Days after going on a long and wonderful rant against Bucs commander Greg Schiano’s world renowned kneel-down play to end games when opponents have the ball in the waning seconds of yet another Bucs loss, the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo was still irritated about what he still believes was a Schiano Kneel-Down against the Dixie Chicks that didn’t take place.

eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune, the Custodian of Canton, was ambushed by Russo with another jab at the Schiano trademark during his weekly appearance with Russo, via the channel that bears his name, Mad Dog Radio, heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo: Doesn’t he learn his lesson? Doesn’t he go out there and try to do the same thing to the Falcons as he did to the Giants last year with the crashing into the offensive line when the game was over? Go ahead.

eye-RAH! Kaufman: Chris, he also did it in the Arizona game. He did it at the end of the Arizona game which was a game at Raymond James. So he has done it three times now. He’s not going to change, Chris. I think it is a bad idea. I’ve heard you’ve been railing against him. Chris, he doesn’t need you, he is getting enough criticism from all corners. He doesn’t need the “Mad Dog” weighing in. Here is why it is a bad idea: He will stand there at the podium and say, “Well, if my players came up to me and tell me they didn’t want to do it I would stop doing it.” Chris, that is weak because no player is going to do that, Chris. They are not going to do that. But when you talk to them privately, Chris, and I have, there are some people in that locker room who are not very happy doing that. They don’t want to do that, Chris. They think it is bush league. They think it is below them. But they are not going to march into Schiano’s office, Chris. That’s not going to happen. So, you know, I think it is another chip away at his credibility with this team and that is a key factor for him right now. He is a college coach who hasn’t established himself as a winner, Chris and on top of it he has an [0-7] team. That’s a bad formula.

This is just another example of a well-meaning but stubborn coach who won’t change his ways, no matter how much flak he gets from colleagues and in some circumstances, no matter how many losses pile up.

When the Bucs hire a new coach for the 2014 season, the Greg Schiano Era will best be remembered, aside from the mounting losses, for the Schiano Kneel-Down.

The house organ of the NFL, NFL.com, is all awash in midseason reports — best players at midseason, best teams, you name it.

Well, one category is biggest disappointment. And while many NFL.com types point to the Eagles, the Steelers, the Giants, etc., as the biggest disappointments of the 2013, there is a special place for the Bucs.

Judy Battista of NFL.com points a finger directly at Bucs commander Greg Schiano and the Pewter Pirates as this season’s “biggest flop.”

That leaves the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the biggest flop of all. They spent two offseasons loading up on free agents, and they traded for Darrelle Revis to help rebuild the secondary. But then they made the wrong bet on the starting quarterback and made Revis play zone rather than his preferred man defense. On top of all that, they were beset by myriad unsavory issues, from the MRSA infestation to leaks about Josh Freeman’s behavior. For a team that hoped to contend for a playoff spot, the Bucs — who are hearing calls for coach Greg Schiano’s job at the halfway point — are in a startling predicament, making them the worst disappointment of the season.

But to hear some Bucs fans, it is not Schiano who is complicit in the downfall of the Bucs, but rather, rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

To hear these same fans, it was Dominik who planted MRSA in the Bucs locker room. It was Dominik who turned Freeman into a Buccaneers version of Benedict Arnold and motivated him to get all leaky (notice the drama as just about died down since Freeman left? Imagine?), it was Dominik that gave Carl Nicks a turf toe, it was Dominik that tore up Davin Joseph’s knee, it was Dominik, after he traded for Revis, who kept kicking him in the back of the knee which prevented him from playing man-to-man so much in the first place, it was Dominik who ran off productive players who are excelling for good teams now, and it was Dominik who nearly ran Doug Martin into the ground.

Next thing you know, the haters will try to convince you Dominik is responsible for the Ebola virus. This blind, misplaced rage saddens Joe.

It is not just a hand-wringing issue for locals. So too it is a national puzzle. Just how long will Bucs commander Greg Schiano last?

Joe has written several times there is zero rationale for pulling the plug on the Greg Schiano regime before the end of the calendar year. What, (maybe) that helps win a couple meaningless games that fans will forget about before the draft is over with, blowing a chance at drafting Jake Matthews or this Mariota character from Oregon? Please! Get your priorities straight!

It seems Olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve,baseball box score-reading Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame, has his priorities right. King, in his weekly appearance with the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo on the channel that bears his name, Mad Dog Radio heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio, explained terminating Schiano before the season is over is much more complex than simply waving goodbye and deactivating his keycard for One Buc Palace.

