Aaron Boulding of a BSPN.com has an odd video where he bounces across the globe for what seems like the sole purpose of playing video games. Oh, kay.

Meanwhile, Boulding stops at One Buc Palace where various Bucs play video games against members of the U.S. Armed Forces stationed overseas. Joe isn’t sure this is what Al Gore envisioned when he invented the internet. But it’s a neat project the Bucs do with the troops. Anything that makes their grueling days a little bit better is more than OK with Joe.

The best thing about this video is Joe was, uh, introduced to a lovely lass by the name of Molly Qerim. Joe is impressed.

Remember when watching a Bucs-Lions game was a twice-a-year thrill?

Joe’s been studying the 0-10 Lions, who will take on the Bucs in Detroit on Sunday. It’s seriously ugly up in Motown.

But the reality is that Duante Culpepper and Calvin Johnson are capable of several big plays, and our field goal happy Buccaneers love to keep games way too close. …Don’t give the points.

In Detroit, columnist Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press is writing a regular Road to XVI feature. It takes a fun look at Detroit’s march towards Loserville.

The Lions don’t have a single impact player on defense, and their only true impact guy on offense, Calvin Johnson, is hamstrung by mediocre quarterbacking, poor play-calling and constant attention from defenses.

How do you beat the Lions? However you’d like.

Joe would like to order a Bucs touchdown drive on the opening possession and a 10-0 first quarter lead, please.

Jeremy Green of BSPN.com ranks his top six NFL teams as we enter Week 12 and surprisingly, Green has the Bucs ranked No. 5. Watch Green explains his rationale:

Tiffany Simons and Gregg Rosenthal of NBCSports.com discuss why fantasy footballers would be wise to choose either Bucs running back Warrick Dunn or possibly take a stab at Cadillac Williams.

Joe’s not much for fantasy football, or any fantasy sports. Joe’s concept of a fantasy has nothing to do with football but everything to do with a hottie, a secluded tropical isle and ample supplies of adult beverages.

Upon further inspection, Joe can envision Ms. Simons fitting the bill. A cute chick talking football? Hot!

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune told WQYK 1010-AM's Bobby Fenton that he thinks Chucky might rush Cadillac Williams back too quick now that Earnest Graham is hurt. Joe doesn't have to think. He believes it.

Joe’s a little late to the table with this, but there is lots happening in Bucsland.

Joe was listening to Bobby Fenton’s weekly Bucs show on WQYK 1010-AM Monday night and Fenton, who Joe enjoys a great, ran a tape of an interview he had with Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune earlier that day on Fenton’s morning show, “The Free Stretch.”

In the interview, Cummings feared Gruden, in desperation now that Graham is done, will rush Cadillac Williams back to the field probably before he should even suit up.

“He might rush Caddy out of the garage too soon,” Cummings said.

Joe is convinced Chucky will pull such a stunt.

Chucky doesn’t give a damn about a player’s health. Chucky believes if a player is breathing, he should be on the field. Joe is beyond convinced that Caddy will blow his knee again because Chucky will be desperate to get him back on the field long before he even should don a helmet.

In his NFC South video blogger blitz, Vacation Man talks about what a stud newly retired John Lynch was. Vacation Man also discusses the Bucs running back issues.

Earnest Graham's ankle injury might keep him out until 2009. Check in with Joe regularly for updates

UPDATE: 5:59 p.m. Joe has learned Earnest Graham was using a motorized wheelchair/scooter today to get around. Also, Graham has a high ankle sprain that could keep him out 4-10 weeks. Bucs medical staff has not determined the depth of the injury at this time.

Our source? Earnest Graham himself, speaking today on The Earnest Graham Show at 5 p.m. on CBS Sports Radio 1010 A.M. Graham co-hosts with J.P. Peterson every week.

Graham was upbeat and expressed optimism that the injury wasn’t worse. Graham said a more definitive diagnosis is expected later this week.

Graham left Sunday’s game against the Vikings after injuring his ankle in the first quarter. He did not return.

