Joe appreciates that Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan helped Eli Manning in New York and was a solid wide receivers coach there. However, the guy has never called plays in the NFL and that scares the hell out of Joe.

Perhaps Joe is still in shock by what Greg Olson delivered last year. (How Olson found NFL employment so fast Joe will never understand).

Anyway, in Joe’s mind the Bucs now have a complete offense ready to play at a playoff level in 2012.

There’s big time talent at quarterback and in the backfield. Joe’s a Luke Stocker fan and Kellen Winslow still has a year left in his knees. The offensive line should be tremendous. And the Bucs now have a true vertical threat making eight figures a year, plus Mike Williams in the right role and more talent in Arrelious Benn and Preston Parker.

It’s a complete win-now offense. It’s not the best offense in the NFL, but the Bucs have what it takes to be a top-10 offense, especially if they add a veteran versatile back to backup Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount.

So that puts a ton of pressure squarely on Sullivan. The guy has no wiggle room to feel his way into calling plays and running an offensive staff. Sorry, but Joe’s cutting Sullivan no slack, not with this kind of talent. Hopefully he’s up to the challenge.

So Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik pulled off a steal late in the first round tonight landing Boise State running back Doug Martin. Below are highlights of Martin playing against an NFL-type defense against SEC East winner Georgia last season.

Wow!

The Bucs just traded back into the first round to score Denver’s 31st overall pick and grabbed Boise State running back Doug Martin. Joe is fired up! And the Bucs didn’t even get played. In fact, it seems like rockstar general manager Mark Dominik pulled off a coup, especially after seeing the Giants draft a running back with the 32nd pick and knowing the Rams were sniffing running backs ahead of the Bucs in the second round.

The Bucs moved up four slots by giving up the their second-rounder and only had to swap fourth-round picks with Denver. Maybe there was a method to the earlier trade-down madness, though Joe wouldn’t bet any cash on that.

Regardless, the Bucs got a powerful, versatile back, one they absolutely needed to be a pound-the-rock team under the new Schiano World Order.

Dominik spoke on WDAE-AM 620 after the selection and praised Martin for being a team captain at Boise State and a tremendous kid off the field. Interestingly, Dominik said Schiano has close relationships with the Boise State coaching staff and that was a factor in the pick.

“A three-down-type of back,” is how Dominik described Martin and said getting a second beast of a running back on the roster was a critical need.

Joe’s not big on drafting running backs so early, but the need was pressing and now dare Joe say the Bucs have no more holes on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, well, that’s another story.

Plenty of teams will trade up in the NFL Draft, and you can join them!!

Ed Morse Auto Plaza has truly stunning offers right now at the Suzuki, Buick, Mazda and GMC dealerships at 10133 U.S. 19 in Port Richey. The Buick Verano deal below is only one of the incredible offers.

Also, (and Joe will have more on this later) Joe has learned Ed Morse Auto Plaza is selling two brand NEW 2011 Suzukis at a stunningly inexpensive price AND throwing in FREE GAS for an entire year. Don’t hesitate to call manager Craig Blacklidge NOW and get the details. Joe can promise you these are truly unreal offers!

It is a New Schiano Order for the Bucs and new Bucs coach Greg Schiano spoke with the local pen and mic club to discuss the Bucs drafting Alabama safety Mark Barron.

“It is a great night. we spent a lot of time talking about a lot of prospects. My first night as an NFL [head] coach [in the draft], I cannot tell you how much I am impressed at what I saw and how this takes place.

“You couldn’t draw it up better. We spoke for hours and hours. The first video I saw of Mark Barron, I thought it was just a random guess of his first game. But he plays at the highest level at the best football conference in the land and dominated. He is fired up. He asked for a playbook and we told him, ‘You will get a playbook tomorrow.’

“He loves this game. Studies it. Loves it.

“Do you think he can cover? I know he can cover. He is big, physical punishing player but with range and can play man-to-man coverage.

“Our safeties have to be more dynamic, play in the box, play man-to-man against wide receivers, that is a challenging position. We drafted him to be our safety for a long time. Our safeties will do a lot of things.”

Bucs general manager Mark Dominik just appeared briefly on the Bucs radio network to discuss the circus that took place in the Bucs trading down, getting played for only a fourth round pick losing out on a stud cornerback.

