Bucs fans, not totally satisfied with Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik’s Danny Snyder-like shopping spree buying Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright, are clamoring for him to sign (at least) a linebacker.

Joe admits the Bucs almost have to go out and sign a linebacker to do something about what was arguably the worst set of linebackers in the NFL (though Joe gives Mason Foster a mulligan because he was a rookie and playing out of position calling the defense with no offseason to speak of; an impossible obstacle to overcome without help — and he had no help).

So if the Bucs do go out and drop cash on a linebacker, how much? The Bucs, so says Pat Yasinskas of ESPN, are the only team in the NFC South without a salary cap issue… but for how long?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the only team in the NFC South without major salary-cap issues. I can’t give you an exact number on how much cap space the Bucs have right now because we have yet to see how much Ronde Barber’s new contract will impact the cap. But the Bucs were roughly $16 million under the cap a few days ago and they cleared $1.5 million off the books by releasing defensive ends Tim Crowder and Nick Reed.

Yes, Joe can predict readers will soon pelt him with “But the Bucs have X-amount of space… ” Yeah, sure, now.

Soon the Bucs will have to sign draft picks. Then around the corner is Josh Freeman’s new contract, which will be anything but cheap.

And if you max out the salary cap and God forbid a decent player goes down in training camp, just what will Dominik use to try to acquire a decent replacement?

Though it seems easy on face value, the Bucs don’t have a bottomless pit of cash to spend.

The Bucs running back seemingly everyone wanted to hate, Kregg Lumpkin (or as Joe referred to him as, “The Great Lumpkin”), is no more.

That means Bucs fans can no longer loathe him as he is someone else’s problem. Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Times reports The Great Lumpkin is now a member of the Seattle Seahawks.

The Seahawks tried to acquire Lumpkin two years ago when he was waived by the Green Bay Packers, putting in a waiver claim on him. Instead, Lumpkin was awarded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on waivers. He played for the Bucs the previous two seasons, appearing in 29 games.

Lumpkin, 27, is 228 pounds, meaning he fits in the mold of the bigger back the Seahawks had been seeking to serve as a complement to starter Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks were interested in Michael Bush, who wound up going to the Bears this week.

The reason why Joe, and many Bucs fans, were so skeptical of Lumpkin was that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik hard-sold Lumpkin to the masses last summer as the perfect replacement for Cadillac Williams, who Dominik did not re-sign.

Joe smelled a fishy sell from the word go because the Packers, hardly a team loaded with running backs, let Lumpkin walk. Packers general manager Ted Thompson simply doesn’t let players of any value walk the streets, especially an inexpensive running back.

If Lumpkin was as talented as Dominik tried to imply to Bucs fans, Joe reasoned, then Thompson would have kept him on the Packers roster.

Meanwhile, Caddy, the previous season, proved to be a great counter-punch to LeGarrette Blount. Lumpkin, clearly, was not.

Joe hopes Lumpkin has success in Seattle and in a twisted way is happy he’s not here to stoke the ire of Bucs fans.

In this BSPN video, Bucs running back LeGarrette Blount and his son want you to vote for him on the cover of Madden. Be careful what you wish for Bucs fans.

Tough-guy free agent middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch re-signed with the Lions yesterday for only $11 million guaranteed and $25 million over five years, so Twittered Lions beat writer Anwar Richardson, via CommishOnline.com.

That really stood out to Joe. Tulloch scored a little less than Quincy Black, whose deal last year for the same contract duration was reported at $11.5 million guaranteed and $29 million overall.

One might think the Tulloch deal now puts a ceiling on the devalued linebacker market and the expectations for free agent Curtis Lofton, the Falcons MLB that seems content to hang out on his couch rather than sign with a guaranteed eight-figure offer from the Bucs. (For the record, Joe couldn’t fathom ever waiting to sign such a lottery ticket. Suppose you get into a career-ending car accident tomorrow, ala B.J. Askew?)

Tulloch, per the Detroit Free Press, gets a lot of the same kind of love in Detroit that Lofton does in Atlanta.

He led the team with 111 tackles, set career highs with two interceptions and three sacks, and assumed a leadership role that had been lacking in the middle of the defense.

“Bigger than his production on the field is what he gives us in our locker room and what he means to our football team,” general manager Martin Mayhew said. “His leadership, his toughness, competitiveness, football character, his work ethic, all of those things are really important to us and really a great example for our younger players.”

For those bummed/angry the Bucs didn’t get Tulloch, the story linked above explains that Tulloch never wanted to leave Detroit.

Joe hopes Lofton is reading this and comes to his senses. So what if you earn less that Black, Mr. Lofton. You can still have a happy life and career in Tampa.

Earlier this week, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman joined co-hosts Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan of “Movin’ the Chains,” heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, to discuss the Bucs’ new players via free agency and new coaching staff.

Of course Joe transcribed the interview.

Among the many things Freeman touched upon was how he will miss center Jeff Faine who was cut last week. Freeman suggested he had a stronger bond with Faine than perhaps any other teammate.

Tim Ryan: Let’s get out to the guest line, year No. 4 for the quarterback of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, lot of changes down in Tampa. Big offensive guard in free agency and a No. 1 wide receiver to throw the rock to in Vincent Jackson. Quarterback Josh Freeman joining us on the program. How you doing Josh?

Josh Freeman: Great how are you doing?

Ryan: How is your offseason going?

Freeman: Going good. Just trying to work on throwing, working with guys down at IMG down in Bradenton. Things are going great.

Ryan: Would you get your big a(r)ss out of the weight room, please. My God.

Freeman: I’ve been actually working to slim down. Rather than gain weight. Higher rep, lower weight. Still adding elements of power from lower body standpoint.

Ryan: What is your body weight now and what’s the heaviest you have played at for the Bucs?

