Sure, Son of Bob did a good job of digging himself out of a hole Sunday. But Joe hasn't changed his mind about him.

If a football fan does not read SI.com’s Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback, a staple for football fans each Monday, why not? All sorts of good tidbits of information is included.

This week, King leads his column with a piece on Son of Bob. King, who Joe likes a great deal, is acting as if Son of Bob is Lazarus and has risen from the NFL dead.

“Early in the third quarter, I came off the field after we had a drive stall and Jon said, ‘We can’t run the football. I need you to go out and win this game.’ I said, fine, if you want me to throw it every play, I will. We just couldn’t run it at all. I never expected a day like today. None of us did. We wanted to run it because that’s the kind of team we are. But Chicago’s good, real good, against the run.

“It helped us to go to the no-huddle in the fourth quarter and overtime. We’re down 10 with about five minutes left and went hurry-up, and we got a field goal. Then we got the ball back, went to our two-minute drills, scored a touchdown, and got to overtime. We didn’t run it right away, but then we figured we’d go back to it, just to get back in a rhythm and give us a good tempo — and to prevent them from substituting and blitzing much. It worked.”

It worked — Sunday.

Let’s not get carried away yet. Joe again tips his cap to Son of Bob for the comeback. But if he doesn’t throw three picks, that comeback is not necessary.

Just get it over with already. It’s time to cut Dexter Jackson. The guy literally can’t stay on his feet. He takes more dives than a Honduran soccer player.

Send him home and promote Michael Spurlock off the practice squad.

Dexter Jackson continues to slip and fall whenever he touches the ball

All the Bucs are asking Jackson to do right now is catch punts and kickoffs and use his 4.3 speed to get positive yardage. He can’t do it.

He slipped on the turf in the Superdome, at RayJay, and put on a freakin’ diving clinic at Soldier Field. During his first two returns Sunday, he wiped out on invisible banana peels. After Chucky sat him down, Jackson returned in the fourth quarter to catch a punt and run backwards for a loss.

Where do you go from here with the guy? Running is essential in sports. And he can’t run without falling. What, are they going to work on that in practice? “Good job, Dexter. Way to stay on your feet. One more time. One foot in front of the other. Attaboy. Let’s try it again.”

On top of that, on a day when Chucky serves up 67 passes, not one falls into the hands of the second-round pick out of Appalachian State. If he can’t crack this below-average receiving corps, and he can’t return kicks, then what is his future?

Cut your losses, Bucs.

In case you forgot what a kick return looks like, here’s a look at Spurlock’s historic run last year. Spurlock Takes It To The House

Joe's cheering the 2-1 record but scratching his head over the state of the team

So the Bucs shocked the Bears with a fourth-quarter comeback and an overtime win. It feels good, and a 2-1 record is just fine.

But what do we know about this bizarre Bucs team? Joe stayed up all night and came up with the following:

• Ronde Barber looks like a shabby cover guy
• The vaunted Bucs defense has allowed 400+ yards in 2 of 3 games
• The Bucs have a big-play defense
• The team plays extraordinarily hard for Jon Gruden
• Brian Griese is an excellent backup quarterback
• Griese plays with Favre-like confidence after tossing three interceptions
• Antonio Bryant gets open almost every play
• Dexter Jackson needs new feet
• Jon Gruden hates running the football
• The Bucs’ special teams don’t look very special
• The offensive line put on a pass-blocking clinic against the Bears

This is a Bucs team that has yet to define itself. They’re 2-1, but you don’t really know what direction they’re headed. Maybe that’s good. I don’t know how Green Bay prepares to face the Bucs next week.

Each week Joe documents what Bucs defensive end Gaines Adams on every play he’s on the field.

NIP: Not in the play.
NOF: Not on the field.

First quarter
Chicago – 14:04
1st-10, TB15 14:04 Forte rushed to the right for no gain.
Initially got pressure but guard Dan Buenning stoped Adams on a dead run. NIP.
2nd-10, TB15 13:21 Orton incomplete pass down the middle.
Got around John St. Clair but St. Clair recovered to take Adams out of the play.
3rd-10, TB15 13:16 Orton sacked by Barber.
At left defensive end Adams had a loop stunt inside and got lit up by Roberto Garcia. NIP.

