Joe loves Bucs running back Doug Martin like the next guy. What’s not to like? Cool dude. Great back. Can catch, and oh, can he run.

The perfect package.

Well, maybe not so. Joe has already touched upon Martin’s bangs to the head, which should be concerning if not worrisome. The way the NFL cracks down on concussions, and how Buffalo Bills quarterback Kevin Kolb may have had his checkered career finished because of concussions, hits to the head are not to be trifled.

Add to that the fact that — with rare exceptions — running backs simply don’t last long in the NFL, Joe wholeheartedly agrees with the very likely possibility Martin, a Pro Bowl running back, won’t touch the ball in the Bucs’ preseason finale with the Redskins Thursday.

Martin seems to be OK with that, as he talked about playing and not playing today.

“I practice full speed, I practice [at] game speed and that’s all I need,” Martin said. “The starters aren’t going to play, so we’ll ease our way into the regular season and get this season going.”

It would be a criminal waste of felony proportions if the Bucs were to use Martin Thursday night and he got his bell rung. Again. There is simply no logical reason Martin should touch the ball Thursday night, unless he is fetching a loose ball for a ball boy.

If Martin goes down for any length of time, folks, this Bucs squad will be in a world of hurt.

You can get a great feel for Mike Williams’ sense of humor by listening to this audio below, via 620wdae.com.

Williams, who Joe talked to after this take below, did everything he could today to advise media to let Bucs fans know they shouldn’t worry about the Bucs offense. The preseason offense is so vanilla, Williams said, that it’s just not worth the scrutiny.

If the offense is this bad against the Jets, then by all means complain, Williams said.

Yes, there was a reason to smile watching the Bucs against the Dolphins on Saturday night; Davin Joseph was on the field, a year removed from a heinous blown knee and the subsequent surgery.

Joseph didn’t look so great out there, but his presence was more important than his play. He emerged healthy and was a full participant in today’s practice, which several players characterized as “extra physical.”

In the locker room, Joseph was asked to grade his Saturday performance on a scale of 1-to-10. Joseph gave himself “about a six.” That was a little higher than the poor grade former Bucs guard Ian Beckles gave Joseph yesterday.

Joseph said his knee is 100 percent and he expects to be firing on all cylinders on opening day.

So how’s All-Pro guard Carl Nicks dealing with a scary staph infection in his foot?

Greg Schiano said today that Nicks is progressing. But Davin Joseph took it a step further, telling Joe that Nicks is at One Buc Palace daily doing what he can to recover and prepare, though not yet practicing.

“You see him coming in every day. He has a purpose about him,” Joseph said.

Joseph stressed that he and his teammates have been telling Nicks to not rush and take whatever time/means necessary to return healthy.

This is good news. Joe was unsure whether Nicks was laid up with his foot elevated and unable to do anything, or whether he was up and about and doing something.

If Nicks comes back healthy in Week 6, after the Bucs’ Week 5 bye week, Joe would consider that a blessing.

Yes, the Bucs will get down to the 75-man roster today, officially, and then whittle down to the final 53-man roster next week.

One would think wide receiver Tiquan Underwood is safe. A nagging injury to Chris Owusu and Kevin Ogletree having a bad case of the dropsies in games, has pretty much cemented for a job for Underwood with the Bucs this season.

Underwood isn’t taking a chance. The fact the Bucs cut him last year is still fresh in his memory. Thus, Thursday’s preseason finale against the Redskins is not a formality for Underwood.

“As a player, whenever you are playing in a game, No. 1, you try to get your job done,” Underwood said. “Just stay consistent. Thursday night’s game is no different than any other. Put your best foot forward and try not to make any mental errors. Win you one-on-one battles and go from there.”

This year, seemingly in an effort to upgrade the No. 3 wide receiver slot, the Bucs brought in competition, namely the aforementioned Ogletree, who joined Owusu. Underwood thought they helped improve his skillset.

“Competition is always good,” Underwood said. “It brings out the best in players. You just have to go out there and put out a good performance and let the decisions be made. Just go out there and play free.”

On face value, it could be tricky for Underwood against the Redskins, and not because of the future truck drivers of America he will be facing. Underwood is used to Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman throwing him passes, not backups like the hero of the Mike Glennon Mob, Mike Glennon, or Dan Orlovsky.

Underwood dismissed that notion.

“As a receiver it doesn’t matter who is throwing the ball,” Underwood said. “If the ball is in the air, make a play. Catch the ball. Doesn’t matter who is the quarterback, just go out there and play hard and play to the best of your ability.”

