Rookie Zac Stacy has done what many third-day draft picks have done before him
Joe is banging on his keyboard at a McDonald’s in overcast, dreary southern Illinois, making a pit stop to his old stomping grounds before Sunday’s game.
It is the first time Joe has seen winter in these parts in 15 years. Joe prefers the warmth of Florida winters. (Joe landed in St. Louis and it was 68 degrees. Five days before Christmas! An hour later, typical of Midwest weather, a front moved in and the temperature dropped like 15 degrees. Now Joe knows why he packed winter apparel). [read more]
Yes, the Bucs offense is last in the NFL. Yes, the Bucs offense has hit a rut in a string of playing physical defenses. Yes, the Bucs struggle in the passing game now that it appears there is a book out on rookie quarterback Mike Glennon.
So it comes with a bit of surprise that, combining the Rip Van Freeman struggles to start the season, Vincent Jackson’s rash of dropsies earlier in the season, and the recent struggles of Glennon, that Jackson is on the cusp of Bucs history. [read more]
Out in St. Louis, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher throws on a coat and tie and heads out to a local wing joint to do a regular radio show.
Jimminy Christmas! Imagine if Greg Schiano did such a thing during the Bucs’ first-half free fall. The wing joint would have needed security to calm the masses. Wings (hopefully boneless) would have been flying.
At Jeff Fisher’s most recent visit, Joe sensed arrogance directed at the New Schiano Order. [read more]
A physical front line really gives the Bucs offense fits. First it was Detroit, then Carolina, then San Francisco.
Uh, oh. Here comes another one. The Rams.
The Rams have an outstanding defensive line and one of the most underrated linebackers in Son of Animal, James Laurinaitis. Chris Long (son of Howie) and mighty Robert Quinn are incredible defensive ends. [read more]
News out of One Buc Palace today all but killed Da’Quan Bowers’ shot of the double-digit-sacks season that was predicted for him this spring.
Bowers, per Bucs commander Greg Schiano, won’t play Sunday because of his troublesome knee. It’s not a problem related to Bowers’ knee issue he had in college.
Look for emerging rookie Will Gholston to grab more snaps; Bowers was getting about 10 a game when he was healthy.
Mark Barron continues to battle nagging injuries this season and Schiano said he’s questionable for Sunday after a “limited” practice in Tampa today.
Joe hopes Barron recovers for the season finale in New Orleans. Joe really wants to Barron do one of the big things he was drafted to do: lock down on elite tight ends.
Joe’s always sniffing around sports radio in the cities of Bucs opponents and reading all kinds of reports to get the pulse of the opposition.
Twice in the past week, Joe has picked up on a little regret in the hearts of Rams faithful and media that they didn’t draft Gerald McCoy with the No. 1 overall pick in 2010. [read more]
Olivia Stacey gets Akeem Spence to open up about his football axiom and what he did with his first paycheck from Team Glazer, among other things, in this TBO.com video.
Joe’s not buying what Darrelle Revis was selling last night
No matter how much Darrelle Revis wants to hype Rams backup quarterback Kellen Clemens, Joe’s not buying it.
Clemens is not a good quarterback. As a starter, he’s one of the worst in the NFL.
Greg Schiano told us yesterday that the Bucs are only two pieces away from being a dominant defense. That means they’re close, and the likes of Clemens should struggle mightily Sunday if Schiano is assessing his team accurately. [read more]
“Hawk” Goldson said the Bucs secondary is still progressing and learning to play as a group.
When Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik signed safety Dashon “Hawk” Goldson and traded for cornerback Darrelle Revis, the Bucs seemed magically transformed from the second-worst pass defense in NFL history to one of the best in the league.
That didn’t happen right away, in part because Revis wasn’t 100 percent coming off his knee injury. If you talk to Revis now, he will admit he’s still not 100 percent. But he’s pretty close. [read more]
The ghost of Raheem Morris lingers at One Buc Palace.
When former Bucs coach Raheem Morris manned the pirate ship, it was one big chest-bump at One Buc Palace. With rap music blaring at practices (in 2009) and the head coach hanging with players in trendy south Tampa hot spots, it was more like One Buc Club than an NFL franchise.
Veteran Ch, 10 sportscaster Dave Wirth hits on key Bucs topics in this Bucs-Rams preview video exclusively for Joe. Thanks Dave! Wirth talks about Mike Glennon’s alleged regression and the future of Greg Schiano, among other topics. Enjoy!
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Yes, Joe already dove into how Bucs commander Greg Schiano feels the Bucs are a couple of pieces away from being a dominant defense. That’s probably true.
Now when Schiano was pressed for what those pieces were by Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, Schiano played dodgeball, only saying people who watch the Bucs closely already know what those pieces are and they would be addressed in free agency and the draft.
Then Schiano admitted he potentially may have one of those pieces already, citing Will Gholston as a potential stud. [read more]
“We have good players, proven methods, good schemes, good coaches. So when you have all those good components and you’re doing things the right way, it’ll turn. You know everybody who’s been in competitive athleticsgoes through some stretches where, you know, they wish it were better. But if you have the components, now you’re kidding yourself if you don’t have the components, then you’re just wishing, but I know we have the components. So you just gotta stick to our guns and it’ll turn.” — Greg Schiano, Sept. 20, 2013.
Wait a minute, Greg Schiano said three months ago that all the components were in place for the Bucs to win. Perhaps that was accurate, given that the Bucs have won four of six games.
But Schiano had a somewhat different assessment today, when talking about building a championship defense at One Buc Palace. [read more]
There are bad signs for Lavonte David’s shot at NFL Defensive Player of the Year
A fun thing about Sunday’s Bucs-Lambs game is the meeting of Lavonte David and Rams stud, third-year defensive end Robert Quinn. His 15 sacks are second in the NFL.
These are two guys who absolutely should be in the conversation for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
No Buccaneer has won the award since Derrick Brooks in 2002. Warren Sapp took the honor in 2000, as did Lee Roy Selmon in 1979. [read more]
This is a first for Joe. In the more than five years Joe has had this site up, Joe has never offered any content on this here corner of the Interwebs from WFLA-TV Channel 8 princess Gayle Guyardo. And
that’s not a good thing. It’s just, she rarely does sports pieces because that’s not her gig. Likely still flying high over her Auburn Tigers, Gayle decided to take a break from interviewing presidential candidates and the “King of All Media,” Howard Stern, which was maybe her biggest “get,” and dip her toe into the waters of Bucs football. She had a lengthy sitdown with Bucs commander Greg Schiano, who discussed his private life, how he handles the down times, and how much Schiano loves living in the Tampa Bay area. It’s a pretty neat interview; though very, very, very bad angles of Gayle. TV is a visual medium, guys, com’on!
These are tough times for West Point grad and former Army officer Mike Sullivan, the Bucs’ offensive coordinator, who took to the One Buc Palace podium yesterday to answer questions about the NFL’s worst offense.
You can listen to the full 620wdae.com audio below. Sullivan, as usual, is fully accountable. Asked early about whether he might be distracted, Sullivan quotes poet Rudyard Kipling to explain his focused approach to his job. That was moving and admirable, but another bad sign for Sullivan’s Buccaneers future.
Joe noted seven weeks ago that former Bears director of college scouting, Greg Gabriel, seized a national forum to 
