Eric Berry, whose got Monte Kiffin leading cheers for him, lobbed a guided missle at the Bucs’ brass during an interview on Sirius NFL Radio this afternoon.

On the air with Rich Gannon and Adam Schein, Berry said, “I know Tampa’s defense, perfect fit.”

Joe thinks Raheem The Dream, being a secondary maven, has got to be salivating at the thought of drafting Berry and picking up a defensive tackle in the second round.

As Ben Roethlisberger considers giving a DNA sample to police in connection with his alleged assault of a 20-year-old woman in a night club, Joe can’t help but wonder if his Steelers might be calling Mark Dominik about Byron Leftwich.

Surely, the Steelers can’t be confident Roethlisberger will come out squeaky clean from this situation, which comes on the heels other alleged naughty behavior. And Leftwich was Mike Tomlin’s favorite backup when Pittsburgh won the 2009 Super Bowl.

Perhaps Dominik could steal a fifth-rounder.

When will the Bucs get receiving talent for Josh Freeman?

Joe recommends a couple of ice cold Caybrew and a good chunk of time to savor this unique and detailed mock draft by NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM 620.

It’s another  5,000-word draft orgasm that breaks down Pawlowski’s analysis of what every NFL general manager will do, plus Pawlowski’s personal selections as if he were GM of every team.

Who is Justin Pawlowski you ask and why should you subscribe? Joe details that here in an FAQ about the draft coverage.

Enjoy!

First Round
Mock draft II – By Justin Pawlowski

The primary draft pick you see below is the selection Pawlowski believes the specific team will make at this point. The Commish’s Pick is who Pawlowski would select if he were the specific team’s GM in that position. So essentially, you’re looking at two mock drafts. … 

1st Round

1.St. Louis Rams – Sam Bradford – QB – Oklahoma
6’4’’ – 236 lbs – (didn’t run a 40 at the combine)

Rams’ needs: DT, OLB, CB, WR, TE, OG, QB

Commish’s Take: The more time that goes by, the more I feel the Rams will be going quarterback with their first pick.  It seems like they might have gotten close on Donovan McNabb, but until that really happens, the Rams’ biggest need remains at quarterback.  With Bradford bulking up to 236 lbs at the combine, he’s starting the process of getting these teams to believe in him as a franchise quarterback.  The Rams can not afford to wait until the 2nd round to address their biggest need.  With a new owner coming in, he’ll want a face of the franchise.  The quarterback is the face of most franchises.

Commish’s Pick – Sam Bradford – QB – Oklahoma

2. Detroit Lions – Ndamukong Suh – DT – Nebraska
6’4’’ – 307 lbs – 5.04

Lions’ needs:  DE, DT, OG, LT, CB, RB

Commish’s Take: The Lions have been one of the most active teams at the start of free agency this year.  The funniest part is that their main focus has been on the defensive line by acquiring Corey Williams thru trade and Kyle Vanden Bosch thru free agency.  Does this mean they’ll focus on another position in the draft?  If I was their GM, I would.  OT Jeff Backus has been average for the Lions for a long time.  For my Commish’s pick, I have them taking Russell Okung as insurance for their prized quarterback.  For the time being, however, I still feel it would be too tough for them not to draft one of the defensive tackles.  With the addition of Williams, Suh would be the better fit next to him.

Commish’s Pick – Russell Okung – OT – Oklahoma St

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers  …{+}

Former Bucs QB Jeff Carlson

By JEFF CARLSON
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

Former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlson (1990 & 1991) writes the weekly QB Blast column here at JoeBucsFan.com. Joe is ecstatic to have him firing away. Carlson has TV gigs in the Bay area and trains quarterbacks of all ages via his company, America’s Best Quarterback

I have a 12 year old son stepping up in competition next season. He is moving from the tackle football program at Idlewild Baptist Church to the South Pasco Predators in Land O Lakes. I have volunteered and have been accepted as the head coach of the 11, 12 and 13 year old Junior Midget team.