Freeman: Heaviest I have played at was right around 260. Right now, I’m right around 240. Keeping it down and trying a little different strategy, I feel great winging the ball, working out with Chris Weinke and a number of guys here. Work is paying off. I feel good.

Pat Kirwan: Yeah, the more no-huddle they give you, the more you will need to be aerobically fit and take the pressure to the opponent. I can’t go much further without talking about Nicks and Jackson, man. These are exciting times for you. Let’s talk about the receiver, Vincent Jackson.

Freeman: As a quarterback, so excited. I remember the press conference, I had the feel that it was Christmas when you get some new toys and you can’t wait to go outside and play with them. These guys know there stuff. Talking to Vincent, he is a guy, he has lofty goals not just for himself but he has expectations for what this team can become. I am real excited to have the opportunity to work with them.

Ryan: Hey Josh, tell me about how you can get a little bit of a jump start working with the new staff, coach Greg Schiano, right at the beginning of April as opposed to teams coming back April 16 with no coaching changes. Will you get together with those guys before then along with Mike and Arrelious and Demon and Preston and Sammie and those guys and get some work done on your own?

Freeman: Yeah, it’s kind of an interesting predicament. With the new CBA, not allowed to meet with the new coaches until April but we are allowed to hit the weights and things of that nature on April 2 so, yeah, that’s the day. Like I said, kind of interesting with the CBA. The whole thing of learning a new system, you’d like to say you are doing stuff now, but you can’t so you try to do the best you can. Make sure you are physically as ready as you can be when OTAs come around. Just had the opportunity to talk to Eli Manning and ask him about Coach Sullivan. But at the end of the day, football is football. Some coaches might call a cut back a run back. Some coaches might have a route break off at 14 yards instead of 15. You never know but at the end of the day football is football and all the guys are out there working and as prepared as we can possibly be until we get that information. Just a matter of dedicating yourself to learn a new language.

Ryan: Josh let me ask you, did you get the chance at all or are you interested at all in talking to Philip Rivers or Drew Brees about your two new teammates? I would think as a quarterback you’d love to talk to Rivers to talk about the connection he had with Vincent.

Freeman: No, funny you said that. Last night at dinner one of my friends was like, “Hey, have you talked to Philip about anything?” No, [Rivers’] reputation with Vincent kind of speaks for itself. I guess I could talk to Philip to ask how it was working with him but at the same time, I kind of ruled against it because you don’t want to enter a relationship with any preconceived notions. All I want from Vincent is to come out and give it all he’s got and I know he will be huge for us. He’s a tremendous asset, a physical specimen. But no, I don’t want to prejudge anything.

Kirwan: That is a great answer. You don’t want anyone to sway you. You will get to know Vincent and it will be pure. Any hints about the offense that excites you? You know, something that makes you go, “Wow, I’ve been dying to do that.”

Freeman: No, I mean, I’m kind of in the dark right now. I asked Eli kind of the premise of the offense and a couple of different things, but all very vague, just trying to get an idea of the terminology. But I’d assume that coach is going to implement the offense he had in New York which they ran with a lot of success. But at the same time, yeah, really don’t know but excited about the opportunity to work with Coach Sullivan and Coach Ron Turner.

Ryan: How will this change things? I know that it will be a motivating factor for Mike Williams who will grind, Mike was way down on touchdowns, we know it is a team sport, so how will this change things for Mike and Arrelious and Dezmon and the receiver corps?

Freeman: Well, you turn on the film and you see Vincent being really difficult for teams to single out, really tough for teams to play man-to-man because he is such a big, physical presence. So I think we will catch a lot more zone and at the same time it will open up windows. If you are double-teaming No. 1, there will be just pure matchups on the backside and when you get to that point, it favors the offense. I think he will open up windows for Mike, for Arrelious, for Briscoe and Preston Parker and Kellen Winslow to step up and make plays.

Ryan: Yeah I can imagine it will make things easier for you to in predicting what the coverages are and seeing it. Put last year in a capsule for us and for all the Bucs fans out there for us. Tremendously tough year for all of you guys. Put your game in a capsule for the Bucs fans.

Freeman: Yeah, as you said, it was a frustrating year. First of all I was coming off a good sophomore campaign, and you start up the year with a lot of promise. We beat the Saints and we beat the Falcons within our first (six) games. We were feeling great, feeling great where we were heading. We went out to London against Chicago and the whole year, you were fighting and the rest of the year, slowly, you were getting beat down. So yeah, anytime you lose and lose that many in a row, it is extremely frustrating. You get to know a lot about yourself and you learn a lot about your teammates and how they handle all sorts of situations. It was rough all around last year. At the same time I’d like to think that I can grow from it and learned quite a bit about how those things happened and learn from my own personal play and from a leadership standpoint to avoid anything like that from happening again.

Ryan: Yeah, expand about that. What did you — what was the biggest thing during that diabolical year that you learned about yourself?

Freeman: Really, I had a great offseason. I never worked any harder than I did leading up to last year. What allowed me to be successful two years ago was just running the offense. Manage the game. Maybe if you fall behind by two touchdowns and yeah, maybe things aren’t going right. Just stick with it, take the check down and don’t force things. During the game, I felt like, after a couple of losses started to mount up, I felt like, “Ah, I’ve got to do something. I have to do something to make a play, to keep us from falling behind more” or whatever the circumstances may have been. I have learned a lot. “I know what I am doing. I can make something happen,” you know? And that confidence you built by working so hard may have gone too far and it’s something I have learned. “Oh, I know what coverage that is. I can make this play.” But it was kind of out of my character in what I needed to do to make the offense successful. It ended up coming back to bite us, me personally. You can learn a lot from that. Have to find a happy medium. You can be aggressive but you have to protect that football first and foremost. You have to let the game come to you.