Dominik put on a good face and claimed Alabama safety Mark Barron was in the Bucs crosshairs all along.

“When Dallas traded up, there was some nervousness in the room, but we got the guy we wanted,” Dominik said.

Bucs radio analyst Dave Moore loved the pick.

“He’s a big physical guy and you win championships through defensive football and he’s a big, physical guy who plays great run support and will fire up the defense. He’s a guy that likes to get fired up. “

Later at a press conference, Dominik spoke about tonight’s events.

“Character was one of the reasons,” Dominik said of picking Barron. “He has a lot of leadership intangibles. He was in mind at [No.] 5. We targeted him at No. 5.

“At five or at seven, our man was Mark Barron. I think you will see athletic, physical football player. He is a force. He is a smart player. He’s physical like John [Lynch]. He’s a great fit for this football team.

“We had no interest in trading up.”

Joe is just sitting here shaking his head. Bucs general manager Mark Dominik gave up a franchise corner in a passing league, a dire need, for a fourth round pick and a safety.

A safety.

Granted, Alabama safety Mark Barron is not a bad pick, not bad at all. But a stud corner is much, much more valuable than a safety any day.

Granted, safety was a need. Tanard Jackson almost smoked his way out of the league and clearly playing for the Bucs was not a priority.

Gone.

Joe likes Cody Grimm a lot but for some reasons, Bucs fans are quick to point out, accurately, that defensive tackle Gerald McCoy could not stay on the field. But for some reason would not apply the same standard to Grimm.

The last two seasons, Grimm’s first two in the NFL, he suffered season-ending leg injuries. Not only is there no reason to believe Grimm can finish a full season, there is also ample reason to believe Grimm would lose a step or two to his injured wheels.

Given Grimm was not fleet of feet to begin with, who is to say Grimm could hang with tight ends any longer?

Joe’s of the mind that Barron will be the best Bucs safety since John Lynch. But damn, a stud corner would sure have helped.

The Bucs selected Alabama safety Mark Barron with their first round pick.

So Bucs general manager Mark Dominik decided to wheel and deal and figured he outsmarted the rest. Unfortunately for Bucs fans, Dominik got played.

He was playing poker with the ultimate gambler, Jerry Jones. Dominik figured he could trade back with the Jags and just wait out the Rams pick who wouldn’t get Morris Claiborne.

Instead, Dallass owner Jerry Jones pulled the trigger, jumped in front of Dominik, and high-fives all around in Dallass as Jones picked Claiborne.

Not only did Dominik get snookered out of a stud cornerback, he got taken by the Jags in only getting a fourth round pick.

Bucs draft is off to a horrible start.

The Bucs have traded with Jacksonville and moved back to the seventh spot.

It sure smells like Luke Kuechly now or perhaps Stephon Gilmore.

If Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik thought the Vikings would draft Morris Claiborne, he got snookered.

It appears Trent Richardson will not be a Buccaneers running back.

Cleveland just swapped first round picks with Minnesota and Cleveland now holds the No. 3 pick with Minnesota drafting No. 4.

This really means nothing to the Bucs, outside of not drafting Richardson, as the two teams drafting ahead of the Bucs are the same teams.

It’s almost time folks. Enjoy and try to make it to Joe’s draft party at Pete and Shorty’sin Pinellas Park.

Joe (and his good friend Justin Pawlowski of WQYK-AM 1010) will be there until the first round ends, probably at midnight.

Earlier today, Joe stated the only way Joe would cough up the ransom required to draft a running back at No. 3 overall would be if said running back would be the second-coming of Jim Brown.

Well, it appears the original Jim Brown wouldn’t pull the trigger on such a deal, either. Brown, arguably the best player in NFL history, much less the greatest running back, spoke on BSPN radio today and scoffed at Alabama running back Trent Richardson, documents Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com.

“I’m not overwhelmed with it,” Brown said of the idea that the Browns could take Richardson. “The problem is that he’s ordinary. I think he’s ordinary.”

While Joe will never say Richardson is “ordinary,” as Joe wrote once before, Joe didn’t think Richardson was that much better than Wisconsin’s Montee Ball, and Joe doesn’t see or hear of that many people doing backflips and genuflecting over Ball the way many Bucs fans do over Richardson.

