It feels like forever since the Bucs have been in the playoffs. But Joe was somewhat surprised to learn the Bucs are tied with the Jaguars for the fifth longest playoff drought in the NFL. The Bills, Browns, Raiders and Rams are worse.

No wonder Bucs fans are so on edge — excited and tense — about the 2013 season. The Bucs are loaded with talent and it’s been so long since fans could hold their heads up high in January.

Joe remembers that last Bucs playoff game against the Giants, when Chucky’s division-crown Bucs were overmatched by the eventual Super Bowl champs. Unfortunately, Joe most remembers that game for the massive sea of blue in the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

Joe suspects that wouldn’t happen again. Joe’s got a gut feeling that the locals are so playoff starved that this town would go absolutely crazy if the Bucs made the playoffs.

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Before the era of statistical gibberish and fantasy fun that doesn’t involve women, sports were all about winning and losing.

The “W” was the almighty. Being called a “winner” was the highest compliment. Call Joe old school, but winning is what Joe cares about most. It’s the greatest intangible in any sport — in life, too. There are winners; there are losers. Any man who’s ever set foot on a field of competitive sports knows some players just find a way to win consistently and/or play like a winner over and over again.

So Joe was intrigued by the recent headline on Buccaneers.com: “Welcome Back Orange: Freeman Has Thrived in Throwback Gear”

Freeman is 1-2 in throwback games.

“In all, Freeman has completed 57 of 111 passes for 806 yards, seven touchdowns and just two interceptions while wearing the Bucs’ throwback uniforms.  The completion percentage is lower than his career average, thanks mostly to a 14-for-31 effort in his debut start, but his averages of 269 yards per game and 7.26 yards per throw are well above his career marks.  That coupled with the excellent 7-2 TD-INT ratio has helped Freeman compile a strong 88.6 passer rating in Throwback Games.  He’s even run nine times for 61 yards in those three outings.”

Joe understands the Bucs’ marketing machine working to put a positive spin on how No. 5 plays in throwback-uniform games. But this was a bit much for Joe.

Losing is never “thriving.” And Freeman’s stats in those games aren’t blow-your-mind great.

Joe only really likes what Freeman did in his first throwback game, his first career start. He led his team to victory against a strong Packers team. It was one of Freeman’s six career wins against teams with a winning record.

One of the biggest transformations in NFL history happened when Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks had just finished their rookie seasons with the Bucs. Sam Wyche was fired and Malcolm Glazer brought in Father Dungy.

Father Dungy, as astute a defensive mind as there was in the game, knew all about the great Mean Joe Greene and Jack Hamm, perhaps the greatest defensive tackle and weakside linebacker, respectively. And Father Dungy was their teammate with the Steelers. So when he studied Bucs film after taking the job, he thought he had the second coming of both Greene and Hamm in Tampa with Sapp and Brooks.

Sapp, when talking to a gaggle of reporters this spring, recounted how he thought, initially, Father Dungy was off his rocker.

“He told us to chase them,” Sapp said. “Me and Brooks walked out of the room and said, ‘Is he crazy? That’s a good challenge though, dude. This was 1996 when he first walked in the door. These are icons of the game! We are talking about Mean Joe Greene from Texas. Mr. Coca Cola. Are you kidding me? Come on, man. Brooks looks to me and says, ‘We have our work cut out for us. Let’s go to work.’

“It wasn’t something we actually ran from. We actually embraced it. [Father Dungy] thought that much of us. He was the guru of everything we could possibly imagine. He was going to give us structure, defense, everything we needed. That’s what you got when you talked to Derrick Thomas about this man. That’s what you got from Neil Smith when you talked to him about this man. We wanted that, Lynch too.”

Now, one could argue neither Sapp nor Brooks caught up to the level Greene and Hamm, but it was damned close. Both Sapp and Brooks will be in the same fraternity as Greene and Hamm, the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As Vince Lombardi once said, “Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence.”

That’s exactly what Sapp and Brooks did.

Doug Martin could lead the Bucs to double-digit wins. A division title? Time will tell.

