One of the problems the Panthers had in losing their first three games was they couldn’t stop the run.

That stopped last week against the Redskins, thanks to a free agent pickup, so writes Charles Chandler of the Charlotte Observer.

Thomas is the rather portly (6-foot, 340 pounds) veteran of 14 seasons whom the Panthers signed to play the nose guard position that’s been their Achilles heel since Maake Kemoeatu tore his Achilles on Aug.3 in the opening practice of training camp.

Thomas’ presence helped clog the middle of the defensive line against the Redskins and freed middle linebacker Jon Beason to have his most productive game of the season (10 tackles and a sack).

This should be an interesting matchup in this game: the Panthers’ improved rush defense against the Bucs sometime struggling rush offense. It sure as hell helps that it appears Sean Mayhem will not be starting.

Months ago center Jeff Faine voiced his displeasure with the Bucs’ plan to hand over line call duties to the quarterback.

But that never materialized, Faine said later, as Byron Leftwich wasn’t well enough versed in the offense to call out the protections and other line calls.

Now an extremely confident Josh Johnson will take on those duties, offensive coordinator Greg Olson explained during his Wednesday news conference. 

Faine, who returns to the lineup this week, will serve as an override if Faine believes Johnson’s call is in error, Olson said.

Olson explained that having the quarterback make line calls is critical in this era of zone bliztes and that the great QBs of the game make their teams’ line calls.

“We often, even a year ago with Jeff Garcia when he was the starter, there was a big difference when [Garcia] was in and when Brian [Griese] was in. [Garcia] felt much more comfortable with Jeff Faine making the calls. [Garcia] had never done that in his career and he wasn’t real interested in that. And it wasn’t an issue but somewhat it is. Our quarterback has to get guys in the right places,” Olson said. “And so we ask [Josh Johnson and Josh Freeman] to do that and that’s a big part of the quarterback development. I think if the great ones, if you watch, especially nowawdays with all the zone blitzes, it’s important that the quarterbacks understand the protection part of it. …Josh Johnson is very confident in his ability, and I’m very confident in him to getting us to the right points in the protections.

“If there’s an issue, defer it to Faine. If you made [a call] and Faine says, ‘Uh, uh. Uh, uh. We’re going here with it.’ Understand that we’ll defer to Faine because of his experience right now as a veteran player. That’s what we did last year with Brian Griese. And so that will help both the Josh’s right now.”

Olson went on to explain that “Josh Freeman may not be as confident in setting the protections right now.”

Reading between the lines, Joe wonders whether the Bucs might have made the move to start Freeman, rather than Johnson, if Faine hadn’t been sidelined with a tricep tear.

After hearing Olson, Joe suspects the Bucs will start Freeman after the bye week , unless Faine is hurt or Josh Johnson beats the Patriots in England.

Hi, my name’s Lewis, but you can call me “Lou” so long as you are a Bolts fan (Panthers fans just don’t call me). I read where Joe exposed me with my Bolts jersey the other day. Just for that I might have to have an accident in his bedroom. I’ll just have to beg for more Beggin’ Strips tonight.

Ever feel bored? You know, when the Bolts aren’t playing and there’s no cats to fight with and you’re too tired to dig up the backyard?

Well, if I’m not watching the Bolts or chasing squirrels or scratching myself or rolling over and whimpering for table scraps, you can read my barks about the Bolts on my Twitter account, ThunderPuppyLou.

Maybe if I lap up enough water now I can wet Joe’s rug before he gets home? See ya!

Raheem The Dream talked about Father Dungy yesterday as if the famous ex-coach is trying to sleep late and lounge at his pool but people keep bugging him.

Apparently, Raheem The Dream doesn’t realize Dungy is employed by NBC on Sunday Night Football.

Joe suspects Dungy flies to New York on Saturday, watches film and has a production meeting or two. Then he spends all day Sunday watching football and preparing for the telecast. Monday is a travel day back to Tampa. Dungy has invested a lot of time keeping himself in the public eye since leaving the Colts. He’s hardly trying to hole up at home.

Here are Raheem The Dream’s comments, per the St. Pete Times.

(On what he would think if the Glazers thought about bringing in Tony Dungy as a consultant)
“I have no idea where that came from, to be honest with you, and the Glazers haven’t approached me. I kind of feel bad for Coach Dungy because he’s just at home trying to enjoy his family and kids and everybody wants to put him back to work. He’s sponsoring everybody, he’s mentoring Raheem, he’s mentoring Mark Dominik (laughing). He’s just hanging out in Tampa and enjoying his family. And if the Glazers have a conversation with Tony Dungy, then that’s their prerogative. I’m excited for Tony Dungy. But I just kind of feel bad for Tony. That’s just all speculation. If it has any truth to it, then so be it. My job is to try to win this week. That’s my job.”

