Joe doesn’t hide his appreciation of Bryan Cox. The Buccaneers” pass-rush coach (last year he was front-7 coach) is a colorful character. 

Cox was that way during his Pro Bowl playing days, and he is as a Bucs assistant coach.

Cox told Joe he has no bigger aspirations in coaching and just likes to get after it and teach the game. Joe believes that attitude lets Cox be his own man while still being a loyal member of the New Schiano Order. Plus, the postgame cigar dangling from Cox’s mouth in the locker room is more like a Cuban missile than one of the country’s trademark smokes. Joe finds that amusing.

Cox’s impact has been felt in a big way, and his style is appreciated. Take the comment on Buccaneers.com from Bucs rookie defensive end Steven Means, who describes Cox as a physical coach, as in hands on guys in the meeting room.

That’s just beautiful.

Not seen in the video linked above is Joe asking Means about how coaching techniques are different in Tampa than what he experienced in college. Means said other than a little more detail and focus on hands and hips work there’s little change in the pros– except for how Bucs coaches “make you” get it right.

That sounds like Cox at work.

Well, well, well. The walking suspension known as cornerback Eric Wright failed his physical with the 49ers, thus the trade that sent him from the Bucs to the 49ers last week has been voided.

Unable to dump him on someone else, Bucs rock star general manger Mark Dominik simply cut Wright today.

Now does this mean Wright is physically unable to play? Well, that’s news to the Bucs.

Joe’s going to take a wild stab here and guess after the trade was consummated, the 49ers took the weekend to reassess bringing in a guy with as much baggage as Wright, and decided, “Nnnaaahhh!”

Now Eric Wright is unemployed and has all the time in the world to veg in a California spa.

Gerald McCoy: Leader.

It’s hard for anyone to discuss the Bucs in 2013 without somehow invoking the name of Bucs enigmatic quarterback Josh Freeman. Will he (finally) join the quarterback elites of the NFL this season, leading the Bucs to the playoffs? Will he revert to 2011, when he played some putrid football? Or will he be what he was last year: lots of stats but not so many wins?

So much of the team’s success (or failure) this season is predicated on Freeman. But former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland thinks there is another question out there to be answered, as he wrote for his station’s website, WHFS-FM 98.7.

 Who will lead the Bucs?

All last year we heard about details, details, details. We heard about toes on the line. I’ll even take it a step further. I heard he told guys what to eat, when to eat and what temperature to sleep at in their room. Now by all accounts he has softened up. He has given guys more freedom. He has cut back on the controlling iron fist which he ruled with last year, but will that get the team to better than 7-9?

See I’m all for being a players coach with a team that can handle it. I’m not saying Schiano has turned into a players coach however he is considerably softer than last year. Can this team handle it, a team without Ronde Barber? Who is the leader of this team? Last year I would’ve said that the leader of the team was Greg Schiano, this year I’m not sure, and as a matter of fact, neither are the Buccaneers.

So as we get ready to embark on a new season of promise with 5, 10 or however many questions you have unanswered, let’s remember the question no one is talking about: With a softer Schiano, who is going to take the leadership role? It needs to be a player and not a coach. To me that is the biggest question that no one is asking.

On defense, Joe has seen with his own eyes who the leaders are just this spring. Joe would suggest three men are leaders: Dashon Goldson, Darrelle Revis and Gerald McCoy. Those guys were always working with young players trying to help them learn their craft –almost like an extension of the coaching staff.

On offense, as usual, it always goes to the quarterback, the most pressure-cooker position on a team. Yes, as always, this goes back once again to Freeman.

The glorious madness of Bucs training camp kicks off Wednesday when players report back to One Buc Palace and the Buccaneers will make loads of coaches and select players available to the media. Then on Thursday, practice begins and the floodgates of 2013 fun open up.

Joe’s just taking second here to remind readers that Joe will be there for all of the madness.

Joe remains committed to delivering you everything and anything Joe finds interesting about the Bucs — from Joe’s many interviews of players, to Greg Schiano’s comments, to local and national views of the Bucs, and everything in between.

You see, Joe literally lives and breathes Bucs football 24/7. Joe does this so you don’t have to.

