Joe constantly beats the drum for Sirius NFL Radio. Even on it’s rare bad moments Joe can always count on the King of All Media, Howard Stern, for quality radio.

Pat Kirwan, who works for Sirius NFL Radio, NFL.com and CBSSports.com, is one reason why Sirius NFL Radio is solid.

Though Joe doesn’t listen to him often, as Kirwan is on in the late afternoon when Joe is listening to local sports radio (not the self-glossing douchebag who can’t get a 0.1 rating). But the times Joe has listened to Kirwan, Joe loves how Kirwan takes such an analytical look at the game; very Xs and Os intensive.

In this piece, Kirwan explains when he thinks Bucs bust-in-waiting quarterback Josh Freeman will see the field. When one thinks about how Kirwan comes to his conclusion, it makes a lot of sense.

And it’s an example of why Sirius NFL Radio rocks.

As has been well-documented by Joe, TheBigLead.com, ProFootballTalk.com and Deadspin.com, Joe visited Kellen Winslow’s youth camp Sunday at One Buc Palace. Joe took some photos and thought he’d share them.

Giant Bucs battle flag just outside the practice fields.

Practice goal posts for place kickers that may be five yards wide at most. In the background is the tent where Kellen Winslow spoke to his campers.

Winslow listens to a youngster's question during a break in Sunday's activities.

Winslow answers a question from a camper. All who asked a question were required to raise their hands, stand up when called upon, state their name and then ask the question. Winslow noted afterwards the camp "wasn't just about football."

Kellen Winslow and his wife Janelle just after they were kind enough to grant Joe an interview following his talk to the campers.

Avowed blog hater Len Pasquarelli of BSPN.com writes about the All-NFL Decade team the four-letter network put together. In it, atop the list, is Derrick Brooks.

The most celebrated member of the ESPN.com NFL Team of the Decade (minus one season) for the 2000s began his pro career during the previous millennium.

If Derrick Brooks had his druthers, he hasn’t played his last snap yet.

Selecting the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers weakside linebacker for inclusion on the all-decade team certainly defines the term no-brainer. The 14-year veteran hopes his divorce from the Bucs isn’t the final chapter of a brilliant career.

“I’ve kept myself in [football] shape,” said Brooks, 36, who was released by Tampa Bay in February. “People out there know I still want to play. There are still definitely some things I want to accomplish before I’m done.”

Few players have the résumé Brooks owns.

“He was asked to do a lot, because [the coaches] knew he could do it all,” said former Tampa Bay safety John Lynch, who was released by the Bucs after the 2003 season and continued his career with the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. “He was a player without any real weakness.”

Pasquarelli notes that while Brooks didn’t make many game-changing plays — with the notable exception of his interception return for a touchdown in the Bucs lone Super Bowl — he changed games by being so consistently dominant.

Funny how this guy couldn’t play one more season for the Bucs. Still makes Joe angry just thinking about it.

E.J. Biggers struck a deal

Oily player agent Drew Rosenhaus is a masterful user of Twitter, unlike a St. Pete Times reporter who is known to use Twitter then bash those who take his Twitter writings seriously, followed by deleting said writings from his Twitter account.

Anyway, today Rosenhaus announced via Twitter the Bucs signings of draft picks cornerback E.J. Biggers and defensive end Kyle Moore.

That leaves draft picks Roy Miller and bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman as those without contracts. As Joe mentioned earlier, the Freeman situation is an intriguing chess game.

By JEFF CARLSON

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

As a former NFL player I believe current players should try to negotiate as lucrative a contract as they can.

As a businessman I believe people should live up to their contracts and pro sports are big business, but in the NFL, teams don’t have to live up to their end of the contract (they can cut a player at any time — e.g. Derrick Brooks).  A team structures contracts to fit their needs and discards players when either their play or their contract doesn’t fit anymore.

Because these contracts aren’t equal for both sides, it is well within a player’s rights to squeeze his team to pay him whatever he can when he has the bargaining power.

