Bucs 25, Chiefs 0

Well, Game 1 of the preseason is done and the Bucs dominated the Chiefs in every way imaginable at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.

Stay tuned with Joe into the wee hours of the morning as Joe will have updates and stories about the win.

Preseason Game 1
Bucs at Chiefs
Kickoff: 8 p.m.
TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13 locally.This is a nationally televised game so tune in to your local FOX affiliate. The game will be rebroadcast on the NFL Network at 4 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 91.
Weather: Per Accuweather.com, thunderstorms are supposed to begin right at kickoff and may continue on and off until perhaps the fourth quarter. Temperature at kickoff is expected to be 83 and may get to 79 by the end of the game. Wind is expected to be mild.
Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs -3.
Outlook: Well, as hard as it is for Joe to get excited about preseason football, at least it’s not football in your underwear. And for a good part of the offseason, Joe was wondering if this game would ever happen thanks to the asinine lockout. But here we are, so Joe will raise a pint… or more. … But there will be some things to watch and Joe has pointed these out. Here are some more: Mike Williams and Josh Freeman have both looked otherworldly in training camp. Whether that is because they wear boxers or briefs, Joe is not sure. This will give us an idea tonight. … Also, Joe wonders if all that cash Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik dropped on a punter is worth it. Of course Joe believes field position is imperative. However, part of the reason that Dominik signed Michael Koenen was for kickoffs. But with kickoffs now five yards closer to the goal line this season, Koenen better put every damned one of his kicks into the end zone for his salary. … Then there is the backup running backs. Can Packers outcast Kregg Lumpkin, who Dominik has been pumping up like the second coming of Terry Metcalf, really replace Cadillac Williams? These are just a few of the things Joe will be watching for.

There have been shakeups with the men (no women transactions to Joe’s knowledge) who cover the Bucs for a living. Joe, who one Bucs beat writer described as “an ombudsman,” likes to discuss the ways various outlets cover Tampa Bay’s favorite professional sports team, in case you haven’t noticed.

There have been three significant happenings in recent days that will impact Bucs fans in their consumption of Bucs news.

* One less paper will cover the Bucs. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune has decided to not cover the Bucs with its own staff, which makes Joe chagrin in a number of ways, but this isn’t really surprising. Joe’s going to get a little “inside baseball” so bear with Joe.

In case anyone hasn’t noticed, newspapers are dying a not-so-slow death, at least how we currently think of them, which brings no joy to Joe whatsoever. Joe’s an old (?) newspaper guy himself and still freelances with various papers so this trend has hit Joe hard, both personally and financially. The current 19th century model of newspapers soon will go the way of the buggy whip. Now Joe has often been asked if the Tampa Tribune, for example, is going to die. Joe enthusiastically responds always, “NO!”

Now the paper version, the 19th century version of the Tribune, and other papers, may very well die in the near future but the “Tampa Tribune” name, like many other papers, will continue to live if not thrive on the interwebs.

But as papers are losing revenue more and more each year and the current business model continues to become more and more cost prohibitive, newspapers have had to devise ways to survive, sometimes drastically. So the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, owned by the New York Times chain, has decided to focus strictly on local sports, read: prep sports.

This depresses Joe as the most underrated Bucs beat writer, Tom Balog, will no longer cover the Bucs. Instead, he will be on the University of South Florida football beat.

The Lakeland Ledger, which has dapper Rick Brown as its Bucs beat writer, also is owned by the New York Times chain. It just surprised Joe that the chain would have two beat writers (Balog and Brown) cover the team for two different papers. Joe has no idea if this will happen, it’s pure speculation on Joe’s part, but Joe suspects the Sarasota Herald-Tribune will use Brown’s Bucs copy, or use Bucs content from the Tampa Tribune since the two papers have a content-sharing partnership.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s decision to drop Bucs coverage makes it the third paper in three years to stop covering the Bucs. The Orlando Sentinel stopped it’s Bucs coverage in 2010 and the Bradenton Herald discontinued Bucs coverage in 2009.

* Charlie Campbell of PewterReport.com is leaving the publication. Campbell, truly one of the good guys, has accepted a position with WalterFootball.com and will be a senior draft analyst for the publication.Charlie has always been way cool with Joe and Joe hopes and wishes the best for Charlie. His last day with Pewter Report is today.

