Ronde Barber established himself as a sick ball hawk in the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2001, a single-season team record that still stands.

But Joe believes Aqib Talib just might dethrone Barber this season. Halfway through the 2009 campaign, Talib has five picks.

And considering Talib is playing on a defense and a team much, much worse than that 2001 club, Joe believes him tying or breaking the record would be a bigger accomplishment than Barber had. It’s an interesting argument.

Looking back to 2001, Barber picked off young Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks three times in a late December game to jack up his total, including his one and only “pick 6” of that season. Barber also had a two-interception games against Kordell Stewart and a strong Steelers team, and two picks of Charlie Batch who was leading a then 0-8 Lions team.

Talib has yet to score this season, and he racked up a three-interception game in Washington.

Even if the Bucs had lost, Joe thought the CITS looked sharp Sunday.

The place was total throwback from the unis to the field painting to the throwback Swashbuckler uniforms to the 1970s music blaring from the public address system.

Most of the Bucs fans found some orange gear, likely dug out of their closets.

On a day that was devoted to the past — Lee Roy Selmon and the 1979 Bucs — the future of the team stole headlines: rookie quarterback Josh Freeman.

 Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune writes about what a neat scene it was on a warm November day.

It was all anyone could ask on a day when the Bucs improved to 1-7 and now – deep exhale – don’t have to listen to comparisons to the 2008 Detroit Lions anymore. Raheem Morris got his first win as an NFL coach.

It was pretty cool seeing Ray-Jay decked out in orange Sunday. People really did dig deep into their closets for those faux chic Buccaneer uniforms of old for the first ‘Throwback’ game in team history.

The ceremony at halftime honoring the 1979 division champion Bucs was dignified and long overdue, and if you didn’t get at least a little choked up watching the eternally classy Lee Roy Selmon become the first Buc in the new Ring of Honor then I’d gently suggest you’re overdosing on cynicism.

At one point yesterday when Freeman rolled to his left, Joe had flashbacks of Doug Williams.

Clobbered without warning to the side of the head, the unsuspecting victim was stunned and writhing in agony.

No, these words were not taken from Aqib Talib’s most recent police report. But they could be used to describe the aftermath of Donald Driver’s tackle of Talib during his third-quarter interception return against the Packers.

Talib emerged from a swarm of Bucs defenders on the goal line with the pick, his fifth of the season.

With his eyes focused downfield during the return, Talib apparently didn’t see the cab Driver, who came up and leveled Talib with a high hit that cleared out his legs.

Joe was flushed with irony.

“I’m good; just got the wind knocked out of me,” Talib told Greg Auman, of the St. Pete Times. “He asked me if I was all right.”

Talib no doubt slept well following the game, unless he was tossing and turning thinking about his arraingnment this morning at the Pinellas County courthouse.

Joe suspects this Cadillac Williams non-catch was on the perplexing swing pass call on 2nd-and-4 from the Packers' 7 after Caddy ran for six yards on first down.

Yes, Joe is happy as a clam right now. But there was still plenty that got under Joe’s skin during this game.

No. 1 on the list is the Bucs’ Chucky-like abandonment of the running game — over and over again. This Packers game was never out of reach. There was no excuse.

Joe thought today was the day to establish the run-first, play-action identity Raheem The Dream kept talking about ad nauseum for months. So what do the Bucs do with Josh Freeman on his opening drive? They open with a swing pass to Cadillac Williams that a nervous Freeman overthrows en route to a 3-and-out.

This is your identity, Rah? Your violent, smath mouth identity?

Fast forward to the Bucs driving for the winning touchdown after Michael Clayton’s deep catch at the Packers’ 13 yard line.

On first down, Cadillac Williams ran for six yards to the Packers’ 7 yard line. Then the Bucs threw the same darn swing pass to Cadillac on 2nd-and-4. Incomplete. Where the hell was another run play to take pressure off the young QB? Pound the freakin rock down there.

On third down the Bucs threw incomplete, and then Freeman and Sammie Stroughter earned hero honors with the winning touchdown.

