Will he stay or will he go? That’s where the fate of Ronde Barber stands with the Bucs.

One of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play the game, certainly the best to ever wear a Bucs uniform, graybeard Barber is a free agent. So far, the Bucs and Barber, who will turn 38 in April, haven’t had formal talks about next season.

This subject came to Booger McFarland’s mind. The former Bucs defensive tackle and current on-air personality for WHNS-FM 98.7 gave his two cents on Barber’s future, if there is any with the Bucs.

“Ronde Barber. He isn’t talking, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t talking. It is a simple game of chess or is it a we-are-going-to-take-our-time-to-get-into-it? Does Ronde Barber deserve his own say? Can the Tampa Bay Buccaneers force him out the way they forced Derrick Brooks out, the way they forced Warren Sapp out? Or does Ronde Barber deserve to be treated any differently? Right now they are not talking so we don’t know. It is still a business. Just turn the tape on. If he can play, you bring him back. If he can’t, you let him go. Either way, he’s a Hall of Famer.”

Well, as Bucs coach Greg Schiano told Joe in an exclusive one-on-one interview from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last week, this is the way the Bucs planned it. They wanted Barber to step away for a while and discuss his future with his family.

It sure seemed by Schiano’s answer and body language he would like Barber back. But perhaps Barber, who only suffered one serious injury to close the 2011 season, may just count his blessings and step away?

No, this isn’t like Brooks or Sapp. Barber is a free agent. Brooks was cut. Sapp was conned by Chucky, and Sapp wound up signing with the Raiders as a free agent.

Joe doesn’t sense any shenanigans whatsoever between the Bucs and Barber. Joe is confident the combine took priority. Now that it is over, perhaps Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and Schiano will break bread with Barber this week, over team-pre approved pasta, and find out if the two can come to an agreement or not.

If Barber doesn’t come back, then obviously the Bucs will be in the market for a safety.

I was for competition for Freeman before I was against it, before I was for it again

Poor, Greg Schiano.

He has such a hard time with his message when he talks about competition for Josh Freeman.

At the NFL Scouting combine last week, Schiano backpedaled off his January call for competition at all positions including quarterback, a story that became national news as it related to Josh Freeman. Schiano said those comments about Freeman were overblown by media and, he said, “I have been busy and I hadn’t had a chance to clear that up.” (Didn’t have 90 seconds to instruct your PR staff, coach? Yeah, right.)

Now Buccaneers.com has released footage of Schiano, filmed in Indianapolis shortly after that combine backpedal. Interestingly, Schiano again talked emphatically about competition for Freeman.

“My whole thing is I believe in competition. I think that’s what our country was founded on, right?,” Schiano said. “So that competition at every position is important to me. But I don’t want to make anybody have any other thought. Josh is the guy that I believe in as our quarterback, and I know our organization does, and we believe that he can take us to all the goals that we want to achieve. But is he going to have competition? Sure he is. We’re going to do that across the board.”

Joe finds it interesting that Schiano never mentions backup QB Dan Orlovsky, who remains on the Bucs roster. And it’s always been strange to Joe that Schiano wants competition for Freeman, yet Freeman took 100 percent of the first-team snaps in practice last season.

If Joe were advising Schiano, Joe would tell him to stop talking about competition altogether. The whole notion is a bit of a farce at the NFL level. There are plenty of guys on every team that essentially are guaranteed starting jobs based on their salaries or draft position.

Greg Cosell

One great thing from a writer’s perspective about the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis was the virtually unfettered access to movers and shakers in the NFL. Over the weekend, Joe got a chance to talk Bucs football with Greg Cosell. A senior producer of NFL Films, Cosell is one of the most respected X’s and O’s guys out there. All he does for a living is break down film, aside from authoring a football book here and there. Cosell, nephew of famed broadcaster Howard Cosell, specifically detailed why defensive tackle Roy Miller is valuable for the Bucs.

JoeBucsFan: Your impressions on Bucs defensive tackle Roy Miller?

Greg Cosell: I always thought he was a good player for what he is.

Joe: Fans don’t seem to like him because he doesn’t show up in the box score much. He doesn’t get a lot of sacks; he doesn’t get a lot of tackles.

Cosell: Well, that’s irrelevant. It’s irrelevant!

Joe: Gerald McCoy always says he wouldn’t be the player he is without Miller.

