No cornerback for the Bucs in the early rounds of the draft?

Daniel Jeremiah, sort of a B-list draft guru for NFL Network, is predicting just that (full video here). (Man, that sure would help pitchfork and torch sales across the Bay area.)

Jeremiah is no fool, though; he does come with credentials. The former Ravens, Browns and Eagles scout also was a starting college quarterback.

Jeremiah theorizes that the left with cornerback Xavier Rhodes on the board with the No. 13 overall pick, the Bucs would pass on overvaluing Rhodes there and would nab Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert. In the second round, per Jeremiah, the Bucs would then move to LB Arthur Brown out of Kansas State before snagging Illinois defensive end Michael Buchanon.

Now Joe can hardly buy the selection of Brown. The Bucs already have Lavonte David. Unless Greg Schiano, a former linebacker himself, becomes obsessed with Brown and envisions him as some sort of undersized strong side linebacker to add to enhance his many run blitzes, it wouldn’t happen.

Eifert is a long shot selection, and it surely wouldn’t shock Joe if the Bucs looked for DE depth in the third round, but only after selecting at least one cornerback.

The famous $9.95 roundtrip chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field is back for its third season!

Get your seat on the No Excuses Tour chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field, courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation, Lee Roy Selmon’s and Joe, departing from Selmon’s locations in Carrollwood and near International Plaza.

You get to ride in style — with beer and food in hand — and get dropped off right at the gate!!

Click on through to buy a seat and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com.

Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More 900 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board! Check out the BayNews9 video on the tour below.

Joe is not sure how this got started or where it began and really doesn’t care: Some people believe there is an April 18 deadline for the Jets and Bucs to make a deal for cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune claims that April 18 deadline is hogwash.

It’s possible, though unlikely, that the Jets might have set such an internal deadline, but they haven’t told the Bucs about it if they have and the Bucs have no reason to set such a deadline themselves.

Granted, there is a need on the Bucs part to do a complete examination of Darrelle Revis’ reconstructed knee and to agree on the parameters of a contract with him before finalizing any trade, but they don’t need a week to do that.

The Bucs could complete a thorough examination of Revis and work out the basics of a contract in less than 24 hours, so the only real deadline that exists in this matter continues to be Draft Day, which is April 25.

And Joe isn’t even convinced the trade must occur before the Bucs’ number is called at the NFL draft for pick No. 13, unless of course the Bucs are swapping the No. 13 pick.

This trade can easily be made after the draft. If the Bucs draft corner at No. 13, Joe’s pretty sure that player would be part of a post-draft Revis trade.

With news yesterday of Da’Quan Bowers having his charges reduced for packing heat at LaGuardia, Joe’s confident you can scratch off the Bucs drafting a defensive end at No. 13.

Veteran ESPN NFL reporter/analyst Sal Paolantonio is outraged by the thought of the Bucs parting with a first-round pick for Darrelle Revis.

In Paolantonio’s mind, the Jets are negotiating against themselves. “Take the deal off the table and make the Jets come back begging,” Paolantonio said multiple times yesterday while talking to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, of WDAE-AM 620.

Interestingly, Paolantonio, who typically covers the Jets, Giants and Eagles beats, explains why Revis is “the most respected” player in the Jets locker room and is a very charitable person across the New York City and Pittsburgh areas. He also compares Greg Schiano to Vince Lombardi and other coaching legends.

Catch the entire interview below.

Father Dungy talked about Darrelle Revis’ potential value to the Bucs yesterday, but it was clear that Dungy wouldn’t make a massive investment in Revis if he were running the Bucs.

Speaking on WDAE-AM 620, Dungy explained his pass defense philosophy.

“I always looked at it the other way. I thought that best way to play, within the rules now and how things are set up, is to get a great rush,” Dungy said. “It’s tough to cover, no matter who you are, but if you can rush and pressure and force off-target throws, I always felt that was the best pass defense.”