* Lastly, Joe stands and applauds his good friend Justin Pawlowski of WDAE-AM 620. In case you haven’t heard, Justin has been named one of the personalities to host the Bucs pregame and postgame shows on the Bucs radio network, along with former Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece. Joe knows that Justin craved this gig and Joe is very, very, very happy for him.

Well done, Justin! Kudos, my friend!

Much has been made of Josh Freeman going back home to play against his hometown Chiefs. Freeman grew up in the Kansas City suburbs and was a Chiefs fan growing up.

But it’s also a homecoming of sorts for two other Bucs. Cornerback Aqib Talib and wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe played their college ball at the University of Kansas, located in Lawrence, basically a suburb of Kansas City.

(Geography lesson: Kansas City is sort of split in half as it covers two states. The Kansas side is Kansas City, Kan. and of course the Missouri side, where Arrowhead Stadium is located, is Kansas City, Mo. There is a street that divides Kansas City known as “State Line Road.” Houses on the western side of the street are located in Kansas, houses on the eastern side of the street are in Missouri. The running joke by Kansas City residents is “I sleep with my wife in [pick a state] and go to the bathroom in the morning in [pick the other state].”)

Joe chatted with Briscoe this week at Bucs training camp and the Bucs wide receiver, who arguably is having the best training camp outside of Freeman, discussed how excited he is to play for the Bucs.

“Going from Cincinnati to Tampa, there was a big age difference. There were a lot of older guys in Cincinnati. The Bucs team, as everyone knows, is a lot of young guys. I’m a young guy and I want to surround myself with those kind of players. We are youngry.”

“From the get-go, I wanted to be drafted by the Bucs. I told my family that. It didn’t quite happen but it all worked out.”

On wide receivers coach Eric Yarber saying he is the best route-runner on the Bucs.

“Best route-runner? That’s a compliment. Coach Yarber has helped me with my fundamentals. He tells me little things like keep your toes off your nose, that type of thing. It has really helped.

“Playbook-wise, this is very easy. In Cincinnati, it was veyr difficult knowing the route concepts but I learned this playbook really easy. It’s easy for me to line up and tell me what to do and I can do it.”

On Josh Freeman:

“Freeman is a great leader. He tells us if we are not running routes correctly and he will help us and if he overthrows a ball, he admits it. It’s little stuff like that that helps. It shows how much of a competitor he is and how much he wants to be perfect.”

On his fellow wide receivers:

“All of our wideouts, we are close, we may be the closest [unit] on the team.”

On his expectations for this season:

“I expect to make the playoffs and contribute by making plays.”

On why it was a difficult transition from Kansas to Cincinnati but the transition from Cincinnati to Tampa Bay has been smooth:

“The transition from Cincinnati to here was very easy. Cincinnati runs a number system and it was hard to adjust to the different types of routes. But here, it’s easier and you can play faster when you are not [bogged down] by thinking too much.”

How excited should one get during a preseason game? What does it all mean when starters leave early and teams don’t roll out a true gameplan?

Not a lot, but Joe still likes to get a full sense of what’s happening. So Joe’s going to refer you to what Chiefs fans are considering in the game against the Bucs tonight, courtesy of the Kansas City Star.

Here’s one excerpt that lets Joe know not to do cartwheels if the Bucs start racking up sacks just before halftime:

POST BUMP: Just in case you missed this Saturday.

Call Joe a sicko, but Joe’s been sniffing around the Chiefs website ever since Kansas City defied logic and signed Sabby The Goat the other day.

Joe doesn’t trust Sabby The Goat. And right on cue, Sabby The Goat is a bit too eager to face the Bucs on Friday. Considering the report comes from a sanitized NFL team website, Joe can only imagine what Sabby was really trying to say. You can read the Goatspeak here.

No doubt Sabby The Goat has an axe to grind with the Bucs. Raheem Morris said he would “fix” Sabby the Goat during the 2009 offseason. It was perhaps the greatest public neutering of a player in recent memory.

Who knew that meant signing Sean Jones? And that ungrateful Sabby The Goat was angry.

Joe hopes nobody gets hurt on Friday. The way that Sabby The Goat takes an angle, no player on the field is safe.

Photo by Michael Hamm

Even if fans were subjected to hearing Chucky rave about Jimmy Wilkerson and Todd Wash of the Seahawks last night, it was great to have real football back on the tube.

Glorious!

