{"id":653039,"date":"2026-01-04T10:49:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/653039\/"},"modified":"2026-01-04T10:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T10:49:17","slug":"five-things-joebucsfan-com-tampa-bay-bucs-blog-buccaneers-news-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/653039\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Things – JoeBucsFan.com – Tampa Bay Bucs Blog, Buccaneers News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Lavonte David rows the boat to celebrate Jacob Parrish\u2019s second quarterback interception in last night\u2019s win over the Stinking Panthers. The game may be David\u2019s last of his spectacular career.<\/p>\n

OK, this is weird. The Bucs won but Joe has a vibe they lost. The future of the Bucs is unclear \u2014 who may have played his last game, who may have coached his last game \u2014 including whether the Bucs will have a playoff game next weekend. All hinges on the Atlanta-New Orleans game this afternoon. So grab your coffee and let\u2019s go.<\/p>\n

And Now, We Wait<\/p>\n

This is so odd. The Bucs won last night. Barely. But there really wasn\u2019t much Joe in Mudville.<\/p>\n

The win was OK, but what did it mean? There was no finality to it. It almost felt like the end of the season, but that won\u2019t be determined until this afternoon when Atlanta and New Orleans play.<\/p>\n

The Bucs need the slimy Saints to win. If Atlanta wins, the season is over. If the slimy Saints win, the Bucs will host a playoff game. The date, time and opponent would be released probably near the end of the Baltimore-Pittsburgh game tonight.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s why last night\u2019s game had a muted reaction. No one knows what to expect. No one knew how to act. The Bucs\u2019 locker room, had the team clinched a playoff spot, would have been giddy.<\/p>\n

The players didn\u2019t know how to act. Should they celebrate? What should they do tomorrow? How can they root for New Orleans with a clear conscience? Where should they go to watch the game? Should they just stay home?<\/p>\n

The scene and vibe was like something out of a \u201cTwilight Zone\u201d episode.<\/p>\n

So Joe is like a bunch of players and fans. It\u2019s wait and see. The win was more of a relief than happiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Joe\u201d simply cannot root for the slimy Saints. If they win, it happens. But Joe can\u2019t square it internally to openly root for a team Joe hopes would somehow have its NFL charter yanked by Roger Goodell.<\/p>\n

Rooting for the slimy Saints feels so, well, disgusting. Guess the best thing that can happen is what Baker Mayfield said: Root for a tie. That way the slimy Saints didn\u2019t win, you don\u2019t feel guilty and the Bucs still make it to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Todd Bowles\u2019 Job Security<\/p>\n

It just feels like Todd Bowles, with last night\u2019s win, won a stay of execution. As Joe has suspected, it seems Bowles\u2019 get-out-of-jail card will be this season\u2019s injuries to the offense.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean Bowles will be retained. Again, with Team Glazer, \u201cthis Joe\u201d has learned that the only thing predictable is their unpredictability. After reading defensive stats recently and seeing Bowles add to his resume for termination last night, yes, even in a win, Joe cannot see how Team Glazer can look fans in the eye and make the case that retaining Bowles is best for the organization.<\/p>\n

And if the powers that be demand a new band of assistants \u2014 which, at minimum, is needed \u2014 might Bowles just up and resign?<\/p>\n

Joe can say with certainty that Team Glazer has removed better head coaches for lesser sins than Bowles\u2019.<\/p>\n

The vibe Joe gets from Bucs fans, if Team Glazer retains Bowles for 2026, it may enrage and chase off fans to such a degree it may take years for the team to recover and for the organization to repair lost fan trust. Fans believe Bowles will continue the franchise spinning its wheels in 8-9\/9-8 purgatory.<\/p>\n

Joe has never seen Bucs fans want a coach purged like they do with Bowles. And as a former hardcore baseball fan, Joe knows fans only have so much tolerance.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis Joe\u201d got fed up with how the statgeeks had a hostile takeover of baseball. It continually irked and annoyed Joe to the point Joe gave up watching baseball. Joe found other things to do, became less stressed and hasn\u2019t watched a game in three years.<\/p>\n

Given how bitter Bucs fans are towards Bowles, that may happen to a good number of Bucs fans. Once an entity loses a loyal customer, it\u2019s hard to get them back.<\/p>\n

So it will be very interesting to see what Team Glazer does with Bowles. If Bowles is retained and serious changes like a new defensive coordinator aren\u2019t made, fans won\u2019t have to worry next fall about finding a ticket to a Bucs game.<\/p>\n

The arrow, currently, is pointing down and not at an angle, either.<\/p>\n

Mike Evans\u2019 Goodbye?<\/p>\n

Mike Evans\u2019 contract is up this offseason. He said recently he is uncertain what he wants to do. Joe guesses what the Bucs want to do this offseason (Todd Bowles\u2019 future, what the staff will look like) will play major roles in Evans\u2019 decision.<\/p>\n

Evans has previously said he considered going to Kansas City when he signed has latest contract with the Bucs. Evans wants to win and the thought of playing for Andy Reid and catching passes from Pat Mahomes intrigued him.<\/p>\n

And yes, Evans still wants to win. So with the offense slipping badly under first-year offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard, will Evans even want to play for Grizzard again? Joe doesn\u2019t know the answer to that question.<\/p>\n

It Seems End Is Near For Lavonte David<\/p>\n

Bucs legend Lavonte David may have walked off the field of The Licht House one last time. Though David, like Evans, has not said if he will retire, it seems the handwriting is on the wall for the Bucs\u2019 legendary linebacker.<\/p>\n

David isn\u2019t the same linebacker any longer. Oh, he is still as smart as they come, but the youthful speed has faded. David will turn 36 this month.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t many 36-year old linebackers in the NFL. David\u2019s speech after the game to his teammates sure sounded like his fantastic career is nearing an end.<\/p>\n

Yesterday David had six tackles and a key fumble recovery. Those six tackles tie him with Derrick Brooks at No. 6 all-time in the NFL and as the leading tackler in Bucs history, per StatsPass, though other sources don\u2019t agree<\/a>.<\/p>\n

David\u2019s fumble recovery was his 35th career takeaway. David now joins Pro Football Hall of Famers Ray Lewis\u00a0and\u00a0Brian Urlacher as the only players with 40 or more sacks and 35 or more since 1982.<\/p>\n

David also has 21 career fumble recoveries, a franchise record, which is most among all active NFL players.<\/p>\n

Is David worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Hell, yes!<\/p>\n

Gene Deckerhoff\u2019s Farewell<\/p>\n

It was a touching scene at The Licht House on Saturday. It may have been Gene Deckerhoff\u2019s final game calling a Bucs game on the radio.<\/p>\n

Early in the game during a timeout, the Bucs\u2019 public address announcer reminded fans of Deckerhoff\u2019s pending retirement after the season. Then, the jumbotron showed Deckerhoff in the booth.<\/p>\n

Fans began to cheer, which quickly turned into a standing ovation. Deckerhoff was moved. He stood up, waved to the crowd, bowed twice to thank the fans. Then\u2026<\/p>\n

Then he got choked up. His arms dropped. The smile disappeared from his face. His chin dropped to his chest and he fought himself not to break down.<\/p>\n

Deckerhoff felt the fans\u2019 love.<\/p>\n

This past summer, Deckerhoff turned 80. He still lives in Tallahassee. So Gene, whatever you choose to do after the season ends, may all your wishes come true in your next chapter. You will be missed by thousands of Bucs fans.<\/p>\n

Lavonte David is the definition of what it means to be a Buccaneer \ud83e\udee1#WeAreTheKrewe<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/9xvbXjfRSW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) January 4, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

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