Showing his versatility, his ability to stay injury-free ,and his ability to catch when the lights are on, just may give Underwood an edge over Ogletree and Owusu, Joe believes.

But “The Turk,” who is looming, may have other ideas.

Bucs cornerback Danny Gorrer had surgery recently and the Greg Schiano acknowledged the position is thinning quickly

Bucs cornerback Danny Gorrer, who intercepted Joe Flacco in the preseason opener, had groin surgery, Greg Schiano revealed today. The timetable for Gorrer’s recovery is unclear.

On the heels of Anthony Gaitor being placed in injured reserve yesterday, the Bucs now have depth issues at cornerback.

“We had depth and now we don’t,” Schiano said during today’s afternoon news conference.

Joe followed up toSchiano to ask whether his depth concerns would affect a decision on Darrelle Revis possibly getting action in the preseason finale Thursday.

Schiano took time to clarify that the Bucs have depth at corner but they can’t afford another injury.

However one may choose to view the Bucs’ cornerback situation, they are depth-challenged at the position — for now.

There will be loads of corners hitting the market soon after teams cut down to their 53-man rosters. Remember, the Bucs found their opening-day nickel back, Brandon McDonald, on the street last year at this time.

As expected the Bucs-Redskins preseason finale will not be seen live across the Tampa Bay area, except by those in the seats on the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. 

The Bucs will not sell 85 percent of non-premium seats to prevent an NFL blackout by this evening. Feel free to buy a ticket at the box office or online. They’re running pretty cheap via the secondary market.

Joe has learned that WFLA-TV Channel 8 will broadcast the game on tape delay Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Trevor Scott opened Bucs fans eyes with three sacks on Saturday

The Bucs’ new sackmaster, veteran Trevor Scott, was a guy that impressed the Bucs during 2012 joint practices sessions between the Bucs and Patriots in Tampa. That was the word from Ronde Barber during the Bucs-Dolphins broadcast Saturday.

Scott proceeded to be an effective backup defensive end in New England, finishing with three sacks last season.

Scott entered free agency this season, but the Bucs didn’t bite. Why not?

Joe doesn’t know the answer. Adrian Clayborn was still in the middle of knee rehab in March, and Michael Bennett had left the building, and many folks, but not rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, were hoping the Bucs would go after a veteran pass rusher.

Regardless, the Bucs have Scott now. Only a Buccaneer for a week, Scott has managed to inject a little hope into the prospect of the Bucs having an average pass rush this season.

The quarterback mess in New York has reached epic proportions in Jets camp. Damn, what Jets fans wouldn’t do to have Josh Freeman!

Joe only cares about this circus because the Jets happen to play the Bucs in 12 short days. This SNY-TV video of Jets coach Rex Ryan getting grilled yesterday on all things QBs says it all. Enjoy.

You know how the four-letter draft analysts come around in the weeks leading up to the draft — you know the kind, like the fraud that got a grand total of two first round picks correct last spring — and talk about how players are rising or falling, despite the fact teams have their draft boards pretty much set?

Well, if one was to use the same jargon with rookies a little more than a week out from their first NFL regular season game, Bucs defensive tackle Akeem Spence is on the rise. And this is not fabricated news forced by orders from suits.

No, Bucs fans and scribes who watch a lot of Bucs football can see the rookie from Illinois blossoming on the football field. Dapper Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger writes about how Spence is showing up with his play but still has work to do.

The thing is, he’s gotten better each game starting beside Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy. Against Miami Saturday, Spence showed a burst and ability to penetrate. He was attacking and chasing and showing that the moment was not too big for him. While coach Greg Schiano has not named him a starter, it is no doubt who will start the regular season beside McCoy. “He’s definitely playing at a high level,” Schiano said. “I should say this — playing at a high level at times. he’s still an inconsistent rookie. The splash plays are what people see. Losing the A-gap is what you don’t see. That’s what I see. Getting cut on the backside and now all of a sudden one of those stretch runs (happen).”

Spence’s ability to do more than one thing is impressive. Sure, when Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik first let Roy Miller go, Joe was shocked because privately and publicly Bucs suits and coaches raved about Miller. So when the Bucs drafted Spence, Joe was dubious.

To see how Spence ran down a Dolphins ballcarrier in the flat — something you never saw Miller do — and as Brown pointed out, getting penetration, it appears Spence may be the steal of the Bucs’ 2013 draft.

