The irony is so rich, Joe cannot believe this wasn’t a planned stunt.

When the Bucs announced they were to honor the lone Bucs squad to win a Super Bowl, the 2002 team, and chose a home game against the Eagles, Joe couldn’t wipe the smile from his grill. Still can’t.

For those who maybe weren’t aware or are just crawling from under a rock, the Bucs beat the Eagles in the final game played at Veteran’s Stadium in the NFC championship to advance to the Super Bowl.

Beleaguered Eagles coach Andy Reid was at the helm that day, and with the Eagles freefalling this season, it may be his last in the town wrongly believed to be the City of Brotherly Love.

Reid spoke about his harrowing memories of the Bucs dancing on the Eagles home turf in celebration.

“I can’t say I am looking forward to that group again,” said Reid, whose Eagles lost four of five NFC title games including three in a row. The Bucs “were a great football team. Beat us fair and square. Wish it wouldn’t have happened but nice to see them honor that group.”

Joe hopes with the presence of so many Bucs greats from that historic win over the Eagles, that the current Bucs are inspiring to spank the Eagles once again.

Could a potential Davis departure open the door for Monte Kiffin to return to the Bucs?

It was a bit of a surprise to hear word of Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan interested in the now filled Boston College head coaching job. But it’s no surprise that Bucs’ covert defensive analyst/quarterback scout Butch Davis is a target of a college program.

Sports Illustrated’s Pete Thamel is reporting today that Davis is the prime target for the head job at Florida International University.

Whether FIU has the cash it would take to hire Davis, and whether he’d want to coach in the shadow of his old stomping grounds in Coral Gables, is a mystery.

Joe wonders whether a Davis departure could open the door for Monte Kiffin’s return to the Bucs in a similar capacity as a defensive advisor.

Greg Schiano has talked numerous times about how he used to attend Bucs training camp practices and took detailed notes on how Kiffin ran his defense. Schiano is open about his admiration for Kiffin, and given that Kiffin remains a Pinellas County resident, they might be a great fit.

Lost a bit in the Bucs’ loss to the Broncos was Vincent Jackson busting the 1,000-yard mark on the season.

Jackson leads the NFL with 20.3 yards per reception, and he has a total of 50 catches for 1,014 yards. Barring an injury or a complete collapse, statistically this will be the best season of Jackson’s eight-year career.

And none of that factors in Jackson opening up the offense for others and being a strong mentor for Mike Williams.

At 718 receiving yards, Williams has 1,000 yards in reach. Joe’s too lazy to check the statistical history right now, but Joe doesn’t recall the Bucs ever having two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season.

Jackson deserves a tip of the hat. Joe gives him an “A” in his transition to the Bucs and his performance. It would be an A+ if he didn’t get caught at the goal line against New Orleans.

Joe’s been enjoying all the glory-years reminiscing this week, as the Bucs prepare for their 10-year Super Bowl anniversary celebration Sunday. However, what’s blown Joe’s mind is all the fabricated memories from fans heard on sports radio.

From who was on the team to who Chucky brought in when he arrived in 2002, 10 years has wiped out the brain cells of many a fan. And it seems Chucky himself might fall into that group.

Venerable Tampa Tribune bucs beat writer eye-RAH! Kaufman caught up to the man with the 100-pound playbook and Chucky belted out some strange line about Brad Johnson excelling with a bunch of strangers.

“We had a really good defense — we all knew it,” said Gruden, “but a defense doesn’t become great until you have an offense that can capitalize on that success. You have to play complementary football, and I really feel Brad was our MVP that year.

“I know Derrick played great, but for Brad Johnson to lead the NFC in passing efficiency with a bunch of guys he’d never met, including me, and then accomplish what he did in the playoffs was sensational.”

Huh? “A bunch of guys” Johnson “never met?” It was a somewhat bizzare line from Chucky, considering Johnson was here in 2001, when he tossed 106 balls to Keyshawn Johnson and worked in the backfield with Mike Alstott. And what is “passing efficiency?”

But Chucky’s call of Brad Johnson as the team MVP seemed more off the mark. The Bucs defense allowed only 12, TWELVE, points a game that season. Joe surely would have picked an MVP from that side of the ball.

Count former Bucs great safety John Lynch as one of Mark Barron’s biggest fans.

Joe believes it was preseason when Bucs safety Mark Barron made his presence felt with some rib-rattling hits on running backs. After the game, Joe mentioned to Barron that the way he was hitting running backs, he looked like a young version of John Lynch.

Barron just smiled and responded, “John Lynch, huh?”

