The gorgeous Jenny Dell of BSPN has an inside-the-numbers look at the Bucs-Eagles game. If Dell is talking, Joe is gawking. Listening? Not so much.

Jeremy Trueblood's penalities are hampering an already stagnant Bucs offense.

The Bucs are brutal. Anyone who suggests otherwise is either a fraud or Rachel Watson.

Part of the reason the Bucs stink out loud has nothing to do with athletic ability or football acument but simple common sense, Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune points out. In short, penalties are crippling the Bucs already impotent offense (are you reading this Jeremy Trueblood?).

The Buccaneers (0-4) have committed 27 penalties for 197 yards in four games, which is slightly above the league average of 23 penalties and 190 yards per game.

The costly nature of the Tampa Bay penalties is most reflected in the Buccaneers’ third down conversions, a statistical category that offers some explanation of why Tampa Bay has scored just 13 points in its last two games, and 54 points overall, 28 below the league average of 82 points.

The Buccaneers are last in the NFL on third down conversions when they have six or more yards to pick up.

It’s hard enough to win in the NFL even with good players. No matter how good a team is, eventually penalties will catch up with them. Penalties for a bad is a virtual death sentence.

The phasing out of the 2-2-1 running back rotation means more carries for Cadillac Williams.

A lot was made in the preseason that Raheem the Dream’s running attack would be “2-2-1,” meaning the first string tailback would play two series, the second string tailback would play the next two series and the third string tailback would play once series.

It was a rotation Raheem the Dream hoped would keep the stable of Bucs running backs both rested and healthy.

That plan, like throwing downfield, has all but been scrapped, documents “Backwards Hat,” better known as good guy Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger. This means, more carries for Cadillac Williams.

But after the first four games, in which Williams is leading the team in rushing yards with 191 (as well as a 5.0 yards per carry average) and is second in receptions (12 for 81 yards and one TD), the Bucs are considering using Williams as the exclusive back.

“We’re going to get him involved more (with the passing game)” said offensive coordinator Greg Olson. “Clifton (Smith) has been our guy because of his threat as a pass receiver. Cadillac has proven he understands the protections and he’s a real solid pass protector and he’s developed as a receiver. Now, let’s work Cadillac in. Let’s rotate him with the other backs but the way he’s looked in the season, I think it’s time we become more committed with Cadillac as a full-time guy.”

Joe’s guessing had Cadillac not been pulled for Clifton Smith late in the game, Cadillac likely would have gotten a key first down in the final minutes and — more importantly — not fumbled.

The Bucs defense doesn't exactly gang tackle too many people near the line of scrimmage on first downs.

Buried in a notebook column co-penned by eye-RAH! Kaufman and Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune was a couple of numbers that made Joe shudder.

The Eagles lead the NFL in yards on first down averaging 7.18 yards.

The Bucs are No. 31 in the NFL in yards allowed on first down, giving up 6.84 yards.

Joe was no math major (thank God) but for Joe, that adds up to a lot of empty bottles of Caybrew.

Joe has tuned in to the passionate blubbering known as Philadelphia sports radio the past two days.

As angry, grotesque Philly fans go, they’re a pretty jovial bunch right now, with the Phillies rolling into the playoffs to defend their World Series title, the Flyers undefeated after three games, and the Eagles in good shape.

Of course, those fans could turn on their teams in a matter of seconds.

The buzz up in Philly is that Donovan McNabb returned to practice today after missing weeks with a rib injury. And the other buzz is that Michael Vick is likely to be activated not as the No. 2 quarterback on Sunday but as a rostered player. The talk is he might get a dozen or so snaps in a Wildcat formation, and even line up on the field with McNabb.

Joe’s feeling queasy about the Bucs defense this week. Joe’s also smiling at the thought of Tanard Jackson hitting Vick so hard he feels for a moment like one of his tortured dogs.

If you’re into sappy, hometown-boy-returns kind of stories, Joe’s got one for you about Maurice Stovall from the Philadephia Daily News.

