 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
You’ve read it. Joe’s read it. Every Bucs fan has read it or heard about it: Former Bucs great Warren Sapp called his former Bucs teammate Meshawn Johnson “a bitch.”
Now you can see and hear it for yourself. Joe has the video. It comes around the 1:30 mark from CBSSports.com. The Tiffany Network’s censors bleep out the word but Joe knows what it is. Joe also loves Chris Collingsworth’s reaction.
The NFL Network has a short video feature on how the White Tiger might be more involved in the offense Sunday.
Joe’s loading up on the video. Let’s be honest, it’s Friday and you don’t want to read. You want to watch. As the ad campaign for the NFL Network famously says, “All you want is football.” Joe understands.
First up, the NFL Network (memo to Roger Goodell: will you please begin providing embed videos?) has a brief segment on the return of Cadillac Williams. Next up is Chucky talking about the rumors that he is in the running for the vacancy at the University of Tennessee.
The third video is the NFL Network’s breakdown of the Bucs-Vikings game. And finally the NFL Network has a video on the possibility of the return of the White Tiger, Joey Galloway.
JoeBucsFan.com analyst Jacquez Green, the former Bucs wide receiver (1998-2001) and All-American at the University of Florida (1995-1997), checks in with his breakdown of the Bucs offense. This week Green talks about how the bye can affect the Bucs.
Green, who won back-to-back Madden Bowls, is currently the offensive coordinator at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg.
This is a good time for the Bucs to have a bye. It’s not too early. If a bye comes early, that’s not always good. Sometimes you are just starting to click with the offense and then you have a bye. You never want to disrupt something just when you get rolling. And the Bucs are rolling.
As a player, you always looked forward to the bye. It gives everyone a chance to rest a little and heal up. The bye for the Bucs this year is perfect. The bye comes with just three more division games left. That’s great.
The receivers I think are really playing solid just when it’s getting into the meat of the schedule. I think the offense is on a roll. A lot of people are complaining but you can always nitpick an offense. Let’s be honest: This is Tampa Bay. The team is built on defense so the offense will always be the step-sister. The Bucs offense will always be nitpicked.
CBSSports.com’s Charley Casserly and Jason Horowitz have the preview on the Bucs-Vikings. Casserly predicts the Bucs will crowd the line of scrimmage on defense to stop the run and adds, “Good luck.” Casserly suggests Adrian Peterson is the NFL MVP.
Monte Kiffin's son, Lane Kiffin, interviewed with Clemson University last week for the vacancy left by Tommy Bowden's firing. Will Monte work for his son, which is what Al Davis claims Monte told him he wanted to do?
Last month, Joe was the first to report, citing Joe’s sources, that Clemson University boosters had decided to throw money at former Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin to take over for fired coach Tommy Bowden, but only if Kiffin brought along his father, Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, to run the Tigers’ defense.
Per Joe’s source, this was strictly a package deal: Both Kiffins had to come.
Today, multiple sources are reporting Lane Kiffin indeed interviewed for the Clemson opening last week. No word on the specifics of the interview.
The question remains: Will Monte Kiffin go with his son if Lane Kiffin is offered the Clemson gig? Remember, Al Davis, in his press conference after he fired Lane Kiffin, admitted that Monte Kiffin approached Davis about joining the Raiders’ staff so he could work alongside his son.
In a curious curve to the story, Lane Kiffin was interviewed on Friday by Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips. The interview just happened to be during the Bucs’ bye week. Hmmm?
Time will tell if this fire continues to burn bright.
A definite Hall of Famer one day, John Lynch is being considered for another ballot in 2010
John Lynch couldn’t get hired by the Patriots. And it’s been lonely sitting by the phone waiting for NFL general managers to call. So maybe the future Hall of Famer will take a meeting with Dick Wadhams, head of Colorado’s Republican party.
Wadham named Lynch as a potential face of the struggling Republican party in Colorado, according a recent report in the Denver Post.
Lynch, it seems, scored major points making stump speeches around the state with John McCain and Sarah Palin this fall. The GOP chief told the Post Lynch is on his short list of candidates for Senate and Governor races in 2010.