Dungy went on to say the Bucs need to let their young defensive ends prove themselves.

“You have to give guys a chance to come on,” Dungy said, recalling Warren Sapp coming off the field on third down during the Sam Wyche era.

Interestingly, Dungy said he was at One Buc Palace chatting with Greg Schiano on Wednesday, and Dungy praised Schiano’s team-building philosophy.

You can catch the entire interview below.

Now Joe knows there are pockets of Bucs fans that are as sick of reading about Darrelle Revis just as Joe becomes ill reading about salary cap drivel (or worse, the baseball spreadsheeters. Ugh!).

But Revis is the topic of the Bucs offseason and until hearing otherwise, no one with any authority or access has stated trade talks are off. So Joe knows there is keen interest in Revis, hence the stories.

Last night on “Total Access,” Andrea Kramer and NFL Network cameras visited a Revis workout. He is still rehabbing the knee he blew last season resulting in ACL reconstructive surgery.

Per his long-time trainer, Brett Fischer, Revis is nearing the end of his rehab.

“I am ecstatic where he is at,” Fischer said. “I have to hold him back like a thoroughbred. He is ready to go.”

Fischer noted Revis is now working on “read and react” which is critical for a cornerback, which is in “the final stages.”

Revis admitted he isn’t sure if he will play in New York or Tampa Bay this season.

“I know there is a lot of talk,” Revis said. “We’ll see what happens if I am [in New York] or if I am not. That’s the next step, That’s the next phase of my career is these next couple of weeks.”

Yeah, Joe knows what’s coming from the SEC elitists. “Who the hell is “B.W. Webb?”

From the research Joe has done, he could be a hidden gem. A cornerback from William and Mary, Webb shined on the Division I-AA level. Playing in the Colonial Athletic Association, Webb was All-Conference three times.

Webb, as he told Joe and other members of the fourth estate at the NFL Scouting Combine, is getting acquainted to playing on a higher level.

“I’m warming up to it, getting used to it,” Webb said. “I got a taste of it at the Senior Bowl.”

It was there that Webb took care of himself on the field, hanging with the big boys, even played well in man coverage against some of the top wide receivers in this month’s draft.

“I had some good feedback,” Webb said of coaches and scouts at the Senior Bowl. “They told me I played very well during that week, caught punts really well, and they liked the fact that I did punt returns.

“It showed that I do have the confidence and I can play against anybody that you put me on the field with.”

Webb, too, learned that he has to work on his weaknesses to shine on the NFL level.

“I wouldn’t call them weaknesses, but I would say biggest thing for me to improve on is my tackling,” Webb said.

Webb is a little dude, 5-10, 185. While he can play with top receivers, the need to improve tackling may sink him with Bucs coach Greg Schiano.

Joe wouldn’t be shocked if Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik drafted three corners in the draft, which begins in two weeks.

While Webb could be a late second day or an early third day pick — veteran scout Chris Landry rates Webb as a late second-rounder — Joe isn’t confident Webb will suit up for the Bucs during rookie camp next month.

No, just because Joe has typed the name “Darrelle Revis” doesn’t mean Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will pull off a deal for the Jets cornerback.

Trade discussions are not dead, but on pause. A trade could happen; it could not happen. A trade for Revis could happen overnight; it could happen after the draft; it could never happen.

Popular sports radio host Adam Schein believes it should happen. Now. And Dominik would be out of his mind not to pull the trigger, this minute, so says Schein, of NFL.com and Maddog Radio, heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio.

Revis is an ex-Jet-in-waiting, as I wrote in February. Now it seems there’s only one team involved in the Jets’ attempts to trade him: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Is it possible, perhaps, just maybe, that the Bucs need Revis more than the Jets need to get rid of him? I’d argue that this is absolutely the case.

The pendulum has swung. April’s draft cannot come and go without Tampa trading for Revis — not if the Bucs want to win in 2013, not if the brass wants to stay employed.