Kirwan: That is cool, you are maturing and you are doing a good job of it. You will be fine. I have to ask you, Jeff Faine, if my numbers are right, he has been your starter at center for 23 games over the past two years. He is gone now. Your thoughts on replacing Jeff Faine? For a quarterback, a center is a pretty important guy.

Freeman: Yeah I know. Me and Jeff had a very close relationship. When I was first drafted he took me under his wing and taught me a lot about protections. We have had great times. Jeff is one of the guys on the team that I consider a big brother. I know he wanted to be with the Bucs and be with me, but it’s the game, you know. I was probably more upset when he called me and said he was going into a meeting [with the Bucs] and was pretty sure what the meeting was going to be. I was probably more upset than he was but at the same time, it’s the NFL. The league is constantly making changes. I can’t thank Jeff enough for the things he has taught me from a standpoint of how to go about your business both on the field and off the field, how to prepare, a whole plethora of different things. Jeff has been great and I know he has a chance of getting on a few teams, catching on somewhere else. I wish him the best of luck.

Ryan: Josh, how much gas does Kellen have left in the tank?

Freeman: Kellen Winslow, that guy is unbelievable, the way he prepares, the way he rehabs. He is mentally focused on the game. Who wants to be great. Who wants to get it done? I will say Kellen Winslow will be a valuable asset until the wheels fall off. The way he works, that could be a while. I am looking for big things from Kellen like I always am. I think he will continue to be good for us.

Kirwan: What is the mindset of your team: a) off a lost season, b) off losing your coach then you get a new coach, a college guy, then all of this action off of free agency. Is it turmoil? Is it absolute excitement? Where is the pulse of your team?

Freeman: From everybody I have talked to guys are eager to get back out there and eager to play. Yeah, we all loved Raheem and it is unfortunate how everything goes down in this league but nobody has time to sit around and sulk and be upset. You have to take it in stride and continue to push forward or you won’t have a chance. I know everybody is excited, excited to come back and start this thing over. A new beginning of sorts. We’ve made some changes. New faces but I’d say the core of this team is ready to go and put in some serious work to compete. That’s where we are right now.

Ryan: With Vincent Jackson signing it should help the receiver corps. Who are we not talking about that you are excited for in that receiver group. Is it Preston Parker? Is it Demon Briscoe? Talk about those guys a little bit.

Freeman: I would say, Mike still had a productive year last year. I think he will compliment him very well. Mike was the guy defenses rolled coverage to last year so now what are they going to do when we have two guys to roll coverage to? I know Arrelious Benn — you want to name everybody. Preston Parker stepped up and had some good games and I think his best games are ahead of him. Briscoe? That guy, wow, he has worked his butt off to be ready to go. It will be a matter of whatever the coverage dictates will get the ball. They are all capable of making big plays.

Kirwan: Have you grabbed any film of the Giants to get an idea of how they do things, how they use personnel groups and the patterns that they run? Do you look at the Giants stuff to get some idea for yourself?

Freeman: You know that’s interesting. I have been fortunate enough to get all of these DVDs and cut up and put them on a computer or an iPad, but I like to get the hard copies and put them in my Xbox. I like to do that so you can watch film from wherever. Fortunately, the teams that we scouted defense of were playing the Giants so they were already on the film so you pull that up and see what they are trying to do, see what personnel they are in, those types of things. Yeah, kind of cool but you don’t want to get too far ahead of yourself and have preconceived notions about what the offense is trying to do and the plays that are called. You can call it a million different ways but film is never how it is in the playbook. But yeah, to see Eli sling it around, it makes me happy. It makes me happy to see an offense where the quarterback throws the ball. It makes me happy to see an offense where Eli is in control on the field, yeah. I’m really thrilled about the opportunity.

Ryan: Josh, we are fired up for you. Enjoy the rest of your offseason and we will talk down the road.

It was well-documented last week, when Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik went all Danny Snyder and signed wide receiver Vincent Jackson, Eric Wright and Carl Nicks, that Wright, a cornerback, was the lesser of the big signings.

But Dominik has his eye on Wright for a couple of years, finally landing that fish this spring. And while some Bucs fans may whine that Wright is not a standout corner, Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune, who also writes for the National Football Post, suggested that Wright is a “good fit” for the Bucs.

Wright was available only because the Bucs were able to strike quickly. The Lions wanted him back badly, but couldn’t get him under contract until Calvin Johnson’s extension was done. The Bucs took advantage of the situation.

Wright was a good fit because the Bucs are changing their defensive scheme. He’s more of a man corner, and he will enable new defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan to press and leave him on an island.

The Bucs’ new schemes under head coach Greg Schiano played a part in this too. New head coaches tend to want more new players to implement their plans.

This is interesting. If the Bucs are going to play more man-to-man coverage in the secondary, would that better fit the talents of E.J. Biggers and Myron Lewis?

If so, perhaps the Bucs will be deeper at secondary, provided troubled Aqib Talib gets out of his jam in Texas.

When the Bucs went out and got journeyman Dan Orlovsky to back up Josh Freeman at quarterback, it was pretty obvious that Josh Johnson, Freeman’s back up for three seasons, would be gone.

Though never a full-time starter, Johnson had aspirations to start, which he would not do here unless Freeman was injured.

Johnson took a step closer to that goal tonight when, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, the 49ers signed Johnson hours ago.

Johnson will presumably compete with Colin Kaepernick, a second-round pick in the 2010 draft, for the backup spot behind Alex Smith.

In July, during the NFL lockout, Johnson openly talked about playing for the 49ers even as he had a year left on his contract with the Buccaneers.

“I’d get to come home, be with my family, play for a coach that changed my life and play for a team that I grew up loving,” Johnson said to The Chronicle.

Johnson was largely drafted by Chucky because of the numbers he racked up playing for Jim Harbaugh at San Diego (not San Diego State), a Division I-AA school.

