Jeff Garcia will use the bye week to sleep off late nights caring for his infant daugher and helping his wife through morning sickness, reports dad Bob Garcia

Regular visitors here know Joe’s favorite Bucs analyst is Bob Garcia, father of Jeff Garcia and a high school and small college coaching legend in Gilroy, Calif.

Upset after the Chiefs game, the senior Garcia didn’t hold back in his weekly blog for the Gilroy Dispatch.

Sheesh, I tell you what, I nearly had a heart attack. Matter of fact, when Jeff called after the game he goes, ‘Hey, dad, did you almost have a heart attack?’
I said, ‘Heart attack? I was pissed (the whole game). What did you guys think you were gonna do, show up and they’d roll over and play dead.’ I said you guys looked like crap because the whole game defensively — breakdowns — and offensively — couldn’t get nothing going. … You got go out there and punch ’em in the damn mouth and say, ‘Hey, we’re gonna rip their damn — hey, I don’t care what their record is.’ You gotta have that attitude. We’re at the point now where every game is important.

Bob Garcia went on to say that Jeff is feeling a lot of stress at home from getting up in the middle of the night with his infant daughter. It seems the bye week will really help freshen Garcia up for the stretch run.

Joe hasn’t forgotten you Bucs fans. The power rankings are in and Joe has them.

We lead off with Jason McIntyre, the creator of TheBigLead.com. He has the Bucs at No. 10.

Three losses by 11 points. Just sayin’ …

Up next is Vic Carucci of NFL.com. He lists the Bucs at No. 7.

Ultimately, they did what they were supposed to do vs. the Chiefs, giving them a chance to have a relaxing bye — at least as relaxing as a Jon Gruden team’s bye can be.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com suggests the Bucs are slightly better. He has them at No. 6.

That was an impressive comeback against Kansas City. They head to their bye at 6-3 and have to feel pretty good about it.

Vacation Man of BSPN.com apparently surmised through the highlights that the Bucs are No. 7 as well.

Avoided disaster in Kansas City. They get a bye week to try to find their offense.

And lastly, Joe brings you the notorious Dr. Z, Paul Zimmerman of SI.com. He too ranks the Bucs at No. 6.

The comeback from 24-3 down, to Kansas City, was the greatest in their history, they say. Short history, huh? Still, Gruden almost blew it when he went for a two-pointer early in the fourth quarter — too early — and had to hole the pressurized deuce putt later on to stay in it.

Brett Favre completed 19 passes this week against Buffalo.

As he does every week, Joe looks at what near-Bucs quarterback Brett Favre did in comparison to Carmella’s husband, Jeff Garcia.

To pullthe Jets within a tie with Buffalo for the AFC East lead, Favre completed 19 of 28 passes for 201 yards against the Bills without a touchdown. Favre threw one pick.

Garcia connected on 31 of 43 passes for 339 yards with a touchdown and a pick in the Bucs 30-27 overtime win at lowly Kansas City.

Joe gives a slight edge to Garcia, despite performing against the Chiefs’ poor defense. So this week, the Bucs were better off without Brett Favre.

There's no other way to describe it: Son of Bob is thieving millions from the Glazer Boys.

Joe recently stumbled upon a database on USA Today’s website that breaks down the salaries of each player in the NFL. To Joe’s surprise, the highest paid Buc is an offensive lineman.

Center Jeff Faine.

Faine clocks in with an annual salary of 13,105,760, nearly three times as much as the second-highest paid player on the Bucs roster, Jeff Garcia ($5,255,280).

(It seems this database is averaging signing bonus money and salary over the life of the contract)

Arguably the Bucs best bargain is safety Tanard Jackson who is the fourth-lowest paid Buc at $371,920. The biggest scam/travesty is Son of Bob who is the fourth-highest-paid at $4,250,000.

Quick, someone call the FBI! This isn’t highway robbery, this is felony interstate larcency.

Son of Bob shouldn’t even be on the team much less making $10. And he’s collecting a check of over $4 million! This is a moral outrage for any Bucs season ticket holder. The gall! Exactly what type of narcotics was Bruce Almighty on to sign off on this? How did Chucky con him into agreeing to such an insane, Satanic pact??

If I was one of the Glazer Boys, I’d have Chucky and Bruce Almighty cleaning the toilets and urinals and mopping up the puke from the drunks after home games to make up for the hard-earned cash of theirs that has been flushed away by Son of Bob.