“He’s a superstar. He’s been in the back of my mind,” Wadhams said.
Joe would rather see Lynch return to the field. But that’s unlikely, since he probably only answers his phone if the caller ID reads Dungy, Kiffin or Belichick.
But at least he’s a better potential candidate and role model than Charles Barkley, who is always talking about taking over the chief executive role in Alabama. Unlike Barkley, Lynch never spit on a little girl during a game.
Naughty girl Pam Oliver reported turmoil on the Vikings sideline during Sunday's Green Bay-Minnesota game
If you watched Sunday’s Packers-Vikings game, you saw Gus Frerotte do his best Brian Griese impression.
You know the trick. Throw three ugly picks, watch your defense win the game and then get a reassuring pat on the back from your coach.
Well, it seems Vikings offensive players have had enough of Frerotte’s talents. His league-leading 11 interceptions and 74.0 quarterback rating may be pushing them over the edge.
Fox sideline reporter Pam Oliver relayed to Fox viewers her hands-on view of Frerotte getting dissed by his teammates while trying to pump them up late in the game. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Oliver’s report to Troy Aikman in the broadcast booth came early in the fourth quarter.
“Before the Vikings’ offense took the field, Gus Frerotte tried to round up his guys and tried to give them a pep talk. But I noticed that only two people bothered to listen,” she said during the telecast. “Frerotte has refused to get down on himself because of his mistakes. But I can see a few of his offensive teammates are starting to show frustration at the way the offense has stalled.”
In the story, Frerotte denied any lack of unity among the Vikings offense on Wednesday.
Joe encourages anyone sitting along the Vikings bench on Sunday to loudly remind the men in purple what a lousy QB they have. It could make a difference.
Apparently Warren Sapp doesn't think an interior decorator is very manly. Joe notices Sapp doesn't say anything about guys who are trying to make a living as a dancer.
Joe just can’t make up stuff like this.
Former Bucs great Warren Sapp is unloading on his former teammate Meshawn Johnson again. Joe can’t decide who he should side with.
Sapp unloaded on Meshawn (again), this time calling him “a bitch,” so reports Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, via Adam Shefter of NFL.com.
On this week’s installment of Showtime’s Inside the NFL, Warren Sapp uses some rather colorful language to describe his former teammate, Keyshawn Johnson.
Sapp was asked during the show’s “Ask Warren Anything” segment whether he would watch Johnson’s reality show about interior design.
Per NFL.com, Sapp answered, “Me, watch Keyshawn on an interior decorating show? Keyshawn, I knew you were a bitch. And thanks for making it all clear.”
This is beyond hilarious and Meshawn has to be steaming. If Johnson unloads on Sapp on ESPN, Meshawn just might be looking for a fulltime gig as an interior decorator.
Another funny thing about this is Sapp doesn’t question the manhood of men who are trying to make a living as a dancer. Strange.
Thanks to the NFL, if the Bucs host a playoff game, tickets will be cheaper than last year
While Joe was listening to his satellite radio this afternoon, he learned if the Bucs host a playoff game, tickets will be less expensive than last year.
In an interview with Chris Russo on Mad Dog Radio, Joe Browne, the NFL vice president of communications, announced that today the NFL ordered teams who host playoff games to cut prices on playoff tickets. The prices will be dropped roughly 10 percent.
“In the face of the economy the way it is now, [Roger] Goodell requested the host teams cut by approximately 10 percent” the face value of playoff tickets Brown said. “In terms of sensitivity with the fans and over concern of the fans, we are not perfect but we try.”
Now if Chucky doesn’t screw things up — and he damned sure is trying with this latest Cadillac Williams stunt — the Bucs may get lucky and host a playoff game. If so, Bucs fans will benefit.
Joe always liked Goodell. This is proof why. Here’s more proof.
Joe warmly thanks J.P. Peterson again (and his producer/co-host Dave Ortiz) of Happy Hour with J.P. on WQYK-AM 1010 Sports for hosting Joe as a guest on his show Tuesday.