Typically, team officials update the media on injuries on Wednesdays.

Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com said on the online network's Sirius radio show that "it's almost a done deal" Monte Kiffin will join his son Lane in the college ranks

Tom Dienhart of Rivals.com, speaking today on the online network’s Sirius radio show, Rivals Radio, noted that former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, son of Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, is in line for one of three coveted college football openings at Washington, Tennessee and Clemson.

Dienhart, a former senior writer for The Sporting News, said his sources have told him that “it’s almost a done deal” that whatever job the younger Kiffin takes he will bring along his father Monte to serve as his defensive coordinator.

“All these kids want to play in the NFL and what better way to help recruiting then to have the kids coached by (Monte Kiffin),” Dienhart said.

Joe was the first to report that Clemson was going after Lane Kiffin only if he brought along his father as the defensive coordinator. Lane Kiffin was interviewed recently by Clemson.

Joe also passed along news that Raiders owner Al Davis, in his press conference announcing the firing of Lane Kiffin, said Monte Kiffin had admitted to Davis he wanted to coach with his son.

CBSSports.com has another few clips of Chucky’s postgame press conference after the win over the Vikings. Nothing really new here, but Joe figures if you are a Bucs fan, there is never enough Bucs information.

Watch CBS Videos Online

Joe hopes Antonio Bryant and the Bucs run all the way to the NFC South title and a first round playoff bye

Think it’s been chilly lately? Joe understands. He’s cold, too. But imagine how cold it is in Green Bay right now?

NBCSports.com has a breakdown on the NFL playoffs if the postseason began this week, including tiebreaker rules.

NBC has the Bucs as a wild card team and runner-up to Carolina in the NFC South. The Bucs would start the postseason at Green Bay in the wild card round. If the Bucs would win, they would then play at the New Jersey Swamplands against the Giants.

Here’s the breakdown via NBCSports.com:

PLAYOFF TEAMS
• Giants (9-1)
• Panthers (8-2)
• Cardinals (7-3)
• Packers (5-5)
• Bucs (7-3)
• Redskins (6-4)
OUTSIDE LOOKING IN
• Falcons (6-4)
• Cowboys (6-4)
• Bears (5-5)
• Eagles (5-4-1)
• Vikings (5-5)
• Saints (5-5)
• 49ers (3-7)
• Seahawks (2-8)
• Rams (2-8)
• Lions (0-10)

Monday was a solemn day as a Bucs fan as former Bucs great John Lynch called it quits. Despite leaving the Bucs on very bitter terms, he thought so much of his 11 years in Tampa Bay he decided to announce his retirement as a Buc.

Below is a video from WTSP-TV of John Lynch’s retirement press conference. Also, here’s a six-minute video of Lynch’s retirement press conference from the good folks of NFL Network.

Memo to electroic media: If you provide embed codes, Joe will pimp your sites. If you choose not to get hits, that’s your fault; not Joe’s. Despite Joe’s irritation at Roger Goodell for not providing embed codes, Joe gives the NFL Network a pass because, well, it is the NFL Network.

ESPN NFC South reporter Pat "Vacation Man" Yasinskas dropped some heavy praise on Barrett Ruud. His story will go a long way toward Ruud getting the national recognition he deserves

Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas decided to write a love story to Barrett Ruud. Good job, Pat. Way to work hard to find a story angle.

That’s OK. Joe loves Ruud, too. And he deserves the praise.

Ruud’s gotten very good, very quickly. After the Bucs drafted him out of Nebraska in 2005, Ruud spent his first two seasons backing up Shelton Quarles. He took over as the starter last season and has helped the Bucs make the case that they might have the best linebacker corps in the NFL.

Ruud’s an every-down linebacker who makes big plays — he has three sacks and two interceptions. He started his emergence last season, but the campaign for a Pro Bowl berth is starting to go beyond Gruden.

Brooks and June will tell you he’s the best middle linebacker in the league. Coaches and personnel guys from other teams at least will tell you he’s among the best.