On paper the Bucs look to have a very strong team sans two positions, perhaps three at the most. Joe fully expects the Bucs to be better. Playoffs? Joe can’t go there yet.

It’s not the first time Joe has written that. And for the same reason, Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune isn’t ready to anoint the Bucs a playoff team.Cummings appeared recently with “The Fabulous Sports Babe” on WHFS-FM 98.7 to talk about the Bucs’ chances this season.

“I am excited for this football team, too. I think this team has a real opportunity to win nine or 10 games and get into the tournament and make some noise there,” Cummings said. “The concern I have, it is just a damned, difficult division that they are in.

“Nobody else in the NFL has to go up against the Saints and Drew Brees twice and the Falcons and Matt Ryan twice and even Carolina and what they provide. There are two big obstacles in front of them in winning this division. They could win 10 games and not get to the playoffs just like happened a couple of years ago. It can happen again. They could have a tremendous season and not get a payoff.

“That to me is the real downer, but the big thing is, I expect this team to be much improved again. They almost doubled their victories [from the previous season] last year. I don’t think they will double them this year but if they win four or five more and get to 10 or 11 wins, they have a shot at the playoffs and we all know anything can happen. That has to be the objective.”

Joe totally agrees with Cummings. The NFC, not just the NFC South, is simply friggin’ loaded. The Bears won 10 games last year and missed the playoffs. There is no weak team in the NFC North. The NFC West has two of the game’s best teams, San Francisco and Seattle. For this reason and this reason alone, the only way Joe can see the Bucs making the playoffs is by winning the division, and Joe isn’t ready to crown the Bucs division champs quite yet.

The Bucs should be an improved team. Not sure winning the division is in the cards.

Now Joe doesn’t need to rehash how important this season is for Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman. If a Bucs fan isn’t aware of that by now, it’s time to go back to playing Rip Van Winkle and sleeping another two decades.

Joe does know last year Greg Schiano (and perhaps also offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan) put a kibosh on Freeman from running outside the pocket.Part of this was, naturally, to keep Freeman upright. Whatever chances the Bucs had at a postseason run would have been immediately flushed down the toilet with Dan Orlovsky behind center.

Another reason for Freeman being instructed to stay in the pocket at virtually all costs is Schiano believed that was one way to cut down on Freeman’s interceptions. Turnovers, in Schiano’s mind, are akin to the Ebola virus.

Football guru Greg Cosell seemed to hint that may not be a good thing for Freeman.

Cosell is a producer for NFL Films and there are few better guys not employed as coaches who break down Xs and Os. Also, Cosell personally works with “Jaws,” BSPN NFL analyst and former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski. It is Jaws’ ranking of Freeman at No. 21 that has so many Bucs fans rankled and Cosell appeared with Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski of WHFS-FM 98.7 to discuss Jaws’ rankings.

In the process, Cosell may have unlocked the secret to Freeman’s success.

“For me, it goes back to his first full year as a starter when he had very good numbers,” Cosell said. “This is my world view of the quarterback position. In his first full year as a starter, he had 25 touchdowns and only six picks. At that point there was a sense that this kid was on his way to being elite. When I looked at that year carefully after the season, I thought many of his plays came off improvisation, came off movement.

“I am not suggesting that is a negative. It is very hard to be consistent playing that way because there is such a random and arbitrary element to that. We never talk about the plays that don’t work when quarterbacks move, we only talk about the plays that do work.

“I thought even in that first year he needed a lot of work as a consistent, precision pocket passer. And I think he has been very erratic in his development in that area.”

Cosell may have hit the nail on the head. The thing about Freeman was, when he was out of the pocket, Freeman was making plays both with his arm and his legs. Defenses not only had to defend receivers, they had to defend Freeman running on the outside. That spread defenses out a bit, which in turn may have created more holes for receivers.

Joe just wonders if Schiano and Sullivan would allow Freeman a bit more freedom, which might could loosen things up for Freeman, thereby creating more victories in the process.