Joe continues to be grateful to his readers — old and new — for driving JoeBucsFan.com to new heights. Traffic on these here pages is up about 30 percent over last summer — stunning, folks — and Joe is invigorated by the endless feedback from fans claiming Joe is their only go-to source for Bucs news and analysis.

Thanks. Joe assures you he is well rested and ready for the season.

Warning: this video might be painful to longtime Bucs fans.

The link above takes you to a Warren Sapp and Willie McGinest NFL Network breakdown of training camp storylines. So what’s the big deal? Well, it includes video of Bucs icon Monte Kiffin coaching in his new Cowboys gear and seemingly unable to get his 72-year-old bones to stand up straight. For Joe, there’s something very wrong about seeing Kiffin in those colors with Rod Marinelli as his sidekick.

Also possibly troubling for Bucs fans is Sapp being very high on the Cowboys for 2013 — yet another NFC team one could consider a roadblock in the Bucs’ quest for the playoffs.

Sapp also makes it very clear that the New Schiano Order is very pleased to trot out Josh Freeman as its starting quarterback. “Everbody’s comfortable with him down in Tampa,” Sapp said.

No. 99 also went on to say he’s skeptical of the Bucs defense because he’s “never seen a defense led by the back end, by the secondary.”‘

Joe gets Sapp’s point. However, the Bucs hardly had a legendary pass rush last season, and Joe’s quite confident the Bucs would have one at least two more games last season if Dashon Goldson and Darrelle Revis, aka Batman and Robin, were patrolling the back end.

The Bucs have been desperate for a consistent, threatening kick return game ever since “Run Micheal run” Spurlock returned kickoffs for touchdowns for the pewter and red. Almost like during decades before Spurlock finally broke the barrier and returned a kick for a TD, the Bucs seem to be in dire straights at that position again.

In the past couple of years the Bucs have had a revolving door at kick return, enough to make a doorman dizzy, and to no avail.

Josh Katzowitz of CBSSports.com believes the Bucs may have found their answer in track star Jeff Demps.

Assuming he will run, that means Demps couldn’t return to the Buccaneers until they’re well into their training camp and preseason schedule. But Demps and his agent, Daniel Rose, reportedly believe the team has the understanding he will finish the professional track season before he returns to football.

“Jeff is the kind of guy who sees things through to the end,” Rose told the paper. “And right now, he’s running track. But we’ll see what happens. He’s in great shape. He works out five hours a day. He’s being brought in for his speed, and we know he can run.”

The Buccaneers, in fact, have wanted Demps since his Florida days. They were outbid by the Patriots in 2012, and they traded Blount to get him this offseason. The team probably would prefer to see Demps in camp when it opens, but reportedly, they’re OK with this arrangement for now.

Demps is scheduled to run in the world track & field championships next month in Moscow, and then he may arrive to the New Schiano Order in late August.

Color Joe skeptical about Demps. First, track stars and NFL stars are two totally different elements. Just because one can run on a track doesn’t mean he can be a good football player. Demps sure as hell won’t be in football shape if he reports in mid-August.

Second, does anyone really believe Bucs coach Greg Schiano is a part-time football guy? Demps’ focus clearly is track and the Olympics and that’s great. Joe just doesn’t see Schiano as the kind of guy that just welcomes a dude off the street halfway through the preseason and gives him a roster spot.

Look, if Demps was so talented as a return man, would Bill Belicheat throw in Demps in a trade just because the Bucs asked for his rights? Belicheat isn’t a coach who allows people to be part-time players, except when they are suspended, or being tried for murder.

If Belicheat thought he could persuade Demps to be a football-first gjuy, he would have kept Demps’ rights. Personally, Joe wishes the Bucs would focus more on getting the captain of the inactive list, Michael Smith, more reps at kick return than pinning their hopes on a guy whose focus is clearly not on the NFL.

No, it’s not too early to obsess about the Bucs-Jets, season-opener on Sept. 8 in only 49 days. But who’s counting 😉

Great news from Jets camp emerged yesterday, when Jets beat writer Manish Mehta revealed New York’s No. 1 wide receiver, Santonio Holmes, can’t run.

