Of course everyone at One Buc Palace will state from the start that Thursday night’s debacle against the Patriots and Bill Belicheat was just a preseason game, a glorified scrimmage, the Bucs weren’t scheming, et al.

All valid points.

But there’s one point that eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune makes that happened Thursday and is reflective of last season for the Bucs:

The Bucs offense simply is stuck in first gear in the first quarter.

The Bucs were outscored 73-43 in the opening quarter last season as only Carolina (35) scored fewer first-quarter points in the NFC.

“We have to be able to start strong against a good opponent,” Joseph said. “We’ve got to go out in the first quarter and sustain drives, giving our defense a fighting chance. You can’t keep putting yourself behind the eight-ball with penalties.

“Starting strong was a problem last year and we’ve got to get ourselves in manageable down-and-distance situations. They say this game doesn’t matter, but the things we did are not going to be good for us in the regular season and in the long run.”

It is fundamental football, especially with the Bucs. Now, yes, the Bucs have a chance to have a prolific offense (provided the front line keeps Josh Freeman’s jersey clean). But digging yourself a hole neutralizes one of the Bucs’ best weapons LeGarrette Blount.

Scoring a touchdown once in a while in the first quarter — which is just what the Bucs did at Kansas City last week — is chicken soup for the Bucs’ soul.

The massive Fred Flintstone-like turkey drumstick for sale on the 300 level of the C.I.T.S. that Joe loves so much will be half price on opening day, along with soft drinks and all the Bucs’ gameday grub, so reports the Facebook page of WDAE-AM 620, the Buccaneers’ flagship station.

In a nod to fans, or perhaps an attempt to bust the Bucs’ heinous blackout streak, Team Glazer is shaving profits from the Bucs-Lions game on Sept. 11.

Joe thinks this is pretty cool.

While gameday drunks will still be soaked for overpriced warm beer, the move will represent a significant savings for a lot of folks. Joe’s still pegging opening day attendance about 12,000 shy of a sellout, but perhaps this could help move the needle a bit.

Update: 11:19 a.m. – It seems the Bucs’ half-off gesture is in response to screwups on Thursday night. From a Buccaneers letter to season ticket holders: “We would like to apologize to all fans who attended Thursday’s game for the concession service issues throughout the stadium.  It is our commitment to ensure that our fans receive a first class experience at all Buccaneers games.  Because of this, we will be offering 50% off all food and non-alcoholic beverages at our home opener on September 11.”

Clarification: Just so everyone is clear, this SNAFU Thursday night at the concession stands was due to issues with the vendor, Levy Restaurants, NOT the Buccaneers. But Team Glazer is making sure things are right with the fans. Joe doffs his cap.

As Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski just said on WDAE-AM 620, how cool is it that on a broiling 1 p.m. kickoff, you can get fluids at half-price?

As Joe wrote immediately following the Bucs’ crushing defeat at the hands of the Patriots, the Bucs’ high-priced offensive line was the greatest disappointment last night.

It’s unthinkable for that unit to be manhandled like that over five series.

During his Friday news conference after reviewing game tape, Raheem Morris was candid grading the unit.

“Maybe Larsen had a little bit of built up emotion, jumped off sides, completely whiffed a guy on a run early, then he settled down and played a little bit better. He took turns messing up a little bit,” Raheem said.

“Trueblood played probably his most solid game that we’ve seen in a while. He looked very productive.

“Davin looked okay. He made one mistake that’s very correctable.

“Penn didn’t play great. It was kind of a dragover from kind of his week that he had. It’s a good teaching moment for Penn. He didn’t play awesome. He didn’t play terrible, but he didn’t play great by any means.

“Faine was very solid. Zuttah came in and did a nice job for us at the backup center.

“James Lee didn’t play particularly well, as well as he did towards the end of the season when he was really competing. We want to get him better.”

Hearing this it’s safe to say Trueblood has the starting right tackle job all but locked up. And if you’re keeping score, four the big seven above had issues. On the upside, Raheem also later credited Faine for excellent adjustments.

The Bucs are going to go as far as the O-line and Freeman can take them, so Joe can’t help but obsess about their performance.

