Thanks for your service, No. 35.

UPDATE: Though Joe is skeptical to take agents at their word — agents have agendas — Cody Grimm’s agent says he has no knowledge of Grimm getting cut.

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune spoke with Grimm’s agent this afternoon and was told that he has not heard anything from the Bucs.

@RCummingsTrib: Reports of Cody Grimm’s release may be premature. Neither Grimm nor his agent have heard of a release, according to agent Eric Metz.

So the plot thickens. Has Grimm been released or not? Surely if he was, Joe assumes the Bucs would have said something to either Grimm or his agent. Stay tuned …

This one surprises Joe a bit.

Cody Grimm is a good football player. Not always a healthy football player, but if Grimm is healthy (like he is now) and your fourth safety on the depth chart, then you’ve probably got a very solid safety group. Perhaps the only time since mid-2008 that the Bucs displayed consistent moments of run defense was when Grimm was firing in the box.

But the New Schiano Order disagrees with Joe, and Bucs icon John Lynch. The Bucs’ flagship radio station, WDAE-AM 620, is reporting that Grimm was cut.

Grimm was the most experienced safety on the roster. Perhaps upstart rookie Sean Baker, with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, did enough on Wednesday?

Joe’s down on the Grimm release and hopes the Bucs have another quality body in mind.

Apparently, Greg Schiano likes his defensive tackles healthy.

Brian Price got shipped out to Chicago after he proved to be physically unready (possibly mentally, too.) Now Amobi Okoye is a goner, as well.

Sean Jensen, of the Chicago Sun-Times, reports that Okoye was cut from the Bucs and his old team can’t wait to get him back, which ironically probably doesn’t bode well for Price’s future with the Bears.

The defensive lineman was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he’s finalizing a deal to return to the Bears, according to a league source.

A former 10th overall pick, Okoye posted his second-best sack total last season as a Bears reserve, and he signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Bucs during the offseason.

E.J. Wilson? Banged up Gary Gibson? Wallace Gilberry? Those appear to be the remaining depth options at defensive tackle behind Gerald McCoy and Roy Miller. Frank Okam is already gone.

Joe sincerely hopes the Bucs have someone else up their sleeve. Okoye was the second biggest offseason signing on defense, and clearly the need for D-line depth hasn’t disappeared. Schiano himself has said numerous times that the dropoff from the first-team line to the second-teamers concerns him.

Perhaps one of the Redskins interior lineman that gutted the Bucs on Wednesday?

It’s not exactly a flying leap to pat rookie running back Michael Smith on the back for making the Bucs’ roster. Mossis Madu was cut, which means Smith is sure to be named to the Bucs’ 53-man roster when it’s released later today.

Smith, a 2012 seventh-round pick, proved to be a dangerous returner this preseason, and the Bucs’ have a dangerous — to themselves — returner in Preston Parker, who ranked among the worst in the NFL last season and led the league in fumbles at the position.

Whether Smith can run the ball successfully at this level is unknown. He was never really behind the Bucs’ No. 1 offensive line, and the Bucs’ second-team O-line, well, one can’t judge a running back behind that mess.

Joe’s one piece of advice to Smith would be to hold on to the football for dear life. Joe always admired Chucky’s nerve to stick by Clifton Smith when he put the ball on the ground early in his 2008 rookie season, and Smith rewarded Chucky by becoming a Pro Bowl returner by season’s end. 

Joe’s not sure the New Schiano Order would be so forgiving if Smith struggles early with ball security.

Joe realizes that loads of JoeBucsFan.com readers are not rabid, obsessed Bucs fans like Joe. Loyal Joe readers might find it hard to believe, but the majority on these pages only visit a few times per month.

So Joe is just taking a moment to let everyone know the Bucs must chop their roster down to 53 players, or fewer, by 9 p.m. today.

All day long, Joe will be monitoring roster moves that are sure to leak, and the fallout from official cuts. Stick with Joe all weekend as the Bucs should be busy on the waiver wire and setting their practice squad.

Without adding a quality body to the offensive line, the Bucs will be in dire shape if backup guard/center Ted Larsen goes down.

In between watching coverage of the Republican National Convention and waiting for the college football season to kick off (South Carolina at Vanderbilt was a pretty good game last night), Joe decided to watch some of the Bucs-Redskins game on replay on the NFL Network.