Joe loves Schein’s radio show and terribly misses him on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Joe’s met Schein a few times and he’s a good dude. Joe’s a Schein kinda guy through and through. But Joe cannot disagree more with Schein on this subject. Dominik is not going to get fired if he doesn’t land Revis. Hell, if the Bucs make the playoffs — with or without Revis — Dominik just might get a contract extension.

And no, the Bucs do not need Revis (gasp — how dare Joe agree with Shaun King?!). The Bucs have more than one hole on the defensive side of the ball and Joe cannot picture Revis being the final piece of the puzzle for a Super Bowl win.

Would Revis help the Bucs? Sure. But so would, say, Sheldon Richardson or Desmond Trufant or D.J. Fluker or Tank Carradine.

Dominik’s career is not on the line based on where Revis plays football this fall.

The Jets need to move Revis much more than the Bucs need to trade for him.

Ahh, the silliness of draft season. This year is one of the most unpredictable in years. Joe loves it, but it can be maddening.

Russ Lande worked in scouting for the Rams and Browns, and he’s media now pumping out draft stuff for NationalFootballPost.com. In a recent mock draft Lande pegged cornerback Dee Milliner falling to the Bucs at No. 13 and the Bucs snatching him. But in his latest prognostication, Lande believes Milliner will fall even farther because the Bucs will go defensive tackle.

12. Miami Dolphins: Cornell Carradine, DE, Florida State, Senior: As the Dolphins continue making the move to a 43 defense they must find a pass rusher who can play opposite Cameron Wake. Despite tearing his left ACL in November, Carradine is expected to be ready for the start of the 2013 season and should make a big impact opposite Wake.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida, Junior: Gerald McCoy is in the verge of becoming a superstar, but the Buccaneers need someone next to him after losing Roy Miller in free agency and having Brian Price’s injuries end his time in Tampa. Floyd is a strong and explosive interior force who would give the Bucs four excellent young defensive linemen for the future.

Sure, the odds of the Bucs going defensive tackle are good, especially after DaQuan Bowers escaped the wrath of the New York City penal system this morning.

But would the Bucs really pass on Milliner at No. 13? Joe wouldn’t wager on that happening; Lande has Milliner going to Pittsburgh at No. 17.

If the Bucs did find themselves with Milliner on the board at No. 13, Joe suspects they’d find a willing trade-down partner and make that move.

In his harshest and most in-depth indictment of rockstar general manager Mark Dominik to date, NBC Sports NFL insider Shaun King gave Dominik a grade of “absolute F” for the 2013 offseason and says the Bucs should remove Dominik from player personnel duties.

One of only three Bucs QBs to lead the team to the NFC Championship games, King proclaimed today that he’s seen enough.

“I think the Glazers should remove Mark Dominik as general manager of the Bucs,” King said on WDAE-AM 620 this morning. “They should do with Mark Dominik what the Atlanta Falcons did with Rich McKay. If they like Dominik that much, if they want to still have him as part of the organization, bump Mark Dominik up to president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and go out and hire a general manager who can evaluate players.”

Part of King’s logic includes a case that Dominik completely overpaid for Dashon Goldson in a year when the draft features “the best group of safeties to ever come into the National Football League.”

King also points to top 2013 free-agent cornerbacks Sean Smith ($11 million guaranteed from Chiefs) and Keenan Lewis ($10.5 million guaranteed from Saints) and says they could have been had by the Bucs for less money promised to Dashon Goldson ($22 million). He’s of the belief that the Bucs could have filled major needs in the secondary for less than what they paid Goldson and then drafted a stud safety in the second round. King explained that Mark Barron would be the third best safety in the 2013 draft.

King also says the Falcons re-signing Pro Bowl safety William Moore, who’s younger than Goldson, to $14 million guaranteed is further evidence Dominik isn’t performing.

“Why did we overpay in a market where everyone was getting underpaid?” King wants to know.