Cosell: Well, essentially [the Bucs] play an underfront and McCoy is the three-technique and Miller is the nose-shade. And in that kind of defense, the nose-shade will not put up stats. The nose-shade often gets double-teamed; the nose-shade allows a guy like Lavonte David to run free. That is his job. His job is to stalemate and defeat double-teams, eat up blocks. Roy Miller will not appear on the stat sheet. That is not a reflection of anything that he is about as a player.

Joe: So again, when people whine that he doesn’t get sacks, it is irrelevant?

Cosell: It’s irrelevant.

Joe: You brought up Lavonte David. Better rookie season: Lavonte David or Doug Martin?

Cosell: Well, it is hard to compare rookies at totally different positions. I think Lavonte David is a really good player. He will probably get better; he sort of fits the new mold of linebacker in the NFL. He is a run-and-chase player. Not a big player but he does have some physicality. He is willing to be physical; he’s just not a big, big man. You know, Doug Martin, I loved him when he came out of Boise [State]. He ran well this year. Obviously, it is an offense that would like to go through Doug Martin as a focus. And I think he can do that. He is a volume runner to me.

Joe: Have you studied much of Ronde Barber at safety?

Cosell: I have seen him. You know, there is so much subpackage that he essentially played the slot in their nickel and played sort of the dime linebacker position. I see him more that way than a regular safety.

Increasingly controversial CBSSports.com senior NFL writer Pete Prisco is not backing off his Monday Twitter claim that Josh Freeman and Greg Schiano are not fond of each other.

Speaking yesterday on 98.7 FM to co-host and former Buccaneers defensive tackle Booger McFarland, Prisco explained that he was told of a strained relationship between head coach and quarterback from various sources at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“It’s not warm and fuzzy like they might want to portray it as. Let’s put it at that,” Prisco said. “And I’ve heard it from a bunch of different people at the combine and ran it by some others I knew and would know. Yeah, it’s not a great relationship. And, you know, there’s actually rumblings that the Bucs are looking to draft a quarterback.”

First, Joe must say up front, Why does it matter whether Freeman and Schiano like each other? It’s not like Schiano is calling plays. And there are plenty of successful coaches that had strained relationships with their QBs.

Any Bucs fan could have expected that Schiano would come to Tampa and not be married to Freeman and/or feel like he has to be close to him or baby him.

For Joe, when Schiano set up a punt against Philadelphia to put the game in the hands of his heinous secondary, that was a clear sign Schiano had issues with Freeman.

Of course, there’s also a chance that the Bucs are spreading smoke screens around the NFL to help put them in position to trade down in the draft and use the extra pick to later trade up. Then there’s always the off chance that Schiano hates Michael Jackson.

If 70 percent of football is preparation, then Dee Milliner will make a fine NFL player.

The charismatic Alabama cornerback took to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine this past weekend and wowed reporters with his confidence, his attention to detail, presenting himself as unsatisfied by just being the best college cornerback; he’s always looking to improve.

During his downtime, Milliner admitted to watching Mississippi State and Florida State games because he knew Johnathan Banks and Xavier Rhodes were close to his equal and he wanted to find out if the two were using some strategies he wasn’t.

“Anytime they’ve got a game and we ain’t playing or we’ve got a game later on, or we got a game early and they play at nighttime, you always got to look at them, check them out,” Milliner said. “That’s guys you know you’re going to eventually go up against and eventually you become friends with them because you know you’re going to run into them at things like this.

“You just always want to get a good relationship and a good feel of the people you know you’re going to go against and see at your position.”

It wasn’t just Banks and Rhodes, of course Milliner watched the NFL, too. And unlike in the NCAA, where a corner might get a 15-yard penality for a perceived bad hit or late hit, in warden commissioner Roger Goodell’s NFL, good, physical hits will more likely get you run out of the league rather than lauded. Milliner said he knows he must be mindful and how he drills a receiver — and who — on the NFL level.

“You have to watch yourself nowadays,” Milliner said. “If you have late hit, better be ready to give some cash up. But it doesn’t change me as a player. This is a physical game. You just have to watch yourself and be careful when you are making plays on the ball.”

It sure seems like Milliner has everything you would want mentally in a cornerback. The question is, if he slips to No. 13, does Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik take him?

Joe has been told over and over again this past weekend that while there really are no top shelf corners, the draft is very deep, three rounds deep, in corners.

It is very possible that Dominik waits to the second round where it is possible Banks will be sitting at No. 45.

And there is always that chance Dominik could use the fourth-round pick stolen from the Patriots for Aqib Talib to trade up from No. 45 for Rhodes.