Joe and J.P. talked about the Seven Reasons Not To Activate Cadillac Williams and how Chucky might be doing his best this season to see that he doesn’t come back as Bucs coach.
As always, Joe encourages readers to check out “Happy Hour with J.P.” weekdays 3-6 p.m. and on streaming audio via the station’s Web site. Also please check out J.P.’s own Web site TampaBaySportsCentral.com which offers plenty of local video features and news.
"I do this to my face so I don't have to look Michael Bennett in the eye."
Hope doesn’t win a Super Bowl. Maybe the Oval Office. But not the big game.
The Bucs cut healthy, strong running back Michael Bennett today and activated Cadillac Williams, who hasn’t played in 14 months following a gruesome knee injury. Bruce Allen and Chucky are simply hoping that Cadillac can be healthy, effective and ready to carry the load at running back, should Earnest Graham or Warrick Dunn go down during the stretch run.
The move is just plain foolish.
Earlier Joe gave you seven reasons not to activate Cadillac. Bottom line: the guy is not ready to jump into action at Week 10 of the season. Bennett, however, could handle being a workhorse back down the stretch, if necessary.
This debacle is made even uglier considering Bennett seems to have been treated around One Buc Palace lately like most humans react to Jerramy Stevens. Joe warned you back in September.
On Monday, Bennett told the Tampa Tribune the doghouse was a lonely place.
“There are times you walk past people and they [members of the Bucs organization] don’t speak to you. Little things like that, those are the only things that really kind of bother me. Other than that, I understand the business and I see how it happens. I can see how guys can get frustrated and lose their minds and lose their temper, but I’m going to stay at peace with mine.”
Why can’t coach Gruden man up and communicate off the field like a professional with his players? Maybe he really liked that NFL players voted him one the top 5 coaches nobody wants to play for recently? You gotta be the best at something, right?
More likely, Chucky’s just cowardly when he feels uncomfortable, the mark of a guy you don’t want to work with in any business. The pattern repeats itself over and over and over. Alstott, Simms and many others come to mind.
So here we go. Here comes carries and reps for Caddy, our third best running back and fourth best receiver out of the backfield, when we need to establish a true effective running game with Dunn and Graham.
Hope ain’t going to ride the bench, my friends.
Joe wasn't aware that Cadillac Williams is Santa Claus. But Chucky thinks so.
The headline is what Chucky said of the prospect of Cadillac Williams returning to the Bucs roster. JoeBucsFan.com readers can watch and listen to the NFL Network video of Chucky waxing poetic about Cadillac with their very own eyes and ears.
As Joe has stated previously, it’s a major mistake in many ways to activate Cadillac. If anything, it could hurt both Caddy and the Bucs, not help.
Regardless, Christmas gifts, the kind you get excited about anyway, are usually shiny and new, not broken down. So Joe’s just not getting the whole Cadillac-Christmas analogy.
Bucs defensive guru Monte Kiffin says he's feeling great at 68
They still remember Monte Kiffin up in Minnesota, where he worked with Tony Dungy and was the Vikings defensive coordinator in 1991.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press caught up with Monte this week and got his take on the growing stardom of Vikings RB Adrian Peterson.
Also, Monte made it clear that he feels much younger than his years.
Kiffin, 68, full of life as usual, has no plans to retire.
“I’m 68 going on 48,” he said. “I don’t have any hobbies.”
Joe hopes Monte uses that good health to spend another 10 years on the Bucs sidelines leading the Tampa Bay defense, not bolting to coach with son Lane Kiffin at his next job… at Clemson?
JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve Campbell was so impressed with Jeff Faine against the Chiefs, he got Campbell's game ball.
JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve Campbell reviews the Bucs’ offensive line play in the Bucs win over Kansas City.
In the 1990s, Campbell was a NCAA Division I lineman and played semipro football (he likes to say he was a tackling dummy for a future NFL defenisve tackle). His analysis appears here weekly.
Looking back at the Bucs-Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium, there was some good and some bad play on the O-line.
