In a short statement issued jointly by the NFL and the NFLPA this evening, it appears Bucs cornerback Johnthan Banks, recently discovered to have MRSA, a potentially lethal, antibiotic-resistant infection, has been cleared to play in the game against the Eagles, notes Buccaneers.com.

“The NFL and NFLPA have worked together in response to the MRSA matter in Tampa Bay. The jointly retained specialist has met with the team, supervised the inspection of the facilities, conducted medical examinations and agrees with the team medical staff that Mr. Banks does not pose a risk of transmission to other players. The specialist also met with team officials from the Eagles. All players have been advised of the process and we will continue to work together to jointly monitor the situation.”

Joe was shocked to learn that Banks had MRSA, because the previous day, Joe saw Banks in the Bucs locker room and he looked anything but sick or in pain. He was laughing and joking with Darrelle Revis and generally having a good time relaxing after practice. It was actually the most relaxed Joe has ever seen Banks.

He sure wasn’t acting like a guy who had a serious infection.

Maybe the Bucs caught this MRSA on Banks right away. Joe has been hospitalized with staph infection before and the affected area is red as a beet, swollen and is incredibly painful to the touch. Joe couldn’t imagine trying to play football with the staph, which is less serious than MRSA.

Joe’s just glad it appears Banks will be fine.

Ronde Barber is in a state of disbelief at the Bucs’ descent to the NFL cellar

The Bucs are horrid this year. If the Bucs lose to the Eagles tomorrow, then, well, let’s just say the Bucs are at the T-intersection of an organizational crossroads.

Joe is not talking team crossroads. He is talking organizational crossroads.

To try to put a finger on what has gone wrong, former Bucs great Ronde Barber appeared on “The Blitz” to speak with co-hosts Rich Gannon and Bruce Murray, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio. In short, Barber noted how Team Glazer is not getting much return on its large 2012 and 2013 investments.

“I think [Greg Schiano] is handling it the best he can. At heart, he has the best interest of the team at stake and will do it his way, no question about it,” Barber said. “What has attributed to the [winless] start, execution and the offense has not been cohesive whether it is the quarterback play — and it wasn’t good in preseason. It wasn’t good then and hasn’t gotten much better since, whether it was “Free” at quarterback or Mike Glennon. They haven’t clicked at all with the offensive line or the receivers. People got on Josh last year but he had a pretty successful year minus the interceptions, which you can’t get rid of.

“To be honest with you I don’t know what it is, don’t know if it is the distractions of the messy divorce between Josh and his team or if there were other things. Not being in the locker room any more, all I get is outside information and some of that information can be skewed depending on who is telling me the information. I don’t know why they are 0-4. They certainly have a better team. They have spent a quarter of a billion dollars the past two years on free agents and you would expect them to be better than 0-4. But you are what your record says you are. That is the best quote I have ever heard. Your record doesn’t lie.”

Right there is why Joe noted the team is at an organisational crossroads. Team Glazer has dropped a bank vault of money on players, from draft picks to big-named free agents. And what has all that cash gotten Team Glazer? Not one win. Not one playoff appearance.

If the Bucs lose to the Eagles tomorrow, Joe would expect some sort of change whether it is players finding new homes next year, or some sort of overhaul on the coaching staff unless the team goes on like a 9-3 run the rest of the way.

Barber sure nailed the quarterback situation. They looked lousy in preseason and have never improved. Well, that’s often what you get when you hire a quarterback coach who doesn’t believe in teaching or correcting mechanics.

For the first time since the Bucs jettisoned defrocked franchise quarterback Josh Freeman, his former teammate Ronde Barber discussed the subject publicly that has far-reaching complications for the Bucs.

(No, this Freeman story is not over as long as the coaches who couldn’t coach him up are still here and until a decent quarterback can be found. In other words, it has long, long legs.)

Barber joined co-hosts of “The Blitz,” Bruce Murray and Rich Gannon, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, to discuss a few Bucs subjects, among them Freeman’s exit from the team, which Barber sort of admitted didn’t shock him.

“I think we could all see it coming. There was some hedging on the Bucs’ part at the end of last year I think as far as committing to him,” Barber said. “Obviously, he was not given a contract. They were openly looking for someone. They drafted a quarterback in the third round. all of those [signs] kind of pointed to [the Bucs] saying, ‘Well, this may not be our guy.’

“I can’t speak for Josh but he seemed different this year. When you saw him in preseason, there was a certain aloofness, I guess is the best way to say it. It was as if he was resigned to his fate here. He wasn’t the same Josh. I am not sure what changed. I know he has some other things going on with his life. Maybe that has some things to do with it. Maybe he is dealing with that adversity. You mentioned it. He has every ounce of talent you would want from that position. He is big, strong, can move around in the pocket. Obviously he has the big arm and certainly has the football IQ to play this game. But it went south quick.”