King dove into many other Bucs topics (he hates the idea of a Darrelle Revis trade). You can catch the entire audio below.

The famous $9.95 roundtrip chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field is back for its third season!

Get your seat on the No Excuses Tour chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field, courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation, Lee Roy Selmon’s and Joe, departing from Selmon’s locations in Carrollwood and near International Plaza.

You get to ride in style — with beer and food in hand — and get dropped off right at the gate!!

Click on through to buy a seat and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com.

Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More 900 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board! Check out the BayNews9 video on the tour below.

Per Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, charges in New York against Bucs defensive end Da’Quan Bowers for packing heat in a New York airport have been dropped.

@RCummingsTBO: Da’Quan Bowers gun charges reduced to disorderly conduct violation, per his attorney. Fined $250 with a $120 surcharge.

So this helps clear up the defensive end question for the Bucs in the upcoming draft. In the state of New York, gun charges usually are very, very, very harsh and there was no guarantee that Bowers wouldn’t serve some sort of jail time in 2014.

Now that this incident is behind Bowers, who told authorities he accidentally had his rod in his carry on luggage, Joe has a hunch the No. 13 pick will go defensive tackle.

Or to the Jets for youknowwho.

UPDATE: Mike Garafolo of USA Today has reaction from Bowers’ counsel, Dennis Coppin.

“(Da’Quan is) very happy, and honestly the Queens County District Attorney’s office investigated the case thoroughly and he was honest when he had the gun,” Coppin said. “He turned it over to the first gate agent he saw. He did the right thing, and they did the right thing in their investigation.”

Coppin added, “Sometimes with these cases, you have to use common sense. Obviously, a lot of people are anti-guns or what not, but you just can’t have a blanket rule that applies to (all cases).”

Late Tuesday, Joe updated a story to include breaking news that Eric Wright was given zero guaranteed money in his restructured contract with the Bucs.

Clearly, rockstar general manager Mark Dominik played his best hand with Wright. He told Wright he was wanted but got Wright to ditch his $7.75 million salary for this season and agree to $1.5 million or so, only if he makes September’s final roster.

Wright’s alternative was to be a good Buccaneer Man and wait to be cut, and/or wait for a better restructuring offer from the Bucs.

Now while Joe thinks Wright is overrated and unreliable, Joe won’t think that if Wright proves himself otherwise over the next 4 1/2 months, and then Wright would be worth $1.5 million plus incentives.

It’s interesting to Joe that Wright bet on Tampa Bay being his best career option knowing the cornerback market for him could improve considerably as injuries mount through offseason activities and preseason games. After all, Wright’s a confident young veteran, and the Bucs’ scouting and coaching staffs obviously think he’s a solid player. Yet Wright, a California guy with a baby on the way, opted to stay in Tampa Bay with no guarantees.

Also, Wright knows the Bucs are hunting Darrelle Revis and will be drafting cornerbacks, and he might have to compete with a true icon, Ronde Barber, for playing time.

The Bucs did quite a sales job on Wright.

Sometimes, Joe likes to mock the mockers. Depending on who you trust and who you believe,  Bucs’ selection with the No. 13 pick, if they pick at No. 13, is all over the map.

Joe has noticed that veteran NFL player personnel man Gil Brandt has not wavered one iota on who he thinks the Bucs will pick in the first round. That would be Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker.

Now there are many eyebrows raised at picking Fluker in the first round. First, that would not address the many holes on defense, gaping holes.

There’s also the financial aspect to look at picking Fluker. Clearly if the Bucs select Fluker, he would play right tackle. Rarely are tackles drafted high in the first round to play right tackle (unless your franchise quarterback is left-handed).

If Fluker is drafted, Joe would take a stab and say that Fluker will eventually be groomed to replace incumbent left tackle Donald Penn down the road.

And if the Bucs do draft Fluker, Joe thinks it would be time to put to rest the notion that Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman needs more toys.

