CBS Sports game analyst and Sirius NFL Radio personality Rich Gannon, lamenting the 10th anniversary of the Bucs burying him and his Raiders in the Super Bowl, is still troubled by what he saw from the 2011 Bucs only halfway through their season.

Gannon called the Texans-Bucs game on CBS, when the 4-4 Bucs returned home to get absolutely clobbered by Houston. The loss got Raheem Morris talking about “loafs” and fans wondering why they bought tickets when they could be home jamming pencils in their eyeballs.

Gannon sat down for a strong interview with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday and was quick to say the Bucs of that weekend were ugly on many levels.

“I did the [Houston] game live and then as I watched the tape, I just felt the effort wasn’t good, the finish wasn’t good. It just looked like a team that really wasn’t ready to play,” Gannon said. “I remember going to Friday practice, and I remember leaving telling our crew ‘Boy, this is not good.’ Practice wasn’t good. It wasn’t crisp. It wasn’t up-tempo. The ball was on the ground a lot. It just didn’t seem like guys were dialed in and focused. And that really bothered me.”

Gannon went on to explain why he likes the Greg Schiano hire and that he thinks the Bucs are “not that far away.” You can listen to the entire interview below.

Juicy, giant mini Shorty Burgers from Pete & Shorty’s are the perfect way to go this weekend. Joe can barely contain himself thinking about these savory blessings of beef goodness.

And you can take home a giant box of 24 Shorty Burgers for only $20 now through Super Bowl Sunday!

Shorty Burgers are heaven in a cardboard box and a must for any party. Joe actually likes to just drive around with a box in the passenger seat. Call Pete & Shorty’s every day for this special through Feb. 5. Please watch the video.

Pete and Shorty’s Shorty Burgers 2-GO! from 3 Square Studios on Vimeo.

Proven to be washed up as a starting quarterback, Donovan McNabb could be a valuable backup QB.

Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings, of The Tampa Tribune, invested plenty of ink into this theory with a call for the Bucs to take a long hard at one of Tampa Bay’s arch rivals 10+ years ago.

Freeman struggled in part last year because he had no one with regular game-day experience to turn to when his game went off the rails. McNabb would certainly give him that.

You can click on through above and read Cummings’ entire take.

Joe’s all in favor of the Bucs bringing in a veteran to back up, motivate, and educate Freeman. However, Joe’s not sure how the Bucs go about figuring out if McNabb really wants to be in that role versus starting. Joe remembers how Jeff Garcia left the Bucs and went to Oakland as an alleged backup and then shook up the entire team with a power play to start.

How ironic would it be if Ronde Barber left the Bucs and McNabb joined the team?

Throughout the past two seasons, when Team Glazer got tired of buying so many unused tickets in order to broadcast home games locally, many Bucs fans laughed at the NFL blackout, running to their laptops to watch games from international feeds knowing full well they were breaking laws watching broadcasts that violated copyright laws, not to mention getting so many viruses from the feeds that it made picking up hooker in Honduras a safer act.

Well, watching those illegal feeds just got tougher for local Bucs fans. No less an authority than the Wall Street Journal reports the long arm of the federal law has seized a number of host sites that streamed the games, and detained owners of these same sites as well, so writes Chad Bray.

On Thursday, prosecutors announced that they had seized 16 Web sites that provided access to illegal live streams of copyrighted sporting events and brought criminal charges against a Michigan man who allegedly operated nine of those websites.

“Sports fans may be tempted by illegal streaming websites, but in the end, it is they who pay the price,” said Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. “These websites and their operators deprive sports leagues and networks of legitimate revenue, forcing spectators and viewers to bear the cost of this piracy down the line.”

The websites allegedly linked to other sites that broadcasst pirated sporting and pay-per-view events, including National Football League, National Basketball League and National Hockey League games and wrestling matches.

NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell and the feds are not playing around. The NFL wants rear ends in the seats or no TV for you! This was hammered home last night on Costas Tonight, a town hall meeting broadcast live from Indianapolis on NBC Sports Network last night where Bob Kraft, Jerry Jones and Goodell himself emphasized for the NFL to succeed as a league, it cannot broadcast games in stadiums with fans disguised as empty seats.

Try to find (and watch) pirated games next season, and know that you are being watched by a higher authority.

Joe’s ears perk up when he hears a nine-year NFL veteran name the most passionate coach he’s ever been around.

Tuesday on The King David Show, on WQYK-AM 1010, Colts middle linebacker Gary Brackett said Bucs coach Greg Schiano oozes love of football like he’s never seen. The Rutgers grad has been with Indianapolis since 2003 and won a Super Bowl ring as a starting linebacker under Father Dungy.

“I never met a coach who loved football as much as Coach Schiano. You know, and that says a lot with the coaches that I’ve been under,” Brackett said. “But a passionate guy, a brilliant football mind and really a fantastic coach, really a players’ coach. I loved him the two years played under him.”  

Brackett went on to say Schiano had a lot of success as a recruiter at Rutgers because recruits “can just see the passion. He knows both sides of ball. Just a fantastic coach, a man of God, a Christian guy, so that appeals to a lot of guys. Just a standup guy.”

So what does Brackett remember most about Schiano the coach?

“That’s all he preached when I was there: discipline,” Bracket said. “”Stay in your gaps. If you do your jobs, everything works out.'”

Joe loves the touch-feely concept of Schiano loving football like no other. Joe’s not sure it means much, but Joe’s buying in right now. Joe can only imagine what football-loving Schiano is thinking while watching the 2011 Bucs linebackers on film.

Among the most respected football men on the planet is Gil Brandt. The architect of the powerhouse “America’s Team” Dallas Cowboys for three decades, Brandt was no less than a wizard when he came to evaluating players and finding hidden gems not just in the draft, but in free agency as well. Brandt keeps busy in football these days working for the NFL as well as co-hosting his own nightly radio show heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Brandt’s attention to detail, his meticulous memory recall and his storytelling is why NFL types refer to Brandt as “The Godfather.” Brandt, who signed Joe’s high school coach to play safety for the Cowboys at the team’s height of success, gave Joe a few moments during Super Bowl Media Day to talk Bucs football.

JoeBucsFan: Your thoughts on the Bucs hiring Greg Schiano as their new coach?

Gil Brandt: From what I know of him, I think it’s a good thing. I talked to [Bucs defensive tackle] Gerald McCoy who is here today and I told him I thought [Schiano’s hiring] was a good thing and he said, “I just hope he is organized.” I told [McCoy that Schiano] was one of the most organized guys in the world. So I think that one of the things [that went haywire with the Bucs] was that things were run kind of loose and the organization wasn’t there, the organization that you need to be successful. [Schiano] took over a [Rutgers] that never had a first round draft choice and the guy had three. He took over a program that never went to one bowl game and he won seven out of eight. His defense should be good.

Joe: Schiano seems like a guy who is really big on fundamentals as well as organization. It is safe to say he may have learned organization from his days with Joe Paterno?

Brandt: Oh, yeah. And he had experience with the Bears also with Dave Wannstedt. The biggest thing now is the staff that you get to help you. That’s the biggest thing now. People realize the importance of [assistant] coaches now.

Joe: Did the Bucs paint themselves in a corner? Are they in a pinch because they were the last team to hire a new coach? Or are there enough good coaches out there?

Brandt: There are a lot of good coaches out there. When I say there are a lot of good coaches out there it’s like talking about golf. There are a lot of good golfers out there but there are only a few zero handicaps. Guys that are a five-handicap are pretty good golfers too.

Joe: Just after Schiano was hired, there were two names linked to him and the Bucs, two guys that Schiano has a past with. One of them was Tom Bradley, longtime defensive coordinator at Penn State. What do you think of Bradley as a coach?

Brandt: I think he is a very good coach. I always thought he was a very good coach and I thought he had a very great knowledge of defense. That would be a good hire [for the Bucs].

