In this NBC Sports video, former NFL general manager Scott Pioli discusses how Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon may have saved Bucs commander Greg Schiano’s job. Pioli goes on to detail why Glennon is the perfect quarterback for Schiano. Bucs discussion begins at the 1:05 mark.

The Bucs offensive line had some orders today at practice

The Bucs couldn’t run the ball against the Lions. That was painfully obvious. Bobby Rainey had as much room as Joe does in a size 32 waist pair of jeans.

It was not a good day for the Bucs’ offensive line, which had been dominant over the previous three games. Greg Schiano explained today that the offensive line was manhandled too often by Detroit. The fix began during the “padded” session of practice today. [read more]

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera loves him some Mike Glennon

Panthers head coach Ron Rivera talked to the Tampa Bay pen and mic club this afternoon and was quick to offer a scouting report on Mike Glennon, and he even dropped the “F” word.

It was interesting that Rivera spoke more about the intangibles of Glennon than anything else. It’s a theme Joe has gotten from multiple NFL sources of late. [read more]

Joe ran into an upbeat Darrelle Revis eating a soup-like product in the halls of One Buc Palace this afternoon and Revis told Joe he’s day-to-day with his groin injury but feeling confident.

Per Greg Schiano today, Revis had an MRI on that groin and told reporters they could read into Revis’ official day-to-day status as good news if they wish.

Schiano said Revis’ status does affect game-planning but didn’t offer details.

Regarding Revis, Joe has a good gut feeling on his availability Sunday.

This article is a few days old but it’s still reading. It is a deep, technical issue typed by Greg Bedard of theMMQB.com of why Gerald McCoy has blossomed into one of the elite defensive tackles in the game.

Bedard believes GMC may be the best defensive tackle, and goes into deep research and charts and graphics to show, document and explain why GMC has become such a stud.

One element that Joe thought was somewhat glossed over was GMC’s close relationship with Bucs icon Warren Sapp. Apparently the two have somewhat of a coaching session each week. Often it is over the phone. Sometimes when Sapp’s schedule allows it is in person.

Bedard was impressed (and showed graphics why he was impresed) with a specific sack on Matty Ice by GMC.

Take McCoy’s second sack against Matt Ryan. It certainly helped that McCoy was going against a converted center, Peter Konz, at right guard for Atlanta, but it’s McCoy’s hands that keyed this sack. When Konz tried to punch McCoy, he took Konz’s outside hand and threw it inside. That allowed McCoy to gain leverage, and the play was basically over. That move may look familiar to long-time Buccaneers fans.

“That was a move I learned from Warren Sapp,” McCoy said. “It was one of his go-to moves that he used for years. Regardless of whether they knew what it was or not, they couldn’t stop it. And I’ve just been working on perfecting it and it’s working for me.” McCoy and Sapp often consult during the course of the week.

“We haven’t worked on the field, but it’s more film work and just talking over the phone,” McCoy said. “He’ll watch me on tape and let me know what I need to do and we’ll just talk back and forth.”

Now the last time Sapp came into the Bucs media room, it was clear how much Sapp respects if not looks up to GMC as a defensive tackle. Yes, look up to. Sapp does not hide his feelings no matter the conversation. When Joe asked Sapp if he thought GMC, at times, could be or is as good as Sapp at the same age, Sapp had a thoughtful expression on his face and looked directly at Joe and said, “Maybe better.”

He wasn’t joking.

One can say a lot about Sapp, many of them negative. Still, Joe thinks it is so cool that the same guy who has his name hanging up in the stadium, the same guy that can wear a yellow Hall of Fame jacket has taken GMC (and other Bucs defensive linemen) under his wing and is always available, if only by phone, to be like a surrogate defensive line coach.

A couple of young Bucs studs grabbed a couple of high NFL honors today. Mike Glennon was named offensive Rookie of the Month, and Lavonte David was named Defensive Player of the Week.

Glennon’s numbers are eye-opening.                                                                                                            

During November, Glennon posted the third-highest passer rating in the NFL (119.7), the third-highest yards-per-attempt (8.92), the fourth-highest completion percentage (70.5), all while throwing just one interception.

Joe’s not big on “passer rating” as a meaningful stat, but that doesn’t take away from Glennon’s accomplishment. Another month like that and he’ll be name Rookie of the Year.

David, of course, earned the honor with what was just slightly better than a typical Sunday for him — 12 tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble against Detroit.

Congrats to these young Bucs. Who drafts these guys?