And tonight’s when the real fun starts with the Bucs kicking off in Kansas City just after 8 p.m. In no particular order, here’s some things Joe wants to see:

1. Dominance along the offensive line: The entire line is back, it’s likely the highest paid O-line in the league, and they’ve got no excuses. Joe wants to see dominance from Day 1.  If Josh Freeman is going to be the player the Bucs need him to be to win a playoff game, then the line is going to have to finally fulfill its potential.

2. Michael Koenan: The Bucs dared to dabble on the dark side, aka free agency, to grab and overpay the top punter and kickoff specialist on the market. For those who want to see the Bucs buy players next year, you better hope this guy is a superstar.

3. Da’Quan Bowers: In a preseason that’s already considered soft with no two-a-day practices, the Bucs are babying Da’Quan Bowers and his knee, which Bowers claims is fine after a surgery that he says wasn’t a big deal. Keith Millard spoke of the team working to get Bowers healthy. Color Joe very skeptical of Bowers’ health. Let’s see the guy play 10 snaps and look like a live, dangerous body.

4. LeGarrette Blount in short yardage: On WDAE-AM 620 the other day, Mike Alstott talked about how he looks forward to seeing Blount becoming a three-down, all-around back. Raheem Morris has said he’s been very encouraged by Blount’s development. Joe wants to see Blount hit a hole hard and move the chains on 3rd-and-short.

5. Stop the damn run: Joe doesn’t care how the Bucs do it. Just do it. If Thomas Jones’ first five carries are something like six yards, seven yards, 11 yards, four yards, and eight yards, Joe’s going to need Valium.

6. Mason Foster: Good luck, young man.

It seems Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net is geeked for the start of preseason. Joe wishes he could be as well, but Joe can’t fully get past that these are glorified practices. “Old School” explains to Bucs fans what to look for and expect tonight.

On any normal NFL season, Mason Foster would have gone through multiple OTA sessions, a rookie minicamp, and hung out at One Buc Palace not just working out but poring over film for months before training camp even began.

But the rookie middle linebacker, who has been handed a starting job virtually from the moment he put pen to paper on his contract, before he could memorize the names of his teammates no less, didn’t have that luxury this year thanks to the asinine lockout.

Now, with the Bucs first preseason game just hours away, Foster will start his first game. He knows he has had to cram a lot into his cranium in just a scant amount of days and he’s happy there’s a game to prepare for, so writes Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

“It’s been tough not having the offseason work with the coaches and the time with the playbook that you would normally have, but at the same time, there’s a game plan now and that makes it easier,’’ Foster said. “Once you get a game plan you can lock into certain things and certain play calls, because in certain situations you know exactly what you’re going to be calling. So, that makes it a lot easier. So, I’m ready to go.’’

Well, there’s already been a hiccup on Foster’s all too steep learning curve. Raheem Morris said earlier this week that Foster will not be playing on pass plays, which sort of reinforces to Joe his heightened fears that no matter how much the haters shrieked over the alleged worthless departed Barrett Ruud and his annual 100+ tackles, that a third round pick from the PAC-10 who played outside linebacker was not going to fully be prepared to play middle linebacker in the NFL and call defense plays with only five weeks to absorb everything.

Joe, of course, hopes he is wrong. But to ask all of the above from Foster is putting a helluva lot of pressure on a young man that nobody knows what to expect.

This will be one of Joe’s focal points in watching the game tonight: How will Foster play? And will he be in the game longer that usual as the Bucs have put Foster on a fast track to starting?

A chill of fear ran through Joe while checking out a story on Josh Freeman in the Kansas City Star today. Just reading about Freeman’s boyhood dream of playing for the Chiefs was enough have Joe running to Mugs Grill & Bar for a few cold ones.

The Star talked to Freeman yesterday about visiting Arrowhead Stadium for the first time as a professional.

“It should be a lot of fun,” Freeman said. “Growing up a huge Chiefs fan, I went to a lot of games there through the years.”

As a wide-eyed youngster, he was captivated by the Chiefs’ quarterbacks starting with Joe Montana and continuing to Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon and Trent Green before Freeman took his game to Kansas State.

“When you’re a little kid, that’s what you dream about … the Chiefs were the team I always dreamt of playing for,” he said.

Freeman grew up in Missouri and to Joe’s knowledge his parents still live there. Freeman has even called himself “a momma’s boy” and said he chose Kansas State to be close to home, despite offers from “every conference.”

Might No. 5 ever think of jumping ship when his five-year $36 million Bucs contract ends after the 2013 season? Scary thought.

