype the past two games.

11a. Joe just wants to choke Mike Matheny, the Redbirds manager. The gall to sacrifice a game in a five-game series by starting Amy Lynn! Joe had personal business to attend to in downtown St. Louis on Friday, and after meetings, Joe got a $90 Cardinals playoff ticket on the street for $50. After Amy Lynn did her usual, Joe booed and some scolded Joe, who told said fans, “Sure as hell am not going to applaud such a gutless effort by Amy.”
11b: In Game 1 after the Cardinals chased nipple-ring wearing/headcase A.J. Burnett after he surrendered seven runs in three innings, the normally docile Cardinals fans gave Burnett a standing ovation as he left the field. Joe thought that was pretty cool.

The Minnesota Vikings just secured the most motley crew of quarterbacks north of Houston this evening by signing former Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

Freeman joins erratic (but more clutch than Freeman) Mr. Samantha Steele and turnover machine Matt Cassell, per NFL.com.

Free-agent quarterback Josh Freeman is headed to the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year contract, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported late Sunday.

The fourth-year quarterback was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week.

Rapoport reported Sunday on NFL Network’s “NFL GameDay Morning” that Freeman’s agent talked to about 10 teams, according to sources informed of the quarterback’s situation.

This just makes Joe chuckle as Joe will never forget last year, shortly after the Bucs throttled Ponder and the Vikings at the Humphrey Dome, that popular sports radio host Adam Schien declared that while Freeman may be more talented, he trusted Ponder more.

Sure enough, Ponder had two clutch games against Houston and Green Bay to close the season, vaulting the Vikings into the playoffs while Freeman has his annual December meltdown and, like most Americans, watched the playoffs in front of his TV.

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune has confirmed the move from Freeman’s agent.

Like many Bucs fans, Joe’s trying to rationalize maintaining hope for the 2013 season. The Bucs must be able to find ways to win games and stop being a league laughingstock. This is not a rebuilding year.

Joe found a little hope today watching the Cardinals punish Carolina 22-6.

Joe really thought Carolina, coming out of a bye week, would bring more to the table. But they, like the Bucs, were thoroughly abused by the Arizona defense. With New Orleans staying undefeated and New England losing its first game today, Bucs opponents are now a stunning 14-5. The 2-2 Jets play at Atlanta on Monday night.

So perhaps one could look at this season to date and see a Bucs team that ran into tough matchups — and good teams — and choked a couple away.

Yes, Joe’s spinning. But the 14-5 mark is too big to ignore.

The 2-3 Eagles head to Tampa next Sunday. A couple of things are certain: the Eagles are going to stress the Bucs defense and Mike Glennon must play big on third down to give the Bucs a fighting chance.

It seems like Josh Freeman could be the star of a LeBron James style “decision” on NFL Network tomorrow morning.

Per FOX insider Jay Glazer and ProFootballTalk.com, there’s a hefty market for Freeman’s services, including the 49ers, and Freeman will make a decision shortly after tonight’s Raiders-Chargers game. Kickoff is 11:30 p.m. EST. (Yes. 11:30 p.m.)

Glazer also says the Raiders and Vikings are the frontrunners.  The Bills also are interested, but Freeman realizes that his stint likely would end once EJ Manuelreturns from a knee injury.

As to Oakland, Glazer said that coach Dennis Allen spoke to Freeman by phone on Friday, and that Freeman would walk right in as the starter.  (Which likely is news to Terrelle Pryor.)

Joe would enjoy the intrigue surrounding Freeman re-uniting with former Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson in Oakland, if Freeman would be the instant starter, as the report claims. It’ll also be interesting to see what kind of salary Freeman commands and whether Freeman is willing to sign with the Raiders without denying them the right to franchise tag him at the end of the season.

The nasty staph infection known as “MRSA” cost the Bucs their second kicker of the season, Lawrence Tynes, and knocked All-Pro guard Carl Nicks out for a few weeks.

(Hey, with better kicking and better line O-line play, the Bucs might be 3-1.)

Tynes, as has been reported previously, feels jilted because the Bucs put him on a non-football-injury list, which hurts his potential retirement pay. Tynes is fighting the designation. As part of that official grievance, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Tynes and/or the player’s union alleged three additional Buccaneers players contracted a MRSA infection and a training staff member was infected before players arrived in July.

Furthermore, the NFLPA claims that at least three other Bucs players contacted staph infections around the time Tynes got MRSA, and the union continues to investigate whether a member of the Bucs’ training staff was being treated for MRSA as players were reporting to camp.

Joe won’t speculate what Bucs were the others allegedly affected by MRSA, and when and to what degree they might have been infected. You can click through above to learn more.

Joe really never had much deep interest in the MRSA mess; it’s a very unfortunate illness, and it’s unfortunate that Tynes and his employer are in a state of unrest. However, in light of the Josh Freeman scandal surrounding the release of some of his medical records in the confidential NFL substance abuse program, Joe is a lot more interested in how this MRSA mess turns out.

Bucs pass rush coach and former NFL star Bryan Cox is always a good listen. Here’s part of his latest weigh-in on the Bucs’ defense, via Bucccaneers.com video.