Today, Bucs coach Greg Schiano appeared on that dreadful NFL Networ show “NFL AM,” and among many other subjects, the topic of the Honey Badger himself came up — former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu.

(This NFL AM is a joke. The co-hosts, Nicole Zaloumis and Brian Webber, are like rejects from a low-rent game show. This Zaloumis has no business on the show. The only time she appears remotely interested is when she can talk about players’ touchdown dances and when an NFL player is on that repulsively effeminate “Dancing with the Stars” schlock, which makes Joe want to just toss all over his laptop keyboard just typing that. Today, while waiting for Schiano to appear, viewers were more likely to hear chatter about the Oscars or “Dancing with the Stars” than football talk. What the hell?! Get rid of those zombies, promote Molly Qerim and stick to football! MLB Network’s “Hot Stove,” which airs opposite “NFL AM,” blows the NFL Network’s morning programming out of the water! If Joe, and 98 percent of NFL fans, want Oscars news and “Dancing with the Stars” feces, we’d watch E! Network. We turn to the NFL Network, for, you know, football!)

Naturally, Schiano was asked about that dopey, overblown, lying-to-teammates-and-coaches linebacker that Alabama exposed in January, but then Schiano was asked about “Honey Badger” himself. A former standout cornerback from LSU, Mathieu was thrown off the team just prior to his junior season because of failing drug tests.

Having sat out a year and gone through rehab, Mathieu is ready to hit the NFL and Schiano genuinely seemed interested.

“Yeah, I have spoken to him; again, you have to weight everything out. Is there some risk? Probably, but even he’d tell you that.

“He’s got film; he’s got very impressive film. So I don’t think that is an issue. Again, it is all scales. What are you willing to risk and at what [round] do you take him?

“Well, generally [lack of size] it does [hurt], but he is a special talent so I don’t know if [Mathieu’s size] is important.”

How good of a player was Honey Badger? He was a Heisman Trophy finalist. Very few elite defenders get that honor. Honey Badger has freakish skills.

Lord knows the Bucs need corners, and yeah, he is short. If Honey Badger is there in the fourth round, Joe thinks that would be a time to grab him. Joe’s been of the mind the Bucs will draft two corners.

If Mathieu is the second of two corners drafted, not too shabby of a draft. Oh, and he is a crazy good kick returner. How many guys did Schiano run through a revolving door at kick return last year?

Joe’s not big on accounting mumbo-jumbo, but many pundits have speculated that the Bucs would need to protect/clear out salary cap room to potentially re-sign Josh Freeman.

So it’s interesting to read data from BSPN today that lays out a list of the biggest hits to the Bucs’ salary cap in 2013 — — unless the players are cut or their contracts are renegotiated.

Here are the Bucs that are scheduled to count $5 million or more against this year’s cap:

Gerald McCoy $10.9 million
Josh Freeman $10.3 million
Eric Wright $7.75 million
Donald Penn $6.33 million
Davin Joseph $6 million
Quincy Black $5.75 million

Freeman was drafted a couple of years before the rookie salary cap took effect following the asinine lockout of 2011. So Freeman scored what his draft position commanded back then, a five-year, $26 million deal with another $10 million and change in incentives, per RotoWorld.com.

The ESPN data is noteworthy to Joe because if Freeman is counting $10.3 million against the 2013 cap, and the Bucs right now have more than $30 million to spare entering free agency, then in theory the Bucs would not endure significant impact to the financial balance of their roster if they re-signed Freeman.

Surely, there’s no way Freeman would command more than the $10.3 million annually the Bucs are allocating for 2013?

The Bucs blitzed, blitzed and blitzed some more last season under the New Schiano Order defense. It did wonders for run-stuffing, but the pass defense was historically heinous.

Some scrutinize the Bucs’ pass rush and assign them a load of blame, but don’t place former Bucs defensive end Steve White (1996-2001) in that camp. For Bucs fans unaware, White breaks down Bucs defensive line play like no other.

Speaking to Tom Krasniqi of WDAE-AM 620 over the weekend, White explained that unless the Bucs lose their blitzing mindset, like they did successfully against the Falcons in Week 17, then there’s no reason to stockpile premier pass rushers.

