Joe is sad to learn that former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, one of only three men to lead the Bucs to an NFC championship game as the starting signal-caller, was recently let go by BSPN.

But not for that reason.

Usually when BSPN lets go of an on-air personality, it’s for some sexual dalliance, whether it be (allegedly) sexting or getting to know a co-worker in the Biblical sense.

That is not the case with King.

Joe is sad to learn this. Joe enjoyed listening, the few times he watched King on BSPN (because, other than college football or basketball games, Joe avoids the four-letter like the plague). King was insightful, intelligent, and a likable personality.

Joe got to briefly know King when he was the highly successful offensive coordinator at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg just after his NFL playing days. Joe had also interviewed King a time or two when he was the Bucs quarterback.

Here’s to hoping King lands on his feet for a superior operation like, say, the NFL Network.

And if you happen to be cheating yourself by not having the NFL Network, Joe kindly asks, “What’s the matter with you?”

Be a man. Get the NFL Network!

Vacation Man of BSPN discusses why the Bucs pulled the trigger on starting Josh Freeman against Green Bay. Joe already found a hole in Vacation Man’s premise. Let’s see if any of Joe’s readers catch it as well.

Joe is often asked about his favorite beer. That would be Caybrew, the dynamite lager from the Cayman Islands.

When Joe has ice cold Caybrew in his hand and a game on the tube, all Joe needs is Jenn Sterger holding him and heaven on earth will be achieved.

So where to find this Caybrew? A list of intelligent bars, restaurants and retailers can be found here.

But today there is a special Caybrew tasting with the glorious Caybrew girls at World of Wine at 3431 South Westshore Blvd. in Tampa beginning at 6 p.m. Come early or come late. It’s going to be a great time.

That’s right. Caybrew girls. They’re as fine as the beer.

Talk of the Bucs being sold, even though it was grossly inaccurate, has once again got Bucs fans worked up.

And one of the area’s more influential residents is again being talked about.

Eddie DeBartlolo, Jr., was the former owner of the San Francisco 49ers during their glory years. He was considered by many the perfect owner. He would stop at nothing to get a winning team.

His 49ers were the first team to win five Super Bowls.

Unlike Jerry Jones, DeBartolo was not a glory hound. Unlike Danny Snyder, he was not a cold, ruthless tyrant, sticking his nose all too often into the football operations.

But DeBartolo’s empire crumbled when he was forced to sell controlling share of the 49ers to his sister when, as detailed in the Los Angeles Times, in 1998, DeBartolo pleaded guilty to a felony charge of failing to report that Louisiana’s former governor, Edwin Edwards, had extorted money from him to win a casino license. The NFL then fined DeBartolo $1 million and suspended him for the 1999 season, ending his rule of the 49ers.

DeBartolo, after the false rumors were started by Sileo, has made no secret of his desire to buy the Bucs as he told the Los Angeles Times, via ProFootballTalk.com.

“If a situation came about with something as close as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I would be a moron not to at least look into it and be somewhat interested.”

As has been pointed out several times over the years, the Glazers aren’t selling the Bucs. If that day were ever to come, Joe couldn’t think of a better candidate to own the Bucs than DeBartolo.

In a somewhat surprising, quick move, management at WDAE-AM 620 has admitted that morning host Dan Sileo was wrong in some of his claims about the Glazer Family, owners of the Bucs. Yesterday, Sileo claimed the Glazers were victims of financial thief Bernie Madoff and therefore selling the team.

Sileo claimed he had insider information that the Glazer Family had lost some $400 million in investments with Madoff and as a result were near bankruptcy and were about to sell the Bucs in order to pay off their debts.

Sileo’s apparently baseless claims brought out a rare yet quick and scathing statement from Joel Glazer, co-chairman of the Bucs, who hinted at legal action against Sileo and his employer, Clear Channel, which is the parent company of WDAE. Among other things, Glazer referred to Sileo’s claims as “slanderous.”

This morning, WDAE has been broadcasting what amounts to a public service announcement from WDAE program director Mike Killabrew, which is also on the WDAE website:

“During a broadcast Thursday, 10/29/09 on WDAE morning host Dan Sileo made some statements about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Glazer Family that were factually inaccurate.

