Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com reports that Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will take a 66 percent cut in salary to join his son Lane at the University of Tennessee.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com writes that Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin joining his son Lane Kiffin as the defensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee is a “done deal.”

If what Prisco reports is accurate, Kiffin is taking a significant cut in pay to join his son. Significant as in a 66 percent cut in salary.

It looks like a done deal that Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is leaving to join his son’s staff at the University of Tennessee.

He must really love his son.

Here’s why: Kiffin will probably make $500,000 or so at Tennessee and he makes $1.5 million with the Bucs.

That’s $1 million a year in love. Wow.

This is the first time Joe saw any figures floated as to how much the elder Kiffin would make as the Volunteers defensive coordinator. What Prisco doesn’t report, and Joe isn’t aware of, is what Kiffin could pull in on side deals such as endorsement money, cash from running football camps, a possible TV show and all sorts of other little things that could significantly add to his earnings.

NBCSports.com’s Peter King and Bob Costas discuss the upcoming Bucs-Panthers Monday night clash. King calls the game “The perfect match… a good chess match.” The Bucs discussion begins at about the 1:20 mark.

King also speaks of the probable departure of Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. King describes Kiffin’s relationship to many Bucs defenders as a “father to those guys.”

If the Glazer Boys really wanted to be hardasses, they could sue both Monte Kiffin and the University of Tennessee, so reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, and a lawyer by day (though to Joe’s knowledge he doesn’t sleep at a Holiday Inn), writes that if the Bucs wanted to play hardball with the (alleged) soon-to-depart defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, they could sue both Kiffin and the University of Tennessee.

Kiffin has one more year remaining on his contract, and it appears that the team won’t stand in his way if he chooses to leave early to work with his son. If the Bucs were to opt for hardball, they could sue Kiffin for breach of contract and/or the University of Tennessee for tortious interference with contractual relationships.

Given coach Jon Gruden’s ties to Knoxville and Kiffin’s contributions to the franchise, litigation isn’t a serious possibility.

One reason the Bucs won’t even think of doing that is the flack the team took when former defensive coach Joe Barry wanted to join former Bucs defensive line coach and (sadly) current Lions head coach Rod Marinelli in Detroit. Barry is Marinelli’s son-in-law.

The Bucs caught a lot of bad press for not allowing a family member to work with another. Given Kiffin’s affection within the Tampa Bay community, so reports Florio, that the Bucs wouldn’t think of keeping Kiffin from joining his son Lane at the University of Tennessee.

Joe thinks that it's a runaway competition that the NFC South is the best division in the NFL. Mike Celizic of NBCSports.com agrees.

Mike Celizic of NBCSports.com writes about the top division in the NFL. To no Bucs fan’s surprise, he selects the NFC South (not the NFC East, which media outlets like BSPN prefer to cram down NFL fans’ throats).

This is not news in the NFC South, which this week finally left us no choice but to quit yammering on about how wonderful the NFC East is and forced us to admit that there’s another premier division in the NFL. If the playoffs began today, the NFC West and North would each get a team in because the rules say they have to, no matter how bad those teams are. The mighty NFC East would get the same number — one.

Finally someone in the MSM outside of NFC South markets can see the light. Granted, the Giants are quite good; the class of the NFL. Dallass is OK, nothing more. Take away Jessica Simpson’s boyfriend and Dallass is very average. The Redskins have really slipped and the Beagles are… eh.

Yet if one is an invalid or has dead batteries in their remote and cannot change the channel from BSPN, one would be of the mind that no one outside of the NFC East can play football. Indeed!

As Joe suggested earlier, here comes the hype machine. BSPN spelled backwards is H-Y-P-E. That four-letter outfit always goes overboard with hype. And the hype machine for Monday night’s game at Carolina has already begun.

Jaws, otherwise known as Ron Jaworski of BSPN, says, until he is able to study more film, the smart pick Monday is the Bucs.

If Monte Kiffin has indeed decided to stay with the Bucs, then why are both Bruce Almighty and Kiffin playing games with the fourth estate?

Both Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune and Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times are reporting that in Bruce Almighty’s news conference concerning the NFL’s hose job of Bucs fans, that Bruce Almighty confessed he knows where Monte Kiffin will be coaching next fall but won’t say where.

Instead, Bruce Almighty is deferring the announcement to Kiffin.

Holder quoted Bruce Almighty:

“This really has been addressed some time ago with Monte,” Allen said. “We feel very comfortable that we know what’s taking place. We’re going to let Monte make any comments he wants to and respect his views.”

This tells Joe that Kiffin is off to Knoxville to join his son Lane at the University of Tennessee. If Monte had decided he was staying in Tampa, why not just come out and admit it? What harm is there in that?