Chris “Mad Dog” Russo: Alright, Schiano, is he going to make the season?

Peter King: I am dubious about that Chris, but I said the other day on NBC that one of the problems for them to make a change — and I can say this categorically, the owners do not want to make an in-season change — but if they are going to make a change, here’s the biggest problem: Butch Davis is kind of the assistant to the head coach. Dave Wannstedt is a special teams guy. Those guys obviously have had head coaching experience. Those are big Schiano guys. They were brought in by Schiano; they are kind of a team. So you fire Schiano and have one of those guys coach. I’m not sure the players would view that as any sort of fresh air.

Russo: So he might last, despite their getting booed off the field and getting things thrown at? You know, the problem with Schiano is, you can’t act like Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick without any rings.

King: You know, I compare Schiano now to Bill Belichick in his first few years in Cleveland, or maybe his first three years. Until you have the pelts on the wall — I mean there was a time when Bill Belichick was not Bill Belichick. I mean, he was a coach. A quiet coach who didn’t curry any local favor in Cleveland and he didn’t win enough and people were booing him a lot in Cleveland. They were down on him. And you know, he certainly lasted longer and had more success in Cleveland than Schiano has had in Tampa. All I am saying is it reminds me of that same situation because there was a time in Cleveland where people looked at Belichick and basically thought, “Hey, we don’t like this guy and we don’t think he will pull us out of this.” Now, it was those three Super Bowls that have him bulletproof for life.

Many Bucs fans can’t understand that Team Glazer has never made a coaching change midseason. It hasn’t happened. Didn’t happen with Sam Wyche; didn’t happen with Father Dungy; didn’t happen with Chucky; didn’t happen with Raheem Morris.

The best thing the team can do is lose. (That doesn’t mean Joe is cheering for losses and wants to bench starters.) If you cannot secure a playoff berth, then it is all about the draft. Finishing with a middling record is akin to going to a clothing option establishment where you can’t touch the hired help. Then what the hell is the point of even going?

Various Bucs spoke Monday about the upcoming game with the Seahawks and looked back at yet another loss last Thursday, that to the Stinking Panthers.

Among those brave enough to talk were defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, running back Mike James, wide receiver Tiquan Underwood, linebacker Mason Foster and wide receiver Chris Owusu.

In addition to the Bucs players, Bucs commander Greg Schiano held his daily press briefing, hoping his team somehow reverses fortunes from an 0-7 mark.

As always, audio courtesy of Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620.

It saddens Joe to type up example after example of what Joe will call the New Schiano Reality.

Head coach Greg Schiano seems to have lost all kinds of perspective of his team’s performance, what they must do to perform, and what they can do.

The latest example comes from the Buccaneers Radio Network last night on WDAE-AM 620. Schiano was pressed to explain why his team is outplayed brutally in the second half of games. The coach’s attitude was troubling.

Bucs Fan caller: … In the second half, I don’t know if we’re getting outcoached or outplayed, or just we don’t have the conditioning. It seems like we’re sticking close in the first half and then we’re not having a strong second half. My question, pointedly, would be how we’re going to correct that moving forward?

Greg Schiano: The second half, as far as adjustments go, you know, I look back at this last game. We come out and I think we’re doing a good job. We get a big third down stop, and then we put a punt on the ground. I don’t know if that’s an adjustment or not. But you know then we go down and it becomes a 21-6 game. And you know, I agree, but we’re not at the point offensively where we’re going to come storming back and score 30 points. That’s just not who we are right now. We’re struggling a little bit up front with some things. We’ve got some issues right now. Mike [Williams] was playing injured and trying to see if he couldn’t push through [his hamstring.]

Schiano went on to say injuries and the lack of “cumulative reps,” aka continuity, has hurt the offense, though Schiano conceded the offense wasn’t good when the team was healthy early in the season.

First, what the heck is Schiano talking about “storming back?” The Bucs’ first four drives of the second half gained a grand total of 42 yards — 42 yards! – while the Panthers methodically extended their halftime lead of 14-6 to 31-6 midway through the fourth quarter.

This “storming back” Schiano talks about glosses over the fact the Bucs can’t move the chains when it counts.

And why can’t the Bucs “storm back?” Team Glazer is paying Vincent Jackson more than $10 million a year to make plays. The Bucs are pass blocking reasonably well. Are we to believe the Bucs don’t have enough talent to eat up yards and Schiano and friends can’t coach a two-minute offense?