Joe, like many, many, many Bucs fans, became a Bucs fan when the creamsicles were in vogue. One reason young Joe liked the Bucs was, well, he thought the creamsicles were cool. It matched the Florida sunshine.

But soon those creamsicles came to be known more for woeful football than winning football or cool jerseys.

NFL.com, in an effort kill time before training camp to honor NFL jerseys, has the Bucs current pewter and red jerseys as the 11th best in the NFL. In this video, Dave Dameshek talks about how he believes the red and pewter colors are far superior to the creamsicles.

Joe tends to agree. And while Joe likes the creamsicles, he agrees Bucco Bruce isn’t cool.

Now if the Bucs lose to the Desert Rats on throwback day in September, giving the creamsicle throwbacks a 1-4 record, Joe will be OK if those things are put back in mothballs for another decade.

Like every running back, Bucs veteran running back Brian Leonard wants the rock. And yesterday he told his rural New York hometown newspaper that he expects to get it in Tampa Bay after four seasons on the Bengals.

For weeks, Joe’s been trying to alert fans that Leonard will play a huge role if healthy come opening day, and Leonard revealed a little of what that role might be.

“I’m excited. I had a great time in Cincinnati and have some good friends there, and the fans are great. But I needed a change and I think Coach Schiano knows how to use me. Hopefully I’ll progress throughout camp and show my skills, and my role with the team will get bigger and bigger. …

“Tampa Bay was in a lot of close games last year, and we’ve been working a lot on the two-minute drill,” Leonard said. “Coach has brought me in to help relieve Doug Martin when needed. I’ll be all right as long as I can prove myself in camp.”

Hmmm, well, Leonard was a third-down back for the Bengals, who were frequent visitors to the playoffs during his time there. So Leonard says he thinks Schiano knows how to use him and he’s talking about coming to Tampa to spell Doug Martin, then Joe’s going to make a not-so-wild leap and say the Bucs are planning for Leonard to be a lot busier than D.J. Ware was last season.

Joe’s confident Doug Martin will get even more work in 2013, especially on third down, but there still should be plenty of touches for Leonard. The veteran also plays fullback, which could give the Bucs more versatility and unpredictability in the backfield.

Yes, Joe’s on record scratching his head that the Bucs sent LeGarrette Blount to the Patriots for the NFL equivalent of a half-dozen day old bagels.

Blount represented great depth, a backup running back who legitimately could carry the load of 20+ carries a game in the event of injury to Doug Martin. What Blount could accomplish in that situation behind the Bucs’ manbeast offensive line was potentially mind-blowing.

But the Bucs waved goodbye. And per new rankings on NFL.com, the Bucs don’t have one of the NFL’s top-12 deepest backfields. The rushing depth of their NFC South counterparts, however, made the cut.

Much like at defensive end, the Bucs passed on veteran running back depth in favor of youth — another decision to scrutinize this season. Mike James and Michael Smith have zero NFL handoffs under their belt. However, Joe believes versatile Brian Leonard is an upgrade over D.J. Ware and could be an underrated rusher.

Da’Quan Bowers is just one of many pieces to the Bucs’ pass rushing puzzle the team hopes to solve this summer.

This morning marks exactly two weeks from the Bucs’ first practice of 2013 training camp. That’s right, on July 25, the Bucs will sweat like banshees in the brutal Florida morning sun as football season, for all intents and purposes, begins anew.

Joe suspects many fans will focus on the defensive line. Not only are there numerous questions to be answered this year on the defensive front, intrepid Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, the pride of Northwestern, suggests there is virtually no end to the amount of intrigue that will be played out by Bucs defensive linemen this summer.

Start at right end. Adrian Clayborn had a very strong rookie season in 2011, leading the team with 7.5 sacks, and was off to a good start last year before a knee injury took him out after just three games. Many, myself included, are expecting a breakout year from Clayborn in 2013; will we see evidence of that in training camp? Next to him is the biggest question mark on the line: Who will start at nose tackle with Roy Miller now in Jacksonville? The Bucs’ drafted Illinois’ Akeem Spence in the fourth round with the thought that he might be able to step right in, but again we can’t take a rookie’s production for granted until we see it. And will a veteran like Gary Gibson or Derek Landri keep Spence from getting that starting job, anyway?