Joe: There is also talk about Butch Davis coming in potentially as the Bucs defensive coordinator.

Brandt: Well, if Butch Davis is willing to do it and wants to stay in football and afford himself an opportunity to get back in [the NFL] someday as a head coach. I don’t think with the trouble he got into at North Carolina he can get back in the college game, but I do think he can be an NFL coach even though he didn’t do all that well in Cleveland.

Joe: Well, you worked with him in Dallas and he seemed to do a good job there as a defensive coordinator.

Brandt: Oh, there’s no question about it.

Joe stares at the juicy, giant mini Shorty Burgers in this video from his friends at Pete & Shorty’s and Joe can barely contain himself. And you can take home a giant box of 24 Shorty Burgers for only $20 now through Super Bowl Sunday!

They’re absolute heaven in a cardboard box and a must for any party. Joe actually likes to just drive around with a box in the passenger seat. Call Pete & Shorty’s every day for this special through Feb. 5. Please watch the video.

Pete and Shorty’s Shorty Burgers 2-GO! from 3 Square Studios on Vimeo.

As Joe’s readers are aware, he was at Super Bowl Media Day Tuesday, and prowled around Radio Row at the Media Headquarters. As Joe usually does, he snapped a few photos with his fancy SLR camera to share with his readers.

The throng of fans who paid $25 a head to attend Media Day.

Penn State coach and New England offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien listens to a point made by Adam Schein as Rich Gannon listens while broadcasting live from Media Day on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

The great Gil Brandt, left, "The Godfather," longtime Cowboys executive and current SiriusXM NFL Radio host

A young reporter has captured the attention of Patriots linebacker Gary Guyton.

The one and only Chris "Mad Dog" Russo, of SiriusXM broadcasting live from Radio Row.

NFL Network's Lindsey Soto seems bored with Penn State coach and New England offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

The media mob scene around New England quarterback Tom Brady, who you can barely see in the background.

Former NFL great running back Eddie George knows who to stop and talk with.

Marisol Gonzalez from Televisa Deportes pulls an Ines Sainz, who also attended Media Day but was very much dressed down for the occasion.

Another angle of Ms. Gonzalez, a former Miss Universe contestant.

Solomon Wilcots and Bob Papa broadcast "The Opening Drive" on SiriusXM NFL Radio live from Radio Row.

Maggie Gray of SI.com interviews New England guard Dan Connolly. Since Maggie reads Joe, she is what Joe refers to as FOJ (Friend of Joe).

A Patriots fan tries to get the attention of Wes Welker, apparently unaware he is engaged.

The media mob scene around Penn State coach and New England offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien.

Joe's good friend, "The Big Dog," Steve Duemig, consults with engineer Jason Floyd during show prep on Radio Row.

The J.W. Marriott, the media headquarters in downtown Indianapolis.

Fans attending Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium were given radios. Six players/coaches per team were broadcast on a specific channel on the radios. Fans could choose what player/coach to listen to using the channel number on the Lucas Oil Stadium JumboTron.

NFL players union chief DeMaurice Smith was in the house during Media Day.

Deion Sanders charms Maria Menounos of Extra!

Victory Field in Indianapolis, right across the street from the media headquarters at the Super Bowl, where the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians play.

Patriots' Danny Aiken and Britt Davis pose with some entertainment reporter Joe doesn't know and a BSPN reject who now works for yet another entertainment "news" show.

Joe wishes he got paid every time he typed the phrase “it’s all about No. 5.” It’s a phrase first coined many months ago by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik when suggesting the Bucs revolve around their franchise quarterback.

So when Freeman struggled mightily last year, it wasn’t a coincidence that so too did the Bucs.

Now last year’s awful season that resulted in the entire coaching staff, led by Raheem Morris, being jettisoned wasn’t all on Freeman. The defense was a special kind of stench rarely detected outside of a barnyard. However, if Freeman had numbers close to what he had in 2010, perhaps things would have turned out different.