Chicago – 11:05
1st-10, CHI23 11:05 Orton passed to Davis to the right for 13 yard gain.
Runs right and past a possible tackle.
1st-10, CHI36 10:32 Forte rushed to the right for 4 yard gain.
Cuts inside and is swallowed up by the mass humanity of the trench.
2nd-6, CHI40 9:57 Orton passed to Olsen to the left for 10 yard gain.
Runs around St. Clair to the outside and gets some heat on Orton.
1st-10, 50 9:34 Forte rushed to the right for 7 yard gain.
Cuts inside and is about to make the tackle on Forte when Forte puts a move to the inside of Adams and avoids the Bucs defensive end.
2nd-3, TB43 9:01 Forte rushed to the left for 4 yard gain.
Cuts inside again and is about to make the play on forte when McKie lights him up with a block that takes him out of the play.
1st-10, TB39 8:21 Orton passed to Forte to the right for 12 yard gain.
Cuts inside again and after taking two steps past the line of scrimmage anticipates a run or a screen and halts his penetration which allows Orton plenty of time.
1st-10, TB27 7:41 Forte rushed to the right for 3 yard loss.
Forte runs to the Bucs left and away from Adams. NIP.
2nd-13, TB30 7:03 Forte rushed to the right for 5 yard gain.
Again Forte runs right. NIP.
3rd-8, TB25 6:21 Orton incomplete pass to the right.
At left defensive end, Adams rolls past blockers and gets pressure on Orton but Orton steps up into the pocket to avoid Adams.

Chicago – 1:40
1st-10, CHI48 1:40 Orton incomplete pass to the right.
Initially rushes outside and them drops back into pass coverage.
2nd-10, CHI48 1:37 Forte rushed to the right for 4 yard gain.
Adams, at left defensive end, runs way outside of blockers and doesn’t get any pressure on Orton.
3rd-6, TB48 0:58 Orton sacked by White.
At left defensive end runs way outside. NIP.

Second quarter
Chicago – 14:47
1st-10, TB38 14:47 Forte rushed to the left for 4 yard gain.
NIP.
2nd-6, TB34 14:00 Ruud intercepted Orton for no gain.
NIP.

Chicago – 12:02
1st-10, CHI26 12:02 Forte rushed to the left for 2 yard gain.
Adams cuts inside and is buried.
2nd-8, CHI28 11:23 Orton passed to Forte to the left for 1 yard gain.
Rus right past blockers and just as he is about to get Orton Adams slips and falls.
3rd-7, CHI29 10:41 Orton passed to Forte to the right for 6 yard gain.
John Tait has a good block on Adams but Adams bull-rushes him to put heat on Orton.

Chicago – 8:22
1st-10, CHI28 8:22 Orton rushed to the right for 12 yard gain.
Adams gets pushed around by three different blockers but recovers nicely to track down Orton on the scramble.
1st-10, CHI40 7:40 Forte rushed to the right for 1 yard gain.
Bears tight end Greg Olsen does a nice job of tangling up Adams as Forte runs inside of him.
2nd-9, CHI41 7:04 Orton passed to Forte to the left for 19 yard gain.
NOF.
1st-10, TB40 6:12 Orton sacked by Carter.
NOF.
2nd-19, TB49 5:26 Adams intercepted Orton for 45 yard touchdown.
Adams uses an inside move to get past the line and anticipating a screen pass stops his persuit and gets in front of receiver to intercept the pass and return it for the Bucs second touchdown and a 14-6 lead.