Next to Spence is perhaps the surest thing on the line, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. He was a Pro Bowler last year and one of the league’s rising stars, and he has apparently dedicated himself to getting into even better physical shape this year. I don’t think we have any worries here, but there is still the question of whether McCoy can continue his ascension and emerge as one of the very best performers in the league. Finally, at right end, we presumably have Da’Quan Bowers stepping into the starting lineup on opening day for the first time in his three seasons. He made a remarkable recovery from his offseason Achilles heel injury last year to even make a second-half impact last year – and a promising half-season it was – but he must now prove he can handle a starter’s share of snaps. Bowers might be the biggest wild card on that line, capable of giving the Bucs a ton of production from the left side, so I think he’ll be very interesting to watch in July and August.

Actually, I shouldn’t have said “finally” because the intrigue doesn’t end with the presumptive starters. The Bucs hope a vastly improved secondary will help the pass rush by giving the big men that extra second they need. Still, the team didn’t stop there in trying to amp up that pressure on the quarterback, something that has not met expectations for several seasons now. The draft brought two more potential helpers up front in fifth-rounder William Gholston and sixth-rounder Steven Means. How much can they help, and how soon?

Here is the thing: Bowers, Joe suspects, on passing downs, will be moved to the inside as Spence is not known as a pass rusher. The Bucs are so desperate to put heat on the quarterback, Joe’s pretty sure they will forego bulk for speed on the inside on obvious passing situations. Plus Bowers did that last season at times.

So what then happens at left defensive end position? It sure seems like rookies Means and Gholston will be given every possible opportunity to battle for a shot to be designated pass rusher. After all, that’s why those two were drafted.

Now if Gholston really dominates in camp, it’s very possible the Bucs would leave Bowers at left end and and put Gholston in the middle to rush the passer. Gholston played inside at Michigan State with varying degrees of success. With Gholston’s massive wingspan, it sure would be cool for a change to see a Bucs player bat down passes rather than the other way around.

Those who don’t think the Bucs play in a tough NFC South has either been too drunk to watch football or is an NFC East acolyte. Year in and year out the NFC East is the most overrated and grossly over-hyped division in the NFL.

You have Matty Ice and the Dixie Chicks, as loaded an offense as there is in the NFL. Then you have lethal Drew Brees, as dangerous of a gunslinger as there has been since Dan Marino. Then there is Cam Newton who, potentially, is no less than explosive with both his arm and his legs.

So how does Bucs coach Greg Schiano hope to keep the Bucs with their heads above the water in the division? You attack them the same way they will attack you, he seemed to say in a recent NFL.com podcast. You go after them with your own weapons.

Dave Damshek: It seems like the way you built your defense and with Doug Marin there, it seems you are trying to shorten the games. Is that the proper approach when facing those high-powered offenses?

Greg Schiano: You know, maybe at the beginning. But our offense is pretty high-powered as well. What I am hoping for is this year, for Josh [Freeman] being in the second year in the system for his second go-around with the emergence of Doug Martin, with Vincent Jackson on the outside along with Mike Williams, we have some threats, too. So we will have some different tempos on offense occasionally, which I think will give us a chance to expose some things on our opponents’ defense. Looking forward to being able to pull that off and then slow the game down when we want to.

It’s an interesting thought and not exactly illogical, either. The Bucs are loaded with aerial talent: Jackson, Williams and potentially, Freeman. Why not use those tools to your advantage?

Of course, this doesn’t mean Schiano or the Bucs will ignore the run. If you have a road grader line and a running back like Martin, if an opponent is soft on the run, pound them till they beg for their mother.

In other words, the Bucs offense is flexible enough to attack a defense in multiple ways. At least, that would be a wise move.

Talk to Warren Sapp about Father Dungy and Sapp speaks with reverence. Ask Sapp about Chucky and he can’t stop laughing with all the stories. Bring up former Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and Sapp’s words boom with gusto and respect.

