Freakish ability usually separates NFL legends from simply great NFL players. It’s like that at nearly every position.

One prominent Buccaneer calls those guys “mutants.” [read more]

Since the moment Stinking Panthers quarterback Cam Newton got tossed around in his truck earlier this week from an accident, Joe has heard Bucs fans moan that the Pewter Pirates will now have to face Newton’s backup Derek Anderson.

Why would Bucs fans be scared of such a thing? Anderson, really? Yeah, yeah, yeah, Joe knows Anderson picked apart the Bucs on opening day, specifically targeting tight end Greg Olsen. [read more]

New gig already?

One reason Tampa Bay let former offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford out of his contract — aside from the fact, you know, he had heart problems — is to allow Tedford to pursue other football opportunities.

It appears that may be about to happen. [read more]

A former Buccaneer says don’t point a finger at the running backs

The Buccaneers’ stable of running backs is just fine.

A former Buccaneer says Tampa Bay is well set at that position and puts this year’s running game failures on the blocking in front of them. [read more]

Gerald McCoy said he has too much respect for his teammates to sit out

Last week, Gerald McCoy did the ultimate in leadership. Felled by a knee injury — minor or serious, depending on who you believe — he decided he couldn’t sit on the sidelines and watch the rest of the Bucs-Lions game like a fan with a field pass.

Today in his weekly press conference, GMC explained why he had to suck up the injury and get back on the field. [read more]

Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, national champion James Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s daily nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. [read more]

Like fellow Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson is nearing a franchise record.

Joe has found it interesting, in a good way how until very recently opposing defenses haven’t really focused on shutting down Bucs rookie Mike Evans, despite the fact he is on pace to set a franchise record for touchdown catches in a season.

It seems, again, until recently, teams were more concerned about reputation (read: Vincent Jackson) than numbers (Evans). [read more]

Bucs-Packers tickets are selling for triple face value

Joe’s been stunned by the furious demand for the Packers-Bucs tickets, Tampa Bay’s second-to-last home game on Sunday, Dec. 21.

Of course, the game sold out months ago with the help of sun-starved Wisconsin types and local transplants that bleed cheddar. [read more]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, lots of Bucs fans want Tampa Bay to lose its final three games and get in position to draft an elite quarterback prospect.

But there is a game to be played Sunday, and Joe wants to see defensive wizards Lovie Smith and Leslie Frazier find a way to stop Panthers quarterback Derek Anderson, the fourth best QB in the NFC South. [read more]

Joe just cannot believe how long the past 12 months have been, and how much has happened, starting with a new coach, new general manager, new assistant coaches and tons of new players.

Even the most ardent pewter-colored-glasses-wearer must admit virtually every major player transaction, but a scant few, has been a major swing and a miss. [read more]

The votes are in

A brutal, 12-men-on-the-field loss to the Bengals didn’t do much to affect Lovie Smith’s confidence rating among Bucs fans.

But the drubbing in Detroit on Sunday sent it plummeting. [read more]

Bucs icon Ronde Barber is a big fan of Oakland rookie quarterback Derrick Carr, especially after studying him for Barber’s FOX game call of the Raiders-49ers game last Sunday.

Tampa Bay, however, starts Josh McCown, and Barber is no fan of his. [read more]

Jacquies Smith (right) and Michael Johnson tackle Robert Griffin III. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

For a brief moment, hearing talk of Bucs defensive ends being allowed a “two-way go” had Joe thinking Michael Johnson might leave town for a new team. But that’s not reality. [read more]

Former NFL quarterback Brady Quinn, now a FOX analyst, explains what ails the Bucs offense. The problems seem to start and stop at the same spot.

Many NFL analysts, often from ex-quarterbacks, have said that losing an offensive coordinator in preseason or early in a season is the equivalent of throwing a hand grenade in a china shop.

In the case of former offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford and the Bucs, everything he had worked on to fine tune and craft an offense, all the months of film study, the OTAs and minicamps, training camp and preseason games, learning all the traits and weaknesses of his players, was all thrown out the window. [read more]

Just a tip to the wise: Joe is going to have a story a bit later with interesting insight into why the Bucs offense is as miserable as it is. You’ll want to check back.

Offense was one subject yesterday that was brought up in Lovie Smith’s daily presser, and it seems that the Mike Glennon Mob better take a chill pill. [read more]

Chilling words from Derrick Brooks

Bucs legend Derrick Brooks didn’t like what he saw Sunday in Detroit — early in the first quarter.

That’s right. Brooks watched the Bucs-Lions game with his trained eyes and was ready to throw in the towel after a couple of series. [read more]