Bobby Rainey scores his second rushing touchdown of the game sliding past Dixie Chicks linebacker Paul Worrilow.

It was a day to celebrate Bobby Rainey. And Bucs fans wanted to celebrate with him.

Rainey had just gone all Doug Martin on the Dixie Chicks, grinding and slicing and weaving his way through the Dixie Chicks’ defense to lead the Bucs to a previously unthinkable 41-28`win Sunday.

As Rainey came off the field, looking veery bit the part of a running back who racked up 163 yards on 30 carries, he ran behind the Bucs’ bench and high-fived every fan in the front row as he slowly made his way to the tunnel, trying his best to slap skin with as many Bucs fans as he could.

Just a four weeks ago, Rainey was walking the streets looking for work when, as a result of a rash of injuries to Bucs running backs, Rainey received a call from Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to join the team.

Now, the Bucs have gone from a thin running back corps to as deep as a team can get at running back. Think of the possibilities next season with Martin, Mike James and Rainey all healthy.

Wonder who picked Rainey, Bucs commander Greg Schiano or Dominik? (Hint: Rainey did not play at Rutgers; he played for Western Kentucky.).

Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon was Jameis Winston-like today, completing a heady 20 of 23 passes against the Dixie Chicks.

Now Joe understands Mike Glennon starting this year. After sleepy, leaky Josh Freeman was thrown off the team, Glennon began a near-season long rehearsal to help the Bucs decide if he is the franchise quarterback (that Freeman turned out not to be) or if the Bucs should select a quarterback with a top-five pick in next spring’s draft.

Well, after the Bucs handily beat the Dixie Chicks today, it is becoming less and less likely the Bucs will have a top-five pick, and more and more likely Glennon will be barking signals in Tampa next year.

Glennon did his best impersonation of Florida State phenom Jameis Winston. The Seminoles (redshirt) quarterback has wowed the nation with his uncanny accuracy and Glennon seemed to channel his inner-Winston by coming close to pitching a perfect game.

Glennon completed a gaudy 20 passes in 23 attempts for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

If the Bucs keep on winning, Joe is pretty sure of two things: 1) Bucs commander Greg Schiano will be granted a mulligan and be retained for 2014; and, 2) Drafting Johnny Football or hoping to tank in 2014 for Winston will be out of the question as Glennon will be your Bucs’ starting quarterback.

As long as Schiano is with the Bucs, Glennon is his guy. It’s just that simple.

After the Bucs’ clobbering of the Falcons today, Joe talked to Dashon Goldson, Darrelle Revis and other Bucs who are veterans of great teams to ask what lets them know the Bucs are a good team right now.

The prevailing answer was “confidence.”

Goldson, an All-Pro on last year’s NFC champs was adamant that confidence is the difference. 

“Guys are starting to understand why we’re doing certain things, and were getting better at it,” Goldson said. “We’re playing good as a football team in all phases right now. The belief in each other and in what we have to do is there and it’s showing up now.”

Jeremy Zuttah said savior left guard Jamon Meredith, seemingly the difference in the Bucs’ dominating offensive line play over the past three weeks, is a great example of a guy playing with extreme confidence, who came in a time when the line demanded of itself that “we’re not going to underachieve anymore.”

A little known special teams lover, Darrelle Revis says it’s key to note that the Bucs’ confidence extends to all three phases. Revis cited Michael Koenen’s recent punting, onside kick and repeated touchbacks are the little things that win games.

“Guys are playing for each other,” Revis said. “You can’t [go back]. It is what it is during this time. The only thing we can do moving forward is make the best of it and hopefully go 8-8. Revis went on to say the Bucs’ “attitude” — never “pointing any fingers” — is what lets him know things are right and seeing how they “click and gel” on Sunday.

With a 2-8 record, Greg Schiano has much to prove to Bucs fans and Team Glazer. But his hot seat just got significantly less scalding after two consecutive wins at home.

Like it or not, that’s the reality.