Joe’s just praying the Bucs decide to pound the ball a bit more. It’s the answer in the long run with the talent on their roster.

Yes, Joe finally got to type “highlights” after a Bucs game rather than “lowlights.”

There’s no need to stay up until the middle of the night waiting for Bucs highlights of their first win of the season over the Packers when Joe can bring them to you, all courtesy of the good people of the NFL Network.

First are the Bucs highlights replete with the calls from Gene Deckerhoff. Second are touchdowns by Sammie Stroughter and Tanard Jackson.

Also is Josh Freeman’s first touchdown pass and his second touchdown pass.

Other highlights include Ronde Barber’s touchdown of Geno Hayes’ blocked punt and Aqib Talib’s interception. Elbert Mack also had a pickoff.

The NFL Network also highlights Clifton’s Smith’s 81-yard kickoff return and a highlight packages of Freeman’s top plays.

More: there are commments from Raheem the Dream and Freeman.

Lastly, NFL Network analysts Jamie Dukes and Tom Waddle discuss the Bucs win.

If Bucs fans are like Joe, they are awash in Caybrew.

And for good reason: The Bucs won their first game of the season, wearing the creamsicle unis and in front of legend Lee Roy Selmon no less.

Additionally, the Bucs won on Josh Freeman’s first start. Could this be a harbinger of things to come? Could this be the beginning of a glorious era for Bucs fans?

What may be intersting is that Freeman’s first win could be the beginning of the end of the Mike McCarthy era in Green Bay. That’s what Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com believes.

Coupled with a sweep of the Packers by Brett Favre, a loss to the woeful Bucs could be enough to spark loud calls in the vicinity of Lambeau Field for a new General Manager and a new head coach.

Joe doesn’t know if McCarthy should lose his job just yet. Joe does know Packers fans have become irritated with McCarthy. If the dominoes are actually beginning to fall for McCarthy to lose his job, Joe finds it rich with irony that the first start of the Bucs new franchise quarterback was the tremor that began the McCarthy’s downfall.

Following his sideline shower, Raheem The Dream stayed remarkably cool in his postgame interview for the Bucs radio network.

Raheem The Dream was surprisingly mellow following the Bucs comeback win against Green Bay.

Considering the head coach is ramped up like a mouse who just ate a chocolate bar most of the time, Joe was very surprised to hear Raheem The Dsream speak rather smoothly and confidently during his postgame interview on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

Raheem The Dream seemed to be careful not to raise expectations on Josh Freeman, taking more of a he’s-progressing-nicely approach.

Joe was impressed. The head coach was under control. Joe suspects Raheem The Dream wanted to say something like, “I told you he’s a No. 1 quarterback in this league, mother fu**er. That’s why we drafted him. That’s my bride. He’s got the goods, and he’s just a baby.” (Editor’s note: Raheem The Dream drops F-bombs when enjoying happy talk with Aqib Talib, so Joe assumes that’s what he was thinking).

Raheem The Dream talked about his confidence going for the touchdown on fourth down late in the game rather than kicking a field goal. (For those in the toilet at that time, the result was the winning touchdown toss to Sammie Stroughter).

Raheem The Dream said he tried to keep his happy locker room focused on preparing for next week’s game in Miami. “Ronde Barber presented me with a game ball. Ownership was there and they wanted to present me a game ball,” Raheem The Dream said.

As for more games in the Creamsicle jerseys, Raheem said his player are on board. “I’m sure the guys will be politicking to wear them a little bit more.”

Yes, Green Bay allows lots of sacks. Yes, Aaron Rogers holds the ball too long, and their O-line is hardly a group of great pass blockers. But who the heck cares — it’s the Packers.

The Bucs defensive line had six sacks. Hallelujah!

Former Bucs DE Steve White will offer up the finest D-line breakdown on earth in his weekly Bull Rush feature on JoeBucsFan.com tomorrow. You don’t want to miss it.

