Donald Penn really did it right this past weekend back in his California hometown. Penn’s camp was free for the youngsters, and he had his share of NFL friends coaching and support including Eric Dickerson.

Penn speaks near the opening of this camp video and talks about how “my mom had to break her back” to send him to football camps and how blessed he feels to be able to give back.

Joe will never forget a moment last season in the Bucs locker room. It was during the time when Josh Freeman was in the deep recesses of his slump that essentially killed the Bucs’ drive for a playoff berth. Wide receiver Mike Williams, usually an easy-going if not soft-spoken kind of guy, went on a passionate (for him) defense of his quarterback.

Williams stated that he and the rest of the Bucs’ wide receivers had to be on the same page as Freeman and Freeman’s miscues were as much the fault of the receivers, maybe more so.

Williams again came to his quarterback’s defense during mandatory minicamp and told eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune that Freeman is ready to take the next step into elite status.

“We know this offense,’’ says Mike Williams, who fell only four yards short of joining Vincent Jackson to give the Bucs a pair of 1,000-yard receivers. “We know when to break off routes and what zone to read. It’s a knowing instead of reacting to something. Josh Freeman’s got this offense down pat. The big problem last year was we couldn’t get on the same page, knowing when to break our routes off.’‘

This also reinforces what Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan told Joe last week, that Freeman is far, far advanced in Sullivan’s offense from where he was a year ago.

With an improved secondary, and Freeman, Jackson, Williams and Doug Martin not only having a year of Sullivan’s methods under their belts but also a season playing together, the state of the Bucs offense is very encouraging.

Whether you need a limousine in St. Pete, or a classy executive SUV in New Tampa, or perhaps a sweet Tampa limo or party bus, you must turn to Joe’s friends at Paradise Worldwide Transportation. Joe loves these guys! And you can feel good about supporting a quality local company!

Paradise offers limo service across the Tampa Bay area, but also throughout the United States and in various parts of the world.

One call to Paradise takes care of ALL your airport transfers for your next trip. Or you can even use Paradise to take relatives to and from the airport in, say, Chicago, so you’re sure they’re safe and sound.

But first things first. Score that amazing Tampa Bay limo experience this weekend. It’s always worth it.

Yes, Joe’s being a bit sarcastic, but the thought of Myron Lewis or Anthony Gaitor scoring a roster spot makes Joe queasy. Joe wanted another veteran around in case Darrelle Revis isn’t ready and Eric Wright continues to be a letdown corner versus a shutdown corner.

Adams spent the past six seasons with the Cardinals and was a their nickel cornerback for a chunk of that time. He’s also considered a special teams stud, something that probably moves him up the depth chart quickly. Here’s a nugget from the Cardinals website in 2012.

He remains the No. 1 nickel cornerback, even with a ton of quality corners in camp, and his special teams work cannot be overlooked.

The special teams is the tangible part of Adams’ game noted by coach Ken Whisenhunt, who kept a rookie Adams on the practice squad in Whisenhunt’s first year as Arizona’s coach. But it isn’t the first.

“The thing that stands out is his fight,” Whisenhunt said. “He’s a very competitive guy, whether it is in practice or in the games. He has made a significant contribution for us special-teams wise. One of the things we say before camp every year is there will be players here because of their special teams. He’s a good gunner, he works hard on punt return.

“Every aspect you put him in, he plays big.”

Adams is listed at 5-8, but Joe’s seen stories in which he admits he’s shorter. Obviously, the guy’s got to have a lot of intangibles and toughness to survive six years in the NFL at that size.

Greg Schiano craves competition. He just got a little more.

Nick Barnett, who led the Bills in tackles last season, was floated on SiriusXM NFL Radio as a potential candidate to play SAM linebacker for the Bucs.

Earlier this week, Joe unexpectedly made waves on Twitter when he noted how crazy this notion is that SAM linebacker is unimportant in the Bucs defense. Joe was even blasted by a Belgium-based blogger for, in this person’s mind, typing heresy.

The notion that any defensive player is “unimportant” rankles Joe to his very core. It is so nuts, Joe can barely write a coherent response.

Now Joe knows the calculator crowd will state a SAM linebacker maybe plays half the time in many cases. True. So does that mean you roll out some slug to play? Of course not! That guy will get exposed each and every play he steps on the field.

Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan, co-hosts of “Movin’ the Chains,” heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, discussed the Bucs on Monday and they are of the mind that the troika of Adam Hayward/Dekoda Watson/Jonathan Casillas is not starting caliber and Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik needs to go shopping this summer for both a solid SAM linebacker and a pass rusher.

Tim Ryan: To me with the Bucs, the question marks are about defense. They are about the linebackers and they are about that pass rush.

Pat Kirwan: Well, I don’t think these things are not solvable. I respect they will go to camp and try to work things out with the guys they have. But they have the cap space to go out and grab a couple of guys. To me [on the defensive line] it’s about John Abraham. Right now if they signed Abraham, we would be singing a different song. Just one guy who can rush the passer on third down. If you also want to tell me they also bring in a linebacker like Des Bishop if he passes the physical, then great.