To Joe, this was another great example of Raheem The Dream talking too much.

All he had to say was, “Dungy is a great football man and a friend. I haven’t heard a thing about him returning to football. If the Glazers are interested in him as a consultant, then they’ll let you know.”

Ironic that Raheem The Dream “feels bad” for Dungy (when there’s no reason to). Joe suspects Dungy feels twice as bad for Raheem and his winless record. 

Raheem the Dream checks his blackberry daily to make sure Chucky hasn't been hired.

The book is very much open on Raheem the Dream, though just by the comments on this site Joe notices fans are very restless.

Tom Curran of NBCSports.com takes a look at all the NFL’s first-year coaches and believes Raheem the Dream was a “hasty” hire and the Bucs winless start to the season is evidence of that.

Morris seems like a hasty hiring after the hasty firing of Jon Gruden. And now the Bucs are adrift, seemingly disorganized and unsure what exactly their identity is. The only team remaining on their schedule they have a reasonable shot at beating is Carolina. They are a threat to go winless.

Again, Joe believes at worst Raheem the Dream should finish the season. If Chucky is hired by Danny Snyder or Jerry Jones in the offseason, thereby removing his salary from the Bucs books, Joe would be nervous if Joe was Raheem the Dream.

Consider this the first Chucky rumor of the coaching recruiting season.

Michael Lombardi of NFL.com reports that the University of Louisville has Chucky atop its wish list. Oh, and Lombardi also throws in how Danny Snyder, the Redskins tyrant/owner, might also be interested in Chucky.

Gee, where have you read that before?

Chucky coaching in college is borderline nonsense to Joe. Chucky would be an awful college coach in Joe’s eyes. He’d be a lousy recruiter and his offense is so complex, it generally takes an NFL quarterback two or three years to digest, much less a guy just out of high school.

Just look how that same offense worked for Bill Callahan at Nebraska.

Lombardi claims in the video that accompanies the above link that Chucky is not as appealing to NFL owners as Mike Holmgren or Mike Shanahan (or possibly Bill Cowher). While Joe would take Bill Cowher over Chucky any day of the week, the more the Bucs continue to suck, the more Chucky looks like a wizard for getting the Bucs to the cusp of a playoff game with virtually the same team.

Jim Bates seems depressed. So Joe is depressed, too.

There was gloom and doom in Bates’ answer to a question about the Bucs’ woes in the secondary. It was asked during his Wednesday news conference.

The veteran defensive coordinator was asked to explain the greatest challenges for the secondary transitioning from primarily playing zone coverage — Monte Kiffin’s scheme — to Bates’ system.

Bates all but said the Bucs don’t have the talent in place at cornerback or the experience at safety. Here is his response unedited.

“The biggest part is bump corners. As far as the bump corners and the safeties also getting accustomed as far as when they can help. Cause it shouldn’t look like every single snap that it’s the corners all the way and they’re out there on an island. When [safeties] can come off and help especially when there is a lot of airtime on the ball. If it’s an under 20-yard route, then it’s going to be the corner’s play over there when we’re in bump. …The corners got to do a good job. Every place that I’ve been fortunate enough to be at, we’ve had really good corners and really good bump corners. And they really take away the deep ball for the most part in all those places. And we’re going to get there. We’re going to get there. But sometimes it just isn’t the corner. The safety has got to be able to know when he can give help, get the depth, get the break on the ball, and when there’s a lot of airtime on the ball we should be making the plays with the safeties, especially on those deep sideline routes.”

The Bucs gave up six pass completions of 40 or more yards during the 2008 season. Through five games this season, they have already yielded eight. This fun fact comes from the Twitter account of eye!-RAH Kaufman, NFL writer for The Tampa Tribune.

It seems Bates overestimated what he had in the Bucs’ secondary, or his fears have come to fruition. Perhaps both. 

But Bates obviously thinks his horses in the secondary are second-rate for his system. So unless the pass rush shows marked improvement, Bucs fans can probably expect to see lots more big plays for the wrong team.

In a take no sane Bucs fan could agree with, Mike Florio, curator, creator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, has named Josh Johnson as one of his top-10 players who should be traded by next week’s trade deadline.

