This is the way John Lynch needs to be remembered, not by wearing Patriots gear.

It was great for Joe to see John Lynch wearing No. 47 back patrolling the turf at the CITS.

But it wasn’t nice to see Lynch wearing Patriots gear.

Lee Diekemper, writing for the Boston Globe noted that Lynch wasn’t too comfortable when asked if he has reconciled his ill will for Bruce Almighty and Chucky.

When asked if he had made amends with Allen and Gruden, Lynch winced but stated he had.

“You move on but to answer your question, yes,” he said.

There’s still something shady about how Lynch was let go. In the long run, it probably has worked out the best for both parties. Joe just wishes Lynch would hang it up before he starts talking like Muhammad Ali in 20 years.

Lynch is one of the good guys, and an all-time Bucs great. Let’s hope he doesn’t tarnish his career by playing beat up and getting roasted by Laveranues Coles.

Joe is still confused by this game. Are the Bucs this good? As soft as the Patriots looked, they’re still the Patriots, right? And the Bucs crushed them at the line of scrimmage in the first half — when it counts.

At this point, Joe needs to see Jeff Garcia under center and see the Bucs attempt a meaningful throw downfield. They’re not going to win squat without Carmella’s honey and a deep threat.

Joe was at the game last night and will have some locker room insight later.

Preseason Game 2
Patriots at Bucs, Sunday

Kickoff: 8 p.m.
TV: WTTA Channel 38, NFL Network
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 124.
Odds: From Bodog.com, Bucs -2.
Weather: AccuWeather.com lists game time conditions to be mostly cloudy in the mid-70s with a chance of thunderstorms late in the game.

Outlook: Joe is depressed. One of the greatest Bucs of all times is returning to the CITS, John Lynch. But the former Bucs safety will be wearing Patriots gear and playing for one of the greatest sleazebag coaches in NFL history Bill Belicheat.

Baby Daddy Tom Brady and his trophy girlfriend Victoria’s Secret model Gisele Bundchen won’t be found in Tampa this weekend. Brady has a sore foot (aawww) and won’t make the trip.

The Bucs will be without offensive tackle Luke Petitgout, who was released Saturday. Signed a year ago to a three-year, $15.5 million contract, Petitgout played four games and then blew out his back. He hasn’t played and sparingly practiced since.

The game for the Bucs will be a chance for some lesser players buried on the depth chart to show something or face the very real possibility of being cut. One such player is fourth string running back Kenneth Darby who has demonstrated some skills in limited playing time. Darby will likely have to excel on special teams to remain with the Bucs.

Like all preseason games, the key for the Bucs is for everyone to stay healthy.

The future for Bucs quarterback Chris Simms is confusing. He has been rumored to be traded to various teams and there's still the chance Phil's Boy could remain with the team.

Not sure if any Bucs fan was listening to Pro Football Weekly’s syndicated radio show (too) early Saturday morning on WDAE-AM 620, but PFW writer Eric Edholm noted that the Bucs had been in talks with Dallas Cowboys coach and owner Jerry Jones about swapping Chris Simms (for what was unsaid) because the Cowboys claim former Bucs Super Bowl-winning quarterback Brad Johnson’s arm is shot; that he can only throw short passes.

Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports the same rumor (though Balog writes Jones declined Bruce Almighty’s request for a mid-round pick). Balog hints that Phil’s Boy may still be on the Bucs roster when the season opens in September.

Maybe even Gruden would be reluctant to part ways with Simms, believe it or not.

Mainly because Simms has been in the Tampa Bay system for so long, also because he’s 6-foot-4, has a strong arm and experience as a starter _ a rare combination that is hard to find in a quarterback.

“A lot of people have seen him play and know why he’s here, too,” Gruden said last week. “We have a lot invested, too. He started in ’04, started in ’05 and in ’06. We have a lot of confidence that he can come back and be a player.”

Joe hates to be a broken record but it bears repeating: Son of Bob is a disaster waiting to happen at quarterback. Phil’s Boy is a much, much, much better option.

The way Michael Bennett has run around defenders gives the Bucs a lot of options at running back.

The stable of running backs the Bucs have may lead Chucky to use a running back by committee, so says AJ Mass of BSPN.com. While Earnest Graham became the feature back last year after Cadillac Williams went down, Mass suggests the Bucs have too many good running backs not to spread the wealth.

“Barring an injury in the preseason, we believe Gruden when he says Graham has earned the right to get first crack at the starting job. But we also can’t imagine that he’ll have too long of a leash either. Dunn and Bennett both provide a different style of running than Graham and “mixing it up” is all the rage in the NFL these days. Given the opponent, we could easily see Gruden going with any of his three backs in the primary role. Certainly, he won’t hesitate to try something new if Graham struggles on the first few series of any game he does start.”