Joe Caporoso, the owner/operator and editor of the Jets blog TurnOnTheJets.com, must really be suffering from cabin fever in the worst way.

Why? Because he is beginning to sound like a man grasping in vain for a flotation device as he struggles to keep his head above water before succumbing to the sea.

Caporoso claims Jets general manager John Idzik is going to successfully blackmail Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik not just for this year’s No. 13 pick, but for up to four draft picks total in return for cornerback Darrelle Revis or else Idzik will turn in Dominik for tampering.

@TurnOnTheJets: Re: the tampering discussion on Bucs/Revis – They are fair points but I think Idzik wouldn’t go public with the charges but would rather [p]ressure the Bucs behind the scenes to get as much as possible out of the trade for Revis, which I’m guessing happens in the next 7-10 days … Maybe he throws in a tampering charge threat behind the scenes to get another draft pick but I doubt he goes public with filing process [y]ou aren’t going to burn the bridge with your only trading partner, when you could get 3-4 picks from them

This is so absurd, Joe doesn’t know where to begin. Joe has written time and again that if anything, it is Dominik who has Idzik boxed in, not the other way around. Dominik and the Bucs do not need Revis. It’s really that simple. Now that the Bucs signed Eric Wright, Dominik drafts two corners in the first two days of the draft and the secondary issue is wrapped up. Done.

Does Caporoso really believe Idzik would try to shake down and strong-arm Dominik for four picks, including the No. 13 selection, or he will run to NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell? And what crime exactly is Idzik going to cry to Goodell about that the Bucs committed  That the Bucs linked to an NFL Network video on their site? Really? Really?

Or that somehow it’s a cardinal sin to talk to Vincent Jackson’s agent, who just by coincidence is also Revis’ agent?

Caporoso seems like a good guy. And he has a helluva blog. But is sure seems like Caporoso needs some Florida warmth and sunshine. Cabin fever really screws with your mind, man.

It is really this simple: If Idzik is catching heat from Jets owner Woody Johnson, Dominik has Idzik over a barrel.

In this New York Daily News roundtable video, a group of annoying yet entertaining New York media dive into the Darrelle Revis saga. Theories floated include painting Jets general manager John Idzik as a tough guy and Darrelle Revis as overrated.

For Gators fans who were hoping that somehow, if the Bucs traded for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, backup quarterback Tim Tebow would make his way to Tampa Bay, the only way Tebow will find himself at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway is either on another team’s roster or if he buys a ticket.

That’s the word from New York Daily News Jets beat writer Manish Mehta, who Twittered that Tebow has not been in any of the (alleged?) trade talks between Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and Jets honcho John Idzik.

@MMehtaNYDN: It was an interesting thought, but I’m told Jets + Buccaneers have not discussed Tim Tebow as part of a potential Darrelle Revis trade.

Joe could have told people this. The absolute only way Team Glazer would want Tebow is to sell a few thousand tickets to Gators types who still view Tebow as a misunderstood John Elway (as Joe has pointed out many times before, in today’s NFL economic structure, attendance revenue from a couple thousands seats is irrelevant).

Besides, didn’t Bucs coach Greg Schiano say he wanted competition at quarterback?

In a very eye-opening (ear-opening?) interview of Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune with Joe’s good friend, “The Commish,” Justin Pawlowski of WHFS-FM 98.7, Cummings claimed high-level sources at One Buc Palace have told him there really are no significant talks currently between the Bucs and the Jets for cornerback Darrelle Revis.

His information reinforced what Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik told Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan, co-hosts of “Movin’ the Chains” last month, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio; the Bucs don’t even know if the Jets want to trade Revis and, apparently, the Jets have cold feet.

“There is so much speculation out there [on what the Jets are asking for]. Bottom line here, as I have been told by some people very high up in the Buccaneers organization, is that the Jets have still not decided if they even want to trade Darrelle Revis,” Cummings said. “They are struggling to find anybody other than the Bucs to ensure they can get a decent deal or a deal much to their liking. That may be a part of their indecision to even move this player.

