The lifeblood of a college coach is recruiting. Don’t recruit and your chances of winning are pretty poor.

As a result, most coaches could be on their deathbed and at least make an attempt to call a recruit. Not showing up for a home visit — usually reserved for only a cherished few coveted players — is akin to giving up… or perhaps changing jobs.

That seems to be the case with Oregon coach and would-be Bucs coach Chip Kelly. Justin Hopkins, the publisher of Oregon.247Sports.com, reports (behind a paywall), that Kelly did not show up for a home visit this evening. He added this on Twitter.

@JHopkins247: Chip Kelly did not make his scheduled in-home visit tonight.

In Joe’s eyes, this is pretty significant. College coaches, especially so close to Signing Day (Feb. 1) do not blow off a home visit without good reason.

It’s beginning to look like that within a day or two, the Bucs may have a new coach, and another visor-wearing one at that.

The rumors continue to flow across the electronic river known as Twitter with news confirming the Bucs trying to land offensive mastermind, Chucky confidant and Oregon coach Chip Kelly.

Now comes word from Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune via Twitter that Team Glazer is putting a full-court press on Kelly.

Bucs in strong pursuit of Oregon coach Chip Kelly to make him their new head coach. Deal would reunite Kelly with RB LeGarrette Blount

Joe just hopes Kelly, if he does come to the Bucs, brings the Ducks cheerleaders with him.

Joe has two thoughts about Kelly [potentially] coming to the Bucs.

1. Oregon has the ways and means to match or outbid whatever Team Glazer throws at Kelly (see: Knight, Phil). So Joe wonders if this is just a powerplay by Kelly?

2. Is the NCAA on the Ducks’ tail? That could be a reason Kelly is trying to beat the hangman’s noose (see: Carroll, Pete).

Twitter is blowing up with the rumors of Oregon offensive mad scientist Chip Kelly in negotiations with the Bucs.

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, these rumors are accurate. In fact, the two parties hope to finalize a contract within two days.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly is finalizing a deal to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Tampa Bay Times Sunday.

Kelly met with the Bucs earlier this past week and both sides are hopeful an agreement can be reached in the next 24-48 hours.

Wow. This would certainly be a splash move. But a spread-option in the NFL? Joe will believe that will work when he sees it.

So far, Joe has not seen it.

Per reports out of Portland, KGW-TV, word is that Oregon football coach Chip Kelly is working to finalize a contract with the Bucs, writes Michael Berk.

Kelly is in the process of finalizing a deal that would make him the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A source close to the situation said Kelly will make the jump to the NFL if he can come to terms on a contract.
Kelly has been Oregon’s head coach for three years, winning the conference title in all three, reaching three straight BCS games. The crowning achievement coming three weeks ago, when the Ducks won their first Rose Bowl game in 95 years.

This would fit the pattern of Team Glazer: a splash move that was totally off the radar.

This doesn’t shock Joe but it’s a surprise.

Before Joe gets carried away, this is just a rumor. But like Urban Meyer, Kelly is one of these spread-offense types. He does not run a pro-style offense. While it’s fun as hell to watch in college, exactly how will that work with Josh Freeman?

As Jenna Laine of Yahoo! Sports Twittered, this is not the first time this offseason rumors of Kelly coming to an NFL team have surfaced.

Among other revelations, Bucs G Davin Joseph explains what he wants in the next Bucs head coach.

So how would Davin Joseph profile a new Bucs head coach?

Well, the Bucs’ lone Pro Bowler gave a bit of a surprising response Friday during an interview on The Dan Sileo Show on WDAE-AM 620.

In what almost felt like a knock on Raheem Morris, Joseph said,”We need a defense first guy that brings discipline and accountibility to everybody, with no exceptions, no exceptions for quarterbacks, not exceptions for whoever.”

Hearing that, Joe thinks it’s a pretty safe bet that Joseph was used to seeing “exceptions” granted around Raheem’s locker room.

One Buccaneer who fans often think of as a guy that got some special treatment, from an allegedly questionable attitude to limited practicing, is Kellen Winslow, Jr. But Joseph lauded Winslow as one who stepped up during the Bucs’ late-season struggles.

“You saw Kellen Winslow really playing harder, playing with more effort. But it just wasn’t a whole group of guys. It wasn’t like we saw a big group of guys take over and say, ‘hey, this is how we’re going to play,’ Joseph said. “Even Elbert Mack, I was really proud of him to see how he stepped up. And so we had individuals that would make big plays and be consistent, and really go out there and show signs of great football. But for whatever reason we didn’t have the group of guys, we didn’t have the whole squad go out there and just play hard and consistent.”

