Drew Bennett and Jon Anik of BSPN take a look back at the Bucs second win of the season.

Bucs fans throughout the Bay area are giddy this morning and it has nothing to do with the expected return of the bearded guy from points north returning later this week.

The Bucs not just won, but slapped around the Seahawks on the road yesterday.

Despite Bucs fans finally enjoying a Monday morning, as best as one can with the start of a new work week, for just the second time this fall, all is not ice cream and balloons for Raheem the Dream.

Like others, Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune isn’t completely sold that the win yesterday secured Raheem the Dream’s second season as the Bucs coach.

The solid 24-7 win against the Seattle Seahawks didn’t hurt his chances of staying beyond this season, but that doesn’t mean the heat on Tampa Bay’s young coach is significantly less this morning than it was 24 hours ago. I mean, even with a dose of feel-good three time zones away from home, the Bucs are still just 2-12.

He needed to show improvement in these final games of the season, though, and this was better. We should give him credit for that. If the result had gone the other way in foggy, drizzly Seattle, we’d have been looking for extra nails, a hammer and a coffin painted pewter.

Oh, and Bill Cowher’s cell phone number.

“That’s what the whole end of the season is about for us,” Morris said. “It’s establishing, it’s progressing, it’s forming, it’s getting these guys to believe. They saw it happen today, they saw it working. Hopefully that stimulates a little bit more belief in our players, our coaches and our organization. That’s where we need to go.”

No one expects the Bucs to do anything in the Superdome next week with the Saints itching to return to their winning ways after being upset Saturday by Dallass.

If the Bucs are beaten soundly by the Falcons to close the season at home, Raheem the Dream should be very concerned.

He threw an interception on his first pass.

Again.

Given the interception machine he had turned into and the vows from Raheem the Dream to scale back the playbook, when Bucs rookie quarterback Josh Freeman threw an interception Sunday in his first attempt, Joe wondered if Rudy Carpenter had warmed up.

Yes, Joe felt that bad, thought maybe it was time for the rookie to sit down and watch again.

But something funny happened on the way to being demoted: Freeman rallied.

His first win in his first start, Freeman rallied the Bucs from behind to beat the Packers. But it was this win Sunday that Gary Shelton of the St. Petersburg Times called Freeman’s best comeback.

On a misty Sunday afternoon a long way from home, Freeman came back from the questions and the doubts. He came back from the insults and the scorn. He came from two weeks of being scatter-armed and scatter-brained.

Mostly, Freeman came back from questionable play so hard that by the time the game ended, he looked like an answer once again.

Call him the re-chosen one.

Yes, it’s a bumpy road for rookie quarterbacks. Joe will be very interested to see what the kid does at New Orleans next week. The Cajuns will not be kind to young Freeman.

How he will muster against the Saints in a crazy dome will speak volumes to Joe.

"I know you don't believe me honey, but it's money in the bank. I beat the Falcons and I'm back."

Raheem the Dream will get a lot of street cred with the win over Seattle, but will it be enough to lock up another year for himself?

Just judging by the comments to Joe from fans, yesterday’s win won’t be enough.

Count Tom Balog among those nof sold that Raheem the Dream punched his ticket for the 2010 season yesterday. The Bucs beat writer for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune believes Raheem the Dream needs one more victory in the last two weeks to lock up a second season coaching the Bucs.

The Buccaneers’ ownership wants desperately to see signs that its team is heading in the right direction and Sunday’s monumental 24-7 victory over the Seahawks was unquestionably an exclamation point for the Glazers to ponder, despite Tampa Bay’s 2-12 record.

Scoring 24 unanswered points, the second-half surge, converting turnovers into points and emptying Qwest Field in the fourth quarter can be interpreted as a red flare of progress for Raheem’s regime.

The last thing the Glazers want to do is change head coaches for the second straight offseason.

Joe sort of agrees with Balog. Right now it’s even money that Raheem the Dream returns. No one expects the Bucs to do anything at New Orleans next week. Atlanta at home will be a very important game in the short career of Raheem the Dream.

Raheem the Dream took a moment after awarding his players a “Victory Monday” following the Bucs win Sunday on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

Raheem the Dream also seemed to take a veiled shot at fans who have been lobbying for his dismissal.

“We talked [at halftime] about getting the ball back and scoring. If we score, then it will be on our defense. At that point, if it was on them I thought we could win.

“The interception by Tanard Jackson was a big time play. He has come up big for us all year and I’m glad to see we were able to capitalize. The defense has been playing better and the offense was playing well. I was proud of them.