Last year, Earnest Graham was in a pretty good negotiating position to push for a salary equal to that of the average starting running back. Bruce Allen had a policy of not negotiating contracts with two years left on the deal, but sometimes certain policies have to be amended for the good of the team.

This year it is Barrett Ruud’s turn to go for the dough.

The team slimmed its experience in the linebacking corps and left Ruud in a very strong position to be paid in the upper third of middle linebackers. He has handled things properly so far, missing voluntary training and being part of the mandatory events. 

Mark Dominik has watched Allen negotiate for years and will have to forge his own policies moving forward. But for all of Raheem Morris’ efforts to build this year’s version of team comraderie, it gets torn apart quickly when a player that hasn’t sweated in red and pewter gets a new, top-dollar deal (Kellen Winslow Jr.) and a current star like Ruud is paid less than his league counterparts.

Joe’s thought a lot lately about bust-in-waiting quarterback Josh Freeman and his no-contract status with the Bucs.

Freeman’s superagent, Tom Condon, is seemingly in the driver’s seat for negotiating a lucrative rookie contract with the tight-belt Bucs. The team has gushed about Freeman perhaps more than any No. 17 pick in the history of the NFL. And last week, the Bucs went so far as to say Freeman appears ahead of schedule in his development and might have what it takes to start in 2009.

It sure sounds like the Freeman camp is sitting on major league leverage.

But maybe, just maybe, things are not as they seem.

Maybe it’s the Bucs who publicly delivered the Freeman-as-starter talk now in order to pressure Freeman himself into leaning on his agent to get a deal done and avoid a training camp holdout.

The kid is eager and hungry, and has a strong work ethic. He wants to play and might not care about a few million here or there when his coaches are telling him he could be named opening day starter in eight weeks.

Joe’s not saying the Bucs are lying in their positive assessment of Freeman. But there has to be a reason why the Bucs were willing to put that speculation out there in the middle of a contract negotiation. The Glazer Boys and Mark Dominik are not stupid.

When Freeman was on the radio last week with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, Freeman talked about his agent negotiating a contract and Duemig told him to remember that his agent works for him. 

It was wise advice. And possibly the Bucs are banking on Freeman following it.

Sunday, Joe visited Kellen Winslow’s youth football camp at One Buc Palace, where the Bucs new tight end (and his wife, Janelle) were gracious enough to answer questions from Joe.

Joe: How did this camp come about? Did the Bucs initiate it or was it your idea?

Winslow: This is something I did last year in Cleveland. I’m here now so I wanted to do it in Tampa. I just want to give back to the community and this is the first step.

Joe: It’s interesting what you are teaching the kids, especially the things off the field like looking people in the eye and paying attention in school. The little things off the field add up to big things just like on the practice field.

Winslow: Little things do add up to big things. This isn’t just about football. This is about things off the field and how to handle yourself as a man and as a human being.

Joe: What type of activities are you going through with the campers?

Winslow: Just drills and fundamentals that they would do on the practice field and we try to simulate that.

Joe: What are some goals you hope the campers come away with?

Winslow: I hope what they get from it is that I hope they can look someone in the eye and shake their hand.

Joe: It seems like you are happy that you are back in Florida. Is there some vibe with the team that people on the outside aren’t aware of?

Winslow: Yeah, it is kind of like playing in Miami again. The players are so much fun and the head coach is so much fun. It’s just a different atmosphere. I am happy.

Joe: Joe’s going to throw out some names and you tell Joe what pops in your head. First, Byron Leftwich?

Winslow: He gets rid of the ball. He has a strong arm and he’s real smooth.

Joe: By the way, did you hear how Leftwich described himself? He said he’s not the slowest quarterback in the league. He’s just the slowest black quarterback in the league.

Winslow: (Laughs). No, he is. I believe he is the slowest quarterback in the league. (Laughs).

Joe: Luke McCown?

Winslow: A leader. He just needs his chance. You’ll see what happens.

Joe: Josh Johnson?

Winslow: (Smiles). He’s my man. He is real athletic. He just needs his chance. This is just his second season.

Joe: Joe understands that Josh is a really smart guy, a real intelligent player.