Florio compares Johnson and Josh Freeman to Browns greats Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, respectively. By Florio’s logic, Freeman won’t be able to handle the pressure of Josh Johnson looming over his shoulder when he takes the QB torch.

The Bucs are walking into that same potential trap with Josh Johnson and Josh Freeman. The latter was a 2009 first-round pick, and the presumed quarterback of the future. The former is the short-timer, who is playing well without the stress of possibly being benched, since everyone (including Johnson) believes that day is coming once Freeman is ready.

But even if he’s not the starter in 2010, Johnson is showing enough to make him a viable Plan B if Freeman struggles next year. And Freeman will be more likely to overthink and/or hesitate if he realizes that bad performances could give Johnson another shot.

As a result, with plenty of positive buzz being generated regarding Johnson, the Bucs should move him now, and they should trust the guy in whom they entrusted first-round status.

Joe couldn’t disagree more. If Josh Johnson becomes a problem for Freeman, then Freeman needs to buy some oversized Depends and thank his maker that the Bucs dropped tens of millions on such an immature clown as he.

If Freeman stinks, the fans will always be calling for the No. 2 quarterback. That’s the way it’ll be regardless of who’s on the roster.

Many in the Tampa Bay area predicted that the first Bucs blacked out game in the history of the CITS would be this Sunday when the Bucs host the nearly-as-bad Carolina Panthers.

Hold on, says eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. He tweeted that the Bucs will sell out the Carolina game.

You heard it here first — the Bucs game against the Panthers Sunday at Raymond James Stadium will not be blacked out.

Joe will believe it when he sees it, though Joe is hopeful.

Speaking of believing, eye-RAH! seems to believe the Bucs have a very good shot at winning if they can get some decent blocking.

I’ll say it again — the Bucs need at least 30 rushing attempts to win, especially against a Carolina team that can’t stop the run.

If this were to come through, Sean Mayhem cannot be in the lineup.

By Harry King

My two cents: This Raheem the Dream is some kind of leader. He tells it like it is to his players, just like my old pal Earl Weaver. Hey, if it worked for George Patton, it can work for a football coach. His son was a great guest. … Speaking of the Orioles, watching the Bucs play defense was like watching Weaver’s teams: Sooner or later, there was going to be a couple of home runs.

Defensive players run past Sean Mahan quicker than when my boyhood friends and I used to run past ushers to sneak into Ebbets Field. I grew up with Sandy Koufax, you know? … Linebackers fly past Mahan so quickly, cops want to cite them for reckless driving. … In the offseason, Sean Mahan stays in shape by working as a greeter in a local Wal-Mart.

After eating mounds of pasta at Ciao Trattoria with Jonathon Winters, not even we were as full of it as Chucky on Monday Night Football. … Word is when Tony Dungy stated he would not be a consultant with the Bucs, Josh Freeman was seen at St. Petersburg Diocesan chapel lighting candles in thanks. … Earnest Graham has been forgotten, just like my previous seven marriages.

Much has been made about Michael Clayton’s seemingly heartfelt and sincere apologies Tuesday during his interview with J.P. Peterson on JP’s Happy Hour on WQYK-AM 1010. Clayton apologized for using the horrible choice of words referencing his NFL checks when asked about fan reactions to his league-leading dropped passes.

(For the record, the Bucs lead the NFL in dropped passes).

But what was interesting in the interview was Clayton’s response when Peterson asked him if he was worried about getting cut, noting how the Bucs had moments prior to the interview announced the signing of wide receiver Yamon Figurs.

When Peterson asked Clayton, “Do you have any fear you might be released?” Clayton said he doesn’t concern himself with such matters.

“Nah, not at all,” Clayton said. “I don’t thing about those things. I feel deep in me that I have shown my passion of what I want to be for this football team. It’s not a good time for any body right now at all.

“It’s the nature of the business and when [you are] under this situation you will be under scrutiny. We will handle it. We will be able to deal with it. It’s about being a professional right now. You have to stay loyal and dedicated to the team. We will continue to stay the course.”

Joe was pleased to hear Clayton not offer any excuses for his dropped passes as he has in the past, claiming Chucky forced him to drop balls. Chucky, of course, is long gone.

Joe believes Clayton’s heart is in the right spot and one could almost hear the pain in his voice about how he admits his drops are letting down the team. Sadly, sympathy only goes so far in the NFL.

