Antonio Brown celebrates

Joe was a little surprised to hear sour Bucs fans in the wee hours and even still this morning.

The glass is way more than half full. [read more]

The theatrical value of last night’s Bucs game kicked up a few notches with 24 seconds remaining.

Tom Brady put his foot down — hard. [read more]

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

First-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka got the start last night.

Coincidence? Joe doesn’t think so. [read more]

It was almost as if something spooked Bucco Bruce Arians at the last minute. [read more]

Flash poll posted at 9:25 a.m.

Tom Brady’s favorite target?

Joe is confident saying Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have hooked up on so many passes that both could be blindfolded and Gronk could run a specific pattern and Brady would hit him in the numbers. [read more]

“Tom, I know you can do it because you’ve done it.”

It’s hard not to be confident when Tom Brady is your quarterback. [read more]

It didn’t take long in his postgame remarks for Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians to speak the phrase of the decade about his team. [read more]

Money.

A win is a win and Joe is happy about it. So let’s get to it in this abbreviated column. After Joe recorded the Ira Kaufman Podcast at the stadium well after the game and wrote stories at the stadium, by the time Joe got home it was very late. Joe is typing this here post at 3:50 a.m. [read more]

As for that sweet Ira Kaufman Discount!!  Shop now at BillCurrieFord.com and see their nationwide lifetime warranty on new & used vehicles. Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He will help you personally with whatever you need.

BY IRA KAUFMAN

The perfect season’s still alive.

Yes, sarcasm is called for after Thursday night’s exceedingly ragged opener. A win is a win in the NFL, but that look on the face of Bruce Arians walking off the field was sheer relief rather than jubilation. [read more]

League-first.

After pulling off an NFL historical first despite playing sloppy football in their first game defending their Super Bowl crown, might the Bucs be on another magical run? [read more]

Talkin’ trash.

Joe is not going to break out in hives writing about the Tampa Bay pass defense on Opening Night. Maybe this afternoon. [read more]

Lethal.

The Cowboys had just gone up 29-28. But there was 1:24 left in the game. [read more]

Goofy but clutch.

There may not be a bigger goofball on the Bucs roster than foot-rubbing tight end Rob Gronkowski. And Joe types that in the most endearing way. [read more]

Sean Murphy-Bunting

Joe will keep this simple.

The ugly Sean Murphy-Bunting injury in the first half was a dislocated elbow and Bucco Bruce Arians said after the game that the third-year cornerback will be “alright.”

After seeing the rest of the Bucs secondary tonight, Joe feels confident the Bucs need Murphy-Bunting back in a hurry, so this is extra great news.

Longtime Bucs fans know what happens when you ring up 11 penalties for 106 yards and four turnovers.

New Bucs fans know a different vibe. [read more]

Game-winner.

For once the dreaded south end zone helped out the Bucs. [read more]

Take a bow, Donovan Smith.

But really, the entire Bucs’ offensive line deserves major love for tonight’s performance. [read more]

It is said that the great teams win when they don’t play their best.

That was our beloved Bucs tonight. [read more]

Cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting injured his right elbow in the second quarter tonight against Dallas.

So just from the looks of it, the Bucs might be without starting corner Sean Murphy-Bunting for a while. [read more]