Joe understands why Kiffin would not want to announce his resignation from the Bucs, as not to create a distraction. Joe understands that. Smart move, in fact.

But by announcing he’s staying with the Bucs, it would quash all the rumors that he is leaving. It puts the story to rest and ends all speculation. Joe can’t figure out how such an announcement would in any way harm Lane Kiffin at Tennessee, unless, of course, it would be a lie.

Joe can only conclude that Monte Kiffin and Bruce Almighty playing coy is a sure sign Kiffin is off to Knoxville.

Since the soccer-loving Glazer Boys engineered the Bucs having a home game stolen from their fans next season, Chucky better keep his trap shut about playing in London.

Bucs fans, or NFL fans in general, live for fall Sundays, specifically Sundays (or a rare Thursday night, Saturday or Monday night) when the Bucs are at home so Bucs fans can heartedly tailgate and embrace the full NFL experience.

Well, Bucs fans, you just got hosed without the benefit of a reach-around.

(Yes, “Full Metal Jacket” is one of Joe’s favorite movies).

The NFL (read: the man who hates manly football hits and embed codes, Roger Goodell) has slapped Bucs fans in the face by taking away a home game so the Bucs can entertain the Patriots in London next season, so reports NFL.com.

The Bucs will host the New England Patriots when the NFL continues its International Series at London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday, October 25, 2009, the league announced today.

The soccer-loving Glazer Boys apparently have become smitten with London since they bought into the third world’s most beloved sport. Hence, they, along with Patriots owner Robert Kraft (another soccer team owner), lobbied for the game to be played in London.

Joel Glazer, Buccaneers Executive Vice-President, said: “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers organization is extremely excited and honored to be chosen to participate in the NFL International Series. We look forward to being part of the NFL’s global outreach and playing our great game in front of Buccaneers fans overseas.”

Bucs fans may remember how irate Chucky was when then-general manager Rich McKay was able to coerce the NFL into letting the Bucs play in Tokyo to begin the preseason after the Bucs won the Super Bowl. If the Bucs collapse and/or lose the first playoff game (again) this season, Chucky might want to keep his trap shut about playing in London or he might be begging Lane Kiffin for a job.

The news also means the Bucs will play two games on the road in either Buffalo, New York or Miami next season, when Tampa Bay takes on the AFC East.

Joe just doesn’t understand why the NFL keeps trying to convince Euros that American football is  something they should love. Just give up already. It’s not working.

Joe says Jon Gruden's good-enough offense hasn't offered any hope that it can do its part to get the Bucs to the Super Bowl

The Bucs can run the ball a little, but they can’t grind out first downs to close out a game.

The Bucs can throw the ball efficiently and make an occasional big play, but Tampa Bay might be the worst in the league at throwing in the red zone.

Jeff Garcia protects the ball well and keeps risk-taking to a minimum, but he doesn’t have Keyshawn Johnson, Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicius to throw to.

The Bucs offense is average across the board, and the play-calling isn’t sharp enough to overcome it.

So the disappointing reality is that the Bucs will have to rely on their defense to get through December and succeed in the playoffs. It’s too late – and too unlikely – for an offensive turnaround.

This all feels unsettling to Joe, much like flashing back to those can’t-get-over-the-hump Bucs teams of the Tony Dungy era.

Joe’s desperately looking for glimmers of Super Bowl hope from the Bucs offense. They are nearly impossible to find.

If the Bucs win the NFC South and earn a first round bye, then beat Minnesota or Arizona at home in the playoffs only to get mauled by the Giants in the NFC Championship game, it’s going to feel like a great Bucs defense was wasted on a barely average offense.

Peter King of SI.com selected Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber as one of his defensive players of the week.

Writing in his weekly column (as opposed to John Romano’s weakly column) Monday Morning Quarterback, SI.com’s Peter King selects Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber as one of three NFL players as “Defensive Player of the Week.”

Of all the brilliant plays on a day when the Bucs quasi-embarrassed one of the smartest quarterbacks in recent NFL history (Drew Brees), Barber made the biggest play. With Tampa Bay up 20-10 midway through the third quarter and the Saints driving to make it much closer, Brees made a beautiful (apparently) throw to Jeremy Shockey at the goal line, and here came Barber out of nowhere — actually, off the receiver 10 yards away — and leaped and swatted the ball out of Shockey’s grasp to teammate Cato June. “It’s just knowledge,” Barber said an hour later. “They had an all-go [four receivers sprinting for the end zone], and I knew what Drew likes to do, where the ball is going to go. I knew with a linebacker on Shockey, that’s probably where he was going.” Marvelous recovery time by Barber, who made a play to save a certain touchdown.