Chicago – 5:19
1st-10, CHI24 5:19 Orton passed to McKie to the right for 5 yard gain .
Runs a stunt to the inside to get some pressure on Orton.
2nd-5, CHI29 4:40 Orton passed to Clark to the right for 4 yard gain.
NOF.
3rd-1, CHI33 4:02 Forte rushed to the left for 2 yard gain.
NOF.
1st-10, CHI35 3:23 Forte rushed to the left for 3 yard gain.
NOF .
2nd-7, CHI38 2:48 Orton passed to Olsen to the right for 6 yard gain.
NOF.
3rd-1, CHI44 2:09 Orton incomplete pass to the right.
NOF.
4th-1, CHI44 2:06 Fake punt. Wolfe rushed to the right for 38 yard gain.
NOF.
1st-10, TB18 1:59 Forte rushed to the right for 3 yard gain.
Inside move. NIP.
2nd-7, TB15 1:26 Orton rushed to the left for 4 yard gain.
Completely blows past St. Clair and runs a circular route to track down Orton from behind.
3rd-3, TB11 0:48 Forte rushed to the left for 1 yard gain.
At left defensive end, Adams is bottled up by Tait. NIP.

Third quarter
Chicago – 14:54
1st-10, CHI32 14:54 Forte rushed to the left for 2 yard gain.
Adams is driving inside but still gets an assist on Forte.
2nd-8, CHI34 14:12 Forte rushed to the left for 3 yard gain.
Adams tries to run an outside loop to the right but Forte runs inside. NIP.
3rd-5, CHI37 13:35 Orton incomplete pass to the left.
At left defensive end Adams gets past Tait and hurdles Forte to get pressure on Orton.

Chicago – 12:04
1st-10, CHI47 12:04 Orton incomplete pass to the left.
Handled by St. Clair.
2nd-10, CHI47 11:59 Forte rushed to the left for 5 yard gain.
Runs right past block but Forte runs inside. NIP.
3rd-5, TB48 11:17 Orton incomplete pass to the left.
Runs a loop stunt inside to get some pressure on Orton.

Chicago – 7:14
1st-10, CHI14 7:14 Forte rushed to the right for 3 yard gain.
Olsen pinches him inside. NIP.
2nd-7, CHI17 6:37 Jones rushed to the left for 6 yard gain.
Tries a spin move on St. Clair but is owned by the left tackle as Jones runs inside. NIP.
3rd-1, CHI23 6:10 Orton rushed up the middle for 2 yard gain.
NOF.
1st-10, CHI25 5:25 Orton passed to Lloyd to the left for 21 yard gain.
Stutter-steps around St. Clair but gets no pressure as Orton gets the ball away quickly.
1st-10, CHI46 4:52 Jones rushed to the left for 3 yard gain.
Curves outside and Jones runs slightly inside, just out of reach of Adams.
2nd-7, CHI49 4:16 Orton passed to Davis to the left for 18 yard gain.
Adams loops around St. Clair but gets no pressure on Orton.
1st-10, TB33 3:47 Orton passed to Lloyd to the left for 27 yard gain.
NOF.
1st-6, TB6 2:54 Orton passed to Forte to the left for 6 yard touchdown. 2pt attempt converted, Orton pass to Lloyd.
NOF.

Chicago – 1:07
1st-10, CHI13 1:07 Orton rushed to the left for 4 yard gain.
Adams runs a loop inside and nearly gets Orton but slips and falls.
2nd-6, CHI14 0:31 Jones rushed to the left for 1 yard gain.
Adams is initially unblocked and just as he is about to get Jones is blown up by McKie.

4th Quarter
Chicago continued
3rd-5, CHI15 15:00 Orton passed to Lloyd to the left for 25 yard gain.
At left defensive end gets past blockers on a loop to the outside but gets no pressure.
1st-10, CHI40 14:38 Orton passed to Forte to the right for 10 yard gain.
Double-teamed. NIP.
1st-10, 50 14:12 Forte rushed to the right for 1 yard gain.
Adams gets pushed inside. NIP.
2nd-9, TB49 13:29 Forte rushed to the right for 11 yard gain.
NOF.
1st-10, TB38 12:53 Forte rushed to the right for 3 yard gain.
NOF.
2nd-7, TB35 12:04 Orton incomplete pass to the left.
NOF.
3rd-7, TB35 11:57 Orton passed to Clark to the right for 4 yard gain.
At left defensive end, Adams sheds blockers but gets no pressure.