If the Bucs only needed one running back to get over the hump to win a Super Bowl (reminder: the Bucs already have a proven running back), then maybe Joe would drink the Richardson Kool-Aid.

The Bucs are far, far away from a Super Bowl contender.

The smokescreens, nonsense and outright lying that is circling each and every team as the hours countdown to tonight’s NFL draft seems to be continuing.

One of the countless reports about movement of teams comes out of Cleveland where one of the most respected NFL writers in the business, Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, claims via league sources Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is attempting to swap picks (and other presents) to Minnesota to acquire the No. 3 pick.

And what, per Cabot, would Dominik do with said pick? Draft Alabama running back Trent Richardson.

Bucs, Jets like Richardson? The Tampa Bay Bucanneers at No. 5 are very interested in Richardson and might consider trading up to No. 3, league sources said. The Jets at No. 16 are also interested, but might not be able to afford it.

Joe’s not going to go all crazy as he’s trying to keep his blood pressure down and knows too many Bucs fans lust over Richardson like Joe does Rachel Watson.

Joe will offer two comments:

1) If Dominik really is trying to spend a No. 3 pick (which won’t be the only ransom) on Richardson, this guy better be the reincarnation of Jim Brown. That’s an insanely high price to pay for a running back in a passing league when your defense is so porous.

2) Save the draft picks Mark. Draft the best player available who falls in your lap tonight (Morris Claiborne, Matt Kalil or, yes, even Justin Blackmon), draft Nebraska linebacker Lavonte David with your second round pick tomorrow night, and use your third round pick in a trade to the Giants for Osi Umenyiora (and be like the Giants where you have an overpowering defensive line).

Then load up on running backs Saturday.

With all the BS flying around everywhere about the draft and what the Bucs might do tonight, Joe keeps coming back to one piece of real information available.

Less than two weeks ago on WQYK-AM 1010, Ronde Barber said everybody at One Buc Palace is on the Morris Claiborne bandwagon. In case you missed it:

J.P. Peterson: You might bring in another [cornerback], Mo Claiborne.

Barber: We probably will.

Peterson: What do you think of him?

Barber: I don’t know. I haven’t watched any film of him. I don’t know how he plays or anything. He was actually in our [secondary] room. They did those little unofficial [predraft] visits or whatever. He’s a good kid. He looks good. He looks the part. Everybody’s high on him.

In all seriousness, outside of Barber’s take, one Joe is sure he was being candid about, what else do Bucs fans have to predict what will happen in the first round? Nothing.

At 64 years old following a distinguished career as a general manager, Charlie Casserly is not a guy Joe suspects would concoct trade rumors or fall for agent-driven, team-driven BS the day before the NFL Draft. 

Therefore, Joe brings you Casserly’s Twittering yesterday that claims the Buffalo Bills are looking to trade up from their No. 10 pick to get in position to draft offensive tackle Matt Kalil.

@CharleyCasserly – Buuffalo I am told would like to trade up to take Matt Kalil and will give up a second rd draft choice to do it.

Buffalo’s second-round pick is No. 41 overall. If the Bucs found themselves in this position, with Kalil still on the board, it would be an intriguing deal indeed. In this scenario, the Bucs likely could still snag Luke Kuechly with the 10th overall pick, and two quality second-round picks to bolster their secondary and/or snag running back Doug Martin.

Bucs fans might want to be sure not to spend the early minutes of tonight’s NFL Draft chattering with the pizza guy or in the men’s room at Pete & Shorty’s, so says BSPN draft analyst and former NFL offensive linemen Mark Schlereth.

Schlereth, sporting his three Super Bowl rings, believes the Bucs might get “cold feet” with the fifth overall pick and trade up to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 3 to draft Morris Claiborne.

That’s right. Claiborne.

Schlereth told WHBO-AM 1040 host Tom Krasniqi yesterday that he believes the smoke coming out of Minnesota is a calculated mission by the Vikings to get the Bucs to trade up. Schlereth is of the mind that Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier is drooling over what he’s seen on tape of Claiborne and the Bucs will have a similar grade and feeling.