@MMehtaNYDN – 6 days b4 Jets 1st training camp practice, Santonio Holmes still can’t do full weight-bearing running. He’ll be placed on PUP list next week … Jets WR Santonio Holmes (foot) won’t even definitively say that he’ll be ready for the season opener against the Buccaneers on Sept. 8

Stats are not for losers, says former Bucs QB Shaun King.

In an analytical and passionate take on Josh Freeman, King details why he’s disgusted that the Bucs haven’t inked Freeman to a contract extension already. King, one of three QBs to lead the Bucs to the NFC title game, dives into Freeman’s numbers and last season’s realities in the WDAE-AM 620 audio below.

“Take your emotion out of your evaluation,” King advises fans.

King’s logic is sound, but Joe can’t quibble with those who aren’t ready to celebrate an inconsistent QB with six career wins against teams with a winning record. (Catch King’s full take with J.P. Peterson below.)

Vist MetcalfLawFirm.com to schedule your free consultation with Tampa criminal defense attorney Brett Metcalf.

Metcalf Law is prepared to defend your rights in DUI, Drug, Felony, Misdemeanor and Traffic cases. A former State Prosecutor, Brett Metcalf has experience on the “other side of the aisle”- often crucial to representing your interests effectively.

Da’Quan Bowers has a lot of pressure on his shoulders in trying to develop a consistent pass rush for the Bucs.

Most Bucs fans, when they think of the Bucs’ pass defense last year, often race for a bathroom to throw up.

Probably few were sicker than Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. His nausea led him to revamp the secondary, bringing in Batman and Robin. But is that enough?

ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas listed critical issues for each NFC South team and he pointed to the pass rush as a key area that must improve for the Bucs.

Defense: Pass rush
The Bucs let last year’s leading sacker, Michael Bennett, walk in free agency. It was a calculated gamble because the Bucs have a lot invested in Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers and believe they can be a strong duo at defensive end. They’d better be right. If they’re not, the revamped secondary might not be as good as it looks on paper.

Time will only tell if the pass rush is improved, but Yasinskas makes a point that without any pressure on a quarterback, it doesn’t matter how much the secondary was upgraded.

Hopefully, Greg Schiano realized last year that you simply cannot allow guys like Matty Ice and Drew Brees to have so much time in the pocket that they can order a pizza and have it delivered before getting flushed or hit.

People claim there’s a lot of pressure on Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman. And there is. Joe is of the belief there is as much pressure on defensive end Da’Quan Bowers as there is on Freeman.

Workhouse, “bell cow” running back Doug Martin is sure to get even more work this season.

Joe can’t think of why, in the win-now NFL, the New Schiano Order would be concerned with Martin being healthy and fresh in, say, 2015. There’s no reason to keep a valuable weapon like that on the sidelines, especially when the Bucs have a beastly, if healthy, offensive line.

Martin had the fourth-most carries in the NFL last year with 319, plus he caught 49 balls. Joe could easily see those numbers jump 15 percent this season.

The huge workload should be no problem for Martin, says former Bucs running back/fullback Earnest Graham. He explained Martin’s running style will preserve him, during a recent WDAE-AM 620 interview. 

“I consider him one of the most in-shape backs in football,” Graham said of Martin. “The way I see him finish runs, the way I see him finish at the end of the game. I think for any running back [the punishment] takes its toll after a while, you know. But I think he’s one of those guys who has a heck of a work ethic and is in fantastic shape. Being his size, he doesn’t take too many, you know, square hits. 

“He’s always under everybody else’s pads. So I think he’s one of those guys. I don’t think he’s going to be one of those guys you’re going to have much of problem with injuries.”

Surely, Graham is a credible analyst of Martin’s running style. But as Graham knows too well, injuries can happen in all kinds of ways. Hopefully, Bucs fans won’t find out. The ability of the running backs behind Martin is unknown, and LeGarrette Blount is a Patriot.

Adam Schein

Popular sports radio personality Adam Schein seems to like the Bucs. He’s fond of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and admires Greg Schiano.

Quarterback Josh Freeman? Schein loves his tangibles but can’t buy in based on the last two years of Freeman’s play.