Of course, I want to be a role model and example for the young men that I will be in charge of and give them a positive experience…..yada, yada, yada. Do I want to win every game we play? Oh yeah! 

I train quarterbacks all year long on the proper fundamentals and techniques of throwing the football, and we talk about both offensive and defensive strategies, but I don’t need to worry about all the aspects of what it takes to actually win a football game.

Now, as a head coach, I will be drawing up my ideas of the best way to win a football game and realize more than ever, no matter what I draw up on paper, it won’t matter much unless the horses show up.

This is especially true on defense, because if we can’t stop the other team, our offense must be perfect and that’s a tall order for any team.

Offensively, there is still room for imagination, even at the pro level. The Wildcat, Run-and-Shoot, shovel passes and empty packages are all relatively young concepts. Some have already gone away, some are yet to be designed, but more will come.

I will bring a few new concepts to the little league level to try and win games no matter what players show up the first day. The Bucs, on the other hand, have a roster and know what players are going to show up. They are busy now and for another six months designing up offensive and defensive strategies that they think will be successful for them next season.

In the NFL, the salary cap is supposed to act as the ultimate equalizer, giving everyone the equal chance to spend the same amount of money on the available talent. It has worked to give more teams opportunities to compete on the field and give more teams hope later in the season.

The draft is designed to give the bottom finishers a chance to gain better talent to more successfully compete. The draft system didn’t help teams like the Bucs, Bengals, Bills, Cardinals, Lions, Falcons or Saints for many years, but is being pointed to as the model for success, based on teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bucs’ one successful run to the title came with significant contributions from free agents Brad Johnson, Joe Jurevicius, Michael Pittman, Keenan McCardell, as well as others and even Keyshawn Johnson’s expensive trade.

The growing labor dispute is throwing a bit of a chink in the system that has been with us since I retired from the game, more than 15 years now.

But, the Bucs are telling us that the model for success on the field is through the acquisition of kids out of college, not the players that have found success at the NFL level and are on the open market. 

I’m not saying there aren’t teams that have done better jobs building their own talent than filling holes with veterans than other teams. But with the holes that I would think most of us would agree the Bucs have on both sides of the ball, finding guys that can immediately contribute, would seem to be of pretty high importance. Especially since there are fewer paying folks showing up on Sundays and fewer discretionary dollars for most of us.

It will take some real signs of hope for immediate improvement for those dollars of “joe bucs fan” types (not a stereotype, just a good descriptive name) to be gambled on only the Bucs’ draft picks.

I will have to hope for the best and wait to see who shows up for my little league team in July.  The Bucs will have to wait to see who is available before each pick during April’s draft, which is a much bigger gamble than paying players that have already competed at the top level, when improving next season is of top priority.

The first thing that went through Joe’s mind about the trade for wide receiver Reggie Brown is this is a wake-up call or a warning to blocking icon Michael Clayton.

Or could it be a precursor to cutting ties with Clayton?

Brown has yet to put on a Bucs practice jersey, but it would be hard to argue he’s not already a starter for the Bucs along with Sammie Stroughter and potentially Mo Stovall as a No. 3 receiver.

Before Joe begins about Clayton, let Joe be upfront: Clayton seems like a swell guy. Joe has nothing personally against Clayton. But his play has been, at best, sporadic and nowhere near the level of his contract.

Aside from the opening game against Dallass, Clayton was a virtual milk carton last year. To be fair, he was hobbled with injuries since training camp.

Joe is certain Bucs general manager Mark Dominik will draft a receiver or two (or three?) next month, maybe as high as the first round.

Joe can’t help but surmise that once the dust settles after the draft that the Bucs are sending a message to Clayton with the addition of Brown and the sure-to-be addition of wide receivers in the draft: Produce or pack.

Joe was a bit troubled to find this December 2008 story written about new Bucs wide receiver Reggie Brown, acquired in a trade tonight.