Sooner or later, Clayton’s going to have to register more games like he did against the Cowboys to open the season or he will be dropping passes for some other team no matter how well he blocks; no matter where his heart may lie.

The Football Moron of BSPN breaksdown the Panthers-Bucs game this Sunday. For once, this clown makes sense, though it sounds ugly for Bucs fans.

There’s no question the Bucs just can’t hang with most of the NFL due to a lack of talent. But that’s not the only problem.

Seems as though the Bucs also suffer from a lack of concentration. The numbers don’t lie and Pat Kirwan of NFL.com spells it out.

Coaches call these “dumb penalties.” Lacking talent is one thing, but there is no excuse for mental errors that move teams in the wrong direction. These include illegal shifts, motions, procedures, delay of game, false starts, encroachment and too many players on the field or in the huddle.

Teams struggling to win can be crippled by such flags before the ball is even snapped. Good teams average one of these nonsense penalties a game. Bad teams average three to four a game. Acts of aggression like roughing the passer, illegal hits and pass interference are going to happen. It’s the lack of concentration penalties that make a bad team. Still, they can be corrected. The coaches on these teams are harping on these mistakes day and night.

Where do the Bucs stack up in Kirwan’s “concentration penalties?” Only four teams, Oakland (19), Buffalo (16), Tennessee (16) and St. Louis (15) have more than the Bucs (15).

The signing of vaunted wide receiver Yamon Figurs figures to be a sign that the debut of Josh Freeman is just around the corner.

Yesterday when Joe learned that the Bucs signed castoff wide receiver Yamon Figurs, the first thing Joe thought of was, “Here comes Josh Freeman.”

You see, Figurs played with Freeman at Kansas State.

Vacation Man of BSPN.com was thinking the same thing, then must have been distracted by gawking at Bucs cheerleader pictures online because he went off the deep end.

Give the Bucs credit for not getting caught up in the name game with Jones and Tyree. Yes, they’re better known than Figurs, but there are reasons why they were available.

Wait a minute, so Vacation Man is suggesting there was no good reason why Figurs was walking the streets? Please.

Joe’s not saying the Bucs should have signed Jones (no!) or Tyree. Personally, Joe was hoping the pride of St. Petersburg Catholic, Chris Davis, was signed.

But if the Bucs had to drag some guy out of the unemployment line just because he played with Freeman once upon a time and may help Freeman, that tells Joe that the Bucs are reaching for ways to speed up Freeman’s development almost as bad as they reached to trade up in the first round to acquire Freeman in the first place.

Joe finds it difficult to believe Sean Mayhem will return next season.

The Bucs are lousy. No one with a sane mind will debate that (though Rachel Watson may).

No less an authority than eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, writing in a Bucs question-and-answer column on TBO.com, suggests the Bucs front office is all too aware of this and that at season’s end, there will be major changes to the Bucs roster.

Q: With the trade deadline looming, is there anyone available that can help the team? And are they even looking? They can obviously use help at receiver and along the defensive line. Byron Leftwich is decent trade bait, I’m sure someone will give up a third corner or a third receiver for a decent back up quarterback.
D.J Smith, Tampa

A: First things first — Byron Leftwich has no trade value at this point. You might get a late draft pick for him, but you won’t get a decent player in return. The Bucs are looking for upgrades, but there isn’t much out there. They don’t want anyone older than 30, so that’s another factor to consider. At this point, they’re kind of stuck with what they’ve got. I know that isn’t what Buc fans want to hear. This roster will be turned over again at the end of the season.
— Ira Kaufman

Joe wonders which player will get the ax come the new year? Joe prays Sean Mayhem is gone. Joe can also think of two underperforming first round picks, neither of which are fans favorites, who also may be packing their bags.

The Eagles were like ravenous sharks Sunday. They smelled blood and attacked.

The blood came from the wound on the Bucs offensive line also known as Sean Mayhem, the walking turnstile. Paul Domowitch of the Philly Daily News documents one such example of how Mayhem was so overmatched, he rendered the offense useless Sunday.

Defensive tackle Antonio Dixon got his most playing time of the season and played well, often lining up right over center Sean Mahan, who was no match for Dixon’s strength. On a second-and-10 run by Williams on the Bucs’ second possession, Dixon had pushed Mahan 2 yards into the backfield before Williams got the handoff. He had to bounce it outside, where Omar Gaither tackled him for a 4-yard loss.

If guys were blowing past and through Mayhem before a play could ever begin, no wonder the Bucs offense had trouble getting into gear.