For now, Joe’s got some perspective from Stylez G. White, as he spoke on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

“We put [Aaron Rodgers] in situations with 3rd and long. We was going. We felt like we played the Patriots and got good pressuue and we could keep it going, ” said White, who recorded 1.5 sacks. “That week off was huge. …We’re not good enough to come from behind right now. We need all three phases. We need to do that early. …Going in Monday for work, now it’s not as gloomy as the other days going in. …Hopefully, it’s going to be contagious.”

Chris Hovan said on the Buccaneers Radio Network that the Bucs’ D-line simply had success at the line of scrimmage. ” We won the one-on-ones to win the game,” he said.

Hovan threw in some high praise for Josh Freeman. “He didn’t look like a rookie to me.”

As for the D-Line success, Joe believes there’s a bit of a Gaines-is-outta-here thing going on.

Joe’s played on his share of teams. And when there’s a guy like Adams getting a lot of playing time who ain’t getting it done and not looking good, that drags down an entire unit.

That’s just human nature. And Joe’s sure there was a liberating feeling in the D-line room after Adams left, and it’s showing on the field.

Hats off to Michael Clayton for making a huge adjustment on a Josh Freeman 29-yard bomb caught in the wind to make a huge catch to set up the winning score.

Following the game, Clayton said on the Buccaneers Radio Network that he made more than just a great adjustment on the ball. He made changes this week in his personal life that he believes are paying off.

“Spiritually I took some steps this week. … Fasting,” Clayton said in the radio interview. A surprisingly mellow Clayton, now sporting a beard, finished his brief comments by praising the Lord. 

Josh Freeman gave a more Xs and Os explanation of Clayton’s big catch, his only one of the game (plus the 2-point conversion).

“Al Harris wasn’t really respecting Clayton on that vertical route all day. Clayton was just saying, ‘He’s just sitting. He’s just sitting,’ Freeman said. ”  …I just threw it up, the wind caught it. …[Clayton] made a great adjustment, it was great.]

Joe would love to learn more about Clayton fasting. Whatever works, Mike. Everyone will love you if you don’t drop balls.

Kellen Winslow, Jr., sent a message to critics of his head coach and to Bucs management following the game.

In an energetic locker room interview on the Buccaneers Radio Network, Winslow told the world the Bucs are behind their head coach.

“I haven’t won in a long time, coming from Cleveland. We just wanted to win for these players and these coaches. Especially for Rah. We know he’s under a lot of pressure. We’re not letting him go nowhere,” Winslow said.

Joe finds it interesting that Winslow was feeling the heat on Raheem The Dream. Joe knows Winslow’s lovely wife reads JoeBucsFan.com.

Perhaps Winslow does, too.

Joe suspects that in the hoopla surrounding Josh Freeman and the Bucs’ first victory, it will be easy for the media and fans to forget about Clifton Smith.

The guy shook off his ugly concussion suffered against Carolina to return to the lineup today and flat out dominate in the return game, including busting an 83-yard kickoff return, another strong return and four punt returns for 54 yards.

His rookie quarterback was appreciative very early in his postgame interview on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

“It’s hard to say if we get this thing done without Clifton Smith, giving us great field position all game,” Freeman said on the Buccaneers Radio Network after the game.

Joe’s fired up about Smith. Great game.

And it’s comforting to know the Bucs have Sammie Strougther behind him on the returner depth chart. No doubt Stroughter could be a starter in that role on other NFL teams.

The Savior

Damn, if feels awesome to win. Joe’s got the Caybrew flowing!

Amazing that so much of this win falls on the shoulders of 21-year-old Josh Freeman.

Unbelievable!

The Bucs came up big in all facets of the game, yet there’s so much room for improvement. Now that’s encouraging!

Joe’s got his usual powerhouse postgame coverage all day, night and into tomorrow. Check back early and often.

* Bucs had Rodgers for a sack but he slips away for a first down to James Jones even with Bucs dropping eight back in coverage.

* Nice tackle for  loss by Tanard Jackson!