Joe’s maintained since before the Seattle game, that Schiano’s magic number is five — as in five wins — as long as his Bucs show no quit.

If the Bucs can, in fact, win five games, that would mean they’re a team on the rise with a rookie quarterback playing well. Joe just can’t see Team Glazer ditching that for the world of the unknown, where they’ll have to outbid and out-recruit many teams for the best coaching candidates.

Clearly, Schiano has his talented team buying in, and lots of fans have put their pitchforks back in the garage. But the real question is whether Schiano can prove he’s matured and developed as a coach over the final six games. That was a massive X-factor entering this season.

The Bucs face four winning teams and have four road games in their final six. Schiano will have nowhere to hide. He’ll have to step up with significant victories in order to save his job.

The Falcons were no match for the revived Buccaneers and The Bobby Rainey Show today. Joe joked last week that perhaps Greg Schiano’s idea of second-half adjustments only applies to the second half of the season. Maybe that’s the case in 2013?

Gerald McCoy’s three sacks of Matt Ryan early set the tone — THREE! The Bucs got back to their largely ineffective defensive line stunts after that, but it didn’t matter. The Bucs’ offense was clinical.

Behind Rainey, the rushing attack was unstoppable for the third consecutive week. Rainey, on his couch a month ago, finished with 30 carries for 163yards and three touchdowns (two on the ground, one through the air). 

Mike Glennon looked like Josh Freeman, the October 2012 version, pumping deep jump balls to Vincent Jackson and being efficient. Glennon broke the Bucs’ rookie single-season touchdown record and had his best day as a pro — 20-for-23 for 231 yards and two touchdowns.

Yes, the once mighty Falcons have been pounded in four consecutive weeks. They’re not a good team. But are the Bucs good right now? A victory at Detroit or at Carolina in their next two games surely could lead Joe to say, ‘Yes.’

OK boys and girls. Was the win over the reeling, drama-filled Dolphins a fluke or was it a harbinger to come? Can Mike Glennon match Matty Ice? Can Bobby Rainey continue the good luck of Bucs running backs even though Mike Smith and his lads have had a week to gameplan against him?

These daunting questions will be answered shortly as the Dixie Chicks-Bucs game is about to kick off

Let your feelings me known. Bang your keyboard here. As always, do not post URL’s of illegal pirated video feeds but your are welcome to e-mail them among yourselves.

Have fun and go Bucs!

Game 10

Dixie Chicks (2-7) at Bucs (1-8) 

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 134.

Weather: Per the WTSP-TV Channel 10 weather desk, if the clouds hold off, should be a fantastic day. Expect the temperature to be in the low 80s under partly-cloudy skies at kickoff. The temperature shouldn’t deviate much and may, at its peak, push 85.

Odds: Per FootballLocks.com, Bucs -1.

Outlook: We should know exactly how much headway the Bucs have made recently by the end of the day. The Bucs, even in a loss, looked strong against Seattle and at times looked dominant last week in their first win of the year over Miami. But are we overvaluing those games? Joe is starting to think Seattle stepped on the field thinking the game was won. After being punched in the mouth, they woke up.

Last week, the Bucs caught Miami at the perfect time, in the middle of a swirling tempest. Notice the Dolphins lost the entire left side of their offensive line, and still the Bucs couldn’t take advantage until the final seconds of the game.

Now the Dixie Chicks are almost as bad off as the Dolphins. If you think the Bucs have under-performed this year, how about the Dixie Chicks? They were “this close” to a Super Bowl last year. Now? They are in the running for the first pick in next spring’s draft. Talk about a freefall.

The Bucs have seen their offensive line reborn since Jamon Meredith was inserted into the starting lineup at left guard. The key here for Joe is how this newborn offensive line stops Jonathan Babineaux. If the Bucs can take out Babineaux, they have a very good shot at doing well offensively.

Of course, a win would be fantastic but a double-edged sword. There’s the draft slot to keep in mind.

