Bucs cornerbacks coach Gill Byrd

Joe’s written previously about how there’s some sort of disconnect going at One Buc Palace.

The Bucs are repeating mistakes yet Lovie Smith has said countless times his primary criteria for hiring assistant coaches is that they be “stern teachers.” [read more]

Crab-legs-stealing, BB-gun-shooting, obscenity-hollering, Heisman-Trophy-winning, national champion James Winston, the pride of Florida State University, continues to look like a much better quarterback prospect than Mike Glennon and Josh McCown.

It’s Joe’s regular nugget on the Jameis Watch, celebrating the best quarterback to wear No. 5 ever in the state of Florida. [read more]

Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett’s charges are pretty vanilla, notes the Washington Post.

Bucs fans should start embracing that, at 1-8, Tampa Bay is a horrible football team. If not for an accident, the Bucs could be winless and in the NFL basement.

What we all thought would be strengths before the season are weaknesses. Hell, there is no such thing as a strength when at team is 1-8, it’s only what element of the team sucks least? [read more]

The unexpectedly steep learning curve for the Bucs defense seems to be personified by Mason Foster.

He’s a big part of that woeful, 31st-ranked Bucs pass defense, and former Bucs defensive end Steve White (1996-2001), a coaching intern this season under Lovie Smith, has seen enough of Foster. [read more]

Bobby Rainey and the run game have all but vanished. (Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com)

Talk to sober defensive minds and they will tell you the best way to shut down an offense is to make it one-dimensional. That makes a team predictable and often plays right into the hands of a defensive coordinator.

That is part of the problem with the Bucs offense; just one of many, many, many problems. Either Bucs coach Lovie Smith has all but abandoned the run game in the past six quarters, or the Bucs run game is just slightly better than Northeast High School’s. [read more]

The spreadsheeters say the Bucs’ D-line was victimized by Atlanta guard Gabe Carimi Sunday. Of all people!

It is pretty clear by now the Bucs have no pass rush. Three weeks in a row playing a beat up offensive line, the Bucs failed to take advantage. Even with Gerald McCoy, the Bucs have no pass rush. It is disgraceful.

It is not just the pass rush; apparently, the run defense is nearly as bad. At least, that’s what it looked like Sunday. [read more]

Josh McCown spoke tonight about his ailing back

Tonight, 35-year-old Josh McCown said his back injury is a new experience for him, a first in his long career.

Will McCown play Sunday?

He addressed that and his ailing back on the Buccaneers Radio Network on WDAE-AM 620. [read more]

The popular “JoeBucsFan Hour” was in full swing this evening on WDAE-AM 620, when Joe joined the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig.

All kinds of topics were discussed, and Joe slugged it out with Duemig on the subject of quarterback failure, in addition to a detailed discussion on overhauling the roster. [read more]

The cold reality is the Buccaneers better be damn ready to hire an offensive coordinator when “Black Monday” comes in 48 days. That’s not much time.

Jeff Tedford can’t be counted on, and de facto offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo simply is nowhere near the best coordinator money can buy. Lovie Smith needs to make a change. [read more]

Mike Glennon may be having a better year than Stinking Panthers QB Cam Newton.

Joe has always maintained that if you have the fourth-best quarterback in the division, you have no quarterback and an upgrade is required. That’s if a team has serious aspirations of playing meaningful football deep into January.

Well, not only do the Bucs have two QBs (when you have two, you have none), Josh McCown and quarterback of the future and quarterback of the past (twice) but not the quarterback of the present Mike Glennon. In a division with Drew Brees, Matty Ice and Cam Newton, you better be looking for an upgrade or you are just conning fans. [read more]

A former Buccaneer finds hope in the Bucs’ game film

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers make a lot of mistakes and play undisciplined football. Performance is not their strong suit.

Joe finds this to be a terrible sign. Joe would much prefer a smart, precise team in need of talent versus a team in need of talent, plus focus and will. [read more]

Lavonte David is one of the greats of the game.

No argument. Don’t dare deny it. [read more]

Joe has written how the Bucs, sans wins, are in dire need of drama. Fans claim they don’t like it, but, oh, they very much do.

What is the most popular date on the NFL calendar after the Super Bowl and the opening weekend of the regular season? The first day of the draft. The draft has nothing to do with an athletic competition but every thing to do with suspense and drama. [read more]

Re-starting quarterback Josh McCown’s postgame tears made the national rounds yesterday.

You sure don’t see that every day, especially after a seemingly meaningless game in a lost season. [read more]

A versatile and successful Bengals backup before Tampa Bay paid him big bucks in March, left tackle Anthony Collins took quite a slap from a top NFL talent evaluator yesterday. [read more]