Recently a former Bucs quarterback and currently loud talker on BSPN ranked the quarterbacks in the NFC South and naturally Freeman was No. 4.

ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas decided to also discuss his NFC South quarterback rankings and unlike Dilfer, Yasinskas’ copy is not hiding behind a pathetic paywall forcing innocents into buying a garbage rag of a magazine not quite fit for a birdcage.

That brings us to Freeman. At the start of this past season, I thought Freeman had a chance to jump over Ryan into the No. 2 spot. That obviously didn’t happen and Freeman tumbled to No. 4 in the division. But Dilfer wrote that he still thinks Freeman can become elite. I agree totally.

Yes, Freeman had a bad 2011 season and some of the blame falls on him for that. But I put more blame on his coaching and supporting cast. I think the talent is there and Freeman can bounce back in 2012.

This is why it is critical of new Bucs coach Greg Schiano to find the right guy to right Freeman. Until the Bucs defense is finished with its overhaul, which could be a year or two away, the Bucs will only go so far as Freeman can carry them.

This should be priority No. 1 for Schiano and Dominik.

Jerry Olsavsky, a former eight-year linebacker with the Steelers and a current defensive assistant, is linked to the Bucs.

Per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Bucs have interviewed Steelers defensive assistant Jerry Olsavsky for an undetermined defensive job.

Joe doubts it would be for defensive coordinator, as Olsavsky has never had a full-time position to coach with the Steelers.

Per Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette, the Steelers had high hopes for Olsavsky had linebackers coach Keith Butler left to be defensive coordinator with the Dolts.

Defensive assistant Jerry Olsavsky is interviewing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to become linebackers coach — a move that was likely precipitated when linebackers coach Keith Butler turned down an opportunity to become defensive coordinator in Indianapolis.

Olsavsky, who played from 1989-1997 with the Steelers, would have been in position to become linebackers coach if Butler decided to leave.

Per Steelers.com, Olsavsky “assists in all areas of the defensive staff in their daily operations,” which is probably a polite way of saying Olsavsky is currently a get-back coach.

As expected, it seems Bucs new head man Greg Schiano is tapping his former Rutgers staff to fill the Bucs’ coaching vacancies.

Former Saints quarterbacks coach (2000 & 2001) and 49ers QB coach Frank Cignetti, Rutgers’ offensive coordinator is “a name to watch,” so reports Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times today. And Holder says Rutgers defensive coordinator Bob Fraser is interiewing in Tampa today and could become the next Bucs linebackers coach. Fraser has no NFL experience.

Cignetti intrigues Joe. Those were solid Saints teams he helped coach. And he got Aaron Brooks’ career off the ground working under offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy for a defensive head coach in Jim Haslett.

Yeah, Joe realizes no fans are about to get excited about these guys, but that doesn’t mean they can’t coach.

Like there aren’t already enough benefits to enjoying a big football game at Hooters. Great food. Great atmosphere. Great picture-taking opportunities.

Now there’s another benefit. Watch Sunday’s Patriots-Giants championship clash at any Hooters location and you can win a brand new 42-inch, LCD HDTV. Click below for details!!

After mingling among national media types for the past 48 hours, it’s clear to Joe that there’s massive love out there for the Greg Schiano hire.

Perhaps it’s because Schiano’s been working at Rutgers in the huge New York/New Jersey market for the past 11 years and somehow brought college football into that region’s sports consciousness — where it was barely a blip on the local radar before. And so many of the national media types are based there and actually know who Schiano is.

Surely it’s not because of the Big East titles Schiano racked up.

Regardless, everyone seems to love the Bucs new head coach, even the ornery, calls-it-as-he-sees-it Adam Schein of FOX Sports and Sirius NFL Radio. Schein offered Joe an earful yesterday.

“I think it’s great. Perfect fit,” Schein said of Schiano. “He did a great job at Rutgers. He’s been a pro coach for a long time. He’s no-nonsense.  He’ll establish a great attitude at Tampa Bay. A perfect hire by Mark Dominik.