In what Joe found eerily similar to the way former Bucs offensive guard and current WDAE-AM 620 personality Ian Beckles used former Bucs linebacker Barrett Ruud as his cause célèbre, lashing out at him virtually each day, former Bucs quarterback quarterback Shaun King unleashed an angry sermon at Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy today on WQYK-AM 1010.

King skinned GMC for a variety of things, and Joe will detail these comments tomorrow morning.

While Joe would never claim he’s an NFL coach, Joe monitored GMC often last night with Joe’s binoculars and Joe thought GMC did alright, sans a mistackle that was turned in to a 29-yard run. Hell, the fact that GMC was in position to make the damned play in the first place was impressive enough for Joe.

After the game, GMC took full blame for the whiff.

One of the things King lashed out at GMC for was Twittering, which led to King and GMC got into a Twitter spat this afternoon while King was on the air.

@realshaunking: the people that paid their hard earned money to come to support u guys didnt come to hear or see jokes.

This didn’t sit well as one can imagine from GMC.

@geraldini93: Sense of humor people. GET ONE. Stop being so serious all the time. Good day to you.

Joe may have been the first media member that spoke with GMC last night. Joe was talking with Kyle Moore whose locker is right next to GMC’s. No other media members were there and Joe asked GMC if he wanted to chat and GMC obliged. Joe never, ever got the impression that GMC was blowing off how the Bucs got beat down last night. He fessed up that he missed on some plays and that he was rusty and can play better.

Shoot, this was his first taste of battle since he was hurt last year. Did anyone really expect GMC to come out and play like Mean Joe Green against the Patriots of all teams?

Bucs fans fishing for bright spots out of last night’s game can surely grab hold of defensive end Tim Crowder’s sack of Tom Brady, who doesn’t hit the turf all that often. Crowder talked to Joe about his game and more.

JoeBucsFan.com:  How did you play against New England?

Tim Crowder: I think I did ok. I’m still polishing all aspects of my game. As far as pash rushing goes, I feel I’m finally starting to figure it all out from my experience and coaching.

Joe: Didn’t see you on special teams? What was the deal there? You’ve been a big contributor there.

Crowder: They were just giving me a break and other guys looks. I’m sure they’ll take advantage of what I can do on special teams. I like to think I’ve exceled there and I look forward to it.

Joe: Your sack was against rookie left tackle Nate Solder and the rest of New England’s starting offensive line. Tell me about it.

Crowder: Let me say [Solder’s] going to really be a good player. He’s going to be a monster. I got up on him fast with a long arm and got through.

Joe: Are you more comfortable on the left side or right side of the line?

Crowder: Most definitely the right side. I’m left-handed. I can put my natural left hand down and go.

Joe: You were the last of the Bucs unrestricted free agents brought back to Tampa. Was that a tough time for you? Were you visiting other clubs? What was that like?

Crowder: To be honest with you, I really don’t know what was going on. I learned we had a deal, and I felt very blessed to be here and be a part of all this team is.

Joe: What kind of advice have you been able to pass on to Adrian Clayborn.

Crowder: I tell him to do what you do best — ‘Don’t ever forget what got you here.’ He ‘s so aggressive and that’s what it takes. Working with the coaches and learning like he is, I feel he can get it real quick. He’s just got to maintain that aggression.

Bucs center Jeff Faine discusses the beat down the Patriots handed the Bucs last night in the first home preseason game of the season in this St. Petersburg Times video.

If someone very close to Bucs guard Brandon Carter didn’t call this to Joe’s attention, Joe might have thought it was some kind of joke. But apparently it’s not.

Following last night’s game, Carter took to Twitter to complain about being mysteriously ejected for playing the game the right way.

@bcarter60 – Ejected from the game for… Get this…. Word for word from the ref “#60 you’re out of here you’re being TOO PHYSICAL” no penalty though???

On the heels of Mason Foster’s BS personal foul, Joe doesn’t know where to begin. What’s happening to the NFL?

Carter was on the practice squad last year before getting promoted late in the season. The kid is supposed to be drilling people and playing through the whistle. If this story is not some unfortunate misunderstanding, Joe hopes this referee is relegated to working girls soccer matches.