Bucs wide receiver Michael Clayton (80) seems to be enjoying himself more now that hes catching more passes and is a businessman.

Easy Bucs fans. The Glazer Boys aren’t retiring Michael Clayton’s number.

His old high school in Louisiana is, so reports Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times.

It seems Clayton will be a bit busy during his bye week. He’ll be at the Alabama-LSU game for the coin flip at his alma mater and then he’s opening up his own haberdashery, “80 Stitches.”

Joe’s not so sure the bye week will be good for Clayton in the long run. Finally he seems to be getting out of a slump that has stretched from his second season in the NFL which damned near had him cut from the Bucs roster. Clayton still has a bad habit of dropping key passes, though he seems to be catching more key passes in recent games.

“It’s about confidence,” Clayton said. “I had to go through a lot to earn Coach Gruden’s confidence in me again. I had to go through a lot to earn Jeff (Garcia’s) confidence in me. It’s about taking advantage of the opportunity and playing well. All that plays a part in how you feel out there on the field.

“When you get the feeling, it’s like you’re in a zone. You catch everything, you see more, you get more opportunities. You can really start to make stuff happen when you get the ball in your hands more. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to get that feeling.”

Joe hopes Clayton continues his hot streak. Sadly, for Clayton, the bye week couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Joe advises Bucs fans to stretch out on the couch this weekend and root for the Saints to drop the Falcons

With the Bucs taking their annual breather this week, every diehard Bucs fan will have his eye on the big matchup in the NFC South. That would be dangerous New Orleans (4-4) at upstart Atlanta (5-3).

So who do you cheer for in that game, considering the Bucs are 6-3 and in second place?

It’s a tough decision. But your team of experts at JoeBucsFan.com has made the call. Pull for the Saints, as hard as that might be.

Here’s the logic. While the Saints are a dangerous, playoff-tested team, and a team nobody wants to see in the playoffs, we Bucs fans need the Saints to stay in Wild Card contention until the final week. Why? Because New Orleans closes the season with a home game against Carolina.

It’s likely the Bucs and Panthers will battle to the final week for the critical NFC South title, which should lead to a first round bye this season.

The Bucs can not afford to have the Saints go into that final Carolina game without motivation.

As for Atlanta, a loss on Sunday would put them a full game behind the Bucs and 0-3 in the NFC South. Divsion record is the second tiebreaker for a division title. That means if the Bucs lose in Atlanta in December, they likely would still own the division tiebreaker edge against the Falcons.

In case Bucs fans didn’t know, it’s the bye week. The Bucs have but seven games left in the regular season.

To keep you focused on the Bucs season, Joe rolled out some playoff realities for you on Monday. He made the case that another NFC South championship for the Bucs will secure a first round bye in the playoffs.

Today, with the help of Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune and with apologies to current NFL Network analyst and former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Mora, Joe will take another look at what chances the Bucs have to make the… puh… playoffs?

They are 6-3 and half a game behind Carolina in the NFC South with seven games remaining. The Bucs probably will need at least 10 wins to be in playoff contention, and four more victories seems to be an achievable goal.

Here are the teams the Bucs have left on the schedule, in order:

Minnesota, at Detroit, New Orleans, at Carolina (Monday night), at Atlanta, San Diego, Oakland.

As Richardson points out, the Bucs probably need to win 10 to make it to the playoffs. It’s possible, if not likely, but it won’t be easy. Minnesota is dangerous. Despite not having a QB of any worth, the Vikings have a lot of talented players. This game won’t be easy.

* Playing Detroit should be a no-brainer win. The Lions are dreadful beyond words and their coach, former Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, may be fired by then. He’s already getting really snippy with the fourth estate. But then again, the Bucs don’t exactly instill any confidence the way they have played on the road this year. Besides, the odds are the Lions have to win sometime this season.

* New Orleans, like Minnesota, is a dangerous team. Again, not a gimme game at all.

* Playing at Carolina, even though the Bucs manhandled them at the CITS earlier in the year, means nothing. Joe almost is ready to count this game as a loss.

* When the season started, this second Falcons game looked like a sure win. Not so fast. Atlanta (5-3) is  playing good football and is in the playoff hunt. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan just gets better and better. He has better numbers as a rookie than Peyton Manning did in his first year. And don’t forget how dicey road games have been for the Bucs. Playing a road game six days after another road game is not usually a good thing. Potentially consecutive losses.