“We turned into Blitzburgh City South last year for some reason about the middle of the season. And when you blitz that much, unless you’re blitzing in a way where you defensive end is going to come off free, your defensive line isn’t supposed to be the one who gets the sacks. We just didn’t have anybody that could blitz, which is once again an indictment of our secondary,” White said. “And so if you’re going to blitz that way, I’d put a much higher premium on secondary guys because we’re going to need, you know, guys who can basically stand up out there one-on-one, play after play, and we don’t have that right now. We have cover-2 corners for the most part; we’re going to have to find some man corners and man up if we’re going to blitz that much.

“Or, we can do like we did in the Atlanta game at the end of the season, not blitz as much, have a lot more success just rushing four, and do alright. We started off the season that way. Then we got out of whack against the Giants and started blitzing every play and then Eli Manning roasted us for over 500 yard. And somehow we watched that film and said, ‘Hey, that’s something we should keep doing for the rest of the season.’

“My thing about it is if you’re going to blitz, you gotta pick your poison, if you’re going to blitz that much, you really don’t need premier pass rusher up front anyway because you’re not going to blitz them. You’re going to waste them stunting them inside and stuff like that so your corners and your linebackers can come in off the edge and get pressure. Or you do like we used to do, get better secondary guys, even for cover-2, and let the front four guys rush.”

White went on to say re-signing Michael Bennett should be a Bucs priority, but White said he can envision a scenario in which the Bucs brass believes Da’Quan Bowers would capably replace Bennett allow Bennett to walk if his price isn’t right.

White cautioned that Bennett rushes very well inside on third downs, an aspect of his game that would have to replaced, and not an area where Bowers has proved himself.

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It was no shock to learn that outside linebacker Quincy Black’s odds of returning to the Bucs took a downturn last week, when it was revealed Black had surgery for nerve damage.

There was some smart speculation that Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster could be moved to the outside, as that was his primary position in college. And while speaking to Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune, Bucs coach Greg Schiano didn’t completely rule out that move, though Schiano’s preference is to keep Foster right where he is.

Tampa Bay officials thought Foster improved markedly in his second season last year, especially as a run stopper, and needs just a little more coaching to become the all-around playmaker they need.

“I thought Mason played really good football at times last year,” Bucs coach Greg Schiano said. “Now, there were other times when he didn’t play all that well, but that’s really on us as coaches.

“We need to get to a point as coaches where, when we see that a guy can do it and he can get the job done the way we want him to, we get him to do it all the time, because that’s our job. Now, if a guy can’t do it, that’s a different story. Then you have the wrong guy in there and you have to weather it until you can replace him.”

Yes, Joe wrote Foster was on his way to munching on pineapple because he played so well early last season. In fact, Foster arguably made the most improvement of any Buccaneer from 2011. Sure, he slipped toward the end, but notice it coincided with Black’s injury? Not exactly a coincidence.

This just opens the draft door even wider for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. The Bucs could pick a corner, a defensive end, an offensive tackle, a tight end, an outside linebacker, a safety or a middle linebacker in the first round, and an argument can be made for each.

It’s starting to smell like Dominik is going to take the best player available at No. 13, sans a quarterback, running back or wide receiver.

Former Bucs QB Shaun King calls Tennessee gunslinger Tyler Bray the “hidden gem in this draft.”

Before the NFL Scouting Combine worked quarterback prospects through all their throwing skills, drills and 40-time thrills yesterday, former Bucs quarterback Shaun King called former Tennessee QB Tyler Bray “the hidden gem in this draft” during a morning interview on 98.7 FM.

(For those keeping score, King said he’s not a big E.J. Manuel fan.)

Bray didn’t disappoint. Combine analysts raved about his throwing prowess and, frankly, Joe hasn’t seen a guy throw a deep ball so effortlessly in years. (Here’s some video.) Reports out to Tennessee say Bray unveiled his 6-6 body with an extra 20 pounds of muscle since his college season ended.

Of course, Tennessee was a losing team during each of Bray’s three seasons as a starter, despite him throwing 34 touchdown passes last season. He’s inconsistent and unlikely to be a first-round pick.

King said Bray would be an ideal pick for the Bucs in the third or fourth round, a perfect candidate to spend 2013 on the bench and develop, learn and mature the old fashioned way.

Joe would have no problem with the Bucs taking Bray; it’s probably a sound move, unless the Bucs have their eyes on the stronger 2014 quarterback class as the best possible way to replace Josh Freeman.

Joe’s not lobbying to replace Freeman, but a plan must be in place.

He’s called the performance of the Bucs’ front office “terrible,” and he’s routinely blasted rockstar general manager Mark Dominik for poor decision-making, but former Bucs QB Shaun King thinks Dominik likely is making a wise move in the handling of soon-to-be free agent Michael Bennett.