Mass has a good point. The Bucs have too many good backs not to do this. Joe wouldn’t be surprised if Chucky and Bruce Almighty swing a trade of some sort after a team loses a running back due to injury in these worthless August games.

Joe can’t write strongly enough how badly the Bucs need help at wide receiver.

Having John Lynch Won't Clear The Stink That Hovers Around Coach Belichick

Belichick: So Johnny, we just signed you for $1.5 million. Yeah, Yeah, I know you’re a Hall of Famer and maybe you’ll behead Laveraneus Coles on a Favre overthrow. But let’s talk business. You spent four years in Denver, and they look like contenders this season. So where should I hang digital video cameras at the new Mile High?

John Lynch: Coach, I just want to play good football and help out in the community. I think we’re better than Denver anyway. Don’t you think?

Belichick: Come to my office after practice.

It makes Joe sick to see good-guy legend John Lynch join the likes of the Cheatriots.

Oh, well. Let’s hope No. 47 does a curtain call Sunday for the Bucs faithful, and proudly wears the Bucco Bruce hat to Canton one day.

Can Lord Favre Submit To A Young Coach? Would He Have Bowed To Chucky?

If ol’ No. 4 were wearing Pewter and Red, the talk entering Sunday’s preseason contest with New England would have been about Lord Favre figuring out Chucky’s playbook. Would they have clashed? How much would the overly complex Grudenspeak been scaled down?

We’ll never know.

But we’ll get a good sense of Favre’s ego and professionalism this preseason, as the signal caller barking orders in his helmet is four years his junior. That would be Brian Schottenheimer, the Jets offensive coordinator (son of Marty Chokenheimer.)

Last year, at this time, the Bucs had to give players fluids via intravenous methods over 100 times. But this year, reports Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger, the Bucs cut down the number of IVs significantly. Other reports suggested the amount of IVs needed to rehydrate players was down 75 percent from last year.

That was largely because of the air-conditioned 136-by-136 foot indoor tent that was used by the team. The Bucs normally spent mornings on the fields and at least 45 minutes in the afternoon before going to the tent.

Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Obviously, it’s never good that a player has to rehydrate himself using an IV. But one of the advantages of playing in the middle of the day early in the season is that teams, specifically the old Norris Division rivals, would come down to Tampa and wilt in the still broiling afternoons.

That air conditioned tent may backfire. Maybe, not being so used to the heat, the Bucs will be the ones melting in the heat and thereby losing a tremendous home field advantage. Joe hopes that is not the case.

Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece has his sights set upon making players wearing the wrong color jersey pay on special teams.

Ryan Nece may not be a starting linebacker this season but that doesn’t mean Ronnie Lott’s son won’t be on the Bucs roster when the regular season kicks off Sept. 7. Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune notes that Nece has established himself as the cornerstone of the Bucs special teams, not unlike Jeff Gooch was in years past.

“The interesting thing about special teams is you have to be talented at not just being able to run down and make a tackle,” Nece said. “You have to be able to run down, turn around and block somebody. You have to be able to have a punt set, know how to use your hands.”

With guys like Nece and safety Sabby Piscitelli, among others, to fill out special teams positions, it makes the Bucs all the more deep on the roster which is a very, very good thing.

Joe sure hopes Nece stays healthy and contributes as usual.

Bucs defensive back Sergey Ivanov, a native of Moscow (not Idaho; Russia) greets a Bucs wide receiver with a cold shoulder.

Roger Mooney of the Bradenton Herald has a great story on Bucs defensive back Sergey Ivanov, believed to be the first Moscow-born player to record a tackle in any NFL game, preseason, regular season or postseason.

You remember the movie ‘Jerry Maguire?’ “Ivanov asked.

Sure. “Show me the money!”

Yes, that one. Well for Ivanov, a Moscow native who was 11 when he first saw the movie, it was “Show me the football!”

“I said, ‘American football, I got to play this game,’ ” Ivanov said.

What a country!

Ivanov is not expected to make the team. But as part of an NFL International practice squad program, he will remain on the Bucs practice squad for the remainder of the season.

To Ivanov, Joe wishes ура и удачи!

Bucs defensive end Greg White better get his act together quickly or he will be watching from the bench when the season kicks off.

The Tampa Tribune’s troika of Bucs beat writers (Anwar Richardson, Woody Cummings and eye-RAH! Kaufman) have a list of five highs and five lows of the Bucs 2008 training camp.