Now, Johnson reunites with the coach, Harbaugh, that made him what he is, which many largely expected whenever Johnson’s contract ran out with the Bucs.

Now with an offensive coordinator that likely knows how to use him, perhaps LeGarrette Blount could lead the Bucs to another run at a playoff berth this season now that the Saints are in a tailspin?

The Bucs play in a division that, until very recently, teams bounced from the cellar to the top in a matter of a handful of games.

Recently, two of the last three seasons the Saints have had a stranglehold on the NFC South. And in that lone missing year the Saints finished second with 11 win and a playoff berth.

But this offseason, the Saints are, to put it mildly, in disarray. They lost their stud left guard (to the Bucs), they will lose their stud middle linebacker, they lost their coach for a year, their general manager for roughly half a year.

Oh, and All-World quarterback Drew Brees is PO’ed at the team for not giving him what he believes he is worth, and has yet to sign a contract.

This, so says Tampa Tribune humorist Martin Fennelly, is the perfect opportunity for the Bucs to stomp on the Saints and take control of the division.

You won’t see a worse offseason than this Saints’ offseason. Did we mention that record-setting quarterback Drew Brees is unhappy over his franchise tag? That whole franchise might implode. Maybe they should have brought in Tebow, just to have a saint among all those sinners.

What an opening for Schiano and the Bucs.

If the NFL teaches us one thing, it’s that teams can turn around quickly. We saw it in San Francisco. We even saw 3-13 turn to 10-6 under Raheem Morris. Then again, it then turned to 4-12 and there went the Rah expedition.

But now the Saints are gasping for air.

Fennelly makes a solid point: If unorganized Raheem Morris and his party atmosphere can lead the Bucs to a breath away from a playoff berth (which the Bucs lost out on to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers), then why not disciplined, hard-nosed Greg Schiano?

The Bucs have virtually the same team that Morris guided to 10 wins, and Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has added some flashy toys for quarterback Josh Freeman to play with.

With the addition of a stud linebacker (“Paging Curtis Lofton… Curtis Lofton… will you please answer your call from Tampa Bay?”) and drafting Morris Claiborne to solidify a shaky secondary, the Bucs could very well be in the running for a wild card… or more.

The Bucs have surprised people before.

Refusing to sign his name on what has to be a Bucs contract worth eight figures of guaranteed money, free agent linebacker Curtis Lofton is still out there.

While Joe might advise Lofton to seek mental health counseling or find a new agent, bowtied Falcons beat writer D. Orlando Ledbetter has opted to dig deep into Lofton’s bizarre free agency in an interesting feature for the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Joe definitely recommends this piece.

NFL films guru Greg Cosell is quoted explaining that Lofton is complete player but not a great player, and Ledbetter serves up some stats.

Lofton has played 95, 95 and 99 percent of the defensive snaps over the last three years. Lofton, the team’s leading tackler over the past four seasons, was drafted in the second round of the 2008 draft. He had 577 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and seven forced fumbles.

Lofton sounds a lot like a harder-hitting, 25-year-old version of Barrett Ruud. The Bucs could do a lot worse and they’re desperate for a solid, veteran starter at linebacker. Joe’s hoping Lofton comes to his senses.

The man Raheem Morris once dubbed “The King of Hustle,” DE Tim Crowder, is now a former Buccaneer. The Bucs announced his release today.

A former Jim Bates guy in Denver, Crowder was picked up by the Bucs in 2009. Joe was a fan of Crowder. He was a high-motor guy who was strong on special teams and was a lot better than sackless Kyle Moore, who was wrongly gifted a starting gig ahead of him in 2010. Crowder didn’t do much last season before going on injured reserve.

The Bucs also signed a right tackle, journeyman free agent Jamon Meredith, who has one career start in five seasons with Buffalo, the Giants, Detroit and, most recently Pittsburgh. This all but ensures James Lee will not return for his fifth season with the Bucs.

On face value, Joe likes the signing. An offensive lineman from the Steelers means the dude knows how to run block. Upon further review however, generally the Steelers don’t let guys walk away who they deem valuable unless their contract demands are insane (for example, word is Mike Wallace wants more cash than Larry Fitzgerald to stay in Pittsburgh).

The Packers have the same mentality with not letting guys walk away they still value (see: Lumpkin, Kregg).

Yesterday, when the sentence on the Saints came down from NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell, the NFL Network went into overdrive with coverage, which in Joe’s yes was spot on.

This was major news and rather than broadcast yet another rerun of “Path to the Draft,” the NFL Network shoved that canned repeat aside and went live with coverage and analysis from its wide variety of analysts, including former players like Bucs great defensive tackle Warren Sapp, former Super Bowl-winning coach Brian Billick, former front office gurus Michael Lombardi and Charley Casserly, and one of the victims cited in the investigation, Kurt Warner.

This is what NFL Network, or any cable outlet devoted to one sport, is all about. It was outstanding programming.

Later that afternoon, Sapp, apparently appalled at the entire bounty controversy, took to Twitter as he is wont to do and outed who he thought was the source of the leak in the Saints headquarters that got the NFL investigation rolling, former Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey.

Of course, Shockey, emotionally and vigorously denied being the leak, and had a Twitter spat with Sapp over the issue.

Mike Freeman of CBSSports.com, who has solid sources within NFL headquarters, took to Shockey’s defense — though he admitted he doesn’t like Shockey — and claimed he knew who the whistleblower is, and it’s not Shockey.

Whether Sapp is right or wrong about Shockey remains to be seen. But former Tampa Bay sports radio host Toby David was outraged at Sapp outing a current player. In fact, David was so moved he took to his blog and demanded the NFL fire Sapp.

An employee of the NFL is targeting an individual, attempting to reveal them as the person that notified the league of BountyGate in the first place. Warren Sapp, who is an “analyst” for the NFL Network, has accused former Saints player Jeremy Shockey as the alleged leak in “Bounty Gate”. Lets assume this is accurate for the moment (and I’m not so sure it is), what is going on here? This is tantamount to retaliation.

