Free agency begins this afternoon and fantasy football types are so giddy they’ve nearly had to take off work.

(This may be the worst week for work production in the Tampa Bay area. First, there is free agency and workers will be refreshing constantly. Then there is the NCAA tournament. Also, the weather is perfect for spring training baseball. Forget about productivity this week.)

In recent years, the Bucs have been largely allergic to free agents, channeling Ted Thompson of the Packers who hasn’t signed a free agent in over three years. Sadly for Bucs rock star general manager, this method hasn’t matched Thompson’s results.

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune is convinced the Bucs have changed their ways, or so they say. But if one is to read between the lines of Dominik’s words, it doesn’t mean Dominik is going to go all Danny Snyder with Team Glazer’s checkbook today.

With more than $42.7 million in available salary cap space, a roster full of holes and a fan base anxious to see the team’s owners renew their commitment to winning after hiring coach Greg Schiano, the Bucs have reason this free-agency season to be one of the market’s bigger players.

Whether they will depends largely on opportunity.

General manager Mark Dominik has vowed to be a more aggressive shopper this year than last year, when the Bucs’ biggest addition was punter Michael Koenen. He also said he won’t spend just to spend and will only take on players that address a need or fit into the Bucs’ scheme.

Joe is convinced Dominik will sign lesser players after the initial feeding frenzy is over, likely next week. Second-level guys that can start and produce. Even a guy with a white cane can see the Bucs need bodies.

Whether Dominik lands a home run signing today, time will tell.

There’s all kinds of stuff burning up Joe’s phone and email and Twitter account as the bell prepares to ring on free agency tomorrow afternoon. If Joe traded in rumors, he could have written a dozen posts this afternoon alone.

But one thing to take note of is a recent Twittering from Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WQYK-AM 1010, who says he’s got a trusted source telling him Carl Nicks and Cortland Finnegan are front and center on the Bucs’ radar. Pawlowski elaborated a bit on his website, CommishOnline.com.

Now Joe’s a pal of The Commish, who worked on the Buccaneers Radio Network last season. Hell, Joe even shared an icy beverage with The Commish last week. So Joe feels comfortable sharing this, since The Commish does not throw around BS to see what sticks.

Joe’s all in favor of bringing on Nicks. You want to run the ball and be physical? That’s your guy, a gargantuan young All-Pro left guard. Those types almost never hit the free agent market.

And obviously, with no word on Ronde Barber, and Aqib Talib being, well, Aqib Talib, the Bucs are practically forced to buy a cornerback.

Day 1 will be interesting. Joe’s enjoying the drama.

With 24 hours to go until the gun sounds starting the NFL free agent dash, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, who has all but said he will go free agent shopping this year, which pleases the fantasy football crowd to no end, got some good news via NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell.

The rumors are flying about all sorts of Bucs transactions, namely wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The word on the street was that the Redskins were going to spend whatever it took to land Jackson, which of course would drive up the price for the Bucs.

Also today, Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune spoke with Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski of WQYK-AM 1010 saying Dominik is interested in Dallass back up tight end Martellus Bennett, brother of Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett.

But, as Cummings notes, Dallass owner Jerry Jones, like Redskins owner Danny Snyder, never met a check he wouldn’t sign for a player, so acquiring Bennett could be costly.

Not any more. Joe’s not sure of the exact rule because salary cap caca bores the hell out of him; Goodell told Jones and Snyder not to spend a boat load of cash last year prior to the asinine lockout. But they did. So Goodell has slapped the Redskins and Cowboys $38 million and $10 million in salary cap space, respectively.

So don’t expect Jones to make a run at their backup tight end. And now Snyder and Bruce Almighty won’t have the cash to get into a bidding war with Jackson.

Somewhere, Joe can picture Dominik leaning back in his leather office chair, wingtip shoes propped up on his desk, cigar lit and sipping on a glass of cognac with a wide smile on his face.

A couple of days ago, Joe was sure Bucs fans had seen the last of Kregg Lumpkin in red and pewter.

However, veteran Bucs beat scribe Woody Cummings, of The Tampa Tribune, has unearthed word today that Lumpkin might return to Tampa Bay. It seems the Bucs didn’t give Lumpkin a restrticted free agent tender but aren’t ready to part ways.

Lumpkin’s agent, Hadley Engelhard, said the Bucs have expressed a desire to retain Lumpkin but decided against tendering him. Engelhard said Lumpkin will test the market but hopes to remain in Tampa.

Cummings also Tweeted the Bucs potentially would want Lumpkin to serve in a reserve back/third-down back role.