Joe vividly remembers mid-season last year, Schein stated that while Freeman may be a better quarterback, he trusted Christian Ponder more. Sure enough, shortly after Schein stated this, Freeman melted down and vanished when his team needed him the most, while Ponder, with his Vikings squad on the cusp on the playoffs, rose up with probably his best two games of the year and got his team into the postseason with solid performances against playoff teams, on the road at Texas and hosting Green Bay.

In an NFL.com column rating the most important player on each team, Schein went with Darrelle Revis over Freeman, in part, because Schein believes Freeman’s days in Tampa Bay are numbered.

Over the past two seasons, Freeman just hasn’t resembled the clutch Ben Roethlisberger clone we saw in 2010. And I think this year — a contract year — will be his last as the Bucs’ starting quarterback. I know they like rookie Mike Glennon, and rightfully so.

Despite Freeman’s yo-yo play, Tampa can win games if Revis is healthy. The Bucs’ pass defense was horrible last year; now, with Revis and Dashon Goldson on board, it can be a strength. Can Revis get back to the level he was playing at pre-injury, when he was the best corner in the NFL?

Joe can’t totally agree with Schein. Is Revis important? He sure is. But if Freeman has a repeat of last year where he tossed nine picks in his last three games (four of which came against the putrid Saints’ defense), it’s awfully hard for any team to overcome that.

Joe has stated this time and again: If Freeman has a fine season and the Bucs make the playoffs, then he will return next year. No doubt about it.

The ditching of “cancer” Eric Wright swing opens a door for veteran cornerback Michael Adams, who the Bucs signed a month ago. (“Cancer” is what former Bucs tight end and Buccaneers Radio Network analyst Anthony Becht called Wright yesterday.)

Becht was a 2009 teammate of Adams on the Arizona Cardinals and offered a solid endorsement of him on WDAE-AM 620 following the Wright trade Friday.

“I’m not saying he’s the savior by any means. But he’s physical, he’s a small guy who’ll come up and tackle you. He’ll get in your face. He’s rowdy,” Becht said of Adams.

“He’s not a stellar press cover corner, but he’s a tough guy who can come in and, you know, be moved around in different positions.”

Adams is listed at 5-8, 181 pounds, and Joe’s seen reports that he’s smaller than that. Adams is known as a durable special teams ace. He made seven starts at corner in six years with the Cardinals.

Becht went on to say the Bucs’ depth at cornerback and across the team is troublesome, and he said the Bucs “failed on that move,” regarding retaining Eric Wright in the spring and counting on him for 2013.

After news broke that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik shipped trouble child, Adderall (?) -popping, (allegedly) driving-under-the-influence cornerback Eric Wright to the 49ers, Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer and Pro Football Hall of Fame voter eye-RAH! Kaufman quickly pronounced the Wright Era with the Bucs a mistake by Dominik, when the great Kaufman appeared on the “Booger and Rich Show” heard locally on WHFS-FM 98.7.

“Eric Wright is not a Buccaneer Man. I don’t know if there is any other way to say it. Finally I think Mark Dominik had to yield. He couldn’t look Greg Schiano in the eye any more and say, you know this guy was worth picking up as a free agent in 2012. It just didn’t work. When it doesn’t work, you own up to your mistakes and you move on. And Eric Wright was a mistake,” Kaufman said.

“The sky is not falling over at One Buc. They have every reason to believe Darrelle Revis will be ready Day 1 of preseason and most importantly, Day 1 of the regular season. They wouldn’t have made the deal if there was any question about Darrelle Revis’ health. All signs point to he is ready to go.

“This move showed they couldn’t go on with Eric Wright. First, I thought he was a marginal player. He screwed up again. I think in their eyes, he is looked at as a negative influence on a young, impressionable secondary. So what does it mean? It means one of the kids, one of the Leonard Johnsons or the Gorrers – I will give you a name of a guy who I believe has caught the eye of the coaching staff. A kid named Rashaan Melvin. Big, ranging kid, undrafted. A lot to prove there. It wouldn’t surprise us if they go out and sign another veteran for the secondary at some point.”

Now, did Dominik sell himself short on cornerbacks? Maybe.

Look, Wright was a starting cornerback on a secondary that came 14 yards from setting an all-time NFL record for passing yards allowed. So just exactly what kind of depth is that? Wright, whose tackling prowess made Deion Sanders look like Jack Lambert, wasn’t that much better than Leonard Johnson or perhaps Danny Gorrer.