Joesph went on to say he knows there will be significant changes to the Bucs’ roster but he wasn’t ready to give up on many of the Bucs’ younger players. He said it will be an exciting 2012 training camp seeing teammates “prove themselves all over again.”

“We have enough tough guys to make it, guys like Gerald McCoy,” Joseph said.

Now Joe isn’t enough of a savant to determine that Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn can’t cut it in the NFL given the rotten season the Bucs had last year.

For all Joe knows, the Bucs’ offensive coaches couldn’t concoct and/or devise schemes and routes to get people open. Joe is more inclined to believe the latter, given that offensive coordinator Greg Olson’s supersecret play was the infamous, weekly Benn’d Around.

If a report from Dan Parr of ProFootballWeekly.com is to be believed, the Bucs are of the mind they are one speedster of a receiver from having an elite receiving corps.

We hear the Buccaneers believe they need to add a legitimate vertical threat to bolster a receiver corps that very rarely gained yards in big chunks during their disappointing 2011 season. The Bucs had only six passing plays of 40 yards or longer — the Jaguars, Jets and Rams are the only teams that had fewer.

QB Josh Freeman regressed last season, and WR Mike Williams took a step back, too, after showing No. 1-receiver potential as a rookie. The Bucs were hopeful that WR Arrelious Benn, a 2010 second-round pick, would flourish in his second season, but he finished sixth on the team in receptions (30) after starting 14 games. An undrafted player (Preston Parker) and a sixth-round pick (Dezmon Briscoe) had more catches than Benn, even though Benn started ahead of them.

Let’s say both Parr and Joe are correct: That the new offensive coaches will have the ability to craft routes and plays that enable receivers to get open on a regular basis, and the Bucs have a shiny new toy like Justin Blackmon for quarterback Josh Freeman to play with.

That, my friends, may just make for a dynamic passing attack.

Perhaps the most magnetic and electric member of Raheem Morris’ staff was defensive line coach Keith Millard, who joined the Bucs in 2011. Aside from the two-time All-Pro credentials, Millard is a commanding presence at 6-6 with a raspy, booming, old-school coaching voice. At training camp, Joe remembers talking to Aqib Talib and other defensive players who said they felt Millard’s presence pumping up the entire defense.

Of course, Millard was fired along with the entire Bucs coaching staff nearly three weeks ago.

This week, Joe had an in-depth football discussion with Millard and found a man who has found a new job as D-line coach in the NFL (Joe can’t reveal where yet), but also a man who truly is dejected about losing the opportunity to work with the Bucs’ young defensive linemen, a group Millard thinks is an extraordinary collection of talented, high-character players that can become a standout unit in the NFL.

Joe talked to Millard about the Bucs’ defensive line and more — some on the record, some off — and below is Part I of the interview. Joe will publish more exerpts next week.

JoeBucsFan.com: Some fans and pundits call Gerald McCoy a bust based on his stats and injuries, which isn’t really fair. How do you evaluate McCoy and what did the team miss when he left?

Keith Millard: I’ll tell you this, from the time I got there and before I got there I evaluated him thoroughly because of all I heard about him, about him not really panning up to his draft status. I looked at the film and saw a lot of things that needed to be corrected. But the bottom line was the athleticsm and the want-to was there. He had the violence to him. He just needed to be cleaned up mentally and some technique things to play the game from that position, the 3-technique. This season, Gerald was making huge progress. He wasn’t where I knew he could be, but his developement was coming. You look at the [first] Atlanta game. He was disruptive making a huge impact, and causing a lot of problems for offenses at that part of the season. He was making other guys better. His stats aren’t great, but he looks great on film. He worked hard every single day. He was always in the film room with me. He even worked after practice. He understood his role. He answered the bell. He really did. When he got hurt, that’s when things really fell apart for us. We really had to find different ways to find that penetrating, getting-after-people defense. Against New Orleans the second time was a good example, they were chipping [Adrian] Clayborn and chipping [Michael] Bennett and there was nothing coming inside. We just couldn’t get any pressure the rest of the season. We lost the combination of Gerald and Price inside and the success off that. Like I said, Gerald was making those around him better. You see it on the film.

Joe: Regarding Brian Price, what were the challenges coaching a guy like that when you know he’s a long way from being healthy and you know he can’t do everything he needs to do to be successful?