Former Bucs safety John Lynch, who retires this afternoon, will work for Fox as an NFL game analyst.

It didn’t take long for former Bucs safety John Lynch to choose his next career path. And no, it’s not politics. Not yet anyway.

USA Today’s Michael McCarthy reports today that Lynch will be working as a game analyst for Fox’s NFL broadcasts beginning next week.

Retiring safety John Lynch is joining Fox as a game analyst, Dan Bell said, starting with next Sunday’s Minnesota Vikings-Jacksonville Jaguars game. Lynch will team with play-by-play announcer Chris Rose.

Joe is happy that Lynch took this path for selfish reasons. Joe likes Lynch and finds him to be quite articulate and intelligent. Joe thinks Lynch will make a fine TV analyst.

That is, before he is Sarah Palin’s running mate in 2012.

Watching a Three Stooges flick for the 50th time is more insightful and enlightening than John Romano's "Gimme 5" weakly Bucs column.

Not sure if any of Joe’s readers check out John Romano’s weekly Monday morning Bucs column in the St. Petersburg Times. Whenever Joe notices it, he can’t help but think of The Three Stooges.

Joe is a devotee of the Stooges; Curly episodes only, of course. So when Joe notices John Romano’s “Gimme 5” weekly Bucs column (in this case, the proper word should be “weakly”), Joe is reminded of the time Curly says to Moe, “I’ll take five!” and Moe responds, “Here’s five.” And slaps Curly across the face.

It’s what Romano’s editors should be doing to him because Romano’s weakly Bucs column is a slap in the face to readers.

(Joe has purposely not provided a link because the column isn’t worth linking.)

Memo to Romano: Do you have such an insipid imagination that you cannot come up with a new or different lead paragraph after how many years? Every friggin’ week, football season after football season, Romano begins his column with “Five subjects suitable for inane debate on sports radio.”

The only thing “inane” is your column (which Joe is never moved to read because the author isn’t moved to put any effort into it).

Those nine words strung together has been Romano’s introduction, word-for-word, for years. Hey, Romano, why exactly should any reader feel compelled to read one of your columns if you are too lazy or too unimaginative to come up with a different lead paragraph? Just what pearls of wisdom could you offer if you can’t even concoct a different lead paragraph once a year. Seriously?

I mean, this is a stunt that would/should get a columnist fired from the Shinola (Okla.) Gazette. Really John, what would one of your journalism professors say if you turned in an assignment each week with the same tired lead sentence?

If writing that column is so mentally exhausting or such a cumbersome burden that you cannot bring yourself to type a new lead paragraph, why don’t you do everyone including yourself a favor and let John Cotey or Joe Smith take it over? I’m confident both of them could come up with a different lead paragraph once or twice a season.

Come to think of it, so could probably a middle school communications student.

Romano’s shtick — and if it is shtick, it’s beyond weak — is Exhibit-A why readers are leaving newspapers in droves. If papers want to keep readers they better start learning to give readers a reason to return each day. Writing the same old slop week after week, year after year won’t get it done.

Once upon a time newspapers had a virtual monopoly on how to distribute news and how consumers obtained information. By allowing the same drivel as Romano’s lead paragraph to be used over and over and over again is a perfect example of how some editors are living in the 19th Century. People in the 21st Century actually have multiple options to choose from in their consumption of news. Just take a look at newspaper subscription numbers to see where consumers are going.

(Hint: They’re not going where they can read someone regurgitate the same exact nine words each week.)

Chucky has the back of his big nasty right tackle, Jeremy Trueblood

Joe watches Chucky’s Monday morning news conferences not just to hear the coach but to try to read his body language. 

Simply put, Gruden is not happy with running back Clifton Smith. Chucky’s facial expressions and arm positions got all negative when a reporter tried to possibly put a positive spin on Clifton Smith’s future despite his third fumble Sunday in as many career games.