“That was great execution on both screen plays by a young quarterback. He is magical now with the backs. It was nice. [Freeman] is a guy who can deliver the football downfield. You have to have patience with the young man. I think he learned from his last two games and has grown.

“It is very rewarding. We want to finish this year strong and go into next year and get good again. If we finish strong, especially with a game on the west coast like this, this means a lot.

“This is beautiful, I am proud of the players and the fans who have stuck with us.”

Cadillac Williams took time out from a jubilant Bucs locker room to talk on the Buccaneers Radio Network about the victory over Seattle.

“It was a total team win. The offense, the defense and I have to tip my hat to the offensive line who gave me and Derrick [Ward] some room to run.

“On my screen pass [for a touchdown] the offensive line did a good job and got me in the end zone. Yeah, we had confidence. At halftime [Raheem the Dream] said we needed to punch it in and on defense, we will knock the fight out of them. When we punched it in, the game totally changed.”

Bucs rookie quarterback Josh Freeman spoke on the Bucs radio network after the game and was a relieved man.

“Wins are so hard to come by in this league. The defense gave us good field position all day.

“I don’t know how many plays are yards it was [on the first drive of the second half]. We kept the chains moving, it might have been six minutes. We were wearing the [Seattle] defense out. Then our defense was getting three and outs. It was a great start to the second half.

“I felt comfortable for sure. I’m not sure what you want me to compare it to. The offensive line protected me well and I was getting more comfortable with our schemes. Like that long play to Antonio Bryant, things were clicking a little bit better.

“All I wanted [for Christmas] was to win football games.”

Raheem The Dream is pleased.

He looks at his team and likes what he sees.

Raheem The Dream talked about his team’s development following the 24-7 win in Seattle, courtesy of the video feed on Buccaneers.com.

“That was what the whole end of the season is about for us. It’s establishing. It’s progressing. It’s forming. It’s getting these guys to believe. They seen it today happen,” Raheem The Dream said. “Hopefully that stimulates a little more belief in the players, in the coaches, and our organization period.”

(Joe finds that last sentence very interesting and troubling. Raheem The Dream is all but admitting there was a top-to-bottom loss of confidence within the Bucs organization.)

“I’m lovin what’s going on right now with the football team in general,” Raheem The Dream continued. “You know, those guys are fighting together. You can see it on the sidelines. You can see it with those guys together. You can see how they rally around their players, their peers, their coaches. Everything is going in the right direction. It’s what you want to build on for next year.

“This is who we are. This is who we got to be. This is what we are. This is what I thought we could be all throughout the season. It took a while to get there. But I think we’re there now. We gotta come out and follow this thing up two weeks in a row. But, that’s a good look for us.”

Yes, Joe can finally use that word again: highlights. Thanks to the Bucs second win of the season.

As you can expect from Joe, he brings you much more highlights far earlier than the MSM will deliver to you.

First up are the highlights of the game replete with the voice of the Bucs, Gene Deckerhoff.

Next up are Josh Freeman’s top plays.

There there are the Bucs touchdowns from Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward.

Interceptions were key for the Bucs, including Tanard Jackson’s as well as Elbert Mack.

One of the stupidest plays Joe has ever seen came from Matt Hasselbeck as he tried to lateral to no one in particular, which was scooped up by Joe’s MVP, Geno Hayes.

Buccaneers.com also has Raheem the Dream’s press conference in its entirety.

Bucs invisible defensive end Kyle Moore seemed happy with the Bucs win. Bucs fans were equally happy to learn this guy isn't just a mirage.

You thought it, Joe thought it. Just about everyone watching thought it:

The Bucs were going to get kicked in the pewters again. Oh well, one step closer to Ndamukong Suh.

Then the second half came and it was very possible it was the best half of football the Bucs had played all year. Defense, offense, it was solid.

This too caught the eye of Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune who seemed surprised to be watching an NFL team.

So there we were, thinking they had their 13th loss in 14 games in the bag when the darndest thing happened. The Bucs actually started looking like a football team.

Give them credit.

A team with little to play for played hard anyway and wound up running Seattle out of its own stadium, beating the Seahawks 24-7. Josh Freeman was solid, particularly in the second half, throwing a pair of touchdowns. Running backs Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward actually gave the Bucs a little of that power game fans waited most of the year to see.

It was easily the best half of football the Bucs played. It was almost enough to give Joe hope.

Elbert Mack, who had his biggest day in a Bucs uniform, took time to speak on the Buccaneers Radio Network following the Bucs first road win of the season.

“This was a team effort,” Mack said. “The offense needed to keep us off the field and when we were on the field, we executed.

“Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was not rattled. We just played our game for four quarters. We got a chance to get some turnovers and we did and got a win.