Millard: Brian was a pleasure to coach. This is a guy that has big-time potential. He had to have the surgery and it set him back in many different ways. He couldn’t do any lower extremity exercises for four months [while recovering last year]. He put weight on. But when you look at a guy like Brian at 65 or 70 percent, he was still better than a lot of guys out there [around the league]. … You tried to get the most out of him and get him on a roll and confident. We couldn’t always do it. He played hurt most of the season from the major hips injury, and other injuries that we’re pretty sure came because of overcompensating from the hips. …He got better and better. He got his weight down, but it was a struggle week in and week out to keep him healthy and get him through practice. …I thought the trainer did a great job getting him on the field. I knew if we could get him through the best we could this year and get him through the year and some confidence, he’d be ready next year. And he will be. You’ll see the speed, quickness, strength and explosion that made him a high draft pick. He’s probably even more talented than we know, because we saw glimpses of that elite ability without him being healthy. It was exciting to coach him and coach Gerald. I felt we had two of the best young tackles in the league.

Joe: So what’s your take on Roy Miller? He came into opening day with a knee injury and battled other ailments during the season.

Millard: Roy Miller? Let me tell you something about Roy Miller. He’s a pit bull in there. He’s one of the toughest players I’ve been around. This guy played with a bad back, an ankle, a knee, never complained. If he had to take scout team reps, he took them like a man. Talk about a diamond in the rough. He was a blessing to have around this season.

Joe: That’s some pretty high praise for Miller’s toughness considering how many players you’ve been around through your career.

Millard: It is. I’m not just saying that. He’s also a role model with his work ethic and his attitude. He’s a guy who’s going to improve and be a valuable player in his role. And he’s another guy I wish I had an offseason with. Without that offseason most of the line was playing catch up all year on the things they needed to learn being so young. I just want to say if those guys stayed healthy and we could have stayed together, I really believe it would have been the best young D-line in football with a ton of potential in the future. That was a great young solid group to coach. I loved coming to coach those guys every single day. It was a just a shame.

In Part II and Part III of the Millard interview coming next week, Joe will serve up Millard’s takes on Albert Haynesworth and Michael Bennett, failures in the Bucs’ running game, what Bucs he thinks are legitimate future team leaders, thoughts on the Bucs and a 3-4 defense, and more.

If one is to believe noted NFL scribe Peter King, of Sports Illustrated, Bucs general manager Mark Dominik was on the trail of then free agent middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma back when the Bucs were searching for impact free agents before the 2009 season.

And given that Dominik sent Barrett Ruud out of town against the stated desires of Raheem Morris, one can hardly doubt King’s report about Vilma.

Now it seems Dominik might have another crack at 29-year-old Vilma, who has three Pro Bowls on his resume (two with the Saints) and is known as a leader and team captain. The Bucs are desperate for a rock in their linebacking corps and Vilma could be a salary cap “causalty” of the Saints offseason, so wrote ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas during a live chat Friday.

Kirk (Myrtle Beach): Who do you think will be the biggest cap casualty in the NFC South?

Pat Yasinskas: Jonathan Vilma or Will Smith wouldn’t surprise me. Not saying either one definitely happens. But they wouldn’t surprise me.

Per Rotoworld.com, Vilma is scheduled to earn $5.4 million in 2012. However, he played nearly the entire 2011 season with a bad knee, which needed midseason surgery that he later returned from.

Is Vilma healthy? Will he be? Joe has no clue. But if he is recovered and is cut by the Saints, Joe can’t imagine any new head coach thumbing his nose at Vilma, especially if the Bucs stick with a 4-3 defense. Mason Foster might be better suited as an outside linebacker anyway.

Just something Joe will file away in the back of his mind.

Don’t you dare think Joe is slowing down because it’s the offseason. JoeBucsFan.com is a 24/7 operation.

On Saturday, Joe will publish Part I of an interesting interview he secured today with a prominent former Bucs coach on Raheem Morris’ staff. Some meaty stuff is on the way.

And on Monday, NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, Buccaneers pregame and postgame radio host, will chime in with a draft breakdown out of the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field. Also, next week Joe has another high-profile interview to share from Shrine Game practice.

Of course, Joe will be on every interesting twist and turn in the Bucs’ search for a head coach.

And for those wondering (and Joe can’t believe all the email he’s gotten on this subject), the apparently legendary Thomas 2.2 was banned from commenting on this website for crimes against Joe — lying about Joe, misrepresenting Joe, etc.

But given the groundswell of twisted love for the most negative Bucs fan in history, Joe is willing to give Thomas 2.2 another chance. So feel free to fire away, Thomas 2.2, you are welcome to a short leash.