* Big time sack by Roy Miller! Can the Bucs hold the Packers?

* Gee, Rodgers didn’t have enough time to decide to run did he?

* OK, now Freeman has to get some offense going here. Bucs are down two scores.

* Peanut Smith with a big time return. Bucs should at least get a field goal out of this.

* Freeman just threw a hair behind Ryan Clark otherwise it was six points. Broken up by the Pack.

* Freeman barely — barely! — missed a penalty by almost running past the line of scrimmage. Smart play by Freeman in that he kept looking downfield when he possibly could have run the ball for a score.

* Why the hell did Raheem the Dream go for two? No need for that nonsense.

* Ted Nugent blaring through the speakers of the CITS.  It certainly is a 1970s day.

* Dave Moore on the Bucs radio network just remarked how he loved the Bucs cheerleaders big… pom-pons.

* Packers pounding the ball and eating clock. Can you say “Carolina?”

* Packers are basically telling the Bucs: We’ll run till you stop us. The Bucs aren’t.

* Even when the Bucs get players on the Pack’s running backs the Pack still get a couple of yards.

* Bucs dodge a bullet. Rodgers had time but was rushed when no one was open. Rodgers was hit as he was throwing and as a result, the pass was incomplete.

* A toe tackle stopped what would have been a monster gain by Peanut Smith.

* Very, very, very nice catch by Winslow on Freeman’s pass to the right sideline. First down.

* Freeman’s second interception waived off by a holding call. Dave Moore claims Freeman never should have thrown across  his body in in midfield.

* Freeman dodges another interception. Dropped by Al Harris.

* Michael Clayton with a catch. Michael Clayton of all people! Bucs in the red zone.

* Third-and-four. Joe says a rollout would be good here.

* Sammie Stroughter gives the Bucs a lead with 4:14 with a remarkable catch in the right far corner of the end zone.

* Michael Clayton was so wide open Joe thought sure he would drop the pass. Bucs lead 31-28 lead. Can the defense hold for the Bucs first win. Joe is having a difficult time believing what he is seeing, with apologizes to Jack Buck.

* Crowd is alive.

* Another sack!

* On Rodgers sack the Pack held worse than on the previous play when there was holding called.

* Once again there is no room to run right. What the hell Olsen?

* Almost a dangerous fumble by Freeman.

* Joe just got a message from a good friend Vitto in Pittsburgh. He has the Pack in a survival pool he is leading in. He is just a handful of weeks away from winning $277,000. That is if the Bucs lose. Vitto said he’s about to commit suicide.

* Balls call here by Raheem the Dream to go for it.

* Dumbasses, false start. No excuse for that. NONE!

* OK. If the Bucs have any cajones on defense, now is the time.

* Sixth sack by the Bucs. Unreal.

* Bucs win! Joe cannot believe he’s typing this. Tanard Jackson with a pick six. Much, much, much more later. Stay with Joe.a

* This running to the right won’t get the job done.

* Hello, Greg Olson, don’t run to the right!

* Stovall was open briefly for a touchdown but Freeman was rushed out of the pocket.

* Geez, can the Bucs buy a field goal?

* Ronde Barber with the blocked punt.

* Off the top of Joe’s head, that’s the second blocked punt in two seasons for Geno Hayes, and Hayes only played a handful of games last season.

* K.C. and the Sunshine Band is blaring out of the CITS public address system instead of Ozzy Ozbourne. Joe likes Ozzy but Joe finds Ozzy at the CITS very stale. Welcome change in tunes by the Bucs.

* If the Bucs are going to have a shot of winning this game — and it’s tied — the defense has to tighten up.

* Good protection on Jennings by Ronde Barber who was on Jennings like a blanket.

* Third down and six. Bucs need a stop, maybe some pressure perhaps?

* Geez, and when they do put pressure on Rodgers, the Bucs can’t get him on the ground. First down Pack.

* Good cutback by Grant against a swarming Bucs defense.

