Good guy Stephen Holder discusses the fate of Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow in this St. Petersburg Times video. Holder seems to imply there is much to be concerned about given the fact Winslow likely won’t play in any preseason game due to his ailing knee.

Learning of Sabby Piscitelli speaking out today in a big way about his “demotion,” as the Bucs’ defensive mastermind/head coach called it yesterday, reminded Joe of one of his favorite Star Trek moments.

That was when the evil Khan (Ricardo Montalban) stares down tough guy Captain Kirk, raises his eyebrow and says, “Have we a ram among the sheep?”

Sabby publicly questioned the integrity of his competition with Sean Jones and moaned about how he was advised of the demotion, per Tampa Tribune veteran beat scribe Woody Cummings.

 It was a shot directed squarely at the head coach.

What little Piscitelli said on the matter didn’t sit well with Bucs coach Raheem Morris. One day after saying Jones won the job because he was the more physical player in practice and preseason games, Morris suggested Piscitelli’s approach to the competition might have played a role in his losing it.

“If he thinks that way then that’s probably why he didn’t get it,” Morris said of he starting job. “I think you go out there and you do your very best at everything you do. That’s Sabby’s problem at this point. Again, that’s Sabby’s problem, not mine.”

Joe can’t recall any other active Buccaneers player speaking out against the current regime, in this case essentially blasting the manhood and integrity of his head coach, who quite clearly said multiple times the Jones-Piscitelli competition was a fair battle among men.

Can this be tolerated from a player who stinks, a second-round pick that can’t start in his fourth season?

Joe suspects not. Joe thinks it would send a heck of a message to send this “ram” out to pasture.

If, by chance, the Bucs were trying to light a fire under Sabby’s rear end by releasing a mid-preseason depth chart showing Sabby on the bench, well, consider the goal accomplished.

Good guy Stephen Holder, of the St. Petersburg Times, filed a very brief, two-paragraph missive earlier this afternoon detailing that Sabby is outraged that he was demoted, claiming, in so many words, it was a set up that he is no longer the starter (allegedly).

Sabby Piscitelli appeared frustrated Wednesday, one day after losing his starting safety spot to free agent Sean Jones, saying he doesn’t believe it was a fair competition.

Holder went on to write that part of the fuel that has angered Sabby is that he was alerted to the news by text.

If that is true, Joe believes Sabby may have a valid reason to be steamed. Kinda cold to learn you’ve been (allegedly) benched by text.

As Joe has stated before, perhaps Joe is too cynical, but he will put more weight into a depth chart that is released after Labor Day Weekend.

UPDATE:  Per Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, normally affable Bucs coach Raheem Morris seemed irked by the suggestion from Sabby that the fix was in.

“If he thinks that way then that’s probably why he didn’t get it,” Morris said of he starting job. “I think you go out there and you do your very best at everything you do. That’s Sabby’s problem at this point. Again, that’s Sabby’s problem, not mine.”

In his news conference yesterday, the Bucs’ defensive mastermind/head coach made mention of rookie Cody Grimm flying around and delivering good hits from the safety position.

It made Joe realize he left positive feedback on Grimm in his notebook on Saturday night.

Watching Grimm, it’s obvious he has a PhD in angles. Whereas Sabby Piscitelli is operating like, say, an untrained farm animal in that aspect of the game. Grimm certainly evokes thoughts of John Lynch, but they’re just happy thoughts, of course.

Joe doubts Grimm has the raw physical talent to be a great safety in the NFL, and right now he may not even be more valuable to the Bucs than reserve safety/special teams ace Corey Lynch, but Grimm sure looks like a football player.  

As many of Joe’s loyal readers know, he’s not into fantasy football. Rachel Watson is another story. In this BSPN video, some dude Joe never heard of before prattles about what Josh Freeman, Mike Williams, Kellen Winslow and Cadillac Williams mean to fantasy football types.

Frankly, Joe’s more interested in Molly Qerim.

