Liquor sales reached an all-time record in the state of Ohio last year, and that trend should continue if the latest news out of Cleveland Browns camp gets serious.

Raheem Morris, the architect of the failed Tampa 2.0 defense, will interview soon for the Browns’ defensive coordinator position, per various reports out of Ohio and the Tampa Bay Times.

Apparently, new Browns head coach Rob Chudzynski has no interest in stopping the run.

Raheem coached the Redskins secondary in 2012. The unit ranked 30th in the NFL.

Joe thinks Raheem is a much better head coaching candidate than a potential defensive coordinator. He at least had stunning success as a head coach in 2010, when the Bucs were 10-6, started a bunch of rookies, and he was a deserving coach of the year candidate. But as a defensive coordinator, Raheem was dreadful on all fronts.

Joe wishes Raheem well.

This is an intriguing development.

Despite Roy Miller having a breakthrough season, Gerald McCoy making his first Pro Bowl, Michael Bennett solidifying himself as an upper tier defensive end, and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim exceeding all expectations, the Bucs have parted ways with defensive line coach Randy Melvin, per a report this evening by PewterReport.com head man Scott Reynolds.

Melvin earned a Super Bowl ring coaching under Bill Belicheat and coached for Greg Schiano at Rutgers, in addition to other stints in the NFL. Before he joined the Bucs, he was working in the CFL.

Joe has not received any comment or confirmation on the report from the Buccaneers.

“Front-7” coach Bryan Cox spent a lot of hands-on time with the Bucs defensive line. It seemed to Joe, from viewing locker room interaction, sideline chatter and practices, that Cox was closer with the D-linemen than the linebackers. Perhaps that has something to do with the Bucs making a change.

Joe will monitor this through the night and provide updates.

Joe was out at this morning’s East-West Shrine practice at Shorecrest Prep in St. Petersburg (got to sit next to Ted Thompson!) and took copious notes on what he saw, with specific attention paid to the cornerbacks — the biggest need of the Bucs. The East-West Shrine Game, which will be held at the Fruitdome at 4 p.m. Saturday, will be televised on NFL Network with a radio broadcast on WDAE-AM 620. 

Josh Johnson, CB, Purdue, 5-11, 195: Giving up way too much cushion to Florida State’s Rodney Smith, some eight yards. Later, blown coverage on Smith who was lonelier than an orphan downfield. During scrimmage, despite height disadvantage, did a nice job of fighting Auburn’s Emory Blake for the ball along the left sideline. On the next play, Blake skied high for a lob pass that Johnson had no prayer of getting to.

Branden Smith, CB, Georgia, 5-11, 175: Also giving up way too much real estate, effectively taking himself out of the play by North Carolina’s Erik Highsmith. Later, blanketed the Seminoles receiver who did a wonderful job shielding the Bulldogs corner on a high pass, going up to catch the pass with his right hand along the left sideline. Also, fine coverage on Virginia Tech’s Marcus Davis, reading a pass perfectly, breaking back and jumping Davis for the interception. Later, flew in and jumped a pass intended for Blake over the middle. On next play, Fuller again used his body to get in front of Smith and broke back for a catch. Later, doesn’t jam a receiver off the line but his coverage is like a second skin but Fuller used his height advantage to box out Smith along the left sideline for a catch. Near the end of scrimmage, read a pass perfectly for an interception on either a misread by the quarterback or a blown route.

Melvin White, CB, Louisiana-Lafayette, 6-3, 191: Auburn’s Blake Emory, who broke right for the catch, did so with little effort. Later, White was worked over on a cut-in route by Virginia Tech’s Cory Fuller and gets burned when Fuller breaks back for a pass. This seems to be a recurring issue for White.

Xavier Brewer, CB, Clemson, 5-11, 190: Good coverage on Army’s Trent Steelman who made a heck of a play for a catch. Later against Navy’s Brandon Turner, coverage was so physical he didn’t have a chance for the intended cut-back pass. During scrimmage, had outstanding coverage on New Mexico’s Lucas Reed (6-6, 255) but using his size, Reed outfought Brewer for the pass using his big body.