“I think Schiano, the way that he controls an environment, the way that he coaches, the discipline, he’s the perfect guy to replace Coach Morris. The team obviously quit on Raheem in the final 10 weeks.”

Clearly, Schiano is viewed universally as a disciplinarian, a motivator, and a guy who knows how to succeed with what he has. Joe just hopes he has the Xs and Os know-how and game-management skills to match that. He needs to be the total package to win the NFC South.

OK, Joe’s going to name drop here and just ramble about his three days in Indianapolis around going to the Super Bowl Media Day Tuesday.

Joe’s been to a few Media Days before, including when the Steelers played the Cardinals in Tampa. Even with the chilly — not cold — weather in Indianapolis, Joe will have to give this year’s event two thumbs up. Two BIG thumbs up.

The best thing about this year’s Super Bowl is the location. Yes, you read that right. It’s been roughly 15 years since Joe last visited Indianapolis and man has it changed. You don’t need to go further than three blocks from your hotel and there are many choices of things to do whether it’s restaurants or bars.

Indianapolis seems like what life would be like in 100 years or so on a giant space station that held a colony of people. One can go from hotel to hotel, convention center (the former Hoosier Dome) to hotels, restaurants to shopping and bars, and not once step foot outside.

It seems the entire downtown is connected by a honeycomb of skywalks. It’s really amazing. Joe walked from his hotel, the Hyatt, to the Media Center some five blocks away, and not once stepped outside.

Peter King, in his annual Super Bowl Tweetup, marveled that he hadn’t set foot in a car or van since he was dropped off at his hotel.

The people in Indianapolis are very kind. Hoosier hospitality. The people who worked in the hotels, bars, etc., really put out an effort to make visitors feel at home.

Overall, it was a superb job by the locals. From the kindness to the futuristic construction of the city to having everything so compact, Joe can easily see the Super Bowl coming back to Indianapolis.

This was just the second Super Bowl to be held in the Midwest since 1992 and the locals treated it as a giant civic celebration. They came out in droves. Blueclad Colts fans far, far outnumbered Pats fans or Giants fans on the streets of Indy.

The first night Joe was there, Joe was walking down the sidewalk checking out the scene and who did Joe meet? King, who was very gracious with Joe as King remembered Joe from previous meetings. The next night leaving King’s Tweetup heading back to Joe’s hotel, Joe ran into Pats owner Bob Kraft of all people on the sidewalk, who briefly chatted with Joe (he’s much shorter than Joe had imagined).

In a way, Indianapolis is like New Orleans with all the places to go within an easy walk, sans the slutty, filthy bars and live music. Sort of a family-friendly New Orleans.

(Don’t worry, Joe loves New Orleans.)

On Media Day, Joe was stunned at how many people across the country knew Joe and read his works daily; people came up to Joe out of nowhere saying they are fans of the site. Most of the SiriusXM NFL Radio people knew Joe by name and welcomed him with open arms. Wow.

Tuesday morning, Maggie Gray of SI.com approached Joe and asked, “Aren’t you with JoeBucsFan?” Why, yes, Joe answered. She replied, “You posted that video of Peter King and myself talking about Greg Schiano, didn’t you?” Joe was stunned. It proved Gray is a reader.

Maggie was really cool and asked Joe all sorts of intelligent questions about the sports scene in Tampa Bay and why fans tend not to attend games.

Joe saw Peyton Manning roaming around town a little. The dude doesn’t have followers, he has a court. Wherever he goes there’s a mob following. It’s really amazing.

When Joe last visited Indianapolis, it was a Hoosiers town and Bob Knight was the messiah. No more. For every person Joe saw with Hoosiers gear, Joe saw 50 people wearing Coltsgear. This has really turned into an NFL town and Manning is the deity.

Joe heard time and again all day Tuesday from strangers that knew all about this site. Adam Schein of SiriusXM NFL Radio personally thanked Joe for posting his weekly Cosmic Schein video for example. Bob Papa ignored others requesting an interview, and gave Joe time for a few questions, calling Joe by name.