Stovall was a Philly-area kid who hasn’t played a game there since high school. Nothing too exciting in the story, other than we learn that as a kid Stovall dressed as Randall Cunningham for Halloween and, more important, Stovall is healthy as ever.

The 6-5, 220-pound Stovall just changed his approach. Instead of working on getting larger and faster, he has focused on flexibility and maintaining. He didn’t want to overwork himself, just sharpen his foot quickness and hand speed.

“I relaxed, which is something rare in the offseason,” he said. “I wanted to make sure my body was healthy coming into the year, and this is the healthiest I’ve ever been as a pro. I used to think it was one thing after another, from my rookie year, to the broken arm and the hamstring problems.

Joe is glad Stovall is geeked about returning home for a game. Given that the playoffs are just a fantasy this season, Joe prefers the Bucs throw Stovall the ball over Michael Clayton.

This pathetic excuse for a quarterback has as many rings as the almighty fraud Brett Favre, a true creation of MSM hype.

If anything, Joe is anti-hype. Joe’s always been a team-kinda guy, a coaches-kinda guy.

Only rarely does an individual player merit the hype that the majority of the MSM manufactures.

Joe can name a handful of players worthy of hype. Ray Lewis and Tom Brady spring to mind. So too does Derrick Brooks. In other sports, Albert Pujols and Alex Ovechkin warrant every ounce of hype they get, as does Rachel Watson.

Joe has made no secret of the fact that he loathes BSPN. Rarely if ever does Joe watch it unless it’s college football or college basketball.

The self-glossing and hype that BSPN is known for gives Joe acid reflux worse than a warm, stale beer.

Joe walked to his local watering hole Monday night, replete with a nine-foot HDTV (not a typo). Joe knew the place would be so packed he wouldn’t be able to hear the audio of the Green Bay-Minnesota game and therefore (thankfully) miss all the verbal masturbation over Vikings quarterback Brett Favre.

(Joe is told that Chucky received a very ugly cleaning bill from the Minnesota Vikings over the drool [?] stains he left on the carpet of the BSPN broadcast booth).

So at lunch today, Joe was reading TBT (hey, it’s free) and read an otherwise outrageous, lengthy, rambling letter-to-the-edtior about the Bucs where the author made a salient point about MSM hype of athletes.

In short, the author asks, if Favre were this otherworldly superstar of which reams of copy and countless hours of broadcast content has been spent upon in recent months, why then does Farve have the exact same number of rings as the truly heinous Trent Dilfer: one?

It made Joe think what a horrible waste of manpower all this hero worship over Favre is. If Joe didn’t know better, he’d think many in the MSM are walking billboards for erectile dysfunction products the way they genuflect over Favre when in fact, he has just as many rings as the worst starting quarterback in Bucs history.

Which leads Joe to a kind request to the sports MSM: stick to X’s and O’s and hard news please and let the oh-so whacky, talentless, Howard Stern-wannabe FM morning disc jockeys handle the “personalities.”

Finally some fresh news on Bucs third-year guard Arron Sears.

He’s the guy who seemed to be on a Pro Bowl path but then walked away from the Bucs for undisclosed personal reasons before the season. In July, a St. Pete Times report revealed Sears was in seclusion back is his small Alabama hometown.

Speaking on 1010 AM Friday night, Bucs center Jeff Faine shed the first real public light on Sears since the many secretive “private matter” quotes from Raheem The Dream and Mark Dominik this summer.

Jeff Faine on Arron Sears: “He’s been kind of doing his own thing. From what I understand he’s back in tampa. It’s definitely a good thing. He really can’t be around the facility right now [because of] these funny, fishy rules in the NFL. What it is if he comes to the facility his time starts because you know he has a time where he’s physically unable to play. You have a grace period where you’ve got to IR him. So once he comes to the facility his time starts. There’s a bunch of crazy rules in the NFL that really don’t make any sense. Let’s let the guy in here. Help him get back on track and help him get back into things. But that’s just not the case. It’s something we can’t do.”