No, Joe was sober. Had Joe not had work to do later, he would have emptied his bottle of Bushmills it was so unnerving.

It was late in the first half and the Bucs offensive line had shamed matadors throughout the region. Bucs backup quarterback Brett Ratliff  was sacked five times in the first half — FIVE! — and helped the ground game amass a grand total of three yards rushing (which would have made Greg Olson green with envy).

It was so awful that former Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman, analyst for the Redskins broadcast, was simply appalled.

“Either the Redskins backups on the defensive line are Supermen or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offensive line simply doesn’t know how to block,” Theismann said, channeling the pain that Ratliff was enduring.

Theismann was especially rough on Jamon Meredith, who was trying to secure a position as possibly starting right guard, and failing miserably. Theismann said of Meredith, “All you have to do is get in front of someone!”

This is a frightening concept for the Bucs. The team wants to run the ball, smashmouth style, and Joe is good with that. But without injured Davin Joseph at right guard, the Bucs are thinner than wet toilet paper on the line and cannot risk another injury up front.

Just what NFL team does not have an offensive lineman banged up at least once during the regular season?

If the Bucs are going to try to be smashmouth, and if they want to keep quarterback Josh Freeman in one piece, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is likely going to have to go shopping, if for nothing else than to add some depth to the offensive line.

After rumors, innuendo and people trying to connect dots from Twitter messages between Bucs players during dinner, it seems we finally have some definitive word on the fates of two Bucs players.

Bucs running back Mossis Madu is no longer a member of the Bucs, so reports Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times.

Larry Asante, as first reported by Rotoworld.com, is also on the outside of One Buc Palace looking in.

Now Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano must find 20 other players to cut to come down to the league required 53 players by 9 p.m. Friday.

UPDATE: It appears defensive tackle Frank Okam has also been released. On his Twitter account, he is thanking people for wishing him good luck with his next team.

Would Greg Schiano actually praise Sammie Stroughter’s performance today and then cut him tomorrow? We’re all going to find out soon.

The leader of the New Schiano Order went out of his way to say Stroughter played well against the Redskins during his afternoon news conference today.

Schiano also talked about how there were tough decisions to be made at wide receiver.

Joe’s not going to cry if Stroughter gets cut. But Joe would keep Stroughter. He’s probably the most proven and reliable returner the Bucs have.

Joe’s been monitoring ticket sales for the Sunday, Sept. 9, home-opener against Carolina and $30 single-game adult tickets are no longer available on TicketMaster.com.

Perhaps that’s a sign Bucs fans are finally stepping up to honor Ronde Barber’s 200th start and get the game televised?

The least expensive threshhold now available via Ticketmaster.com is $45 a seat. But Bucs season passes at lower per-game rates remain available, according to the Bucs’ official website. And that is to be expected, as teams often will keep a handful of tickets aside for potential season-ticket holders or group ticket buyers at all rates.

In seven days, Bucs fans will learn whether the home-opener is blacked out. Joe sincerely hopes the community is not stained by that occurrence.

Remember, if you’re looking to save cash and start your tailgate early, you can hop on Joe’s roundtrip chauffeured luxury ride to the stadium for only $3.95.

Whew! Joe’s resting a little bit easier this afternoon. No, Rachel Watson didn’t help Joe get a sound night sleep after the dreadful Bucs-Redskins game. Joe is soothed because Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times brings word today that defensive tackle Amobi Okoye is preparing to help the Bucs in 10 days against Carolina.

Okoye, who tipped a pass against Miami three weeks ago and disappeared after that, is in positive management mode with his troublesome knee.

“I came out and did the conditioning test (on July 28) and it felt good after that,” Okoye said. “I played in Miami (in the preseason opener). But I just think the constant beating and beating on it was an issue. It had some swelling and I just needed to continue to rehab it. I’m out there practicing on and off and I’m basically just getting it ready for Sundays. Right now it’s feeling better than it was even before the conditioning test.”

This is great news. Okoye was solid playing more than 50 percent of the snaps for a good Bears defense last season. He was a key acquisition, considering Gerald McCoy’s fragility and Roy Miller’s history of poor play, and Brian Price getting the boot.

If Okoye is ready to play, that means the Bucs won’t have to rely on Miller’s play reaching a level never before seen in a Bucs uniform. Miller may pull it off, but Joe wouldn’t want to have to bet on it.