Winslow: I don’t know. I haven’t been around him long enough. But he probably is.

Joe: Josh Freeman?

Winslow: He’s the black version of Ben Roethlisberger. Really. Yeah, he’s a pretty big dude.

Joe: Do you have any concerns about playing with a rookie quarterback? Let’s face it, you want the ball. Leftwich and McCown likely can get you the ball. If Freeman starts, there will be a transition period, a learning period. He’s going to be seeing stuff he’s never seen in the Big XXII. Are you OK playing with a rookie quarterback?

Winslow: You know what, it depends on the guy. It depends on who it is. If you have a guy like Peyton Manning, obviously he’s going to be ready. It just depends on if the guy is ready or not.

Joe: Joe has heard you interviewed on various radio shows and TV shows since you showed up in town. Joe gets so motivated hearing you he wants to go out and tackle people but he doesn’t want to get arrested. Have you ever thought about being a motivational or inspirational speaker when your NFL days are over?

Winslow: I say what I feel man. But I kind of want to be a coach. I’d like to teach kids like high school I think. High school might be the best for me. But [speaking]? I might do.

Joe: Joe has seen pictures of you and Janelle on the red carpet and you dress sharp. It’s like you stepped out of GQ. You’ve got some neat threads. Do you have a tailor or do you buy off the rack?

Winslow: That’s her (points to Janelle). Oh, she takes care of it. She takes care of me.

It's not all cheerleading anymore at Buccaneers.com

Joe enjoys the Bucs official Web site, Buccaneers.com. Scott Smith and company do a fabulous job with video, and the site is easy to use with plenty of cheerleader pictures available.

That said, Buccaneers.com is hardly the place to go to get an objective look at the Bucs or to get any type of opinion on team performance.

Now before you say, “No kidding Joe, it’s the official Web site. What did you expect?” keep in mind the Dallas Cowboys employ three columnists on their team Web site who regularly rip the home club. Who knew Jerry Jones was so thick-skinned?

Other NFL teams mix in some commentary with bloggers and other forms editorializing, too. But at Buccaneers.com it’s pretty much the company line or nothing.

So Joe is surprised to see a NFL Network video on Buccaneers.com right now titled “Discussing Bucs QBs.” The video has Solomon Wilcots questioning the Bucs wisdom and competency for their moves at quarterback, while Mike Lombardi floats a bizarre theory that says Josh Freeman might start because the Bucs will only be able to sign him a five-year contract.

Joe wonders whether the powers at One Buc Palace have become more open to commentary on the official Web site. If so, Joe is ready to contribute. He can be reached at [email protected].

A young camper asks Kellen Winslow, Jr. a question during a break Sunday at Winslow's youth football camp held at One Buc Palace.

It was a hot afternoon on the fields of One Buc Palace yesterday. But there was a reprieve: a large tent.

In the shade of the tent were hundreds of kids, all campers, football campers.

All had come to learn football  from not just local high school and youth coaches, but from no less than Kellen Winslow, Jr., one of the newest Bucs.

“It’s something I did last year in Cleveland,” said Winslow, who also told JoeBucsFan.com he wants to coach high school football after his NFL days. “I’m here now so I wanted to do it in Tampa. I just want to give back to the community and this is the first step.”

It was shortly after lunch and the kids were wired. But when Winslow showed up he quickly got their attention. For a moment.

Kids being kids they began to act up. But Winslow scolded them with a little tough love, threatening to end his chat unless the kids behaved.

Winslow’s talk wasn’t about blocking techniques or tackling or how to properly carry the ball. It was about life, respect, honor, grades and family.

“Does anyone want to be a leader?” he asked. Arms shot up. “Do you know how to be a leader? Do the right thing all the time.”

Winslow went on to ask how many kids sit in the back of the class. More hands were raised. Winslow told the story about how he too wanted to do that in school so he could fool around. His grades suffered and he had a penance to pay with his father, Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow, Sr., when he got home.

“I got my butt whipped.”

Winslow told the campers to sit in the front of class. If they are made fun of, so what. They’ll be the ones with better grades and a better life.