Dashon Goldson opens up on the wisdom of NFL rules, the hit on Roddy White, and what he’s doing to stay on the field

Before Dashon Goldson’s hit on Roddy White two Sundays ago, he said, “I’m not going to let nobody take The Hawk out of me.”

Roger Goodell and friends, however, had other ideas. Goldson was fined about $250,000 and was suspended for the Bucs-Lions game Sunday.

So has The Hawk changed his tune?

Not really. Speaking passionately last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network on WDAE-AM 620, Goldson talked about [read more]

Joe’s already written that he’s no fan of Keith Tandy’s game. So Joe’s excited about the return of Dashon Goldson this weekend. But Tandy was a big part of the Bucs’ stout secondary play in Detroit. He followed Greg Schiano’s orders of keeping his “depth” and came away with a key pick of Matthew Stafford.

Goldson raved about Tandy last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network on WDAE-AM 620. Suspended for the Detroit game, “The Hawk” talked about Tandy’s versatility and his quick transition from college cornerback to safety, among other topics.

While listening, Joe felt like Goldson was wagging a finger of shame at Joe.

“He can play. You know what I’m sayin’. We look at him as one of our key players. Believe it or not, he does so much for this team. You don’t notice,” Goldson said. “It’s good to see him succeed on this football field now. Steppin’ up with guys being down or just stepping up period. You know, he’s a good player. We never look at him as a slag, you know. He’s got his hands on what, two balls since I’ve been out. That’s good. Steppin’ up, man. I appreciate that, man. He holdin’ it down.”

Joe’s happy for Tandy — and happy Goldson will be back for what’s sure to be a physical battle in Carolina.

Bucs rookie quarterback Mike Glennon has thrown but one interception since he took over for former Bucs franchise quarterback leaky Rip Van Freeman back on Sept. 29. Even those allergic to stats would be impressed with his 10-t0-1, touchdown-to-interception ratio.

Yesterday while appearing on “The Blitz,” co-hosted by famed former Bucs punt return man Tim Brown and Bruce Murray, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Glennon spoke about why he thinks he has been so successful in his first season in the NFL.

“I trust my eyes,” Glennon said. “On a read, if my eyes take me there and it is open, I will let it rip. If my eyes tell me to take it to the next progression, I am fine with a checkdown.”

To hear more of Glennon’s interview, click the little orange arrow below.

Tuesday, Bucs commander Greg Schiano appeared on “Schein on Sports,” hosted by popular sports radio and television personality, Adam Schein, heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio. Schiano discussed all sorts of topics including the turnaround after starting 0-8, the mess left by former franchise quarterback leaky Rip Van Freeman after he shat the bed, adding weight to Mike Glennon, and how Schiano coped with the loud, public cries for his scalp.

Adam Schein: Joining us right now on the line, friend of the radio program, the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Greg Schiano. Coach, it’s Adam Schein, “Schein on Sports,” how are you?

Greg Schiano: Fine, Adam, how are you?

Schein: I am outstanding and it is good to have you back on the show, Greg. Obviously, the season did not start off in a positive way but you guys have been on fire recently. From where you sit, what has changed?

Schiano: Well, we have a really strong group of guys in our locker room. They have just stuck with it. I don’t think anything has changed that much other than the fact things have kind of just turned. We had a lot of things going on at the beginning of the season and some distractions and injuries. Right now we have a ton of injuries; we have 14 guys on the injured reserve [list]. Somehow this team has stuck together. I think it is because of the leadership. We have some really strong leaders in that locker room and they kept pushing the ball forward and now with a couple of wins, it starts to feel better.

Schein: You talked about leaders on your club. Who do you look to, who do the young kids on the club at moments like at the beginning of the year when you had ups and downs and a lot of negativity swirling, Greg, around the team?

Schiano: Well, when you look at our club, Vincent Jackson on offense and Davin Joseph. Those two guys are just really strong leaders. And on defense, there is Gerald McCoy and Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis. Lavonte David, a young guy who is really becoming a strong leader on this team. Those guys have kept everybody together. You know, I think we have a really hard-working football team. They are a come-early/stay-late bunch. One of the things we have been looking for, Adam, is guys who love football. Everything about it. Whether it is hanging around the locker room or being with the fellas, the whole deal and I think we are getting close to having a locker room full of those guys. As I mentioned, we have had some injuries that have set us back a little bit but some young guys, some rookies have really stepped up and taken advantage of the opportunity.