Sears is now listed on the Bucs roster as reserve/did not report. Joe believes this means the Bucs aren’t paying Sears and are not punishing him either. He’s just in limbo.

But it sounds to Joe, based on Faine’s comments, that Sears is going to be back on the Bucs’ roster. It’s unknown what kind of shape he’s in, but perhaps he joins the team and begins to learn the new offense during the bye week later this month.

It is Joe’s understanding that Sears must be activated 30 days prior to the Bucs’ final game in order to play this season. Joe assumes members of the MSM or the great Mike Florio, curator and guru of ProFootBallTalk.com, will clarify after reading this post.

The Bucs’ stellar left tackle, Donald Penn, signed a one-year restricted free agent tender offer in the spring for about $2.8 million.

Surely, the Bucs could have locked up the undrafted 26-year-old to a long term deal, but opted to make him prove it on the field for one more season.

As Penn continues to perform at a high level, it seems Mark Dominik, the man credited for snatching Penn when he was released from the Vikings’ practice squad, may have lost the financial gamble on the big left tackle.

Speaking on 1010 AM, Bucs center Jeff Faine said Penn is on track to command an absolute fortune this offseason.

“He’s playing lights out. He’s been playing for a contract for two years now. …We’ve got some cap room. Don’t we? …There’s nothing cheap. There’s nothing cheap for what he’s doing,” Faine said of Penn. “When we first got here we were sliding to him quite a bit. We put him on the island all the time now. We lock him down against the best defensive rush out there on the field week in and week out. It doesn’t change. …He locks it down every single week. …It’s amazing what this guy’s doing. He’s still flying under the radar, as sad as it is to say.”

Joe just hopes Penn stays healthy, keeps up the consistent peformances against the NFL’s best ends, and the Bucs don’t make the mistake of letting him walk.

Pay the man.

A lot of Bucs fans shook their heads when Clifton Smith fumbled to end the Bucs loss to the Redskins (well, actually, they threw their beer bottles).

Bad enough that Smith fumbled but what irritated Bucs fans the most was why bring in Smith cold off the bench when Cadillac Williams was running so well?

It was all planned, so claims Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune. In a question-and-answer session with Richardson, he states Raheem the Dream’s scripted two-minute offense includes Smith.

Q: Why was Clifton Smith in the game carrying the football (In the last few minutes) when Caddy was rolling all game long? Smith has a habit of fumbling the ball, as he did once again yesterday. I was at the game and the Bucs played well majority of the game, faltering late. Plus, why doesn’t Gaines Adams play with this kind of fire more often?

Greg Williams, Bryans Road, Md.
A: Great questions. Coach Morris said he likes to use Smith in two-minute drill situations, but considering the running back only had one carry prior to his fumble, that probably was a bad decision. As far as Adams goes, his coaches asked the same question. Nobody knows what it will take to get Adams to play more consistently, which is unfortunate considering he’s actually a really good guy.
— Anwar Richardson

Joe had been calling for Smith to be used earlier in the game because, in the second and third quarters, Cadillac had been stopped. But he seemed to have worn down the Redskins late in the game so at that point, here was no need to bring in Smith.

Given his habit of laying the ball on the ground, Smith should not have been used at that point in the game. Joe hopes Raheem the Dream has learned.

Last year Joe, along with many Bucs fans, snickered if not laughed out loud at the toothless Lions running the table without a win becoming the first team to lose all 16 regular season games and breaking the Bucs record of going 0-14.

Brad Biggs, of the NationalFootballPost.com, hints Bucs fans should be concerned the Bucs may match the Lions for futility. While he doesn’t expect the Bucs to actually post a 0-16 mark, Biggs wrote the Bucs are still dangerously close to equaling the Lions.