Campers were required by Winslow to answer “Yes sir” to the coaches and camp staffers and look people in the eye. And more importantly, listen when spoken to. If they had a question for Winslow, they were required to stand, state their name, and then ask a question.

But it wasn’t all tough love and tough talk from Winslow. One youngster wanted to ask a question but was too shy to speak. Winslow flashed a warm smile at the child, bent over and looked right at him as if to say, “I don’t bite.”

Winslow was bluntly honest with his answers. One camper asked if he wanted to get drafted by Cleveland. “No,” Winslow said. “I was young in the head. I was selfish. I wanted to be drafted by the Redskins.” He noted that some of the things that happened in Cleveland were because of immaturity.

“I’ve got a second chance now.”

Winslow also told the campers to do as they are told by their parents and respect their moms and dads. Work hard in the classroom, work hard on the football field and doors will open for them, opportunities will be available.

Just like on the practices fields, little things add up to big things.

“This isn’t all about football,” Winslow said. “This is about things off the field and how to handle yourself as a man and as a human being.”

Remember when the Bucs were rumored to be trading for Matt Cassel? Tom Curran of NBCSports.com does.

Curran has a list of the best and worst decisions made by NFL teams in the offseason. The Bucs made the list, but not in a good way.

Seems Curran can’t believe the Bucs and the Broncos couldn’t pull the trigger to acquire former Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel (both teams were rumored to be in the mix to land him).

It was like missing the bus on your first day of school. Both the Broncos and Buccaneers blew their chances at getting the best available quarterback by sleeping at the switch on Matt Cassel.

Once the Patriots franchised Cassel in mid-February, any team was free to make inquiries and lay groundwork. But with new coach/GM combos in both Denver and Tampa, it didn’t get done. And then when word came down the Chiefs were in the process of securing Cassel, the Bucs and Broncos sprung into action with too-little/too-late offers.

Not to rehash the old hash, but the Bucs trying to get Cassel reminded Joe of former St. Louis Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty who, at the 11th hour, always made a play for a big-name free agent. Then Jocketty would lowball if not insult the free agent when, in fact, Jocketty had no intention of signing said free agent.

Later, as a public relations stunt, Jocketty would hold a news conference, shrug his shoulders, and in as many words say, “Hey, we tried,” and then whine about the high cost of playing the free agent market.

The Bucs trying to get Cassel was little more than a public relations stunt.

After a too long absence, Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, returns from the dark regions of local sports radio to resume his weekly appearance with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig on WDAE-AM 620.

Florio is expected to appear each Monday with Duemig at 5 p.m. beginning this afternoon.

Joe suspects part of the reason Florio returned to WDAE is that he got tired of dealing with a self-glossing douchebag in the afternoon who can’t even get a 0.1 rating.

The fact that Derrick Brooks is still unsigned is beyond puzzling to Joe. Joe is still of the belief not only could he still help the Bucs, he certainly could help some team, any NFL team.

One of Brooks’ greatest attributes is his knowledge of the game. Surely, a team could use this, sort of like a coach on the field.

Peter King of SI.com is also perplexed by Brooks’ unemployment. So he started doing some research and found that teams don’t care about that intangible. Former Bucs great Warren Sapp all but told Peter King that a veteran’s knowledge is nearly looked upon as useless by NFL teams.

I understand an NFL team is going to employ between six and eight linebackers, usually, depending on whether the team runs a 3-4 or 4-3, and I understand that Brooks isn’t going to be an every-down player at 36. So the book says if you’re going to have a linebacker playing 20 snaps a game, he’d better play a huge role on special teams. And Brooks, at his age, wouldn’t be the kamikaze type you’d want out there. So it comes down to this: An NFL coach would have to keep one fewer special-teams demon in exchange for having one of the best leaders in the league. And that’s why Brooks sits home in Florida today, waiting for the phone to ring.

But there might be something else.