Shaun King has no faith in Greg Schiano

Is it possible that the leader of the New Schiano Order, a man obsessed with details and preparation, has no plan in place to deal with the unexpected?

Former Bucs QB Shaun King thinks so.

The NBC Sports NFL analyst, and one of three QBs to lead the Bucs to the NFC title game, joined the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620 this morning as a guest host and explained the he believes the Bucs are a lacking guidance from the top.

“I don’t think the Bucs have a plan. I’ve been saying this. Mark Dominik does not have a plan. It’s not like he’s made picks and acquisitions saying, ‘Ok. This is going to happen, and this going to happen and we’re going to develop this guy while this guy is getting paid,'” King said. ” I don’t think Schiano has a plan. I don’t think he knows how to adjust when things aren’t going well. And I’ve said that from the beginning and I stand by that. And now, unfortunately because I was hoping I was wrong because I’m a Bucs fan, I’m starting to be proved absolutely correct.”

Now Joe must disagree on a level here. Dominik clearly operates off a detailed roadmap for the Buccaneers. Sure, one can question the value of Dominik’s plan over the past five years, but to say he doesn’t have one is silly. The Bucs are loaded with Grade A talent and salary cap room. Dominik doesn’t coach. He doesn’t put on pads. It’s not his fault Danny Gorrer can’t catch, Vincent Jackson couldn’t finish off a long touchdown run, and that Schiano defense couldn’t prevent Eli Manning from playing fantasy football.

As for Schiano’s ability to adjust to adversity and his overall plan, Joe believes the jury is still out on all that. Nobody knows whether Schiano is a good NFL game coach and a guy whose philosophies can produce winning football. Schiano did manage to right the Bucs ship and lead them to an impressive win in Atlanta to close the season. So that was a fantastic sign. (You can hear King’s full take below.)

Cornerback Anthony Gaitor was placed on the injured reserve list. The Bucs must trim their roster to the mandatory 75 by tomorrow.

The Bucs must cut their roster to the mandatory 75 by tomorrow and now unemployed players got the bad news today.

Joe is confident none of the names will jump out at you but two names that escaped the Grim Reaper by being put on the injuried reserve list were the captain of the 2012 inactive list, running back Michael Smith, and cornerback Anthony Gaitor.

The fate of both players was not unexpected.

Smith, drafted last year, was brought in mainly to be used as a return specialist. However, he could only return kicks and was not (or could not be) used elsewhere on special teams. In the waning days of training camp, Smith rarely took snaps with the second team, always a red flag.

Gaitor, with the addition of Darrelle Revis, Mike Adams and Johnthan Banks, was on the bubble when training camp began. With Revis looking to play against the Jets (at least at this point), Gaitor’s future with the Bucs was hanging by a thread.

(Don’t worry. The Bucs won’t bring back Nine Lives Myron Lewis.)

Veteran receiver Derek Hagan, who played under Mike Sullivan with the Giants, and veteran fullback Spencer Larsen, were cut, among others. No surprises there at all, but the cutting of Larsen could signal that Erik Lorig is getting healthy and/or the Bucs might be considering Peyton Hillis as a backup fullback.

OK, so Thursday night at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, the Bucs play their final preseason game of the season (yea!). Frankly, if it wasn’t Joe’s job and Joe was at home, Joe would watch Ole Miss at Vanderbilt. Preseason football is dreadful and the fourth game that features almost exclusively beer truck drivers and insurance claims adjusters is sad.

But Bucs commander Greg Schiano could liven up Thursday’s dreary game by playing superstar corner Darrelle Revis.

While future Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis is not Schiano, if Bettis were calling the shots (at about the 5:50 mark), he would want to see Revis take off his training wheels before the real bullets fly in the regular season, Bettis told Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic of the annoying “Mike and Mike Show.”

“I would want Darrelle Revis to get a little game speed. Just that. I don’t need him to tackle anybody. I just want him to stop and start on a dime a little bit in a game situation before Week 1. I want him to react a couple of times.”

It’s an interesting theory floated by Bettis. Just get used to game speed. But Joe wonders if Revis couldn’t be doing the same thing against Vincent Jackson in practice as opposed to some future high school math teacher with the Redskins?

But Joe can’t argue with Bettis’ core theory: If you are going to start Week 1 against the Jets, Revis better be ready for game speed because surely Jets coach Lou Albano will test Revis once or twice.