We sincerely apologize for these statements and hereby issue a full retraction.”

As a result of his actions, Sileo, who has a long, documented track record of playing with the truth, was suspended yesterdayby WDAE indefinitely.

As Joe wrote yesterday, given Joe’s decades of experience in print journalism, if anyone is going to make claims like Sileo did from unnamed sources, you better have mounds of documented proof such as bank records and/or court documents to prove your case.

Naturally, Sileo had none of these.

With a few adjustments, Stylez G. White could be a major sack machine, writes former Bucs DE Steve White.

JoeBucsFan.com analyst and former Bucs defensive end Steve White isn’t just about breaking down defensive line play like no other.

White lives and breathes Bucs football, and his blog is filled with quality Bucs takes that only a hardcore football man could provide.

Joe recommends you put White’s blog in your favorites. Just before Josh Freeman was named starting quarterback, White churned out a top-10 wish list for the Bucs during the bye week. Joe’s plucked No. 3 for you to read here; it’s a personal favorite.

3. Greg (Stylez) White needs to develop a spin move. White is a really good speed rusher and uses his hands really well against offensive tackles, but he gets run by the quarterback a lot. Many times this is a function of the opposing quarterback stepping up in the pocket and none of our inside guys being there to make the sack. If White were to stop about a step deeper than the level of the quarterback, get low and take a hard step with his inside foot, swing his outside arm around and pivot inside he would be right there to make a lot more sacks. I like the hump move that he uses at times but its not really a good counter move for his speed rushes. Rushing from the right side means that a lot of the time the B gap to his side will be open because most teams normally have their formation strengths to the defense’s left the majority of the time. For that reason there is a natural lane that most quarterbacks are going to step up into. If he can develop that spin move this week and is able to start mixing it as a late counter off his speed rush, it will be like taking candy from a baby and our pass rush over all will significantly improve.

See, Joe told you White breaks it down like no other. The man needs one of those telestrators with the fancy markers.

Amidst all the gloom and doom for Josh Freeman taking over the starting quarterback job, Joe has found someone who thinks Freeman is not only ready and special, but a leader in the huddle, too.

That someone is Earnest Graham.

Speaking Tuesday evening on 1010 AM, Graham told host J.P. Peterson that Freeman is the real deal. And that was the day before Freeman was named the starter.

“Josh has definitely been getting more reps in practice. And he’s been looking great. I mean he looks like a pro quarterback,” Graham said. “From his stature, to the way he releases the ball, how quick he gets the ball out, the way he operates in the huddle, I think the guy’s ready.

“I think when that time comes Josh Freeman’s going to do a great job. He throws one of the most catchable balls. I mean, if you’re a receiver out of the backfield, it’s always 100 percent of the time a tight spiral. He throws the ball without having to force any velocity on it. He doesn’t force  it…It’s always a tight spiral and it’s always in a great spot. I mean he throws a catchable ball every time.”

The quote almost doesn’t do Graham’s comments justice. Graham’s voice inflections were those of a guy extraordinarily impressed with Freeman. (Joe tips his cap to Big Papi for the audio.)

Joe sure hopes Graham is miraculously correct, and Freeman is indeed ready.

Hours after he claimed the Glazer Family, owners of the Bucs, were near bankruptcy as a result of being involved in Bernie Madoff’s financial scams and likely to sell the Bucs to pay off their debts, Clear Channel, the parent company of WDAE-AM 620, suspended morning host Dan Sileo.

Thursday morning, Sileo, not exactly a credible source of reliable information, threw out all sorts of accusations about the Glazers’ financial status and future of the Bucs. Sileo boasted he would have more information later Friday.

Shortly after Sileo’s show, Joel Glazer, making a rare public statement, harshly scolded both Sileo and Clear Channel hinting at seeking legal action for what Glazer deemed, among other things, “slanderous.”

As a result, Clear Channel suspended Sileo until an investigation can be completed reports Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

Sileo reported this morning that the Glazer family was among the plethora of high-profile victims in the Madoff scheme and is considering bankruptcy. Sileo also said the Ponzi losses have led to the family being $650 million in debt, and he surmised the team may be for sale.