“That’s just excuses, man,” Gruden responded initially. Gruden repeated that a few times in a few different ways before saying the coaching staff needed to work more on that with the kid.

As Joe mentioned previously, three fumbles in three games will get you cut from the NFL faster than Jerramy Stevens would say, “No Comment,” when asked about his fraternity days.

Chucky, however, stood up tall and strong when asked about Jeremy Trueblood’s drive-killing personal foul on the Vikings’ 17 yard line.

On TV, it appeared Trueblood gave a cheap shot after the play was dead. But Gruden said the whistle hadn’t blown and he’ll take Trueblood finishing plays and playing to the whistle every time.

Phil Mushnick of the New York Post suggests Showtime is trying to turn former Bucs great Warren Sapp into the football's version of Charles Barkley.

In Joe’s eyes, there is no better writer in America than Phil Mushnick of the New York Post, with the possible exception of Norman Chad. Mushnick is a no-holds-barred writer who crucifies those who need a public scolding. Additionally, Mushnick is hilarious.

Mushnick always seems to be angry. Joe would be too if he had Mushnick’s job. Mushnick covers sports media and there’s a whole lot to be angry about. Just turn on BSPN at any time. If your blood pressure doesn’t rise 10 clicks, it means you must have inhaled a 12-pack of Budweiser or a chugged a pint of Tanquerey.

Or both.

Recently, Mushnick weighed in on the Sapp-on-Meshawn hate. Mushnick thinks Sapp’s being set up and that CBS (owner of Showtime which broadcasts Inside the NFL where Sapp has had his more recent outbursts) is trying to make Sapp football’s version of Charles Barkley.

Showtime/CBS so much wants Warren Sapp to be the next Charles Barkley that it has turned to forced feedings.

On Showtime’s latest “Inside The NFL,” in the “Ask Warren” segment, Sapp was asked if he’ll watch Keyshawn Johnson’s new reality show about interior design.

“Me, watch Keyshawn on an interior decorating show?” Sapp said. “Keyshawn, I knew you were a bitch. And thanks for making it clear.”

Yep, a hateful and crude street put-down – comparing Johnson to a woman, a lower form of human life – proudly presented, and on tape, in the name of sports on a show carrying the NFL’s logo and license!

It’s not just Sapp, whose sense of social sensitivity is limited to whatever best serves him, it’s also that Showtime/CBS was eager to promote this response, to highlight it in a press release, as if, in Sapp, it has the latest outspoken, irreverent ex-athlete/TV character, as opposed to another low-brow act whom dimwits might confuse as outspoken and irreverent.

Beautiful writing by Mushnick but Joe isn’t so sure he agrees. This isn’t the 1950s and, as Howard Stern famously wrote, you have to do things on TV to get people to put down the clicker. That’s what Showtime is doing with Sapp.

So being the football version of Charles Barkley isn’t such a bad thing.

Chucky won't be spreading any sunshine this week, says former Bucs OL Ian Beckles

Joe enjoyed former Bucs offensive lineman Ian Beckles’ take on the Bucs preparation for the upcoming game at the winless Detroit Lions.

Beckles, on the Ron and Ian Show on 620 WDAE, said this is the week that Jon Gruden, like most coaches would, will go overboard to be an A-hole so the Bucs won’t look past the Lions.

Any thoughts on what Chucky might do? Joe thinks he might make the team watch film of Son of Bob’s 98 career interceptions in 82 starts.

SI.com's Peter King apparently has been sniffing around One Buc Palace and can't find anything that stinks.

It’s Monday, so while digging for blog tidbits, Joe read Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback as he has done for years. As expected, King had an interesting item that one won’t find in too many other places:

One Buc Palace doesn’t smell.

Peter King makes his living being in NFL locker rooms. And they stink! So King, who when he isn’t writing about the NFL and slurping Brett Favre, loves to write about fine dining and the joys of Starbucks, boasts how One Buc Palace is indeed a palace.

