Week 17
Bucs at Saints
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
TV: WTVT-TV Channel 13 locally, DirecTV 711.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 123.
Weather: Per Accuweather.com, of course this game is played in a soulless dome, but as Joe has done before, there are fewer better tailgate atmospheres than The Quarter in New Orleans, walking distance from the Superdome. Man, the food is without equal and of course the drinks never stop flowing. For those fortunate few Bucs fans tailgating in The Quarter, it will be a bit chilly with temperatures in the high 40s, though sunny. After the game will be a bit more comfortable with the temperatures in the mid-50s.
Odds: Per Bodog.com, Saints -7.5.
Outlook: It has come down to this pesky, gnawing, irritating fact for many Bucs fans. Joe has harped on this for a couple of months which with every mention far too many Bucs fans slammed their half-empty beer bottles on the table in anger, provoking loud obscenities. Well the truth hurts and it simply was not and is not trivial: The Bucs haven’t beaten a team with a winning record. Haven’t. Hasn’t happened. For the Bucs to get into the playoffs the Bucs have to, must, need to beat the New Orleans Saints: a team with a winning record. Had the Bucs beaten a team with a winning record previously, the Bucs likely would not be in the position they are in currently. Sadly, we can’t change the past in the NFL. So it’s time to beat a team with a winning record and hope for the best from the Bears and Redskins. To do that Joe believes Raheem Morris and Greg Olson must give the ball to LeGarrette Blount early and often and pray the defense gets a few turnovers. In the previous meeting between the two teams the Saints absolutely chain-whipped the Bucs. The alleybeating the Saints delivered to the Bucs that day was partly because the Bucs had no running game of any sort. Now, the Bucs have Blount. The Saints lit up the Bucs when the Bucs were relatively healthy on defense. That’s not the case any longer so ball control and keeping the ball out of Drew Brees’ hands is paramount. If Blount doesn’t run the ball and the Bucs go three-and-out, it plays right into the hands of the Saints. Yeah, the Bucs with a two-win record went into the Superdome last year and beat a Saints team playing for something. Trust Joe, the man Joe went to college with, Sean Payton, won’t get blindsided like that again. Blount needs to run the ball first, second, third, early, often. Feed the man. Feed the man the ball! Blount is hungry.
Video: As one can expect, there’s tons of Bucs video offered up by the good people of the NFL Network. Jamie Dukes and Rod Woodson break down the Bucs chances of making the playoffs. … Josh Freeman talks Bucs. … Mike Mayock demonstrates on film why Freeman is special. … NFL Films preview of the Bucs-Saints. … Sterling Sharpe, Brian Baldinger and Joe Theismann look at the Bucs-Saints game. … LeGarrette Blount and Josh Freeman are the FedEx Air & Ground players of the week. … Slur-hurling Trey Wingo, Tim Hasselbeck and Tedy Bruschi of BSPN break down the game. … Video star Anwar Richardson and his Tampa Tribune colleague Woody Cummings discuss the Bucs must-win against the Saints.
Fun facts:  Drew Brees has a record third 400-completion season. … Pierre Thomas punishes NFC South opponents. He has eight touchdowns in his last nine division games.