It sure smells like, the way Barber described it, that Freeman all but quit on the team. Yeah, those are harsh words, but if you add up what Barber said, with Freeman blowing off team functions, meetings, not to mention a pregame meal and being late for a team bus — before the first game of the season no less! — it sure smells like Freeman checked out on his teammates before the season even started.

It seems Mike Glennon has only proven his value to Greg Schiano and Bucs coaches. Joe’s been looking around all week for an analyst who’s excited about Glennon and what he can do in the Bucs offense. Joe’s still looking.

Yesterday, former Bucs tight end and radio pre- and post-game host Anthony Becht emphasized on ESPN Radio South Jersey that the Bucs’ offensive line must find a way to open holes for Doug Martin to keep Glennon out of must-produce situations.

“He’s obviously a rookie, so you’re prone to mistakes. He played three quarters of mistake-free football [against Arizona], didn’t, you know, catch the world on fire. At the end of the game they decided to put the ball in his hands and have him win it, which I thought was a bad choice and he ended up throwing two interceptions,” Becht said.

“He’s a kid that can make all the throws. He’ll beat you down the field. We have some big-play receivers, Vincent Jackson being one of them … At the end of the day they’re going to try to want to run the ball. They’ve gotta get it going. Because if they don’t, they won’t have a shot, because, you know, Mike Glennon can’t win the game for us right now. He’s just not in that process in his career where he’s able to do that.”

This is discouraging to hear from Becht. And Becht went on to explain that the current struggles of the O-line could get worse as teams disrespect a rookie QB and dare Glennon to beat them.

Joe hopes the Bucs can snap out of their funk of four offensive touchdowns in four games. Joe would be stunned if the Bucs get away from pounding the football. Hopefully, this week it will be effective.

The excellent Playbook crew on NFL Network has studied the film and predicts an Eagles victory Sunday. Watch the segment here.

The Eagles’ running game is stout, and Sterling Sharpe dives into how Gerald McCoy has the skills and knowledge to change the game. Also, the breakdown of Nick Foles is downright scary — for Bucs fans.

As Joe’s written previously, the Bucs have four offensive touchdowns in four games. Four!

Joe believes that’s the key to the game for the Bucs. Even if the Bucs slow the Eagles’ high-powered offense, Mike Glennon is surely going to have to lead the Bucs to at least 17 points to win Sunday. That would be breaking new ground for this offense.

So who will run the wild Eagles offense Sunday at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway?

Michael Vick’s bum hamstring keeps improving and, per the Eagles’ website, Vick was a full participant in today’s practice. Players rarely sit out when they’re full go on a Friday.

Joe’s not sure what’s a better matchup for the Bucs — Vick under center or emerging second-year QB Nick Foles. The way Vick has been inconsistent this season, Joe would rather see Vick out there. And there’s always a good chance he gets knocked out of the game, which one would think might slow down the Eagles a bit.

Anyone remember Vick’s December 2005 trip to Tampa? That had to have been the longest and wildest football game Joe ever experienced, an amazing win in the final seconds of overtime for the division champion Bucs. Damn, “division champs” has a nice ring to it.

Stoic Vincent Jackson spoke in the locker room today and revealed he and Mike Glennon are working after practice to perfect their craft. Jackson says he’s got the utmost confidence in No. 8, and Jackson talks MRSA fears/non-fears, as well. Audio via Joe’s partners at WDAE-AM 620.

Sadly, Johnthan Banks is the third case of MRSA among Buccaneers players confirmed by the Buccaneers, NFL Network reported moments ago. Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik said he is not at liberty to confirm or deny the identity of the third player. 

The rookie cornerback, who had his first interception against Arizona, did not practice today and was not listed on the injury report.

A medical doctor specialist that spoke on behalf the Buccaneers this afternoon at One Buc Palace said the first two MRSA cases (Lawrence Tynes and Carl Nicks)were different strains. And he said details are not all in on the third case to compare.

Dominik said the third player infected came to the Bucs after early detection methods he used raised a red flag. Dominik praised the third player for his attentiveness to the Bucs’ ongoing education on MRSA, which led to the early detection. Dominik said the third case of MRSA was confirmed via bacterial culture last night.

The decision on whether Banks and Nicks potentially could play while infected with MRSA will not be made the Buccaneers organization. That will be a joint decision between the player’s association and dedicated medical specialists, among others, Dominik said.

Per Buccaneers.com, “a third Tampa Bay Buccaneers player has been diagnosed with a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection.”

This is really getting ugly. The Bucs just can’t seem to get a handle on this dangerous MRSA mess.

Lawrence Tynes and Carl Nicks were infected before the season, and then Nicks got re-infected and now a third case (at least) looms. Bucs rockstar general manager has a scheduled news conference on the MRSA mess shortly.