Darrelle Revis has played more of his traditional lockdown/press man coverage the past two games and he’s a sure bet for the Pro Bowl, but Revis insists Bucs fans don’t know him yet.

Revis was sore after the Bucs win on Monday Night Football last week, and like a rookie wall, he’s fighting through a post-surgery, comeback wall.

Joe: We’ve all heard you say you’re not yet 100 percent but close. For the average fan, can you say they’ve seen the real Darrelle Revis the past two games?

Darrelle Revis: No. It’s getting there. You know, I still gotta ice it. I’m waiting for the point to where I just don’t feel anything. Sometimes it’s sore one day from cutting from practice or in a game. And then some days it’s not. I’m waiting to be pain-free, per se, and continue to just keep on playing.

A short week of recovery before today’s game against Atlanta is a something watch for with Revis. Hopefully, he’ll respond well. It’s not a given. Joe’s just happy the Falcons have their own injury issues at wide receiver.

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 some 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 headlines from last week — for non-regular readers that might want to catch up. Enjoy!

Schiano resuscitated
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100674

Death threats routine for Revis
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100706

Bucs knew Dolphins’ snap count
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100774

Why is Akeem Spence ditching donuts and video games?
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100717

Goldson says he won’t stop his Hawk ways
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100784

Confidence in Clayborn waning
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100810

Gholston and Spence share ugly secret
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100848

Latest on the Freeman leaks
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100863

Earnest Byner succeeding over and over
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100954

Greg Schiano’s crystal ball
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100929

No Gatorade = Schiano hate?
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100969

Joe’s weekly podcast
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100945

McCoy references a new gameplan
https://www.joebucsfan.com/?p=100958

The Bucs may not show Johnny Football any love if they decide Mike Glennon is the future face of the franchise.

Joe has nothing against Mike Glennon. He looks right now to be a serviceable if not capable backup.

Glennon has shown Joe little that he could put a team on his back and lead them to a playoff berth, much less a Super Bowl run. Maybe Joe isn’t watching the same games as the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo and the Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. Both think Glennon has played well enough thus far that it is debatable whether the Bucs draft a quarterback next spring.

The topic of GLennon was discussed when Kaufman made his weekly appearance with Russo on the show that bears his name, “Mad Dog Unleashed” heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo: I will tell you right now! If Glennon turns out to be a pretty good quarterback – Freeman has been a bust – now if Glennon turns out to be a pretty good quarterback, in these next seven or eight games, you have to give [Bucs commander Greg Schiano] credit for having the guts to make that move. I like what I see out of Glennon. He’s not bad, you know that Ira? He’s big and he’s got a good arm. He [views] the field, he’s sure, he can move a little bit. He is serviceable as far as his movement is concerned. He’s done a nice job for [the Bucs] in these last four or five games, you know?

eye-RAH! Kaufman: There’s no question, there’s no question. He’s been better than advertised, better than I anticipated. I think the biggest question going forward along with Schiano’s status is if you are a Bucs fan, Chris, is has Glennon shown enough or will he over the next seven games that they don’t have to use that top-three pick on a quarterback? That’s a big, big point and issue going forward with this franchise.

If the Bucs land a top-three pick it’s almost criminal to not draft a franchise quarterback. Hell, if Joe is sitting in Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik’s seat next spring, he’d trade down a little (just a little), stock up on some draft picks, land Texas A&M tackle Jake Matthews or Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan, then trade back up into the late first round and land Johnny Football.

Then go out and enjoy a cognac and fire up a cigar from Ybor City and admire the work.

Joe is willing to lay cash if Bucs commander Greg Schiano is granted a mulligan by Team Glazer, survives and returns next year, then the Bucs will not draft a quarterback. Glennon is Schiano’s guy. Plain and simple.

What would you rather do? Get stuck in a virtual parking lot on I-275 or drink beer at a tailgate? Joe thought so.