On Friday, Dominik announced the Bucs would not slap a franchise tag on anyone this offseason, which means the team’s public stance is that they’d be willing to let Bennett walk if he can’t be re-signed.

Speaking on 98.7 FM this morning to host Steve Isbitts, King said fans should expect Dominik has an agreement in place with Bennett’s agent that the Bucs will get an opportunity to counter any offer that comes Bennett’s way on the open market. King, one of only three quarterbacks to lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game, said it would be a rather common move for Dominik, or any general manager, assuming teams have a good relationship with the player.

Oily Drew Rosenhaus represents Bennett.

King, however, made it clear that it only takes one big spender to drop gobs of cash on Bennett with a figure the Bucs won’t match. The Buffalo Bills’ rather surprising big-money signing of Mario Williams last offseason was an analogy King offered.

Joe agrees with King’s assessment of the likely Dominik-Rosenhaus agreement, but it still makes Joe terribly uneasy. Losing Bennett would be a risky move, and likely a bad one.

King also blamed Dominik mismanagement for putting the Bucs in this situation. A young emerging pass rusher who made a big splash on Monday Night Football in 2011, Bennett is a guy the Bucs should have moved to re-sign long ago, King said. Extending the contract of Bennett also was something former Bucs defensive end Steve White put out there years ago. Back in 2010, White explained that Bennett could become a “monster.”

If the Bucs are going to add anyone to the front seven on defense, a likely prospect since linebacker Quincy Black is unlikely to recover from his nerve damage,  (plus the real possibility that defensive end Michael Bennett could leave via free agency), Bucs coach Greg Schiano isn’t looking for a one-trick pony.

Schiano told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine he wants guys who can adjust and adapt on the fly.

“Well, anybody who has followed our defense knows there is plenty of opportunity to do that. I still–you live by it and you die by it. You still want to get after them four [or] three men. When you are really good you have a three men rush and can get pressure on the quarterback and then be able to drop eight,” Schiano said. “To be able to mix it up the one thing we live by first, second down, and especially on third down is we are going to be multiple. Move in and out. That’s why we need guys that are football smart and guys that really love to prepare and get ready for the games.”

Now Joe can understand why Schiano would want guys who can play in a 34 front just as easily as a 43 front. But as far as the pass rush goes, until and/or unless the Bucs can develop a consistent pass rush, Joe just wishes Schiano and defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan would forget the three-man front, especially against the likes of Drew Brees.

Even with stud defensive tackle Gerald McCoy wreaking havoc on the inside, the Bucs simply didn’t get enough heat on the quarterback last season.

Some blame injuries to defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. Others blame the trainwreck that was the Bucs cornerbacks who were so wretched, they couldn’t cover themselves with a blanket at night, enabling quarterbacks to get rid of the ball basically before the defensive line had a chance to cross the line of scrimmage.

If Bucs rock star general mnaager Mark Dominik wants an athletic, pass rushing specialist, perhaps Oregon’s Dion Jordan is that man?

Yesterday while speaking with reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Jordan sold himself as an athlete playing defensive end.

“I feel like me lining up all over the field on defense shows my athleticism, shows that I understand the game and that I did a lot for the university,” Jordan said. “But my whole thing is getting after the quarterback, so pass rush would be my No. 1.”

But Jordan isn’t just a jock. He credits his intelligence with being able to read offenses, read what they are doing on any given play, which he believes gives him an extra step in getting to the quarterback.

“I understand the game, I understand defenses because I played on the offensive side of the ball, I understand a lot of the offensive schemes also,” Jordan said. “So it plays to my abilities, just understanding a lot of little things.”

Could Jordan hack it in the NFL? Well, he did practice each day at Oregon against some of the best offensive players in the nation, which he believes will serve him well on the NFL level.

“As a defensive player, keeping up with guys like a Kenjon Barner, chasing him down the field, or LaMichael James or even a DeAnthony Thomas, those guys are very special. As a defensive player, being able to keep up with those guys Monday through Friday, when we get to the game on Saturday, it’s pretty easy for us as far as the game speed.

“I’m used to that type of tempo.”

Again, Jordan as a defensive end would be more of a pass rushing specialist than anything else. Many project Jordan to be a 34 outside linebacker, which is pretty amazing for a 6-7 guy.

Given his height, Jordan, in addition to rushing the passer, ought to be able to disrupt passes — something the Bucs front line really hasn’t done a much of in recent years.