Chicago – 10:08
1st-10, CHI46 10:08 Orton passed to Lloyd to the left for 8 yard gain.
Adams runs way outside of blockers and gets a little heat on Orton.
2nd-2, TB46 9:31 Forte rushed to the right for 2 yard gain.
Owned by St. Clair as Forte runs right past Adams.
1st-10, TB44 8:52 Orton passed to Forte to the right for 12 yard gain.
Initially gets past St. Clair and stops his pursuit expecting a run that never comes.
1st-10, TB32 8:20 Orton passed to Davis to the left for 6 yard gain.
NOF.
2nd-4, TB26 7:46 Orton passed to McKie to the right for 12 yard gain.
NOF.
1st-10, TB14 7:01 CHI committed 5 yard penalty.
1st-15, TB19 6:38 Orton passed to Lloyd to the left for 19 yard touchdown. Gould made PAT.
NOF.

Chicago – 3:11
1st-10, CHI20 3:11 Forte rushed to the left for 7 yard gain.
Gets caught in the scrum and narrowly misses Forte.
2nd-3, CHI27 2:25 Forte rushed to the right for 1 yard gain.
NOF.
3rd-2, CHI28 2:20 Orton rushed to the right for no gain.
NOF.

Overtime
Chicago – 11:47
1st-10, CHI14 11:47 Forte rushed to the left for 5 yard gain.
NOF.
2nd-5, CHI19 11:09 Forte rushed to the right for 1 yard gain.
Cuts inside and is owned by Buenning as Forte runs right by Adams.
3rd-4, CHI20 10:29 Orton passed to Lloyd to the right for 24 yard gain.
Loops to his left and Orton sidesteps Adams as he moves to his left opposite of the charging defensive end.
1st-10, CHI44 9:54 CHI committed 5 yard penalty.
NOF.
1st-15, CHI39 9:38 Forte rushed to the right for 8 yard gain.
NOF.
2nd-7, CHI47 8:59 Orton incomplete pass to the left.
NOF.
3rd-7, CHI47 8:55 Orton incomplete pass down the middle.
Runs right around blockers and is about to bury Orton when he slips and falls.

Ike Hilliard, right, and center Jeff Faine celebrate Hilliard's first quarter touchdown.

NFL Network has some video of the Bucs overtime win over the Bears.

First up are the game highlights, replete with Gene Deckerhoff calling the plays. Then there is the postgame press conference where Chucky calls the win “One of the greatest gutchecks I’ve ever been associated with.”

Matt Bryant gave Bucs fans reason to celebrate... again.

The headline above is a quote from Dick Vitale. And it’s deserving of the Bucs’ overtime win over the Bears in Chicago.

The Bucs had no business winning that game. None. Son of Bob was putrid until it was do-or-die. It’s been well-documented that Joe loathes Son of Bob but Joe has to tip his cap to him today… after cursing at the TV vehemently most of the afternoon.

Nice job!

Joe will have much more later. Keep checking back. Joe needs to calm down first.

And get another beer.

Ronde Barber is just one giant slice of toast today.

Since when did Brandon Lloyd become Jerry Rice?

Since when did Ronde Barber become so terrible?

Joe remembers when Lloyd was a stud receiver at the University of Illinois. He was also a decent receiver for a garbage team at San Francisco. But today, Barber has been getting schooled so badly, Lloyd is having the game of his career.

And the Bucs have now painted themselves into the corner.

Geez this is looking bad. Joe is depressed.

Joe might also need to make another run to the liquor store.

* Joe is really impressed with the Bucs defense. Son of Bob gave the Bears a short field and then the special teams took a nap. Other than that, the Bears would only have a field goal.

* How about Gaines Adams? He makes the play of his life. If you are following Gaines Watch you will know that Adams does a good job of reading screens.

* What is up with the turf? Seems as if the Bucs are slipping and sliding all over the place. Maybe the equipment guys might want to change the cleats?

* Quit running left Chucky. Run right and take advantage of those road graders you have.