Joe was humbled.

What nearly dropped Joe to his knees was the lovely Tiffany Simons of NBCSports.com. TV does not do justice to her. She is stunning in person. Of all the talent at Media Day, no one outranked Simons, and Joe is serious, not even Maria Menounos.

When Simons asked Joe who he worked for and Joe told her, JoeBucsFan, she did a double-take and asked, “You are always writing about Gregg Rosenthal, aren’t you?”

Joe was so smitten and flummoxed, he forgot to give Simons his business card!

At any rate, Joe got a lot of work done, interviewing tons of media types and ex-players about all things Bucs, and was simply exhausted and sore from all the walking. You will read these interviews in the coming days. Some great insight into the Bucs from those in the know in NFL circles.

As Joe sniffs around the country learning more about Greg Schiano, it’s become clear that the 2012 Buccaneers are going to become a much more tight-lipped, Patriots-like bunch.

Schiano likes the whole one voice/one message thing, ala Bill Belichick. Another Schiano way that puts him in the anti-Raheem category.

Dan Bickley’s column in the Arizone Republic today looked at some of that as it relates to the Patriots.

Yet it’s a shame that a lovable goof such as Gronkowski must be muzzled by his franchise, a place where free speech is frowned upon, where the head coach wants automatons speaking in benign cliches.

Remember when Belichick benched Wes Welker for poking fun at Rex Ryan’s appearance in a foot-fetish video? That sort of thing happened this season, when a picture of Gronkowski and a Scottsdale-based porn star circulated across the Internet, the one in which she was proudly wearing his Patriots jersey.

Ever since, Gronkowski hears Belichick’s voice chirping in his head, telling him to shut up.

But sometimes he slips. Such as when a reporter asked how he felt about having the most discussed body part in Indianapolis.

“What parts are we talking about?” he said, slyly.

And then Maria Menounos of “Extra” told him about a wager she made on television, and how she must wear a Giants bikini if the Patriots fail.

“At least there’s a positive if we lose,” he said, smiling from ear to ear.

Let’s hope Belichick doesn’t hear about that one. Or maybe Gronkowski will miss the Super Bowl, after all. On account of being benched.

Joe has no problem with a coach that wants to change the free-talking, free-wheeling culture of Raheem Morris, and one who wants the real talking done on the field. Joe’s just wondering how much fun that’ll be next season if the Bucs are still looking up at the Panthers, Saints and Falcons.

Most NFL fans have at least breathed a heavy sniff of the Peyton Manning saga.

In short, Manning’s surgically repaired neck is supposed to be football-ready for the 2012 season, but nobody knows 100 percent right now. However, the Colts owe Manning a $20 million+ roster bonus in early March. Outside of renegotiating Manning’s contract, the Colts would have to cut Manning to avoid cutting him that massive check.

The speculation is Manning, who turns 36 soon, will be cut and become a free agent and the Colts will draft allegedly can’t-miss quarterback Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick.

So where would Manning play in 2012? Well, if he’s a free agent, expect the Bucs to be among teams interested, says Tampa Tribune beat writer Woody Cummings.

Speaking today on Primetime on WHBO-AM 1040, Cummings said the Bucs would join the rest of the league in their interest in the certain Hall of Fame QB.

“There’s 31 other teams, including the Buccaneers, that would love to have the guy,” Cummings said.

Of course, Cummings is exaggerating a bit when it comes to 31 other teams having some form of interest in Manning.. Joe suspects the Packers, Steelers, Giants, Patriots, Saints, Chargers, Panthers and a few others would have no interest Manning.

But Joe wouldn’t put the Bucs on that list, as crazy as that sounds.

Joe’s hardly advocating for Manning to join Tampa Bay, but he would fill the stadium, provide tremendous leadership, and likely bring winning football back to the Bucs. Obviously, the Bucs have the money to pay him, and Joe can only imagine what kind of bounty the Bucs could fetch in a trade of Josh Freeman.

