Joe hopes all his readers have a Merry Christmas. Joe knows not everyone celebrates the day, but it’s the spirit of the day Joe hopes all welcome: peace and good will towards all. Joe is really appreciative of all of his readers. Without readers, Joe wouldn’t have this little corner of the Interwebs. Rarely a day goes by that Joe isn’t humbled by his readers and their loyalty. So, enjoy the day and celebrate it however you wish. You can bet Joe will have some Bushmills today. Happy Holidays!

Yes, this is a sad Christmas Eve tradition for Joe, to show how the snooping of the federal government upon innocents can get out of hand without checks and balances. On his rounds from the South Pole this evening, Santa Claus has been detained by TSA agents who have decided to call in the notorious Jack Bauer to interrogate him in the bowls of CTU.

Team Glazer must revive hope

Barring stunning surprises, such as the Bucs upsetting the Saints on Sunday, both NFC Wild Card berths this season will go to teams with at least 11 wins.

The NFC South winner also will have at least 11 in the “W” column.

So where does that leave the Bucs? Just how far away are they? [read more]

Right now Sunday’s clash with the Saints at the Superdome is secondary to Bucs fans. Turn on sports radio or read comments here and you will see fans are clearly looking to the future, very much past Sunday.

Already Bucs fans are giddy about the draft, some five long months away. And, of course, the job status of Bucs commander Greg Schiano is on Bucs fans’ minds.

So too is Schiano on the mind of Pat Yasinskas of ESPN. He believes Sunday’s outcome will likely determine the fate of Schiano.

[read more]

Sunday is about winning, not personnel.

The Bucs are marching up to New Orleans to beat the Saints on Sunday and there will be no deviation from the plan. This isn’t a preseason game, Greg Schiano explained today.

Joe asked Schiano if he might give young players extra snaps or rest any banged up veterans, or even approach the game with that possibility in mind. [read more]

Is Davin Joseph struggling because perhaps he is not yet 100 percent recovered from knee surgery?

Joe knows that in the inner-walls of One Buc Palace, the decline of the offensive line is of a great concern.

For Bucs fans, it has been the source of acid reflux, and for good reason. In the past few games, opposing defenses have exploded, making Monday mornings troublesome for Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon.

Your eyes are not deceiving. Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune has the disturbing numbers. [read more]

Schiano uses the “E” word

Mike Glennon is an excellent quarterback when “he can actually play the position.” That was a common theme repeated by Greg Schiano during his various public chats yesterday.

The clear implication was that Glennon does just fine when his linemen block and his receivers get seperation. [read more]

About that report yesterday from a Central Pennsylvania newspaper claiming Greg Schiano had an “intermediary” sniff out the potential head coaching job opening at Penn State recently?

Schiano said today there’s “zero truth to that,” so he told media at One Buc Palace. “And make it clear. The only job I want is the one I have right now.”

Is Roger Goodell overcome by the spirit of giving?

Dashon Goldson told Joe today that he will not be fined by the NFL for the punishing hit he put on Rams WR Stedman Bailey. [read more]

Last year, the Bucs went to New Orleans in December and got their clocks cleaned 41-0. It was a shocking beating from the opening whistle for a Bucs team that was still in the playoff hunt.

Joe remembers talking to a Saints player off the record who said New Orleans was stunned by the Bucs’ lack of intensity for a big division game. [read more]

Taylor Lewan is being touted as a Tampa Bay target

Damn that tough Bucs strength of schedule, one of the toughest in the NFL. It’s killing Tampa Bay’s shot at Johnny Football draft position.

Five teams are tied with an ugly 4-11 record — Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Oakland, Cleveland and Jacksonville — but the Bucs are behind all of them in the draft if the season ended today. Strength of schedule is the main tiebreaker, and it works against the Bucs. [read more]

Will Gholston gives a take on the sputtering offense and a new head coach

Get used to hearing the name Will Gholston. He’ll likely be the 2014 Da’Quan Bowers, minus the disappointment, hopefully.

The emerging rookie made his first NFL start at left defensive end in St. Louis. Joe talked to Greg Schiano about Gholston’s development last week, and he was made available to media yesterday via conference call. [read more]

No, Joe can’t fault the defense too much in the ragged loss to the Rams. Sure, they let Zac Stacy burn them, but Joe thought Bucs coaches should have put more guys in the box to stop Stacy and force a nobody journeyman like Kellen Clemens to beat them.

When asked Monday whether, given the Bucs offensive offense, he could cast blame on his defense because they pretty much had to pitch a shutout, Schiano wouldn’t nibble at the bait or call anyone out. He, instead, stated the loss was a team loss and not on any one unit. [read more]

Now here’s what Greg Schiano didn’t want for Christmas, a report from a reliable source that he showed backhanded interest in the Penn State head coaching job, which potentially could open up next week

Nittany Lions head coach Bill O’Brien has become a hot name in NFL circles for potential vacancies, which, of course, has prompted rumblings of his replacement. Schiano spent years at Penn State as an assistant under Joe Paterno before heading for an assistant gig with the Chicago Bears. [read more]

You don’t have to listen to BSPN’s Lisa Salters to understand if you don’t move the chains, you are screwed as a football team.

So, in a manner of speaking, the Bucs were screwed yesterday in a painful loss to the Rams where the Bucs went into winter hibernation in the frosty city along the Mississippi River. [read more]

Greg Schiano is down on the other WRs

The Bucs had a miserable day yesterday on offense. This is nothing new. The Bucs have been tail-spinning offensively the past month and currently rest in the basement of the NFL with the worst offense in the free world.

And if it wasn’t for Vincent Jackson, it would be a whole lot worse. [read more]

Schiano spelled them out

Speaking today at One Buc Palace, Greg Schiano seemed to need to two hands to count everything troubling his highly-paid, veteran offensive line.

The unit is struggling mightily, and Schiano was asked why. [read more]

Money clouds his murky Bucs future

Yesterday, Bucs fans saw left guard Jamon Meredith get a mid-game benching in favor of Ted Larsen, who’s not new to being told to ride the pine.

Together they were filling in for the human armoire, Carl Nicks, who has been a mess over two seasons with a bad toe on a bad foot, made more complicated by multiple bouts with MRSA. [read more]