Barron has continued to blow up opponents, most notably when he bodyslammed Robert Griffin III to the turf of thesStadium on Dale Mabry Highway, and was sadly flagged for the hit due to the powderpuff mentality of NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell and his henchmen.

Lynch, the former Bucs great who is a semifinalist looking to make the final ballot for this winter’s Pro Football Hall of Fame vote, believes Barron has growing to do as an NFL player but raved about the rookie from Alabama recently during a phone call to the Booger and Rich show, co-hosted by one of Lynch’s ex-teammates Booger McFarland on WHFS-FM 98.7.

“I think early on he was exactly what I thought he would be: a difference-making player. This was early on in the season and I think he has a hit a little bit of that rookie wall, not so much physically but mentally,” Lynch said. “You aren’t seeing him make that many impact plays. But I think Tampa fans can rest assured the Bucs have a special player on their hands. This is just a natural process that players go through in this league. He has all the physical tools. I think when they learn how to learn how to use him more effectively, and he continues to grow in his understanding of the game, this guy is a difference-making safety. He has everything you would want in the safety position and safeties are hard to find. A lot of people thought it was a reach taking him that high but I would say finding a safety is hard to find, especially a safety who can do all of those things and they have one in Mark Barron. I think he is going to be a very good football player for a long, long time.”

If Barron continues to grow, Joe believes he could be the next Ed Reed. Remember when Lynch was a young Bucs player? No one would have dreamed he would be up for induction into the Hall of Fame, especially the way Barry Sanders used to fake Lynch out of his jock too many times twice a year.

Let’s just say the way Barron hits, opposing wide receivers have his No. 24 in the back of their minds when they are running crossing patterns.

Big name Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who’s been to the playoffs repeatedly and won about 70 percent of his regular season games, is playing in the final year of his contract.

Joe’s been of the mind that whatever deal 27-year-old Flacco may land in Baltimore — if they don’t slap the franchise tag on him for 2013 — would very much be a key mark for a potential Josh Freeman contract extension with the Bucs.

But what’s interesting is that there’s a lot of chatter out of Baltimore that Flacco might have more to prove before Baltimore commits to him for the future. Joe Fortenbaugh, a former agent who writes for NationalFootballPost.com, delved into that in a strong piece yesterday.

So it was a bit of an eye-opener when former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland said today that Freeman is sure to get a contract extension from the Bucs this offseason in the neighborhood of “six years and $60 million.”

 “The next four games are not going to change anything,” McFarland said on 98.7 FM, during the Booger and Rich show.

Joe can’t agree that the next four games are meaningless for Freeman. If anything, they’re critical to his negotiating power and to making the Bucs sure of their plans for Freeman’s future. Freeman rising to this December challenge, or wilting under the pressure, will have an impact.

Of course, this assumes the Bucs even want to talk extension before the final season of Freeman’s rookie contract in 2013.

Joe has no doubt that in the coming years, Mark Barron will be a force at safety. He already is a bone-crushing tackler, just as RGIII.

And Bucs fans, and the NFL in general, go into a tizzy when “The Muscle Hamster,” Doug Martin, gets on his wheel.

Right now, however, Joe’s of the mind that the Bucs’ best rookie was the team’s second round draft pick, Lavonte David. We all know how David is a monster at tackles for a loss. We all know how David is a sideline-to-sideline warrior. Sunday, he showed he can pick off a pass, too.

But the numbers crunchers at ProFootballFocus.com suggest Sunday, David showed he may be the Bucs’ best pass rusher, claims Cole Schultz.

What’s the Rush?

Keeping two safeties deep whenever the Broncos weren’t in the red zone, Tampa forced Peyton Manning to beat them without many opportunities for the deep ball. And though they were successful in that regard (Manning attempted two passes over 20 yards in the air), the result was a short but methodical passing attack that left the Bucs’ defensive line little time to apply any pressure. Over half of Tampa Bay’s QB disruptions came from rookie Lavonte David (four hurries), but two of those occurred when he was unblocked. Neither Michael Bennett (-2.8 pass rush) nor Gerald McCoy (-1.3 pass rush) helped out the secondary as they generated one hurry apiece. A disappointing return considering their capabilities.

Now remember folks, David is going wilding each Sunday afternoon as a rookie — a rookie! Imagine what this guy will be able to do in the next few years when he has a better read on what NFL offenses are showing?

What a steal this David has turned out to be. Joe’s just glad he was the first media type in the Tampa Bay area to point him out to Bucs fans.