Boy, it’s confusing sometimes to be a Bucs fan.

The regime publicly cherishes youth yet now comes out and trumpets Keydrick Vincent’s 10-year resume as a massive intangible and among the reasons he’s the starter over Jeremy Zuttah at left guard.

Joe could understand if Raheem Morris just flat out said Zuttah (6-4, 308) is too small to be a starting guard in the NFL, or even too weak. But the head coach isn’t saying that about his 24-year-old, third-year man.

Here’s what the defensive mastermind/head coach had to say during his Tuesday news conference:

“I think Vincent provides us a more physical presence on that left side to run the football. What Zuttah did in this preseason, if you go back to watch tape now, is pretty good. You know he was locked on blocks, he’s sticking on blocks. It’s just the bigger man, that’s been in this league for 10 years,” Morris said.

“You know we’re not talking about a guy we picked up on free agency off the street. We’re talking about a guy who’s played in this league for 10 years, played under some great coaches, you know, from Hall of Famers and everything else.And been on football teams that have run the ball consistently well that he’s going to be able to give to us. And he’s going to be able to teach, you know, Zuttah something. You know Zuttah’s turn will come around again. Zuttah is a third-year player, I believe. Don’t kill me if I’m wrong. But he’s a third-year player that’s played a lot of football. Started a whole season last year. Started four games the year before. And really came in here and just given everything thing he’s got. He’s got a chance to still get better.”

So the head coach loves Vincent’s size, physicality, age and experience.

And now the rebuilding Bucs have a 24-year-old guard with 20 starts, who the head coach says looks good on film, gives his all and can still improve, with his butt on the bench in favor of a 32-year-old on his fifth team. How exactly will that help build a “lasting contender?”

Joe might have an easier time swallowing this if the head coach just came out and said Vincent looked much better in the preseason games and in practice and won the job.

For now, it feels like Vincent’s resume and measurements got him the job. Joe thought the Bucs and Mark Dominik weren’t rolling in that direction.

Despite what Adam Schein may say, it seems the rave reviews about Bucs rookie wide receiver Mike Williams continue to grow.

Thought by many to have first-round talent but fifth-round intangibles, Bucs general manager Mark Dominik and his troops turned up every rock and searched around each corner looking for trouble in Williams’ past. They could not find any.

The word of Williams’ skills continues to grow far outside the Tampa Bay area. Take Adam Caplan for example. Schein’s colleague at both Sirius NFL Radio and FoxSports.com, Caplan Twittered last night that Dominik very well may have engaged in highway robbery to land Williams.

@1superfly1: cap, who is the odd receiver out in TB?

@caplannfl: If Mike Williams stays on the right path, they will have a major steal.

So we’re just now halfway through training camp and already national pundits are beginning to wax poetic about Williams. Joe’s actually getting excited just reading these missives.

Generally Joe puts a halt on Tuesday with chatter from the previous game. This is an exception. Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net offers his take on the Bucs win in this video, which Joe learned was uploaded late last night.

Yesterday, Joe’s very own site was buzzing with speculation that face-stomping defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth might still be a fit for the Bucs.

As one might imagine, Steve White had an opinion about this.

The former Bucs defensive end who writes a weekly “Bull Rush” column for Joe put fingertips to keyboard and banged out what he thought of such a move, should Bucs general manager Mark Dominik be so inclined.

In short, White believes the Bucs should avoid Haynesworth like the Ebola virus.

And seeing as how the fact remains that even if Haynesworth was to come in here with a cape on and be super defensive end guy we probably wouldn’t be contending for the playoffs, what exactly would be the motivation to bring him in? So he could poison the rest of our young defensive line with his me first attitude?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not even just talking about the situation with Shanahan where I feel like there is a helluva lot of blame to go around. I’m saying try to google an article where a teammate had good things to say about Haynesworth as a leader. You won’t find it. A decent player at times? Yes. A leader though? Hell no. Its not something he has ever done but I guess maybe Mark Dominik was just joking around when he talked about how he wanted to build this team with youth and character.