This tells Joe that Lumpkin’s play on special teams looks pretty good and Team Schiano/Dominik wouldn’t mind bringing Lumpkin back as quality training camp fodder. Joe will hope there are no higher hopes for Lumpkin.

Evan Silva of ProFootballTalk.com writes moments ago that fans should look for Jeff Faine to be released in the coming hours.  

Sports director David Pingalore of the Orlando CBS-TV affiliate is Tweeting that the Bucs center/captain/busy entrepreneur will be released today.

Joe’s heard all this may be inaccurate. So stay tuned.

However, once before Faine believed he was wronged by the media and sent an open letter to the St. Pete Times. So perhaps a statement from Faine is forthcoming.

If Faine is gone, Joe knows he won’t be eating Saltines and anchovies.

Outside of the Peyton Manning circus, the most expensive guy in free agency likely will be Vincent Jackson, the soon-to-be former Chargers receiver who is a true No. 1 receiver/deep threat in his prime.

The Bucs could use a guy like that.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has said in various ways that the Bucs need to do more for Josh Freeman. Of course, those could have been references to coaching and playcalling, but it also could mean buying Freeman a proven weapon. And the latter is on the way if you believe a report last night in the Chicago Sun Times.

Reporter Sean Jensen has a source telling him the Bucs are ready to blitz Jackson with what surely will be a longterm, $10 million+ annual deal with lots of guarantees.

The Bears, Bucs and Redskins are thought to be the most aggressive bidders for two-time Pro Bowl receiver Vincent Jackson. According to a league source, the Bucs have the inside track to land Jackson, with the Bears among the serious suitors who might come up short.

What makes this so intriguing is the Bucs potentially battling the Redskins and Danny Snyder in a spending showdown — Team Glazer vs. Snyder, Bruce Allen vs. Dominik.

The Bucs’ salary-cap well is deeper, and one would think Freeman would be a more attractive quarterback than any rookie the Redskins will trot out there next season.

If Jackson actually visits Washington, Joe wonders if Team Snyder will let Raheem Morris have a little talk to Jackson about Tampa Bay.

Bucs fans likely will have nightmares for years to come after watching the Bucs’ ghastly defense last season, specifically during the grotesque 10-game losing streak to end the season, resulting in Raheem Morris being jettisoned from One Buc Palace.

Just about any linebacker or any secondary player would be an upgrade for the Bucs, especially if Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib are not available.

This leads Bradenton Herald columnist Alan Dell to believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will target a cornerback in free agency. Though the fans are pining for Cortland Finnegan of the Titans or perhaps Brandon Carr of the Chiefs, Dell believes Dominik may land another corner.

That would be Carlos Rogers of the 49ers.

There are plenty of top notch free agent cornerbacks available, including San Francisco 49ers Carlos Rogers who was passed over last year by the Bucs when he was on the market from Washington. He had perhaps the best year of his career last season and could provide instant relief for Tampa’s wounded secondary.

Rogers is 30 years old. His age might preclude teams from signing him to a long term deal, which should make him more appealing to Tampa, especially if Barber does not return. His six interceptions tied for third highest among CBs.

Now that is an angle Joe hadn’t considered: Rogers could be had for a short-term contract, thus lessens the blow if he is a bad signing.

Rogers, Finnegan, Carr, Joe doesn’t care at this point so long as one of the three suits up for the Bucs next season. Otherwise, Drew Brees, Matty Ice and Cam Newton should have field days racking up yards and touchdowns on the Bucs’ secondary.

Set your watches: the stampede for free agents begins at 4 p.m. sharp tomorrow.

FOX NFL writer and NFL Radio talking head Alex Marvez envisions the Bucs making a play for Pierre Garcon

Bucs fans remember Pierre Garcon. He’s the guy that embarassed Aqib Talib last season with two receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns on Monday Night Football in Tampa.

“Pierre Garcon ain’t no slouch,” Talib told eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune after the Bucs beat the Colts that night.

Well, Alex Marvez, the FOXSports.com analyst who seems to have been the first to know everything the Bucs have done this offseason says he sees Garcon as a prime target for the Bucs in free agency.

Marvez, also an SiriusXM NFL Radio host, was asked on The End Zone today what he thought the Bucs would do out of the gate when the free agency bell rings Tuesday.

“Pierre Garcon to me makes a lot of sense,” Marvez said quickly. ” He provides a speed element of what they don’t have down in Tampa.”