Earlier today, Joe brought word that ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas claimed of all the known candidates for the opening left by jettisoned head coach Raheem Morris, Mike Sherman was the best candidate.

Add his colleague “The Professor,” John Clayton to the mix.

In speaking with “The Fabulous Sports Babe” yesterday, Clayton said he too thinks the next Bucs coach will be Sherman.

John Clayton: I still think Mike Sherman is the man. He is the opposite of Raheem Morris in that he has experience and he will bring discipline. I think that’s the way it’s going to go. But waiting this long, I thought they were going to get Mike Nolan [as defensive coordinator] but with the options for coordinators dwindling, that is not a good thing.

Fabulous Sports Babe: I get the feeling people around the league feel the Bucs job is not a good job?

Clayton: Mmmm… I don’t know about that. A quarterback a lot of the time makes a job good and the Bucs have one in Josh Freeman. Most good jobs are based on a quarterback. From that standpoint. that makes it a very good job. Is it that much better than St Louis? St. Louis has Sam Bradford and Jeff fisher could come in and take control of his team and maybe hand pick his own general manager. Having a quarterback makes it an attractive job and I believe the Bucs have the quarterback.

Sports Babe: Handpicking the general manager, is that why Fisher didn’t interview here because Mark Dominik was in place?

Clayton: I will be honest, I don’t know that Tampa Bay called. It would be presumptuous of saying Jeff Fisher turned them down. Maybe they were scared of the $7 million price tag and didn’t put him in the mix when they are interviewing former coaches? To my knowledge, they never put in a bid.

Sports Babe: I have a feeling from the fans, because you didnt pursue Fisher, you once again are going on the cheap and looking for a guy begging for a job.

Clayton: Let’s put it this way: what they need to do is to hire a former head coach and get some discipline. They need to go in that direction. Hiring an assistant is taking a stab in the dark. You are going cycles of 40 games. At this stage, Bucs fans need to have something they know whether Mike Sherman and the system he worked with in Green Bay or Marty Schottenheimer and the system that worked in several places. The fans need some certainty. I think Sherman will be a fine hire.

"I know your uncles didn't beat you constantly as a child, Olie, but you're one mentally tough individual. Ignore the gray matter and be your best self."

Frequent Bucs fan punching bag Greg Olson, the former Bucs offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, has been snagged by Mike Mularkey to be his No. 2 man in Jacksonville.

Mularkey, the Jags new head coach, named Olson assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach yesterday.

Joe’s now darn glad Mularkey wasn’t hired by the Bucs.

Olson was a maddening offensive coordinator, who was far too pass-obsessed on team whose heirarchy constantly called the Bucs a running football team.

Perhaps Mularkey was one of the few visionaries that understood and liked Olson’s persistent Arrelious Benn’d around play that probably averaged about -2.5 yards in its Buccaneer history.

Joe wishes Olson and Blaine Gabbert well.

Former Bucs Director of Pro Scouting and iconic quarterback Doug Williams delivered candid comments yesterday about his poor relationship with Mark Dominik, including how he thinks the front office made mistakes that helped doom Raheem Morris.

Bucs icon Doug Williams served up strong messages on two of the most polarizing topics for Bucs fans during a tell-all interview on the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday.

As has been reported previously, the former Bucs personnel executive, now the Grambling State head coach, didn’t leave the Bucs on happy terms when he and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik parted ways in early 2010.

During the interview, Williams was pressed on the subject of the Bucs’ low payroll a few times. Williams made it clear he didn’t see any evidence during his Bucs executive tenure that Team Glazer was being frugal when it came to building the roster, emphasizing that the Glazers don’t pick players.

Williams, however, fired off harsh critiques of Dominik’s evaluation of the Bucs’ talent, especially after the Bucs shocked the NFL with a 10-6 record.

“You know, it’s kinda like the stock market,” Williams said. “And this is just a comparison. Sometimes when we buy stock and we think it’s worth a lot more than what it is. I think they might have valued the talent on that football team a little more than what it is.”

“After the 10-6 season, I really think the people in charge of picking the talent thought they were going to be that guru that Richard McKay had become when they picked [Derrick] Brooks and that crew back in the day. They thought they was on to something, I think.

“And I really think Raheem got a lot blame that he didn’t deserve. Because at the end of the day they can say all that they want about the Talibs and all the other guys on the team, but none of them can stay on the team if the guy who’s making the decisions don’t let’em stay on it.”