So he doesn’t fit scheme wise, attitude wise, or compensation wise. But hey, other than that he’s PERFECT!

Joe knows that Dominik is trying to build a team with character. Hell, he could have had Santonio Holmes for a throwaway fifth round pick and he passed. How many elite wide receivers with Super Bowl rings in the prime of their careers are there available for a fifth round pick? One, Holmes.

So if Dominik wasn’t going to nibble at that bait at a position the Bucs — at the time — had a whole the size of the Grand Canyon, then Dominik likely wouldn’t bring in Haynesworth to play mother hen to Gerald McCoy and Brian Price.

Rick Stroud and good guy Stephen Holder infer that Bucs general manager Mark Dominik has found his knack for choosing free agents in this St. Petersburg Times video. Their conclusion is based on the recent news that free agents Keydrick Vincent and Sean Jones will start over incumbents left guard Jeremy Zuttah and strong safety Sabby.

This video also suggests someone forgot a tripod. Joe thinks he needs a Bonine.

The Bucs’ defensive mastermind/head coach dropped the “D” word on Sabby Piscitelli and Jeremy Zuttah at his afternoon news conference today.

Both have been “demoted,” stripped of the starting jobs they held last year and replaced by free agents Sean Jones and Keydrick Vincent, respectfully. “That’s how we would like to start the season,” the head coach said. “It’s tough at first. Nobody wants to be demoted.”

The only explanation given was that Jones and Vincent are more physical.

After saying he had to “fix” Piscitelli this offseason, the defensive mastermind/head coach apparently couldn’t get it done.

Zuttah will no doubt serve as the No. 1 backup at most positions along the O-line. Joe’s still very curious about the Vincent-Zuttah swap. Joe just hasn’t seen how Vincent proved he was better, and the head coach even said what Zuttah has put on film this preseason has been excellent.

Perhaps this situation will get some clarity now that Vincent is on the first-team line.

Joe had high hopes for guard Jeremy Zuttah.

Two years ago as a rookie, filling in for an injured Davin Joseph at right guard to start the season, not once during a game did anyone hear Zuttah’s name called during a Bucs TV/radio broadcast.

For an offensive lineman, there can be no higher honor.

Then last year after Arron Sears left the team, Zuttah filled in for him at left guard. Though the Bucs have not spoken publicly about Zuttah, one man is of the belief that the Bucs may have soured on Zuttah.

eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune believes Zuttah will remain on the bench when the Bucs open the season against Cleveland. This is what Kaufman wrote via the TBO Bucs Twitter feed.

LG Jeremy Zuttah showed TB little during two preseason games. Keydrick Vincent will work between Donald Penn and Jeff Faine.

It’s Joe’s belief that Zuttah just might be better cut out for working the right side of the ball. Bad thing for Zuttah is, Joseph is entrenched and is going nowhere any time soon.

Joe sort of sells advertising the same way he writes; Joe puts it all on the table.

Prospective advertisers decide whether they want to buy ads here or pay much, much, much more somewhere else. It’s really that simple.

If you’re a business owner, and you’re wondering how to expand your business through the end of 2010, Joe’s got some solutions for you.

Look around. The companies advertising here are savvy and reputable, and they are seasoned advertising buyers. In other words, they wouldn’t be cutting Joe a check every month if they were flushing the money down the toilet.

That about sums it up.

If you’ve got a few grand collecting dust and want to expose your business to about 1.5 million readers through football season and the baseball playoffs – here and at JoeRaysFan.com – e-mail Joe at joe@JoeBucsFan.com.

Michael Bennett, No. 71, is in the mix on the Bucs' D-line.

Joe’s not hiding that one of his favorite players is defensive end Michael Bennett. The guy is a mad talent, and Joe was very impressed and surprised at his inside rush on Saturday.

JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve White, a former Bucs defensive end, also had big praise for Bennett out of Saturday’s game in his can’t-miss Bull Rush column.

He had one play when he was really physical with the tight end and destroyed him on a base block that was just impressive as hell to me. He also looks a lot more comfortable rushing inside than I thought he would at his size.

Bennett stands out from the other left ends in one important respect. He appears to be able to speed rush from the left side, which none of the rest of them seem to do well on a consistent basis.

In a recent feature by Tom Balog, of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Bucs’ D-line coach Todd Wash had an awful lot of good things to say about Bennett.

At 6-foot-4, Bennett has the ability to play all over the line, and the Bucs have moved him from inside tackle to even some linebacker.

What Tampa Bay wants to see is more consistency from the 24-year-old from Texas A&M.

“To be honest with you, he’s a freak of an athlete,” defensive line coach Todd Wash said. “He can make plays that other guys can’t make. I can see the potential he has, he just has to get the whole playbook and get a grasp of it. Once he does that, he’s going to continue to make his splash plays as well as the plays he’s supposed to make.”

Joe recommends you read the whole piece. Bennett, who was undrafted last year, talked about how he thought he was a first-round material, among other stuff.

At 24-years-old, Bennett’s not the kind of talent the Bucs can afford to toss aside.

Joe wants to give a hearty thank you to his partners at WDAE-AM 620. Today, Joe took to the airwaves there on The Ron and Ian Show after 11 a.m.

Joe talked all things Buccaneers, from ticket sales, to defense, to a large-breasted woman selling her season ticket parking pass just south of the stadium on Saturday. Even a little JoeRaysFan.com chatter was on the table.

Sports fans stuck behind a computer can listen to WDAE all day online at 620WDAE.com. 

One of the few free agent pick ups in the offseason was safety Sean Jones. Bucs general manager Mark Dominik wanted Jones to push Sabby.

Monday, the Bucs released a depth chart that has Jones ahead of Sabby. Thing is, Joe doesn’t put much stock in that depth chart. It’s still August, remember.

Show Joe the depth chart after Labor Day Weekend and Joe will start believing.

Woody Cummings and Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune debate who will win the starting gig between Jones and Sabby in this spirited TBO.com Bucs vlog.

You know him. You love him. He’s Adam Schein of FoxSports.com and Sirius NFL Radio. In this FoxSports.com video, Schein takes a look at the Bucs in 2010. Hint: Schein likes what Mark Dominik did in the draft. 

Bucs fans, Joe has some somber new to pass along.

It seems Jeff Garcia will not make a return trip to the Bucs in their potential time of need with Josh Freeman missing at least two weeks with a fractured tip of his right thumb.

That also means you-know-who will not grace the Bucs’ sidelines any time soon.

In pinch-hitting Monday for the stomach flu-ridden Raheem Morris, Bucs general manager Mark Dominik mentioned how the Bucs may be looking at adding another quarterback in the interim.

Initially, Dominik was asked about adding another quarterback, and Dominik noted if he did go that route — he didn’t rule it out, nor did he say he would make such a move — it would be a younger quarterback.

Then Dominik was asked point-blank if he would be interested in Garcia.

Dominik, in a word, said, “No.”

"Dear Bruce, I've always appreciated your steadfast belief in me through all those hard times when Coach Gru didn't understand me."

Joe was flabbergasted listening to veteran Bucs beat writer Roy Cummings tell 770 AM in Fort Myers that notorious facestomper Albert Haynesworth could possibly wear pewter and red this year and, even better, possibly come to the Bucs from Washington for Michael Clayton.

Yes, that Michael Clayton, the wide receiver with iconic blocking prowess and a bloated contract. 

Speaking late Monday on the Miller & Moulton Show, Cummings was tossed a specific question about Haynesworth having any value for the Bucs as a defensive end, and Cummings was quick to say Haynesworth could make the Bucs a better team and Redskins general manager Bruce Allen likely is obsessed with Clayton.