What about former Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin? Sapp, to his credit, will try to change the subject or flat out shake his head and won’t say anything. It’s clear Kiffin is not Sapp’s favorite subject.

Joe may have stumbled upon why Sapp didn’t place Kiffin on the same pedestal as the aforementioned coaches. It’s because, per Sapp, Kiffin wanted Sapp off the field on third downs, so Sapp told a gaggle of reporters, including Joe, earlier this year.

“Monte Kiffin was taking me out on third downs,” Sapp said of his first season with Kiffin. “I went to TV and said if I am getting double- and triple-teamed on first and second downs, I must be allowed to rush on third downs. [Tony Dungy] said, ‘You got it.’

“If we were going to be the team we need to be, I have to be in there on third downs. I will give you all I have on first and second down. Hold the double-team, spill it, whatever you want to do. I am with you. Third down has got to be mine! That’s how we went about it.”

And it worked!

Imagine how different Bucs history much less Sapp’s history with the Bucs would have been. Would the Bucs have ever won a Super Bowl with Sapp not rushing the quarterback? Would Sapp have been in the Bucs’ Ring of Honor (to come Nov. 11) much less inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next month?

Sapp has a long memory. If he believes anyone slighted him, he won’t forget. If he feels someone helped him out, he won’t forget that, either.

Kiffin was a fantastic defensive coordinator. No one is perfect. In the case of Kiffin and Sapp, Kiffin really dropped the ball. Thankfully, Father Dungy intervened.

Yes, NFL.com is breaking down the most overrated/underrated players in the NFL, going team-by-team each day without killing an otherwise good sports radio show.

Earlier this morning, Joe sent along the information that Dan Rachal believed that tight end Jimmie Giles was an underrated Bucs player, among others.

Now, for the overrated.

Among the five players Rachal listed as the most overrated was former Bucs wide receiver Meshawn Johnson.

Keyshawn Johnson — WR, 2000-03
The Bucs surrendered two first-round draft picks to acquire Johnson from the New York Jets in 2000 to improve an anemic passing attack. Johnson was the highest paid receiver in the NFL and in return, the Bucs passing offense went from bad to mediocre and they averaged a 15th place finish in scoring offense during Johnson’s tenure. His best year was 2001, when he ranked fourth in receptions and seventh in yards, but only hauled in one touchdown. After an argument with Jon Gruden, Johnson was kicked off the team in 2003 and never suited up for the Bucs again.

Outside of one great season, this is a no-brainer. Johnson was supposed to open up the Bucs’ anemic offense after the debacle in St. Louis in the NFC Championship game of the 1999 season. Yet, it was the same old ground-and-pound offense that would have made Sid Luckman roll in his grave.

Not until the Bucs obtained Keenan McCardell, Ken Dilger and Joe Jurevicius did the offense begin to open up. This of course didn’t take place until Chucky was running the show.

As Warren Sapp once asked on “America’s Game,” was Meshawn “one of those rare-air special guys? No.” But with weapons around him and with an offensive coach, Johnson was good. He didn’t necessarily make others around him that much better.

Meshawn may have been the best possession receiver in the game. He was reliable, never blinking going over the middle. Meshawn was also a helluva blocker.

Hall of Famer? No way.

Other wide receivers on that list include the immortal Alvin Harper and the notorious Hurt Emanuel.

While Josh Freeman is no money hound, he must be cracking at least a little smile this morning, as word comes from USA Today that his 2010 draftmate, Lions QB Matthew Stafford, has signed a $76 million, five-year contract extension. The deal includes $43 million guaranteed.

Stafford, like Freeman, has only one great season under his belt and has an ugly career won-loss record. Unlike Freeman, Stafford has had serious injury issues.

So what the heck is Freeman now worth on the crazy quarterback market? A hell of lot.

Donovan McNabb, speaking on NFL Network, seems somewhat aghast by the money flowing Stafford’s way. 