Brandon McGee, CB, Miami, 6-0, 197: Decent coverage on what turned out to be a bad pass intended for Boston College’s Chris Pantale but was way over his head.

Earl Wolff, safety, North Carolina State, 6-0, 207: Was left eating dust on a route over the middle but made a wonderful recovery, reacting perfectly to the ball and breaking up the pass.

Rodney Smith, WR, Florida State, 6-6, 219: Got open in coverage right away in traffic but quickly dropped the ball.

Kejuan Riley, safety, Alabama State, 6-1, 208: Had no chance for the ball on a bad pass while giving up a significant height advantage to Rutgers tight end D.C. Jefferson.

Nick Moody, LB, Florida State, 6-2, 237: Did a nice job of using his body as a shield, preventing tight end from getting to the thrown ball on a swing pass to the right.

Colby Cameron, QB, Louisiana Tech, 6-2, 205: Took a terribly high snap out of a shotgun formation and converted what was a busted play into a nice, heads-up gain around the right side.

Trey Wilson, CB, Vanderbilt, 5-11, 190: On a running back pass option, was in perfect position for an interception but failed to turn around to look for the ball, even while coaches were yelling “should be a pick” while the ball was in the air.

There are few people Joe respects more than “The Godfather,” Gil Brandt. The architect of the famed Dallas Cowboys dynasty of the late 1960s-early 1980s, Brandt now works for the NFL and hosts a show on SiriusXM NFL Radio and his attention to detail and memory recall is astounding.

Brandt put up his first mock draft of the mock season and he has Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik picking an offensive lineman in the first round.

No. 13 Buccaneers
D.J. Flucker, OT, Alabama. Fluker is strong and is good in the run game. He’d give the Bucs someone to pair with left tackle Donald Penn.

Now in Joe’s eyes, this isn’t as absurd as it may seem at first glance.

Yes, the Bucs need corners, no question. But there really aren’t any top shelf corners in the draft, so selecting one at No. 13 may be a reach. Joe has glanced at several mocks that have cornerback Xavier Rhodes of Florida State going later in the first round.

It was just this week that Dominik gave a lukewarm response to the future of Demar Dotson at right tackle. The only reason why Dotson got a starting job was that Jeremy Trueblood played his way out of a starting gig.

It also seems unlikely that the Baron of Berlin, defensive end Bjoern Werner of Florida State, a quarterback’s nightmare, will be there at No. 13.

Joe has been told corners are “three rounds deep” in the draft and that you can get quality value on a corner in the third round. Joe can testify from first hand knowledge the Bucs are doing their due diligence scouring the college ranks and homework on corners. There’s no reason to think the Bucs are stuck on a first-round corner.

If Dominik does pull the trigger on Flucker, Joe doesn’t want to hear another word about how Freeman needs more toys.

Joe thinks any Bucs fan that wasn’t tossing and turning nightly over the thought of losing offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan might not be a true Bucs fan.

Not that Sullivan is Don Coryell, but his loss in 2013 would have been nothing short of a disastrous change for Josh Freeman.

Sullivan interviewed for the Bears head coaching vacancy, but today the Bears hired Marc Trestman. So it seems Sullivan is sure to be back calling plays this season.

This is soothing news, not Rachel Watson soothing, but soothing nonetheless.

“You listen to me, Dominik. Michael Bennett’s getting paid with or without you.”

The Michael Bennett sweepstakes appear to be heating up early.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll chatted with media yesterday, stunned by his team’s loss and sack-free performance in Atlanta on Sunday, and he declared that scoring a couple of pass rushers is Seattle’s offseason priority.

Joe suspects Bennett’s agent, oily Drew Rosenhaus, is rejoicing over Carroll’s public outcry and is preparing to extract every last dime Bennett can score on the unrestricted free agent market.