Buccaneers at Bears
Week Three
Kickoff: Sunday, 1 p.m.
TV: WTVT Channel 13.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 152.
Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, near perfect weather on the shores of Lake Michigan, which is rare for Chicago. Temperature at kickoff expected to be 71 degrees under partly sunny skies.
The NFL Network has a more complete look at the forecast.
Odds: From Bodog.com: Bears -3.
Outlook: It’s possible the Bucs will face their toughest game yet. There are three trends that trouble Joe:

The first is that Son of Bob is starting the game.

The second is that Joey Galloway will not start. As Joe has written several times, it’s that Galloway is the Bucs most important player. Without him, the passing game is stagnant. Now throw Son of Bob into the equation, and it’s downright disturbing.

The third element is that Joe is not convinced Chucky will try to pound the ball, which he should given his bevy of solid running backs and strong run-blocking offensive line.

The Bears mirror the Bucs right now. Lousy quarterback (Kyle Orton), most dangerous player hurt (Devon Hester), a strong running game with rookie Matt Forte and an opportunistic defense.

As JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve Campbell pointed out earlier in the week, Chucky needs to pound the rock and stick to it, not get impatient and try to win through the air. Relying on Son of Bob’s arm at windy Solider Field against the Bears defense is a frightening concept.

NFL Network has a detailed video preview of the game.

Former Ravens coach Brian Billick raves how Derrick Brooks is the perfect linebacker for the Tampa-2 defense.

Joe is not much of a fan of Brian Billick. This guy, like Chucky, was supposed to be an offensive genius (and Billick will gladly tell you as much) with a gift for developing quarterbacks.

How many stiffs did Billick trot in and out of Balitmore year after year and they were no better than some drunk sitting at the end of the bar on NFL Sundays on the patio at Fergs?

But in an NFL Network video (damnit Goodell, let us embed these videos) Billick does a really nice job in explaining what exactly the Tampa-2 defense is and why it’s so effective.

Bears return man Devin Hester has a rib injury that is expected to keep him sidelined Sunday against the Bucs

Like every breathing football fan, Joe loves watching the Bears’ Devin Hester return punts and kicks.  Dante Hall, aka The Human Torch, passed the flame to Hester in 2006. And the Deion Sanders disciple has lit up the NFL.

The Bucs catch a major break Sunday, as Hester has a rib injury and is unlikely to play, according to the Chicago Tribune. 

Hester’s big impact on a game is field position, which is critical to the success of Bears QB Kyle Orton, who sucks.

Both Orton and Brian Griese can not be counted on to lead their teams on long touchdown drives. Orton’s longest TD drive over the first two games is only 54 yards, and he has not tossed a TD this season.

The loss of Hester should put more pressure on Orton, which is a good thing. The Bucs are going to need big plays on defense to win this game. …Unless you think Son of Bob is going to light it up by spreading the field to Michael Clayton and Antonio Bryant. Yeah, right.

Emily Gagnon: A young Bonnie Bernstien?

As Joe rolls out some eye candy today, he doesn’t want to leave out the finest lass on the Bucs beat, Emily Gagnon. There’s not much competition, but there’s something about a girl who loves football. …

Emily’s latest video for Pewter Report is here. She’s at the end of the video, after we’re forced to watch Jerramy Stevens do his best human being impression.

Various media outlets have their power rankings listed for Week 3. Let’s take a peek at who has the Bucs ranked where:

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com still isn’t too high on the Bucs, now ranked No. 19.

The defense had a solid game against the Falcons, but the move to Brian Griese didn’t do much for the offense. Earnest Graham continues to be a pleasant surprise.

Adrian Hasenmayer of FoxSports.com is a bit higher on the Bucs at No. 16.

Brian Griese is Jon Gruden’s QB Flavor of the Week, meaning Jeff Garcia’s hearing the trade rumors. Chucky may as well pull the trigger — does he really think Garcia’s Bucs could beat some of the other top teams in the playoffs? He may not want to hear it, but Chucky should reload in ’08.