To avoid the ugly traffic, “The Road Warrior” is your source to have a smooth ride to your tailgate tomorrow. Holley Sinn will help you navigate your way to the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. The award-winning traffic reporter for Joe’s friends at WTSP-TV Channel 10 has vital information about shortcuts and construction zones both before and after the game. Holley has special news for those driving to the game from Pinellas County or points west. Catch Holley and her traffic updates weekday mornings on WTSP, and via her Twitter handle @10NewsTraffic.

Some would suggest that stud Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson has slipped this year. Sure, he has dropped too many balls. Joe is sure Jackson would admit that (if anyone has a [free] link that charts dropped balls, Joe would be indebted to you. Joe has searched far and wide for such a site and he strikes out each time).

Now Jackson hasn’t been flashing much of late and Joe attributes that to being double- if not triple-teamed. You think opponents lay awake at night worrying about Skye Dawson? So with only one legitimate threat at wide receiver, opponents are going to lock down Jackson and Joe expects the Dixie Chicks to do the same tomorrow.

Jackson, however, believes he and Bucs receivers are getting help from cornerback Darrelle Revis, who has both tested lesser receivers, and pushed Jackson to be better.

“Absolutely. We knew that coming into training camp. It’s a lot of fun for us to work together. I’ve played him a few times in my career. You like that, you like the challenge, you like playing guys that are considered some of the best at their position and it brings the best out of you,” Jackson said. “All we’re going to do is continue to elevate each other’s game.”

Granted, Revis isn’t quite yet 100 percent from offseason knee surgery, but he’s about there he admits. Revis also is a part-time coach with the secondary. The Bucs’ young cornerbacks just rave about how much they have learned from him.

Maybe Revis is why quarterback Mike Glennon is allergic to throwing deep balls? Revis has him so spooked in practice that it carries over to games?

Fans in the green-shaded areas below can watch the Dixie Chicks-Bucs game free from their local over-the-air FOX affilate. Coverage map courtesy of the506.com.

While we all cheer for the Bucs to win, at the same time there’s still only one big end-of-season prize left to be had: a first-round draft pick. With that in mind, there are key matchups this weekend.

Falcons (2-7) at Bucs (1-8) – This one is gigantic for draft position. If the Bucs lose this winnable home game and fall two games behind Atlanta, does anyone really think they can make up that ground by season’s end? On the flip side, if the Bucs win, then Joe would put his money on the Bucs passing Atlanta and finishing third in the NFC South. (Imagine a healthy Atlanta with a fourth-place schedule next season. Ouch!)

Raiders (3-6) at Texans (2-7) – Now here’s a couple of teams surely in the market for a franchise quarterback.

Arizona (5-4) at Jacksonville (1-8) – The Cardinals are probably too nasty on defense for the Jags, but Joe surely wouldn’t bet on the Cards on the road. But don’t worry, Bucs fans, Jacksonville has a pretty soft schedule the rest of the way, twice against Houston, home for Buffalo and Tennessee, and at Indianapolis and Cleveland. There should be a couple of Ws in there for the Jags.  

Vikings (2-7) at Seattle (9-1)  – No chance the Vikings play like the Bucs did in Seattle.

*Redskins & Giants (both 3-6) – Joe will pay more attention to these two talented teams when they face each other in the first of two December meetings.

Think you know what Greg Schiano’s fate will be in January? Well, now you can bet on it.

In the gambling capital of the east, New Jersey, the betting odds of Schiano’s Bucs coaching life are news, as reported by the Star-Ledger.

Online wagering site Bovada has set lines on various NFL coaches.

In case you’ve been following the nightmarish season former Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano is dealing with in Tampa Bay, it shouldn’t be that shocking to see Bovada put his chances at returning at +300 and put up a line of -500 that he won’t be at the helm for the Bucs in 2014.

Of interest to Giants and Jets fans: Bovada favors Jason Garrett not to return to the Cowboys next season; the same goes for Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin. The company’s odds are on Mike Shanahan returning to the Redskins.

For the innocent and pure who do not understand betting lines, the above means you’d have to bet $500 on Schiano’s demise to win $100. If you bet 100 on his survival, you’d win $300.

