Joe can only imagine the absolute glee pulsing through Lovie Smith’s body in the second quarter tonight. [read more]

Good evening, Bucs fans! Joe is here at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa where the Bucs host their first preseason game. This time the opponent is the Dolphins.

Some news for you to chew on before kickoff. Patrick Omameh starts at right guard for Jamon Meredith. And the shocker of all shockers, defensive lineman Da’Quan Bowers is inactive. Can you imagine? [read more]

Preseason Game 2

Dolphins at Bucs

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

TV: WFLA-TV, Channel 8, locally. Game will be rebroadcast on NFL Network at 1 a.m. Monday and 10 a.m. Wednesday.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM 103.5, and WDAE-AM 620); SiriusXM Channel 119.

[read more]

Some of the new grub fans can buy at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway beginning tonight.

OK, this afternoon is devoted not just to the Bucs, but to #FGU. Not sure what that hashtag is? Follow Joe on Twitter or his good friend, @CommishOnline, Justin Pawlowski, and you will know.

In short, the hashtag is a celebration of good grub. Man food. There is no such thing as an #FGU salad. Such an item does not exist.

Earlier this week, Joe was invited to take part in the food tasting of the new offerings at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. The outlets are located on the 100 level concourse, the first concourse you get to when you enter the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. [read more]

Team Glazer made feeding big-bellied, beer-soaked Bucs fans a priority this year.

Second-rate dogs and boring burgers are as buried as Josh Freeman jerseys.

[read more]

Bucs fans read deep into their team’s woes and highs out of the preseason opener in Jacksonville. And observers of the Dolphins, the Bucs opponent tonight at 7:30 p.m., did the same thing.

Last week, the revamped Falcons offensive line and Matty Ice absolutely abused Miami. [read more]

Artist Jeff Tedford will not be painting his canvas tonight

You didn’t really think the Bucs’ offensive line was playing for real in the preseason opener last week. That was all part of a great hoax perpetrated by Lovie Smith and Jeff Tedford.

The mysteriousness of the Tampa Bay offense will be a plus when it faces the nasty Carolina defense on opening day. So why not kick the mystery up a notch? [read more]

There are lots of new faces in the Bucs receiving corps, and a chunk of them will stick on the roster.

Yes, the Bucs have holes to fill after Tiquan Underwood didn’t get a return invitation and blade-in-the-thigh, mattress-in-the-yard Mike Williams was shuffled to Buffalo. [read more]

It would be nice if the Bucs offensive line could keep Miami defenders off QB Josh McCown.

As Joe has stated before, he hates preseason football. Joe watches Bucs preseason games, of course, because it is his job. You won’t catch Joe watching one play of preseason another team. Preseason football, well, it’s garbage.

So Joe understands how many Bucs fans, giddy after a too-long offseason, giddy after all the teasing practice stories, sat down all fired up on the couch to watch the first glimpse of the remodeled Bucs… only to end up searching for a poisoning remedy after much of the Bucs front line morphed into turnstiles. [read more]

Austin Seferian-Jenkins could be in a rotation with two other tight ends to start for the Bucs. Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.

If the Bucs have one loaded position it is tight end. Outside of running back, no other position is as deep.

There is Tim Wright, who came from nowhere last year as a rookie to become one of the better tight ends in the NFL. Then there is rookie Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who is a monster. He may not be ready (yet) to start, but as a receiver, he is a matchup nightmare. [read more]

Injured and now lost rookie running back Charles Sims was drafted for a reason. He was going to play. His sweet hands and versatile style were going to be key cogs in the Jeff Tedford machine.

That’s why the Bucs drafted Sims so high, investing a third-round pick, which was a stout price in a league that has devalued running backs greatly. [read more]

Ouch!

The Bucs have suffered their first serious injury of the preseason (not counting wounds inflicted by watching the offensive line last week). [read more]

Preseason is approached differently in Miami

Lovie Smith has spoken recently about how he doesn’t really bother with game planning and blitzing and strategy in his first two preseason games.

Game 3 of the preseason is the one Lovie treats as a dress rehearsal for the regular season. But that’s not necessarily the model across the NFL. [read more]

Former Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik selects his ultimate 53-man roster.

Joe knows fantasy football is all the rage. He gets it, but it’s just not Joe’s cup of tea. Joe’s more into the real football, and there are plenty of games on the tube for Joe to watch and DVR.

As Joe has always said, Joe’s fantasy has nothing to do with football and everything to do with Rachel Watson.

So from what Joe knows about fantasy football (he dabbled in it years and years and years ago), the funnest part is the draft where you get to drink beer and cuss and throw things at people who draft a player you wanted. [read more]

A Charles Sims injury update.

Yesterday at the final Bucs practice of training camp, a jarring sight could be seen just before the lighting alarms went off to delay practice. It was highly-touted running back Charles Sims watching from the sidelines in a walking boot.

After practice, Bucs coach Lovie Smith was rather vague about what was wrong with Sims, saying only the following: [read more]