Each list is somewhat predictable and most avid Bucs fans already know. But there was a surprise in both categories:

In the highs, Anwar/Woody/eye-RAH! listed the competition at wide receiver. Really? Well, I guess if they are all playing like garbage then, yeah, that would be competition.

In the lows was the sinking play of defensive end Greg White who led the Bucs in sacks at right end last year. White was moved to left end as Gaines Adams was installed atop the depth chart at right defensive end. Apparently, White is struggling so much that old man Kevin Carter is currently the top left end.

Unless White throws it into overdrive, and soon, White will remain a backup.

Bucs rookie offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah could be a solid find in the third round. But fans should be cautious of preseaon rookie hype.

It seems the Bucs may have found a gem in the third round, if Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times is to be believed. Bucs rookie offensive lineman Jeremy Zuttah apparently is playing well in practice. Part of the reason is that he takes a scholarly approach to practice, always carrying notebooks so he can grasp Chucky’s football version of E = mc2.

“Honestly, there would be disappointment if he didn’t do as well,” Bucs offensive line coach Bill Muir said. “We scouted him well. Some guys are robotic. He just gets it. Don’t send him to Canton yet. But for right now, the arrow is pointing in the right direction.”

I know it’s the preseason, and I know Stroud and other beat writers have a lot of copy to pound out when there’s really no news to speak of. Fans certainly should be wary of the constant streams of feel-good stories out of One Buc Palace this time of year. Every player feature of a rookie in the preseason suggests the player is easily going to win a roster spot.

How refreshing would it be if, just once, an MSM outlet would run a story about how much of a dog a fourth round draft pick is and how the guys who scouted him were so wrong they’ve been banished from the NFL and are now working in the AF2, or that the fourth-rounder stiff is such a dog he would be lucky to be a walk-on at Sam Houston State.

It seems Deuce and Reggie might not be 100 percent for the Bucs opener on Sept. 7

As promised, Joe is keeping tabs on the New Orleans Saints, opening day’s road opponent. Can you believe that’s only 23 short days away? 

Reggie Bush is struggling to return from the left knee injury (torn posterior ligament)  that sidelined him at the end of last season.  He sat out Thursday’s practice with knee swelling and will not play Saturday, according to the Times-Picayune.

Deuce McCallister will return to the Saints backfield on Saturday in a preseason contest against Houston. Deuce has had two keee surgeries in the past three seasons.  He went down in Week 3 last year.

As Joe mentioned earlier this week, it seems the Bucs might be catching the Saints on the road at the best time.  Their backs are banged up, and a key new piece of the defense, Jonathan Vilma, also is returning from injury and adjusting to a new system.

Bucs secondary coach Raheem Morris, a disciple of former Bucs secondary coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, may just follow in Tomlin's footsteps and become an NFL head coach next year.

In recent days, both Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com and The Big Dog, Steve Duemig on WDAE-AM 620 have been talking about how Bucs secondary coach Raheem Morris will likely be gone after this year because he is expected to be named a head coach, unless the Bucs secondary really stinks up the joint which shouldn’t happen.

Now, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune jumps on the Morris bandwagon. But Morris is trying to downplay all the kudos.

“Right now, I’m Monte’s secondary coach and I’m having a blast,” Morris said. “I can’t complain about anything. I would never want to be the guy that people thought was trying to push Monte out. He’s going to go whenever he’s ready to go.”

Maybe a way to keep Morris around would be for the Glazers sweeten the pot for him like they did for Monte Kiffin in years past.

If somehow Antonio Bryant can use some acrobatics to help the Bucs receivers, it would take a load off of Joey Galloway's shoulders.

Well, it’s a bit of a shock to hear that come from Chucky’s mouth.

Stephen Holder noted in the St. Petersburg Times’ Bucs Blog that Chucky is worried about his receivers since Galloway has yet to return.

Asked today who, if anyone is stepping up and performing consistently, Gruden conceded this: “Not enough. I haven’t seen enough, nor have you and nor have our fans. Somebody’s got to step up.”

Chucky did say that Antonio Bryant was playing pretty well and he is hoping other receivers begin to do the same.

Joe hates to be a broken record, but if Galloway cannot play, the offense is going to look — God forbid — Dungyesque (gasp!).

The Pessimist is impressed with former au pair Elin Nordegren, not Eldrick Woods

So Chucky arranged for Eldrick Woods to speak to the Bucs? Wow, color me… unimpressed.

Is there a more overrated “athlete” in the universe? I use the term “athlete” loosely because golf is no more a sport than darts or skeet shooting.