Update 10:46 a.m. – An NFL source tells Joe that Carter was not officially ejected but “removed” and not flagged for some sort of skirmish. … Still lame stuff from the referee.

In candid, entertaining and mildly embarrassing comments to a crew of reporters following the Bucs beating at the hands of the Patriots, Gerald McCoy shared a long take about the Patriots and the Bucs’ reaction to them last night.

The Boston Globe uploaded the audio and transcribed some highlights. Here’s a snippet:

“… …Now [Mason Foster] knows when those live bullets start flying when Detroit comes here, now he knows what to expect. And I’m glad he got to experience that. (DE Adrian) Clayborn came to me and was like, ‘Oh my god, it was so fast!’ I said, ‘I know! That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!’ It was a reality check, we needed that.

“Man, I’m telling you man, they came out, they’d turn around huddle, snap, oh, ‘There’s the Mike, Go!’ I was like, ‘Dang! Um, Mr. Brady, can we line up?’ He didn’t care. He was like, ‘You’re not going to line up.’ When we turned around one time I checked back around and my hand was going to the grass and they were like, ‘Hut!’ And I said, ‘Noooooooooooo!’”

Joe suggests you click through above and listen to the entire raw audio, which might have to come down tonight per NFL rules.

It’s serves as a good look at how far away from the Patriots the young Bucs are. But McCoy says the types of mistakes made on defense tonight are very coachable and fixable.

We’ll find out.

Our biggest obstacle is “to defend against outside sources leaking into our building and telling us how good we were last year and all those types of things. We don’t want to listen to that. We want to remain unwavered … and play the game the way it has to be played.”  — Raheem Morris this week on NFL Network, offering his take on the biggest hurdle facing the Bucs entering the season.

Joe popped the Raheem quote above to make an important point: getting mauled last night by the Patriots was probably a great thing for the Bucs.

It would have been nearly impossible for the young Bucs to not get a little too high on themselves after all the love they’ve been getting from the national media, and after thoroughly thrashing Kansas City last week. And what better way to come back to reality than to endure a complete beating at home.

Bucs players said all kinds of things about Thursday’s game, but it’s pretty darn clear that heads on the first-team offense and defense were somewhere else. … They lost their “youngry” for a half to the wrong team.

Joe suspects those “outside influences,” as Raheem called them, pumping up the Bucs surely willl pipe down considerably over the next week.

The humbling silence has got to be welcomed by the head coach, whose team should be sufficiently embarrassed and re-committed to playing great football.

Raheem Morris weighed in on the Bucs' beating.

After the beating the Bucs took last night at the hands of the Patriots, Raheem Morris said he liked that the Pats played their first team a long time so the Bucs could get “a good barometer” of where the team is.

While Joe can’t get too caught up in the Bucs’ failures Thursday, if there is a team barometer, the pressure is low and a dangerous storm is approaching — if the Bucs can’t right the ship.

“Good thing it was practice,” Raheem said.

Without watching the game tape, Raheem said the Bucs got owned in the trenches.

“They outphysicaled us up front. … Both sides of the ball. They won the up front battle. They definitely won those battles early. They won them often early. We started to have a little bit of fight back there in the second half, and I was very proud of those guys. But by that time it was too late,” Raheem said.”

There’s a reason the Patriots went 14-2 last year, but Joe’s eager to hear the coach’s assessment after watching the game tape.

Larry Asante (22) didn't get the tackle on this play last week but he made New England opponents pay Friday night.

Let’s be honest, the Bucs set of safeties is thin, even Joe can see this.

Ahmad Black has a high ankle sprain and given the fact he has played sparingly and may not be back until next month, his shot at making the final cut is dicey.

Then there is Cody Grimm, who is returning from an ugly broken leg against Baltimore. He didn’t start training camp at a full 100 percent.

So when Larry Asante got to play tonight, though he didn’t make a lot of plays, the plays he made were memorable.

Asante, not exactly a large man, brought pain on the two tackles he made, laying the wood to Patriots players. One hit resulted in a forced fumble the Bucs recovered.