Now whether Marvez has some insider info., Joe has no clue. But Marvez was way ahead of the curve on the Bucs coaching hires over the past several weeks.

Of course, Garcon, entering his fifth season, also seems to fit the Bucs’ yungry goals. Plus he’s got playoff experience, and if he could have a strong season with Curtis Painter throwing him the ball, that says something good to Joe.

Interestingly, Marvez said if Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib return, and the Bucs grab a good free agent cornerback, that the team would have to strongly consider Trent Richardson with the fifth overall pick. Marvez likened LeGarrette Blount to Brandon Jacobs and said there’s no reason Blount and Richardson couldn’t co-exist and be very successful in the offense Greg Schiano will install.

To further a theme Joe put out earlier, Marvez thinks QB Ryan Tannehill will rocket up the draft board and make things interesting at the top of the draft.

When Gerald McCoy was lost for the season, the play of the Bucs defensive tackles wilted.

On a slow, sunny spring Sunday, the last thing Joe wants to do is get bogged down in statistical graffiti when it comes to football.

But one doesn’t need to be a stat geek to understand that the Bucs’ interior defensive line was one reason opposing running backs abused Bucs defenders like tackling dummies last season during the grotesque 10-game losing streak.

The spreadsheeters at ProFootballFocus.com have a breakdown on interior defensive linemen, and two Bucs who started last year, Brian Price and Roy Miller, were amid the bottom rung of defensive tackles.

Now part of the reason the Bucs’ rush defense collapsed is of course the poor (Joe’s being polite; it’s a Sunday after all) play of the linebackers. Matador tackling by cornerbacks didn’t help much either.

It’s no coincidence to Joe that when Gerald McCoy went down with an(other) arm injury after four starts, the rush defense progressively got worse.

For the Bucs’ run defense to remain stout, or improve, GMC will need to stay on the field.

What might a team offer to ensure it can draft Ryan Tannehill?

In case you’ve been disconnnected from all things NFL over the last day, the Rams traded the No. 2 overall pick in next month’s draft to the Redskins for their No. 6 overall pick and first-round picks in 2012 and 2013, plus this year’s second-round pick. It was a stunning deal that will let the Rams stockpile premium talent in a huge way.

So Joe must wonder, might the Bucs be propositioned with such a windfall for their No. 5 overall pick?

No team will cough up that kind of bounty. But after Joe listened to Charlie Casserly on SiriusXM NFL Radio this morning, Joe wouldn’t be stunned if someone makes an intriguing offer to the Bucs in order to move up and draft former Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill.

A former NFL general manager and front office excutive for a quarter century who now works for CBS Sports and NFL Radio, Casserly said he rates Tannehill as a better rookie prospect than Josh Freeman or Joe Flacco, both of whom he liked coming out of college.

Maybe the Dolphins don’t land Peyton Manning or Matt Flynn and dangle their No. 8 pick and a first-rounder in 2013 to the Bucs in order to ensure they grab Tannehill, assuming the Browns don’t grab him with the No. 4 pick? Perhaps the Browns package their second pick in the first round (22nd) to the Bucs with a host a second- and third-round picks?

Teams do crazy things to land potential franchise quarterbacks. Joe can’t rule out an offer coming the Bucs’ way.

Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is out in San Diego for the second consecutive offseason rehabilitating his bicep and training with renowned fitness guru Todd Durkin.

In this video, Durkin sits down with “The Dini,” as McCoy calls himself, to break down how McCoy is training full-time — as in eight-hour days — and McCoy makes it clear his goal is to win the NFL’s comeback player of the year award. Good training footage here, especially McCoy’s pilates instructor, one of those fitness dominatrix types.

Joe can sense from the giddiness/impatience of Bucs fans the past few days that they are eagerly awaiting the NFL free agent drive-thru window to open up next week.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik all but said he would go shopping for free agents. Many Bucs fans have taken this admission as Dominik will go all Danny Snyder and start filling the roster with big-name talents.

That’s much easier said than done for the Bucs. Sure, the weather here is awesome, and sure the Bucs’ field and facilities are top-notch. But is that enough to lure players here?

Not exactly, says ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas as this very subject came up in a recent NFC South chat.

Dr. H. Doofenshmirtz (Tri-State Area): I know it’s Florida and all, but do you think the Bucs might have a hard time getting free agents to sign there because of the huge step backwards they took last year, and the new coaching staff,etc.?