Tampa Bay Times Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud doesn’t hold back in his assessment of the Bucs’ preseason offense in this WDAE-AM 620 audio. “It’s been particularly bad,” Stroud said.

What makes this audio most fun is how the radio calls of Bucs play-by-play man Gene Deckerhoff are woven into the conversation to illustrate the troubles of Josh Freeman.

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Bad signs are coming from Davin Joseph, says former Bucs guard Ian Beckles.

Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996) was horrified by the Bucs’ offensive line play against the Dolphins on Saturday. Horrified!

Nearly every member of the line caught Beckles’ wrath this morning on the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620. (full audio below) Even returning Bucs stud guard Davin Joseph did not impress Beckles. A huge fan of Joseph, Beckles explained that he’s certain Joseph isn’t ready to play.

“He is not even close to being healthy. I played that same position and I watched him labor and really try to stay away from piles, so I don’t think he’s really confident with that knee,” Beckles said of Joseph.

The Bucs did some great things with their run blocking on Saturday, but certainly the pass blocking was atrocious. Joe’s starting to wonder whether Donald Penn’s significantly lighter frame is affecting his play.

One could say preseason is meaningless, but it’s not. Final scores are meaningless, but the performances of individuals and units are worth evaluating.

The Bucs’ special teams were downright awful against the Ravens, but the special-teams ship was righted against the Patriots and looked downright strong against the Dolphins outside missed tackles on one punt coverage. That’s progress worth noting. Coach Dave Wannstedt deserves a pat on the back.

The Bucs’ coverage teams forced — not lucked out and recovered — two turnovers in Miami on Saturday. Michael Adams wouldn’t quit and drove his blocker into the Dolphins’ punt returner calling a fair catch. Tom Crabtree stripped the ball on another return (see photo above). Bucs 21-year-old wide receiver Eric Page looks like a very legitimate returner and clearly has won the job. And the overall kicking and punting game was very strong.

Overall, the Bucs special teams were below average last season and there’s a lot of room to improve.

Special teams captain Adam Hayward told Joe about the differences in special teams this season and why he expected improvement. It appears to be happening.

Last week it was learned that Bucs guard Carl Nicks came down with MRSA in his foot, a dangerous staph infection that can be deady.

This, on the heels (pun intended) of Nicks still hobbled by his surgically-unrepaired turf toe, which likely will never be 100 percent.

Joe was hospitalized with staph infection to his foot and leg. It’s ugly; it’s painful; it’s not fun and it takes a couple of weeks to be back to 100 percent. With the Bucs season opener less than two weeks away, it seems Nicks playing in the season opener is really not in the cards.

But that’s not Bucs commander Greg Schiano is saying. Per cool cat Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times, Schiano is putting his toe in the water to gauge whether Nicks, indeed, can play in Gotham against the Jets.

NICKS IN NEW YORK? Schiano refused to rule out G Carl Nicks (MRSA infection) for the Sept. 8 season opener at the Jets.

Nicks, whose left foot infection followed season-ending surgery on his left big toe in November, recently practiced three days in Foxborough, Mass. He hasn’t appeared in a game.

“I think there’s too much time still before we can (rule Nicks out),” Schiano said.

It’s difficult for Joe to believe Nicks will play in New Jersey on the second Sunday of September. Not just because of the MRSA, which is a hardcore infection, but just for the simple fact that Nicks hasn’t practiced in how long? Nicks can’t be in decent shape at this point.

Joe just has a hunch Schiano would want Nicks to be in some kind of football shape to throw him out there on the field. Just what kind of shape can he be in after being hobbled not just by MRSA but also by his nagging toe?

Joe types this post with a heavy heart. While Joe will join every Bucs fan on opening day cheering for Tampa Bay to win every darn game, Joe only envisions the Bucs winning half their games in 2013.

The Bucs have eight Pro Bowl players 30 years old and younger — eight! — plus they have emerging stud talents like Lavonte David, Mark Barron and Mike Williams. There’s also plenty of guys with high ceilings, like franchise quarterback Josh Freeman and Adrian Clayborn. 

However, the NFC is loaded with excellent football teams, loaded like it was decades ago. For example, Joe believes the Panthers are the slouch of the NFC South, but Carolina had a top-10-ranked defense last year, and they’ve got a dangerous offense. That’s an example of how deep the NFC is.

