Lovie Smith is awfully serious about his nickel cornerback position.

Back in Chicago, Lovie spent a season serving as head coach and nickel back coach. How often does that happen in the NFL? (more…)

eye-Rah! Kaufman is not sold on Bucs QB Josh McCown.

Few members of the local chapter 813 of the Tampa Bay pen and mic club have as colorful and powerful opinions as the Custodian of Canton, eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune. Ask him a question and you won’t get a fence-sitting answer.

A groggy Kaufman appeared on the “Kirk and Dinger Show” found on WHFS-FM 98.7 this week. Given the show is broadcast before most people consume their required morning dose of caffeine, it was understandable that Kaufman took much longer than usual to get revved up. What awakened eye-RAH! for good was a question about Bucs starting quarterback Josh McCown. (more…)

James Lofton says his former workout pupil, Mike Evans, may not be a great route runner but that shouldn’t matter.

Joe knows Bucs fans are eager for football to start. Who the hell isn’t?

Joe enjoys baseball, too, but the new commissioner needs to do something about these games dragging out. The Rays tossed a one-hitter (and lost!), and the friggin’ game lasted four hours! That is inexcusable. And people wonder why Joe is a fan of National League baseball!

In particular, Bucs fans are eager to see rookie wide receiver Mike Evans in action. (more…)

Gil Brandt, shown here on his SiriusXM NFL Radio show broadcasting from his Dallas home, loves the Bucs’ chances of making the playoffs.

Joe can sense it from Bucs fans. He reads it on this here corner of the Interwebs. He hears it on sports radio. Bucs fans are in need of Zoloft.

Standards throughout the Tampa Bay area used to be Super Bowl or bust. Why, Team Glazer even jettisoned a popular coach who couldn’t get the Bucs to the Super Bowl despite multiple playoff appearances. (more…)

Teaching is getting through fast and deep, says Jonathan Casillas.

Bucs veteran strongside linebacker Jonathan Casillas has a Super Bowl ring and is entering his sixth season. He’s seen plenty of football.

But it’s what he’s hearing that impresses him most about the new Bucs defense. (more…)

A lot is expected from free agent pick-up DE Michael Johnson.

It is almost hard to believe Memorial Day Weekend is finally here. Finally, one can sit outside on the porch in shorts at midnight and not get cold. Finally, Joe’s friends up north don’t have to worry about scraping their windshields each morning as one of the most hellish winters in recent memory has faded.

And once Memorial Day has gone, football season is near, at least the start of training camp. (more…)

Young, Pro Bowl stud cornerback Alterraun Verner is one intelligent guy. He’s definitely in the Ronde Barber, Jeremy Zuttah mold when it comes to smarts.

So it’s no surprise Verner will be taking himself to school when the Bucs finish their spring practices next month and go on “vacation” for six weeks until training camp opens in July. (more…)

Former Bucs great Ronde Barber, shown here with Dick Stockton, will team up with his Bucs preseason partner Chris Myers for NFL regular season games this fall.

Soon after former Bucs stud Ronde Barber announced his retirement and desire to earn cash behind a microphone, he took a gig as the Bucs’ color analyst on preseason telecasts, replacing fellow secondary teammate John Lynch.

Both players worked alongside FOX Sports veteran Chris Myers. (more…)

Bucs OT Demar Dotson is one of two offensive linemen without a question mark beside his name.

There is no polite way of saying it. Last year the Bucs offensive line stunk.

Donald Penn had better years. Davin Joseph never did recover from his knee surgery (he is still looking for work). Jeremy Zuttah was shipped off to Baltimore. And, as former Bucs defensive end Steve White said recently, guys who should have been nothing but backups (the Ted Larsens of the world) were thrust into starting gigs. (more…)

The Bucs’ Pro Bowl corner weighs in

Having Alterraun Verner play like Alterraun Verner the Pro Bowler of the Titans is not enough for Lovie Smith.

No way. Verner himself said today that just won’t be satisfactory. (more…)

Bucs coach Lovie Smith talked up TE Tim Wright and noted how successful NFL teams need to be able to pass proficiently.

Many folks have branded Bucs coach Lovie Smith as a stout disciple of Father Dungy: defenses win championships and a backup linebacker can play quarterback, as the quarterback is only good for handing the ball off and shot-putting passes when desperate, so a wide receiver can out volleyball a defensive back.

Well, Lovie put this notion to bed. (more…)

Yeah, Lovie Smith long ago said he wanted to take four quarterbacks to training camp. Yes, Lovie also was clear he’s a two-quarterbacks-on-the-final-roster kind of guy.

But you never know. So the signing of Alex Tanney yesterday is no “trick shot” novelty. (more…)

The Bucs are loaded at tight end, talented and deep at running back, plus they’ve got two gifted wide receivers who, together, present huge matchup problems for defenses.

Gone are the 2008 days, when the head coach couldn’t figure out how to put his two best wide receivers on the field together. Gone are the 2009 days of banged up Antonio Bryant, Maurice Stovall and Sammie Stroughter in place for the rookie quarterback. (more…)

Bucs coach Lovie Smith loves DE Steven Means’ speed off the edge.

Last year, the Bucs had hopes they found pass rush gems late in the draft with rookie defensive ends Steven Means and Will Gholston.

Means didn’t light the world on fire, but he didn’t really stink, either. But as the season wore on, it was Gholston who took the proverbial bull by the horns and rallied from a bubble player mired on the inactive list to a starter who actually could breathe on opposing quarterbacks sometimes. (more…)

Just two days ago, Bucs general manager referred to first round draft pick Mike Evans as “a Godzilla” in practice. The wide receiver very well may breathe fire on defenses and stomp on defensive backs in his path to the end zone.

Joe has only seen significant Evans practice time against camp meat — future bartenders, insurance claims adjusters and longshoremen. And yes, he terrorized them just like the reptile in the hit movie does mortals. (more…)

It’s Joe’s high-energy, weekly hour of all-things-Bucs talk with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620. Enjoy the audio below of Wednesday’s action. Joe’s gets after it again next Wednesday with Duemig, too.

Bucs G Jamon Meredith was working with the first team offense yesterday in OTA practice.

Yesterday at practice, working with the first team offense, was a pair of guys who give Bucs fans chills down their spines, and not in a good way.

Since starting left guard/MRSA victim/ugly toe on the line Carl Nicks was nowhere in sight, not even with Joe’s binoculars, the guards working with the first team offense were Oneil Cousins on the left, and Jamon Meredith at right. (more…)

There is a bit, well, a lot more access given to the Tampa Bay pen and mic club than in recent years past. Of course, the tradeoff is no Twittering during practice. It’s a fair scratch-my-back-I’ll-scratch-yours swap.

Joe is happy with the open society that has enveloped One Buc Palace. (more…)