Pat Yasinskas: Well, I think Schiano will have to sell himself to free agents. But I think if he can do that, Bucs can impress free agents. Show them the facility, one of the nicest in league. Great grass field and stadium. Nice weather. And don’t underestimate this when you’re talking about millions of dollars — no state income tax.

Well, first off, Florida is hardly the lone state in the republic with no state income taxes. Tennessee, Texas and Washington have no state income tax as well. Combined, that’s seven NFL clubs that can use that selling point.

Players want to win first and foremost — the right players — and that is the paradox Dominik will find himself in next week. The Bucs are coming off a horrid 4-12 season with a new coach unproven on the NFL level.

To overcome those obstacles, Dominik will have to throw bags of money in the laps of prospective players to lure them to Tampa Bay.

Joe’s been waiting to see whether word of a restricted free agent tender offer to Kregg Lumpkin might trickle out this week.

And while BSPN reported the Bucs gave a tender offer to reserve tackle Demar Dotson and locked up LeGarrette Blount and Preston Parker to one-year, exclusive rights deals for 2012, there hasn’t been a peep about Lumpkin. With Micheal Bennett getting a fat tender offer, Lumpkin would be the Bucs’ only restricted free agent to be passed up.

Joe suspects Team Schiano took a look and Lumpkin’s 2011 film — he only had two carries entering last season — and figured they could do better, or should at least try. Rockstar general manager had high hopes for Lumpkin last season, but Lumpkin didn’t seem to be very good at much other than holding on to the football and staying healthy.

If Lumpkin’s out of the mix, then that leaves the Bucs with only two running backs on the roster: LeGarrette Blount and Moisses Madu. Free agent Earnest Graham still has months go in his recovery from a blown Achilles.

Obviously, the Bucs need to head into offseason training with at least a backup to Blount and a legitimate third down back. Joe’s not seeing how the Bucs don’t grab one rather quickly in free agency. It would be far too risky to hit the NFL Draft banking on drafting a running back without reaching for one.

There are plenty of names in the free agent market. Might the Bucs go old school and bring back Cadillac Williams or snatch LaDanian Tomlinson, who accepted the third-down back role with the Jets and was very effective as a receiver last year?

Might the Bucs shell out the for San Diego’s Mike Tolbert, who can pound it in short yardage and catch the ball? Benjarvus Green-Ellis has the versatility?  

Joe can’t imagine the Bucs not having a new running back not named Lumpkin by this time next week.

Aqib Talib, Ronde Barber and Cortland Finnegan in the Bucs secondary?

Davin Joseph likes the sound of that, so he told Tom Krasniqi on 1040 AM Thursday evening.

“I think he can really help us. There’s no doubt he’s a very talented individual,” Joseph said of Finnegan. “He’s the type of cornerback that we could use, especially with having receivers like Roddy White, Julio Jones and Steve Smith [in the division], and of course all the guys, you could name those guys off forever. He’s definitely be a guy that we could use right now. It’s going to help Aqib Talib. It’s going to help Ronde [Barber]. It’s going to help everybody because that standard is going to be lifted up, you know, of great play, of playmaking. Bringing a guy like that into our building is definitely going to help raise our game up.”

Joseph was very complimentary of Talib and called him a “good person” and said that’s the reason the Bucs have stuck with Talib through his various troubles and he doesn’t expect that to change. Joseph said, “I wouldn’t be so quick to pass judgment on him.”

To take a potential Bucs spending spree a step further, Joseph also said “it wouldn’t be a bad idea” if the Bucs signed All-Pro guard Carl Nicks, Joseph said he’d be a wonderful addition.

This surprised Joe a bit, since the Bucs offensive linemen are a tight-knit bunch and the signing of Nicks surely would cost Jeff Faine  an O-linemen his job.

The free agency bell rings in less than three days!

The Bucs have so many holes, it’s difficult at times for Joe to figure out which hole is most serious to fill with the No. 5 pick.

Cornerback, linebacker, wide receiver, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik could do no wrong going after either of these positions with the fifth overall selection.

That brings Joe to a question lobbed at Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune in a TBO Bucs Q&A recently about the Bucs perhaps giving up the first round pick for Pittsburgh restricted free agent Mike Wallace.

Q: Is is worth it to the Bucs to give a first-round draft pick and the money to get Mike Wallace from Pittsburgh? Is he the wideout the Bucs are looking for?

Ruben Acero, Tampa

A: The thing that Wallace brings is experience and in your scenario the Bucs would know exactly what they’re getting from an NFL standpoint. That makes the whole idea a viable option, because he would give the Bucs the speed element they’re looking for. If the Bucs believe that speed element is worth the fifth overall pick in the draft, they just may take a chance and offer Wallace a contract. Chances are, though, the Steelers would match the deal.