“The report today by WDAE’s Dan Sileo about our family and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is 100 percent false,” Glazer said in a statement released by the team.

Sileo, who hosts the early morning show on WDAE, quoted a “friend” who works with the Securities and Exchange Commission as saying the Glazers lost $440 million in the Ponzi scheme.

Joe has heard the audio and Joe will say only this: Given Joe’s decades in print journalism, if someone, anyone, makes such claims from an unnamed source(s), that person better have rock solid evidence the claims are 100 percent accurate beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Given Sileo’s background and track record, just on face value, Joe thought Sileo’s claims were dubious at best.

Let’s be honest here: Some of the most reputable newspapers, both American and international, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Times of London, the Miami Herald, and various New York and English tabloids, have scoured Madoff’s records and files as well as government documents and none of these organizations’ teams of investigators have found even a hint of a financial connection between Madoff and the Glazers.

How a sports radio host in Tampa with a chequered past could find this information on his own, well, it’s a stretch for Joe.

Joel Glazer

In a scathing press release on Buccaneers.com, Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer pulled no punches, going after WDAE-AM 620 morning host Dan Sileo.

Sileo, a former Bucs player who has a chequered past, claimed, in so many words, the Glazer family was a victim of Bernie Madoff’s scams and as a result, have put the Bucs up for sale to cover their losses.

Glazer blasted Sileo. Joe is posting the release in full:

 

Statement Regarding False Report
Oct 29, 2009

Statement by Joel Glazer, Co-Chairman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

“The report today by WDAE’s Dan Sileo about our family and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is 100 percent false.

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are not, nor have they ever been for sale. In addition, our family or any of our related companies have never invested one penny with Bernie Madoff.

“The report is baseless, irresponsible and slanderous. This type of behavior by Mr. Sileo and his company Clear Channel will be dealt with in the appropriate manner.”

Only thing Joe has to say is, “WOW!”

NFL.com scribe Jason LaCanfora, of NFL.com, is hardly touting the Josh Freeman era in this video.

“The expectations here are pretty low,” LaCanfora says. 

Of course, intelligent Bucs fans expect little from Freeman this season. But Joe can’t help but wonder why he can’t find one national talking head, often an uninformed boob, who is high on Freeman and thinks he can have a strong impact.

Freeman said he’s better than Mark Sanchez. Doesn’t anyone believe him?

This video — no embed codes courtesy of warden Roger Goodell — also includes a film package of Freeman’s action against New England. Let’s hope Jeff Faine never gets beat again like he does in this video.

Now Joe is not one to quote former Buccaneer Dan Sileo, the morning drive time host on 620 WDAE-AM.

Sorry Dan, your show may be good for a lot of laughs and solid Lightning and Otis Smith interviews, but you’re not one the journalism world would call a “reliable source.”

But Jack Harris and Tedd Webb, the longtime hosts of AM Tampa Bay on 970 WFLA-AM are another story. They are reliable. Harris is a broadcasting icon in the Bay area and is part of the Buccaneers Radio Network. He’s not one for rumormongering.

So it’s noteworthy that on the AM Tampa Bay Web site, Harris and Webb referenced Sileo’s comments this morning that there is speculation the Bucs are for sale because of their massive losses in the whole Bernie Madoff mess.

Sileo rambled about the Bucs and Madoff today.

And Harris and Webb promise more information tomorrow.

**7:13am Dan Sileo ( 620 WDAE sports talk host ) 
Talked about the Tampa bay Buccaneers possibly being for sale ?
According to a source, the Bucs are leveraged to the hilt.
They have a note due in January 2010. If they don’t make it.
They will have to sell the team. For more information
Liten tomorrow to AMTB.

Here come the DeBartolo rumors all over again. Steinbrenner? Limbaugh?

The gorgeous Jenny Dell of BSPN talks about whether the Bucs can win a game this season. While the Bucs may be losers this year, Jenny’s very much a winner in Joe’s eyes! Joe is confident you will agree as well.

