It’s a safe conclusion at this point that the Bucs’ past problems running the ball had little to do with the offensive line and everything to do with Cadillac Williams in a role beyond his ability.

LeGarrette Blount arrived and now the Bucs run the ball with attitude. Unfortunately, Blount went for -8 yards on a late carry and had some short kill-the-clock runs to finish with just 82 yards on 26 carries, but the guy is the freakin’ straw that stirs the drink in the offense.

He’s pounding, punishing, leaping — again — improvising. Unbelievable. He doesn’t catch the ball or do much blocking, but it makes no difference. His presence has made Cadillac more effective, as well as Josh Freeman. The Bucs are a playoff contender because of Blount.

Jerremy Zuttah stepped in at left guard to replace Ted Larsen midway through the game, which was a bit odd. (Was Larsen hurt?) And perhaps this is the last Bucs fans have seen of Jeremy Trueblood.

Regardless, the Bucs have a deep O-line gaining confidence every week. Heck, they even got a hog scoring touchdowns.

The way the Bucs defense had played all year, Joe was convinced the only way the Bucs would have a prayer of a playoff chance was to go Air Coryell, play pinball football, arena football, go crazy folks with the football.

But Joe never, ever dreamed the Bucs defense could shut out a college team much less than an NFL team. Rachel Watson waiting for Joe in his bedroom was a significant higher degree of a possibility.

But then the Bucs do just that: pitch a shutout. On the road no less! It was the Bucs first shutout on the road since blanking Philthydelphia in 2003.

Yes, it was Troy Smith. But the 49ers still had bruising back Frank Gore. Still had Michael Crabtree. As veteran NFL beat writer Ed Bouchette told Joe earlier this year, there are no flukes in the NFL.

Of all the things that the Bucs have pulled off this season, surprising season that it has been, this is easily the most spectacular, the most impressive, the most stunning.

It wasn’t just a shutout. The Bucs, inept in pressuring the quarterback with a league-low eight sacks entering the game, put Smith on the ground not once, not twice but six times. Six!

Old man Ronde Barber came through yet again, picking off a pass (Smith’s first in the NFL) and setting up Donald Penn’s touchdown reception.

No, that last sentence is not a typo of any sort.

It was such a mind-blowing performance, Joe wonders if 49ers coach Mike Singletary will still have a job come midnight?

Joe is sitting at his computer stunned, speechless. Joe cannot believe what he just saw.

Maybe Joe should clean himself up. Rachel Watson just might be knocking on his door shortly.

It has been that much of an unbelievable day.

Unreal!

Donuts for Donald Penn. Beers for Mike Williams. And a game ball for everyone on the defensive line.

Finally, finally, finally, the Bucs figured out how to stop the run en route to a shutout win in San Francisco. Frank Gore with 12 carries for 23 yards?  Who could have imagined? Joe still can’t believe it.

The thought of Raheem Morris pitching a shutout with his defense in a big November road game with sacks from Adam Heyward, Michael Bennett, Al Woods and Alex Magee, plus two from Stylez White, is nothing short of amazing. Give Raheem a game ball, too.

It was a near perfect game for the Bucs.

Tampa Bay is 7-3!!!!!!

The Race to 10 might not be enough Ws to get them to the playoffs, but it certainly looks like they should hit the 10 mark now.

Joe will have so much more through the evening. Check back to JoeBucsFan.com often.