Sure, Eldrick (aka Tiger)  is good at what he does (how Stanford avoided being put on probation by the NCAA as a result of him negotiating with an agent while still on the golf team still amazes me). But spare me. Golf is no more a sport than curling.

I mean, what was Eldrick supposed to tell the Bucs? Was he going to show them how to block (I’ve never seen him block)?

Was he going to show them how to pass (I’ve never seen Eldrick throw anything but a tantrum)?

Was he going to show them how to run (I’ve never seen him run)?

Was he going to show them how strong he is (hell, he doesn’t even carry his own clubs!)?

Eldrick does, however, seem to know how to hire an au pair.

Maybe Eldrick was holding a seminar in media relations? That he could do. He could demonstrate to Dexter Jackson how to scream at photographers. “Eeewww! I heard a click. Ban that photographer NOW! WWWWHHHHAAAAAA!!!”

Or possibly, Eldrick could explain to Joey Galloway how to pump his fist and yell like a banshee. Somehow, I think NFL players already know how to do that.

Give me Deacon Jones as a motivational speaker any day!

Smoothies and veggie wraps keep the old man fit.

Since Mr. Galloway probably won’t do much this preseason, other than smoke a few young defensive backs in practice, Joe thought he’d help you find ol’ Greybeard.

Mr. Galloway now owns three smoothie shops in the Bay area. Smoothie Junction is definitely the Cadillac of the smoothie chains (although Joe prefers cold Guiness or Rolling Rock).

No truth to the rumor that Galloway storms out of the smoothie shop 10 minutes before closing every night, while leaving his co-workers to finish the shift.

Good Seats Available

So what kind of town is this, Tampa Bay?

Joe checked out Ticketmaster today and found plenty of good seats available for Bucs games — two together, three together, various price ranges, you name it, etc.

I guess anyone who saw all that Giants blue at January’s playoff game knew there was something wrong. Recession? Or are we not the football town we thought we were?

Bucs second year safety Sabby Piscitelli is looking to hit people now that he's recovered from a foot injury that shelved him for much of his rookie year.

Bucs second year safety Sabby Piscitelli is back, and he’s looking for payback after missing most of  last year with a foot injury.

Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings, of the Tampa Tribune, suggests Piscitelli should win the third and final roster spot for Bucs’ safeties.

Many have compared Piscitelli to John Lynch. Piscitelli and Lynch grew up in upscale surroundings (Piscitelli in Boca Raton; Lynch in Del Mar, Calif.); like Lynch, Piscitelli starred at a Pac-10 school (Piscitelli at Oregon State; Lynch at Stanford) and like Lynch, Piscitelli is known for bone-crunching hits.

Joe is happy Piscitelli is back and healthy. Chucky would be wise to keep him.

Bucs wide receiver Paris Warren is trying to come back from a terrible ankle injury suffered as he scored the winning touchdown in last year's final preseason game.

Last year, Paris Warren was the talk of the Bucs preseason. So impressive was the wide receiver that he may have won a starting job. Certainly Warren would have played a key role in the Bucs offensive scheme.

But in a cruel twist of fate, Warren, scoring the winning touchdown in the final preseason game, collapsed on the field with a grotesque left ankle injury, which pointed his foot the direction feet are not supposed to point.

Now, Warren is hoping he can bounce back from the injury that was so nasty, it left many Bucs veterans shaken. In fact, a number of the Bucs, including linebacker Derrick Brooks, rushed on the field to Warren’s aid.

The gesture touched Warren, as he told the Bradenton Herald’s Roger Mooney:

“It just shows how much respect I have from the other guys”

After struggling in his first few years in the NFL, Bucs cornerback Phillip Buchanon has blossomed into a solid player.

When Phillip Buchanon came out of “The U,” he was expected to be another in a long line of top notch Hurricane cornerbacks. But that didn’t happen. Instead, he was considered a bust. After being a first round pick by Oakland, he was cut and didn’t fare much better with Houston.

But Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger, apparently finished slurping Son of Bob, notes that Buchanon, now 27, may have found his niche with the Bucs and is starting to live up to expectations.

“I’m in a better environment,” he said. “I never figured myself to have a problem with tackling. The situations that I was put in – it was down, a lot of losing, a lot of things going on behind closed doors that people didn’t know about. It was kind of depressing.”

The way Buchanon has blossomed with the Bucs, in addition to Tanard Jackson, a healthy Sabby Piscitelli as well as the addition of Aqib Talib via the draft, Joe considers the Bucs to have the best defensive backfield in the NFL.

Oh yeah, isn’t there still some guy by the name of Ronde Barber playing, too?