As for his working relationship with Dominik after Dominik was promoted to general manager, Williams said it was “the toughest nine months of my life.” Though it should be noted that they officially worked together in that capacity for more than a year.

“At the end of the day, I was in a position that Dominik did not want me in the building. And I understand that,” Williams said. “No 1, he wanted to protect Dennis Hickey. I remember when he first became general manager, the first question he asked me was, ‘Did you and Dennis Hickey get into it?’ or ‘Y’all you get along?’ and stuff like that. You know, him and Dennis grew up together. And for so many years, that’s basically the way a lot of these organizations ran. You know, you take care of your boy.

“I knew it was over with when Jon [Gruden] and Bruce [Allen] left and Mark became general manager. I knew that it was probably going to end this way.”

Joe must emphasize that Williams didn’t sound bitter in any way. He came across as a happy guy looking back at his history. You can hear the audio below.

Joe just hopes that Williams’ outspoken negativity doesn’t somehow affect his induction into the Bucs Ring of Honor, an accolade he surely deserves.

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The initial list of candidates the Bucs gathered to fill the void left by jettisoned coach Raheem Morris, it raised more than an eyebrow or two.

The list even moved Joe’s good friend, the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, to say the known candidates “make me want to puke.”

Since, the Bucs have widened their net and interviewed assistants such as Mike Zimmer, Joe Philbin and Tom Clements.

But despite this, Pat Yasinskas of ESPN is unmoved. He still likes one candidate from the original list and believes that the best choice for Team Glazer and Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik would be Warren Sapp’s confidant, Mike Sherman.

1. Mike Sherman. Even before Morris was fired, Sherman’s name was tied to this job. Part of it was due to the fact Sherman uses the same agent as general manager Mark Dominik, who undoubtedly is going to have a big say in this hire. The Bucs want a cohesive relationship between their front office and the coaching staff and all indications are Sherman and Dominik would work well together.

But there are more reasons why Sherman remains No. 1 on my list. The first is that he’s almost exactly the opposite of Morris in just about every way and that appears to be what the Bucs want. Sherman is 57 with lots of experience. Although his most recent job was a lackluster tenure at Texas A&M, he has been an NFL head coach before. A lot of people tend to forget Sherman’s time in Green Bay was pretty productive.

He produced a winning record in five of his six seasons. He comes from an offensive background and I think that scores points with the Bucs. Tampa Bay needs quarterback Josh Freeman, who it wants to be the foundation of the franchise, back on track after a disappointing 2011 season.

Yazinskas went on to write that another attribute Sherman has is that he is a “strong disciplinarian.”

While Joe totally gets the need to work with Freeman, if that is the case, why not choose Clements? Everywhere the man went he has developed quarterbacks. His track record is undisputed. Good Lord, he even transformed Kordell Stewart and Tommy Maddox (!) into Pro Bowl signal-callers. Imagine what he could do with Freeman?

If you are just looking for an old coach who brings discipline, why not a guy who wins games no matter where he was, Marty Schottenheimer?

Joe caught up with Bucs coaching candidate Brad Childress this afternoon. Childress is in town and was coaching his squad in the East-West Shrine Game at practice at St. Petersburg High School.

Childress suggested that the long process the Bucs have taken in their search to replace jettisoned head coach Raheem Morris is exactly what he expected.

Why? Because Team Glazer told him so.

Here are just a couple of questions Childress was asked:

Some have said the Bucs job is not an enviable one given how many holes the team needs to fill and the tough division that the NFC South is. What’s your reaction?

There is only 32 head coaching jobs in the National Football League. I have always said it’s important to work with good people. All indications are the Glazers are great folks, so it’s a good job.

Have you heard from the Bucs in last 48 hours?

I haven’t. Just trying to get [players in the East-West Shrine Game] up for Saturday.

If you weren’t [occupied with coaching the East-West Shrine Game], would you be frustrated with the wait?

[The Glazers] advertised their process. I mean, they were completely candid and accurate in what they said and they said it would be a while.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik often talks about how he hopes the Bucs one day emulate the Packers or the Steelers, two dominant franchises that rely heavily on the draft and have a general distaste for spending freely on free agents.

Part of the reason Dominik admires the Packers and Steelers is that arguably the two best general managers in the NFL, Ted Thompson and Kevin Colbert, respectively, are in charge of the two teams.

Thompson, who once told Peter King that free agents are “overpriced and overrated,” was scouting practices of the East-West Shrine Game this morning at Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg and Joe, Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune and Kevin O’Donnell of WTVT Channel 13 were able to pidgeon-hole the soft-spoken Packers executive to talk about choosing an NFL head coach, and speak about two of his assistants rumored to be on the Bucs’ wish list, offensive coordinator Joe Philbin and quarterback coach Tom Clements.