How could Seattle not want a versatile guy like Bennett? He’s a manbeast against the run, second in the NFL in “run-stuffs” in 2012, (Frank Gore and Stephen Jackson live in their division), and Bennett can get after the passer.

It’s an odd free-agent class for defensive ends.

Old and somewhat worn out studs Richard Seymour, Dwight Freeney and Osi Umenyiora will be available when the free agency bell rings in March, as will Lions DE Cliff Avril, who had 9 1/2 sacks in 2012 and earned $10.7 million as the Lions franchise player. And then there’s Bennett.

Joe sincerely hopes the Bucs can lock up Bennett before he’s free to test the market in March. If not, there’s always the franchise tag for 2013, a steep price, but the one that’s likely worth it.

Former Bucs defesnsive tackle Booger McFarland was absolutely adamant yesterday that Team Glazer and the Bucs would balk at slapping a franchise-player tag on Josh Freeman after the 2013 season because it would cost too much money, in the neighborhood of a $17 million and $20 million guaranteed salary for 2014.

“They’ll never franchise him,” Booger said of Freeman on the “Booger and Rich” show on 98.7 FM.

Joe’s heard this take from others, as well, and Joe couldn’t disagree more, especially given that rockstar general manager Mark Dominik just said he and Team Freeman are in no hurry to negotiate a contract extension for No. 5.

Look, Joe thinks there are many potential scenarios under which the Bucs offer Freeman the franchise tag.

Here’s one: Imagine if Freeman has a similar season in 2013 as he had in 2012, and the Bucs finish 9-7 and miss the playoffs. Well, under that scenario, why would the Bucs want to lock up an inconsistent sixth-year quarterback for the long term and tremendous money when they can shell out less guaranteed money for a one-year, franchise-tag deal in 2014?

Here’s another: Freeman improves a bit in 2013, but the Bucs’ record does not. That puts Greg Schiano on a hot seat entering 2014, and it makes no sense to lock up your quarterback unnecessarily when a coaching change could be forthcoming in 2015. So you franchise him.

Here’s another: Freeman lights it up in 2013 and makes the Pro Bowl, but Mike Sullivan, buoyed by the success of Freeman and the Bucs, gets a head coaching job. Freeman wants elite-quarterback money and a long extension, but the Bucs would rather make him prove it one more year and see how he adjusts to a new offense and coordinator. So the Bucs franchise Freeman at no financial concern because they would have had to pay Freeman that kind of money to re-sign him.

There are other scenarios, as well.

Again, Joe would have liked to see the Bucs sign Freeman to a team-friendly extension, which would give Freeman some trade value in future years. But the Bucs want to wait and so does Freeman (no surprise).

Joe hopes Freeman delivers a monster 2013 season, but Joe doesn’t want anyone to think that the franchise tag is off the table.

Joe was able to make the West practice Tuesday afternoon for the East-West Shrine Game, which will be held at the Fruitdome at 4 p.m. Saturday, televised on NFL Network with a radio broadcast on WDAE-AM 620. Again, Joe focused his attention on defensive backs. Today, Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne, head and shoulders, had the best practice.

Zeke Motta, safety, Notre Dame, 6-3, 215: Quick feet. Smooth runner. Quick ball reaction.

Thomas Shamarko, safety, Syracuse, 5-10, 208: Small, yet quick. Later, Middle Tennessee State wide receiver Anthony Amos caught a crossing pattern from the left side right in front of Thomas but paid the price as Thomas hammered him to the ground.

Terry Hawthorne, CB, Illinois, 6-1, 193: Has a nose for the ball. Smooth. Good ball reaction. Good contact with a wide receiver off the snap. Very physical. After putting the wide receiver on the ground, hung with him like a second skin and when a low pass was throw to said receiver, Hawthorne leaped over the receiver and batted the ball down, nearly having a spectacular pick. So far that has been the play of the week. Later, Hawthorne never let his wide receiver get past him, always using physical play to keep in front if not disrupt the receiver’s route. On another play, Hawthorne had blanket coverage on Arizona receiver Dan Buckner down the right sideline. Good job of both coverage, and being physical with Buckner thereby rendering his route useless. Later, stood Buckner up at the line at the snap which completely blew up Buckner’s timing as he was unable to recover.