It’s crazy talk. But don’t blame Joe. Cummings started it.

Buzzing around Super Bowl media today, Joe ran into Gerald McCoy. Of course, Joe asked McCoy about new Bucs head coach Greg Schiano and more. For the second consecutive offseason, McCoy is successfully rehabbing a torn bicep in San Diego, and he said there’s a positive buzz among his teammates about the Schiano hire. Here’s some of Joe’s conversation with the 2010 first-round pick:

JoeBucsFan.com: Was the Greg Schiano hire a shock to you?

Gerald McCoy: Yeah it was. One thing, I did expect our owners to be unpredictable, and to do the opposite of what everybody expected. And they did, man. Nobody heard anything about Coach Schiano until he was ready to sign. And that’s what I love. He’s an old soul, a no-nonsense coach who completely flipped and changed around that Rutgers program.  He’s defensive-minded so, you know, that’s what I’m about. So I love it. I’m excited to see what he does.

Joe: Have you spoken to him?

McCoy: I haven’t talked to him yet because when I went to Tampa, he wasn’t there. But I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet.

Joe: Will you call him?

McCoy: I’m going to definitely, definitely call him. He’s my head coach, and I like to have a close-knit relationship with my coaches.

Joe: Do you have any inkling what Schiano will want you to do defensively? Heard anything through the grapevine?

McCoy: You know, I talked to the GM, Mark Dominik. And he just told me to do the same thing I’ve been doing. Just remain a leader and, you know, do what it is I do. Don’t change up nothing that I’m doing.

Joe: Have you heard anything about possible assistant coaches?

McCoy: No, I haven’t heard anything, just like I didn’t hear about [Schiano] until everyone else did.

Joe: Will you be ready and healthy for OTAs?

McCoy: Yeah. When everything starts back up, on April 23 when we report back, I’ll be there. I’ll be the first one in the building ready to roll.

Joe’s in the building!

Joe’s annual jaunt to the Super Bowl has commenced, following a chat with Peter King last night and cold beers in not-so-cold Indianapolis. Hopefully, Joe will find someone with a clue who Greg Schaino wants as his offensive coordinator.

Lomas Brown, Skip Bayless and Jon Ritchie debate Team Glazer’s decision to hire Greg Schiano as the ninth coach in Bucs history in this BSPN video.

Two weeks ago during practices for the East-West Shrine Game at Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg, Joe got a chance to talk Bucs football with the one and only Mike Mayock of NFL Network. In Joe’s eyes, there is no better talking head in all of football than Mayock, the way he breaks down players and plays in a concise, yet intelligent manner. He is the ultimate draftnik and Joe’s go-to guy for draft knowledge.

JoeBucsFan: What caused the Bucs’ grotesque collapse? I’m sure it was a number of things combining to one ugly result.

Mike Mayock: You are right; it is a combination of different things. What I think happened was when you have a few injuries and things start to go against you and you are a pretty young team, momentum can work in both ways. The year before, it worked in a positive way for a young team. This year when you don’t have enough guys who have been through tough trench battles before, when things start to go bad, it’s difficult to stop them for getting real bad. I just think it was a combination of their best players getting hurt, especially on that defensive line. Then all of a sudden, not sure there was enough veterans to keep things working the way they should.

Joe: Gerald McCoy, for his first two years he has had trouble staying on the field. It seems Bucs fans are turning on him. Joe is of the opinion that penetration can do as much if not more than a sack. In Joe’s eyes, it seems he gets penetration. He doesn’t get sacks but he disrupts. Your thoughts?

Mayock: He is a high level football player but his challenge is to stay on the field. No matter how well he plays in spurts it doesn’t matter unless he can get a 16-game season in under his belt. The jury is out. I understand fans’ frustration. He’s a talented kid that can make plays. But if he is ever to be considered an elite defensive lineman, he has to stay healthy.

Joe: Adrian Clayborn really played well as a rookie. What was your take on his first season in the NFL?