Pat Yasinskas of BSPN.com is somewhere in between with the Bucs at No. 19.

Looks like Brian Griese will stay as QB of the present and rely on strong defense.

Then there is Joe’s favorite bitter NFL writer, the dean of football scribes Paul Zimmerman (a.k.a. Dr. Z). He seems smitten with Earnest Graham as he has the Bucs at No. 19.

Earnest Graham fell into their laps as a free agent in 2003. He bounced around for a couple of years, taxi squad, activated, then the whole thing over again. Finally he made it. At 5-foot-9, 225, you wouldn’t think of him as a guy who would break stopwatches, but look at his two-game stats, after his 68-yard run iced the Falcons game Sunday — 25 carries, 207 yards, 8.3 average.

BSPN NFL analyst Marcellus Wiley claims the reason why Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia lost his job to Son of Bob was that Garcia was too stressed out. I mean, really, would you be stressed out if you came home to this each day?

At any rate, Wiley claims Garcia was putting too much pressure on himself due to the Brett Favre trade rumors and his injuries. Joe is sure Chucky and Bruce Almighty monkeying with Garcia’s seven-figure bonus last year didn’t help Garcia’s stress level, if stress is even an issue.

Give Wiley’s take a look:

JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve Campbell wonders if Bucs guard Arron Sears is in a sophomore slump. Campbell breaks down the Bucs offensive line in his weekly analysis.

 JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve Campbell reviews the Bucs’ offensive line play in Week 2 and projects what fans can expect against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Donald Penn: I can’t explain how pleasantly surprised I am with the play of Penn. Yeah, he did give up the sack to John Abraham that caused a crucial fumble in the red zone. But like the sack he gave up to McCray, it was a situation of a quarterback holding on to the ball too long. I’m not saying he dominated Abraham. He had his hands full at times. In fact, on Warrick Dunn’s 17-yard touchdown run, Penn was beaten and is real lucky he wasn’t called for holding. But Abraham has made far more experienced and talented left tackles look silly in his career. Good all around day for the second year man from Utah State. B+

Arron Sears: Like Michael Clayton and Cadillac Williams, after a great rookie year, Sears seems to be in the midst of a bad sophomore slump. Sears was used all day long by Falcons defensive tackle Jonathan Babineaux. Maybe Jonathan read my scouting report last week where I claimed he “didn’t bring much to the table,” because he beat Sears like he stole something. Arron is still having trouble in his pass sets, and even struggled in the run game Sunday. The good news is, on the plays where he did his job, he did it in his familiar overpowering way. So he just needs to work on his consistency. D

Jeff Faine: I’ll admit, I’ve been less than impressed with Faine when he is faced with the task of moving one of the big defensive tackles off the ball. But, as expected, he’s good in space and gets to the second level. It was an average day, but they need more this week against the Bears, and that’s why they paid him like they did. C

Jeremy Zuttah: Zuttah held his own again. I didn’t see anything to discourage me from thinking he will be a big part of this franchise for a long time. B-

Jeremy Trueblood: Now this game showed the Jeremy Trueblood we have all waited to see. I really wish Bucs offensive line coaches Bill Muir and George Yarno made their grades public, because I would love to see what Trueblood graded out at. I honestly thought he played his best game as a Buccaneer. He was great in pass protection, and he simply rag-dolled people in the run game. Outstanding effort. A

As I mentioned earlier, the Bucs will face a much better defense than the one they saw in the first two weeks. The Bears are led by what may be the best and deepest defensive line in the league. Penn and Trueblood will have their hands full with the defensive ends; Alex Brown and Adawale Ogunleye are equally fierce against the run and the pass.

In the middle, the Bucs will have to deal with the three-man tandem of Tommie Harris, Dusty Dvoracek, and rookie Marcus Harrison. I’m not sure what is going on with Harris, but his playing time has been reduced so far this season. Last week he was only in on 20+ plays while the Bears went with Dvoracek and Harrison. Dvoracek, who has only played one game in his first two NFL seasons due to injury, was credited with nine tackles in the loss to Carolina. That is a very active day for somebody playing the NT position.