Week 11
49ers at Bucs
Kickoff: 4 p.m.
TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13 locally, DirecTV 715
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 90.
Weather: Per Accuweather.com, not all that great of a day in NoCal. Temperatures in the low 50s prior to kickoff with an expected temperature of 55 at kickoff which will remain steady. Late-morning rain is expected which may linger past the start of the game. The sun may break through near the end of the game.
Odds: PerBodog.com, 49ers -3.
Outlook: Scary game. Just about any game is scary for the Bucs when they can’t stop the run against scrubs. When Frank Gore is in the backfield, gulp. Since Troy Smith took over at quarterback the 49ers have suddenly become the playoff contender many expected Mike Singletary’s team to be prior to the season. Joe doesn’t think this is a coincidence given the fact Smith has yet to throw an interception. Would be nice if Ronde Barber and/or Aqib Talib break up that streak. As Joe has stated several times already, the best thing for the Bucs is to get into a shootout. The Bucs have the weapons now to do it and if the 49ers are running chunks of real estate, good, it eats up the clock. Hard to win a shootout with a run-oriented attack. As Joe has stated previously on WDAE-AM 620, if the Bucs don’t win this game, playoffs are a pipe dream.
Video: NFL Films preview of the Bucs-49ers. … NFL Network’s Solomon Wilcots, Brian Baldinger and Michael Lombardi break down LeGarrette Bount’s talents. … Rick Stroud and good guy Stephen Holder share their thoughts on the game. … Video star Anwar Richardson and Woody Cummings talk about how the Bucs are West Coast “killaz.” … Pam Oliver of FoxSports talks to Josh Freeman.
Fun facts: Talib likes to play road games. He has four pickoffs in his last four road appearances. … No one has more rushing yards the past three seasons than Gore. … San Francisco sackmeister Justin Smith has a history of devouring Bucs quarterbacks with three sacks in three games against the Bucs.

Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net has his weekly breakdown of the Bucs game. He does some solid research and, among other things in this video, he seems impressed with 49ers quarterback Troy Smith’s smarts.

Truly spectacular deals at Ed Morse Brandon Auto Mall. And there’s plenty of time for a test drive before today’s late kickoff. Click below for info and “Like” Brandon Auto Mall on Facebook for a chance to win an Aqib Talib jersey to be drawn No. 30.

Big game today for the Bucs. In NoCal, northern California, San Francisco to be exact.

While some may love the other bay area for its constant not so warm climate or its, well, free-living society, the home of Nancy Pelosi has been rather unkind to the Bucs.

Veteran columnist Gary Shelton documents in the St. Petersburg Times some of the horror stories the Bucs have had in San Francisco over the years including a reference to a nightmare known to Bucs fans as the immortal Trent Dilfer.

This was the place where Keyshawn Johnson had his meltdown, and when Simeon Rice had his lost weekend, and when Sam Wyche decided it was perfectly logical to start rookie Trent Dilfer against the best defense in the NFL.

This was where Jeb Blount started his first game, and Mike Rae started his last game, and Jack Thompson started his best game, and every time, the Bucs lost. Frankly, it doesn’t seem to matter whom the Bucs start at quarterback. They are 1-11 in San Francisco, and the 11 losses belong to 11 different quarterbacks.

This was where the Bucs lost games to Joe Montana and Steve Young. And also to Cody Pickett and Shaun Hill. This was where they lost when they had clinched the playoffs and when the playoffs were on the line. This was where they lost to terrible 49ers teams and to terrific ones.

In short, Joe firmly believes the time is now for the Bucs to oust their haunted ways in San Francisco the way right-thinking Americans exorcised the radical ways of San Francisco hero Pelosi earlier this month.

Win the damned game and the Bucs are in the playoff hunt. Lose, and start working on next spring’s draft.

Gregg Rosenthal discusses the sieve that is the Bucs rush defense in this NBCSports.com video.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

There is without a doubt no player on the Bucs that fans like to throw arrows, stones, beer cups, obscenities and untold other objects at than linebacker Barrett Ruud.

Simply put, the man is not a run-stuffer and never pretended to be. But when the Bucs’ rush defense would have difficulty keeping Countryside High School’s running attack in check, naturally fans are going to unload on the middle linebacker.

Fans want, crave, desire a Jack Lambert, a Ray Nitschke, a Ray Lewis to make a running back’s teeth shatter if he comes through the defensive line. Ruud will never do that.

In the latest TBO Bucs vlog, video star Anwar Richardson and Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune decide to give shoutouts to players who have been ridiculed by Bucs fans but should, they believe, start receiving pats on the back.

Joe asks that you listen to their analysis of how and why each player is improving and give your feedback.