Schein: What does it say about the resolve of this team to deal with the winless start and the 0-8 and to deal with the Doug Martin injury and the other injuries and the drama. What does it say about the heart and the toughness, Greg, about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Schiano: I think it speaks to that. It speaks to the leadership. The guys kept it together. When I say that, I say our players and our assistant coaches. We have good men in this building and we have talented players. We just had as strange of a beginning to a season as I have ever seen on the field and crazy stuff off the field. But because of the leadership and because of the closeness of this team – and one thing about this team going through that adversity I think is the team has grown closer, which is a little strange but that is the kind of team we have.

Schein: Oh, I think if you are a Bucs fan listening to that you could say it is a real good thing to hear, Greg. It’s not hyperbole from where you sit. The first couple of games this year, they are just zany. Just zany. Lavonte David with that penalty – and we are talking about one of the best young linebackers and players in this entire league – I mean I thought you had the right tone and the right demeanor after the game where you put your arm around him and you fuel him with confidence. That’s one of those [situations] where you had an opportunity, the Bucs had an opportunity, to ultimately win the first game of the year.

Schiano: You know Adam, it was crazy. We had a couple of those games, the New Orleans game early in the year, the Arizona game we were up 10-0. We just found ways, at the end of the game, found ways to lose. It’s not been us or a part of teams we have coached but for whatever reason they occurred, it was all part of that adversity we talked about. My hats off to the players. They stuck with the process. They continued to come in every day and do the things we asked, and we asked a lot of them. There was no finger-pointing, none of that. Because of that they have grown closer and now we are starting to see some results.

Schein: You mentioned distractions earlier. The Josh Freeman back-and-forth. How much did that weigh down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?

Schiano: Well, the whole situation was tough. It was tough for everybody involved. We have kind of moved forward. We are very excited about the young rookie we have playing quarterback in Mike Glennon. He has done an incredible job. He’s a rookie and sometimes I forget that because he is so advanced. He grasps things so quickly. The thing he had done the best job of is holding on to the football. He knows when to take chances and when not to. And to me, with rookie quarterbacks, that’s the biggest thing. “Let a bad play die.” It’s hard for an intense competitor to do that until they have burned, and Mike understands that and grasps that. And I think he had some really good coaching at North Carolina State. Dana Bible is a well-known quarterback coach at North Carolina State and as coordinator, and so Mike came here with a real strong foundation and he has worked incredibly hard. First guy in the building and the last to leave. That kind of work ethic and that kind of leadership from a young rookie, he has gained respect from our football team.

Schein: Greg, I asked Mark Dominik this question last week and I am curious to get your take. I love what you are saying about Mike Glennon and I do a quarterback show on CBS Sports Network. Rich Gannon, Phil Simms, Steve Beuerlein all thought that Glennon was the gem in the draft, better than any other quarterback in the draft. They thought he could play right away. Do you have any regrets about not starting him right away, from Week No. 1?

Schiano: You know, I don’t. Because, as an organization, we discussed our plan, we had a plan. A plan on how we were going to do things with Josh and we executed the plan. It didn’t turn out the way we hoped it would. But we executed the plan and in that time, Mike continued to develop. From the day he signed with us, he has been in this building working his tail off. There is a guy – John McNulty, his position coach who does a great job with him – there is a guy, Dan Orlovsky, our backup quarterback, well-known veteran quarterback. He had done an incredible job of mentoring him, Mike, and teaching him the ways of the league. I think those two guys together have been really special.

Schein: I love the work ethic. I love watching him play. I love how he protects the ball. How good can he be? How good can he be Greg, when he gets a full offseason, when he doesn’t have to go through the draft process. It’s his team. He can be the leader. How good can Mike Glennon be?

Schiano: I think Mike can be really, really good. I think another thing you can throw in there is when he gets all of his weapons back.

Schein: That’s true!

Schiano: Mike is really playing with some of his guys down right now. I’m proud of the guys who are stepping up in their absence. I think you hit it on the head — when he can have an offseason where he can develop physically as well as from a football standpoint. We always joke we have to get him eating more. He’s six-foot, seven and every time he takes the field I worry. He looks so lean…

Schein: [laughs]

Schiano: … He’s got to get some pounds on him, you know?

Schein: Listen: I watch the Bucs play. Glennon has done such a great job and the team has played so hard. What was it like for you on a personal level? You know, driving by billboards calling for your head. Listening to reports “Greg doesn’t have the pulse of the team.” You know, I watch the Buccaneers play. I mean, it sure looks like a bunch of guys who love to play football, like playing for Greg Schiano. As a human being, Greg, how do you compartmentalize all of that?