Bucs fans were told Mike Glennon is the guy. Joe recalls Josh Freeman engineering fourth-quarter comebacks early in his career with receivers like Micheal Spurlock, Sammie Stroughter and Maurice Stovall. That’s right, Stovall caught more balls from Freeman than any other wide receiver in 2009.

Joe hates the “we-can’t” attitude.

And “storming back” isn’t just about offense. It’s about making big plays on defense, something the Bucs aren’t doing enough, despite elite talent on that side of the ball.

John Brickley and Dan Graziano discuss the job status of Bucs commander Greg Schiano in this BSPN video.

He’s third in the NFL in tackles for loss, among the leaders in solo tackles, has five sacks, and is a stunning beast of second-year linebacker. Lavonte David’s talents are almost wasted on the winless Bucs.

David is a huge bright spot this season, minus his costly, silly blunder at the Meadowlands.

The humble and guarded David took to the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves last night to talk Bucs. But one thing that got David to open up was discussing his love of film study.

David had a good rant about how he pores over film so it leads to “anticipation,” not “guessing” right, when it comes to tackling opponents, shooting gaps and taking angles. He said the Bucs have good group study habits, but he’s goes a couple of steps further with his team issued iPad.

“I think the iPad is a great thing. Like, you can be, not saying that staying at [One Buc Palace] isn’t a comfortable setting, but being at home with your feet up studying plays and things like that is even more relaxed, you know what I mean, so you can really focus in,” David said.

What a football junkie David is. The guy likes to work all day and study film after hours on his couch — so he can “really focus in.”

Initially, Greg Schiano  basically eliminated player iPad usage during the early days of his regime, resorting back to old school notebooks and photocopies. But iPads returned slowly as a study tool in September 2012. Joe’s glad to hear an update that the iPads are in the fold. What a great resource.

Interestingly, it was innovator Al Gore Raheem Morris who started the iPad trend around the NFL, so Team Glazer explained.

Again, David is a real gem. Through his first 23 games, Derrick Brooks had 142 tackles, one sack, and one interceptions. David, who is still just 23 years old, has 198 tackles, seven sacks and two picks in his first 23.

Joe’s friends at Ed Morse Cadillac Tampa continue their long history of community service and support. In October, they’re supporting a fantastic organization for breast cancer survivors. You won’t find a better dealership. Shop their fantastic new and pre-owned inventory now at EdMorseCadillacTampa.com, or in person at 101 E. Fletcher Ave. in Tampa.

There are no shortage of gripes Bucs fans direct at embattled Bucs commander Greg Schiano and his reeling Bucs, now in a 12-of-13 loss tailspin.

One area of scorn is the Bucs defense. No sacks to speak of. Lousy pass defense. The list goes on. One of the perplexing things about the defense is its sloppy play at times. This, despite Schiano being such a disciplinarian.

Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus apparently has seen enough of the Bucs. He tears into Schiano’s defense in a no-holds barred piece.

The hallmark of this Bucs team under Schiano seems to be naive and ill-disciplined play. Only the Jets have surrendered more penalties than the Bucs this season and no team has coughed up more penalty yards. But I’m not talking just about penalties when I say ill-discipline. It can manifest itself in other, simpler ways, and we saw a good example of it last night for Carolina’s first touchdown.

The Bucs sold out against the run, buying completely into Carolina’s heavy-formation and abandoning almost all coverage responsibilities entirely leading to one of the easiest scores the Panthers will ever see. As if to compound the error the Panthers ran the same play later in the game on back to back plays – both times it was successful with the Bucs failing to even learn from their mistakes, even the biggest and most glaring.

Failing to learn from mistakes? Joe has a tough time swallowing this. Schiano was hired, in part, because of his teaching prowess. This is supposed to be a trademark of his, yet it’s failed miserably.

When the Bucs select their next head coach for 2014, the failure of Schiano will be remembered for how a disciplinarian’s team played so undisciplined.

To Joe, one of the greatest manufactured controversies in recent times was the constant chirping about whether Bucs stud cornerback Darrelle Revis is playing man-defense or zone defense.

Bucs fans demanded Revis play man defense. Why, that’s what he plays on PlayStation! Well, Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune brings news that will make Bucs fans run into the streets in jubilation. No, Schiano is still coaching. But Schiano has suggested perhaps Revis could be playing more man-to-man defense.

Bucs coach Greg Schiano spent the weekend contemplating personnel and schematic changes on both sides of the ball, and one of the changes he plans to make on defense suggests more man and press coverage work for Revis.