The Philly woman busted for trying to sell her body for World Series tickets

The wackiest news item of the day made Joe take pause and remember the glory years of the Buccaneers.

A few memories stand out:

Joe recalls literally circling the stadium on foot before a Monday night game against the Steelers. Joe had his rich uncle with him who was in town briefly and was willing to pay just about anything for a pair of tickets.

The Bucs were such rock stars that the pair of tickets was nowhere to be found.

Then there was the home game against the Jets during that era. Joe recalls a fabulous tailgate and then the skies opened up for a torrential downpour. Joe walked through waist high water from the Hillsborough Community College parking lot a couple hundred yards with lightning in the sky just to get to the game.

Then there was the time when Joe met a hottie wearing a Warren Sapp jersey and literally nothing else. THAT was a tailgate party.

Back to today’s funny news story. It involves a not-so-young lady in Philadelphia who tried to sell her body and its talents for World Series tickets.

Joe hopes the Bucs one day get good enough that such rabid fan passion will return here again.

The brutal Bucs are so putrid, one wonders if some guy off the street could make the team.

Jason Krupinski seems to think so. The Hudson resident has been hanging outside of One Buc Palace holding a cardboard sign with the message, “I WILL PLAY For FREE!“

While the salary offer may entice Bryan and Joel, NFLPA rules frown on such a practice.

Krupinski isn’t just an ordinary slug, writes Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. He played fullback for the Austin Wranglers of the Arena Football League and played college ball at Middle Tennessee State.

“I’ve played a little tight end, too, and I’ve played outside linebacker,” Krupinski said. “I don’t see them doing worse with me or without me. I don’t think I can do them any harm.”

No word yet on whether the Bucs will take a look at Krupinski. His chances seem slim, though, seeing as they just signed Chris Pressley away form the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad.

What’s the harm of hiring the guy for the practice squad? Or at least give him a tryout? It would be a great public relation’s move by the Bucs. Then again, public relations isn’t a priority for Bryan and Joel.

Cadillac went from "full-time guy" to part-time in a matter of hours

Joe noted Sunday that Cadillac Williams inexplicably went from heralded feature back to part-time guy only a few days after Derrick Ward stopped talking to the media seemingly because he wasn’t getting many carries.

Then magically against New England, a healthy Caddy had two fewer carries than Ward. Perhaps the Czar on the other end of the sideline phone made that call.

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson was the company front man weeks ago talking about how Cadillac was the No.1 guy and the three-man running backs rotation was old news.

“I think it’s time we become more committed to Cadillac Williams as a full-time guy,’ Olson told the media this month.

Now Olson has done an about face, per Stephen Holder, of the St. Pete Times.

“We’d like to (get Ward involved) but what happened is, in the previous game, we only had three series in the second half,” Olson said. “(We said) ‘Hey, Derrick, it’s your turn.’ Well, we only had two possessions, now all of a sudden, it’s the fourth quarter.”

Joe has no doubt that Bucs management had a panic attack when Ward showed signs of coming unglued after Caddy got promoted.

Somebody made a phone call.

Former NFL head coach Jim Haslett apparently doesn't think much of Raheem the Dream.

Former NFL head coach Jim Haslett dropped in on Ron Diaz and Ian Beckles Wednesday morning on WDAE-AM 620 and dropped a bit of harsh words on the NFL, documented by the always evasive “Times Editor” of the St. Petersburg Times.

Haslett, who coaches the Florida Tuskers of the UFL, which is partially owned by the Tampa Bay Rays and will play a home game Friday night at the Fruitdome in St. Petersburg, opened fire on the NFL.

Questioned about how his kicker, Matt Bryant, could be released by the Bucs, Haslett released some venom upon the NFL, specificaly the Bucs, when he said:

“I think [Bryant is] an excellent kicker, but there’s a lot of things that go on in the NFL. Why did the Rams trade Will Witherspoon? Why do you hire Raheem Morris?

Ouch!

You know things are getting bad for Raheem the Dream when a minor league coach is taking shots at you.

Pure and simple, Raheem the Dream naming Josh Freeman the Bucs starting quarterback — “and beyond” — is nothing short of a panic move by Raheem the Dream.