* At times, Joe sees better high school defenses against the run on Friday nights than what the Bucs just tried. Got the ball shoved up their rear ends for a massive gain.

* And then Donald Drive was so wide open most people would have called the Coast Guard because they are lost.

* Joe hears the cries of the Cheeseheads, “Go Pack go… go Pack go… “

(Column intermission: The Swashbuckler uniforms are rather, um, kind to Jamie Hanna. Binoculars are a great thing at football games.)

* Smart move to unload the ball by Freeman rather than risk a sack.

* Next play Freeman should have unloaded it but didn’t. Massive loss.

* Near disaster on the fumbled snap.

* Guess Olson decided to get some room for the punt team on the draw play.*

* Old school Van Halen on the CITS PA system, “Running with the Devil.”

* Thankfully some defense now that the Packers have a short field after the shanked punt.

* Stylez White and Roy Miller chase Rodgers, nearly a sack, forcing a throwaway by Rodgers.

* First time Joe remembers the old “Tampa… Bay… ” cheer by the crowd.

* Nice read by Barber on the draw play. Fourth down. Whew, about time for a solid defensive stand.

* Nice dump by Freeman over to Stovall.

* Freeman throws a rainbow into a crowd and Nick Collins picks  it off. When Freeman tossed that ball Joe feared it was picked off.  Only Joe Montana could get away with lofting passes like that and Freeman is no Montana.

* Joe thought Sabby Piscitelli was going to get whistled for having a hand on a receiver when he batted down a Rodgers pass.

* On the near-pick by Barber, the Bucs ran a stunt left and it was so freaking slow in developing Joe thought the Bucs were doing a walk-through.

* With 95 yards to go and just over two minutes left in the half, Joe’s now sure why the Bucs are running.

* Good play by Stovall except he did not get out of bounds.

* Nearly a bomb completed to Clayton, only a touch too much on the ball by Freeman.

* So far Stovall and Winslow are Freeman’s favorite receivers.

* Real nice run by Freeman for a first down.

* Great catch by Stovall but he couldn’t get both feet down.

* Winslow squirms his way to a first down catch.

* The CITS public address system blares “Jungle Love” by Steve Miller whenever the Bucs make a first down.

* Stroughter wiggles his way to a near first down. Maybe time for one shot before a field goal attempt.

* This is gutless football. You have 11 seconds left and you decide to kick a field goal instead of taking a shot at the end zone? Crazy!

* This running to the right won’t get the job done.

* Hello, Greg Olson, don’t run to the right!

* Stovall was open briefly for a touchdown but Freeman was rushed out of the pocket.

* Geez, can the Bucs buy a field goal?

* Ronde Barber with the blocked punt.

* Off the top of Joe’s head, that’s the second blocked punt in two seasons for Geno Hayes, and Hayes only played a handful of games last season.

* K.C. and the Sunshine Band is blaring out of the CITS public address system instead of Ozzy Ozbourne. Joe likes Ozzy but Joe finds Ozzy at the CITS very stale. Welcome change in tunes by the Bucs.

* If the Bucs are going to have a shot of winning this game — and it’s tied — the defense has to tighten up.

* Good protection on Jennings by Ronde Barber who was on Jennings like a blanket.

* Third down and six. Bucs need a stop, maybe some pressure perhaps?

* Geez, and when they do put pressure on Rodgers, the Bucs can’t get him on the ground. First down Pack.

* Good cutback by Grant against a swarming Bucs defense.

* At times, Joe sees better high school defenses against the run on Friday nights than what the Bucs just tried. Got the ball shoved up their rear ends for a massive gain.

* And then Donald Drive was so wide open most people would have called the Coast Guard because they are lost.

* Joe hears the cries of the Cheeseheads, “Go Pack go… go Pack go… “

(Column intermission: The Swashbuckler uniforms are rather, um, kind to Jamie Hanna. Binoculars are a great thing at football games.)

* Smart move to unload the ball by Freeman rather than risk a sack.

* Next play Freeman should have unloaded it but didn’t. Massive loss.