“We need to make sure we’re accentuating our best players, putting them in the best position to make plays better than we have,’’ Schiano said. “That’s something I’ve looked at hard, and I know our coaches have looked at it as well.’’

Now Joe always thought this was a made-up story because Revis wasn’t 100 percent recovered from his knee surgery last offseason. Thus, with Revis not 100 percent, the Bucs used him in zone to protect him. Even Revis himself had hinted he wasn’t fully back to his former self.

The last thing the Bucs needed was to force Revis to play man-to-man just because fans wanted him to play man-to-man, and pop his knee again. What exactly would be the point of doing that?

If Revis is going to play more man coverage, it tells Joe that Revis is closer to being his old self.

In a somewhat ironic twist, the NFL is proving to be more of a passing league than ever yet Bucs head coach Greg Schiano talked multiple times yesterday about how he and his staff blew it by not running the ball more against the Panthers.

This was somewhat bizarre on two levels. First, the Bucs had no chance against Carolina without going to the air. They were trailing big early. Second, Schiano telling everyone that will listen that the Bucs need to run the ball much more on Sunday screams of the head coach trying to sell a smokescreen because he plans on Glennon throwing early and often.

NFL stats show that halfway through the 2013 season only three teams have starting running backs averaging more than 80 yards per game: LeSean McCoy (91.6), Adrian Peterson (81.6) and Alfred Morris (80.7). And none of their respective teams have a winning record.

The totals represent a significant dropoff from years past. Last year, six running backs averaged 89 or more yards per game.

Joe would love to see the Bucs pound the rock successfully, but they’ve proven incapable of that this season. And with Doug Martin out of the lineup, it’s downright foolish to think they’ll be able to pull a running game out of thin air — in Seattle.

Yesterday, Schiano came very close — and it Joe’s opinion he did — to publicly criticizing Mike Sullivan for getting away from the run and being seduced by the talent and execution ability of Mike Glennon. Schiano talked about it during his news conference, and during his radio show.

“We need to be more committed to the run game. And that’s me. I know that we have an offensive coordinator who calls plays. But I have a say,” Schiano said on WDAE-AM 620 last night. “I can get on and say, ‘Look, I want to keep running the ball. Let’s run it, you know, more.’ In our game planning, I need to do a better job of making sure that that’s clear.”

How loud is the 12th Man for the Seahawks? Loud enough that on a weekly basis it messes up opponents. Visiting teams average 2.3 false starts a game. Naturally, the Seahawks brag it is because of their raucous 12th man.

How loud is the 12th Man for the Seahawks? Well, decibel meters suggest it is akin to an active flight deck of an aircraft carrier, at times the noise from the 12th Man reaches some 136 decibels, 14 short of rupturing eardrums.

Bucs linebacker Mason Foster knows all about the 12th Man. He played college ball at the University of Washington.While in college, the San Francisco native went to a few Seahawks games and came away impressed.

“It’s tough,” Foster said. “I went to one of the games probably my sophomore or junior year and it was crazy. Those fans are crazy up there so I know firsthand, but it’s going to be a great game. I’m excited to be up there; great environment to play in.”

Here’s the thing: Teams don’t play against noise. If teams prepare appropriately, then noise doesn’t matter one bit. It’s a fallacy, to be honest.

Just do your job, focus on the task at hand and all will be well. Besides, the Seahawks are coming off a nailbiter of a win over St. Louis. The Bucs will have their hands full with a whole lot more than just crowd noise.

Cowboys’ George Selvie is one of four ex-Bucs defensive linemen who have a combined 17 sacks this season.

Yesterday, Joe banged the drum to signal how the Bucs let 2012 sack leader Michael Bennett walk away needlessly and how the Bucs still haven’t come close to matching his loss in sacks.

But it gets more criminal than that. There are other defensive linemen the Bucs had participating as Buccaneer Men on the fields of One Buc Palace over the past two years that they let get away — men who are shining for other teams, teams with realistic playoff chances by the way.

Joe’s going to throw out four names. Chris Jones, Wallace Gilberry, George Selvie and Bennett. The Bucs had these guys on their roster. Bennett, who wanted to return, was allowed to walk away, the other three were cut.

Selvie, now playing for Rod Marinelli and the Cowboys, has five sacks. Jones, playing for Bill Belicheat and the Patriots, has 4.5 sacks. Gilberry, playing for Mike Zimmer and the Bengals, has three sacks. Bennett, playing for Pete Carroll and the Seahawks, has 4.5 sacks. (Keep in mind Gilberry also had a fantastic year last year, after the Bucs cut him in September 2012.)