Bradley McGougald, safety, Kansas, 6-1, 210: Got spun around badly by Iowa’s Keenan Davis down the left sideline. A scout could be heard aloud saying, “That’s not fair putting a safety one-on-one against a wide receiver.”

Khalid Wooten, CB, Nevada, 5-11, 200: Blanket coverage on Mount Union receiver Jasper Collins down the left sideline. Later, despite giving up five inches to Tyrone Goard of Eastern Kentucky, was so physical with Goard through the entire route Goard couldn’t shake him.

Sheldon Price, CB, UCLA, 6-2, 180: Made Buckner’s life miserable trying to get off the line of scrimmage. Later, Jasper Collins of Mount Union had him beat on a curl route to the right side but Collins couldn’t come up with the ball. Mississippi State receiver Chad Bumphis made a spectacular play on Price that was pretty much impossible to defend. Bumphis, while cutting to the right sideline in front of Price, made a one-handed grab with his left hand just as he was going out of bounds. In short, Price was getting picked on all practice.

Cody Davis, safety, Texas Tech, 6-2, 2-5: Good coverage but failed to react to a tipped ball. It was as if he never saw the ball tipped.

Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State, 5-10, 180: Physical coverage against Davis all the way down the right sideline. Later, he read a pass to Goard perfectly cutting in front of Goard at just the right moment but was unable to come up with the interception.

Keelan Johnson, safety, Arizona State, 6-1, 207: Covered Davis like a thick coat of SPF 45 sunscreen.

Duke Williams, safety, Nevada, 6-0, 200: Good break up of a short pass into the left flat. He turned chicken salad out of chicken s(p)it later when he was totally roasted down the left sideline but made a beautiful recovery and leveled the receiver just as he got his hands on the pass to break up the play. It was the hit of the afternoon from what Joe saw.

Jahleel Addae, safety, Central Michigan, 5-11, 200: Really good range and strong ball reaction.

Demontre Hurst, CB, Oklahoma, 5-10, 183: Physical at the line of scrimmage.

Aaron Hester, CB, UCLA 6-2, 195: Mixed reviews. Was beaten terribly under lousy coverage but the receiver dropped the ball. On the very next play on a short pass, Hester nearly broke the receiver in half after reading and reacting well on the play.

Keith Pough, LB, Howard, 6-3, 238: Quarterback tried to fool him with a short pass to the left but Pough read the play perfectly and nearly swallowed the receiver whole for the tackle.

Nick Kasa, TE, Colorado: 6-6, 265: Able to get past the second level over the middle almost every catch.

Christine Michael, RB, Texas A&M, 5-11, 220: Showed serious speed when he got loose and ran around the left end.

Travis Howard, CB, The Ohio State, 6-1, 200: Blanket coverage on Amos down the left sideline and nearly had a pick.

Calvin Johnson won’t play in the Pro Bowl, and Vincent Jackson will take his place.

Jackson made the big bucks and delivered everything Bucs fans could have hoped for this season, minus about 49 inches against the Saints in October. Among starting wide receivers, Jackson led the NFL in yards per catch (19.2) and is extraordinarily deserving of the honor.

Wow, two Bucs in a Pro Bowl. Joe might have to secure some frosty beverages and watch.

Yes, Joe obsesses about all things Bucs. And when words flow from Bucs brass, Joe is especially hypersensitive to their meaning.

So with that in mind, Joe can say that rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik offered a very lukewarm endorsement of starting right tackle Demar Dotson, while chatting with “Booger and Rich” on 98.7 FM yesterday.

Dominik talked about how excited he is to have Pro Bowl guards Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph return, along with Donald Penn and Jeremy Zuttah moving back to center. But Dotson didn’t get the same love.