Leave it to a newcomer to America to add to the nation’s vocabulary.

One of the more entertaining interviews at the NFL Combine so far for Joe was when the Baron of Berlin, defensive end Bjoern Werner, took to a podium yesterday.

(No, Joe had nothing and wanted nothing to do with the mob scene around that freak/liar who has imaginary girlfriends on Facebook. You should have seen the stampede to the podium when it was announced the freak was about to speak. You would have thought they just announced there were only five more sandwiches left.)

When Werner spoke, at times, Joe thought he was watching an old Dana Carvey routine on Saturday Night Live. Werner was funny, charming, and could barely contain his excitement when he talked about drilling ballcarriers.

You know how someone reacts when they are eating a dynamite steak or have just had a spoonful of the best bread pudding known to man, when they smile and shake their head in satisfaction, licking their lips? That’s exactly how Werner reacted when talking about burying quarterbacks.

It is then that he coined the word about football as a “mansport.”

Werner said he thinks what attracted him to football while growing up in Germany, “I just love the physicality of it. They would take big guys out of soccer because they are hurting people. But with football, it’s such a mansport. You line up against another guy and who is going to be the strongest guy? It is just an amazing game. The physicality, the mental conditioning. Can you do it once or can you do it 50 times in a game?”

Werner said he was also drawn to the game because, in short, weaklings are not welcome.

“Maybe because [football is] such a masnsport,” Werner said. “We don’t have a mansport like that like [in Germany], not like in America where there is hockey. Maybe people liked it because, wow, men hitting each other and decleating everybody and maybe, I can’t explain it, why I love it.”

Mind you, Werner said this while beaming, shaking his head, and at one point, Joe thought he was about to drool talking about pounding an opponent.

Now Werner, who Joe thought was rather small for a defensive end — E.J. Manuel appeared bigger than Werner — is not expected to be laying there at No. 13 when the Bucs pick in the first round.

Some mocks have Werner falling to No. 10 or No. 11. If that is the case, Joe wonders if Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik would make a play for Werner and pull off a trade?

Aside from fixing and replacing what was a horrid cast of cornerbacks that will live in NFL infamy, the next order of business for the Bucs is fixing Josh Freeman.

Now, the stat dudes and the sophists will point to Freeman’s franchise-setting numbers. Fair point, but stats don’t win football games and Freeman’s inaccuracies and inconsistencies all but Pearl Harbored the Bucs chances of playing in January.

Top shelf NFL quarterbacks don’t toss four interceptions against the drek that was the Saints defense last year.

As one can imagine, Bucs coach Greg Schiano’s top task is getting Freeman over the hump and into the NFL’s elite, as he explained Thursday to Joe and a gaggle of reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“Just as we do with every guy on our team, we have a specific plan to help them get better. And we visited with all our players before they left at the end of the season and there are certain things that we thought would be good for Josh to do in this down time,” Schiano said. “And that’s one of the things people say, ‘what’s the biggest difference,’ well one of the big differences between college football and the NFL is, you don’t get to see the players that much. They left after the last game and now we’re in February and other than a few guys that pop through the building, you don’t see them. But before he left, we talked about things and I think he will continue to continue to make improvement in going through the installation of the offense, a better understanding and do all that we can to develop all the players on our roster as well as go out and pursue players I free agency and the draft and so we’re going to surround Josh with better player and he’s going to get better as our whole team is and as I said, I believe he’s going to lead us to where we want to go.”

The offense under coordinator Mike Sullivan is a bit complex. It’s why Mike Williams was so adamant that receivers had to be on the same page as Freeman.

Joe’s going to guess that having a full offseason to work in Sullivan’s offense, and being in that offense for a second season, will work wonders for Freeman’s decision-making if not accuracy.

In the spirit of fairness, Joe will write about a Gators prospect the Bucs may desire.

Joe wouldn’t be shocked if the Bucs drafted an offensive tackle in either of the first two days of the draft. At best, Demar Dotson is starting caliber. He is good on pass blocking but run blocking is not a strength and we all know Greg Schiano likes to run the ball with Doug Martin. Also, Donald Penn isn’t getting any younger.

Now Gators offensive tackle Xavier Nixon is not expected to be drafted in the first day and maybe not the second day. But Nixon believes he is versatile, which always intrigues a general manager.

“My preference is tackle, either one,” Nixon said to reporters Friday. “But I can swing inside if need be, I’m willing to play wherever the team needs me to play.”