Here’s an analogy for you. An executive (the Saints) were doing something clearly against the rules of their business (the NFL). Lets say the executive was sexually harassing other employees. The business (NFL) finds out, and punishes the executive (Saints). An employee (Warren Sapp, NFL Network) attacks the whistleblower, who happens to be another employee (Shockey, Player) for snitching. That is the definition of retaliation.

An employee of the NFL, Warren Sapp, specifically targets the person he thinks is a whistleblower. First, if incorrect, Sapp has libeled Jeremy Shockey. Second, if the NFL is serious about cleaning up the game, Warren Sapp has to be terminated immediately. This isn’t about freedom of speech. This is about someone that is compensated by the NFL, that TARGETED someone he perceived to be the whistleblower in this case.

This was a fresh angle for Joe. Shockey is still trying to make a living in the NFL. In theory, Shockey could be a target on the field by (Saints?) defenders looking for a payback, or Shockey could be simply blacklisted by NFL front offices. He’s on the verge of the end of his career and if he did blow the whistle, it would be easy to argue Shockey can’t get a job because his skills have eroded, not so much for being a victim of a potential blacklist.

But if Shockey truly was not the source from inside the Saints headquarters, then Sapp may have stepped across an ethical line.

The creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio, also claims he knows that Shockey is not the whistleblower. Rather than finger Sapp, Florio blasts the NFL Network for giving Sapp a platform to spout misinformation.

Yes, Joe reported six days ago that Ronde Barber was coming back in 2012, and Joe explained why the news delivered via WQYK-AM 1010 host J.P. Peterson was rock solid. So FOXSports NFL insider Jay Glazer Tweeting out word of Barber’s return today isn’t getting a rise out of Joe.

However, the news is now out there on a grand scale and the non-believers can rest easily.

What an awesome situation for the Bucs to have Barber, the NFL’s reigning ironman, enter into his fourth era of Buccaneers football while he’s still playing good football. And it’s damn cool to have an iconic link still patrolling the halls of One Buc Palace.

Now the Bucs have Barber and Eric Wright in place, and they could very well have Morris Claiborne and Aqib Talib in the mix by the end of next month. That’s potentially massive secondary depth and talent, and would afford the Bucs’ defense a lot of versatility on the corners.

Hey, Joe can dream.

Every Bucs fan, both sober and soused, knows Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has been involved in a stare down with free agent linebacker Curtis Lofton for his services.

Lofton, a coveted inside linebacker, has also been courted by the Saints and spent last weekend in New Orleans being wined and dined by Saints coaches and management at some of the best eateries and watering holes in the world.

Well, just moments ago, nearly lost in the Tim Tebow trade, NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell took out his judge’s gavel and completely hammered the Saints in their involvement with a bounty program, funded in part by Saints coach Sean Payton laundering money from a convicted felon.

Payton has been suspended for a full season. In addition, assistant Saints coach Joe Vitts has been suspended six games and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now at St. Louis, has been suspended indefinitely.

Throw on top of that the Saints also have had two second round picks pulled as part of the penalty; it’s not far-fetched to suggest the glory days of the Saints are done.

So why would a sought-after linebacker want to jump aboard a sinking ship?

Mr. Lofton, your choice now is clear: The Buccaneers.

For those interested, below is a news release from NFL headquarters, in its entirety, concerning the suspensions/fines/forfeitures of draft picks, concerning the Saints bounty program.

NFL ANNOUNCES MANAGEMENT DISCIPLINE
IN NEW ORLEANS SAINTS ‘BOUNTY’ MATTER

Commissioner Roger Goodell notified the New Orleans Saints today of the discipline that will be imposed on team management for violations of the NFL’s long-standing “bounty” rule that endangered player safety over a three-year period.

Discipline for individual players involved in the Saints’ prohibited program continues to be under review with the NFL Players Association and will be addressed by Commissioner Goodell at a later date. The program included “bounty” payments for “knock-outs” and “cart-offs,” plays on which an opposing player was forced to leave the game. At times, the bounties even targeted specific players by name.

The NFL’s extensive investigation established the existence of an active bounty program on the Saints during the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons in violation of league rules, a deliberate effort to conceal the program’s existence from league investigators, and a clear determination to maintain the program despite express direction from Saints ownership that it stop as well as ongoing inquiries from the league office.

“We are all accountable and responsible for player health and safety and the integrity of the game,” Commissioner Goodell said. “We will not tolerate conduct or a culture that undermines those priorities. No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised.”

“A combination of elements made this matter particularly unusual and egregious,” Commissioner Goodell continued. “When there is targeting of players for injury and cash rewards over a three-year period, the involvement of the coaching staff, and three years of denials and willful disrespect of the rules, a strong and lasting message must be sent that such conduct is totally unacceptable and has no place in the game.”

Following the March 2 announcement of the NFL’s initial findings, the league office conducted further investigation, including Commissioner Goodell meeting with many of the key individuals involved, sometimes on multiple occasions. The commissioner also discussed the matter with the leadership of the NFL Players Association and individual players.

Based on the record, Commissioner Goodell has imposed the following discipline on Saints management:

The New Orleans Saints are fined $500,000. In addition, because the violation involves a competitive rule, the Saints will forfeit their selections in the second round of the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts.

Saints Head Coach Sean Payton is suspended without pay for the 2012 NFL season, effective April 1.

Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis is suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of the 2012 season.

Former Saints (and current St. Louis Rams) defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely from the NFL, effective immediately. Commissioner Goodell will review Coach Williams’ status at the conclusion of the 2012 season and consider whether to reinstate him, and, if so, on what terms. Commissioner Goodell said he will give close attention to the extent to which Coach Williams cooperates with the NFL in any further proceedings.