Count on the Bucs-Eagles game being televised locally Sunday.

The game should mark the second time fans in the Tampa and Orlando markets will get to see a 2012 Bucs home game live on television without connecting computers to their TVs for unlawful game feeds loaded with European cyber-viruses.

Unless the Bucs have been having ongoing major issues with TicketMaster (and there’s no reason to think they are) the Bucs are approaching a sell out of Sunday’s game right now. And that would mean the Bucs comfortably would break the 85 percent threshold of “non-premium” tickets sold to avoid the NFL blacking out the game from local TV.

According to TicketMaster.com, only one section at Raymond James Stadium has anything better than “only single seats available,” and numerous sections are sold out.

There are three major factors at play: the 10-year reunion ceremony of the 2002 Super Bowl champs, a preseason fan poll on Buccaneers.com showed this game to be the most anticipated by Bucs fans, and too many stinkin’ Eagles fans have gobbled up tickets.

Lesser variables would include the Bucs’ playoff hunt and extra millions of sports entertainment dollars in the Tampa Bay market thanks to the ongoing NHL lockout.

Joe’s happy for Bucs fans, and pleased that the Super Bowl champs will get their just applause, minus Keyshawn Johnson.

“

Joe’s not a big stats guy, and Joe’s idea of fantasy football only involves Rachel Watson and assorted other cheerleading icons. However, Joe does consume statistical data is always happy to share something interesting.

Today, Joe learned that the Bucs lead the NFL this season in field goal attempts from 40 yards or longer. They’ve attempted 19 and kicker Connor Barth has nailed a stunning 90 percent from 40-49 yards, and a strong 67 percent (6-of-9) from 50+ yards.

So what the hell does this say about the Bucs’ offense and playcalling?

Well, that’s what makes the stat rather interesting. There is no clear answer and opinions can vary widly. The only sure take is that Barth is worth the fat contract the Bucs dropped on him this offseason.

“Oh, God, yes. I bet you any amount of money the stadium erupts in boos when my name is called,” Keyshawn Johnson said last night.

The Bucs’ big 10-year Super Bowl anniversary celebration Sunday seems to be attracting all the big names, and the unexpected ones.

Chucky’s return was announced last week, and Chucky’s old pal, Keyshawn Johnson, has gotten a hall pass from his BSPN NFL analyst duties for the weekend to join the fun in Tampa.

In typical Meshawn fashion last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network, Johnson explained that “a lot of the guys are looking forward to me being there.”

However, Johnson knows Bucs fans will be against him when his name and number is called at halftime of the Bucs-Eagles game. “I’m expecting to get really loud boos,” Johnson said. “So I’m looking forward to it. I think it’ll be fun.”

Host TJ Rives followed up, “You think the Bucs fans are going to boo you?” And Johnson was clear the negative response to him will rock the house.

“Oh, God, yes. I bet you any amount of money the stadium erupts in boos when my name is called,” Johnson said. “And that’s ok, though. I had fun down there. Everybody has their own opinion about the way the marriage ended, but at the same time, hey,  I won a Super Bowl down there. I still have really good friends down there and I’m excited to go.”

Joe agrees that Keyshawn will get his share of jeers, but it won’t be as significant as he thinks. It’s not like Johnson was a bust on the field, and Joe knows fans appreciate what he meant to the title run before Chucky sent him home with pay halfway through the 2003 season.

“Hoofs on the line!”

Greg Schiano probably wanted to scream that at the ridiculous horse running around the chewed up field at Mile High on Sunday. Actually, it probably would have been “hoofs behind the line.”

The leader of the New Schiano Order explained on The Greg Schiano Show on WDAE-AM 620 last night.

TJ Rives: The lady riding the horse around throughout the game, it’s unique to Denver. Did you give that a second thought? She was on the field pregame riding the horse around. She’s on the field in between plays riding the horse around. It’s not every day you have a horse running around on the field in the field.

Greg Schiano: I don’t mind the horse. What I do mind though is the horseshoe prints all up and down the field. The field had two high school football games played on it the night before, and certainly the last thing that field needed was a horse runnin’ up and down it. So, did I say anything? No. That’s their home field; that’s part of the home field advantage. But probably not the best thing for field conditions. 

Schiano showed great restraint in not pushing game officials to corral the famed Broncos horse lady. The backlash from corralling the Broncos mascot might have rivaled the hype from kneelgate at the Meadowlands. Schiano is well aware of how the pesky media operates.

Broncos defensive back Champ Bailey was a nightmare for Bucs receivers Sunday.