Nixon comes from a solid family base, a good guy. His father recently retired from the Army and his mother is stationed in Louisiana. He believes thediscipline he learned from his parents is a good chunk of the reason he is at the NFL Scouting Combine.

“All the values I learned coming up, integrity honesty and hard work, it transfers into football and into life,” Nixon said. “It’s always good to have those traits.”

Again, Nixon has all the tools and talents to be a decent lineman, but he must be more consistent. As Joe stated yesterday about Ricky Wagner, Joe trusts Bucs offensive line coach Bob Bostad to turn a guy like Nixon into a valued player.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is busier than Santa Claus on Christmas Eve today. Many players the Bucs have their eyes on will be working out for all the NFL scouts and coaches at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during the NFL Scouting Combine. Dominik was gracious enough to give Joe a few moments to discuss the draft during a jam-packed day.

JoeBucsFan: Mike Mayock, draft guru for NFL Network, says there are three tight ends who are basically clones of each other and those three could be drafted from the first round to the second round. Is that accurate?

Mark Dominik: I wouldn’t say that just yet. I think it is a little early to say that. We are just getting the medical back now. We are in the middle of the interview process. Today is a big day. How they perform today and certainly during their pro day. Then there are the individual meetings with the club. I think there is talent in the tight end pool here. I would say that. I would say it is rare for three tight ends to go in the first round. I haven’t seen that a lot in my history. I would have to go back and look but I don’t recall three tight ends going in the first round. The good news is there is talent in this draft and that is why I think we are in a good spot at No. 13 because there are different positions that bring an element that we could have an interest in. That’s why whether you are picking six or 13, I think we are in a good spot to be in this year comparatively to other draft classes.

Joe: How important is the combine? Packers coach Mike McCarthy said yesterday his team has had their draft board set over two weeks ago. Bill Parcells regularly downplays the combine. What is your take on the importance of the combine?

Dominik: I think the combine brings two things that are really ultra-important. One is the medical and two is the personal interaction with the players. You only get a little bit of time but these interviews are where you decide whether you want to bring them back to your building. You have the 30 players you are allowed to bring in. You get through these interviews and you say, ‘I need more time with that guy,’ or ‘I need more time with that guy because I want to reinforce what I believe.’ I would say this: we are different. There is no way my draft board is set right now. Not a chance.

Joe: 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said yesterday about player interviews at the combine, ‘some players you can get a read on them right away and others, no way.’ Is that about right?

Dominik: I think that is important. Time is everything at this level. The more time you can spend with somebody the more time you can get a feel for all different things. What are they going to be on the field? What are they going to be off the field? How do they learn? What way do they learn best? Those things are so important; you wish you can have more visits even at your own facility. That is why you have to take your time and sift through all the information and get the right guys in on your 30 visits. With us, we bring in guys that we think as much of as a first round [pick] as we do an undrafted free agent.

Joe: Recently, it was learned the NFL is looking to change its offseason schedule with the combine in March and the draft in May. What is your reaction?

Dominik: I will let Roger [Goodell] figure out what he’s going to do. I will say this: It’s a long offseason already. [The proposed new offseason schedule] will make it an even longer offseason. Everything is pushed back. But at the end of the day, if that is what is best for the league, we are all for it.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik always talks about getting quarterback Josh Freeman toys. Though the Bucs have Dallas Clark, he is in the dusk of his career. A free agent, there is no guarantee Clark will return to Tampa Bay in 2013.

So some have suggested the Bucs will go after a tight end in the first two days of the draft, which is not an unreasonable proposition.

One tight end to keep an eye on is Notre Dame’s Tyler Eifert, who is projected to go anywhere from late first round to the second round.

Noted draft expert Mike Mayock of the NFL Network believes Eifert is one of the three best tight ends available and those three, said Mayock, are interchangeable in that all three have equal skills.

Eifert spoke to the assembled scribes Friday at the NFL combine and Joe got a few quotes from Eifert, who likens himself to Jimmy Graham.

“I have spent a lot of time working on my blocking, my footwork, my head placement, things that really make a difference,” Eifert said. “I think I am a better but not where I want to be. There is room for improvement and I think I have. I have made a conscious effort to improve.

“I strive to be a complete tight end. I’m not there yet.”

As for his strengths, Eifert was specific.

“Catching the ball in traffic, making contested catches, create mismatches and get downfield,” Eifert said.

Eifert knows he’s about to hit the lottery. With the NFL becoming a pass-happy league where all the advantages go to receivers, Eifert counts his blessings for his good timing.

