The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired coach Jon “Chucky” Gruden and GM Bruce Allen. The Bucs are my home team, in that they are the NFL team closest to my home. The move seems to have surprised quite a few people in the area. ESPN is reporting that replacements are already in the works.

The surprising firings of Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Bruce Allen are expected to yield the quick hiring of Raheem Morris as head coach and Mark Dominik as general manager, according to multiple sources.

According to a source, a news conference could be held as early as Saturday.

I’ve never been a Gruden fan or detractor. In fact I follow the Bucs solely because their games are the ones I get to watch every week.

The number of planets that needed to align for the Eagles to get into the playoffs was too great. Or at least that’s what I thought yesterday morning. Here is how things stood:

Either the Vikings or the Bears had to lose. The first game to conclude had the Vikings over the Giants by 1 point 20-19. One possibility lost. But a few minutes later the Bears would lose to the Texans who were just 7-8 going in to the day. Hurdle one crossed.

The other must happen was Tampa Bay losing. They were playing the 4-11 Oakland Raiders. At home. They lost. Hurdle two.

In addition to those unlikely events the Eagles also had to win their final game. Despite what had happened earlier in the day the Eagles still had to get past Romo, TO, and the rest of their rivals from Dallas. They didn’t just beat them, they embarrassed them. 44-6 in a game that looked like only one team showed up. It wasn’t all due to bad play from the Cowboys, the Eagle defense played an outstanding game. And the third hurdle was crossed.

I wasn’t sure any one of those three things would happen. Two of the three would have shocked me. All three? I wouldn’t have bet on that with someone else’s money. But they’re in the playoffs. Next week they face the Minnesota Vikings — 4:30 on Fox.

Let’s see if they can surprise me again.

Michael Spurlock is the new hero of Tampa Bay. Up until a few minutes ago, the Buccaneers were the only team in the NFL that had never run a kick back for a touchdown. Spurlock’s 90 yard return has ended that drought.

I heard this on the radio yesterday and thought everyone should know:

A mysterious substance was found at the Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s practice facility on Wednesday. Coach John Gruden immediately shut down practice and called the authorities.

Department of Homeland Security and local HAZMAT teams examined the suspicious white powder located at either end of the practice field.

Testing revealed that the substance was primarily calcium carbonate (chalk).

The HAZMAT chief said, “We appreciate the team taking security seriously. However, there is no danger from exposure to this substance.” He suggested that, “The material was, in fact, the goal line. It is understandable that the team was unfamiliar with the substance, as they haven’t seen the goal line yet this season.”

[Don't shoot me, I'm only repeating what I heard. ]