“We hope the wins come in bunches. The turnovers sure did today. The Tanard pick was a big swing.

“On offense, we got some good screen passes and the offense came out with some urgency in the second half. When the offense got the ball in their hands, they did what they had to do which was put points on the board. 

“We are just playing well together. We’re not quitting. Our record doesn’t show our character. We’re just trying to continue to play hard. We are executing. The defense played well today but a win is a plus.”

Once a upon a time this season, Maurice Stovall looked like a promising receiver.

Joe had high hopes for Maurice Stovall. Joe pounded the drum for Stovall to replace Michael Clayton as No. 2 wide receiver for the remainder of the season several weeks ago. 

Courtesy of Clayton’s knee injury, Stovall has gotten his chance.

Sadly, Stovall has looked like, well, Stovall of years past.

And today he looked like Clayton with two drops against Seattle by Joe’s count, plus a level of invisibility usually reserved only for the great No. 80.

At least the Bucs can say they gave Stovall a good look. He’s nothing more than a great special teams player and a guy with a lot of potential.

While Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman was being interviewed on the Buccaneers Radio Network, Raheem the Dream could be heard in the background informing the Bucs that tomorrow would be “Victory Monday.”

What that meant is no Monday practice and the Bucs will not practice until Wednesday.

The locker room erupted as if Rachel Watson had just appeared in her birthday suit.

Despite the tidings of good joy from Raheem the Dream, his rookie quarterback Josh Freeman was somewhat skeptical.

“I think it’s Victory Monday because we won’t get home until four in the morning,” Freeman said.

It wasn’t pretty, and it never has to be.

The Bucs finally, finally, finally stuck with the running game (even threw some screens, gasp) and had success with it.

Cadillac Williams and Derrick Ward combined for 31 carries and 133 yards, and each broke runs of 20+ yards.

What a novel concept: move the chains, keep the defense off the field, keep the rookie quarterback out an endless stream of tough down-and-distance situations.

Yes, Joe knows Seattle is a bad team. But it really doesn’t matter. The Bucs stayed away from cute and stuck with tough.

It should have been that way all season.

Joe is quite aware that legions of Bucs fans believe Raheem The Dream is an immature, inexperienced, incompetent boob of a head coach.

Hey, Joe himself has shaken his head in stunned disbelief by many of the moves, statements and double-speak of Coach Rah. And Joe has documented just about all of them. It hasn’t been pretty.

But Joe has never called for Raheem The Dream’s head because Joe has believed he deserved a chance to get through more games and had yet to reach a point of no return.

Plus, there has been tangible evidence of major improvement on defense, which gave Raheem more rope, in Joe’s eyes.  

Now the Bucs have blown out Seattle on the road, 24-7. A difficult feat for any team. The win feels good.

The Bucs actually dominated the entire second half and, after one of the ugliest first halves of NFL football in recent memory (by both teams), the Bucs made effective adjustments on both sides of the ball.

Make no mistake. This is a huge accomplisment for the young Bucs. And, if the Bucs play good football in their final two games, Joe would bet Raheem The Dream will return no matter what.

Joe recognizes that will make scores of fans unhappy.

Bucs 24, Seahawks 7

* Bucs chewing up the clock but they need to get into field goal range.

* Major first down to Antonio Bryant on a bullet from Freeman. Bucs actually look like a team in the second half.

* Unless Trueblood gets called for another penalty, there should be another field goal.

* Terrible pass by Freeman. He tried to force it in (again) double coverage.

* Long field goal attempt from Barth and it’s good. Holy spit! That’s 24 unanswered points.

* Oh, boy. Tanard Jackson goes down holding his right knee. Son of a b…

* Chris Hovan also down. Bucs radio network also said Sammie Stroughter has a foot injury and may not return.

* Think Hasselbeck isn’t taking advantage of Tanard Jackson being out of the game?

* Elbert Mack with maybe a game-saving interception.

* Joe has never been a fan of Matt Hasselbeck and that interception reinforced Joe’s opinion of him. What the hell are you throwing a lollypop like for when you need two touchdowns and one of the game’s better safeties is out of the game? That’s just crazy.

* The Bucs fan radio network just reported that the supposedly best home fans in the NFL are “evacuating” Qwest Field.
* Now that’s the way to run Caddy!!!

* Bucs offense looks smooth in the fourth quarter.

* Freeman has really settled down after being rattled early.

* Geno Hayes is playing out of his mind. He pressures Hasselbeck into another lousy pass.

* And the Seahawks help the Bucs by dropping a pass.

* If the Seahawks have five wins, how awful must the NFC West be?