The Bucs entered this offseason with major concerns at cornerback, with most of those surrounding Ronde Barber’s age and Aqib Talib’s legal troubles.

Concerns remain, except their scope has changed dramatically.

Barber’s a safety and Talib is healthy and free from legal troubles, but the depth is downright scary.

E.J. Biggers remains injured and isn’t expected to practice next week. Myron Lewis is not a good football player. And Anthony Gaitor and Leonard Johnson are as green as can be, as well as undersized. Brandon McDonald, a veteran pickup last week, is hardly inspiring, but at least he’s got experience.

Who’s the nickel cornerback on opening day?

The Bucs, as the roster sits right now, are a cornerback injury away from a serious problem.

Joe’s proud to introduce Tilted Kilt to JoeBucsFan.com. Their great location at Drew Street and U.S. 19 in Clearwater is an awesome place to watch games and enjoy the scenery — indoors and outside. It’s definitely a favorite of Joe’s and open late. Click below to learn more.

Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett has thus far in training camp and preseason games looked strong.

Yes, Joe knows, it’s just preseason. But if his play is a precursor to the 2012 season, it’s both good and bad for the Bucs and rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

Bennett’s play has also caught the eye of numbers guy Khaled Elsayed of ProFootballFocus.com.

We keep singing his praises and won’t stop if Michael Bennett keeps showing up like he did against the Patriots. He isn’t the most explosive pass rusher but he keeps finding a way of beating linemen from the DLE spot or as a tackle in nickel. A contract year is always a good time to perform and it appears he knows this.

Uh, oh: the dreaded contract year. That’s good for the Bucs because Bennett will be motivated, but then again it’s not good for the Bucs. As Joe pointed out last night, the Bucs have the fifth-highest payroll in the NFL but little depth to speak of.

If Bennett has a monster year, it will be dicey to keep him as Dominik has to keep cash stashed in the Team Glazer cookie jar to prepare for a new Josh Freeman contract as well. Quality young pass rushers are always paid handsomely in free agency.

Former starting safety Cody Grimm, a man who played well in 2010 and 2011 but has proven as fragile as Gerald McCoy, was out on the field in Washington last night logging long minutes with the soon-to-be bouncers, Arena League stars, movers and grad students.

That wasn’t a great sign for Grimm.

But would the Bucs actually cut Grimm and go into the season with Keith Tandy and Ahmad Black backing up Mark Barron and Ronde Barber?

That would mean they’d have four safeties who have never started a game in the NFL at the position, which would have to be some sort of modern NFL record.

Grimm did some good things Wednesday but hardly had a great game. He made a couple of touchdown-saving tackles, which opened the door for Bucs icon and TV color analyst John Lynch to declare he believes the Bucs have to keep Grimm because they need his experience off the bench. Lynch also said Ronde Barber told him Grimm is leaner and quicker than in past seasons.

It’s hard for Joe to disagree. Perhaps the Bucs will keep five safeties? Regardless, Joe’s not seeing Larry Asante in the final equation.

It’ll be damn interesting to see whether Tiquan Underwood makes the Bucs’ final roster after cuts are made on or before Friday.

Clearly, Mike Williams, Vincent Jackson, Preston Parker and Arrelious Benn are locks. Parker got the night off tonight with the starters, and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik said Benn will practice next week.

That’s four receivers, and the Bucs need at least one more to start the season.

Underwood has been the model New Schiano Order citizen. He battled and succeeded daily in practice. He earned his reps. He produced. Tonight, he had six catches for 82 yards. Yes, Joe realizes Underwood should have done better in preventing a Redskins interception and/or make a play on that pass.

But a guy like Underwood almost has to make the cut. Schiano has talked over and over again about how players will not be handed jobs, an attitude that carries much more weight for bottom-of-the-roster guys.

The only thing working against Underwood is his lack of experience and versatility, versus Sammie Stroughter and Jordan Shipley.

It’s going to be a grueling wait for the guy with the standout do.

The words were still hanging in the air about the Redskins cutting popular tight end Chris Cooley when Joe began getting e-mails and Twitter messages about the Bucs going after Cooley.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik was asked about Cooley point blank during Dominik’s fourth quarter appearance on the Bucs broadcast on WTSP-TV this evening. In short, Dominik all but threw cold water on the possibility of Cooley coming to Tampa Bay.