Schiano: Well, I have been doing this for 26 years Adam. You have your highs and you have your lows. It’s really not yourself that you worry about in situations like that. You are concerned about your family; you hate to have them see that. But really, they signed up for that too. That’s the life they know. I have been a head coach for 13 years. So, the thing that I have always said to our guys is, I am concerned about the 61 players down in that locker room, the coaches in this office, and my owners, my general manager and my owners and making sure they are happy with what they are doing. No one was happy with the losses, I can guarantee you that. I think everybody knows there is a plan in place and we are doing everything in our power to execute the plan. We have good people here, as I said earlier. We just have to stick to it. It is starting to show. We truly believe that you reap what you sow. We think some good things will be coming in the future.

Schein: What did you learn about the guys on your team when everyone was dealing with adversity because there could have been moments where people gave up. There could have been finger-pointing. There was none of that in Tampa Bay. And now as you phrased it, everyone is reaping what they sow. What did you learn about the men that you coach?

Schiano: I knew it. I knew it by going through some other things we had with them. These are special men. Men of character. We added some guys in the offseason. Guys like Dashon Goldson coming to the team from San Francisco, just a really strong leader and a great teammate. Great guy to coach. Same with Darrelle Revis. Darrelle, there is probably not a bigger star in this league. He comes in here and works his rear end off. Been very unselfish and a good teammate and a fun guy to coach. So, we have, as I mentioned, a bunch of great leaders and I think some very special players. A guy like Gerald McCoy, I don’t think there is a better defensive tackle in this league. Probably not a better person, either. That’s what makes him so special. But we have guys like that in this building and I think that will lend well in the future.

Schein: Do you ever sit down with the owners or with Mark about your future or are you pretty secure? Personally, I think you should be because you guys are moving in the right direction.

Schiano: We talk about a lot of things but I really don’t like to go there. I understand what this league is about. This league is about winning. It is a performance-based league. That’s what they hired me to do. I have no mistake about that. I believe we are heading in the right direction. What I tell our coaches is what I tell our players and I tell myself: Come here in the morning, do the very best that you can, and then go home and fall asleep. You should have no trouble falling asleep if you do the best you can. That is what we kind of built this thing on.

Schein: Greg, great stuff. We appreciate the time. Really happy to see you turn things around in Tampa Bay. Looking forward to you and Mike Glennon working together for a full season next year. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. We’ll talk again real soon.

Schiano: Well thanks Adam. You have a great Thanksgiving.
Schein: Greg Schiano, head coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tiquan Underwood isn’t just about the hair. Well, it is much of his intrigue, at least nationally. Underwood’s also famous for getting cut from the Patriots 24 hours before he was to suit up in the Super Bowl.

Today, the national Jay Mohr Sports came calling for Underwood, who dove into topics like hair maintenance, that Super Bowl disappointment, the lack of change (yes, lack) in the Bucs locker room, early impressions of Mike Glennon, and the mystery of Josh Freeman.

Underwood said he can’t say Glennon looked better than Freeman, citing that he and Vincent Jackson turned in career numbers last year and Freeman “led” the team. Though Underwood did rave about Glennon’s work ethic (hmmm.)

Joe’s got the full interview below via WDAE-AM 620.

Greg Schiano dove into great detail on the penalty front

The Bucs play like a very undisciplined football team, but that doesn’t mean the leader of the New Schiano Order has given up on the details of avoiding penalties. In fact, Greg Schiano admitted yesterday, via a passionate response to a fan caller on WDAE-AM 620, that the Bucs’ sloppiness is “driving me crazy.”

Schiano explained what’s making him nuts and where the coaching staff may be failing. [read more]

How impressive was the Bucs’ win over NFC North division-leading Detroit this past weekend? Big. Aside from the local reasons, it registered with national media types as well, which for reasons unknown to Joe, Bucs fans are fixated on.

Popular sports radio and television personality Adam Schein yesterday, both on his SiriusXM Radio Show “Schein on Sports,” and his Monday evening TV Show, “NFL Monday Quarterback, seen on the CBS Sports Network, was all over the Bucs and quarterback Mike Glennon. In a good way. [read more]

Greg Schiano added Donald Penn to his list of leaders when speaking yesterday

Greg Schiano had great praise for his veteran leadership last night on WDAE-AM 620. Typically, Schiano references his five captains, but on this day two other names got into the mix: Donald Penn and Darrelle Revis.