“And you know, maybe Dotson continues to develop and grow at the right tackle position,” Dominik said.

After studying Dotson, perhaps Dominik is on board with former Bucs guard Ian Beckles’ assessment of his right tackle. “Not sure if he’s the answer,” Beckles said of Dotson after the season finale. Beckled had heaped praise on the 2012 O-line but thought Dotson was lacking.

Joe’s going to take Dominik’s “maybe” and consider it a clear message that major competition for Dotson is on the way, and likely via free agency. The Bucs have only drafted one offensive lineman in the past four years.

After Mark Dominik’s comments yesterday, Joe suspects the Bucs will move quickly to bring back E.J. Biggers for his fifth season in pewter and red.

So who will the Bucs retain from their largely ineffective cornerbacks corps?

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik hinted yesterday that postseason evaluation brought good marks for E.J. Biggers, Danny Gorrer and Leonard Johnson.

“They got valuable experience,” Dominik said of the trio during an interview on the “Booger and Rich” show on 98.7 FM. Their job against Roddy White and Julio Jones was praised specifically.

“Again, they got valuable experience,” Dominik said, saying “tons of experience” was attained, albeit under less than ideal circumstances.

The Bucs will find fresh talent at cornerback in free agency and/or the draft, Dominik said, but he also claimed another season of the New Schiano Order will have a major organic impact.

“Just experience and time back in here with the system with an offseason again is going to be really important for this football team,” Dominik said. “That’s what you’ll see. You’ll see a lot of [positive] changes going forward.”

Undrafted rookie Leonard Johnson, perhaps the only feather in the cap of jettisoned secondary coach Ron Cooper, was always a lock to return in 2013.

The case of Biggers is more interesting.

Given the Bucs’ lack of depth at the position, Joe wonders whether Dominik will move fast to lock up Biggers, who is an unrestricted free agent. Biggers is hardly a great player that inspires confidence among fans, but if he and Johnson are the fourth and fifth corners on the depth chart — and you don’t have irresponsible, me-first, pill-poppers ahead of them — that’s not too shabby.

Joe was out at the Team West practice yesterday at St. Petersburg High School as the team prepared for the East-West Shrine Game this Saturday at the Fruitdome. Below are notes Joe took during workouts and a light scrimmage in shorts. Joe specifically focused on defensive backs (because that is a major need of the Bucs) along with receivers on the same plays. Joe did not monitor any linemen during the practice, sorry.

Kahlid Wooten, CB, Nevada, 5-11, 200: Torched by Mount Union receiver Jasper Collins up the left sideline.

Aaron Hester, CB, UCLA, 6-2, 195: Has a very quick burst when he turns to keep pace with receivers running down the sideline. Struggled in coverage on short passes as either he gave up too much room for receivers in the flat, or simply couldn’t close on a receiver in the open field.

Dan Buckner, WR, Arizona, 6-4, 211: So tall, he constantly gave the shorter outside linebackers fits as he presented a significant size disadvantage.

Duke Williams, S, Nevada, 6-0, 200: Read one play like a book, fired inside like a rocket to break up a short pass over the middle and nearly had a pick.

Demontre Hurst, CB, Oklahoma, 5-10, 183: Seems to have good fundamentals. Always keeps his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage. Had some trouble with wide receiver Anthony Amos, Middle Tennessee State, down the right sideline due to Amos’ size advantage.

Tyrone Goard, WR, Eastern Kentucky, 6-4, 196: Gave shorter linebackers trouble matching up against his size.

Keith Pough, LB, Howard, 6-3, 238: Had blanket coverage on Kerwynn Williams, RB, Utah State, breaking up a pass. Later he also had a nice break up of a short pass up the right sideline.

Howard Travis, Ohio State, 6-1, 200: Glides smoothly to the ball. Tall. Has some big hops. Very quick feet. Got burned by fellow B1G member Iowa wide receiver Keenan Davis up the left sideline.