The Bucs drafted Josh Freeman, an admitted project, as a key future cog of a run-first, throw-deep offense.

Now, with scant few weeks under a Chuck(y)-and-duck offense, an offense he was not drafted for, Freeman is thrown to the wolves. His first game (ironically, fittingly, in creamsicle unis) will come against Dom Capers and the Packers.

Capers, the architect of the famed Steelers zone-blitz defense (which Dick Lebeau later perfected) will throw so much at Freeman next week that the unsuccessful Kansas State product will be so dizzy he likely will think he’s on some ride at Busch Gardens.

Nothing like rushing a rookie quarterback who came out early from college into an offense he likely barely has a grasp of. Oh, well, offensive coordinator Greg Olson likes to practice plays in games so this might be fitting.

Joe can just see it now: Freeman will struggle mightily and possibly be ruined. The Bucs will win one game and, as Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune suggested, assistants will be tossed aside. Hey, it’s a cheaper move than paying for three head coaches.

So Freeman will be on his third offensive coordinator in less than a year. The Bucs will likely suck next year and with Chucky’s salary off the Glazers’ books, it’s not unlikely Raheem the Dream will be let go.

Then, Freeman will be working with his fourth offensive coordinator in three years.

That is not the way to develop a quarterback the organization admitted needed some developing.

Think not? Just ask Jason Campbell.

Naming Freeman as the Bucs starter way too early is not just a panic move, but another reach, which is also fitting since Freeman was a reach in the first round.

Obviously, Joe hopes for the best and his promise still holds true: If Freeman makes a Pro Bowl Joe will buy his jersey, happily.

But Joe fears rushing and thereby ruining Freeman will set the Bucs back six years.

Joe is very depressed.

Caybrew, please!

Well, the speculation can end.

Josh Freeman is the Bucs new starting quarterback.

Per the TBO Bucs Twitter account via Anwar Richardson (this is officially the Anwar Richardson Day on JoeBucsFan.com), Raheem the Dream announced that his groom is the new Bucs starting quarterback.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris has just announced quarterback Josh Freeman will take over as the team’s starter.

Joe wonders how long the two will enjoy their honeymoon?

Joe is depressed and fears this move will set the Bucs back possibly six years.  Joe is in dire need of mass quantities of Caybrew.

The Bucs are so awful, somewhere, Steve Spurier is grinning.

The march to a winless season is on and Joe just can’t see where the Bucs can steal a win, especially if Josh Freeman is the quarterback, as The Professor, John Clayton of BSPN, spoke about earlier.

Vic Carlucci of NFL.com documents just how bad things will get for the Bucs.

Biggest problems:1. No legitimate starting quarterback. The Bucs had hoped to wait longer before turning to first-round pick Josh Freeman, but he saw his first action against the Patriots and might wind up taking over for Josh Johnson — who replaced Byron Leftwich — after their Week 8 bye. 2. Coach Raheem Morris, who had been the Bucs’ secondary coach, needed more development before being put in charge of an NFL team.

Outlook: If Freeman starts, he’s going to experience a great deal of growing pains because he won’t get much help from his supporting cast. Morris has more lumps to take as well. And climbing out of the basement of the NFC South, with the Saints and Falcons in the top two spots, looks extremely difficult.

Right now the Bucs are so miserable, Joe considers a loss less than six points to be a victory.

By JEFF CARLSON
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

In July I wrote a note to Raheem Morris with my analysis of his QBs.

Don’t know if he ever read it or not. He never called.

Of Josh Johnson, I wrote: 

1. Has the best whip of any of your QBs, but plays with his thowing elbow in front of his ball too much. Watch his ball in “pat and go” warm-ups. His ball will float with the tip up in the air most of the time, giving DB’s more time to react. It will also be less
accurate with any kind of wind. 

2. Needs to loosen up his upper body while he drops back. He is very robotic on the drop-back and should bring his elbows back down closer to his sides and bring the ball back down to the middle of his chest (keep the tip of the ball down below the back of the ball through the whole delivery–this will cure his floaters).

