Some Bucs fans might not understand why fans like Joe rail about the Tampa Bay rushing attack to such a strong degree. (more…)

Joe didn’t expect the Bucs to be mentally weak yesterday in Houston.

But that was the picture head coach Todd Bowles painted during a TV appearance today. (more…)

“Looking at you, Ira”

Watch out, Ira. Tristan Wirfs has put you on notice! (more…)

Tipping pitches and adjusting.

Earlier this week, Joe brought word of a conversation between former Bucs guard Ali Marpet and Bucs right tackle Luke Goedeke about quarterback cadence and defensive lines reading tipped pitches. (more…)

Podcast (ira-kaufman-podcast): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Click above to shop now at Tampa’s first family of Ford, BillCurrieFord.com. Reach out to Ira’s friend and GM Sean Sullivan for a hearty JoeBucsFan discount, and remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles at Bill Currie Ford.

Fire up the mighty Sage of Tampa Bay Sports! The conversation is hot and heavy as the Bucs approach midseason. Enjoy!

All the wisdom and fun of Ira and Joe is presented by Bill Currie Ford! Click play above or listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Podbean.com, Stitcher, too, and more.

Bill Currie Ford is one mile north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, and Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He’s ready to help you personally — and to give you the Ira Kaufman discount on top of all their amazing deals. E-mail, call or visit Sean at the Bill Currie showroom.

Big Storm beer from Big Storm Brewing Co. is the official beer of the podcast. Try Florida’s best craft beer, especially Bromosa, their amazing tangerine IPA. Listening to Ira is fun, free and easy!

Richard Sherman has harsh words for his good friend Jamel Dean — to his face. (Exclusive JoeBucsFan video)

Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean has zero interceptions in his last 19 starts.

He’s missed two pick-6 opportunities in the past two games and big names are now needling him publicly. (more…)

Joe is perpetually annoyed by the Mike Evans naysayers that have been loud this year, and loud on-and-off for a decade. (more…)

BILL CURRIE FORD IS OPEN DAILY! Shop now online and don’t forget to request the Ira Kaufman Discount. Nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles.

BY IRA KAUFMAN

Too little, too late, too depressing.

For the second consecutive year, the Bucs are approaching midseason saddled with a 3-game losing streak. They showed plenty of grit Thursday night in Buffalo against a good football team and a raucous crowd, but that 3-1 start is starting to look like a mirage.

Once again, Tampa Bay’s defense did itself proud, especially in the second half. Buffalo punted on each of its final four possessions, but Baker Mayfield couldn’t get the offense in gear until midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bucs now have extra time to prepare for a trip to Houston, where the Texans have been surprisingly competitive behind rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud.

With the trade deadline looming, this franchise must decide on a direction. If the Bucs were 2-5 instead of 3-4, the path ahead would seem clear. Kyle Trask would be on the brink of replacing Mayfield under center and players like Mike Evans and Devin White might be deemed available.

The Glazers would likely weigh in at that point and suggest to Jason Licht that the future is not now. Accumulating draft capital would be a priority.

But at 3-4, the Bucs aren’t ready to abandon plans for a third consecutive division title. The bad news? (more…)

Terse response.

Joe is starting to see what many Bucs fans see, rightly or wrongly, fair or unfair. (more…)

Podcast (ira-kaufman-podcast): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Click above to shop now at Tampa’s first family of Ford, BillCurrieFord.com. Reach out to Ira’s friend and GM Sean Sullivan for a hearty JoeBucsFan discount, and remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles at Bill Currie Ford.

Loads on today’s Bucs pregame buffet with the feisty Sage of Tampa Bay Sports and Joe. Grab a Big Storm beer and enjoy!

All the wisdom and fun of Ira and Joe is presented by Bill Currie Ford! Click play above or listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Podbean.com, Stitcher, too, and more.

Bill Currie Ford is one mile north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, and Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He’s ready to help you personally — and to give you the Ira Kaufman discount on top of all their amazing deals. E-mail, call or visit Sean at the Bill Currie showroom.

Big Storm beer from Big Storm Brewing Co. is the official beer of the podcast. Try Florida’s best craft beer, especially Bromosa, their amazing tangerine IPA. Listening to Ira is fun, free and easy!

Baker Mayfield speaks.

Breathe easy, Bucs fans. (more…)

Podcast (ira-kaufman-podcast): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Click above to shop now at Tampa’s first family of Ford, BillCurrieFord.com. Reach out to Ira’s friend and GM Sean Sullivan for a hearty JoeBucsFan discount, and remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles at Bill Currie Ford.

Sage Ira was stunned by the caliber of football he witnessed Sunday and has plenty to share across the Buccaneers’ spectrum. Fun chatter with Joe. Grab a Big Storm beer and enjoy!

All the wisdom and fun of Ira and Joe is presented by Bill Currie Ford! Click play above or listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Podbean.com, Stitcher, too, and more.

Bill Currie Ford is one mile north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, and Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He’s ready to help you personally — and to give you the Ira Kaufman discount on top of all their amazing deals. E-mail, call or visit Sean at the Bill Currie showroom.

Big Storm beer from Big Storm Brewing Co. is the official beer of the podcast. Try Florida’s best craft beer, especially Bromosa, their amazing tangerine IPA. Listening to Ira is fun, free and easy!