Apparently, Brown was hardly saying all the right things when he was mired in Andy Reid’s doghouse, and his effort was questioned, per the Star-Ledger.

Brown has not caught a pass since the 13-13 tie with the Cincinnati Bengals Nov. 16, and has been phased out of a trimmed-down offense with Baskett, Jason Avant and even Greg Lewis blowing past him on the depth chart.

“It’s their decision whether or not to play me,” Brown said. “It’s just my decision whether or not to go out there and do my best and try to help this team make it to the playoffs.”

OK. Stop.

The second part of that quote appears to be ripped directly from the T.O. media handbook.
Did a clearly frustrated Brown actually mean he would decide whether or not he would play to the best of his ability, if given the opportunity, against the fading Redskins (7-7)?

Brown did not elaborate, but did say — albeit half-heartedly — that he would “try to contribute to the cause around here.”

The whole story is an interesting read. Joe’s just trying to figure out why Brown’s price tag was so low, a sixth-round pick in 2011.

Also, Joe has found a neat Web site that details contracts for every Eagles player, which shows Brown signed through 2014. EaglesCap.com explains that the Bucs are not responsible for any of Brown’s prorated bonus, only his $1 millon salary in 2010, and any future years, if he stays on the roster.

Joe is sort of numb after hearing of the trade the Bucs made tonight.

Dealing a sixth round pick in 2011 for Eagles wide receiver Reggie Brown is a move with a lot of potential upside. And surely the Bucs needed veteran help at receiver.

However, what should Bucs fans expect from a 29-year-old who caught 27 balls over the past two seasons?

Not much.

Little gamble with this move, though. And, of course, Joe hopes the guy can re-gain his form.

Joe assumes Brown, entering his sixth season, will be an unrestricted free agent next year. If he catches 60 balls in 2010, will the Bucs pay him market value? 

UPDATE 10:21 p.m.: Brown is signed through 2014.

Some of Joe’s posters openly wondered why, if former Bucs receiver Antonio Bryant was so valuable, why he wasn’t swept up by some other team?

That appears to be about to happen.

Word from Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune suggests not only is Bryant about to land in Cincinnati, he very well could be the Bengals’ top receiver.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Washignton Redskins have reached out to the 28-year-old wideout, who is expected to visit Cincinnati today, according to his agent.

The Bengals are believed to see Bryant as a second receiver behind Chad Ochocinco, but with the Bengals holding an option for 2011 on Ochocinco, Bryant could eventually move up to the No. 1 spot.

Though he did not name them, Bryant’s agent said two other teams have expressed an interest in Bryant, who may see either Washington or one of the other teams as a better option for him than Cincinnati.

A 2009 playoff team wants Bryant to perhaps be their No. 1 receiver but he wasn’t good enough for the Bucs?

Sad… depressing… confusing… Joe doesn’t know which word to use?

Joe recommends an interesting short film now posted on Buccaneers.com.

It has no title, so Joe calls it Raheem The Dream: The Movie.

Well done, as is most video on the team Web site. It’s an eight-minute look at the head coach.

No cheerleader shots (who’s editing this stuff?), but Joe was very intrigued by the shots of Team Glazer in the locker room all fired up after the Bucs beat the Saints.  

"Coach said he would 'fix' me this offseason"

Bucs backup safety and special teams ace Will Allen was snatched up in unrestricted free agency by the Steelers today, so tweets Adam Schefter of BSPN.com.

Allen had signed a one-year deal with the Bucs for $2 million or so last year and got hurt in midseason.

Hardly an exciting development today. But the Bucs are now down Allen and Jermaine Phillips at safety. Tanard Jackson is a mis-step away from a long suspension and Sabby Piscitelli is, well, a goat.

Now safety Corey Lynch surely has his value on special teams, and maybe he’s burgeoning backup safety, but the Bucs are thin over the top.

Eric Berry sure would change the dynamic immediately.