Big plays — like the pick he made on Drew Brees last year — may make for a big decision by Bucs management in keeping the former Cornhusker.

“It’s the mentality that Coach Rah preaches in practice all the time,” Asante said of his big-hit ability. “We take that to heart. If someone tries to catch the ball, we will try to jar it out. We have to make them pay.”

Asante just hopes that the hits he lays on opponents stay fresh in the mind of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

“When you get your chance to make the plays you have to capitalize on them,” Asante said.

Joe truly has no clue how NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell imposes fines or discipline. It seems pretty willy nilly to Joe.

But Joe’s hoping the hatchetman doesn’t come down on rookie Mason Foster, whose personal foul for drilling Chad Ochocinco over the middle on the Patriots’ second possession was a worthless call simply on a beautiful football play. Joe might say John Lynch would roll over in his grave about a call like that, but Lynch is alive and well calling Bucs preseason games on WTSP-TV, Ch. 10.

Joe didn’t hear Lynch’s reaction yet, but Foster offered Joe his two cents.

“I can’t worry about it becaue I think you just gotta play. I don’t think I hit him with my helmet,” said Foster, who acknowledged the hit would not be a penalty in college. “[Coaches and Teammates] have been telling me to not let the penalty alter my game. … Hopefully, they don’t fine me. I don’t have any money yet.”

Geno Hayes said he and his teammates will support Foster in every possible way.

“That’s a part of the game now. It wasn’t a bad hit, but that’s the NFL. I don’t know if you get used to it or not. If it is a fine, we’d help him out. … Yeah, with money. That kind of call for a rookie can get to you. We won’t let that happen.”

Foster’s hit, sadly, was one of the highlights for the Bucs’ first-team defense. He got a little lost in pass coverage on the Pats’ first touchdown, but the kid does fly around the field.

Gerald McCoy (93) nearly gets a sack, drilling Tom Brady just as the Patriots quarterback releases the ball.

The new Gerald McCoy debuted tonight.

The better coached GMC, the better fit GMC, the better player GMC.

But no one saw that player, so GMC said himself after the game. Rather, the Bucs third overall pick last year said he was rusty from not playing in a game since last season.

“It felt good, but I had to knock the rust off,” GMC said. “The first few snaps, it was rust.”

It was that rust, GMC noted, that allowed Danny Woodhead to break off a 29-yard run that set up New England’s first score.

GMC, who seemed to get penetration all night, ran to his left as Woodhead ran right. Just when it looked like GMC would have Woodhead for a loss, he scooted out of GMC’s grasp of an armtackle and ran left for nearly 30 yards.

“He cut it up and I missed the tackle,” GMC said. “Those are things I cannot do. I fell into the trap. If I was playing a little bit, I would have had stopped that [run] instead of him flying upfield.”

GMC was also called for an offsides penalty when he jumped the snap. Too much rust, too much excitement GMC suggested.

“I wanted to come in and let it all go and get the rust off,” GMC said. Bucs defensive tackles coach Keith Millard “said as an undertackle I had to play like a wild man. That’s why I got the offsides. Any kind of a flinch, any kind of blinking, I was gone.”

GMC added that Millard told him he had to be pretty much everywhere, and he was.

“He said I will see people subbing in and out and I had to be disruptive on this side and that side,” GMC said. “You have to be everywhere. That’s all I was trying to do tonight.”

Preseason games are almost meaningless. Right?

Well, not when your quarterback is pounded, so Davin Joseph told Joe tonight.

“They say it doesn’t matter, but the things we did today are not good for us in the long run,” Joseph said. “[Preseason] is still important. You can’t allow your quarterback to get hit. “We have to start strong and sustain drives. We’re going to work on it.”

As Joe wrote earlier, the offensive line play was the biggest disappointment. The O-line needs to be at least as good as it was last season.

Last year the Bucs drew 41,000+ in their blacked out preseason home opener against the Chiefs.

Attendance is improving.

Tonight against the Patriots, the official crowd tally was 49,313.

Off these numbers, it’s pretty safe to assume the Bucs’ season ticket base  has increased about 15 percent over last year. Joe’s pleased that a 10-6 season at least had some impact at the gate, though the Bucs are a long way from a Lions-Bucs opening day sellout on Sept. 11. That blackout miracle is not happening.