* San Diego, like New Orleans and probably more so than Minnesota, has a team with plenty of weapons to make for a long Sunday night at the CITS. Sure the Chargers recently canned their defensive coordinator but the defense now under Ron Riveria may be playing in a groove by then.

* Playing home against Oakland, the Bucs, on paper, should win that. The Raiders are rotten to the core and Joe can’t picture the Raiders not having thrown in the towel by then. The Silver and Black will likely be going through the motions.

On paper, Richardson is right. The Bucs should be able to lock up four wins. But Joe is a little more than concerned that getting those four wins will be a tough task.

On Friday nights, Chucky is not the coach of the Bucs. He's just another dad watching his son play high school football.

In the rare moments Chucky is not holed up in his office at One Buc Palace breaking down tape, he gets to be a father. On a recent Friday night, Chris Harry of the Orlando Sentinel went to an obscure small prep football game featuring Carrollwood Day School.

Why? Because Chucky can be found at these games. Chucky’s son, Deuce, plays for Carrollwood Day. Deuce, a freshman, is such a talented player he rarely comes off the field playing offense, defense and special teams.

The father was ready with a news conference worth of questions when his son came out the door with a question of his own.

“Hey, Dad, can I have 20 bucks to go to Beef O’Brady’s with the guys?”

The moment hit Gruden like a Gaines Adams sack from the blind side.

“Next thing I know, my kid, the freshman, is talking to a couple girls, then heading off in a car with the starting quarterback,” Gruden said. “I’m standing there like the guy in that song. You know, ‘Cat’s In the Cradle.’ “

If fans are curious to see a more humane side of Chucky, or maybe want to see a chip off the old block, Carrollwood Day plays Canterbury School in St. Petersburg tonight in both teams’ final game of the season. Duece wears No. 22.

Joe doesn’t want to get too giddy about rookie Clifton Smith and his abilities in the return game. The reality is the kid out of Frenso State has fumbled in his first two games. And there’s no better way to get booted from the NFL in a hurry.

That said, we’ve seen enough evidence to hope Smith is the real deal. He brought home the NFL Special Teams Player of the Week award yesterday largely for his kickoff return for a TD against the Chiefs.

Here’s a look at two punt returns Smith took to the house in one game at Fresno State. The second is worth a few looks. Enjoy.

Bucs safety Sabby Piscitelli spoke to the Oregonian this week about how happy he was to get his first NFL start.

Bucs safety Sabby Piscitelli spoke to the Oregonian (Oregon’s largest newspaper) about his experiences playing for the Bucs and about how giddy he was to log his first NFL start against the Chiefs  Sunday.

“We might have one of the best defensive coordinators of all time in Monty Kiffin and having great defenses is definitely something they expect year in and year out,” he said. “Guys like (Derrick) Brooks, (Warren) Sapp, (John) Lynch and (Ronde) Barber established that attitude. You have to hit and be physical and be fast. This team is always expecting a great defense.”

Joe thinks Sabby is one of the reasons the Bucs not only have one of the top defenses in the league but possibly one of the best in team history, which is saying a lot. And Sabby is becoming one of Joe’s favorite Bucs. He hits and he is a ballhawk. What’s not to like?

ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, known here as “Vacation Man” since he only watches highlights of Bucs games sometimes, gives his take on the division to date. He’s showing love to Jeremy Zuttah and Chucky.

John Clayton, one of BSPN’s football gurus, grades the NFC South teams in the video below.

Though Joe grew up loving Doug Williams, Joe isn't so sure he was a Hall of Fame quarterback.

The NFL announced recently that Doug Williams is on the preliminary ballot for the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The final round will be voted upon when the Super Bowl comes to Tampa in February.

eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune seems to be making a case for Williams to be among the enshrined.

Williams didn’t put up outstanding career passing numbers, but his leadership skills were extraordinary. He guided the 1979 Bucs to within one win of a Super Bowl berth in only the fourth year of the franchise and he was named a historic MVP when the 1987 Redskins rallied past Denver, becoming the first black starting QB to win a Super Bowl.

Joe’s not so sure Williams is a Hall of Famer. Joe grew up loving the Bucs, and Williams was one of Joe’s all-time favorite NFL players. Joe can still remember the time Williams, sitting on his rear end, threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Jimmie Giles in the corner of the end zone at the old Sombrero.