* Joe just saw someone rocking an Alstott throwback in the crowd. Cool.

* Elbert Mack with his second interception seals the win.

* Has Raheem the Dream saved his job? Joe believes very likely. Going cross country on a near-six hour flight to play to crush a team in one of the most difficult places to play in the NFL, that’s a solid win.

Midway through the third quarter, FOX play-by-play man Ron Pitts asked color analyst John Lynch, the Bucs icon, what members of the Glazer family talked to him about when they pulled him aside on the field prior to the Bucs-Seattle game.

“They’re great owners. They want to win. They’re willing to be patient, but they want to see this thing going in the right directions,” Lynch said.

Lynch went on to say the Glazers are seeing today the Raheem The Dream era moving in the right direction.

It’s starting to look like if the Bucs can close the victory out in Seattle and give two strong efforts to close the season, Raheem The Dream will live to see 2010.

* Anwar Richardson on TBO.com’s Bucs Twitter account just posted that the Bucs have not scored a touchdown in 11 quarters. And this friggin’ Greg Olson expects to keep his job? Really?

* Raheem the Dream coming back on the field speaking on the Bucs radio network: “We have to control the ball a little bit. Defense is playing too much, though they have responded. We have to get back back to running D-Ward.”

* Keep pounding the ball Olson just like you did with Caddy.

* Seems like the only guy Freeman can complete a pass too — and it shouod have been picked off — is to Winslow.

* Keep pounding the ball!!!

* Is Antonio Bryant in the witness protection program? Anyone see him on a milk carton?

* FRIGGIN MOTHER F’ING JEREMY TRUEBLOOD!!!!! Another penalty, false start. ARSEHOLE!!!

* An Antonio Bryant sighting. Bryant may have had a lot more yards if Freeman didn’t fall behind him. Helps to have protection for Freeman as well.

* Donald Penn with a false start saves a fumble and to be honest, Joe thought Penn should have been whistled for a false start on the pass to Bryant.

* Typical Bucs. Freeman makes a nice run and now a holding penalty. The Bucs have taken themselves out of field goal ranges with all the penalties.

* OK, here comes an adventure: Connor Barth for a long field goal.

* Two field goals in a row for Barth. Hold the presses. Wait a minute. We live in the 21st Century. What are presses?

* Whoseyourmama busted for a penalty. Ha-ha!

* Geno Hayes is playing like a madman today.

* Tanard Jackson with a pick. Could he be a Pro Bowl player? Bucs knocking on the door.

* OMG, a touchdown on a screen pass by Cadillac! Could the Bucs take themselves out of the Suh Sweepstakes?

* When is the last time the Bucs had a successful screen pass?

* Joe is getting several angry texts that the Bucs are pissing away their chance for Ndamukong Suh.

* Raheem is giddy.

* If the Bucs beat the Seahawks, Jim Zorn should be fired.

* Geno Hayes with a delayed blitz and he is playing out of his mind. Dude is all over the place.

* Joe will write again: Sammie Stroughter = steal.

* Keep pounding the ball.

* Joe likes the commitment to the run, but it helps to run the correct direction Mr. Ward.

* Sammie Stroughter with a first down. In short, Stroughter is at worst the No. 3 receiver next season, maybe No. 2. Goodbye Michael Clayton.

* If the Bucs don’t get any more yards here on third down, it will be a long field goal for an erratic Mr. Barth.

* Freeman could have made a first down on the run but it was still a nice pass to Stroughter. First down.

* Third-and-goal: Quarterback draw?

* Dave Moore is quite critical of the throw on second down.

* Joe doesn’t believe his eyes. A two-score lead late in the third and a beautifl play by Freeman in the fake to the left flat.

* King of Turds can’t come down with the pass on the two-point conversion and the Seahawks had called a time out just before the snap. No wonder they suck.

* Smart play on the quarterback sneak for two and no Dave Moore, that is not a Wildcat!!!

* Joe doesn’t know what to think. He’s numb and no, he hasn’t had any Caybrews.

* Seahawks aren’t dead yet. First down Seattle.

* Another first down Seattle.

* Great, great play by Quincy Black. His name gets called once every three games.

* Third-and-13. Can the Bucs stop the Seahawks?

* Whoseyourmama just dropped a big gain of a pass. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

* Just as Dave Moore said the Bucs need to chew up the clock with the run, Freeman hits Winslow with a big gain, out of bounds, first down.

* Keep running!

* Third-and-one. Joe says roll out to the right.

* This is getting comical. Really, really, really dreadful football. Since making a pair of 50-yard field goals in his first game, Connor Barth is showing why he was walking the streets.