Tampa tried to sign defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth in free agency and was close to engineering a trade for quarterback Jay Cutler. But it’s been the moves they’ve made that they might regret. The Bucs made tight end Kellen Winslow the highest paid at his position in the league and are getting little in return. Antonio Bryant was franchise tagged because they didn’t have anyone else at the position. Give them credit here, at least they didn’t sign him up long term. Add in some failed high draft picks in recent years, and you have a recipe for a meltdown.

Simply put, if the Bucs cannot take care of the Panthers a week from Sunday at the CITS, let’s just say the race for the overall top pick in next spring’s draft is on.

“The Professor,” John Clayton of BSPN, takes a look at the NFC South and he thinks there’s an outside chance Bucs rookie quarterback Josh Freeman plays against the Panthers in two weeks.

Someone at the four-letter network, BSPN, actually got their heads out of the asses of the Red Sox, Yankees, Cowboys, Patriots, LUH-bron and ko-BEE to actually come up with something useful and insight.

It broke down the players with the most penalties and it shows that no player in the NFL has more false starts than Bucs right tackle Jeremy Trueblood.

Two NFC South right tackles are among the league leaders in false starts. Tampa Bay’s Jeremy Trueblood is tied for the league lead with four…

The player Youngblood is tied with is Cornell Green of the Raiders. Remember him?

For Joe, this is just about inexcusable. One of the first things that Joe learned in grade school football was you don’t jump before the snap count — grade school! Joe even sees good high school teams that won’t even jump before the snap for multiple games.

For a professional to get flagged for a false start a game is unbelievable to Joe. Simply put, it’s not having your head in the game.

Joe thought Boston College was a solid higher institute of learning? So what’s Youngblood’s problem?

As for BSPN, this is solid research and Joe thanks them for it. Imagine what that outfit could do if it stuck to straight sports news as opposed to hype, jocksniffing, slurping and endlessly pimping itself to grotesque levels?

Joe loves soaking up football knowledge from his friends who really know the game at the NFL level. Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson, linebacker legend Scot Brantley and Jaquez Green come to mind.

Now Joe is pleased to add former Bucs defensive end Steve White to those taking Joe’s football and Bucs knowledge to a higher plane. White spent every season of the Tony Dungy era with the Bucs.

White is a tremendous Xs and Os analyst and an excellent writer. He lets it all hang out on his blog with breakdowns of every Bucs game. And he has authored a youth football coaching book, Passing On The Game, and will be doing some analyst work here at JoeBucsFan.com.

For now, Joe’s going to give you an excerpt of what White offered on his blog about Gaines Adams’ play against Washington.

[Gaines Adams] also made some really nice plays in the run game, in particular a tackle for a loss he had on Clinton Portis after he beat the tight end blocking with with a quick hands move inside. Having said all that I still wish they would keep the guy on the right side. On a day when he actually had his pass rush working he never got to face the guy he got a sack on, Chris Samuels, on any third and long. That to me is just nonesensical and hopefully at some point the Bucs figure that out. I would say why not put Greg White inside like he was as a pass rusher his first year with the Bucs when he first made a splash. Then you allow Jimmy Wilkerson to keep working his guy on the outside as well.

Joe also liked this shot White took at a Jim Bates move that he wrote was more ego that substance.

There were some coaching decisions that were real head scratchers to me. First on two big third downs in the second half Jim Bates decided to go with a three man defensive line. This after the [four-man] line gave the Redskins fits in the first half and harrassed Jason Campbell into several bad throws. The result was that on a 3rd and 11 Jason Campbell scrambled for a first down. And on the other play Clinton Portis barely fell down a yard short of the first down. This seemed to be an obvious example of “guruism” at its worse. Bates decided that it was important to show that he had more calls in his playbook and he put he defense at a disadvantage. Most of the time its best to go with what got you there and hopefully he realizes that going forward.

Take that, Mr. Bates.

