Defense was ready.

Baker Mayfield wasn’t making any excuses Monday night on the Buccaneers Radio Network. [read more]

Michael Jordan (left) and Graham Barton.

Nobody would know it by watching the Bucs tonight, but the Lions do not have a special defense by NFL standards. [read more]

Offensive players weren’t ready.

Did the Bucs offense not set the correct alarm for their afternoon naps Monday. [read more]

Bucs fans were painfully forced to watch franchise legend Mike Evans, the 32-year-old Hall of Fame receiver, struggle to walk off the field tonight with a broken collarbone and a head injury.

Minutes later, 31-year-old Haason Reddick was peeled off the turf and taken to the locker room on a cart, which likely drove by hobbled Chris Godwin watching on the sidelines. [read more]

Yeah, Joe is annoyed the Bucs lost and got bullied in Detroit tonight, but damn, Todd Bowles defense’ was impressive locking up the Lions over and over and over again while the offense looked like Mike Glennon and the fighting Schianos of 2013. [read more]

UPDATED: We won’t be seeing Mike Evans for a while. [read more]

Early rust. Again.

Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network immediately after the 24-9 Motown mugging, Bucs game analyst Dave Moore didn’t want to hear anyone throwing roses at the Bucs defense. [read more]

Off tonight.

Joe feared this would happen. [read more]

The Buccaneers’ offense was not ready for prime time in Detroit, despite keeping Aidan Hutchinson relatively quiet (no matter how much Troy Aikman insists on glazing the guy).

First, the Bucs offense struggled with noise, and then they struggled with just about everything else. [read more]

Comment all game long below as the Bucs try to knock off the Lions tonight on the road.

It’s Monday Night Football!

Huge game if the Bucs want the No. 1 seed come January.

Go Bucs! And stick with Joe after the game.

The Bucs are much healthier than they appeared a week ago.

Not only is Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) on tonight’s active roster, the Bucs promoted guard Michael Jordan from the practice squad and is active, too. A summer free agent pickup, Jordan started two games at left guard early this season and played damn well.

Jordan was battling a knee issue but practiced the past two weeks.

What an assignment the Bucs have tonight against beastly Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchison. Joe’s wearing custom made Charlie Heck survival beads. [read more]

Through six weeks in this space, Joe is up $134.00 after another winning week. What a public service Joe has provided!

Disclaimer: Do NOT wager if losing will ruin your life, or day, or week. 

[read more]

Game 7

Bucs (5-1) at Lions (4-2)

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

TV: BSPN (also WFTS-TV Channel 28, locally) with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge.

[read more]

“Schefty, I’ll text you later.”

About 1 p.m. today, NFL super insider Adam Schefter was very upbeat about Bucs rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s prospects for playing tonight in Detroit. [read more]

Rookie playcaller Josh Grizzard.

Joe will open here with a plea to the Bucs’ organization. [read more]

It’s hard to figure out exactly how much Todd Bowles has improved as a head coach. [read more]

Flash poll posted at 10:56 a.m. Poll closed at 12:05 p.m.

Details emerge.

The mystery cloaking the sad news yesterday of the death of former Bucs running back Doug Martin has taken a disturbing turn on a couple of levels. [read more]

Ready to play.

It just blows Joe’s mind how the Bucs last week against the 49ers were down to their Nos. 5-7 receivers, and never really missed a beat. [read more]

Agrees with Nick Saban.

Nearly a decade ago when Nick Saban ruled college football, he thought his Alabama players weren’t giving their best efforts because they were reading too many articles and watching too much BSPN telling them they were an unbeatable team.

Saban deemed the content lifting Alabama to unreachable heights without actually being there to be “rat poison” to players. [read more]