* Where was the defense on that screen pass? Seemed like the whole left side was green, including the uniforms.

* Local Tampa Bay electronic journalist Tom Krasniqi just tweeted this game is so dreadful, it’s like watching old people eat. Joe would go further: This is like watching a toothless old man try to eat corn on the cob.

* Freeman to Winslow with a nice rollout pass. Maybe the kid is starting to gain some confidence.

* King of Turds couldn’t pull in the pass that was thrown behind him.

* Freeman is really erratic.

* This ole defense is getting pathetic.

* Geno Hayes is just getting the job done.

* This may be the worst NFL game Joe has seen in a while. Really horrible football. Joe needs a Caybrew. Or several.

* Good throw by Freeman, just a good defensive play to break up the pass to Stovall.

* Ward is easily playing his best game with the Bucs.

* Dave Moore on the Bucs radio network is crucifying Greg Olson for not running a quarterback sneak on third-and-a-chainlink.

* Joe’s good friend “Backwards Hat,” aka stylish Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger just tweeted that the Bucs offensive line is zone blocking when Ward is in the game but using straight ahead blocking when Cadillac is in the game. Strange.

* Nice hit on Deon Butler by Talib. Too bad the catch was made.

* It’s not even halftime and already Joe is starting to feel pain.

* Joe seems to be equally interested in the Lambs for some reason.

* Geno Hayes is playing like a man.

* Geno with a sack!!

* Geno with an interception on the Jimmy Wilkerson tip! Geno is playing ridiculous.

* Kellen Winslow with a first down. Another decent pass from Freeman.

* That pass should have been picked off. Freeman threw into double coverage.

* Wow. Barth with a rare field goal. Bucs to end the half down 7-3.

* Nice start by the defense. Third-and-six.

* Strong first series by the Bucs defense. Joe doesn’t know if he would call Matt Hasselbeck an “all-time gunslinger” like Gene Deckerhoff did.

* Keep running Bucs. Keep running.

* Dave Moore is all but screaming for the Bucs to stick to the run.

* You’ve got to be kidding Joe. Another interception on the first thrown. ANOTHER! This is starting to get to be pathetic. Freeman forced that pass with a guy draped all over him. Sometimes — not often — a sack is in order. Kid should have just taken the sack.

* Joe is starting to think maybe Freeman needs to be benched? Problem is, Josh Johnson is worse.

* Joe thinks this jerk T.J. Whoseyourmamma with the Seahawks is a dirtbag and Joe wouldn’t lose sleep if he got cheap-shotted by Tanard Jackson.

* Bucs rush defense is playing strong thus far.

* Just when Joe writes that the Bucs defense gets totally gouged for a 34-yard run.

* A fullback is not going to beat Geno Hayes. If the Seahawks are going to use a wheel route like that, Joe suggests they continue.

* Another strong stop by the rush defense.

* Hasslebeck is a moron. LOL No wonder Mike Holgrem retired. That may be the stupidest play Joe has ever seen. Imbecile tries to lateral to an invisible player when he’s falling down. Joe can sort of understand if it was the final play of the game and it was a desperate attempt to score, but for a scoreless game in the first quarter, that is beyond dumb.

* Come on Mo Stovall. You’ve got to make those catches.

* Freeman is beyond rattled. That should have been a second interception. This guy is wild as hell. Nine interceptions in his last three games. Nine!

* The Bucs radio network just stated “Josh Freeman’s body language right now is not good.” Neither is his passing.

* Can’t give Whoseyourmama that much room off the line.

* Old man Ronde Barber still getting the job done.

* Nice tackle Sabby. You should be a bullfighter. Only thing missing is the red cape. Easily this guy is the weakest link on the Bucs defense.

* Now Barber does a Sabby impersonation of a bullfighter. Ole!

* Joe is taking back what he wrote about playing good rush defense.

* Are the St. Louis Lambs winning?

* OMG. Barrett Ruud made a play. More like Hasselbeck’s pass hit Ruud in the back.

* Horrible snap and Gene Deckerhoff bellows, “How many Christmas presents are the Bucs going to get today?”

* The Derrick Ward Express continues.

* Figures. Derrick Ward gets a nice gain and there’s an illegal formation.

* Sammie Stroughter is easily the best draft pick the Bucs have had in a few years. A steal in the seventh round.

* Now that was a nice pass to Winslow. Helps it was third-and-short. Winslow now holds the Bucs record, besting Jackie Harris, for most catches by a Bucs tight end in a season.

* Good runs back-to-back by Derrick Ward.

* What? Gene Deckerhoff just said that’s the longest run in a month for the Bucs. A 25-yard run the longest in a month? That’s sorry football.