Cox names rookie nose tackle Akeem Spence as a surprise defensive performer who has done a good job. Cox also explains that Gerald McCoy has taken the next step in his leadership of the team.

Remember, it was Cox who told Joe months ago that McCoy’s greatest challenge was making those around him better.

“I saw a guy that was mature, ready to take the next step, very into it in the meetings, very intelligent. And so you’d just like to think and hope that this year he can build and bring some guys with him,” Cox said of McCoy in June. “Because true great players bring, you know, other players’ level of play to a different level. That’s what we’d like to expect from him this season.”

Joe’s glad to hear McCoy is growing from his Pro Bowl season, versus relaxing after reaching NFL glory.

It’s good news on Spence, as well. Four games isn’t much of a sample, but Spence clearly has more potential than Roy Miller and was well worth trading up for in the fourth round.

Bucs icon Derrick Brooks sits down every Wednesday with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620.

The audio is below is full of relevant Bucs and NFL stuff, though it was cut before Josh Freeman got released. Brooks talks about why it’s such a big deal for the entire NFL that Josh Freeman’s confidential medical records were released, in part, by ESPN. And Brooks also analyzes Greg Schiano’s reported tactic of videotaping Bucs on the sidelines in search of bad behavior. Brooks also cautions fans not to write off rookie tight end Tim Wright just because he’s an unknown from (all together now) Rutgers.

Yes, Joe is aware the Bucs are not playing this week, enjoying a bye week. Joe is bringing the following Yahoo! Sports video to his readers because he thinks there may be interest. A popular cheerleader offers her picks for this weekend’s games.

Joe was talking with his good friend Justin Pawlowski, of WHFS-FM 98.7 fame, and Justin believed not Chucky, not Raheem, had nearly the entire Bucs fanbase enraged like it is now.

Justin may have a point (though had Raheem been brought back for the 2012 season, Team Glazer would have had to have One Buc Palace ringed by armed security). Today there are few people Joe can find, whether hardcore or casual Bucs fans, who seem to be firmly in the corner of the Bucs commander Greg Schiano. It all turned so suddenly; Joe is shocked.

Even the Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, seems taken aback. He spoke about the fan unrest in his weekly appearance with the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio.

“I have never seen a coach under siege like this. Every day Schiano is getting blasted. You have to think some of this is coming from Freeman’s camp, his agent. You know how these things work Chris. It is bad. It is really bad. Every day the soap opera gets another chapter. I don’t think the Bucs leaked [Freeman’s drug program involvement] and if they did, they deserve all the wrath they get.

“Tremendous — tremendous! — anti-Schiano backlash down here in Tampa. Nobody wants to hear what he did at Rutgers. He has a 25-man coaching staff and they look poorly coached. There is talent on this football team.”

As John Madden was famous for saying, winning is the best deodorant. Win and the masses calm down (though for the Bucs’ drafting needs, losing is the best path). Joe would expect if Schiano goes 6-6 the rest of the season, then he would be safe.

Pat Kirwan

Former Bucs scout, Jets linebackers coach under Monte Kiffin, Jets pro personnel director and current NFL analyst Pat Kirwan has always been a Josh Freeman fan.

So Thursday when the Bucs ended the 10-month old drama with Freeman by washing their hands of him, it came as a surprise to Kirwan. On his excellent SiriusXM NFL Radio show, “Movin’ the Chains,” co-hosted with Jim Miller, Kirwan gave his take on the situation.

In short, Kirwan had pointed words for Bucs commander Greg Schiano. To listen, click the orange arrow below.

Yes, Doug Martin has struggled this season. Martin looks to have the same burst and drive he had last year, but the holes haven’t been there.

It’s interesting to note that two Bucs opponents in September, the Cardinals and Jets, are tied for the NFL’s top ranking in yards allowed per carry. Both only give up a stunning 3.0 yards a handoff. That’s some serous run defense. Keep in mind the Bucs’ defense led the NFL allowing 3.5 yards per carry in 2012.

So perhaps the Bucs have simply plowed into a couple of stout run defenses and inevitably will bounce out of their rushing funk?

Joe realizes it’s not that simple, but the numbers are worth noting.

Greg Schiano went of his way this week to talk about how he’s not naïve to the fact that the Bucs’ offensive line is still gelling as Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph had very little preseason work. Joe buys that to a point, but the Bucs had backups step in and perform mightily in 2012 and in 2010 (James Lee, and rookies Derek Hardman and Ted Larsen), guys who had nowhere near the talent of Nicks and Joseph. So it’s really been enough time, especially after bye week, for Joseph and Nicks to bounce back to their superstar forms.

Even with opponents inevitably loading the box against the Bucs to dare Mike Glennon to beat them, Joe believes there’s a lot of hope for the Bucs’ running game. The challenge lies with Mike Sullivan to stay unpredictable.

On one hand you have the quarterback of the future and the quarterback of the past but maybe not the quarterback of the present against a struggling defense. On the other hand, you have a future Hall of Fame quarterback facing the No. 32-ranked pass defense in the NFL.

No, this is not 2012. It is 2014, today in fact.

What will Mike Glennon and the Bucs do against Drew Brees and the Saints at the Superdome today? Prickly Pete Prisco and Pat Kirwan of CBS Sports hash it out. [read more]