In this video from 49ers.com, various coaches and players discuss what they like about the Bucs and what concerns them.

It saddens Joe that cool cat Stylez White is having a less than stellar season. Joe likes Stylez and Joe has gone over too many times why Stylez (and the defensive front as a whole) is struggling.

But Stylez may get a boost. Seems as though 49ers starting left tackle Joe Staley got banged up in the 49ers win over the Rams last week and that means little used Barry Sims, described as “less athletic,” will likely start for Staley, so reports Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury-News.

Barry Sims, who might be called upon to protect Troy Smith’s blind side, entered this season with his eyes wide open. The 12th-year veteran knew he was on the roster only as an insurance policy and was unfazed about spending his season wearing sweats instead of shoulder pads.

Sims spent eight of the 49ers’ first nine games on the inactive list. But, starting Sunday at Candlestick Park, he could be as active as a lineman gets.

“It’s just about being a pro,” Sims said. “You’re always one play away from being in there. As a pro you have to prepare yourself accordingly.”

The Bucs could use any boost they can get against the mobile Smith. Joe doesn’t think it’s a coincidence that the 49ers have come back to life since Smith was inserted as San Francisco’s newest treat.

Surfing the many MSM outlets that cover the 49ers, Joe is not suprised how much buzz (almost excitement) there is about the Bucs-Niners game becoming an old fashioned soggy Candlestick mess Sunday.

Having lived out there, Joe knows the locals embrace the November through February rainy season and believe 50 degrees and rainy and muddy is glorious football weather.

But the Bucs might get lucky.

While it’s supposed rain in San Francisco tonight into the wee hours, the kickoff forecast, per Weather.com, has now changed to only a 30 percent chance of rain during the game. The temperature is supposed to 53 degrees with a 14 mph wind at kickoff.

Matthew Barrows, of the Sacramento Bee, lays out some challenges of kicking in messy weather and how the Bucs and Niners play tight games that come down to kicking.

The 49ers have played five games this season that were decided by three or fewer points, and the Buccaneers four. Sunday’s forecast, meanwhile, calls for a 70 percent chance of showers.

Punter Andy Lee, who will serve as Andrus’ holder, said blustery Candlestick Park is one of the trickiest venues in the league, especially for a young kicker. But he said a rainy day can be beneficial because it usually means it’s not as windy.

“Later in the year, things aren’t quite as bad as early,” Lee said. “Now watch, me saying this it will be horrible this weekend.”

Said Andrus: “I played over in NFL Europe, so I’ve been a part of some pretty disastrous kicking conditions.”

Joe knows the Bucs’ punter and kicker are short on experience, especially in rough conditions. Joe hopes/prays that’s not a factor.

As for the return game, Joe perked up when he read in the Bee that Niners head coach Mike Singletary likes to keep things ultra conservative on runbacks and is not a fan of taking chances in that phase of the game even with dangerous Tedd Ginn, Jr. returning all punts and kicks.

The 49ers rank 21st in the league in kick-return average – 21.6 yards – and have two returns of 40 or more yards. They rank 22nd in punt returns with a 7.8-yard average.

When the season began, the 49ers intended to use sixth-round pick Kyle Williams on punt returns and Ted Ginn Jr. on kickoffs. Williams, however, has been banged up since the preseason, and the 49ers have resigned themselves to having Ginn do both.

He’s been sure-handed at the position, but he certainly hasn’t been explosive like he was in Miami where he ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns in 2009. Ginn fair-caught all five punts Sunday against St. Louis.

Writing about weather and stats means Joe is gnawing his arm off on a Saturday in anticipation of this Bucs-Niners game.

Josh Horowitz and Pat Kirwan take a look inside the matchup in tomorrow’s Bucs-49ers matchup in this CBSSports.com video.

The more Joe does his homework on this Niners-Bucs game Sunday, the more Joe realizes the game is extraordinarily winnable for the Bucs and nearly a must win if they want to make the playoffs.