Sheldon Price, CB, UCLA, 6-2, 180: Quick feet. On one play, did a fine job of reading and reacting to a pass but couldn’t come up with an interception.

Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State, 5-10, 180: Kind of small but stocky. Seems pretty quick.

Terry Hawthorne, CB, Illinois, 6-1, 193: Good ball reaction skills. A big corner who looks big enough to play outside linebacker. Good closing speed.

Anthony Amos, WR, Middle Tennessee State, 6-0, 185: Made a good, physical catch in traffic up the right sideline. Later came back on a short pass and leaped and out-battled defenders for a catch over the middle.

Zach Sudfeld, TE, UCLA, 6-7, 255: Consistently able to get open on deep routes over the middle.

Rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik painted a flowery picture of the situation surrounding a potential new contract for Josh Freeman.

Speaking this evening to Steve Duemig, of WDAE-AM 620, Dominik said Freeman’s team and the Bucs are happy and patient.

“No one’s in a hurry. I’m not in an hurry as the general manager of this football team,” Dominik said.

Dominik said there’s been “good communication between everyone” involved in Freeman’s camp and the Bucs and “there’s been nothing adversarial about it.” Freeman’s current contract expires after the 2013 season.

Joe’s not surprised. If nothing else, the Bucs need to know who there offensive coordinator is going to be in 2013 and beyond before they start considering commitments.

Also, and Joe’s only being realistic, one could also say it might be prudent for the Bucs to see if Greg Schiano stays off the hot seat following the 2013 season before they go and lock up Freeman.

On the flip side, if Joe were representing Freeman, Joe wouldn’t be in any hurry, either. Freeman can up his value with another season that doesn’t look like his 2011 campaign.

Ian Beckles

Former Bucs offensive lineman and current sports radio personality Ian Beckles has made a name for himself as something of a player assassin.

If there is a Bucs player who Beckles feels is dogging it or not playing up to the hype, Beckles is not bashful in bringing this subject up, and like a bulldog, not letting go until changes are made.

It was Beckles who famously carried the flag to run linebacker Barrett Ruud out of town. It was Beckles who claimed defensive end Gaines Adams was a wasted draft pick until he was finally traded.

Of late, Beckles is doing his best to see that Bucs Pro Bowl defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is wearing a different color uniform. Beckles and has reached in his attempts to disqualify GMC’s honor bestowed upon him by fellow players, as well as NFL coaches.

Now, it seems that Beckles has another Bucs player in his crosshairs and will likely unload with both barrels if said player doesn’t perform well next year.

That player appears to be quarterback Josh Freeman.

Last week, speaking with former Bucs quarterback Shaun King (who not only is only one of three Bucs quarterbacks to lead the team to an NFC title game, but is one of only three rookie quarterbacks in the history of the NFL to rally a team from a halftime deficit to win a playoff game), Beckles let loose on Freeman, sort of giving listeners a taste of what to expect come this fall.

“When is it going to get to the point that we stop making excuses for Josh Freeman? It is always a new coordinator. It is always a new coach. It’s a new system. [The NFL] has people coming in as rookies that are successful. Brad Johnson rolled up in here and Jon Gruden put a new system on him and he got it right away. When do we stop making excuses? If the Bucs go 1-3 in their first four games next year, do we pull the plug or do we wait this thing out?”

Beckles raises, in Joe’s eyes, fair questions. Probably the worst thing that could have happened to Freeman happened this season. Not only did he meltdown in four games beginning in December when the Bucs were in position to grab a playoff berth, quarterbacks younger than Freeman and many drafted later than Freeman shined in the playoffs.

So while Freeman struggled and got rattled in big, important games down the stretch (yes, Freeman put up wildly successful fantasy football numbers, but in the NFL, wins are what counts), Bucs fans watched Colin Kaepernik, Robert Griffin III, Andy Dalton, Christian Ponder and Russell Wilson perform in big games to qualify their teams for January playoff games.