(No, Joe won’t kick a man when he is down by invoking Myron Lewis into the discussion. Let’s not get carried away.)

Then there is the little issue with Wright very likely facing an eight-game suspension as a repeat offender; half the season, provided his lawyer doesn’t somehow save him again and have the case tossed by a judge. Who knows when NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell would bring the hammer down upon Wright?

Joe knows one thing: it’s kind of hard to provide depth in the NFL when you are vegging in a California spa on Sunday afternoons in the fall.

Chris Landry

Longtime scout and national radio personality Chris Landry is very down on the Buccaneers’ depth.

Today’s Eric Wright trade for thin air merely highlights the Bucs’ major weakness, so Landry explained on WDAE-AM 620 this evening. Every Friday Landry dives into all things college and pro football Xs and Os and Buccaneers with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, but today he was with Duemig’s fill-in, J.P. Peterson.

“For all the talk about Revis and Goldson, they just don’t have a lot of depth on this team defensively. In fact, they don’t have a lot of depth period. This is where I think they really fall short,” Landry said.

“Teams that can spread you out could have a lot of success. Revis is not going to cover everybody. I mean, you know, they’re going to play more single-high safety looks, which is what Bill Sheridan wants to do, no question. And maybe that’ll improve the pass rush. But for goodness sakes, you’ve got four guys on the defensive line you can count on. You hope they can stay healthy, and where’s the rotation coming from? I don’t see it from a depth standpoint. … In reality when you start playing football and it’s week 12 or week 14, I don’t know how this team’s going to shape up. Everybody has to deal with injuries and depth. I don’t know that the Bucs match up as well from a bottom-of-the-roster standpoint as maybe some other teams.”

Yes, the Bucs are banking on a lot of players staying healthy and a lot of young players, like rookies Johnthan Banks and Akeem Spence, contributing in major roles.

No, Eric Wright was not the savior of the Bucs. Hardly. But he did represent solid depth and experience, and the New Schiano Order clearly planned on him being a major contributor only a few weeks ago. (You can hear all of Landry’s take on Wright below.) 

It now appears why the Bucs dumped the garbage that is cornerback Eric Wright this afternoon. He was arrested for suspicion of DUI in Los Angeles, the second time in a year, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

@NFLSTROUD: The Bucs trade of Wright comes a week after his arrest in L.A. July 12 at 9:15 p.m. on a misdemeanor. He posted $5,000 bond. … Wright was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence July 12. He faced a similar charge that was dismissed in 2012.

This guy Wright is some piece of work.

First there’s the dodgeball he played while at USC, where he got the boot from Pete Carroll. Then, he escapes a DUI last summer on a technicality (he was involved in a wreck), and then after getting popped for Adderall (?), onewould think anyone with a piece of a brain would try to keep their nose clean stay out of the bars.

That would make too much sense.

Given how he had a very team-friendly contract and, apparently, Bucs suits had grown weary of Eric Wright’s me-first attitude, Joe was only surprised at the Eric Wright trade from the timing, not that the Bucs washed their hands of the mistake.

It seems Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik pulled off another Houdini act of trading a player who was about to be released. Well-plugged in Albert Breer of NFL Network claims the Bucs were going to cut Wright until they found a suitor in the 49ers.

@AlbertBreer: Per source, Buccaneers were planning to cut Eric Wright had they not found a trade partner.

Dominik must be breathing easy tonight. Imagine if that dope Wright hadn’t been busted for Adderall (?) last year and suspended by the NFL, which kicked in a clause that the Bucs could void his two-year contract? Yes, the Bucs were awful at corner last year, and two years ago, which all but forced Dominik to overpay for Wright.

Thankfully for the Bucs and Dominik in particular, Wright was too stupid for his own good.

If one ever spoke face-to-face with Eric Wright, his smooth-talking cover sure masked a lot of warts.

Forget about his dubious run-ins with the law. Wright would have you know he was proud of how Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik saved his career and how he was going to sweat blood to help his beloved Bucs and cherished teammates win games.