Joe just suffered through last weekend’s 49ers-Rams game and watched Troy Smith lead the Niners to a stunning 0-for-11 mark on third down. (That’s not a typo.) … The Bucs will have plenty of opportunities to move the ball Sunday. 

Yeah, Smith converted a 4th-and-18 to lead the Niners to a near miracle overtime victory at home, but it was anything but pretty.

Smith hasn’t really made big mistakes in his two starts, but he hasn’t faced a secondary near the quality of the Bucs’. 

Smith was barely wanted this offseason, as the Ravens slapped a fifth-round restricted free agent tender on him in the spring and there were no takers. Nobody else thought the former Heisman Trophy winner was worth the fifth-round draft pick and $1 million, so he was cut and has hung on in Frisco, and now he’s the starting QB against the Bucs on Sunday.

Dress him up however you want, the guy is a backup quarterback.

Kurt Warner, color analyst Sunday for the Bucs-Niners on FOX, is hardly sold on Smith and says it’s likely a matter of time before he gets exposed, so Warner told the San Francisco Chronicle.

[Warner] just wonders how long before opposing defenses figure out Troy Smith, a relative unknown with four career starts. He said it’s like baseball hitters who struggle at first against new pitchers but find a way to adjust, and that the jury is still out on him.

“Eventually, teams are going to say, ‘OK, we’re going to try and keep him in the pocket, we’re going to change up some of our coverages, we’re going to see if he can do these kinds of things,” Warner said. “Eventually, he’ll be forced to do some other things, and that’s going to be the true sign of how good he can be.”

Joe’s braced for Frank Gore to have a 100+ yards with the usual big chunks on first and second down, the kind that get Joe hitting the Tums bottle every week. But the Bucs should be able to move the ball up and down on the Niners and they just can’t freakin’ lose to Troy Smith and come away thinking they’re a contender.

As Joe said during an interview on 620 WDAE-AM this week, the playoffs in 2010 are nothing more than a fantasy if the Bucs lose Sunday.

It seems someone at The News Center is upset with the Bucs. This person thinks that because Mike Williams blew a breathalyzer test below the legal limit the Bucs are a virtual Cincinnati Bengals and the Hillsborough County jail on Orient Road should swing its doors open for all the hoodlums the Bucs have on the roster.

That’s the implication given by someone not brave enough to slap their name to the piece, an unknown journalist if you will.

Since the first of this year, at least seven members of the Bucs organization have been arrested or disciplined by the National Football League for misdeeds that include two DUI charges and a domestic battery complaint.

Safety Tanard Jackson was suspended for at least a year for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Tight end Jerramy Stevens was released by the team after officers pulled him over on the way to a team meeting and said they found enough marijuana in his car to charge him with felony possession and intent to distribute.

Cornerback Aqib Talib was suspended by the league for the season-opening game against Cleveland after police said he slugged a cab driver who was driving him to Tampa in 2009.

Now this. Williams was arrested Friday at 2:48 a.m., hours before he was scheduled to fly with his teammates to San Francisco for a big game on Sunday.

While Joe thoroughly cannot understand how someone who makes a living in the NFL cannot call a cab or a limo company like Paradise Worldwide Transportation, to try to connect the dots between Williams and Talib and Jackson is outrageous.

Let Joe be clear: To date, Williams has not broken any laws. His breath test was below the legal limit. Repeat that last sentence to yourself.

How on earth anyone can somehow lump Williams in with the misdeeds of Talib and Jackson, well, Joe has a very difficult time doing the math there.

A weekend of football is not complete unless one drinks in the advice from Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski of WDAE-AM 620 and his sage fantasy guidance. In this video, Justin explains why a unit is a good thing. As one can expect, Pawlowski’s advice is fair and just.

After Sunday’s beat down of the whining Carolina Panthers, Joe had a chance to chat with wide receiver Arrelious Benn. The rookie talked about how tricky it was learning an NFL offense and his relationship with Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

JoeBucsFan: When you played at Illinois you were in a spread-option offense which is a far cry from an NFL offense. How difficult was it to learn an NFL offense?