Joe can only imagine the massive contract coming Freeman’s way.

Arguably the great Bucs defensive player of all time, Warren Sapp, dropped so many quality nuggets during his visit to One Buc Palace yesterday, Joe still has more to share.

This time it’s Sapp glowing about the Josh Freeman, his “MVP candidate,” and offering an education to Bucs fans who yearn for the days of Sapp and his teammates.

“I’m going dispel the rumor. Defense does not ‌win championships,” Sapp said via video on Buccaneers.com. “Defense gives you a chance, and the offense will win it for you. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a franchise quarterback in Josh Freeman.”

“Boy, you give me Josh Freeman, and we might have about four of these things, [championships] around here,” Sapp said, referring to the Bucs teams of his era.

Sapp also was clear about what he expects from the Bucs in 2010. “I don’t care what anybody says. This is a playoff team.”

Joe’s pleased that Sapp has high expectations. Joe also agrees that there’s no reason for the Bucs to take a step backwards in 2011.

"Get the dreads out of your ears and listen to me, son."

The fancy headset that’ll be in Mason Foster’s helmet tomorrow night will come off the field with him when he departs on most third downs.

Per Stephen Holder of the St. Pete Times, that means Quincy Black will get the defensive calls via sideline signals on passing downs. Or there always could be a guy sent in with the play. Joe really doesn’t find this to be a big deal, since the players learn the signals anyway in case of emergency, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

That will leave the Bucs in a situation where they’ll have to go old school on third downs, signaling defensive calls in to Black, who will relay them to teammates in the huddle. The transmitter makes life simpler and reduces the likelihood of miscommunications. Without one, and without a true middle linebacker in the game to make the calls, are the Bucs more susceptible to miscues? That remains to be seen.

As for preseason games, Joe’s not sure whether the rules allow multiple guys to use a communication helmet since nobody plays the entire game anyway. But in the regular season, only one player gets the honors.

Joe realizes that a significant percentage of Bucs fans will simply be ecstatic if they see Foster play physical football and shed blocks, even if he misses some calls.

 So it goes in the post-Ruud era.

What if Josh Freeman walked into a veteran ballclub back in 2009? Bucs icon Mike Alstott says if that happened Freeman wouldn’t be the leader he is today.

“Because there’s already control,” the A-Train told Steve Duemig on WDAE-AM 620 this week.

Alstott said Freeman has really set the leadership bar for the Bucs. The environment on the roster was ideal for a young quarterback, Alstott said, but ultimately Freeman took over the team the old fashioned way.

“He got a lot of respect from the get-go because he got thrown in there and he earned the respect from the players. So everybody’s eyes are open looking at Josh saying, ‘What do we do now?'” Alstott said. “And he’s already commanded that and he’s leading the team very well.”

Thinking back on the purge of veterans by the Bucs in 2009, Joe can’t recall anyone saying that clearing Derrick Brooks and others might be essential for a young franchise quarterback to evolve faster and set his own bar.

Interesting perspective from Alstott.

In this St. Petersburg Times video, former Bucs great Warren Sapp, who hung out at One Buc Palace yesterday, talks about the Bucs defense, specifically Gerald McCoy and Adrian Clayborn.

This Stroudnostication is from Sunday but still interesting regardless.

Esteemed St. Pete Times beat writer Rick Stroud believes Jeremy Trueblood is the anointed starter at right tackle because of his new contract — $10 million over two years.

Other predictions: Jeremy Trueblood will be the starting right tackle over James Lee. You don’t re-sign someone for $10 million over two years to be a backup.

And rookies Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers will be the starting defensive ends.

Joe’s not buying into Strouds’ logic.

First, it’s unknown how much of Trueblood’s deal is guaranteed money, which is the only number that’s relevant. What is known is that James Lee signed a tender worth about $2 million for 2010.

But if Trueblood is earning $3 million more than Lee this year, is that really enough for the Bucs to put their egos first and potentially play a guy charged with protecting Josh Freeman simply because he makes more money?

Golly, it was Joel Glazer himself who said “Money will never be an issue” when building the Bucs. Does Stroud think the owner is a liar?

Lee, however, might fall into Jeremy Zuttah territory, meaning the Bucs see his greatest value as a backup. Lee has played left tackle and probably is the guy the Bucs throw in the fire if Donald Penn went down.

Regardless, Joe hopes there’s a fair battle at right tackle. 