Saints assistant Head Coach Joe Vitt is suspended without pay for the first six regular-season games of the 2012 season.

The Saints and the individuals disciplined today are expected to participate in efforts led by the league office to develop programs that will instruct players and coaches at all levels of the game on the need for respect for the game and those who participate in it, on principles of fair play, safety and sportsmanship, and to ensure that bounties will not be part of football at any level.

Commissioner Goodell stated that the actions of the individuals disciplined today violated league rules and constituted conduct detrimental to the league and players. He said the existence of a pay-for-performance/bounty program undermined the integrity of the game. The violations were compounded by the failure of Coach Payton to supervise the players and coaches and his affirmative decision starting in 2010 (a) not to inquire into the facts concerning the pay-for-performance/bounty program even though he was aware of the league’s inquiries both in 2010 and 2012; (b) to falsely deny that the program existed; (c) to encourage the false denials by instructing assistants to “make sure our ducks are in a row;” and (d) to ignore instructions from the league office and club ownership to ensure that no such program existed.

“Beyond the clear and continuing violations of league rules, and lying to investigators, the bounty program is squarely contrary to the league’s most important initiatives – enhancing player health and safety and protecting the integrity of the game,” Commissioner Goodell said. “Let me be clear. There is no place in the NFL for deliberately seeking to injure another player, let alone offering a reward for doing so. Any form of bounty is incompatible with our commitment to create a culture of sportsmanship, fairness, and safety. Programs of this kind have no place in our game and we are determined that bounties will no longer be a part of the NFL.”

A 2007 amendment to the NFL Constitution and By-Laws obligated coaches and supervisory employees “to communicate openly and candidly with the principal owner and/or his designated representative; to ensure that club ownership is informed on a complete and timely basis of all matters affecting the club’s operations; and to avoid actions that undermine or damage the club’s reputation or operating success.” The obligation to supervise the coaching staff and players is also expressly set forth in the employment agreement signed by Coach Payton.

Commissioner Goodell said he will separately address potential sanctions for players and others with documented involvement in the bounty program.

“While I will not address player conduct at this time, I am profoundly troubled by the fact that players – including leaders among the defensive players – embraced this program so enthusiastically and participated with what appears to have been a deliberate lack of concern for the well-being of their fellow players,” Commissioner Goodell said. “While all club personnel are expected to play to win, they must not let the quest for victory so cloud their judgment that they willingly and willfully target their opponents and engage in unsafe and prohibited conduct intended to injure players.”

While NFL staff has interviewed people in connection with public allegations of bounty programs at other clubs, no evidence was established showing that the programs at other clubs involved targeting opposing players or rewarding players for injuring an opponent. Commissioner Goodell emphasized that if additional information is brought to his attention that discloses bounties offered for injuring specific opposing players, he will revisit the matter to consider additional discipline.

The findings in the league’s investigation, corroborated by multiple independent sources, conclusively established the following:

1. The Saints defensive team operated a pay-for-performance/bounty program, primarily funded by players, during the 2009, 2010, and 2011 seasons. Under that program, players regularly made cash “donations” to a pool, and were “fined” for mental errors, loafing, penalties, and the like. At least one assistant coach (defensive coordinator Gregg Williams) also occasionally contributed to the pool. There is no evidence that any club money was contributed to the program.

2. Payments were made for plays such as interceptions or fumble recoveries. All such payments are against league rules. Payments also were made for plays on which opposing players were injured. In addition, specific players were sometimes targeted. The investigation showed bounties being placed on four quarterbacks of opposing teams – Brett Favre, Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, and Kurt Warner. Multiple sources have confirmed that several players pledged funds toward bounties on specific opposing players, with defensive captain Jonathan Vilma offering $10,000 to any player who knocked Brett Favre out of the NFC Championship Game in 2010.

3. Coach Williams acknowledged that he designed and implemented the program with the assistance of certain defensive players. He said that he did so after being told by Saints Head Coach Sean Payton that his assignment was to make the defense “nasty.” Coach Williams described his role as overseeing record keeping, defining payout amounts, deciding on who received payouts, and distributing envelopes with cash to players who “earned” rewards.

4. In each of the 2009-2011 seasons, the Saints were one of the top five teams in the league in roughing the passer penalties. In 2009 and 2011, the Saints were also in the top five teams in unnecessary roughness penalties; in 2010, the Saints ranked sixth in the category. In the January 16, 2010 divisional playoff game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saints defensive players were assessed $15,000 in fines for fouls committed against opposing players. The following week, in the NFC Championship Game against the Minnesota Vikings, Saints defensive players were assessed $30,000 in fines for four separate illegal hits, several of which were directed against quarterback Brett Favre.

5. Coach Williams now acknowledges that when he was first questioned about this matter in early 2010 he intentionally misled NFL investigators and made no effort to stop the program after he became aware of the league’s investigation.

6. Coach Williams further confirmed that the program continued during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and that he occasionally contributed funds to the pool in each of those seasons.

7. Assistant Head Coach/Defense Joe Vitt acknowledged that he was aware of the program in 2009-2011. He admitted that, when interviewed in 2010, he “fabricated the truth” to NFL investigators and denied that any pay-for-performance or bounty program existed at the Saints.

8. Coach Vitt said one of his primary roles was to monitor the activity of Coach Williams. This was based on the direction of Coach Payton, who apparently had less than full confidence in Coach Williams. Despite Coach Vitt’s knowledge of the bounty program, his understanding of the terms “knock-out” and “cart-off,” his witnessing Coach Williams handing out envelopes that he believed to contain cash, and his acknowledgement that the defensive meeting preceding the 2010 NFC Championship Game may have “got out of hand” with respect to Brett Favre, Coach Vitt claimed he never advised either Coach Payton or General Manager Mickey Loomis of the “pay-for-performance/bounty” program.