First, the good:
The Bucs won, of course. I don’t care how you win in this league or how “ugly” it is. This isn’t college football where the mismatches are that glaring every week. The Bucs or any other NFL team shouldn’t have to apologize for any win. They all count the same.
Another positive was the pass protection that this unit is providing. Before the season, I thought this unit would be a better than average run blocking unit and struggle a bit on pass protection, specifically on the edges. But this unit has been way above average in pass protection. In 43 pass attempts, Jeff Garcia again wasn’t sacked. For the season, the Bucs have attempted 348 passes and have only been sacked 10 times. That’s good for fourth in the league in that category.
Cause for concern though, is the inability to establish a consistent running game for the third week in a row. Granted, falling behind by 14 points eight minutes into a game isn’t a good recipe for establishing the run. But the fact is, they did try to run, but the holes weren’t there. The Bucs will have to run the ball down the stretch if they want to make the playoffs and advance there.
Donald Penn, LT: Penn didn’t have much trouble with whoever the Chiefs threw at him. Defensive end Tamba Hali is a former first round draft pick, but Penn neutralized him for the most part. Penn needs to play better in the run game, though.
Jeremy Zuttah, LG: Zuttah had no trouble whatsoever with rookie Glenn Dorsey on passing plays, but it wasn’t one of Jeremy’s better days run-blocking. He didn’t get much push, and he struggled getting to the second level.
Jeff Faine, C: I feel like I haven’t given enough accolades to Faine this season. Faine has so many responsibilities that it’s sometimes hard to tell if he had a positive or a negative play. I still think it was a great signing by the Bucs’ front office.
Davin Joseph, RG: It’s hard to run the ball when both of your guards struggle, and that was the case against Kansas City. Like Zuttah, Joseph didn’t have one of his better games.
Jeremy Trueblood, RT: Another solid effort from Trueblood. He has shown tremendous improvement in pass protection this year and this game was no exception. In the run game, Trueblood looked strong once again.
Game ball: Faine. He was solid in the win over the Chiefs and gets my game ball.
Combine Clifton Smith with the Vikings rotten coverage on special teams, and the Bucs should have strong field position Sunday.
Already Joe has written that the Bucs defense should dominate the Vikings’ passing game Sunday. But that’s not the only area Joe feels the Bucs should excel.
Sure, Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte is miserable beyond words. But the Vikings’ special teams are truly pathetic. Consider, as documented by Chip Scoggins of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Vikings have given up six touchdown returns combined on their kickoff and punt coverage teams. Six! That ties an NFL record, and it’s not even December yet.
In the last nine games the Vikings have allowed four punts to be returned for a score. But it’s not just touchdowns the Vikings’ punt team hacks up. Minnesota is last in the NFL in punt return yards giving up 18.1 yards a punt. That’s the most yards an NFL team has given up on average since the 1977 Cleveland Browns.
As Joe stated Monday, if the Bucs are able to shut down Adrian Peterson, no small task, the game is in the bag. Unless Chucky decides to outsmart Brad Childress and play Son of Bob.
Joe will be making an appearance this afternoon on “Happy Hour with J.P. Peterson” at roughly 4:15 p.m. The show can be heard locally in the Tampa Bay area on WQYK-AM 1010. It also can be heard on the internet by going to the station’s website.
Joe hopes to talk about Cadillac Williams’ premature return, Chucky’s status and generally all things Bucs. By all means please tune in and remember to support J.P.’s show.
Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com thinks Chucky is running from the truth a little bit.
Ever since Nick Saban, then the coach of the Miami Dolphins, got caught in a fib when he catagorically declared he was not a candidate to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide — then somehow was found to be holding a press conference in Tuscaloosa about how he accepted the job — NFL coaches have every word out of their mouth about taking a college job overly examined.
On Monday, Chucky claimed he is not a candidate to take Phil Fulmer’s opening at the University of Tennessee. But for Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the denial did not shut the door.
Given that we’ve heard more unequivocal statements from guys like Saban in the past, Gruden needs to go farther than he has before we’ll believe him.