After Johnson’s four-start stint as the starting QB, I wouldn’t change much of my early assessment, but Johnson did get a bit more fluid in general. He did throw quite a few wobbly balls that floated with the front tip in the air and he would do better to learn to keep the tip of the ball down before release to get more accurate.

I believe Johnson he has very good potential in this league.

Some will write him off because of his draft status and the head coach trying to label him a career backup. Of course, he could have made better throws and better decisions in some cases, but overall I critique the play-calling of Greg Olson for not taking advantage of any of Johnson’s physical attributes.

How bout a rollout?

Pat White was a second round pick to the Dolphins and is getting spot play in the “Wildcat.” Johnson is a better passer and probably a better runner, as well. Could the Bucs not have had a receiver or back go in fast motion (like Ricky Williams for Miami) and create some deception and roll Johnson out the opposite way and help create space for their recievers?

Could they not have intentionally rolled him out on just ONE play in his four games of getting chased from the pocket?

Johnson’s interception returned for a TD on the fifth play last Sunday against the Patriots was his fault, but I heard it explained on radio this week as a “hot” read from a blitz. It wasn’t.

It went back to my last QB Blast and the Bucs lack of throwing the ball down the field.

The Patriots did their film homework. They left the middle receiver of a “trips” set “uncovered” by a safety 10 yards off the ball. This would have been a completion for the Bucs if Johnson had been under center — Tom Brady picks these plays up all of the
time — but Johnson was in shotgun, took his eyes off that area to catch the ball, took an extra step and the safety “sat” and then timed it perfectly.

This is one of the reasons Jon Gruden was so late in using the shotgun formation.  It gives up a lot of quick passes to uncovered receivers.  The Patriots and Colts are still under center quite a bit to take advantage in this situation.

Unfortunately for the Bucs, both QB and coach are inexperienced in those situations.

I don’t know if Josh Johnson is smart or if he knows the offense very well as has been published, but he has physical tools that few have had in this league — ever.

With some technique training to his delivery and more film study, he could be a very good starting QB in this league one day.

I hope Josh Freeman took copious notes, because there were plenty of inexperienced mistakes that Freeman does not need to make.

But it all looks quite different from the sideline compared to behind the line — trust me, I know.

Richard "Batman" Wood sometimes gets lost driving near his Tampa home, a result he believes is from the constant beating he took as an NFL linebacker.

Have a cold adult beverage sometime with former Bucs linebacker legend and radio analyst Scot Brantley and he’ll tell you how years of pounding running backs have left his body pounded.

Despite not wearing a neckbrace, Scot rarely turns his head to talk to you, he turns his body his neck is so stiff, like someone who has a perpetual neck injury.

Brantley, who periodically writes an article for Joe, is just one of many former Bucs and NFL players who are suffering the ill effects of playing all out for the sport they loved.

Once the crowds file out of the stadium, the klieglights of the TV cameras turned off and most reporters moving on to other stories when the players’ careers have ended, the game lingers on for many former NFL players the rest of their lives, often with painful if not tragic results.

Gay Culverhouse, daughter of former Bucs owner Hugh Culverhouse and former Bucs president, is trying to do the right thing, writes Alan Schwarz of the New York Times. Culverhouse will testify before Congress offering an insider’s look at to how NFL teams years ago often treated injured players as chattle.

Culverhouse is lending a helping hand to former Bucs, but she has limited time. She has blood cancer and doctors fear she has scant few months left.

Every former player Culverhouse called had debilitating physical problems, she said. A stunning portion had cognitive ones, even in their mid-40s, and most of them lacked the short-term memory or concentration required to seek medical assistance or slog through the disability paperwork. One player told her, “I’m headed for the 88 Plan.”

“The thing that I always admired about Gay is that she’s a rebel with a cause,” said Brantley, 51. “Football was a man’s world. Still is. I’ve always said, if you want something done and done right, get a woman involved. No one else has shown any interest in us for a second. We might as well have the plague.”

Schwarz’s piece is a moving look at how NFL players sacrifice their bodies if not lives for football. Other former Bucs featured are Richard “Batman” Wood and the late Jeff Winans.