Miller & Moulton: Albert Haynesworth is two years and $9 million total for this year and next year, and he clearly wants to play defensive end in a 4-3. And when he’s motivated and playing defensive end in a 4-3, or even tackle but moves to end in pass rushing situations, he is a force. Does that make any sense at all [for the Bucs]?. …It’s a need. He’ll be motivated. Does that make any sense at all?

Roy Cummings: It makes a great deal of sense and here’s why: Don’t forget. The Buccaneers were the team that offered Albert Haynesworth more money than anybody else in the NFL last year. A lot of people forget that – conveniently want to ignore that fact. … You know what, I think it makes all kinds of sense. It’s a ballsy move. I don’t know if he’s going to do it. They do want to be young here more than anything. But you know what, if Stylez White can’t wake up in these last two preseason games and show them what he’s got, why not? Go give it a shot. I mean, money really is not an issue. People don’t want to believe that here. Everybody, you know, on your end of things here in Tampa Bay wants to keep talking about money here and money there and how much the Glazers are or are not spending. I can tell you right now, if they think can get Albert Haynesworth, and it ends up becoming a wash in terms of what the payroll is, they’ll do it. And they’ll go out and get him. And you know what, he’ll make the team a better football team in a hurry.

Miller & Moulton: The Redskins have an obvious need at wide receiver. Then who knows? Maybe they can do [Michael] Clayton for Haynesworth straight up?

Cummings: Well, it might happen. … And let’s not forget, Bruce Allen drafted Michael Clayton. … One thing Bruce Allen will always do as an NFL general manager is try to prove that many mistakes he’s made as a general manager were not mistakes at all. He’s not good at what he does. And he makes a situation worse by trying to constantly prove that he did not make a mistake in drafting this guy in the first round, second round, third round, … I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do it again.

Cummings sure dropped a lot of juicy bombs there. And now we all know he won’t won’t be getting a Christmas card from Allen.

Joe can’t fathom the Bucs making a play for Haynesworth. The guy’s got more baggage than Tampa International on the day after Thanksgiving. However, dumping Clayton’s contract might be an incentive, and Haynesworth surely would sell his share of tickets and generate all kinds of buzz. And he’s only 29 years old.

Maybe Mark Dominik really is interested?

If the Bucs did consider giving up on Stylez White as a starter and using Haynesworth as their No. 1 right end, Joe suspects that wouldn’t make the Bucs a better team.

But since his head coach is a defensive mastermind schooled in the fine art of leading violent young men to greatness, Dominik might be motivated to roll the dice on Haynesworth.

Veteran St. Petersburg Times sports columnist Gary Shelton discusses in this video what the injury to Josh Freeman means in the long run.

Aside from the obvious scare of losing starting quarterback Josh Freeman for who knows how many weeks, the next thought that likely shot through Bucs fans’ minds was how well can Josh Johnson play.

The “career backup” didn’t look much like a starter when he started four games last year after replacing Byron Leftwich. And Johnson continued to play like the moniker Raheem Morris labeled him with last year.

Saturday, coming off the bench for Freeman, Johnson may have had his best game as a Bucs quarterback. Sure, it was a preseason game, but still, Johnson was sharp.

Fear not, says Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson, who told Anwar Richardson, of the Tampa Tribune, that he has a mental bond with Johnson.

Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson says he’s convinced Johnson can lead his team in Freeman’s absence.

“Being around the guy for the last two years, I feel as comfortable with him, well, to be honest with you, probably more comfortable with him, the mental part of it, than Free (Freeman), just because of us being together,” Olson said.

Olson’s confidence stems from becoming Johnson’s quarterback coach after the 2008 draft. Johnson did not appear in any games as a rookie, but Olson worked with him after most practices that season to further his development. Olson was typically Johnson’s receiver after practice as they worked together.

If Johnson can continue to play the way he did Saturday night, the Bucs should be OK until Freeman’s thumb is OK.