Yes, Joe angered some Bucs fans when he suggested a more consistent performance from Josh Freeman could have been enough to beat the Broncos.

A number of Bucs fans attacked Joe, claiming the pass rush of the Broncos was too much, despite the fact Freeman was sacked but once.

Perhaps a better foil for Freeman’s ugly third quarter was Broncos stud defensive back Champ Bailey who, per Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post, locked up Bucs receiver and Freeman’s favorite target Vincent Jackson and wreaked havoc on both Mike Williams and Tiquan Underwood.

When Bailey was matched up on Jackson in one-on-one situations, which was for most of the game, Jackson had one reception for 12 yards Sunday. And that catch didn’t come until the third quarter was drawing to a close.

Jackson had another catch in zone coverage, away from Bailey, and his third and final catch of the game came with Bailey having already been taken out of the game because the Broncos were protecting a two-touchdown lead facing a three-day turnaround to play in Oakland on Thursday night.

“Vincent’s one of the toughest matchups because he plays hard all the time,” Bailey said. “He’s not one of those guys where if he’s not getting the ball, he’s out there running slower or anything. He’s a beast.”

Bailey went on say he sensed Freeman was flustered and frustrated, which also led to his subpar afternoon.

There will be days like that when Jackson is taken out of a game because of solid play by a defense. Hey, those guys collect checks as well and Bailey is one of the best around. When that happens, it is imperative other receivers get open, and for Freeman to remain calm, collected and above all, patient.

Yes, some will blame the Broncos’ pass rush for getting to Freeman. Perhaps Bailey is as much to blame, or in better words, deserves the credit?

Damn, the Bucs took a punch in the gut this weekend — and with the Redskins’ Monday night victory — as it relates to their playoff hopes and dreams.

At 6-6, the Bucs are a game back of Seattle in the hunt for the final NFC Wild Card spot, except now the Bucs are tied with the Vikings, Redskins and Cowboys. Sadly, the Bucs lose the usually critical head-to-head tiebreaker with Washington and Dallas.

Also, the Bucs now have one more loss in NFC conference play than Seattle and Washington. Conference record is one of the secondary tiebreakers after head-to-head results.

It’s safe to assume the Bucs will need to win their final four and go 10-6 to get into the postseason. Except for Minnesota, their competition doesn’t exactly have brutal schedules, and Seattle has three of its final four at home, where the Seahawks are always tough to beat.

SEAHAWKS (7-5) SCHEDULE
ARIZONA
@Buffalo
49ers
RAMS

VIKINGS (6-6) SCHEDULE
BEARS
@ Rams
@ Houston
PACKERS

DALLAS (6-6) SCHEDULE
@Cincy
PITTSBURGH
NEW ORLEANS
@Washington

REDSKINS (6-6) SCHEDULE
BALTIMORE
@Browns
@Eagles
DALLAS

It’s one week at a time, and it’s a good thing that the Skins and Dallas still must face each other. But the odds are flimsy that the Bucs land in the postseason with a 9-7 record.

From Day 1, Greg Schiano has made it clear that he treats every game as its own season and nothing else matters. It’s the Eagles season this week, and the only goal in the organization is to go 1-0 in that season.

Good luck even trying to get the leader of the New Schiano Order to acknowledge that future games, past games or bigger topics exist.

Tonight, a caller into The Greg Schiano Show on WDAE-AM 620, heaped loads of praise on the leader of the New Schiano Order for his unwavering focused mentality. And Schiano explained that the monstrous media scrutiny in the NFL almost forces him to take a hard line approach to an extreme single-game focus.

“It’s so hard in the National Football League. There’s so much media coverage,” Schiano said. “And the media, you know, has a thousand different angles that they want to portray things, which is great. It’s great for the game. It gives fans something to do all week long since we only play once a week. But it’s not good for the players. And, you know, if you just follow the National Football League, one week they have a team dead for rites, and the next week they’re back in the playoff hunt. And that’s what sells air time, that’s what sells Internet sites, that’s what sells newspapers. But as a football player and a football coach, the only thing you can affect is that one game that week.”

Joe’s not sure he buys into the coach’s philosophy. Joe’s confident players can handle practice responsibilities, film study, and engage media, and keep all the hype in perspective and perform on Sundays. In fact, there have been numerous examples of that through the years from teams under far more scrutiny than the 2012 Bucs in relatively small-market Tampa.

But Joe understands Schiano’s mindset and respects why he keeps a leash on his team’s interaction with the media.