– Woody Cummings

As Joe stated above, there are any number of ways Dominik could go with the fifth overall pick. He could fill the greatest need available (as of today) and pick LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. He could go linebacker with Alabama’s Courtney Upshaw. He could go wide receiver with Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon.

But if Dominik was inclined to draft Blackmon at No 5, why not pull the trigger on Wallace? Unlike Blackmon, who Joe believes would be a fine player, why not go get a burner in Wallace who has already proven to be a top-flight receiver?

One concern Joe had led him to beg, plead with Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to draft cornerback Morris Claiborne with the No. 5 pick,  because Bucs legend Ronde Barber very well may retire.

That situation appears to be coming to a head in the next few days.

Per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Barber has been invited back to play for the Bucs this season.

@NFLSTROUD: Bucs GM Mark Dominik says he and coach Greg Schiano have met today with Ronde Barber and welcomed him back for a 16th season… However, Dominik said the Bucs respect Barber’s wish to take some time before making a decision.

Now it’s not a done deal Barber will be back. The ball is now in his proverbial court. What the Bucs offered him as far as a contract is unknown and that may be a factor.

Of course, nearly every cornerback this side of PacMan Jones seems like a model citizen when compared to Aqib Talib.

Joe gets why lots of Bucs fans would cheer if Talib was cut tomorrow. But then Joe looks at soon-to-be-free-agent cornerback Courtland Finnegan, who has a history of on-field anger issues. The guy was fined three times by Roger Goodell in 2010; one followed an ejection.

Sure, Finnegan hasn’t belted cabbies or swung deadly weapons at teammates, but the guy has black marks in his past. Plus he had a bizarre alleged contract holdout last season.

Then there’s the widely held knock on Finnegan that he’s only a slot cornerback.

Regardless, Finnegan is a good football player, and likely a heck of a lot better than Myron Lewis or E.J. Biggers, but Joe’s wondering whether he’s a character guy Greg Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik allegedly are seeking to emulate the new “Buccaneer Way.”

Those who hate Talib for being a loose cannon might find the same kind of guy in Finnegan if he joins the Bucs — and at three or four times the price.

Earnest Graham says the Bucs shouldn't be tempted to give up on LeGarrette Blount

One of the most hotly debated posts on JoeBucsFan.com this year was one this week that featured Bucs veteran Earnest Graham weighing in during a radio interview on the draft value of Alabama running back Trent Richardson. You can read the post here.

After 164 reader comments, some that trashed Graham’s takes, blasted his motives and questioned his football knowledge, Joe heard from No. 34, who wanted to offer up an education on running backs and more.

Joe will share the bulk of Graham’s excellent commentary later, but first Joe will deliver a take from Graham on LeGarrette Blount. It’s similar to the often unpopular drum Joe’s been pounding for months — that the Bucs already have a helluva back and don’t need to use the fifth overall pick on one.

Earnest Graham: The Bucs have LeGarrette Blount who I see being more committed under new staff. Remember that run in Green Bay? Do you see [Trent] Richardson doing that in the NFL? … Possibly. The point is the Bucs have a big strong, athletic back and of course the new guy is always tempting because he is the NEW GUY.

DEVELOP LEGARRETTE.

In my eight years I’ve seen a lot of new guys come and go. LeGarrette is a beast and by no stretch of the imagination is he NOT going to get carries if he is on the team. Very few guys can play on all three downs like Steven Jackson. LeGarrette may never. Looking around the league again is it ABSOLUTELY crucial to have a three-down back? Nope. … But LeGarrette is young and it will come.

Very few guys come out the draft ready to protect the blitz packages of Gregg Williams and other top coordinators. It takes a while. There are plenty guys with the skillset to play on third down for the Bucs. They’ll find one and he needs to be experienced in protections as of NOW or you risk losing your franchise QB.

Again, Joe will have much more from Graham later. Really good stuff.

For now, Joe will beat the dead horse again for all the Richardson lovers. The Bucs have a young No. 1 running back with standout talent (yes he can catch the ball) and massive holes at other positions. Drafting Richardson with the fifth overall pick would make Joe bang his head against a wall.

Yesterday, Joe brought word of a local radio interview in which Tennessee free agent cornerback Cortland Finnegan said if somehow Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik could land fellow free agents wide receiver Vincent Jackson of San Diego and middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch of Detroit, that Finnegan would be a shoo-in to join them on the Bucs.