There’s video evidence here of Penn and Revis leading. If you listen closely to Revis, you can hear him counseling Johnthan Banks to remember he has the height and a “7-foot” wingspan to cover Calvin Johnson, so “go be a hero.”

Schiano said, “Penn has done such a great job, as far as leading our guys.”

Schiano also talked about how “close” the Bucs have grown over the past months.

Regarding the Bucs’ 13 players on injured reserve and lost for the season, that’s where Schiano had the highest praise for his leaders on the roster. “Leadership won’t allow that to be an issue.”

Only desperate types continue to beat the drum that Gerald McCoy is a subpar player in the NFL. Virtually every out-of-town NFL coach that speaks weekly to the Bucs pen and mic club, virtually every Bucs player, virtually every Bucs coach, gushes over the play of McCoy.

Now in his fourth season in the NFL, GMC, despite the idiotic stunts Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is in love with, has become an elite NFL defensive tackle if not the best in the game.

Playing Sunday on the same field as Ndamukong Suh, a guy who was drafted one slot ahead of GMC and who GMC forever will be compared to, GMC was better, per the analysis of Sam Monson of ProFootballFocus.com.

Winning the Battle of 2010

There was a lot of talk before the 2010 NFL Draft about which stud DT prospect – Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy – would be the better player at the next level. As it turns out it looks as if that draft has provided three stud 3-tech DTs in that pair and Geno Atkins, but in this game it was McCoy that outclassed Suh. The biggest difference between them, though, might not be in grade, but in how much help each had around him. Suh was one of six members of the Detroit front seven to grade in the green in this game while McCoy was joined only by LB Lavonte David for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers only generated 16 total pressures all game, and McCoy was responsible for eight of them. He has the kind of quickness and strength to dominate linemen at this level and he has really been playing well this season. His lowest grade of the year so far was a +1.0 back against the Saints and this +8.8 represents a new career high.

Joe vividly remembers just a couple of weeks ago in the Bucs media room where Bucs icon Warren Sapp — eyes bulging out and mouth agape — was just drooling over GMC’s play against Seattle and Sapp flatly said in that game, GMC “couldn’t be blocked.”

Sapp went on to say that was one of the best games he’s ever seen a defensive tackle have in recent memory and that McCoy may be better than him.

Regardless, GMC is now in elite status in NFL circles.

Damn that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik!

So what really sparked the transformation of the 2013 Bucs? That’s the question every fan wants answered.

Why? What changed?

Superstar linebacker Lavonte David dug deep for answers last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network on WDAE-AM 620. [read more]

Joe finds all the veiled comments about a quarterback from the past quite interesting. Bucs players seem more comfortable letting them out of their mouths now that he is no longer infecting the Bucs locker room.

Sunday, Tiquan Underwood’s comments about Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon were hardly veiled back-handed slaps at former Bucs franchise quarterback, leaky Rip Van Freeman.

Joe won’t bother setting up quotes Bucs stud defenisve tackle Gerald McCoy shared from offensive linemen about what a fine game MG8 had in the win over the Lions.

“He’s one of the most poised rookies I’ve seen at quarterback,” GMC said. “He doesn’t get rattled much. There were times yesterday where he got hit and he could’ve just went down but he just – because guys were just bouncing off of him and he was just extending the play. There were times where I talked to some of the offensive lineman yesterday and I said, ‘I think that was a bad time for him to take a sack,’ and they [said] ‘Would you rather him take the sack or make an impulse throw or make a bad throw and turn the ball over?’ I was like, ‘I guess that makes sense.’ He’s smart with his decisions and he studies constantly and I think he’s starting to understand the game a lot more.”

Impulsive throws?

Now those guys couldn’t have been talking about a former Bucs quarterback who, at the very thought of angry footsteps his way, would mentally fold like an accordion, would they? A guy who had one of the worst records against teams with winning records in recent memory? Hhhmmm?

The Bucs rank in the top-10 in the NFL in punt returns and kick returns, based on average yards per return. Much of that has to do with 22-year-old return man Eric Page.

He’s talented. He’ll take sound risks. He’s got the burst. But he’s made some bonehead mistakes and he’s put the ball on the ground a couple of times this season. 

Greg Schiano expressed frustration with those errors last night while speaking on WDAE-AM 620. [read more]