The other two players King chose along with Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison and Dallass linebacker DeMarcus Ware.

Brent Hubbs of Volquest.com reports the first thing Lane Kiffin did as coach of the Tennessee Volunteers was fire the entire defensive coaching staff. Is this a housecleaning for his dad?

Brent Hubbs, publisher of Volsquest.com, added another log to the fire of the rumors that Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will join his son Lane, the newly crowned head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers, and become the Volunteers’ defensive coordinator.

Monte Kiffin gave a weak denial yesterday when cornered after the Bucs 23-20 win over the Saints. The dodgeball Kiffin played didn’t sway Hubbs.

Speaking on Sirius satellite radio’s Rivals Radio show with host Bill King Monday morning, Hubbs had an interesting tidbit. Hubbs stated happenings within the Tennessee program suggest the groundwork is being layed for Monte’s arrival.

“The first action done [since Lane Kiffin was hired] was to fire the coaches on the defensive side of the ball,” Hubbs said. “That tells me [Lane Kiffin] has his defensive staff worked out.”

In further reinforcing the notion Kiffin will join his son in Knoxville, SI.com’s Peter King wrote, “It makes too much sense.”

Usually, Jeff Garcia reserves his playful butt slaps for wife Carmella. On Sunday, he went out of his way to give Chucky a big wack on the butt.

Last week, Joe implied that a T-shirt sale on Jeff Garcia’s Foundation Web site could be a sign he’s leaning toward leaving the Bucs after this season, when he becomes a free agent.

So in the spirit of fairness, Joe must tell you about another sign, one that might reveal Garcia is content right here.

After throwing a 39-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Bryant against the Saints, Garcia celebrated on the field with the offense. Then he came off the field, ran up behind Jon Gruden and gave him a real hard slap on the butt. Gruden looked at him surprised, and then the two gave each other a fist bump.

Was the slap an olive branch to Chucky? A way to say, ‘Hey, even after benching me for Son of Bob, deep down I love and respect you, coach?’

Joe isn’t sure. But the way Garcia went so far out of his way to slap one on Chucky, it had to mean something significant. And, yes, Joe is confident Garcia is not gay, despite the old rumors.

Right after the Bucs 23-20 win over the Saints, Ronde Barber spoke with BSPN’s Bob Holtzman.

Jovan Haye greets Philip Buchanan after the Bucs cornerback's late interception sealed the Bucs 23-20 win.

Why stay up late to catch the TV news highlights of the Bucs’ 23-20 win over the Saints when Joe has them now, courtesy of the NFL Network.

Sadly, Roger Goodell is not courteous enough to provide embed codes.

First is a five-minute video of game highlights replete with Gene Deckerhoff and the Saints guys. To quote Deckerhoff, “Let’s hear the cannons!”

Deckerhoff also reminds Bucs fans the last time the Bucs were 9-3, the Bucs went to the Super Bowl.

Next up is the Bucs postgame press conference featuring Chucky.

In a “Can’t Miss Play,” the Brian Baldinger of Fox Sports breaks down Cadillac Williams’ touchdown.

This video is a compilation and break down by Fox’s Brian Billick and Baldinger of the Bucs’ defensive highlights.

Lastly, NFL Network analysts Tom Waddle and Jim Mora break down the game.

Joe's handing out one of several game balls to Clifton Smith. And it looks like he's not going to drop it.

Here’s a hand for “Cardiac” Smith not laying the ball down on the turf for the first time in his brief NFL career. Way to go, rookie.

Smith had fumbled in his first four games as a Bucs returner and running back.

The kid was spectacular against the Saints, catcthing wet balls on the run and sacrificing his body. Five punt returns for 82 yards plus three kickoff returns for 76 yards are big-time numbers.

His second-quarter punt return was a game-changer. Backed up at his end zone, Saints punter Glenn Pakulak cranked out a 70-yard punt to the Bucs 19. Smith backed up for it, grabbed it on a bounce and returned it 42 yards to the Saints’ 39-yard-line. The play set up the Bucs second field goal, which gave them a 6-3 lead.

Smith, by far, is the Bucs most exciting player right now. The way the offense is playing, they need short fields – over and over again – to be effective. Smith and the defense are making that happen.

The godfather of the Bucs defense did nothing Sunday to kill talk of him joining son Lane Kiffin at the University of Tennessee in '09

A report by BSPN’s Chris Mortensen Sunday said Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin will follow son Lane Kiffin to the University of Tennessee, citing unnamed sources. Joe first told you the lure of father and son coaching together was much more than rumor in an exclusive report in October.  