Each locker has a 30-inch-by-10-inch fine-mesh metal screen high in the stall, where the helmet and shoulder pads rest, and then a 30-inch-by-16-inch screen at torso level, to dry and suck out odors from practice gear and shoes. Other than it smelling nicer in the locker room, there’s a bacteria and infection benefit in sucking out many of the germs in the joint.

The exhaust from the lockers is removed when the temperature rises in the room (usually when a mass of bodies occupies it), and the air-conditioning automatically clicks on. That prompts a mechanism in the system that forces the air out of each locker through spiral ducts into a series of galvanized metal pipes, sent through a network of pipes 44 feet to the rooftop, and expelled into the air through a fan on the outside of the building. The theory: If the odor-causing items — shoes, pads, helmets, practice gear — are near or next to an exhaust system designed to suck nearby air out of the locker through two big vents, there won’t be any smell to linger.

What Joe found even more interesting was King’s comments about the former One Buc Place, which must have been the pits.

You had to see the old Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice facility, called One Buc Place, to believe it. I’d be kind to say it was a shoebox. By the end of its run, in 2006, one office-sized room was shared by assistant coaches Raheem Morris and Jay Gruden, the NFL Network remote camera and backdrop and the airport X-ray machine the Bucs used to screen belongings before road trips (every team does this at its facility now, so officials and players and coaches can simply walk onto airport charter flights).

Food service was done in a hallway, and players ate on their laps at their narrow lockers. Mice, rats and opossums — and the cats who chased them — lived in, near and under the building and the adjacent office trailers for staff and the press. The trainers’ room had no modern amenities, and if trainer Todd Toriscelli wanted rehabbing players to do pool therapy, he put them in his car at lunchtime and drove 10 minutes to then-GM Rich McKay’s house, where the players would go in the shallow end of the family in-ground pool and jog for half an hour.

Isn’t it amazing that NFL owners, who make bazillions of dollars from their football teams, the revenues of which they can use for all manner of things from buying soccer teams to helping bankroll failing auto industries couldn’t afford to pay for facilities not fit for a high school team and needed the help of taxpayers to pay for their weekday offices?

The Bucs’ two biggest threats on offense are Jeff Garcia and Antonio Bryant. Both are free agents after this season. It will be hard to replace either one.

Monte Kiffin is shown celebrating here, not attempting to strangle Ronde Barber for sloppy tackling and slipping far from his Pro Bowl status

Major kudos go out to columnist Jim Souhan of the Star-Tribune in Minneapolis for writing that Monte Kiffin belongs in the Hall of Fame.

Joe couldn’t agree more. And if Monte continues his long run of success, many others will make the case as well.

Souhan also raved about the Bucs defensive dominance on Sunday.

Kiffin, defensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Bucs, drew up the plans that beat the Vikings 19-13 on Sunday, creating the latest piece of evidence that he belongs in a yet-to-be-created wing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for assistant coaches.

Kiffin’s defense sacked Gus Frerotte five times (tied for most against the Vikings this season), held the Vikings to 138 passing yards (their lowest total since Frerotte became the starter), held Minnesota to 210 total yards (easily their lowest total of the season) and allowed Adrian Peterson just 14 yards on six second-half carries (neither of which is a typo).

This video will make any Bucs fan breakout in F-bombs.

Tom Jackson, longtime ESPN analyst, says the Bucs are “hard to watch” and the Bucs defense plays “pretty solidly.” Then he goes on to laugh at the Bucs and again say they are so hard to watch. Of course, Trend Dilfer, the king of offensive excitement, agrees with Jackson.

This is just further proof the national media does not want to see the Bucs succeed.

Jackson, of all people, was a stud linebacker for the Broncos. He should be glowing about the Bucs defense and all of Tampa Bay’s young talent and their aggressiveness that shut down Adrian Peterson.

In typical BSPN fashion, Jackson’s dissing of the Bucs will end the week before Tampa Bay plays at Carolina on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Dec. 8. That week, the Bucs will be a team you have to watch.