Bucs fans watched this young crop of talented quarterbacks and said to themselves, “If these guys can do this, why can’t Freeman?”

Lest Joe’s readers believe Joe is anti-Freeman, consider that weeks ago Joe advocated the Bucs sign Freeman now to a team-friendly, incentive-laded pact.

That might be best for both parties, and likely good for Beckles’ job security as well.

After Beckles’ tirade against Freeman, King replied that if Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik hired him as the new Bucs quarterback coach, “I’d be the best thing that ever happened to Josh Freeman.” King added this is unlikely to happen because, in so many words, King is not on Dominik’s Christmas card list.

In what was considered the deepest draft in the modern era, the Bucs traded up, dumping a fifth-round pick on Day 2 of the 2010 NFL Draft to snag Arrelious Benn with the 39th overall selection.

It hasn’t panned out.

Benn has shown flashes of greatness but has been injured in each of his three seasons. In 2012, he couldn’t beat out journeyman newcomer Tiquan Underwood. In eight games, Benn caught four balls and was a subpar kick returner.

Evan Silva, of RotoWorld.com and NBC Sports, believes the Bucs would be happy to accept the NFL equivalent of a half-eaten tuna sandwich to unload Benn.

Arrelious Benn: After missing all of Greg Schiano’s first training camp with an MCL tear, Benn was lucky to make the Bucs’ Opening Day roster. A November shoulder injury sent Benn to injured reserve after a four-catch season. Lacking a future in Tampa, Benn is in a contract year and carries little to no trade value. The Bucs would probably jump at the chance to salvage a seventh-round conditional pick via trade.

Joe doubts Benn will be moved, but Joe does have doubts about Benn.

It was a massive red flag for Joe when Josh Freeman talked about Benn feeling sad on the sidelines during a 2011 game. That didn’t sound like the fabric of premier draft pick.

Benn has mad talent and is a strong player on special teams and he won’t be making much money in 2013. He’s a good value as a fourth or fifth receiver.

NFL fans watching the amazing playoff games this weekend repeatedly saw Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and Bears cornerback Charles Tillman on TV in USAA commercials honoring them as the two finalists for an award that recognizes those in the NFL who have shown outstanding dedication to the military community.

There were 23 nominees whose efforts were judged by a prestigious panel:

• Roger Staubach, Naval Academy graduate, NFL Hall of Fame quarterback and Super Bowl MVP
• Chad Hennings, Air Force Academy graduate, three-time Super Bowl champion
• Rocky Bleier, U.S. Army veteran, four-time Super Bowl champion
• Jim Mora, Sr., Marine Corps veteran, former NFL head coach
• General Stephen Speakes, U.S. Army veteran, USAA executive vice president
• Paul Hicks, NFL  Executive Vice President, Communications

Joe definitely felt some pride for the home team seeing Dominik in the mix, and Joe was more appreciative of the accomplishment after learning of the judges.

Good luck to Dominik as the panel will pick the “Salute to Service” winner before the Super Bowl.

Gerald McCoy will have company in Hawaii when Pro Bowl festivities begin next Monday in advance of the Jan. 27 game.

With the 49ers and Falcons making the NFC Championship game, that means either Pro Bowl alternate Doug Martin or Vincent Jackson will join McCoy in playing for the NFC. Scott Smith, of Buccaneers.com, delivered the news.

If San Francisco wins the NFC Championship Game, then 49ers RB Frank Gore will pull out of the Pro Bowl and that will create a spot for Martin.  If Atlanta wins, then Falcons WR Julio Jones will pull out of the Pro Bowl and that will create a spot for Jackson.

If Martin ends up in the Pro Bowl, that might be enough to get Joe to watch.

Joe made no secret that changes to the Bucs coaching staff, specifically dealing with pass defense, had to be made. Again, Joe’s not a “fire him” kinda guy.