Add those up and you have 17 sacks as we enter Week Nine of the NFL season. The Bucs are currently 22nd in the NFL in sacks with — you guessed it — 17 sacks (with linebackers leading the team no less.)

Now what the hell is going on here? A few things.

First, it seems the latest fad is to slam Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. Granted, it’s not as if he has made Ozzie Newsome-like moves throughout his tenure with the Bucs, but he is hardly Bruce Allen, who was atrocious at player evaluation. Dominik saw something in Gilberry, Jones and Selive — enough to put them on the Bucs’ roster –that apparently the Bucs coaching staff either didn’t see or couldn’t get out of them.

Once defensive linemen get on the roster, they’re in the hands of the head coach. He decides who plays and who stays, not the GM.

Notice that the four former Bucs all have one thing in common? They are playing for coaches with a significant track record of getting the most out of players.

Many football pundits claim the Bucs have talent and most are shocked by the Bucs’ winless record with the talent they have? You may do the math but Joe already knows the riddle: The Bucs coaching staff is doing a terrible job of developing talent, evaluating talent, or simply using the talent they have to produce wins.

Bucs commander Greg Schiano has said several times during his 12 of 13 game losing tailspin that his coaching staff must do a better job, starting with himself. You sure are right, Coach. Problem is, just like you and your staff didn’t see the talent in those four former Bucs, fans sure aren’t seeing the talent and development in your coaching, i.e. wins.

Think the Bucs couldn’t use any of those four guys and their 17 sacks?

Oh, Bennett is hardly the only defensive lineman that was not fond of Schiano. Earlier this year, Gilberry blasted the Bucs commander for running what he termed “a high school program.”

The Bucs are getting more out of Darrelle Revis recently — thanks to Darrelle Revis.

That was a somewhat bizarre admission by defensive head coach Greg Schiano this evening on the Buccaneers Radio Network on WDAE-AM 620. The architect of the Bucs defense (yes, that’s Schiano) was excited talking about how Revis’ input, via a face-to-face meeting, drove changes.

“Darrelle Revis played [against Carolina] the best he played since he came here,” Schiano said. “You know, a couple of weeks back we sat down, we visited. He kinda shared a few things with me that I think helped me better understand how to use him and better understand, you know, what he really likes to do. And we give him a lot of freedom, don’t get me wrong. He as a lot of freedom if he wants to play up, or off, or how he wants to do it, but some little things that I think, you know, sometimes little things or big things.”

Schiano went on to say that “some of the things that [Revis] suggested that we implemented I think are working better for him and then the guys around him, as well. So I’m excited about what our defense can do right now.”

Schiano is known to be a coach that seeks and values input from players. That’s a good thing, but in the case of Revis, it really feels like it’s too little too late. And it’s a little troubling Schiano didn’t seem to get everything he needed from Revis several weeks ago, especially considering Revis is being paid $16 million this season and was a key to the Bucs’ win-now season.

What’s also odd about Schiano’s comment is the Bucs are struggling mightily on defense of late.

Regardless, Joe hopes the Bucs and assistant defensive coordinator Revis can get back to playing defense like they were in September. That’s their only prayer of playing a competitive game in Seattle.

Bucs 2012 sack leader Michael Bennett wasn’t good enough to be retained by the sack-starved Bucs, but he was good enough for the first-place Seahawks.

There was an old TV commercial about either changing the oil in your car, or changing the oil filter in your car on a regular basis, Joe can’t remember exactly. The closing line in the ad was such a hit it is still used today in pop culture.

“You can pay me now (camera shows mechanic with oil filter in his hand) or you can pay me later (camera pans to a car up on a lift being worked on).”

The point was that it’s cheaper in the long run to regularly perform maintenance on your car rather than being lazy and having a major breakdown and, later, an ugly four-figure bill.

That is essentially what is happening to the Bucs. The Bucs swear they let Bennett go because he was damaged goods. This is correct. He was. But it didn’t stop another team, mainly the first-place Seahawks, from taking a cheap gamble and now they have hit a jackpot.

Ben Stockwell of ProFootballFocus.com details just how badly the Bucs miss Bennett.