Bucs OC Dave Canales.

In only the first eight games of the miserable 2013 Bucs season, Tampa Bay changed quarterbacks (veteran with mental issues to a rookie third-round pick), lost its top running back to injury, and had only had one legitimate receiver to complement an undrafted rookie tight end.

No wonder the Bucs went 0-8! But they averaged in those eight games only 1 1/2 points less per game than the current Bucs. (more…)

BILL CURRIE FORD IS OPEN DAILY! Shop now online and don’t forget to request the Ira Kaufman Discount. Nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles.

BY IRA KAUFMAN

Owner Arthur Blank looked a little wobbly walking to the Atlanta interview room after Sunday’s game.

Who can blame him? The Falcons owner knew his team didn’t play particularly well, but hey, a win is a win and his franchise now leads the NFC South at 4-3. Sluggish coming off a bye last week, the Bucs were sloppy and unfocused en route to a 16-13 setback.

That’s three consecutive home losses for Tampa Bay, which now hits the road four times in the next five games. (more…)

Podcast (ira-kaufman-podcast): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Click above to shop now at Tampa’s first family of Ford, BillCurrieFord.com. Reach out to Ira’s friend and GM Sean Sullivan for a hearty JoeBucsFan discount, and remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles at Bill Currie Ford.

Episode 1 of this week has The Sage and Joe honing in fair and unfair criticism, some highlights, and much more.

All the wisdom and fun of Ira and Joe is presented by Bill Currie Ford! Click play above or listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Podbean.com, Stitcher, too, and more.

Bill Currie Ford is one mile north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, and Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He’s ready to help you personally — and to give you the Ira Kaufman discount on top of all their amazing deals. E-mail, call or visit Sean at the Bill Currie showroom.

Big Storm beer from Big Storm Brewing Co. is the official beer of the podcast. Try Florida’s best craft beer, especially Bromosa, their amazing tangerine IPA. Listening to Ira is fun, free and easy!

Offense did Bucs in.

In the second half, Joe was getting bombed on social media with folks hollering about how the Bucs defense could not get off the field on third down. (more…)

Our first-place Buccaneers aren’t ready for primetime.

The offense is stuck in 2022 and the defense isn’t good enough to overcome it against a powerful team. That’s the Lions, the club that smacked around Tampa Bay today — with maybe 20,000 blue-clad Lions fans invading The Licht House. (more…)

Podcast (ira-kaufman-podcast): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Click above to shop now at Tampa’s first family of Ford, BillCurrieFord.com. Reach out to Ira’s friend and GM Sean Sullivan for a hearty JoeBucsFan discount, and remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles at Bill Currie Ford.

Lots of great Sage insight flowing from Ira in this Lions game preview episode. Grab a Big Storm beer and enjoy!

All the wisdom and fun of Ira and Joe is presented by Bill Currie Ford! Click play above or listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Podbean.com, Stitcher, too, and more.

Bill Currie Ford is one mile north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, and Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He’s ready to help you personally — and to give you the Ira Kaufman discount on top of all their amazing deals. E-mail, call or visit Sean at the Bill Currie showroom.

Big Storm beer from Big Storm Brewing Co. is the official beer of the podcast. Try Florida’s best craft beer, especially Bromosa, their amazing tangerine IPA. Listening to Ira is fun, free and easy!

Hot commodity?

It’s never too early to look at free agency. At least, that’s what FOX Sports thinks. (more…)

Podcast (ira-kaufman-podcast): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

Click above to shop now at Tampa’s first family of Ford, BillCurrieFord.com. Reach out to Ira’s friend and GM Sean Sullivan for a hearty JoeBucsFan discount, and remember their nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles at Bill Currie Ford.

The Sage, Ira Kaufman, has lots of bye week chatter leading into the Lions game, and he’ll be back tomorrow for more. Enjoy!

All the wisdom and fun of Ira and Joe is presented by Bill Currie Ford! Click play above or listen at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Podbean.com, Stitcher, too, and more.

Bill Currie Ford is one mile north of Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, and Bill Currie Ford GM Sean Sullivan is Ira’s great friend. He’s ready to help you personally — and to give you the Ira Kaufman discount on top of all their amazing deals. E-mail, call or visit Sean at the Bill Currie showroom.

Big Storm beer from Big Storm Brewing Co. is the official beer of the podcast. Try Florida’s best craft beer, especially Bromosa, their amazing tangerine IPA. Listening to Ira is fun, free and easy!

‘3u4r9ihe’

BILL CURRIE FORD IS OPEN DAILY! Shop now online and don’t forget to request the Ira Kaufman Discount. Nationwide lifetime warranty on new vehicles.

BY IRA KAUFMAN

Mark Twain said it more than a century ago — and the man had a point.

“There are lies, damned lies and statistics,” Twain concluded at the time. The NFL hadn’t even started, so there’s no way he was talking about Mike Alstott’s franchise-record 58 career rushing touchdowns.

Some NFL numbers don’t lie. Some swear. There are more than a few statistics through the opening month to explain Tampa Bay’s 3-1 start heading into a dynamic home matchup against the 4-1 Lions. (more…)