The Bucs worked out Penn State safety Adrian Amos.

Joe knows fans read this all the time: So-and-so worked out for (insert team name).

You read this so often this time of the year you get numb to it. Sort of like local meteorologists forecasting a hot Florida summer afternoon, or hearing Josh McCown turned the ball over.

There is an interesting series published by the Baltimore Sun that features a draft diary of Penn State free safety Adrian Amos. In a recent diary missive, Amos admits he worked out for Bucs safeties coach Mikal Smith. Yes, Lovie’s son.

I worked out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers safeties coach, Mikal Smith [son of Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith]. That went really well. He told me a lot about their defense and how I fit in their defense. I did classroom stuff for each coach. They want to see how I understand offenses and defenses, my understanding of formations and tendencies, my understanding of the game.

I want to show that I can do everything. A year ago, people were saying my tackling was my strong suit and the way I hit and used words like “ferocious tackler.” They said they don’t know if I’m fast enough to cover. Now, they say I’m fast enough to cover, but will question my tackling.

Remember: NFL teams cannot “work out” a player at an NFL facility — only away from an NFL headquarters. (The 30 in-house visits teams have for players are strictly interviews; no workouts.) Usually, this is a college or a high school in the player’s hometown.

Well, it seems Amos was a good tackler. That can always be re-learned with good coaching. If he improved his speed, that is key. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com raked Amos over the coals for his tackling did consider him a highly intelligent player.

Rarely can intelligence be replaced. Perhaps the Bucs think Amos is a diamond in the rough they can coach up? With the departure of Hawk Goldson, safety is a need but not a priority in the draft.