It’s yet another interesting scenario to consider.

On the Trent Richardson front, Schlereth said he firmly believes any team can grab a successful back in later rounds or off the street with the right offensive line in front of him. However, Schlereth thinks that’s a dumb argument to make against drafting Richardson, who Schlereth thinks would simply be that much more effective than the next guy in the same system.

(This is a repost of a previously published article Joe will use as an annual tradition for the morning of the first day of the NFL draft.)

Joe’s going to go slightly personal here, a rare, albeit tiny window into Joe’s background.

On this holiest of high football holidays, Joe got hooked on the draft as a kid from an alien-like voice that floated through the night air from a city Joe finally got to visit for the first time last fall,

Growing up as a kid, there were two people who turned Joe into the football freak he is today. One was Joe’s high school football coach, a guy who played for a virtual who’s who of football coaches: John Madden, Tom Landry, Gene Stallings and Lou Holtz. It kills Joe how much he has forgotten about football from a man unknown by 99.99999 percent of the populace. Joe remembers warmly when, covering his first NFL training camp with Stallings as the coach of the team Joe covered, the grizzled Stallings vividly remembered Joe’s coach playing for him.

After learning Joe played for one of his proteges, Stallings treated Joe like one of his family members.

The second source fueling Joe’s unwavering football fetish originated from an unlikely of sources: a Brooklyn apartment.

Joe first heard of Joel Buchsbaum on a blowtorch radio station out of St. Louis, KMOX. There, each Monday night (prior to Monday Night Football broadcasts during the season), and Sunday nights (during the baseball season), Buchsbaum, the original draftnik, would talk to strangers throughout the Midwest, giving listeners knowledge on college football players and the NFL that to this day, Joe finds unmatched; not even by Mike Mayock, not even by Mel Kiper, not even by Pat Kirwan.

People would call the show and ask Buchsbaum about (pick a player) and often before the caller finished his question, Buchsbaum would interrrupt the caller and begin rattling off the talents of said player.

Pleasantries were not a forte of Buchsbaum. He was not rude, not even close, but he was very short and impatient with rambling callers.

To this day Joe remembers some guy asking Buchsbaum about (name of the player long ago forgotten) who the caller claimed was a starting cornerback at Utah. Buchsbaum, in his nasally, thick Brooklyn accent, corrected the caller almost immediately. No, the player is not from Utah, Buchsbaum said, but from Utah State. And in fact he was a backup cornerback.

This did not stop Buchsbaum from launching into why the player was not starting and why coaches thought he had some promise.

Mind you this was long before the days of laptops so Buchsbaum couldn’t have Googled the player’s name in five seconds to pull up his information.

It was unreal what this guy knew. And in Joe’s circle of fellow football friends, guys who rarely if ever listened to an AM station, would listen to Buchsbaum. He was like the Rain Man.

Fast forward maybe 15 years and the Sporting News decided to find out who was the best draftnik. They researched Buchsbaum, Mel Kiper and a third guy who Joe had not heard of before and still can’t remember the name. The Sporting News broke down each man’s final mock draft through four rounds for three consecutive years.

Buchsbaum won not only the race but he had more correct picks each year.

Buchsbaum, a recluse, died 11 years ago. In a perverted way Joe was jealous of the guy. All he did was study football, read football, write football, talk football and work his many NFL inside sources which included at the top of the list, Bill Belicheat, who tried to hire Buchsbaum but was spurned with each offer.

So as Day 1 of the draft is here, and in a few hours or so we find out if the Bucs trade back into the first round, Joe can’t help remember Buchsbaum and that unforgettable voice.

Here’s a nugget from acclaimed football scribe and a friend of Buchsbaum, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Did you know Buchsbaum was on ESPN when the network first televised the draft? He looked like such a nerd. I imagine the network executives didn’t like the way he looked or sounded, so they hired Mel “Ki-pa.”

Chad Finn of the Boston Globe decided to dig up Buchsbaum’s breakdown of Tom Brady coming out of Michigan and with the “positives,” Buchsbaum nailed the analysis.

Positives: Good height to see the field. Very poised and composed. Smart and alert. Can read coverages. Good accuracy and touch. Produces in big spots and big games. Has some Brian Griese in him and is a gamer. Generally plays within himself. Team leader.