Arrelious Benn: It was pretty difficult. I just had to know the terminology. Once I learned the terminology I was able to go out there and ball out. It wasn’t like I couldn’t run the routes, I just had to figure out the terminology. So I pretty much worked hard, studied my playbook. My coach helped me a lot, Coach Yarber, and he helped me to where I am now.

Joe: When you say it was such different terminology, was it sort of like learning a different language?

Benn: Almost. Almost. In fact, I had to come in and learn a whole new offense. Learn the new terminology. Learn the new offense. Get comfortable with it and understand my role.

Joe: When did you start becoming comfortable with the offense? Was it just a couple of weeks ago?

Benn: I’d say the end of preseason. That’s when I got comfortable.

Joe: Obviously you never want to see a teammate get dinged up. But when Sammie Stroughter got dinged up and hurt his ankle, you started getting more playing time and it seemed then you started to blow up, that you took advantage of the playing time. Was that all you needed but a chance for some playing time, just to get on the field?

Benn: All you need is opportunities and when opportunities present itselves, you had to change [advantage] just like anyone else would. The great thing about us, the receivers here in Tampa, we are all hungry and young. The biggest thing is, neither one of us is selfish. We all want to see each other striving and so what we need to do so we all push each other.

Joe: How much did it help when you were drafted and Josh [Freeman] called you up and said, “Let’s go to work?”

Benn: Big time! That’s the franchise guy. That’s our quarterback. To hear a guy like that tell you to run a certain route, go this way, go that way, that’s pretty big.

This morning not long after the news broke that stud rookie wide receiver Mike Williams was cited for a DUI despite his breath test being below the legal limit, video star Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune documented that Williams would still start.

Adam Schefter, star NFL reporter for BSPN, decided to swoop down from his lofty perch in Conneticut and declare, no, Williams will not start.

Well. This afternoon Richardson, dapper Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger and good guy Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times buttonholed Bucs coach Raheem Morris and confirmed their initial information was accurate, despite what someone from Red Sox country was reporting.

@TBO_Buccaneers: Anwar: As I told you three hours ago, #Bucs WR Mike Williams will start on Sunday. Raheem Morris just confirmed it.

Then, learning he was wrong, in typical BSPN fashion, Schefter — who Joe respects a great deal — decided, likely at the point of a sword from the Bristol Bolshevics, to pile on as if he broke the story, via Twitter.

@Adam_Schefter: Tampa Bay will bring WR Mike Williams to San Francisco and will start him, despite this morning’s arrest.

Um, Adam, it was you who started all this by posting erroneous information in the first place. Joe understands you are trying to be first in everything but at least fess up and admit you were the lone person reporting Williams would ride the pine despite numerous sources to the contrary.

And people wonder why Joe loathes those Soviet Disney mice!

Memo to BSPN: Just strick to the non-basketball association, chicks basketball, golf and whatever other kind of schlock you are trying to shove down America’s throats.

And that goes for g@ddamned Ed Werder too!

"You better believe Mike Williams is playing."

Nobody seems to care about football when there’s a DUI in the room. That’s what Raheem Morris can take away from his seven-minute news conference this afternoon at One Buc Palace.

You can watch it on Buccaneers.com and see the head coach’s frustration after getting barraged by nothing but Mike Williams and team discipline questions from beat writers and assorted MSM types.

Raheem said Williams used crappy judgment on a couple of fronts.

“Very disappointed about the bad decision that [Williams] made to be out late, and about the worse decision to have a drink and drive,” Raheem said. “He’ll be disciplined but it won’t have anything to do with playing time. We’ll deal with it internally like we always do.”

Williams’ playing time will not be cut, Raheem said, in part because it would punish fans and the team.

Joe’s not sure he agrees with the decision to play Williams on Sunday in San Francisco.

A decision to sit him might have been an important disciplinary move for not just Williams, but for the entire team. Joe wonders whether a player of lesser importance would have received the same treatment. …Still a lot to learn, though, about what really happened in the wee hours this morning.