(If FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer reported this, Joe would believe it to be a done deal. Glazer is never wrong and usually wipes the floor with Mort’s “sources.” Additionally, Joe is hearing whispers that Monte’s agent is already negotiating a contract with the Vols.)

Vacation Man has even written Kiffin’s Bucs obituary.

Sunday, Monte Kiffin offered nothing to kill the talk. He was cornered by the media at the Bucs-Saints Game.

“I’m just telling you, I can honestly tell you it’s just speculation, just like it came up with the Raiders,” he said. “It came up two years ago. It came up last year. I’m still here. All I’ll talk about and focused on is Monday Night Football, Carolina Panthers, and how about the game we just played?”

Sadly, Monte didn’t come out and say that he will coach the Bucs defense next year. That’s all he had to say. But he wouldn’t go there.

Bucs secondary coach Raheem Morris could be capable replacement for the elder Kiffin. He likely is a spectacular choice. But, regardless, losing Monte would be a loss. The guy is not a figurehead, and he’s not replaceable.

Joey Galloway dropped the bone Chucky threw him against the Saints. Expect Chucky to tell us about it this week, rather than offer a vote of confidence for his former golden boy.

He’s been living in Jon Gruden’s doghouse and playing for scraps over the past few weeks. And the road back to relevance doesn’t look any easier for Joey Galloway.

Galloway dropped a key 2-and-6 pass in his chest with 4:11 left in the game against the Saints. The game was tied at 20, and a completion there would have given the Bucs a key first down and likely set them up for the go-ahead score.

Expect Chucky to serve that play up to the reporters who are bound to ask about Galloway again this week. Galloway hasn’t caught a ball in four weeks, since a 22-yard grab against the Chiefs.

Joe’s heart sank when Galloway dropped the pass against the Saints.

Joe knows Galloway’s resurgence would be key to the Bucs competing for the NFC title.

Barrett Ruud and company will be the subject of ESPN's hype machine all week long. The 9-3 Bucs head to Carolina to face the 9-3 Panthers one week from Monday.

Deserved or not, with a Monday Night Football game comes major league hype. The Bucs will bask in that national glory in their next game, a Monday night contest in Carolina on Dec. 8.

Both teams are 9-3 and deserve the media attention. It’s been a long time coming for the Bucs this season. Weeks ago, Joe told you the teams should face off at 9-3 next week. (Hey, there’s always time for a good, “I told you so.”)

If the Bucs win, they’ll open up a two-game lead over the Panthers and virtually lock up the division and the No. 2 seed in the postseason, by virtue of having the tiebreaker advantage with Carolina.

Expect the national media to focus its attention on the Bucs defense. Frankly, there’s not enough sizzle to the offense for most locals to get excited, let alone the national talking heads.

Let’s hope this all propels team-leading tackler Barrett Ruud, and safeties Tanard Jackson and Jermaine Philips to the big time. Joe asks, would you want any two other safeties patrolling the field for your team? …Didn’t think so.

Joe is obviously giddy over the win over the Saints but wonders why the Bucs didn't use Cadillac Williams more in the second half when the clock needed to be chewed.

Whew, Joe is relieved. After Jeff Garcia hooked up with Antonio Bryant for a 39-yard touchdown for a 20-10 lead in the third Joe thought the game was won. Joe didn’t expect the offense to completely tank the rest of the game.

Props to the defense! It was the Bucs always strong defense, which let up a little in the third, to not only shut down the Saints but win the game and (again) bail out of the offense.

Nice job defense!

* Bucs looked strong offensively early in the quarter but have bogged down.

* The Bucs will need at least 10 more points. They can’t seem to stop the Saints on the ground or passing. It’s like practice for Drew Brees.

* Great play by Ronde Barber to tip the pass for Cato June’s interception. It almost seemed like Barber planned that.

* Wish the Bucs would try to run Cadillac to the right more. Davin Joseph seems to be manhandling Sedrick Ellis.

* Ronde Barber not getting that inception was a killer. Four plays later, the Saints score a touchdown.

* Why is it Marcus Colston plays like Jerry Rice against the Bucs?

* Wish when the Bucs had a second-and-three deep in Saints territory the Bucs would have tried Cadillac Williams.

* Not sure if anyone noticed but the stinking Panthers are beating the Packers in Green Bay.

Not too much for Joe to comment on in the first quarter.

* Wonder why Chucky didn’t contest that interception by Jonathan Vilma. Joe isn’t sure Michael Clayton wasn’t down?

* Great to see Cadillac Williams run well on his first carry. Something tells Joe he will see a lot more of that today.