* Near disaster on the fumbled snap.

* Guess Olson decided to get some room for the punt team on the draw play.*

* Old school Van Halen on the CITS PA system, “Running with the Devil.”

* Thankfully some defense now that the Packers have a short field after the shanked punt.

* Stylez White and Roy Miller chase Rodgers, nearly a sack, forcing a throwaway by Rodgers.

* First time Joe remembers the old “Tampa… Bay… ” cheer by the crowd.

* Nice read by Barber on the draw play. Fourth down. Whew, about time for a solid defensive stand.

* Nice dump by Freeman over to Stovall.

* Freeman throws a rainbow into a crowd and Nick Collins picks it off. When Freeman tossed that ball Joe feared it was picked off. Only Joe Montana could get away with lofting passes like that and Freeman is no Montana.

* Joe thought Sabby Piscitelli was going to get whistled for having a hand on a receiver when he batted down a Rodgers pass.

* On the near-pick by Barber, the Bucs ran a stunt left and it was so freaking slow in developing Joe thought the Bucs were doing a walk-through.

* With 95 yards to go and just over two minutes left in the half, Joe’s now sure why the Bucs are running.

* Good play by Stovall except he did not get out of bounds.

* Nearly a bomb completed to Clayton, only a touch too much on the ball by Freeman.

* So far Stovall and Winslow are Freeman’s favorite receivers.

* Real nice run by Freeman for a first down.

* Great catch by Stovall but he couldn’t get both feet down.

* Winslow squirms his way to a first down catch.

* The CITS public address system blares “Jungle Love” by Steve Miller whenever the Bucs make a first down.

* Stroughter wiggles his way to a near first down. Maybe time for one shot before a field goal attempt.

* This is gutless football. You have 11 seconds left and you decide to kick a field goal instead of taking a shot at the end zone? Crazy!

* Little too much in front to the pass to caddy in the right flat on the first play of the game.

* Nice start by Caddy to the left off tackle for a good chunk.

* Good run when Freeman decided to run. Slid too quick though to avoid getting his head knocked off.

* James Jones just walked past Elbert Mack once Jones caught the ball. If, as Gene Deckerhoff said, Mack has a bad ankle, than what is he doing on the field?

* Bucs are doing a nice job running the ball. They should stay with it.

* Bucs seem to want to run the ball to the left. Keep it up.

* Freeman’s second pass batted down at the line. Strange from such a tall guy. He also telegraphed it.

* Caddy getting stuffed to the right might be why they are running left. Now it’s third-and-long.

* Close to a pic-six by Woodsen.

* Mack makes a nice pick almost for six to make up for his roasting earlier.

* A Derrick Ward sighting!

* Now Ward, wide open in the right flat, accurate pass and Ward dives to the pylon. Freeman races in to embrace Ward.

* That wonderful Bucs rush defense is getting the job done (again).

* Ruud makes a tackle… after a four-yard game.

* After the long gain the Bucs have buckled down on the run.

* Ahmad Green muscles for a first down screen reception.

* Pack looks to be about to score. Nice possession by them, taking wht the Bucs give.

* OMG, Barrett Ruud may have gotten a tackle for a loss!

* On the Pack’s second touchdown, Joe believes he could have run the ball in. Very good push up front by the Pack’s offensive line. Imagine?

* Bucs have no running room to the right.

* Very nice roll out to the left by Freeman with a pass to a wide open Kellen Winslow. With those creamsicles, it looked to Joe just like Doug Williams.

* Pass was on the money to Brian Clark but Tremaine Williams knocked it down. So far, to Joe, the passes seem to be on target but Dave Moore thought the pass was behind Clark.

* Escapability by the rookie and he hits a wide open Derrick Ward as Freeman kept his eyes downfield. Freeman seems to be a cool cucumber so far.

Fans in a couple of hours will get a treat on TV. The CITS is all decked out in creamsicle.

The Bucs cheerleaders are all wearing orange. A giant Bucco Bruce helmet is at midfield.  The end zones have white “TAMPA BAY” with orange trim.