Well, actions speak louder than words. Just examine the Instagram photo above unearthed by Bucs freelance writer Jenna Laine, taken some 30 weeks ago. Wright, the avowed Bucs loyalist, is adorned head-to-toe in 49ers gear.

Look, Joe doesn’t give a damn what team a player likes growing up. But if you are in the NFL — much less a troubled player with massive baggage like Wright — you just don’t go around wearing other team’s gear. It’s stupid and a slap in the face of people who bust their ass at work every day helping to pay your salary.

Joe knows Bucs great Warren Sapp was a huge Cowboys fan growing up. Still is. You never saw him wearing Cowboys gear when he played for the Bucs, did you? Or John Lynch with a Chargers Starter jacket? Or Mike Alstott repping Bears gear? Hell no!

Joe also knows plenty of current Bucs players who grew up diehards of a certain NFL team. Joe has never seen them wearing gear other than the Bucs’.

Good riddance, Wright. Joe has a hunch Jim Harbaugh won’t be as patient with you as Dominik has been.

What a maroon!

Rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik watched as numerous good cornerbacks signed with new teams after the free-agency bell rang in March.

But Dominik and the Bucs didn’t bite, despite their flimsy cornerback depth in 2012.

Letdown cornerback Eric Wright was retained at a reduced rate, so Joe wrote numerous times that apparently Dominik didn’t think anyone on the 2013 market was better than Wright. That seemed like decent logic, but now Wright was booted today from the New Schiano Order in a trade to the 49ers for a conditional draft pick.

“Thin” is the best word to describe the Bucs secondary — in a passing league. The Bucs now are counting on a superstar coming off a major knee surgery and a rookie. And the likes of Anthony Gaitor, Danny Gorrer, Leonard Johnson, Myron Lewis are unproven and/or lousy.

Yes, the Bucs signed former longtime Cardinals veteran, small corner Michael Adams, a few weeks ago. But Joe’s concerned.

Last year, the Bucs’ opening-day nickel cornerback, Brandon McDonald, was on the street shortly before opening day. And McDonald didn’t last the season.

The Bucs might be combing the streets again for talent following training camp. It’s a puzzling position for a team loaded with talent and available salary cap room.

The Buccaneers ridded themselves of malcontent cornerback Eric Wright today by trading him to the San Francisco 49ers for a conditional draft pick today, per the Bucs’ official Twitter feed.

@TBBuccaneers: Breaking News: The Bucs have traded CB Eric Wright to San Francisco for a conditional 2014 draft pick.

The timing of this is very interesting to Joe. Just yesterday, Joe was speaking with a Bucs official and when asked about Eric Wright and if he has changed his attitude, said official just looked down and shook his head.

This move all but signals that second-round pick Johnthan Banks will start. Joe knows that the Bucs are really pleased with the progress Leonard Johnson and Danny Gorrer have made and that Rashaan Melvin, a rookie corner out of Northern Illinois, has been turning coaches’ heads.

Apparently the talent Banks has shown along with the progress of Johnson, Gorrer and Melvin have displayed, along with the attitude Wright wore on his sleeve, made the troubled Bucs corner expendable.

On the Bucs’ defense, the easiest if not biggest question mark is, “Where is the pass rush coming from?”

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik loaded up (again) on pass rushing specialists in the 2013draft, including William Gholston. Normally a defensive end, his massive size (6-6, 281) also allows him to play inside.

Gholston, speaking yesterday after the first day of Bucs’ rookie school, is geeked for training camp.

“I am expecting to be welcomed into the NFL. There are some pretty good offensive linemen here. I will play as hard as I play. I feel like if you compete against a high level in practice, it only helps you in the game.

“I woke up dreaming, that’s what I told one of the coaches this morning. Because this is a dream. I am more comfortable with the program now and I now know what is being asked of me now since we did the rookie program and everything like that. Coaches expect me to play hard.”

This is an interesting point Joe didn’t ponder much. How cool is it that the likes of Gholston and Steven Means will have to go up against one of the top offensive lines in the NFL day in and day out in training camp? That can only be a good thing.

Joe knows Donald Penn raves about how Adrian Clayborn brought out the best of him in practice. So too should Davin Joseph, Carl Nicks and Penn do for the rookie pass rushing specialists.