Thompson confirmed both men are scheduled to interview with the Bucs to replace jettisoned head coach Raheem Morris.

Why is the [league] trend going toward first-time head coaches?

Every [head] coach is at some time a first-time head coach. There [is no] head coach alive who wasn’t a first-time head coach. you have to start somewhere. I think it depends on the organization, the fit, the comfort level, the candidate, all of that stuff. I am certainly no expert. Every situation is different and in our case we felt like the right fit was Mike McCarthy.

Since the Packers have been so special you pretty much expect other teams would want your assistants, like Joe Philbin and Tom Clements.

I don’t want to get too specific on that. That will be for someone else to make that determination. They are both good men and both good football people. We are glad to have them.

Talk a little bit about what makes Joe Philbin a good coach.

He’s very intelligent, knows what is going on at every position. Great background with the offensive line. Understands the running game. Very good with players, good in front of the players, all of those things are positive.

And Tommy?

Same. Obviously, being a quarterback coach, he’s a little more involved in the passing game than other stuff but he’s been around a long time and accomplished a lot both as a player and as a coach. He’s well-respected by our team and certainly well-respected by the quarterbacks.

Can you share some thoughts on possibly losing those guys?

This time of year, there is a certain amount of uncertainty all over the league, not just with us. There are potential candidates with a lot of teams. You just go about your business and prepare for whatever comes back. You can’t be afraid of it and we certainly don’t want to keep our guys from making advancements in their profession.

What are some of the things that Tom Clements may have done with Aaron Rodgers that took him [to another level]?

I mean, he is a good coach, and I don’t mean to be simplistic about that, but he is a good coach. That means being a good listener and a good talker, being intelligent at that position. He has great experience at it. Like I said, I think all of our players, Aaron included, have a lot of respect for the job he has done. He is a very accomplished coach.

Can you speak to why Clements has rarely risen above quarterback coach? Except for a short stint at Buffalo and recently being linked to the Penn State job, he has always been a quarterback coach. Why is that? Is he just comfortable with that? Does he not aspire to be a head coach in the NFL?

I don’t know that. I haven’t spoken with him directly about his desires. But there is nothing holding me back from hiring Tom Clements. He is a good football man. Like I said, both of those guys are good people and that is the No. 1 requirement to being a good head coach, being a leader.

Have both of them talked to the Bucs?

I don’t specifically know their arrangements but they are supposed to. [The Bucs] did notify us.

UPDATE: Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports the Bucs interviewed Philbin today.

No, the Bucs aren’t waiting to sign a new head coach to dive in deep into the study of unrestricted free agents.

And talking about the subject today on The Dan Sileo Show on WDAE-AM 620, coordinator of pro scouting Shelton Quarles didn’t even mention the Bucs’ build-through-the-draft philosophy or downplay the Bucs’ potential role in the free agent market.

“I don’t think we want to get behind the 8-ball and try to wait until we find a coach. We want to go out and find the best talent we can possibly [can] and do a good job of evaluating the potential UFAs,” Quarles said. “And then at that point, once we have a coach in place, then we can go about pinpointing the guys in particular we want to bring to the football team. I think that’s the route were going to go and that’s what we’ve been doing thus far since toward the end of the season.”

Of course, scouting pro talent doesn’t mean buying pro talent. But Joe’s not seeing how the Bucs can avoid making a couple of splash plays in free agency this year.

Joe suspects Quarles especially is very aware of the Bucs’ desperate need at linebacker.

Sniffing anything and everything about the Bucs’ head coaching candidates has Joe more and more intrigued with Tom Clements. The guy’s just a fascinating and consistently successful candidate.

Last year, Raheem Morris and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik kept trying to sell fans on the notion that veteran-player leadership was somewhat overrated and the Bucs had compensated for that by having ex-players as position coaches, stressing Alex Van Pelt, Keith Millard and Eric Yarber. Those guys could mentor as well as a teammate, fans were told.

Joe’s not sure he buys that, but there is an element of reality there. So Joe looks at Clements’ credentials and sees a world of good, from leading as a national champion quarterback at Notre Dame, winning CFL titles, and having all kinds of success with all kinds of NFL quarterbacks, plus a decent, short run as Bills offensive coordinator. Joe’s guessing his five-year law career went pretty well, too.