Even the sides of the CITS on field level have an orange and white banner circling the stadium.

It will look cool to Bucs fans on TV. Joe is already impressed.

Week 8
Packers vs. Bucs
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
TV: WTVT Ch. 13, DirecTV 710
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 138.
Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, despite the wind, absolute dynamite weather. Temperature at kickoff expected to be 82 with winds at 15 mph. If Raheem the Dream had stuck to his run-first, throw-deep offense, this would be perfect. Joe knows it’s not in the 80s in the daytime in Green Bay in November. Winds may actually slightly increase during the game. While kickoff is expected to be sunny, the skies are expected to turn cloudy before the end of the game.
Odds: Per Bodog.com, Green Bay -10
Outlook: Finally, the Ring of Honor is unveiled today, and no less an inductee than the lone Bucs player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Lee Roy Selmon, is the initial inductee. Props to Lee Roy. Also rather fitting, the creamsicle unis are unearthed. Good timing since those unis signify the horrible Bucs years. Given the fact the Bucs are chasing a winless season, it’s rather fitting the creamsicles are broken out again. Given the fact Josh Freeman will be making his first NFL start at quarterback, the only way the Bucs win this game is if the Bucs can dominate in the running game. Joe expects at least one pick-six. If Freeman throws less than 12 passes, that means the Bucs have a prayer. If Freeman throws more than 20 passes, the Cheeseheads will have a fine time today with their Miller Lite (given the fact Joe is from the St. Louis area, the thought of drinking Miller Lite as opposed to Caybrew is nauseating to Joe, no matter how kind the Packers fans are.

Joe’s brought up the subject of Josh Freeman getting booed before. But as Freeman wets his pants prepares before his first start today, it’s worth another look.

Bucs fans have endured 11 consecutive losses. Ownership isn’t spending enough money on players. The head coach and general manager haven’t proven squat yet. Few players are shining on the field. And home games are typically soiled by thousands of fans for the opposition. 

If all that doesn’t make for a testy fan base, Joe’s not sure what would.

And that brings Joe to 21-year-old Josh Freeman. How much time does he have before Bucs fans turn against him, assuming he struggles like most rookie quarterbacks do?

Joe believes Freeman gets a pass on Sunday, no matter what happens. And Freeman likely will be left alone if the Bucs win a couple of games.

But if the Bucs drop their next two, then the team is 0-9 and at home for New Orleans, a game that could see Freeman playing from behind early and throwing his share of interceptions. 

Might the boos rain down on him that soon? Could he handle it?

Consider that Detroit Lions fans are already ripping Matthew Stafford a new one, so describes the Journal Sentinel (Milwaukee). And he’s actually won a game and had some strong peformances.

In case you missed it, Stafford, the first overall pick in the 2009 draft, was booed heavily as he completed 14 of 33 passes for 168 yards and threw one interception in the Lions’ 17-10 loss to the previously winless St. Louis Rams on Sunday at Ford Field.

Never mind that Stafford had missed the previous two games with a knee injury and fought like heck to get back into the lineup.

Never mind that in his two starts before the injury, Stafford posted respectable passer ratings of 87.8 and 89.6.

Never mind that Stafford led the Lions to a victory over the Washington Redskins on Sept. 27 – at home – to break the franchise’s 19-game losing streak.

It’s like Lions fans never learned anything from the tortured existences of previous would-be franchise quarterbacks such as Joey Harrington, Andre Ware and Chuck Long.

But they booed anyway – and then taunted Stafford as he stood on the sideline inside the “friendly” confines.

Joe thinks Bucs fans are, unfortunately, an angry lot that will go after Freeman if he struggles and the Bucs don’t win a couple of games.

Personally, Joe doesn’t think he could boo Freeman this year. It just doesn’t seem fair.

But if the Bucs are winless in late December and Freeman looks like a bust, Joe’s not sure he could refrain from booing anyone in the organization who isn’t female, half naked and dancing on the sidelines.