Sadly, Joe expects this means that when the Bucs do make the Super Bowl one day, Donald Penn and Carl Nicks won’t be leading a modern day version of the Super Bowl Shuffle on MTV. That’s a damn shame.

Chicago Bears – Superbowl Shuffle by jpdc11

The Bucs, with the NFL’s worst pass defense and a beleaguered cornerback group, got a little bit of good news today when Bucs coach Greg Schiano announced Anthony Gaitor will return to the active roster.

Gaitor, who was placed on the injured reserve list earlier this year after being nagged by a nasty hamstring injury, has been working out with the club the past few weeks and, per NFL rules, recently was allowed to practice with the team in advance of being reactived.

The earliest Gaitor could have been reactivated would have been after the Bucs’ 12th game, which was Sunday against the Broncos.

Though Gaitor has yet to be named a starter but was a valuable reserve cornerback on a team that has had to turn to backups in the wake of the Adderall-fueled suspensions of Aqib Talib and Eric Wright, and Talib’s subsequent trade.

As Joe stated earlier, the Bucs corners are so thin, any news like this is good news and is as close to a magic bullet as the Bucs are going to find to help the secondary the remainder of the season.

Yesterday, many of Joe’s readers were angered when Joe wrote how Josh Freeman’s vanishing act in the third quarter led to the Bucs losing a lead, and losing a game to the Broncos.

“But he was pressured by the pass rush” was the convenient cry/excuse Joe read from those angry with Joe’s commentary.

Joe believes this is nonsense. Here’s why:

Does a good pass rush help a team? Clearly. This is not debatable. Joe’s only belief is that an elite quarterback — which Freeman very well may still be one day — adapts to problems and overcomes obstacles in order to lead his team.

This did not happen yesterday.

First, yes, there was a pass rush. This is understandable. The Broncos, after yesterday’s games, are third in the NFL in sacks. Did any sane, sober person believe Freeman would have all the time in the world to throw the ball? If there is such a person, said person is awfully naive.

Besides, the Bucs’ offensive line gave up one sack yesterday. One! Does that sound like the Broncos had a complete jailbreak against the Bucs?

Guess which team has one of the best pass blocking offensive lines in the NFL? That would be the Bucs. After yesterday’s games, only the Broncos, Texans and Giants have allowed fewer sacks than the Bucs.

Joe also wrote yesterday that Jay Cutler and Aaron Rodgers, two quarterbacks on teams that, unless they totally collaspe, will be playoff-bound, would pick up a bar tab the rest of the year to have an offensive line like the Bucs’, even with all the injuries to starters.

The Packers have given up the second-most sacks in the NFL this year; the Bears are nearly as bad at No. 5.

(FYI, Matty Ice has been sacked more than Freeman.)

Yet, Rodgers and Cutler, faced with adversity, find ways to adjust and overcome obstacles to lead their teams to critical wins.

Please do not get the wrongheaded notion that Joe is somehow anti-Freeman. Joe spent the better part of the first month of the season dispelling illogical premises from readers that the Bucs should draft Geno Smith — or worse — bench Freeman for Dan Orlovsky, which is simply beyond the pale.

Freeman is not yet an NFL elite quarterback. A good quarterback yes, a young quarterback, yes, a quarterback who can still be among the NFL’s top clutch players, yes.

He’s just not there yet. But the Bucs may need him to be if they are to run the table the rest of the season to have a shot at a postseason game.

The only thing keeping Freeman from being among those elite players in Joe’s eyes is for him to be consistent. Nothing more.

Props to Josh and the Bucs for making a late comeback in Denver. Too bad that didn’t need to happen.

Joe’s at a bit of a crossroads with Josh Freeman. Joe looks at Freeman’s entire body of work, all 52 starts (23-29), and Joe’s not sure if Freeman can lead the Bucs to the promised land of the playoffs.

The jury is still out on Freeman, and for Joe, these next four games will speak very loud volumes as to the kind of quarterback Freeman is. Can he personally lead his team to victory in key December games? Freeman did that in 2010 (Seattle and New Orleans), and he’ll get four more shots this year after yesterday’s ugly performance.

Joe’s less concerned with the numbers, and more concerned with the leadership, clutch throws, consistency, moving the chains and the “W.”

But at BSPN, they love the numbers. And BSPN’s stats gremlins have their own fancy quarterback rankings, which show Freeman ranked 15th in the league. Matt Ryan is third. Drew Brees is 12th, and Cam Newton is 21st.

Sadly, those numbers sound about right. Freeman’s a solid quarterback with great talent, but he hasn’t yet shown he can consistently be the man Bucs fans need.