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Game 15
Bucs (4-10) at Rams (6-8)
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
TV: WTVT-TV, Channel 13, locally. Outside the Tampa Bay area, DirecTV Channel 711.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM 103.5, and WDAE-AM 620); SiriusXM Channel 110.
Free agency looms
Lost in the painful home loss to the 49ers last week was Dekoda Watson posting career numbers. Watson led the Bucs with 12 tackles while starting at strongside linebacker.
Watson had never approached anything close to that number. He had 10 tackles all of last season. [read more]
It’s late December and there’s no doubt that radio and TV announcers will remark today about how the Bucs are playing hard for Greg Schiano.
Big freakin’ deal. Likely seven out of eight teams across the NFL are playing hard for their coaches, not to mention themselves and their fans.
Are Bucs fans so scarred by the Raheem regime that we have to celebrate effort? [read more]
Tiquan Underwood has been double-teamed since his breakout game against the Lions.
One of the nicest guys in the Bucs locker room is Tiquan Underwood. Really sharp, really smart, and simply an all around good dude. So it pains Joe to see good guys struggle like Underwood is.
Underwood had a fantastic game against the Lions with two touchdowns, including an 85-yard bomb from Mike Glennon that was simply beautiful. Since that game, Underwood has pretty much been invisible. [read more]
The Godfather, Gil Brandt, the renowned old-school Cowboys architect currently working for NFL.com and NFL Radio, is starting to weigh in heavy on the NFL Draft.
Joe is jacked up. It’s almost Christmas, but it’s never to early to think about the second Christmas, aka the NFL Draft. [read more]
Many tens of thousands of JoeBucsFan.com readers only come here once a week or so. They’re people with meaningful lives, unlike Joe and many Bucs-obsessed lunatics that live on these pages 24/7. So with no Bucs football until tomorrow, Joe thought he’d re-visit a handful of this week’s headlines — for non-regular readers who want to catch up. Enjoy!
Bucs defense crumbles in all areas
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103393
How good is Tim Wright?
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103445
The dreaded 105 seconds
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103425
Dave Moore deflects blame from Glennon
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103466
Needle movement on Schiano
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103470
If Sullivan bails, QB gig should be open (includes Johnny Football babe)
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103482
Anthony Becht vents about Bennett, says “We’re not the Rays”
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103527
Schiano’s eyebrow-raising take on practice and the hurry-up
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103556
Gholston is No. 2 DE
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103533
Oh, the (mis)tackling!
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103579
Schiano embraces angry fans
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103601
Bucs lose special teams ace
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103622
Peter King: Glazers “really like Schiano”
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103662
Wild story about Will Gholston’s college skills
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103684
Schiano says defense is near dominant
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103716
Offseason shopping
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103726
Lavonte David will struggle for votes
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=103709
It’s hard to dispute the evidence
Certain stats can’t be spun — at least not easily.
This season, Bucs opponents attempt 26 rushes per game, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. For the Bucs, that ranks as tied for 17th in the NFL for yards per carry allowed.
Last year, the Bucs saw 24 rushes per game. And they were tops in the NFL, allowing 3.5 yards per carry. [read more]
That’s not necessarily a good sign
Earlier this week, Greg Schiano told media that he wished he had more games to see Davin Joseph this season.
The reasons were simple: Joseph played his best of 2013 against the Niners, per Schiano, and he’s been grinding his way back into shape after complex knee surgery in August 2012, a subsequent infection, and an abbreviated preseason. [read more]
Below is the map showing where over-the-air FOX affiliates will broadcast Sunday’s Bucs-Rams game free. As always, map is courtesy of 506sports.com.
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]
V-Jax is on the cusp of history
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.
The Rams’ OC weighs in
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]
