Lavonte David is in the 49ers’ heads. From this CSN Bay Area report by Matt Maiocco, the 49ers have a plan to try to stop the Bucs’ great linebacker. Good luck.

Greg Schiano is no fan of common NFL chatter that doesn’t expect or account for players improving during a season.

This week, Schiano said that’s hogwash and not what his regime is about. [read more]

Joe gets why national and local media get all nasty and sour over the attendance figures of the Buccaneers and Rays. It’s deserved at times, but mostly it’s a function of media types failing to do research, and attendance moaning is an easy way to fill space and air time.

But sometimes the darts cross a line, and Joe must call them out. Today is one of those days. [read more]

Watson talked about a bad dream coming true

In a Buffalo beat down that featured a thoroughly dominant Bucs defense, a blown blocked punt by Dekoda Watson on the Bills’ first possession was barely an afterthought.

But rest assured it drew plenty of attention from the punt-block obsessed New Schiano Order. [read more]

The 49ers are preparing for what they see as the Blitzin’ Bucs in this CSN Bay Area video.

Bucs safety Dashon Goldson, who played for San Francisco last season, has been a valuable resource of intel, said Darrelle Revis.

In today’s NFL, there are few if any secrets. The eye in the sky doesn’t lie. If offers every tendency, nook and cranny teams have on the field.

The All-22 isn’t just available to coaches, but to anyone willing to buy a subscription to NFL Game Rewind. But football coaches, a paranoid lot by nature, are convinced secrets can still be learned — and revealed — through covert missions and operations.

Consider Bucs safety “The Hawk,” Dashon Goldson, an agent of espionage, at least for this week. [read more]

49ers WR Michael Crabtree was limited in practices this week with a bum ankle.

OK, take a guess which team is the worst in the NFL in passing yards? No, not the Bucs (but close, the Bucs are No. 31). It’s the mighty 49ers who have thrown for a league-worst 2,318 yards through 13 games.

This has led some to believe that 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is wildly overrated. Maybe. In his first full season as the 49ers quarterback (remember, he took over for Alex Smith in the middle of the season last year), Kaepernick may have taken a step back because his favorite receiver, Michael Crabtree, was lost to an injury for most of the year.

Crabtree had an Achilles injury and only recently returned. His former teammate and current Bucs safety, “The Hawk,” Dashon Goldson, hinted missing Crabtree played a part in Kaepernick’s decline.

[read more]

Greg Schiano talked about how he “got under the skin” of 49ers tackle Anthony Davis

Back at Super Bowl media in January, Joe figured he’d approach 49ers stud right tackle Anthony Davis, a proud Rutgers man, and ask him about his college experience playing for Greg Schiano.

Davis became agitated. Despite the excitement of his first Super Bowl media session, Davis wanted no part of Joe’s line of questioning, ‘I’m not talking about Schiano.”

Well, Davis remains about that sunny about his college coach. [read more]

Mason Foster and Greg Schiano react

Some six years ago, 49ers uber-talented tight end Vernon Davis was ordered to his locker room during a game by then 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, who later in his postgame press conference memorably unloaded on Davis, claiming he was too selfish to play for him.

“Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach them,” Singletary said of players like Davis, adding that he would rather play with 10 men. “Can’t do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.” [read more]

Bucs safety Mark Barron is all alone in one specific defensive statistical category.

Many Bucs fans howled in protest when Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik passed on drafting cornerback Mo Claiborne in the 2012 draft, only to trade down and select safety Mark Barron.

After a shaky start to his NFL career, though showing moments of promise (just ask Robert Griffin, III), many Bucs fans shook their heads and taunted Dominik for what they perceived as a bad pick. [read more]

Adrian Clayborn tracks EJ Manuel last Sunday.

Each week Greg Bedard, the Xs and Os guy from theMMQB.com, breaks down and grades defensive linemen and defensive lines in the NFL. This week something jumped out at Joe.

Yes, once again, Bedard rates Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy as the second-best tackle in the game (trailing only Houston’s J.J. Watt). So for the GMC haters, just admit you were wrong. You will feel better. Otherwise, just crawl under a rock for everyone else’s sake. [read more]

Greg Schiano says he wants his men to match the Niners’ bully “shtick.”

Forget about Sunday’s Bucs-Niners final score for a minute, Joe wants to see how the New Schiano Order defense stacks up against the 49ers’ offense.

Coaches at One Buc Palace have been painting the Niners as an epic powerhouse team in all phases. Joe hasn’t seen such gushing from Greg Schiano and friends.

But the fact is the 49ers are a run first team that’s had its share of off days offensively this season. [read more]

Bucs safety Dashon Goldson talked about how the Bucs have changed since Week One.

An NFL season, while all too short for fans, is a significantly long grind for players.

So long, that over the course of the season with newcomers and injuries and other roster transactions, a team can grow together or crumble apart.

Just looking at the Bucs’ results this year, it’s clear the team has grown. Given every chance to throw in the towel after starting the season 0-8, the Bucs have now won four of their last five games. [read more]

The hawk made an unusual in-season flight

Joe understands the concepts of love and friendship and male bonding, but perhaps Bucs captain Dashon Goldson took things too far.

Suspended for a week in November, which included no access to One Buc Palace or team doctors, [read more]

Unlike for Michael Bennett, Joe doesn’t hear Bucs fans moaning, groaning and yearning for departed starting nose tackle Roy Miller. That’s because rookie Akeem Spence has done strong work in the NFL’s nastiest job.

Joe caught up to the 2013 fourth-round pick yesterday to talk about pass rush skills, million dollar contracts, pedicures, getting weaker — yes, weaker — and more.

Enjoy. [read more]

The face of the San Francisco 49ers, quarterback Colin Kaepernick, talked to Tampa Bay media yesterday via a conference call. Joe is curious to hear reader feedback. It seems Kaepernick has taken on the personality of his head coach.

Joe is searching for words to continue boasting about the greatness of Lavonte David, and Joe’s running dry of superlatives without being redundant. Sometimes, the numbers speak for themselves.

It’s getting to the point where Joe likens David to Albert Pujols in his prime. No need to try to convince anyone how extraordinarily good he is, just sit back and enjoy the show. [read more]

Just in case you missed it (Joe knows his readers slave away each day for The Man and may not always catch every word here), Joe did research to show how rotten the Bucs were offensively in the second halves of games.

This was never more evident than in the win over the bungling Bills, when the Bucs forced seven takeaways and still struggled to pile points on the Bills Sunday.

For the season, the Bucs average 5.15 points a game in the second half. Re-read that sentence again to let it sink in. Even Father Dungy would be appalled with those offensive numbers. [read more]