Per the Bucs, “Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON) Co-Director Dr. Deverick J. Anderson, recognized as the country’s leading authority on infections disease control, addressed the team and Buccaneers staff earlier on Friday. Over the past two months the Buccaneers organization has been working with the world-renowned DICON and other infectious disease specialists to treat and educate its players, sanitize its training facility and install new health and safety protocol.”

Joe joined the popular Ron and Ian show this morning on WDAE-AM 620 to talk all things Bucs. Topics moved from MRSA to Greg Schiano’s future, to Mike Glennon’s accuracy, Mike Sullivan and more.

Fittingly, the Bucs dropped the ball on signing Kevin Ogletree in the offseason, leaving a monster void at the No. 3 receiver position.

Yes, Joe is a fan of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. That doesn’t mean Dominik is a deity and is perfect.

For months Joe banged his fist on bars, careful to not spill any beer, over the fact Dominik (unless the move was directed by the hands of Bucs commander Greg Schiano) let Michael Bennett go. Yes, yes, yes. Bennett was damaged goods. But as — of all people — Raheem Morris once said, “I will tolerate you until I can replace you.” Bennett and his team-leading sacks as a defensive end have not been replaced.

If the Bucs had kept Bennett and he was unable to make a go of it physically, then you either cut him or make a medical settlement. It’s not like the Bucs were in salary cap hell. Expecting Da’Quan Bowers — who can’t even crack the starting lineup — to replace Bennett was a swing and a miss worse than a Karlos Pena at-bat.

Another whiff was at No. 3 receiver. Kevin Ogletree was simply a bad, bad, bad mistake. He was terrible. Joe had learned that on the morning he was released, Ogletree needed a driver to whisk him away from One Buc Palace because Ogletree kept dropping his keys.

Not having a No. 3 receiver really seems to be hurting the Bucs offense, types Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

In an effort to spark the deep passing game that was a signature element of the 2012 offense that ranked ninth in the league, the Bucs are also considering using Eric Page, Russell Shephard and Jeff Demps as receiving options.

In other words, the third receiver’s job is wide open.

“We need all our guys to bring their ‘A’ game so that we can add something to Vincent and Mike,” coach Greg Schiano said. “We just have to figure out who and what package gives us the best chance to move the ball.”

Needing a No. 3 receiver, a reliable one, has been a deep void this season, partially because the Bucs currently have no tight end to speak of. The Bucs still believe Tom Crabtree was a gem of a find. He may be, but he hasn’t played yet because of injury.

Joe knows in the Bucs offense, a tight end is not a valuable commodity. Joe understands this simply drives fans up a wall but unless offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan is replaced, that’s the way it is going to be, good, bad or indifferent.

Without a tight end, even as a last option (don’t get Joe started on Luke Stocker), that makes the No. 3 receiver position even more critical.

With no viable tight end until Crabtree returns to the lineup, and without a solid No. 3 wide receiver, this really limits Mike Glennon’s options and also allows opposing defenses the ability to lock up Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams.

When the Bucs decided to bench, and then wash their hands of defrocked franchise quarterback Josh Freeman, it raised a whole lot of questions.

One question was if backup quarterback Mike Glennon was prepared to step in and replace Freeman as a starter, and perhaps lead a desperate charge for a wild card berth.

It’s a fair question, especially when Glennon looked shaky (at best) in his final preseason tune up this past summer. It’s also a question that Bucs commander Greg Schiano was hit with Thursday, and whether Glennon has been rushed too early as a starter.

“That’s a good question,” Schiano said. “Ready or not, that doesn’t matter if he’s the best choice for us to win. That’s the first thing. When are they ever really ready? There’s guys that are well into their careers that aren’t quite ready. The thing that, I think, has been talked about is how mature he is, how hard he works, he’s got a very good football mind. Are there things that are going to fool him? Sure. Are there mistakes that he’ll make early in his career that he won’t dare make later? Absolutely, because of the kind of worker he is and how smart he is. There’s some quarterbacks, and some football players, that’ll make the same mistakes over and over and over again, and that’s why they don’t play that much. This guy will learn from his mistakes. That’s one thing that I’m really confident about. It’s just, ‘how many times do you touch it [the ball]?’”

Well, Joe does think it matters if Glennon was/is ready. It’s not like the Bucs have had a rash of injuries at quarterback where a backup, ready or not, has no choice and neither does the coaching staff.

Now Joe is not a Dan Orlovsky fan in any way. But at least the guy has started a handful of games.

Simply put, the remainder of the 2013 season is really a trial run for Glennon to see if he will be the Bucs’ starter in 2014, not so much to see if he is ready for the fifth game of the season.

Eagles cornerback Cary Williams blasts Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon in this CSN Philadelphia video.