What about the St. Louis Rams? They beat the snot out of the Bucs in Tampa last season. Have the Bucs shown enough for Joe to believe they’ll beat the Rams in St. Louis in December, a game Joe will cover in person? No. Joe can’t predict the Bucs to win that game.

Joe looks at the Bucs schedule and sees the Bucs winning three games against the AFC East (Bills & Dolphins at home, and the Jets on the road). Joe also predicts the Bucs will split their division games and beat the Eagles and Cardinals in Tampa. That’s eight wins.

At the start of training camp, Joe was leaning toward the Bucs being a 9-7 team that would improve but not make the playoffs. After various preseason disappointments — Da’Quan Bowers and Carl Nicks come to mind — and inconsistency on offense and pass rushing, Joe fell back a half a notch to land at 8-8.

Factoring into Joe’s mind is Greg Schiano needing to prove himself as a game coach and it’s unknown whether the Schiano defense is a successful model in the NFL. 

Also there’s the inconsistency of Freeman. It’s likely that what the Bucs got from Freeman last season is the quarterback they’ll get in 2013: inconsistent, up and down, and a guy who’s not at his best during high-pressure, late-season games, a middle-of-the-pack quarterback. Freeman is still good enough to lead a winning team, but again, the NFC is one nasty place.

The New Schiano Order is again counting on rookies in a big way, Johnthan Banks and Akeem Spence, as well as four key players coming off major surgery and injuries. There are just too many variables for Joe to believe the Bucs will become a winner.

Joe sees the New Schiano Order making incremental improvement this season, a step up to 8-8, with Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik returning in 2014.

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You want Bucs talk from the heart, with unbridled thought? Today is your day. In fact, this morning is your morning.

Shaun King

Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King of NBC Sports, one of but three quarterbacks to lead the Bucs to the NFC title game, joins forces with strongman former Bucs guard Ian Beckles to talk all things Bucs for a full three hours today, free of guests, beginning at 9 a.m. on WDAE-AM 620.

Ian Beckles

King is known for his strong Bucs takes and Beckles is unafraid to tangle with the trickiest Bucs subject. Together, the duo should deliver a joyous morning talking about their beloved Pewter Pirates.

Expect the two to discuss the future of Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman, the moves of rock star general manager Mark Dominik and the strategy of Bucs coach Greg Schiano, and more.

Don’t cheat yourself. Tune in or access the show via the free iHeart Radio mobile app.

Did Mark Dominik exercise his executive powers?

He is a heck of a run stopper and plays the position, you know we call the tilt nose in our defense, he plays it very well. And he’s really custom-built to play it. I mean his traits really fit the position. — Greg Schiano on former Bucs defensive tackle Roy Miller. December 27, 2012

Who makes the personnel decisions in the current Bucs regime?

That’s a subject that has drawn much speculation. Former Tampa Bay Bucs beat writer Stephen Holder called Greg Schiano one of the most powerful head coaches in the NFL, and many believe Schiano is all but running his own ship.

Joe, however, has always maintained that Holder was out of his mind and that Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik work as a team with Dominik wielding as much if not more power.

One interesting nugget to come out of Saturday’s preseason game in Miami was a conversation between analyst Ronde Barber and play-by-play man Chris Meyers that might have been an insider look at the chain of power at One Buc Palace.

Myers and Barber shared a bit of their pregame interview with Schiano, in which Schiano told them he still stays in touch with Roy Miller via text messages and how he had hoped Miller would have stayed with the Buccaneers. Myers said it was a financial decision that cost the Bucs Miller, and Barber said Schiano respected Miller’s feedback as a trusted veteran and Barber talked about how Miller was an ideal fit for the defense.

So Joe has to wonder why Schiano didn’t get his Buccaneer Man, Roy Miller? Why was Schiano denied?

Either Miller didn’t want to stay, doubtful given that Schiano’s defense resurrected his career, or Dominik turned down the head coach’s request.

Per Rotoworld.com and other sources, Miller’s deal with the Jaguars was a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the only guaranteed money being a $650,000 signing bonus. That’s not a lot of cash at all.

What adds intrigue to this question is that six weeks after Miller signed in Jacksonville, the Bucs traded up in the fourth-round of the NFL Draft to snag defensive tackle Akeem Spence to replace Miller. And Spence has been a preseason standout and appears to be an absolute steal — at a much lower price for the next four years.

This reminds Joe of when Raheem Morris openly praised and sought the return of Barrett Ruud and Cadillac Williams for the 2011 season, but despite miles of salary cap room, those two veterans were not pursued.