Joe ain’t touchin’ that action. Though Joe would bet on the Bucs to beat the Falcons tomorrow.

Much to the angst of many Bucs fans, who want Bucs commander Greg Schiano gone by midnight tonight, Joe isn’t so sure Schiano is a goner, despite the damning 1-8 start to the season and winning but 14 of his last 16 games.

Joe really believes there is a chance Team Glazer gives Schiano a mulligan over the mess that Josh Freeman started, doing his best to Pearl Harbor the team right out of the chute, and the MRSA chaos that only the most delirious of Schiano hates would blame him for.

It seems longtime Tampa Tribune scribe eye-RAH! Kaufman isn’t so sure. The subject of Schiano’s job security came up when Kaufman made his weekly appearance with the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on the show that bears his name, “Mad Dog Unleashed,” heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo: I watched the game Monday night and there may be evidence that Schiano should stay. [Mike] Glennon looked better, No. 1. No. 1 the veterans played hard; they fell behind and recovered. The crowd was into it. There were some positives about Schiano I thought on Monday night. What’s your take about that?

eye-RAH! Kaufman: Chris, it’s a start but it’s only a start. Chris, he has to win another four or five games. I don’t know if he can pull it off. You’ve got to remember, Chris, you’ve got to remember the expectations of this team. This is the telling point: The Glazers, in their history, they spend on free agents when they think they have a competitive football team. They did it in ’01 when they brought in Simeon Rice and Brad Johnson. That team was ready to win. They’ve done it the last two years; they traded for [Darrelle] Revis. That tells you what was in the mind of ownership here, Chris. Rebuilding was over here in Tampa; that started in ’09. It was time to win. When you have a year like this, you are 0-8 and out of it early, the fans have turned on Schiano with a vengeance though a little bit less now, I agree. But the MRSA, the Josh Freeman saga, there is a lot to answer for, Chris. It’s a start, but he has a long way to go.

Now that is an interesting thought Joe hadn’t pondered. Team Glazer, in the past, has hinted that if the Bucs built through the draft, they would be liable to be very patient with their football operations staff. But if they went all Danny Snyder/Jerry Jones and went shopping for their team, the patience would be much thinner.

In the past two years, Team Glazer has inked a quarter of a billion (that’s billion with a “B”) in free agent contracts the past two years. Team Glazer could have purchased an NHL team for that kind of cash, so fans who still poke their fingers at Team Glazer for not spending cash need to be backhanded.

So that is the predicament Schiano finds himself in: How to convince Team Glazer to give him a mulligan when they spent a king’s ransom on the team.

A 3-1 record in December would go a long way to help Schiano. But there goes a top-five draft pick.

The Bucs-Falcons injury report came out earlier this afternoon and there were only two Buccaneers listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game against the Dixie Chicks: (Carl Nicks is ruled out — why isn’t he on the injured reserve list?) defensive end Da’Quan Bowers and receiver Chris Owusu.

While Owusu isn’t much of a loss, he’s been dinged up all season, the loss of Bowers, who is suffering from concussion-like symptoms sinceMonday night’s win over the Dolphins, might be significant.

If you listen to the words of defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the success of the Bucs’ front line when they finally were allowed to rush the quarterback in the last defensive stand of the game — finally [!] because it is damned near Thanksgiving and the friggin’ season started 11 weeks ago! — it seems Bucs coaches may finally swallow their pride and grant linemen their season-long wish of not being collared with worrying about stunts and other nonsense.

Bowers showed Monday night in one of his rare appearances on the field that when allowed to rush the quarterback, he can do well as his half-sack can attest.

So if the Bucs truly are going to let their defensive line go after Matty Ice, the loss of Bowers will be felt if he cannot make a go of it Sunday.

Two in a row? Veteran WTSP-TV sportscaster Dave Wirth checks in with his preview of the Bucs-Falcons game on Sunday. Enjoy!