He needs to say, for example, “I will not under any circumstances be the next coach at the University of Tennessee. If they’re interested in me, I’m flattered. But their time is better spent pursuing a candidate who will take the job. I will not.”
Instead, Gruden has left plenty of wiggle room… This tells us that Gruden isn’t interested in talking right now, but if the folks in Knoxville would be willing to wait until the season is finished, he might be inclined to listen.
Joe thinks this Chucky-to-Tennessee business is misguided wishful thinking for the orangeclad Vols fans, though stranger things have happened (Lou Holtz coaching the Jets springs to mind).
As Joe has pointed out earlier, Chucky may not be on as solid ground as the Bucs coach as some may think or want you to believe. Joe has already stated if the Bucs miss the playoffs or lose another opening-round playoff game, it wouldn’t shock him if Chucky was shown the door by the Glazer Boys.
Maybe Florio is right? Maybe Chucky believes this, too, and is keeping all options open?
Fullback B.J. Askew could return to the starting backfield Sunday
Out since Week 3 with a pulled hamstring, No. 1 fullback B.J. Askew practiced in full pads Monday and may return Sunday against the Vikings, according to Pewter Report.
Joe loves Askew. Askew was a Pro Bowl alternate last year and signed a big contract in the offseason. And he accomplished all that without ever taking a handoff as a Buccaneer. He’s a ferocious blocker and a strong receiver who runs well after the catch.
Askew is a big Chucky fan, as he told the Tampa Tribune in the Spring.
I wanted to get to a team that would appreciate a player like me. When I took the visit here, Gruden broke me down and showed me everything he liked about me on film. I came away feeling like this is a place that really wants me. The day of the start of free agency, I got the phone call from him. They flew me down the next day. He sold me so good. I really felt appreciated and knew I would go to war for this guy.
Askew returning likely would be the biggest step the Bucs could take to invigorate their struggling running game. Don’t underestimate his potential impact.
Joe hopes everyone who can is enjoying Veterans Day. Joe is.
And please take a brief moment of your day to think of those who paid a price so people like Joe can have this blog without fear of being thrown in a gulag or cooler for not drinking Son of Bob Kool-Aid.
If you happen to know a vet, thank him (or her).
Joe read something last week that he plans to make an annual tradition: If you are working today, when you leave for home, or if you have a few minutes in-between running errands, stop by a local American Legion hall or a VFW post. Buy a round for the vets.
Joe can’t think of a better way to honor them. In fact, Joe just might just join a few vets in a cold one at a local watering hole.
As Joe wrote earlier, local and national media are reporting it’s a lock that Cadillac Williams will be added to the Bucs roster on Wednesday, the team’s deadline to activate him or put him on injured reserve.
Joe doesn’t like the move, as he’s told you for months.
Here’s a list of 10 reasons Caddy should stay in the garage: (No particular order for this)
Joe was hoping for a top-10 list but ran out of gas. Got any other reasons?
The master of Bucs spin, Bruce Almighty, sat down for a chat with Eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. What would Bill O'Reilly have to say?
Eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune sat down for a chat with Bucs GM Bruce Almighty. Of course, Bruce Almighty, being the brother of former U.S. Senator George Allen, Jr. and a former employee of Al Davis is a master of spin.
But Bruce Almighty seems generally geeked with the Bucs.
I like the character of this team and the resolve of this team. There are so many things you count on when you leave training camp and our players and coaches have delivered. Our fans and our opponents know that we are going to compete hard for 60 minutes.
While Bruce Almighty may irritate Joe with his spin and sometimes flat out falsehoods, Joe admires him. Joe thinks Bruce Almighty has done a wonderful job with the salary cap and the Bucs’ drafts of late have been top-notch. The Bucs are fortunate to have Bruce Almighty.
Of course, like any good spin master, Bruce Almighty didn’t offer anything really juicy in the interview, which first appeared in Sunday’s old fashioned newspaper copy of the Tribune. Anybody out there still subscribe to a newspaper? Didn’t think so.