Earlier today, Joe brought you an item of how Bucs employee and Fox Sports Radio host Chris Myers claimed the Bucs were in talks to bring Father Dungy back to the Bucs in the form of a consultant.

Father Dungy released a statement through his current employer, NBC Sports, where he claims he has no interest in working for the Bucs, reports fellow NBC Sports employee, Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com.

“I have had no contact with the Bucs and have no interest in doing anything other than what I am doing” on NBC’s Football Night In America.

“I love working for NBC Sports and my goal right now is to get better at my new job,” Dungy said.

In some ways this is sad and in some ways this is cause for Joe to open a bottle of Caybrew.

Just prior to the start of the season, Raheem the Dream boasted that Josh Johnson was a “career backup.”

Three weeks into the season, Raheem the Dream named Johnson the Bucs starting quarterback.

Vacation Man of BSPN.com has come to the conclusion that he agrees with Raheem the Dream. That Johnson is a career backup.

I’ve liked what I’ve seen out of Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Johnson in his first two NFL starts.

He’s shown a live arm, some running ability and some intangibles. He’s also shown signs of being a late-round draft pick who is still very early in his career development. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say the Bucs have found their backup quarterback of the future.

Yes, backup.

There have been no miracles since Johnson took over. The Bucs are still a bad team. They have no running game, receivers drop passes and the defense isn’t very good. Johnson’s been far from Tampa Bay’s biggest problem, but he’s not going to stay in the lineup much longer.

What, Vacation Man is expecting miracles from Josh Freeman? Based on what exactly?

It would help if Sean Mayhem could slow someone down. It would also help if Greg Olson had an idea how to adjust on the fly.

Joe has obviously heard of the Washington Post. Joe has also heard of the Washington Times.

Joe has not heard of the Washington Examiner. Someone there by the name of Rick Snider claims that Washington Redskins tyrant/owner Danny Snyder has already decided who will take the place of deadman walking (current for now) Redskins head coach Jim Zorn.

Chucky.

Sources close to Gruden say he’s interested in the Redskins because of Snyder’s free spending. Gruden felt undermined by Tampa Bay owners because they were $45 million under the salary cap in his final season. The NFL won’t have a salary cap next year, leaving Snyder to spend freely for the free agents that Gruden prefers.

The article also offers a serious caveat however, noting “Snyder has not contacted Gruden, say sources.”

That can be a major hangup.

The article also doesn’t use one named source, which is another major red flag.

Joe has noted before the Redskins would be a perfect fit for Chucky if not Dallass. Chucky needs a strong owner to put his foot down (just like Snyder and Dallass owner Jerry Jones). That written, both owners have a virtual open checkbook which would give Chucky a wet dream.

By the way, does anyone else find Chucky nauseating on BSPN? He’s perfect for the ADD crowd BSPN so covets. Everyone is “great.” Every play is “excellent.”

And the verbal fellatio Chucky gives movers and shakers in the NFL is beyond the pale. A couple of weeks ago Chucky did his best to coerce Jones into an interview the way he went on about Tony Romo.

Last night the way Chucky talked about Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, one would have thought he’s the greatest front office man the NFL has ever seen.

Joe nearly fell off his leather couch when he heard Chucky talk about how well Bill Callahan relates to and coaches up players. Joe seems to recall Callahan had a near-mutiny on his hands at both Oakland and later Nebraska.

Joe also thought it was interesting the way Chucky talked up Jets running back Thomas Jones when it was Chucky who cut Jones from the Bucs years ago.

With Chucky in the booth for Monday Night Football, the BS meter is off the charts.

Much has been made of Michael Clayton’s drops. Deservedly so. Much has also been made of Clayton’s idiotic comment about his hefty bank accounts when asked about his critics. Stupid, stupid move there Michael.

But Joe has to be fair. Lost in Clayton’s arrogant, ignorant blast about his wealth was that he also took blame for letting his team down by letting the football through his fingertips too many times.

“It’s our job to come up and make plays,” Clayton told Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The rest is on us. I didn’t show up today.”

Again, Joe has been critical of Clayton for his drops, his excuses (Chucky is long gone so that no longer flies with Joe) and his moronic dismissal of his critics bragging about his paychecks.

Joe has to commend Clayton for actually taking the blame. While the loss to the Eagles cannot solely be pinned on Clayton, his drops didn’t help. Joe is impressed that he manned up and admitted he didn’t help his teammates.

Now make some catches Michael!