Joe loves Gene Deckerhoff. The Buccaneers radio play-by-play man is a true gem of the franchise. And Joe is proud to have spent some one-on-one time with Deckerhoff.

Today the Bucs have posted a phenomenal “Behind The Flag” video about Deckerhoff on Buccaneers.com.

Joe got chills watching it. Wow! It’s quite a well done historical piece on Deckerhoff with some great calls and video.

Deckerhoff tells the story of how Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden agreed to tape his 1989 coach’s show with Deckerhoff at 4 a.m. on Sundays so Deckerhoff could take the Bucs play-by-play gig and still keep the same job at FSU.

Thanks, Coach Bowden.

 Perhaps the only potential positive about blacked out Bucs games would be new fans discovering Deckerhoff and legions of old fans reconnecting with the legendary broadcaster.

By Harry King

My two cents: Good to see the Bucs back in my old stomping grounds of our nation’s capital. I sure miss talking about the affairs of the day over roast beef with J. Edgar Hoover — a very misunderstood man — at Duke Ziebert’s. What a treasure trove that place was!

The Bucs offense for most of the second half was flatter than Gwyneth Paltrow. … I’m told that Mike Nugent has a habit of soiling his bathroom because he keeps missing the stool. If only Natalie Wood was so fortunate.

The play call by Greg Olson on what Raheem the Dream referred to as a quarterback double-option late in the game on third-and-goal was stranger than Paul Lynde. … Making it through a game without a penalty is as difficult for Jeremy Trueblood as it was for my old pal Dean Martin to make it through a day with only three cocktails. The man truly had a hollow leg.

This Geno Hayes is quicker on the field than Bob Hope was with a one-liner. … Speaking of Bob Hope, my special guest Thursday is Brooke Shields – LIVE! … I bet Doug Williams could still play quarterback for the Bucs and they might need him. He’s like Jackie Mason, he never grows old.

There are smart people, and then there are the guys who do all the college level mathematics on AdvancedNFLStats.com. Geniuses to be sure.

For those who haven’t read their statistical reports, the motto over there is simply, The Numbers Don’t Lie.

Advanced NFL Stats analyzed the numbers on Raheem The Dream’s decision to kick a field goal on 4th-and-goal from the 4 yard line with 4:30 left against Washington.

No surprise. The math gods are frowning on the Bucs head coach.

Kicking the field goal gave the Bucs a 0.19 Win Probability (WP). Attempting the TD would net a 0.29 WP on balance. Morris’ decision basically cut his chances of winning by a third.  Sure, the particular “flow” and match-ups of the game are factors, but those considerations are usually overblown. Besides, if the game is close enough for it to matter, then the two teams are probably fairly equal, at least for that day. 

Joe already hammered The Dream for his decision on Sunday afternoon. So Joe won’t go there again.

The Football Moron of BSPN is back again. See if you can catch his mistake(s).

His shredded tricep healing rapidly, Jeff Faine says he’s ready to return to the practice field to test out his arm.

Here’s Faine’s take on his health, as transcribed from him speaking Friday night on 1010 AM:

“It’s going real good. Rehab’s going real good. We’ve been hitting the weight room pretty hard testing it out. And I’d like to get out there and get on the field … and test it out in some real action,” Faine said. “I think I’m probably right around 70 percent [of full strength]. I’m not planning to come back at 100 percent. …My plan is [to return against Philadelphia]. I don’t know if the training staff of the Tampa Buccaneers what their plan is. …I think it’s going to really rely on how I feel out there during practice when we actually test it in some real football, not necessarily just in the weight room and with strengthening techniques, basically get out there and hit somebody and see how it feels.” 

The St. Pete Times reported Monday that Faine would sit out against the Eagles and likely return against Carolina on Oct. 18. But Joe wouldn’t be surprised to see Faine on the practice field on Wednesday and possibly pressuring the Bucs to let him play in Philadelphia.

In this video, for which FoxSports.com provided embed codes (!), Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan take a closer look at the Bucs loss to the Redskins.