“We’re itchin’ for a win. And we’re gonna get it. We’re gonna get it. We’re gonna get it this Sunday. We feel very confident in our game plan. And it’ll get the ball rolling for us. But this is what happens. This is what happens when you get some of the acquisitions from the offseason. You know you get some key players to help the team out. I know all the fans they want to see excitement right off the jump. And I’m sure, look, as much as we want to be 4-0, I’m sure the fans want us to be 4-0, as well, too. But that’s not the case, we’re 0-4. So they just need to keep on supporting and we’ll turn things around.” — Darrelle Revis on the Buccaneers Radio Network

Maybe it was the frustration in Darrelle Revis talking when he uttered the above quote last night?

Perhaps he just meant it takes time for new players to fit in, specifically three new starters in the secondary? Is he talking about Mike Glennon? Perhaps Revis and key Bucs staff members expected the team to struggle out of the gate with so many key players returning from injury?

Joe found the “this-is-what-happens” take Revis was odd. Hopefully, No. 24 is on to something, and the Bucs are about to break out.

Veteran Ch. 10 sportscaster Dave Wirth dives into the Eagles-Bucs game in this exclusive video preview for JoeBucsFan.com.

In 2010, the Bucs were robbed in horrific fashion by the zebras and the NFL apologized. That heinous theft cost the Bucs a win and a playoff appearance and, indirectly, sent the Packers to the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory.

Joe wonders whether the latest NFL-on-Bucs atrocity generated an apology to the New Schiano Order and/or Adrian Clayborn.

Yesterday, Clayborn addressed the NFL returning his $21,000 fine after the league waved off a roughness call against Clayborn during a sack/fumble of Drew Brees. The inaccurate flag overturned a fumble recovery for the Bucs that was critical in the 16-14 loss in September.

“It’s good to get your money back, but at the same time that was a big play in the game, and it possibly could have changed it. So I wish we could have had that play back,” Clayborn said. “So it’s good and bad, I guess.”

You can listen to more of Clayborn below, via the WDAE-AM 620 audio.

Yes, Joe is trying to uplift Bucs fans’ spirits of late amid all the drama and circus at One Buc Palace.

Joe knows some fans are tired of reading about Josh Freeman, but that’s not going to stop Joe from ignoring a far-reaching story, one that will have legs for the rest of the season and beyond, a story that is likely the biggest Bucs story since Chucky was jettisoned.

Yestserday, Joe wrote about how linebacker Mason Foster is improving from last year, when Joe thought at one point he was en route to eating pineapple. Well, Foster is not the lone Buccaneer who may be eating pineapple for the first time this season. So too may safety Mark Barron. Bucs commander Greg Schiano spent a good chunk of time yesterday lauding Barron’s play in his second year in the NFL.

“I think he’s playing at a very high level, and I think [safety Dashon] Goldson and [cornerback Darrelle] Revis had some effect on that, too.” Schiano said. “I know you don’t want to go back to that, but I think, together, they’re a really tight group and now [cornerback] Johnthan [Banks] and [cornerback] Leonard [Johnson], those five guys, I think, have a good feel for each other, and they’re going to need to. This game [against the Eagles], especially, presents some unique issues, when you’re dedicating resources. Defending is: ‘where do you dedicate your resources?’ If you dedicate your resources to stop the run, you put people a little more exposed in the pass. We’re going to be challenged, so those guys need to step up. Mark is playing at a high level and getting better each week, which is important.”

One reason  Schiano believes Barron has developed so much this season, aside from playing alongside Revis and Goldson, is that he is a more well-rounded player.

“Especially now, with him playing down in the dime [package] – which he’s a natural at – plus he plays well as a run support safety and he’s a much better deep defender than people give him credit for,” Schiano said. “I think, sometimes, when you’re big and physical, they say, ‘You can’t play the deep ball.’ He can. He’s gifted that way. Mark’s got all the makings to be an elite guy. I think just time and reps is going to be the only thing in between him [and becoming elite]. [That] and staying healthy.”

If the Bucs defense continues to play at a high level, remember that it is Schiano who has molded this defense. Of course, that won’t preserve Schiano if the team continues to lose at a near-franchise record pace. Now, when you are constructing your guillotines, also remember that this defense is largely made up of players acquired by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

Joe just cannot understand the vile hatred some fans have for Dominik. Would they rather have Chucky striking out draft after draft and having to rely on the Son of Bobs and Charlie Garners of the NFL world?

Former Jets linebackers coach and personnel man Pat Kirwan joins Will Brinson and prickly Pete Prisco to talk all things Bucs-Eagles in this CBS Sports Video. Kirwan talks about how Greg Schiano’ future rides on Mike Glennon, and about how Josh Freeman is still influencing at One Buc Palace. There are also mixed thoughts on Sunday’s game.