Dominik told how he often calls agents of just-released players to find out what said player wants to do and if any other teams are interested in signing the player.

At that point, Dominik, while he admitted calling Cooley’s agent, all but said it is unlikely he will ever be wearing a Bucs uniform.

Thus, Bucs fans will miss out on Joe constantly posting photos of Cooley’s wife, a former Redskins cheerleader.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik appeared on tonight’s Bucs-Redskins broadcast through much of the fourth quarter and talked about all sorts of things on WTSP-TV, Channel 10

When pressed about the status of injured wide receiver Arrelious Benn, Dominik gushed that there is much progress with Benn’s condition. In fact, Dominik said Benn will practice next week and went so far as to suggest Benn may be a game-time decision for the Bucs season-opener at home against Carolina.

Yes, Benn will be practicing, but Joe has to wonder just how effective Benn can be missing virtually all of training camp and preseason. In the NFL, the passing game is largely built on timing. Just what timing has Benn been able to build with quarterback Josh Freeman in a brand new offense?

It’s a bit troubling knowing the Bucs will have roughly the fifth-highest payroll in the NFL this season, yet the team has serious depth issues on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as other areas.

That’s just an unhealthy combination.

Sure, the Bucs have been belted with injuries to Amobi Okoye, Da’Quan Bowers, Gary Gibson, Davin Joseph and much more, but many current second-teamers looked awful tonight.

The Jamon Meredith experiment at right guard couldn’t have gone worse tonight. Joe had high hopes after rockstar general manager Mark Dominik praised Meredith on the Buccaneers Radio Network pregame show, but Meredith wasn’t up to the task.

Will Bucs fans have to watch Myron Lewis ever again?

There’s no Insurance Graham in the backfield, either, giving veteran depth at fullback and running back. And Joe wasn’t impressed with the linebacker play tonight, though Adam Hayward definitely was up to the task last week.

Joe’s damn curious to see what Dominik and Greg Schiano pluck off the waiver wire this week. As Joe’s written previously, Ronde Barber has praised Schiano’s sense of urgency when it comes to winning in 2012. Joe expects that urgency to be evident in the next few days.

All the Bucs’ starters got the night off, as expected, but it was a rather putrid performance by their backups.

No. 3 QB Brett Ratliff deserves combat pay for the five sacks and overall beating he took. The Bucs had nothing in the ground game and the offensive line was darn ugly.

Thankfully, it didn’t count.

Joe will have much more through the night.

OK boys and girls, here is the weekly open thread for your Bucs game, this time closing the preseason at Washington. Have at it!

As always, do not paste links of pirated video feeds. You may, however, e-mail links among yourselves.

Have fun!

Preseason Week 4

Bucs at Redskins

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

TV: WTSP Channel 10. The game also will air on the NFL Network at 3 p.m.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); SiriusXM Channel 134.

Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, expect clear skies throughout the evening with a temperature of 77 at kickoff with the temperature dropping gradually to 72 at game’s end. There will be virtually no wind.

Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs +4.

Outlook: Preseason is a tedious time for football fans. It’s games that do not count and glorified practices; a giant tease. The worst tease is the final week of preseason, tonight for the Bucs, where camp meat (future truck drivers, high school teachers, bartenders and insurance claims adjusters) play the bulk of the game. All but a handful of players who will see action tonight will be on the Bucs roster come this weekend. There are still a few things for Bucs fans to watch before they fall asleep. Who will burst the bubble? Will Leonard Johnson be able to beat out Myron Lewis? Will Cody Grimm beat out Larry Asante and keep a job? Will Mossis Madu be able to hang on to the roster? How about Sammie Stroughter? Mistakes tonight very could mean a ticket out of town Friday. Everything will be magnified for those clawing for NFL checks next week, and beyond.

Many Bucs fans have been bellowing for a return of Jeff Faine to help the Bucs fill the void left by Davin Joseph, but that’s not happening.

The former Bucs captain and players union man Faine is a new center for the Bengals, Associated Press reported this afternoon.

Cincinnati lost starting center Kyle Cook and Chucky’s brother, Bengals offensive coordinator Jay Gruden, will hand the ball to Faine, who had been training in the Orlando area. It’s quite a stroke of fortune for Faine, who goes from his couch, albeit surely a luxurious one, to a key role for a playoff team.

Joe wishes Faine well.