9. A summary prepared following a Saints preseason game included the statement, “1 Cart-off – Crank up the John Deer (sic) Tractor” in reference to a hit on an opposing player. Similar statements are reflected in prepared documents or slides in connection with other games in multiple seasons. A review of the game films confirms that opposing players were injured on the plays identified in the documents.

10. When interviewed in 2012, Sean Payton claimed to be entirely unaware of the program, a claim contradicted by others. Further, prior to the Saints’ opening game in 2011, Coach Payton received an email from a close associate that stated in part, “PS Greg Williams put me down for $5000 on Rogers (sic).” When shown the email during the course of the investigation, Coach Payton stated that it referred to a “bounty” on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

11. In early 2010, Mr. Loomis advised Coach Payton that the league office was investigating allegations concerning a bounty program. Coach Payton said that he met with his top two defensive assistants, Coach Williams and Coach Vitt, in advance of the interview with league investigators and told them, “Let’s make sure our ducks are in a row.” Remarkably, Coach Payton claimed that he never inquired of Coach Williams and Coach Vitt as to what happened in the interviews, never asked them if a “pay-for-performance” or bounty program was in fact in place, and never gave any instructions to discontinue such a program.

12. In January 2012, prior to the Saints’ first playoff game of the 2011 season, Coach Payton was advised by Mr. Loomis that the league office had reopened the investigation. Coach Payton made a cursory inquiry but took no action to ensure that any bounty program was discontinued.

13. General Manager Mickey Loomis was not present at meetings of the Saints defense at which bounties were discussed and was not aware of bounties being placed on specific players. Mr. Loomis became aware of the allegations regarding a bounty program no later than February 2010 when he was notified of the investigation into the allegations during a meeting with NFL Executive Vice President-Football Operations Ray Anderson. He was directed to ensure that any such program ceased immediately. By his own admission, Mr. Loomis did not do enough to determine if a pay-for-performance/bounty program existed or to end any such program that did exist.

14. Saints owner Tom Benson notified Mr. Loomis in January 2012 prior to the team’s participation in the playoffs that the league’s investigation had been reopened. Mr. Benson reiterated his position that a bounty program was unacceptable and instructed Mr. Loomis to ensure that if a bounty program existed at the Saints it would stop immediately. By his own admission, Mr. Loomis responded to this direction by making only cursory inquiries of Coaches Payton and Williams. He never issued instructions to end the bounty program to either the coaching staff or the players.

15. There is no evidence that Saints ownership had any knowledge of the pay-for-performance or bounty program. There is no evidence that any club funds were used for the program. Ownership made clear that it disapproved of the program, gave prompt and clear direction that it stop, and gave full and immediate cooperation to league investigators.

A chomping-at-the-bit-sounding Josh Freeman joined the Movin’ The Chains crew on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday and shared that he can’t wait to dive into his new playbook once players can work with coaches beginning April 16.

The new NFL labor agreement prohibits “coaching” before that time. Freeman said the rule change just offers more time to focus on fitness. For those who missed the recent footage of Freeman, he appears significantly leaner.

Interestingly, Freeman said he spoke to Eli Manning recently to chat about new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan and about what might be in the new Bucs playbook. (Hmmm, who passed on that phone number?)

Joe’s wondering if all the change at One Buc Palace will have Freeman and the offensive regulars seeing a little more time in preseason than normal — hopefully sharpening up and building desperately needed confidence.

The Bucs may not have given up on acquiring Curtis Lofton.

Right now if the Bucs made no further changes to the roster, if the Bucs trot out Quincy Black, Adam Hayward and Mason Foster as their starting linebacker unit, Joe would be hard-pressed to find a trio worse off.

There were rumors that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik had put out major feelers to both Dixie Chicks middle linebacker Curtis Lofton and Lions middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch.

Well, scratch off Tulloch as he re-signed with the Lions yesterday.

Lofton, also courted by the Saints, is still out on the open market.

But yesterday a fast one was pulled on Dominik as the Eagles coughed up a lowly fourth round pick for Houston stud inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans.

But with the pickings becoming very, very slim to update a woeful linebacker corps, eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune suggests the Bucs are not out of the running for Lofton.

@IKaufmanTrib: Don’t think for a second the Bucs have lost interest in Curtis Lofton. They want him at their price, but make no mistake — they want him.

This sort of reinforces what Joe suspected yesterday that Dominik is involved in a high stakes game of chicken with Lofton. Whether Dominik comes out of on top in this staredown, time will tell.

But it’s a nasty gamble by Dominik. With ssssooo many holes in the back-seven of the 2012 defense, those won’t be filled alone in the draft.

The strange case that troubled Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib faces in a Texas courtroom next month just got a little bit juicier.

On face value, it seems Talib cannot stay out of trouble. In fact, it seems Talib is a magnet for trouble. So it wouldn’t shock Joe if he has to plead out.

That written, the claims against Talib, upon further review, seem dubious.

Well, the credibility of Talib’s main accuser, Shannon Billings, who was romantically involved with Talib’s sister, has taken a major hit since the alleged incident took place, so reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Shannon Billings, 41, the former live-in boyfriend of Talib’s sister, is sitting in Dallas County jail on a bond of $265,000 after being arrested March 1, 2012 on charges of indecency with a child/sexual contact.

Billings, a registered sex offender with the state of Texas, was also arrested Dec. 10, 2011 on a charge of sexual assault and was jailed on $25,000 bond. However, the grand jury returned a ‘no bill,’ in the case, according to court records.

What a charming fellow this Billings seems to be.

Given Billings’ numerous, distasteful brushes with the law, his accusations against Talib almost seem to be no more than a money grab: “Give me a half-million and I will change my story.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Joe smelled a shakedown against Talib.