They are not that far away from being in the thick of things. They need a pass rusher. They need a guy to replace Adam Hayward. I don’t want to hear Dekoda Watson’s name. They shored up the secondary. I think things there look pretty good. [Johnthan] Banks beats out Eric Wright, fine. If he doesn’t, I get it. There are guys right now on the street that aren’t so expensive they can’t find them. Maybe they are waiting to see how they look?

Just sign the two veterans, right now! Finish off the project you started.

Later, Kirwan even dropped the name of Nick Barnett, Buffalo’s 2012 leading tackler who the Bills let loose this spring, as a strong option for the Bucs at linebacker.

Joe knows this will tee off some. When the Bucs had an uncoached Quincy Black, an overwhelmed rookie in Mason Foster, and over-hyped Geno Hayes, they may have been the worst linebacker unit in football and Hayward couldn’t break the lineup. To Joe that says it all about Hayward’s ability. Joe has nothing against Hayward, other than going MMA on his position coach, Bryan Cox, on the sidelines last year. Joe’s a coaches’ kinda guy, and you simply don’t pull a stunt like that under any circumstances if you want to keep order on a team.

It was wrong then and it is wrong today.

And can we stop with this patently absurd notion that a SAM linebacker is unimportant? If this position was so unimportant and trivial, why not just play with 10 men and save a potential injury?

Both of those suggestions are equally moronic.

When 90 percent of the Tampa Bay area was trying to run Black out of town (Joe was in this group as well, but Joe’s eyes were opened when Black actually got coached up by Cox), Joe never once heard of people shrugging their shoulders and saying, “Eh, don’t worry about Black, he plays an unimportant position.”

The Bucs are counting on big things and many sacks from Da’Quan Bowers

Joe knows Bucs fans have an edge about them this time of the year as the 2013 training camp dates are soon to be released. It is not a bad edge, but an edge of excitement for what lies ahead.

With two strong receivers, a solid offensive line, a Pro Bowl running back and a newly beefed up secondary, many Bucs fans have playoff thoughts dancing in their heads.

But Darren Sharper of the NFL Network thinks Bucs fans should, as Deion Sanders would say, slow their roll. Sharper doesn’t believe the Bucs will be playing in the postseason, so he explained during the “32 for 32″ segment Monday. Co-analyst LaDainian Tomlinson agreed.

Andrew Siciliano: Do the Bucs make the postseason?

Darren Sharper: I don’t see that happening, either. This is a team in a division that is probably the toughest division in the NFL. They have to face the Saints, they have to face the Falcons, they have to face the Carolina Panthers who is going to be a tough team. I think that there just isn’t enough there now. There are a lot of pieces in place, it will be interesting to see how they gel but I don’t see them making it to the playoffs.

LaDainian Tomlinson: They are still a little ways away but they are getting close. They are not there yet. The area of need I am still looking for them to improve is pass rush. Andrew, you have to have a pass rusher in this league to compete. I would have loved to see them have gone out and got an Osi Umenyiora. That would have been a great fit on this defense. They did not and they have a lot of guys who are unproven. So in the end of the season, that hurts them.

Sharper: I could never cover anybody when we didn’t have a pass rush, Andrew. Never. How are you going to cover somebody when you don’t have anybody getting to the quarterback?

Joe thinks the Bucs will make a push to the playoffs this winter, but making the playoffs is a different matter. Yes, Joe strongly believes the Bucs are better off this year, but the NFC is as top-heavy as Joe has seen it since Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Mike Ditka prowled the sidelines.

There will be damned good teams watching the playoffs on TV.

Now people think that Josh Freeman has a lot of pressure on him, and in many ways, he does. Well, how about Da’Quan Bowers? Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is putting a whole lot of eggs into Bowers’ basket hoping that Bowers not just stays healthy, but can rack up double-digit sacks.

We will know by Christmas if the gamble pays off.

Bucs news forthcoming.

Aaron Hernandez is in some deep s(p)it. [SI]

Sophie Veraga is much better at selfies than Kelly Nash. [TheBigLead]

Searching for Jimmy Hoffa’s crypt is like a dog chasing its tail. [Chicago Tribune]

NSA claims to have stopped 50 terrorist attacks. Bravo gentlemen, bravo. [Washington Post]

So Wil Myers isn’t a miracle worker after all? [RaysIndex]

NFL Network studied the Bucs last night during its daily series “32 in 32,” in which every NFL team is examined while the network kills time before NFL training camps open up late next month.

Analysts LaDainian Tomlinson and Darren Sharper and host Andrew Siciliano dove into the subject of Josh Freeman. Tomlinson and Sharper had very different conclusions as to whether this season is Freeman’s last in Tampa Bay.

Andrew Siciliano: Josh Freeman, some people think he might be a weakness. We do know this: He is in the last year of his contract. Is this his last year, LT, with the Bucs?