“It’s about wins and losses,” McNabb said. “What has he really done for the Detroit Lions? Nothing.” McNabb went on to question Stafford’s decision-making and consistency late in games. It sounded an awful lot like criticism tossed Freeman’s way.

Regardless, Freeman’s leverage with the Bucs was just bumped up big time. Imagine if Freeman has a great season in 2013. He’ll certainly command Darrelle Revis money and more.

No, this is not about a silly, forced non-sports segment during another otherwise good sports radio show that chases listeners away. This is about who were the most overrated and underrated Bucs players in franchise history.

That is, if you beleive the folks from NFL.com. Dan Rachal takes care of the Bucs as NFL Network produces July filler content does a countdown each day of NFL teams’ overrated/underrated players.

As one of the most underrated players, Rachal lists tight end Jimmie Giles.

Jimmie Giles — TE, 1977-86
“He’s as Hall-of-Fame worthy as Ozzie Newsom or anybody else,” said his former quarterback, Doug Williams. During his nine seasons in Tampa, Giles made four Pro Bowls, caught 279 passes for 4,300 yards and 34 touchdowns. His four-touchdown game against the Miami Dolphins in 1985 is still a Tampa Bay record.

One reason Joe became a Bucs fan from the cornfields of southern Illinois was Giles. Man, this dude could block! Joe could have easily seen some other team convert Giles to a guard. He was simply a crushing blocker, laying out linebackers and opening up holes for Ricky Bell.

Oh, he could catch, too. He wasn’t a pass-catching weapon like so many tight ends today, but Giles was damned reliable and was a deep threat.

Now Joe knows Doug Williams is sticking up for an old teammate. Joe isn’t sure Giles is Hall of Fame worthy, damn close, though. Some day, it wouldn’t shock Joe if Giles got in through the Pro football Hall of Fame’s senior committee, made up of nine veteran members of the overall selection committee. Ironically, Giles’ first year of eligibility to be elected by the senior committee is 2014.

Getting into the Hall that way is difficult, indeed. Only two per year can be nominated to be voted in.

Yes, this Nov. 11, a Monday night game no less, the Bucs will retire Warren Sapp’s No. 99.

In a few weeks, Sapp will be the second Buccaneer to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, following in the footsteps of the late, great Lee Roy Selmon.

No one has worn No. 99 since Sapp departed for Oakland, and both Sapp and Bucs fans can thank Chucky for that. Sapp claimed earlier this spring that it was Chucky who saved Bucs fans the pain of watching a lesser player stain that number.

“Only me and Winston Moss wore it, two Canes,” Sapp said to Joe and other media this spring. “I know Winston Moss wore it. Who is going to wear 55 [again]?

“Gruden called me about two years after I left and he said, ‘You won’t believe this but someone came in here and asked for your number.’ I said, ‘What!? What did you say!?’ Gruden said, ‘I told him to leave my office and leave fast. You think I want to look at that number running around? I won’t let anybody wear that number, you crazy?’

“That was pretty cool by Johnny. I knew Raheem wouldn’t [allow anyone to wear No. 99]”

Sapp didn’t divulge who the brazen fellow was who wanted to wear Sapp’s No. 99 (Stylez White, perhaps?), and it didn’t seem Sapp knew who the fool was who had the balls to ask Chucky for No. 99.

Sapp does raise a good question. Just who will wear No. 55?

Joe’s pretty sure Bucs coach Greg Schiano won’t allow such a disgrace to Derrick Brooks. Joe only hopes it is next season, 2014, that the Bucs are honoring the third member of the organization in Canton.

That would be double-nickel himself, Brooks.

.

The only throwback game, where the Bucs honor the Creamsicle jerseys, won by the Bucs was Josh Freeman’s first NFL start against the Packers in 2009

Joe’s guessing many Bucs fans read the following on Joe’s Twitter feed earlier this morning, but for those who may have missed it, the Bucs announced the Throwback Game, where the team turns back the clock to wear Creamsicle orange, will be Sept. 29 against the Arizona Desert Rats.