Joining Williams on the same ballot are Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason, Jim Plunkett, Phil Simms, Ken Stabler and Joe Theismann, so it’s hard to envision Williams getting past the preliminary round. Joe thinks Simms should be in the Hall and thinks it is an absolute travesty Snake Stabler isn’t already in. A case could also be made for Plunkett, as well.

Joe wonders what else is on the naughty mind of Roger Goodell's too cute wife.

Today at 2 p.m., Roger Goodell will field questions from NFL fans in a live chat on NFL.com. Joe is issuing a challenge to JoeBucsFan.com readers: Pepper Goodell with questions about his way cute wife who seems to have a dirty mind. She is Jane Skinner, one of the many Fox News hotties.

Pat Yasinskas of BSPN, who heretofore Joe will refer to as “Vacation Man” because he is one of the few “top” football reporters in the nation who can take a vacation during the season without bothering to DVR or record games (full disclosure: Joe DVRs Bucs games and Joe doesn’t make near the cash or have remotely the same responsibilities as Vacation Man), was on BSPNews recently to discuss the NFC South.

Vacation Man discusses how the Bucs just may use Cadillac Williams this year instead of keeping him on the shelf until next year, as previously planned.

Joe isn’t sure what resort or posh hotel Vacation Man was at when he phoned in this report. Vacation Man begins his Caddy discussion at roughly the 1:00 mark of the video.

A friendly hint to Vacation Man: There’s this thingie called DirecTV where, for a modest fee that is tax dedcutable, you can get every NFL game. Seriously!

Oddly enough, DirecTV also has a contraption called “DVR-plus” where it will record any NFL game one chooses. Plus, you can fast-forward rapidly through commercials and downtime between plays and halftime. It’s really a neat invention and quite inexpensive. In some cases, DirecTV will give you their DVR. Give as in “free!”

If Chucky does bolt for the University of Tennessee gig, which opened Monday when Phil Fulmer decided to step aside, he could set both himself and the University of Tennessee up for a lawsuit from the Glazer Boys.

Though those with inside sources claim Chucky is not headed to the University of Tennessee, the job is still open so Joe has learned from past experience unless a door is shut there’s always a chance someone — anyone — could walk through that same doorway.

Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com actually has a real day job as a lawyer. He had a post on his blog about the legal ramifications for Chucky, who is under contract with the Bucs through 2001, should he bolt for Knoxville.

“Though Gruden could never leave the Bucs for another NFL team absent permission, the Bucs can’t physically keep him from coaching at the college level. But the Bucs could sue Gruden for damages if he were to leave the Bucs in a manner that violates the terms of his contract. (Likewise, UT could be subject to liability for tortious inteference if it lures Gruden to break his deal.)”

This is interesting to Joe. Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune suggested the Glazer Boys would have to release Chucky from his contract.

The element of this that really gets Joe’s attention is that the university could also be held liable, not just Chucky.

“… the specific contents of the contract will go a long way toward determining whether Gruden could leave for the Tennessee job without an ugly fight. It’s possible, for example, that his contract specifically identifies the Tennessee job as one that he could pursue, if/when it ever becomes available.

“If the language of the deal presents an impediment to Gruden’s departure, the Glazers could decide to let him go, just as the Falcons did last year with Bobby Petrino.”

Unless there is specific language in Chucky’s contract that he could leave for a college gig, or that he could leave for specific college jobs, Joe wonders if the Univeristy of Tennessee would even risk getting sued for multiple seven figures? That’s a helluva price to pay for a coach who has never led a college team, not even in Division III. As Chuck Weis is finding out, dealing with 18-year old kids is a whole lot different than dealing with 32-year old men.

Then again, Chucky may have a buyout clause. Still, as Florio points out, this should make for an interesting next few weeks until Tennessee does fill the position.

“The biggest factor in all of this is whether Gruden wants to make the jump. Even if he says that he doesn’t, the Nick Saban experience of two years ago requires Gruden to be over-the-top unequivocal before anyone will begin to believe him.”

Desperate to convince themselves Chucky is coming to Tennessee, some reporters are checking property appraisal records in Tennesse with the name "Gruden."

In an apparent effort to convince himself Chucky would be a good fit for the Volunteers, Matt Wilson of the Nashville (TN) City Paper writes a column on who should be the next coach at Tennessee and why the candidate would be in a position to succeed longtime coach Phil Fulmer.