With an early September 1 o’clock start for the opener, and Games 2 and 3 at home against the Falcons and Colts, Joe’s just not seeing a rush of fans running to play 12th man in less than three weeks.

It’s a team loss, but Joe has to shine a spotlight on the Bucs’ offensive line tonight because it’s a veteran group and possibly the highest-paid unit in the league.

Josh Freeman was hit tonight several times in less than an one half of work — the worst of all possible sins on this team. And it seemed like the O-line was blown off the ball repeatedly.

Freeman was clobbered on one sack by three Patriots. Yes, Earnest Graham missed a blitz pick-up, but what about the other two guys?

LeGarrette Blount had four carries for one yard.

There shouldn’t be any learning curve or readiness issues for this O-line.

Unacceptable.

Patriots 31, Bucs 14

What a horrible game this was. The Patriots manhandled the Bucs when both first teams were on the field. Joe was stone sober but he swore to a higher authority he saw the ghost of Jim Bates lurking at The CITS.

The Patriots played like they just got off Nevin Shaprio’s boat. It was the varsity against the junior varsity and the Pats were the varsity.

Joe will have much more tonight as you watch the first airing of the game on either Joe’s partner WTSP-TV Channel 10 or on the man’s channel, the NFL Network.

Joe didn’t go over the top when the Bucs dominated the Chiefs last week, and Joe’s not about to act like a screaming child who just lost his lunch money after the Bucs’ regulars were annihilated by the Patriots tonight.

It was a clean knockout, as Josh Freeman and his fellow first-teamers couldn’t generate a first down, and Tom Brady and friends racked up 28 first-half points with ease.

The ghost of Jim Bates was back with the Bucs gashed left and right against the run. The Pats averaged a whopping 7 1/2 yards a carry in the first half, 22 carries for 144 yards. For Joe, this was the most glaring statistic. The Bucs have to find away to stop the bleeding.

Alright Bucs fans, feel free to comment and fire away about tonight’s game. No chat tonight but this thread will be open throughout the game so fire away.

Yes, if you must know, that’s Jaime Hanna above.

Preseason Game 2
Patriots at Bucs
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
TV: WTSP-TV Channel 10 locally. The game is blacked out in the Tampa Bay TV markets and will be broadcast several times on a tape-delayed basis with the first airing tentatively at 11:30 p.m. tonight in the Tampa Bay region on Channel 10. Other airings will be tonight on the NFL Network at 11 p.m., 4 p.m. on NFL Network Friday, 8 p.m. Friday on WTSP and Saturday, noon on WTSP.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 93.
Weather: Per Accuweather.com, temperature at kickoff will be sunny and 84 but rain chances increase quickly with a 51 percent chance of thunderstorms the rest of the game. By the end of the game, temperature should be 81.
Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs -2.
Outlook: It’s a first look at some players for the year and second looks at many others.
Tonight will be the first look at the new look Gerald McCoy. The third overall pick last year in the draft was just turning the corner when he was lost for the season with an injury. GMC spent all offseason rebuilding his body and undergoing a reprogramming by defensive tackles coach Keith Millard, it will be very interesting to see if GMC is a changed man. If he is it will go a long way to a better Bucs defense. … But what Joe will be interested in is if some of the players who shined against the Chiefs can continue to play well or even improve against a solid ballclub like the Patriots. … Adrian Clayborn looked promising against the Chiefs. Now that there’s a book out on him, will Clayborn be able to adjust to what Bill Belicheat throws at him? … Kyle Moore made a solid appearance last week. Can he show up again? He’s on the bubble and if the Bucs keep seven defensive lineman, Moore might need to have a helluva preseason to lock up a roster spot. … Anthony Gaitor sure seemed like a promising player with his play against the Chiefs. Another game like that and he may have a roster spot. … Joe is also hoping Mason Foster logs more than 10 plays tonight than he did at the Chiefs. The young man needs reps. … Oh, just FYI for readers, Joe will have a live open thread rather than a chat tonight. It launches at kickoff. So have fun and behave.