Now Joe learns more about the 58-year-old’s personal life and demeanor, and Joe finds it hard to believe Clements wouldn’t shine as a head coach or at least as Bucs’ offensive coordinator.

David Jones, of The Patriot News (Pa.), analyzed Clements when he was a top candidate to take over the Penn State program last month.

Clements is known as a quiet man of integrity who values his privacy, has little use for political maneuvering and yet is fully capable of presenting himself in an impressive and articulate manner when the situation calls. Pittsburgh reporters I know say you rarely even saw him as Steelers QB coach under Bill Cowher (2001-04) where he somehow coaxed Kordell Stewart and then Tommy Maddox to Pro Bowl seasons. Clements interviewed for the Notre Dame job in 2005 but then-Patriots coordinator Charlie Weis won it.

… … So, what about this? How is it that, if Clements is such a competitor, such a teacher, had such a terrific big-game career, that he’d be somewhere about seventh on a Q-scale recognizability test among former Notre Dame quarterbacks – way behind Theismann and Joe Montana, somewhere after Hanratty, Brady Quinn, Tony Rice and Ron Powlus? He’s a position coach in his late fifties and almost nobody outside of ND fans, Pittsburghers and NFL savants knows who this guy is anymore.

According to DiNardo, it’s because there’s not a smidgen of shameless self-promoter inside Clements. He just goes out and does his job. Where so many career climbers use relationships not as friendships but as opportunities to further their stations, “Tom couldn’t care less what you think. He really couldn’t.”

Again, Joe’s just liking everything he hears and reads about Clements — all business and no funny business — the anti-Raheem, if you will.

Joe always chuckled when Raheem Morris would tell media he was perhaps the most mentally tough individual on the planet. Joe suspects Clements would never say something like that.

Joe will need a straightjacket if the Bucs draft Alabama RB Trent Richardson with the fifth overall pick.

While the Bucs are embroiled in a search to fill the void left by jettisoned coach Raheem Morris, it isn’t too early to talk draft.

Apparently, BSPN’s Mel Kiper has a mock draft out — keyword: mock — and Kiper claims, via Pat Yasinskas, the Bucs are going to throw away their fifth overall pick by selecting Alabama running back Trent Richardson.

Kiper has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking Alabama running back Trent Richardson with the No. 5 overall pick. Kiper also cautions that fans shouldn’t assume the Bucs won’t take a running back here because they already have LeGarrette Blount. If anything, the 2011 season showed that Blount probably never will be an every-down back. He simply isn’t a pass-catcher and never could pick up the pass protections well enough for the previous coaching staff to leave him on the field as a pass-blocker. I’m not sure the Bucs are going to be willing to lock up Blount with any sort of long-term deal. Blount still could have a role because he is a good power runner. But drafting Richardson makes plenty of sense because he’s an all-around running back. Also, drafting an offensive skill-position player usually generates a lot of excitement. I’m not saying the Bucs would simply draft a player to generate excitement, but this is a franchise that could use anything that might generate a little positive interest.

This is a pet peeve of Joe’s. Short of the next Barry Sanders on the board, drafting a running back with the fifth pick is an absolute waste.

Not only do running backs have short shelf lives — which means paying a running back fifth overall-cash is a pathetic investment — the best running backs in the NFL can be found off the streets.

Hell, the Bucs already have a damned good running back, LeGarrette Blount, who was found on the sidewalk when the Bucs picked him up.

Of all the dire needs the Bucs have (linebacker, wide receiver, secondary), to draft a guy at a position not needed at No. 5 overall is outrageous.

Drafting Richardson at No. 5, barring using him as trade bait, would be about as nonsensical as drafting a quarterback at No. 5.

It seemed Christopher Ellis of Land O’ Lakes in enchanted Pasco County was just like every other red-blooded American male last weekend who wanted nothing more than to swill copious amounts of adult beverages and watch playoff football.

Trust Joe, he can relate.

But the introduction of the name of former Bucs star and fan-hostile Warren Sapp into what otherwise was a pleasant evening for Ellis triggered an outburst that led to an alleged choking incident and spousal assault.

Joe will let the Tampa Bay Times take it from here.

According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Ellis, 49, followed her into the kitchen of their Lake Padgett Estates East home and grabbed her by the throat. He shoved the 37-year-old woman into their bedroom, pinned her on the bed, squeezed her throat, threatened to “punch her teeth out” and slapped her on the side of her head, a report states.

She freed herself and called 911. Ellis was arrested and charged with battery by strangulation. He was released Sunday from the Pasco County jail on $1,000 bail.