The throwback game will be but one of many themed games for the Bucs this season, highlighted by Monday Night Football against the Dolphins, Nov. 11. That night, soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp will have his No. 99 retired during a halftime ceremony.

The throwback game gives Joe chills, and not for good reason. The Bucs have won but one throwback game, which ironically was Josh Freeman’s very first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers in 2009.

If the Bucs lose to the Desert Rats, Joe will be all for putting a halt to throwback games. On second thought, losing may be the best way to honor the Creamsicles.

The No Excuses Tour heads to Tropicana Field from Tampa Lee Roy Selmon’s locations. Click here for the schedule.

STAYING FOR SATURDAY’S POSTGAME CONCERT!

Catch the famous No Excuses Tour luxury bus departing Lee Roy Selmon’s locations in Tampa for this weekend’s Astros-Rays series.

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Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King has said numerous times that Josh Freeman is a good quarterback who is only a level below the elite, big-name class of QBs in the NFL.

King also says the Bucs should have locked up a contract extension for Freeman by now. However, King also claims Freeman doesn’t measure up to his counterparts in the NFC South.

“He’s last in the division right now,” King said on the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620 this morning. “That’s just me being honest and being fair. But I don’t think that’s a knock because I think Matt Ryan and Drew Brees are in that elite group.”

As for Cam Newton being better than Freeman, King said Newton ranks higher “because of what he can do running the football” and “the way he ended the year last year.”

One of three QBs to lead the Bucs to the NFC title game and an NFL analyst for NBC Sports, King also said the Bucs likely would regret parting with Freeman, if they choose to do so.

There’s not much more for Joe to write about Freeman; he must go prove consistent this season. But Freeman’s status within the division has got to be an X-factor on some level for the Bucs. Every team is focused on its division and how it ranks compared to other teams. (You can catch King’s entire interview below.)

So you must choose sides for a football team and you’ve got to pick between Dez Bryant and Vincent Jackson. Joe thinks it’s a freakin’ no-brainer that Jackson should be the choice, yet Joe’s pick isn’t the norm.

The gurus at ProFootballTalk.com assembled an esteemed panel of about 40 NFL analysts, including former Bucs Anthony Becht and Shaun King, along with olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, homeless-mistaken, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports Fame, to pick the top-100 players in the NFL.

Players ranked 51-75 were released yesterday, and the gang of experts collectively ranked Bryant above Jackson.

54 Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle, Lions
55 Cam Newton, quarterback, Panthers
56 Dez Bryant, receiver, Cowboys
57 Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle, Buccaneers
58 Marshal Yanda, guard, Ravens
59 Roddy White, receiver, Falcons
60 Vincent Jackson, receiver, Buccaneers

Joe is somewhat speechless. Jackson is just a better football player, and he’s no diva.

Joe also sees Ndamukong Suh continues to be a step ahead of Gerald McCoy, just like they were in the 2010 draft. Joe can see both sides of that argument.

The countdown of BSPN’s top 25 players in the NFC South continued over the weekend (how many had trouble shaking off the cobwebs yesterday?) when the latest Bucs player was revealed by NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas. That would be guard Carl Nicks at No. 12.

What he did in 2012: After being signed away from the New Orleans Saints as a free agent, Nicks appeared in seven games before going out for the rest of the season with a toe injury.

Why he’s No. 12 in 2013: Back in his New Orleans days, Nicks was viewed by many as the best guard in the league. Assuming he’s at full health, there’s no reason Nicks can’t get back to dominant form. The Bucs’ plan of teaming him and Davin Joseph as the starting guards went awry when Joseph suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason. But Joseph also is expected to be back at full strength. That could give Tampa Bay the best guard tandem in the NFL and running back Doug Martin could end up being even more productive than he was in a stellar rookie year.

Joe absolutely agrees with every letter Yasinskas typed here.

Joe just drools thinking about the possibility of Doug Martin running behind a road grader like Nicks for a full season, especially now that Martin has a full season of NFL experience under his belt.

And a strong running game usually means a strong team. We will find out soon. Hey, look! The NFL regular season is less than two months away.