LaDainian Tomlinson: I say no. People need to realize and remember that Josh Freeman left early. He left after his junior year at [Kansas] State. He’s still a young player. So he has a lot of football to play. He will continue to throw. I know he has had his ups and downs but here is the thing: At the end of the day, can you find a better quarterback than Josh Freeman. That’s what we are looking at in our league. You only have about five quarterbacks that play at an elite level. The rest of the guys are up and down so be patient. Patience is a virtue with Josh Freeman. I think he will eventually become the guy that can become the leader.

Darren Sharper: I am going to go out on a limb and say he will not be back. This is his last year, partly because of that roller coaster he takes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on. I played against Josh a couple of times and to me, it’s not physical, it seems to be mental with him because he is out there and will go through these streaks that he plays bad and he will not be able to get out of those bad streaks. That, combined with he is not tied to Coach [Greg] Schiano, I think they will try to go out and find Schiano’s guy.

Joe thinks both analysts make salient points. Just what quarterback is available via trade or free agency who will be better than Freeman? That’s why Joe’s pretty sure, barring a horrific 2011-like season, Freeman will return to the Bucs in 2014. It is just a matter of whether he will be franchised or not.

But Sharper has solid takes. As Joe has constantly written, Schiano has no lineage to Freeman; he inherited him. If the Bucs cannot turn Freeman around, you think Schiano will lobby Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to re-sign Freeman and go down in flames with Freeman? Joe doubts it.

Now Sharper is not the first person to suggest Freeman’s issues are between his ears.

No less an authority than former Bucs signalcaller Shaun King, one of but three Bucs quarterbacks  to lead the Bucs to an NFC Championship game, claimed last season that Freeman, who King very much likes, needed a shrink.

Again, Joe is convinced there is no quarterback controversy. Freeman is your Bucs quarterback. How long that will be depends on Freeman himself.

No controversy at all.

When Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik traded for star cornerback Darrelle Revis, by far the dominant question among Bucs fans wasn’t whether Revis would be ready for a Week 1 showdown with his former team, the Jets, in New Jersey. Strangely, there was a more popular question, “What number would he wear?”

The answer took awhile, but at virtually the same moment Joe was told by suits at One Buc Palace that Revis’ number hadn’t been decided, Dominik released the information on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Welp!

Now according to Business Insider beat writer Cork Gaines, who is also the conscience on RaysIndex.com, Revis had to cough up $50,000 to get No. 24 from Bucs safety Mark Barron.

It is unclear if this is a record payment for a uniform number. In 1993, Rickey Henderson paid a new Blue Jays teammate $25,000, also for the no. 24. That is about $40,000 now with inflation.

Maybe the best story ever for uniform number bartering also came in 1993 when Mitch Williams “paid” two cases of beer for John Kruk’s no. 28. Williams only wore the number for one season before switching to no. 99.

To be fair, Cork learned this information from the diligent work of Brinke Guthrie, via the highly reliable UniWatch.com, which is infatuated with anything dealing with uniforms.

If anyone wonders why Revis had to buy the jersey number, it is an unwritten rule in professional sports that if a new teammate wants a jersey already assigned, then he must pay said player a ransom to release the number. The rule is pretty strictly enforced by the rank and file.

Joe hopes Barron put the cash to good use helping the local Tampa Bay economy.

Joe’s also acutely aware that the New Schiano Order couldn’t find a returner last season, doesn’t have an established returner now, and it’s got a wide open competition near the bottom of its wide receiver depth chart. The Bucs also have a pile of available cash to pay Hester, whose contract called for $2 million this season.

Hester wasn’t his lethal-returner self last season, and he’s 30 years old. But the guy is healthy and surely is far better than what the Bucs have to offer now. He also would represent great depth as a No. 4 or No. 5 receiver.

For Joe, the Bears making it public that Hester doesn’t have a roster spot locked up is code for Chicago seeking trade offers.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has a lot of recent history dealing with the Bears (Gaines Adams, Brian Price, Gabe Carimi). Perhaps a move for Hester is just the kind of low-risk, high-reward gamble that could improve the Buccaneers.

After being a featured back at Rutgers, Leonard backed up Ray Rice during his senior season and was drafted by the Rams in the second round. He spent the past four seasons as the Bengals’ third-down back.

Joe asked Leonard to describe his game to Bucs fans.

“I think I have great hands, great hands out of the backfield. That’s one of my best attributes,” Leonard said. “I’m great at picking up protections, and I feel like I’m a smart player, too. You know, seeing the field and seeing the rotation of the safeties and picking up blitzes. If I get the opportunity to run the ball, I feel like I’m really successful at that, too.”

Joe doesn’t expect Leonard to set the league on fire, but he should be an upgrade over D.J. Ware, another bonus for Josh Freeman.

An interesting Buccaneer Man stat on Leonard, he’s got one fumble in 288 NFL regular season touches.