Joe’s going to take a wild stab and guess Ellis was wearing a Tim Tebow jersey at the time of the battery.

Ah, football and booze and the NFL Network. There’s a reason Joe calls it “The Man’s Channel.”

Last week for the BCS National Championship game, Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy had a Tweetup, in association with Verizon Wireless, where GMC’s Twitter followers were invited to hang out with him and watch football and shoot the breeze.

Roughly 50 Bucs fans/GMC followers found their way to Courtside Grille in St. Petersburg to mingle with GMC and fellow Bucs defensive tackle Roy Miller who joined in the fun.

GMC was kind enough to give Joe a brief moment to talk Bucs.

JoeBucsFan: Tell us about this event. This is really neat that you would reach out to Bucs fans like this.

Gerald McCoy: This is great, coming out here and talking to the fans. I want the fans to know they are part of the team, watch some football tonight with the fans. We are nothing without the fans. Without the fans, there is no NFL, no NBA, no MLS, nothing. They help pay our salaries. They support us. The fans make us who we are. I love them.

Joe: Have you talked to [fired Bucs defensive line coach] Keith Millard?

GMC: (Grimaces and shakes his head “No.”)

Joe: I’m sure that Millard being fired with the rest of the coaches is a bummer for you because you never got a chance to work with him for an entire year.

GMC: It’s a business. The NFL is a business. Me and him, we were pretty tight.

Joe: You think there is a chance the Bucs could bring him back with the new coach?

GMC: I don’t know, we’ll see what happens.

Joe: You were obviously much better after you had time to spend with him. What did he tell you or coach you up on that helped you out so much?

GMC: When you are playing in a game, you have to be like a wild animal, you can’t let anything stop you from reaching your goal and that goal is the quarterback. You have to be like a killer, an assassin. He made me into the player I am today.

Joe: Noticed on Twitter recently you wrote you were ahead of schedule in your rehab.

GMC: Yeah, I’m not supposed to rotate my arm, but I’m already lifting weights and I’m right back to full training. I’m going back to San Diego to train like I did last year.

I’m not lopsided no more!

The Miami Herald is reporting Mike Zimmer has fallen off the Dolphins' radar

The Bucs are hardly alone in what feels like a plodding, in-depth search for a head coach. The Raiders and Dolphins are right there with them, and Indianapolis joined the party yesterday.

Obviously, the supply of potentially qualified coaches far exceeds demand, but there doesn’t seem to be much urgency surrounding the candidates. Nobody seems worried about another team stealing anyone out from under them.

This has Joe wondering whether the field is proving to be second rate as it moves through the interview process. On the surface it didn’t look like a great year to be looking for a head coach, but the slow approach of these teams is making Joe think nobody is getting wowed.

Speaking today on the Mike and Mike Show on BSPN radio, former NFL Network insider who defected to the Bristol Soviets, seems to have the same opinion. You can listen here.

“Everybody else is sort of out there. There’s no one that teams are rushing to go hire,” Schefter said.

If, in fact, the Bucs aren’t impressed by their options, then Joe has to think that makes a Marty Schottenheimer more attractive. Why not go with the proven regular season winner if you’re not sure your “lasting-contender” coach is out there.

One would think Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik is spending day and night poring over game film of Bucs head coaching candidates and burning up phone lines investigating each one.

Remember, this is the man who led the charge to interrogate Mike Williams’ third-grade teacher to talk about his behavior.

After all, there is no more important decision on the table than who becomes the Bucs’ ninth head coach and Dominik is spearheading the search. There will be no anointing of a 32-year-old assistant this time around.

But that makes Joe wonder, especially as many project the head coaching search could last at least two more weeks and then key assistants will need contracts, how might all of Dominik’s lost player-evaluation time affect the Bucs when draft-time rolls around?

Dominik normally would be knee-deep now in East West Shrine Game practice and then moving on to the Senior Bowl after the Shrine Game concludes on Saturday. These are like the OTAs of draft season and Dominik is stuck in a lockout.

It was at Senior Bowl practice last year, for example, when Mason Foster heavily aroused Raheem Morris and Dominik. (Click on through if you’re longing for a rambling Raheem quote.)

The point is Dominik could very well be short 200+ hours of evaluation time by the time the Bucs have a coaching staff in place. Sure, the Bucs have a full scouting team, but Dominik is very hands-on. And Joe hasn’t heard of the Bucs making any additions to account for Dominik’s lost time.

Joe realizes Bucs fans in the anti-Dominik camp will answer the headline question with one word answer: nothing. But Joe’s not so sure.