Negatives: Poor build. Very skinny and narrow. Ended the ’99 season weighing 195 pounds and still looks like a rail at 211. Looks a little frail and lacks great physical stature and strength. Can get pushed down more easily than you’d like. Lacks mobility and ability to avoid the rush. Lacks a really strong arm. Can’t drive the ball down the field and does not throw a really tight spiral. System-type player who can get exposed if he must ad-lib and do things on his own.

Summary: Is not what you’re looking for in terms of physical stature, strength, arm strength, and mobility but he has the intangibles and production and showed great Griese-like improvement as a senior. Could make it in the right system but is not for everyone.

Urban legend is that Belicheat, one of the few friends Buchsbaum had, took a flyer on Brady based on Buchsbaum’s recommendation. Belicheat since has acknowledged he would annually go over his draft board with Buchsbaum in the hours leading to the draft.

Joe will raise a bottle of beer tonight for Buchsbaum… after the draft and Joe is finished banging out story after story.

Here and here and here and here are some cool stories about Buchsbaum.

Popcorn-munching,coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King, famous for his decades of NFL coverage in Sports Illustrated and now on NBC Sports, is about as burned out on draft smokescreens, rumors and speculation as Joe is.

In fact, King seems a lot more frustrated and resorted to a group masturbation reference on his Twitter account regarding the endless Trent Richardson chatter.

Joe tries to run a dysfunctional family website,  but this was too funny for Joe to pass up. And now Joe has a new hyphenated adjective to decribe King! (See opening paragraph).

There’s another 27 hours until the draft. Joe wonders what the madness will lead King to Twitter next?

There is one word to describe the linebacker play of the Bucs last year.

“Grim.”

So it’s no shock to believe that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will add a linebacker or two to try to beef up this unit that is already down a starter now that Geno Hayes has moved on to Chicago.

Some, such as Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski of WQYK-AM 1010, believe Dominik would be wise to reach for the tackling machine known as Boston College middle linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, however, doesn’t believe Kuechly is a reach. In fact, he suggested it wouldn’t be a shock if Dominik has Kuechly graded out as a top-five player.

And it would be an immediate fix. Kuechly is one the few linebackers in this draft who scouts believe is ready to step in and immediately run his new team’s defense as its starting middle linebacker.

“He’s one of the 10 best players in this draft,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said of Kuechly, who is ranked 6th overall on Mayock’s list of the top 100 2012 NFL draft prospects.

“I think he’s the best pure zone drop pass linebacker I’ve ever seen on tape. What usually knocks inside linebackers down is their inability to stay on the field for three plays. It’s the opposite with Kuechly.’’

Well. There was a sentence in Cummings’ write-up that sort of caused Joe to pause. So Kuechly would be calling plays for the defense in the New Schiano Order?

No one knows with certainty what defense Greg Schiano plans to run, though it’s a good guess it will be somewhat like the Giants’ scheme. Schiano has even hinted at a 34-defensive front.

But if Kuechly is to be calling plays, Joe is confused. Isn’t this why the Bucs drafted Mason Foster last year and started him out of position to call defensive plays?

It’s the silly season of crazy draft rumors and smokescreens, and here’s a new one that will punch the Trent Richardson-to-the-Bucs crazies in the gut.

Sal Paolantonio of BSPN just reported that he talked to Trent Richardson who had just heard from Jets officials calling him to confirm his contact information on Day 1 of the draft. Paolantonio also said he had recently concluded a meeting with Rex Ryan and Jets officials that told him they like Richarson and that Ryan longs to see Richardson’s feet to get back to his core beliefs of pounding the football.

(Side note: Paolantonio was extraordinarily rude to Joe about 10 years ago in the Bucs locker room. Who knew a grown man could be such a weasel just because Joe stepped on his microphone wire that wasn’t even in use.)

As Joe wrote the other day, if Richardson truly is the prodigy everyone seems to think he is, then there’s no way he lasts to the Bucs at No. 5. If he did, that would be a truly bizarre occurence and it would make Joe wonder if Richardson really looks that good on film.

Of course, the Bucs could always trade up for Richardson, a move Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski says he would applaud.