“I’ll tell you the real reason,” his friend Warren Sapp said over the weekend. “Because it’s not the same for the veterans anymore. The NFL doesn’t need us. In this NFL, the old vets don’t factor in. The kids don’t listen to nobody. Nobody! My last year in Oakland, I’d try to talk to some of the kids. Tommy Kelly, Terdell Sands. But they had no interest. I thought the ghosts in that building were so valuable, but none of the young guys cared. Once in a while, one of the old legends would come in the building, or make a trip. Jack Tatum would be around, and I’d say, ‘You know who that dude is? You know how he played?’ And the kids would be like, ‘Nah, I don’t care.’

“The game’s different now. Look at Vince Young. Why wouldn’t he listen to Kerry Collins? I’m sure Vince thinks, ‘Nobody’s been through what I’m going through. Nobody’s been through my kind of pressure.’ Are you kidding me! Kerry Collins, fifth pick in the draft, has all the ups and downs, gets benched, makes those racist comments, has the alcohol problems, moves from team to team, comes back, has success … Vince Young should suck up all the knowledge Kerry Collins has to offer! There’s no better role model for him.”

While Joe isn’t about to quibble with Sapp, this still shocks Joe. Certainly there must be a team that still values intelligence.

And Joe is still waiting for a detailed explanation how the Bucs are better off without Brooks.

Since Kellen Winslow was acquired by the Bucs in a trade with the Browns, Joe began referring to the former Cane star as “Sgt. Winslow.”

Part of it, naturally, came from his infamous postgame outburst at Miami where he claimed he was “a soldier.” But part of the reason Joe continued with the moniker was that more and more Joe became enamoured with Winslow.

Clearly he was trying to be a leader.

Joe also heard a number of radio and TV interviews with Winslow since the trade went down and just listening to him got Joe fired up. So the moniker went from a not-so-subtle jab to a form of respect. After all, a sergeant is a leader and one who motivates his troops.

Sunday, Joe was able to take in a few minutes of Winslow’s camp for youngsters at One Buc Palace. This, too, impressed Joe even before he came out to One Buc Palace. The fact Winslow had just moved to town and was putting together a camp like this reminded Joe of all the things the Bucs legends did for the community, like Derrick Brooks and Mike Alstott and John Lynch.

Winslow and his wife, Janelle, were gracious enough to take a few brief moments to talk to Joe. There, it became quickly apparent that Winslow was familiar with Joe’s work. If he wasn’t, his wife certainly was.

When Joe was introduced to Winslow, the tight end asked who Joe worked for. When Joe answered, “JoeBucsFan.com,” Winslow quickly turned to his wife and asked, “What’s this guy been calling me again?”

“Sgt. Winslow,” she answered.

Right away Winslow barked at Joe, “You’re not going to say that no more, right?”

No less than two other times, Winslow asked, no, demanded in so many words, “No more of this sergeant stuff, OK?”

OK.

Since the Winslows were so kind to Joe Sunday and that the nickname clearly bothered Winslow, Joe agreed. No more Sgt. Winslow. Joe is so impressed with how Winslow is going about his business and how he worked with the kids (a story coming later about that) that Joe has no option but to respect Winslow’s request.

No more Sgt. Winslow.

From the instant Joe heard Raheem the Dream lusted over soon-to-be felon and NRA spokesman Plexiglass Burress, Joe has been banging the drum against such a move.

So it warms Joe’s heart to read that someone he greatly admires, Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune, has decided to join forces with Joe, albeit a bit delayed.

As can be expected, Fennelly writes far more eloquently than Joe about why signing Burress would be a monumentally stupid move by the Bucs.

Harris Smith, of course, is the alias Burress used when he popped into a New York City emergency room in November after his Glock slipped down his sweat pants (who hasn’t had that happen?) and shot him in the leg at a nightclub, launching criminal proceedings as well as the inevitable “Say, is that a Glock in your pants or Drew Rosenhaus?”

The Bucs’ head coach, who answers to Raheem Morris, said, “To be honest with you, there was never really any discussion about bringing him in.”

The Bucs should stay so honest.

Simply put, Joe can’t find a solid reason to want Burress, other than the fact it would give Joe ample opportunities to hammer him night and day when he blows off practices, gets fined, loafs on the field, and generally acts like the overgrown child he is.