The Bucs are going to need to run the ball early and STAY WITH IT, even if they don’t gain significant yards. They don’t want Brian Griese chucking the ball all over the field against this opportunistic defense.

"I do all the talking, dammit."

So it seems Coach Gruden didn’t like Michael Clayton telling the media he expected to start Sunday for the injured Joey Galloway, according to the St. Pete Times.

“A couple players have already spoken that (Galloway is) not going (to play), but I’ll make that decision, okay?” Gruden said. “I’ll decide who starts, too. As long as I have the title here as head coach, I’ll do that.”

Joe hopes Chucky is not upset because he thinks Clayton’s comments sent a message to Chicago to prepare for a no-Galloway offense.  That would mean Chucky wants to keep the Bears guessing.

Well, coach, if you really cared about this kind of gamesmanship, you would tell the whole world that healthy Jeff Garcia could get the start in Chicago. What team, or thinking person could dismiss that? That would make real sense. That would be smart coaching. That would definitely upset the Bears’ preparation.

The Bucs are battling the Bears and the Rays this weekend. (Sorry. Joe has a soft spot for Delmon Young.)

If the Bucs lose to Chicago and go 1-2 during the same week the Rays start selling playoff tickets, the Bucs will feel the effect of life as the No. 2 team in town.

Now is the time of year when many big companies set marketing budgets for 2009, and start buying. The Bucs will get hurt financially if the team is in the crapper and their salespeople have to compete against the feel-good Rays.

Also, there are thousands of average Joes out there who will save their nickels to score Rays playoff tickets, plus Rays gear and beers for slutty honeys at Ferg’s. Their attitude will be, ‘Screw the 1-2 Bucs, and buying new Bucs gear and tickets to sell out the remaining games at RJS.’

But if the Bucs win, well, the team’s buzz in full swing. They’re a winning club with an intriguing Packers team coming to Tampa.

This is why Joe is sure that if the Bucs lose on Sunday, Jeff Garcia starts again, as Gruden will feel the heat from upstairs. The Bucs would need a spark, on the field and off.

Shaquille O'Neal look-alike Chidi Ahanotu is in Hillsborough County Jail

Former Bucs DE Chidi Ahanotu returned to Hillsborough County Jail today.  Chidi’s jail record (linked above) reports he’s unemployed and living on Harbour Island. 

Ahanotu, 37, has been hit with stalking charges before by his ex-fiance. And the St. Pete Times reports he violated a domestic violence injunction recently. The Times report says he’s been telephoning his ex-fiance, a no-no in the eyes of the law.

Last week, Chidi did some analyst work for 1470 AM ESPN Tampa Bay.  He sat in on a Saturday afternoon show breaking down many football games.

Get some help, Chidi.

Apparently a salivating Bears defense awaits the return of Brian Griese. Chicagoans are happy Garcia's on the bench, says a Chicago Tribune columnist..

Here’s a good indication of how Tampa Bay’s sports media is a bunch of softball tossers: It takes a Chicago Tribune colunmist to fire the hardest the shots at Chucky for benching Garcia and starting Griese, especially vs. the Bears.

Among the hard hits:

Brown and his defensive teammates wisely avoided giving Tampa Bay players anything to pin on their bulletin board. But you didn’t have to hear the Bears say what any reasonably aware NFL observer can see.

Griese, though efficient, represents the type of stationary quarterback the Bears defense loves to attack. Garcia, as last season reminded the league, possesses mobility that keeps plays alive against pass rushes as fierce as that of the Bears.

Even Griese noted how much more varied and aggressive the Bears defense has looked this season, a factor Gruden apparently ignored when picking the statue over the scrambler.

“The way they’re playing defense right now doesn’t resemble quite what they played last year or the past two years for that matter,” Griese said during a conference call with Chicago media.

Joe can’t ever root for the Bucs to lose. But he’s really hoping Griese performs so poorly Gruden is forced to back to Garcia. For the good of this team. And for a shot to play in a Super Bowl at home in 2009.