Mayock: If you ever watch a tape of him at Iowa, no defensive lineman played harder than he did. He is a young, gifted defensive lineman along with Price, Bowers and McCoy. If they can they can keep these guys healthy, they have something to build on along with that linebacker Foster. There are some good young building blocks. If they can keep those kids healthy, they’re a group to build around. Just a matter of being more consistent and being healthy.

One would think the Bucs would look to free agency or a trade to land a beast of a linebacker to help shore up the mess that’s there at the position right now.

But the Bucs might also snag the best linebacker they can find in the draft. Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, pregame and postgame host on the Buccaneers Radio Network, says the Bucs might have a bit of drool on their chin for Zach Brown out of North Carolina. The Commish, via CommishOnline.com, pegs Brown as a late first-round, or early second-round pick.

Brown is one of the fastest linebackers in this year’s draft. He has good size (6’1” 236lbs), but excellent speed, explosion, and athleticism. The linebacker position has been undervalued in recent years, which might have Brown slip a little. If Butch Davis joins Greg Schiano’s staff in Tampa, you’d have to wonder if the Buccaneers would make a move to grab Brown later in the 1st round.
Possible Targets: Buccaneers, Lions, Giants, Eagles

Joe surely could see this happening. Scoring a stout middle linebacker in free agency — Jonathan Vilma after he’s cut? — and having Brown, Mason Foster, Quincy Black and Dakoda Watson and more fighting for snaps wouldn’t be so bad.

Joe does not fall into the rather large camp of Bucs fans, local pundits and former Bucs coaches that thinks LeGarrette Blount is a one-dimensional running back incapable of being effective on third down.

Joe sees absolutely no reason why Blount shouldn’t catch 40+ balls a year and rack up good yardage. All he needs is an offensive coordinator that has a clue how to use his versatility and ability in open space.

Therefore, the latest stats from BSPN on NFC South running backs is yet another reason for Joe to bang his head against the wall repeatedly. Per BSPN, Blount was on the field for 38.4 percent of Bucs offensive snaps in 2011. Kregg Lumpkin had opportunities on 35.9 percent of snaps.

Sure, Blount missed a couple of games because of injury, but Lumpkin’s role was very limited early in the season when the Bucs were winning with Earnest Graham as third-down back.

Regardless, the thought of Blount essentially getting as much playing time as Lumpkin is astounding.

Joe still swears he can see the smiles on opposing defenses when Blount trotted off the field on third down.

Joe sheds no tears for Raheem Morris. On the heels of a great 10-6 season, multiple players on the man’s team quit on him last season, he couldn’t dig out of a historic collapse, and he proved to be the worst defensive coordinator in Bucs history, among other faults.

Call Joe a hardass, but Raheem deserved his fate. Goodness, he was well liked by his superiors and winning a mere six games likely would have saved his job. But he couldn’t get it done.

But there are Raheem sympathizers, and Tampa Bay Times scribe Rick Stroud seems to be leading the pack.

Speaking on The Dan Sileo Show this morning on WDAE-AM 620, Stroud said Raheem and company will feel slighted if the Bucs make some splash plays in free agency in 2012. Stroud implied that somehow Raheem got a raw deal.

“It’ll be a little unfortunate for that old coaching staff to sit and watch the Bucs go out now in free agency and be active, and find that veteran running back, to find a veteran linebacker and find some corners. You know, that’s going to be a tough pill to swallow for some of those guys,” Stroud said. “I hope for [Greg Schiano’s] sake, he got some commitment on free agency.”

Joe thinks that’s just ludicrous.

It’s Bucs fans, not former coaches, that deserve to be crying that Greg Olson took a nearly identical top-10 offense in the second half of 2010 to a disgrace for most of 2011. It’s the fans that swallowed the bitter pill of a coaching staff that couldn’t figure out how to not get thoroughly dominated in the first half of games.

Raheem couldn’t figure out how to use what he had. Joe suspects that wouldn’t have changed with a couple more veterans on the roster.