With all the talk — which began from the mouth of Raheem the Dream — that the Bucs want another wide receiver, Joe was wondering who would be the first MSMer to link the Bucs and disgruntled Broncos WR Brandon Marshall, who told the Broncos he was coming down from a rocky mountain high.

Let Bill Williamson be the first MSMer — to Joe’s knowledge — to say Marshall might head to Tampa Bay. In a recent AFC West blog post, Williamson listed the potential landing spots for Marshall and cited the Bucs among them.

Tampa Bay needs a receiver and could see value in bringing the Central Florida product to town.

Joe is still beyond perplexed at all this talk of needing a wide receiver. Someone refresh Joe’s memory if needed, but Joe was under the impression the Bucs shelled out large sums of dough to wide receivers Antonio Bryant and Michael Clayton.

If these guys weren’t any good, why did the Bucs cough up so much money for them? Or are they stinking the practice fields of One Buc Palace so badly, that the Bucs are hesitant to admit they made a mistake in signing either Bryant or Clayton (or both)?

Antonio Bryant reached out to a wide receiver this offseason

In Sarasota, the locals were again pulling for neighborhood star and former University of South Florida wide receiver Amarri Jackson to earn a spot on the Bucs roster.

For the second year in a row, their hopes were quashed, as Jackson was released Friday.

Sarasota Herald-Tribune reporter Tom Balog followed Jackson closely with the Bucs this offseason and offered a glimpse inside his struggle to make the team.

It seems Antonio Bryant and Sgt. Kellen Winslow were stepping up to lead the young man at One Buc Palace.

Bryant and [Winslow] both called out Jackson on occasion during the team’s organized team activities and mini-camp.

“If they see me slacking at anything, that’s what the two of them do,” Jackson said. “Because they both know me well.”

Jackson was one of nine receivers at this week’s mandatory mini-camp, a position the team is determined to upgrade.

“He has the talent, he’s just got to apply himself,” Bryant said on Tuesday. “He’s got the talent, everybody sees that. He can run the routes, especially for his stature.

“But it’s just about applying himself and understanding, you know?

“We’re trying to keep everybody accountable to us out here. We demand from him. You drop balls, get your (self) back in line.”

Bryant asserting himself in a leadership role fires Joe up. Joe likes Bryant. He’s likely the best interview on the Bucs. And he struggles to get by on his franchise player salary; the guy is always battling.

The hope hear is that Bryant emerges as a vocal and inspirational presence for the Bucs but doesn’t resort to communicating via Twitter. Surely, Bill Parcells would be one of Bryant’s followers, which could only lead to no good.

Earlier in the week, Joey Johnston, writing for TBO.com, had a feature about former Bucs great Charley Hannah being inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

Hannah was part of three Bucs playoff teams in the late 70s and early 80s and also played for Bear Bryant at Alabama where he thought he was going to be thrown off the team for fighting in practice (Joe guesses helmet-wielding Aqib Talib wouldn’t last very long with Bryant). Rather, reading between the lines, Bryant, ever the master of mind games, used the episode as a motivational lesson.

Bryant had a huge presence at his monstrous desk. Hannah sat on a small couch – with sawed-off legs and broken springs – that made Bryant seem like a giant.

As Hannah tried to explain himself through whimpering sobs, Bryant stopped him short.

“You know, Charley, Alabama can have a football team without you on it.”

Hannah thought he was done, but another assistant stood up for him and said he’d simply need some post-practice conditioning. The extra running kept going all season, until just before Alabama’s bowl game.

The drama of Hannah’s honor hit home with the former Bucs great when he toured the Alabama organization’s museum.

As Hannah studied some of the athletes already enshrined – Bear Bryant, Bo Jackson, Joe Louis, Willie Mays, Jesse Owens, Hank Aaron – he had an immediate question.

“What in the world am I doing here?”

Joe would like to congratulate Hannah, who Joe has never met. But Joe has met his daughter Kimberly, who works in the Bucs public relations office, and has graciously helped Joe from time to time.

Call her a second generation Buc.