I’ll try not to flog a dead horse here but this performance reinforced the glaringly obvious point of what a poor personnel decision the Buccaneers made in choosing not to retain Michael Bennett this offseason. While Bennett has recorded 33 total pressures and is second among 4-3 defensive ends league wide in terms of Pass Rushing Productivity, the Buccaneers can generate virtually none. While their 17 total pressures ties their third-highest output of the season, only six of those came as a result of beating a blocker, 11 of the 17 came by way of an unblocked pass rusher either by offensive design or defensive overload. Only three players registered multiple pressures and two of those were corners (Leonard Johnson and Michael Adams). For the season, the Buccaneers still have only one defensive lineman with a positive pass rushing grade, Gerald McCoy who was held to only one hurry by the Panthers this week, resulting in his first negative pass rush grade of the season.

Here is why Joe doesn’t wholly buy that the Bucs let Bennett walk because he was damaged goods: If Bennett was unable to make a go of it in preseason, then the Bucs could have reached a financial medical settlement with Bennett and cut him, or if he was healthy, just outright released him if he wasn’t cutting it.

The move smells of Schiano and his “Buccaneer Man” mantra because Bennett was slightly a loose cannon, who didn’t always hold back his opinions when something needed to be said. At times, he was brutally honest. Always, he was refreshingly honest and glib.

Why does Joe get the feeling that Schiano would rather have players who he simply likes personally playing for him as opposed to guys who he may not invite over for Thanksgiving dinner, but who are better players?

As Raheem Morris famously said, “I will tolerate you until I can replace you.” The Bucs, clearly, have not been able to replace their former sack leader.

Today the leader of the New Schiano Order explained one reason why the Bucs are throwing the ball so much, busting records for passing attempts for rookie quarterbacks.

In part, it’s because Mike Glennon plays so maturely. But that’s not good for Glennon, Schiano said today at his afternoon news conference.

“I think we’ve put Mike in a bad spot, you know. We’re throwing the ball, he’s throwing too many passes,” Schiano said. “And even last game, you say, ‘Well at the end of the game we had to throw every.’ Yeah, we did. But within the first three quarters we should have ran the ball more. And I’m disappointed in myself for not making sure that happened.

“We shouldn’t put him in that spot as coaches. So we’ve re-evaluated that and we’re going to try to play a little more balanced. You know, I think what happens is we are very comfortable with the way Mike reads things out. So it gets you excited and you want to do things. It’s like having a new toy. But, you know, it’s not the best thing, I don’t think, for us winning football games.”

Schiano took a moment in between those quotes to make it clear he wasn’t being critical of playcalling, though it surely sounded that way to Joe.

As for Glennon being a new toy, well, Joe’s not sure what to make of that. If Glennon is that good at reading the field, then it’s a darn shame the Bucs have so few talented receivers to throw to now. If the Bucs’ brass feels that way, then Joe wouldn’t be surprised by the Bucs trading for a receiver before tomorrow’s NFL trade deadline.

Gerald McCoy is a consensus star defensive tackle. For those who missed it last week, Warren Sapp said McCoy may be better than he was.

Joe’s asked the question a few times; if McCoy is so good, then how bad must the Bucs’ defensive ends be if they can’t get sacks, despite a disruptive beast of a tackle inside of them?

Longtime Bucs tight end Dave Moore, the Buccaneers Radio Network color analyst, defended McCoy today on the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620.

In the segment audio below, Moore also explains in detail that McCoy’s explosion and disruption can’t be denied. “He can’t help it if the end doesn’t do his job.” Moore concluded.

Earlier, Moore talks about Adrian Clayborn losing “contain” on pass rush games, as another example of what’s ailing the Bucs’ anemic pass rush from its front four.

Former Bucs defensive end Steve White, speaking on WHFS-FM 98.7 last week, also offered harsh criticism of Clayborn. White’s take is that Clayborn has somewhat given up on his edge rush moves because they’ve been unsuccessful.

It’s a sad commentary on the state of the Bucs. Rock star general manager Mark Dominik invested heavily in Da’Quan Bowers and Adrian Clayborn, including waving goodbye to Michael Bennett as part of that investment, with very little to show for it. The Bucs can’t generate a four-man pass rush.

No surprise here. As Joe reported early Friday morning, Mike Williams’ hamstring injury is very serious.

The Bucs officially put Williams on injured reserve today. His season is over.

Joe hopes to hear a similar injured-reserve announcement soon for Doug Martin. Joe can’t find any sense in doing anything other than letting Martin heal his injured shoulder, which has been reported to be a torn labrum, though the Bucs have not confirmed that.

It’s a lost season. There’s no reason to risk Martin, who’s a stellar running back and under contract through 2016.