“Sign me up,” Finnegan exclaimed.

It seems Finnegan is trying to do his part with Jackson.

Twittering yesterday, Yahoo! Sports columnist Jason Cole reported that Finnegan was hounding Jackson by text to join him with his new team.

Cole believes that new team is the Bucs.

@JasonColeYahoo: Cortland Finnegan has been texting VJax in hopes of recruiting him to CF’s next team, which is looking like Tampa.

Now if these two can just work on Tulloch.

Finnegan made no secret of his feelings toward the Bucs, and they were all positive. Now we all know that teams cannot talk to or otherwise openly discuss prospective free agents (wink, wink), but that doesn’t stop players from talking with one another.

So if Finnegan is coming to Tampa Bay, he’s helping the Bucs get a step ahead of other teams by going out and doing Dominik’s work for him before Dominik or any Bucs representative can recruit a free agent.

Locking up Finnegan, Jackson and Tulloch, and all of a sudden you are talking about a swift, instant upgrade.

The latest in the Aqib Talib saga seems so preposterous Joe almost feels stupid writing about it. But it is about formerly helmet-wielding, cabbie-slugging, allegedly gun-toting Talib, so how could Joe ignore it?

Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune is reporting a Tampa woman filed a civil suit against Talib for $15,000 claiming she and Talib had a car accident and she suffered physical injuries and emotional distress related to him threatening that he’d “put a cap in” her at the scene. The accident allegedly happned in December 2010.

Ready for the punch line? There’s no police report on the incident to be found. (See update below).

Tampa police have no accident report from the alleged altercation and couldn’t verify that a traffic accident occurred on that date when contacted Thursday by The Tampa Tribune.

Joe can only imagine what this lady would be suing Talib for if he threw in a few fat-ass jokes or called her a ho.

Joe will serve up more on the legal aspects of this case tomorrow.

UPDATE via ProFootballTalk.com: Talib’s laywer has released a statement.

“Fifteen months ago, on December 9, 2010, Aqib Talib was involved in a very minor traffic accident involving Betty Atwood,” Reisinger said.  “Ms. Atwood placed a 911 call to report the accident, and was also interviewed by police at the scene of the accident.  At no time during the 15 months since the accident has Ms. Atwood ever reported this alleged statement to the police.  Further, we have witness statements confirming that Aqib never made a statement of this nature toward Ms. Atwood.   Following the accident, Ms. Atwood discovered that Aqib played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  In order to leverage a substantial monetary settlement, she concocted a tale to increase her alleged damages.  Aqib is evaluating his legal options with respect to this false allegation.  Aqib is confident that once all of the facts are known, this matter will be resolved favorably and in an expeditious fashion.”

Joe stands behind the assertion in the headline that this is a bizarre money grab. It’ll be interesting to see the details as they trickle out. And Joe will have more tomorrow on the legal aspects of this case.

A guy reported to be on the radar of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and certainly in the cross-hairs of Bucs fans, Tennessee cornerback Cortland Finnegan, phoned in to Tom Krasniqi yesterday on WHBO-AM 1040 to discuss the NFL and in particular, the Bucs.

Finnegan did nothing to douse the flames of Bucs fans howling for Dominik to land Finnegan.

Tom Krasniqi: Pretty sure this team will ring your phone on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They have the most money to spend in salary cap room, they need a cover corner. Supposedly they are interested in your services. Would you be interested, would you be open to playing for the Buccaneers?

Cortland Finnegan: [Laughs] Absolutely. I am open to playing with any team in the NFL. I will say Ronde Barber, for me, is a guy I have always looked up to. He has played the game at its highest level. To me, a Hall of Famer. He’s just one of those guys that it is awesome just to have played on the same field as him and to have met him. So absolutely, Tampa Bay has a ton of young talent. They have a great general manager there, a new coach, it seems like it would be a great place.

If that doesn’t whet the appetite of Bucs fans, Finnegan went on to rattle off young Bucs players who he believes are on the cusp of something special and singled out Gerald McCoy, Josh Freeman, Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams. Later, Finnegan said he prefers to play for a disciplinarian of a coach, which Greg Schiano is reported to be.

“For a defensive coach, discipline is big,” Finnegan said. “I like the general. If he says to do it this way, then I will do it that way.”

Finnegan also professed how he is close friends with San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson and Detroit middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch. If Dominik would somehow be able to lure both Jackson and Tulloch to Tampa Bay, Finnegan, who said he enjoys Florida weather, boasted, “Sign me up!”