Aqib Talib’s felony assault with a deadly weapon trial date in Dallas has been moved to April 16 and the case will be tried, Talib’s attorney Frank Perez told JoeBucsFan.com this afternoon.

The trial was bumped from March 26 and granted a “special set” by Dallas County. Perez said that means the trial definitely will start on that date and will not be moved again.

“We were upset the date was moved; we were ready to go. But there was a personal situation with the prosecutor having a child on the way so that’s where we are,” Perez said.

Perez said there have been no substantive discussions about a plea agreement and he’s not interested in a deal. Talib will stand trial. He also said he completely expects Talib to be exonerated.

“I expect the trial to last three or four days. There are a lot of witnesses,” Perez said.

If the timetables hold true, justice will find Talib prior to the NFL Draft, something the Bucs must be pleased to hear.

For those who want to read the case file and brush up on the shaky charges against Talib, feel free to click here.

Joe once touched upon the following, even though it seems far-fetched on face value.

Joe, a year or so ago, was of the belief that some Bucs fans wanted Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to go all “Hit Show” because it would not so much help the Bucs return to the Super Bowl, but it would provoke national sportswriters to write about the Bucs, and the mostly horrible national sports radio shows (excluding SiriusXM NFL Radio, of course) to discuss the Bucs instead of subjects such as the horrible non-basketball association or glorified croquet known as “golf.”

Well, Joe’s assumption may have come true. In popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King’s Tuesday column on SI.com, the Hall of Fame columnist was scolded by a Bucs fan for not writing about the Bucs.

SORRY. MANNINGMANIA OVERTOOK THE COLUMN THIS WEEK. “Love your MMQB but I am a little miffed why in the whole article you mention nothing about the Tampa Bucs Buccaneers signing Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. Like all of us Buc fans I was hoping for some love from the sports writers and a much better year! It has to get better right?”
— Ken Nahrwold, of Tampa

You’re right — I owe the Bucs some attention for what they did in free agency, and it’ll come in the next two weeks. My apologies, particularly because I’ve been on ownership there to prove they’ll spend for a winner. A preview: I like Jackson a lot, and I like Nicks a lot — assuming he keeps his weight in check. Great signings. Eric Wright’s just another guy. I wouldn’t have paid for him. But there’s no question Tampa’s significantly improved, and if I’m Josh Freeman, I’m very happy with the attention GM Mark Dominik paid to help the team score more points.

While Joe is confident SI.com covered Dominik going all Danny Snyder last week, it was almost old news by the time King put down his beer Sunday night and began banging on his keyboard typing his MMQB. So Joe totally gets how bigger news pushed Bucs news to the back burner for King’s column.

Still, Joe just finds it a little creepy that fans of any team rejoice in a team making news just so they can see or hear a national sports personality write or talk about the Bucs, to get “some love.”

Isn’t that what Bucs cheerleaders are for?

Joe figured this subject may just blow away, but alas, it has not.

Yesterday, Joe explained why Bucs/Gators fans should forget about Tim Tebow in Tampa other than to give support to wounded vets, or to troll the trendy hot spots in south Tampa packed with nubile twentysomething lasses.

But today word leaked that the soon-to-be Broncos expatriate quarterback wants to continue his NFL career for a team in Florida.

Uh, oh.

So Joe will turn to Pat Yasinskas of ESPN who broke down why Tebow on the Bucs roster is a horrible idea, from a football standpoint.

From a business standpoint, it might make some sense for a franchise that struggles to sell tickets to bring Tebow back to Florida. From a football standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense. New coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan plan to run a conventional offense. They’ve already got a drop-back passer in Josh Freeman and they don’t want to cause any headaches for a player who needs to bounce back from a rough 2011 season if he really is going to be their franchise quarterback.

Joe can just imagine the first time Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman, who is the Bucs franchise quarterback unlike a stop-gap guy like Kyle Orton was with Denver, forces an incomplete pass into traffic aiming for Kellen Winslow, Jr. Roughly three-fourths of the crowd at the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway would be screaming for Tebow.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik doesn’t need that, new Bucs coach Greg Schiano doesn’t need that and, least of all, Freeman doesn’t have to put up with that nonsense with people in his ear that he should be benched.

The time now is to right Freeman, not turn him into a headcase.

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You want to hear Greg Schiano talk about running the football? Would that make your Tuesday?

Well, Joe’s got the audio of Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski’s interview with new Bucs head coach Greg Schiano on WQYK-AM 1010 last week (before Jeff Faine was cut.) You can access the audio below. Schiano comes on at the 8:20 mark following a chat with Derrick Brooks.

Three times during the 4 1/2 minute interview Schiano says with emphasis that the Bucs will “run the football.” Joe’s actually starting to believe the Bucs will pound the rock, not just pretend to be a running team as was done in 2011.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik might not want to inhale this week with all the smoke floating his way designed to cloud his judgment.

The thickest haze, and perhaps it’s true, has the Vikings general manager hinting he wants to draft stud cornerback Morris Claiborne with the third overall pick, via ProFootballTalk.com.

Bob Sansevere of the Pioneer Press writes that Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman is talking like a man who isn’t as high on USC left tackle Matt Kalil as everyone seems to think, and that Spielman has been hinting that he’d draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne over Kalil with the third overall pick.

What if Claiborne is gone with the third pick?

The Bucs have no use for a left tackle. Would the Bucs draft Justin Blackmon or Trent Richardson and, likely, stay true to their draft board?

NFL.com/NFL Network guru and former personnel executive Mike Lombardi recently belted out a take that the Bucs would draft fleetfooted, manbeast defensive tackle Dontari Poe (6-5, 350) out of Memphis with the fifth overall pick. Lombardi said the Bucs need to change the attitude of the defense and a ferocious dude like Poe is a good fit after the failures Brian Price and Gerald McCoy.

Joe sure would like to plant surveillance in the Bucs’ draft war room.