Tampa Bay Bucs coach Jon Gruden. He’s got all the positives of [Bill] Cowher (a Super Bowl ring and an intense attitude) with a UT connection. He was a graduate assistant for the Vols in 1986. His wife Cindy was a Vols cheerleader and is still a huge UT fan. Gruden apparently also has property in East Tennessee.

Joe wasn’t aware Chucky owned property in east Tennessee, though Joe doesn’t think the dots actually connect. Joe has driven through that neck of the woods a few times and it’s a beautiful area of the country. Joe can easily see Chucky taking his family up there for a few days in the early summer to escape Florida’s humidity and take a few days breather before training camp each summer.

Just because Chucky may have a parcel of land in the mountains doesn’t mean Chucky is already packing his bags for Knoxville.

Adam Shefter of NFL.com does not believe Chucky will bolt for the University of Tennessee vacancy.

Adam Schefter of NFL.com has been doing some digging and it’s his opinion that not only is Chucky not going to the University of Tennessee, that he’s staying in Tampa until the Glazer Boys throw him out.

In fact, one of my bosses at NFL Network emailed Monday with the news that Fulmer had agreed to step down, saying, “This is Gruden’s job.”

But in talking to those that know Gruden well, I’m not buying. Not one bit. When one person in regular contact with Gruden was asked about the possibility of the Buccaneers coach taking the Tennessee job, he responded, “Zero percent chance!”

Shefter is not the only one who has come to such a conclusion. WDAE-AM 620 drive time personality Steve Duemig is so convinced, he issued an edict Tuesday afternoon banning any such talk of Chucky to Tennessee “unless or until he actually signs a contract.”

On NFL Network’s “Total Access” nightly newscast late Tuesday night, Shefter was even more adamant that Chucky is staying put.

Bucs fans will finally get some understanding of Earnest Graham's knee injury during the Earnest Graham Show at 5 p.m on Sports Radio 1010 AM

Earnest Graham suffered a knee injury against the Chiefs that limited him in the second half, according to Jon Gruden. So far, there has been no real explanation of what happened.

Details of these injury reports are kept top secret until usually the Wednesday after a game, following players being evaluated completely by team staff. But Graham is sure to talk about his status at 5 p.m today on The Earnest Graham Show , on CBS Sports Radio 1010 AM. Graham joins JoeBucsFan.com friend J.P. Peterson and takes calls.

At 6 p.m., you can listen Ronde Barber on The Sports Animal. Hopefully, Ronde will talk candidly about his poor play this season.

Sports Radio 1010 AM  The Earnest Graham Show, 5 p.m to 6 p.m.

620 AM, The Sports Animal  The Ronde Barber Show, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Both shows can be heard online. Click on the links above.

Chris Harry of the Orlando Sentinel can't make up his mind: Either Chucky won't coach at Tennessee because of money, or money is not an issue.

At least one person covering the NFL suggests Chucky will stay in the pay-for-play-on-Sunday league not because the University of Tennessee doesn’t want him, but because Chucky wants money. Lots of it.

Chris Harry of the Orlando Sentinel blogged today that Chucky won’t go to Tennessee because of the lack of pay — then he strangely claims it’s not about money (well, if it’s not about money, why even introduce the premise into your blog post?).

But Fulmer was due to make about $2.6 million next season. Gruden has a contract with the Bucs — that would not be binding if he jumped to the college level, by the way — to coach through the 2011 season at more than $4 million per season.

If the Vols (or any college program) came calling, no, I don’t believe the decision would be about money. Gruden is a football coach who loves what he does.

I believe he loves the pro game more, and is better suited for it.

Just for a point of reference, paying a college coach $4 million a year isn’t that crazy. Nick Saban (Alabama) and Pete Carroll (USC) reportedly earn $4 million a year. Florida coach Urban Meyer makes $3.25 million a year.*

Yesterday, University of Tennessee football coach Phil Fulmer stepped down. Rumors began right away that the Volunteers were after Chucky. Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune went as far to blog on TBO.com that Chucky was the school’s “No. 1 choice.”

*Sources: Forbes, USA Today and ESPN.

Joe stumbled across a video that is mind-blowing, specifically for a high school football player. We’ve yet to see an NFL player pull off something like this. CNN was showing it this morning during its election coverage, of all places. It’s a can’t miss video.