“I am lucky to be coming in at a time where the type of tight end that I am is being used quite a bit in the passing game,” Eifert said. “A tight end that crates mismatch problems.”

Joe wouldn’t mind if Dominik took a chance with Eifert, who is being trained by former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht at the IMG Academy in Bradenton. Sure, Greg Schiano wants a run-oriented offense. But with a guy like offensive line coach Bob Bostad on the Bucs coaching staff, Joe is confident he can make Eifert a complete tight end and improve his blocking technique.

Joe gets a kick out of all the offseason news that doesn’t add up. Bucs fans have been treated to a good dose of that the past couple of days.

One example is Bucs beat writer Roy Cummings reporting that the Bucs are considering keeping Eric Wright and his $7.5 million contract for 2013 in tact, rather than cutting him and/or renegotiating his contract. But at nearly the same time, Cummings quotes Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik saying the Bucs will be very careful about using their cap space and the Bucs will not consider using the franchise tag on Michael Bennett or anyone else.

“We want to make sure we utilize (our cap space) to its best possible potential, because there are a lot of teams that are over the cap and in tough situations and we don’t want to get in that position. So, we’re going to be very smart with how we use the actual salary cap space that we have and the amount going forward, whatever that is and however long it takes.”

So are fans to believe the Bucs are actually considering keeping unreliable, overpaid and largely unproductive Eric Wright but not paying Michael Bennett a few extra million (franchise tag vs. new longterm contract per year) to stay in Tampa?

Joe isn’t buying it.

Joe doesn’t inhale much of the smoke blowing around these days. It’s the typical late-February wind around the NFL.

Joe has no idea if Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel will be a success in the NFL much less have any type of football career. Joe has seen projections of Manuel as Day 2 pick to an undrafted free agent, a work in progress to a practice squad guy.

Joe can write this with certainty: Manuel is one of the most impressive college players Joe has dealt with. Confident, eloquent, polished, intelligent, Manuel oozes personality and is nothing but polite.

Manuel comes across like the type of guy you’d want your daughter to marry.

Manuel met with reporters Friday afternoon at the NFL Scouting Combine and he did his best to sell himself to teams as a completely versatile quarterback.

“Pro style? I wasn’t in a gun all the time. I knew how to do a cadence,” Manuel said. “I can tell there was a difference [with other quarterbacks]. At the Senior Bowl, they taught us stuff that I already knew. I’ve done some read-option. I know I can do it.

“I think I am the best quarterback in this class, no disrespect to anyone. I have proved I am consistent in my reads and my accuracy.”

Manuel can handle pressure it sure appears. He won four bowl games, the first when he was a freshman in the Gator Bowl in what was Bobby Bowden’s final game. The sidelines were ringed by greats of Florida State’s past. Don’t think there was pressure on the kid to pull out a win then?

(In that same game, Manuel out-dueled a guy named Geno Smith and West Virginia.)

Look, Joe hasn’t forgotten Greg Schiano’s decree for competition at all positions, though this week Schiano was adamant that Josh Freeman is locked in as the Bucs starter.

Would Manuel be a nice late-round pick up to sit and develop and watch the game behind Freeman? Joe could think of worse choices.

Meanwhile, Manuel, who was the Senior Bowl MVP, seemed to enjoy all the attention he has received at this week’s combine.

“I have watched the combine every year since I’ve had the NFL Network,” he said.

Joe has a pretty good idea that if this NFL thing doesn’t work out, Manuel will be a success at whatever he tries in life.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik played a little hardball today, announcing the Bucs would not use the franchise tag on any player this offseason.

Translation: Michael Bennett, we want you to think we’ll let you walk when unrestricted free agency bell rings March 12.

Of course, the Bucs can always change their collective minds and franchise 27-year-old Bennett next week.

Regardless of what one thinks of Bennett, or whether one considers him worthy of a franchise tag that would keep him in Tampa and pay him nearly $11 million next season, Bennett will get paid huge money this offseason. Young, healthy pass rushers, especially guys like Bennett who also stuff the run effectively, always get a lottery ticket.

The Bucs can talk all they want about Da’Quan Bowers emerging and about managing their budget, but there’s no amount of spin that can make sense out of the Bucs letting their best defensive end walk away.

Joe sincerely hopes this Bennett deal gets done before Bennett hits the open market. There’s no need for the Bucs to play with fire. Bennett’s not a Hall of Famer, but he’s a very good player, the type the Bucs should be retaining.