Since he finished his college days at Oklahoma, Gerald McCoy and former Bucs great Warren Sapp have been tight.

It’s not just because the two are (or in Sapp’s case, was) defensive tackles. It’s not just because both were first round draft picks of the Bucs. But it’s because GMC idolized Sapp as a youngster, even told Larry Coker he would play for the Canes if Sapp would call him.

Coker never followed up on the request and GMC went to Norman instead.

Because of GMC’s respect, Sapp took GMC under his wing and has personally worked out with GMC. Now, with Sapp’s hand-picked defensive tackles coach Keith Millard working with the Bucs, Sapp is even closer to the team.

Yesterday Sapp sat in on a defensive line meeting and spoke with the defensive lineman. GMC made sure he paid homage to Sapp on Twitter.

@Geraldini93: Good work with @QBKILLA today. Schooled us in the meeting room and on life. “Worst 3 Words you can say is “I Got It” you never have it.” … Keep working. Witnessed greatness. @QBKILLA true professional. True legend!! Future HOF. Much love for the knowledge. Buying into all of it!

Joe has written this before that he believes Millard will make great strides with GMC. Per GMC, he already has.

With Sapp also counseling GMC, how exactly can GMC go wrong?

Raheem Morris has shared a lot of love for his fourth-year linebacker out of Florida State over the past few days. That would be the birthday boy, 24-year-old Geno Hayes.

Asked Monday what he expects from Hayes this season, Raheem was quick to answer, “Dominance. Absolute dominance.”

Joe’s fired up to see Hayes have that kind of season. Perhaps the only player to shine during the heinous Jim Bates Experience, Hayes has mad speed, plus a growing knack for making plays, unlike Quincy Black. It’s also a contract year for Hayes, which always makes things interesting.

What especially struck Joe was Raheem expressing deep respect for Hayes at a later news conference. Raheem gushes over all his players these days — hey, why not? — but there was something special in his tone when he reveled Hayes wasn’t healthy for much of last season.

“You know I hate to even say his reason because he didn’t even tell us and he didn’t tell you guys, but he was suffering through a couple of little injuries last year. You know, he fought through them. He’s a tough kid. And he would never ever say it. He wouldn’t even say it to me. I just kinda know because I know Geno. But he felt great some weeks and he didn’t feel grat some other weeks. And it affected his play. you could see it somewhat.” Raheem said. 

“But he is certainly one of the toughest guys I’ve been around when it comes to injury. He’s Ronde Barberesque when it comes to injury and talking about not talking about it. Not complaining or missing a practice or sitting down. He sneaks in the training room and gets treatment and he sneaks out. He doesn’t want to be on that list. He just doesn’t want to be one of those guys.”

Joe’s glad to hear Hayes is healthy, but that also means he’s been injury prone over his three seasons, plus the multiple alarm clock issues, a scissors-happy girlfriend and taking a cops taser to his chest.

Given his smaller size, Joe suspects Hayes will need the kind of dominating season Raheem mentioned in order to remain a Buccaneer.

Nobody in the world should be surprised that young guys Mason Foster and Tyrone McKenzie have a learning curve at middle linebacker when compared to Barrett Ruud.

It’s a given that rockstar general manager new that was coming but felt it was worth sending Ruud packing. 

However, it’s still unsettling to hear Ronde Barber talking about growing pains in the middle, as he did yesterday on WDAE-AM 620. The station documented his chilling words on its website.

Barber expressed concerns about the Bucs’ young linebackers like Mason Foster and Tyrone McKenzie in their ability to pick up schemes as quickly as the veteran Ruud, who signed with the Titans.

“And we’re seeing it now. Things he did seamlessly, mindlessly that made him a really really good mike linebacker…. we’ve had some incidents in practice so far in camp where our mike linebacker’s missing stuff (Ruud) just did. Barrett will be missed. It’s hard to replace that guy.”

If you missed it earlier, you can read Warren Sapp’s comments today about the importance of experience at mike linebacker in the Bucs’ system.

Joe’s hardly surprised to hear about Foster and McKenzie learning on the job and, as Joe will have more later, it seems that for now Foster will play on first and second down and Quincy Black will stay on the field as the “mike” linebacker in coverage during obvious passing downs, as Raheem Morris told the media.

The Bucs clearly are looking for Foster to be a major upgrade from Ruud against the run. It’ll be hard not to be.