“The Bucs have not decided if they want the player. So when you get two parties supposedly involved in the trade or a potential trade, and that is really the best way to look at it: supposedly involved in a potential trade because obviously nothing is happening, and either side has not decided what they want to do or which direction they want to go, you are not going to have a deal. Again, as I said before, I think the media is more interested in this deal than either team at this point. I think that is an absolute fact that the media is absolutely obsessed with this story. The two sides are like, ‘Eh, I don’t know if I want to move the guy.’ … ‘Eh, I don’t know if I want the guy.’ So nothing is happening.”

What Cummings said makes all the sense in the world. If you are Idzik and you are being boxed in by Dominik, you too would try desperately to find another suitor to try to get that third party and Dominik into a bidding war.

This is one reason why Joe is hardly convinced a Revis trade happens the week of the draft (just days away) as many have speculated. Virtually the only option Idzik has to prevent Dominik from fleecing him is to find another team interested in Revis. Thing is, some team would have to do some serious heavy lifting in a handful of days to clear cap space for Revis.

The Bucs already have the cap space.

To hear Pawlowski’s entire interview with Cummings, click here.

Now that, for the time being, we know troubled cornerback Eric Wright will return to the Bucs, please allow Joe to make a simple request to Mr. Wright:

“Improve your tackling.”

The TV watchers at ProFootballFocus.com put down their notebooks and closed their Excel spreadsheets long enough to type out who the worst tackling cornerbacks were last year in the NFL.

Perhaps not so shockingly, two of the worst 15 tacklers playing cornerback wore pewter and red last season, fan favorite E.J. Biggers and Wright.

In the sordid list linked, Biggers was the seventh-worst tackling corner and Wright was No. 13.

Now Joe knows that Bucs coach Greg Schiano is a big stickler on tackling. Joe hopes that maybe, inspired by his friend, safety Dashon Goldson, and additional coaching from Schiano and his staff, Wright improves on this depressing number.

It looks like the New Schiano Order and Leeman Bennett are on the same page.

Back in January, Joe chatted with Bennett, the former successful Falcons head coach and not-so-successful Bucs head coach, and asked him to name standouts from his East-West Shrine Game experience. Bennett coached the West squad this year.

Only one name came out of Bennett’s mouth, Keith Pough, a strong-side linebacker prospect out of Howard University.

Bennett said Pough (6-2, 241) is a complete, physical player who quickly showed he was a leader on the field and in the locker room. Pough is projected to be a mid-round draft pick, but his 4.87 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine, and playing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference against the likes of Morgan State, Savannah State and Delaware State, won’t help him.

Now, via draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski of 98.7 FM, it seems the Bucs and Ravens are showing the most interest in Pough. Pawlowski Twittered that he talked to Pough yesterday and Pough gave him the scoop.

Pough seems to have the makings of the proverbial “Buccaneer Man.” He was a two-year captain at Howard and is the son of a high school football coach. Being a late physical bloomer factored into his college options, per Joe’s research.

Somebody has to replace Quincy Black, and preferably someone with more upside than Jonathan Casillas. Maybe that’s Pough.

ESPN’s Rich Cimini gives an update on Darrelle Revis’ trade status in this BSPN video.

Not only are the Bucs banking on Da’Quan Bowers taking the NFL by storm with a double-digit sack season, they’re first banking on him slithering through the New York City court system and coming out clean.

Bowers is back in court tomorrow in Queens. He’s still on the docket, and his Feb. 18 charge is the same — criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a felony that carries a minimum sentence of 3 1/2 years.

Though there is no official designation of tomorrow’s proceedings, it appears to be an arraignment. Joe was told by a New York court official that Bowers must be in court by 9 a.m., where he will wait for his name to be called among about 60 defendants scheduled for the same court.

Joe will bring you the latest tomorrow as information becomes available.