So when the Bucs secondary couldn’t stop East Lake High’s passing attack on a good day, and came within 14 yards of a grotesque 93-year NFL record for most yards allowed, that was simply unacceptable football and a change had to be made.

That’s why Joe singled out defensive backs coach Ron Cooper. The most damning element of the Bucs secondary was one couldn’t name a player who improved as the season transpired. That spoke volumes.

Now Joe knows many of his readers wanted defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan on the chopping block, too. Joe wasn’t going there. Sure, he oversaw a rotten pass defense, but Sheridan also was in charge of a worst-to-first rush defense so at least he was doing something right.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times is of the mind that Cooper, in so many words, was told by Bucs coach Greg Schiano it was in his best interests to leave voluntarily.

The Bucs essentially told Cooper to seek other opportunities but did not announce it. He’s a good coach and a better person. But let’s be honest: The lack of production in the secondary led to losses. Tampa Bay was last in the NFL in passing defense and nearly set a league record for passing yards allowed in a season.

Stroud also hints that there can be other changes to Schiano’s staff. Of course, the best move the Bucs could make is not a move at all. If Chicago elects to hire anyone but Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, who interviewed for their head coach vacancy, it’s a win-win for the Bucs.

McNulty had a stellar reputation as a receivers coach in Arizona and coached for Tom Coughlin and Bill Parcells, in addition to Greg Schiano at Rutgers.

So who did Larry Fitzgerald fly to the Pro Bowl as his personal guest after the 2011 season?

That would be his then Cardinals position coach John McNulty, Greg Schiano’s former offensive coordinator at Rutgers.

Schiano tried to hire McNulty from the Cardinals last year, presumably to be his offensive coordinator, but was denied by the Cardinals brass. However, McNulty is now a free agent after being fired from Arizona with Ken Whisenhunt’s staff.

As Bucs fans hold their collective breath hoping/praying that offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan isn’t the lucky one among the 13 known candidates vying for the Bears head coaching job, the Bucs still have three key coaching vacancies to fill: quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs.

McNulty is a name to watch, and that’s no big surprise. Today, CoachingSearch.com guru Pete Roussel even told Joe that McNulty is a near lock to land in Tampa.

Joe believes McNulty would come to the Bucs as a receivers coach, not as a quarterbacks coach, the job he held in Arizona in 2012.

McNulty, who played safety at Penn State, had success as a receivers coach with the Jaguars under Tom Coughlin (Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith) and worked in Dallas for Bill Parcells, before joining Schiano at Rutgers and moving on to the Cardinals.

Schiano must be salivating at the chance to add his trusted buddy McNulty to the Bucs family. And, frankly, it would be tough for the Bucs to find a receivers coach with better experience. Plus, in Schiano’s mind, McNulty could represent insurance if/when Sullivan leaves town.

Joe suspects the Bucs will lock up McNulty sooner rather than later. It’s hard to imagine McNulty’s resume leaving him without multiple job offers.

P.J. Fleck is one college coach Joe believes the Bucs will miss.

When the Bucs jettisoned Raheem Morris just over a year ago, it took Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and Team Glazer nearly the entire month of January to find a new coach, who happened to be Greg Schiano, of course.

Because the Bucs were so late in replacing Morris, it sort of put Schiano in a bind in finding assistants. How many times did the Bucs get blocked from hiring NFL guys; their teams wouldn’t release them from their contracts?

Former Bucs defensive lineman and current co-host of “Booger and Rich,” heard locally on WHFS-FM 98.7, said that hurt the Bucs and led to the current exodus of coaches from the Bucs coaching staff — all who came from college and are going back to the college ranks — proves that.

McFarland delivered the take via his “Top Five at Five.”

“This brings up an issue of continuity on this Buccaneer staff. We know Greg Schiano was forced to hire his staff at the last minute. Who was available? A lot of college coaches. So many that an anonymous statement by a player (to Mike Florio that the college coaches should go back to college), we should have put a little more credence to it.”

The three college coaches who went back to college are wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck, who took the head gig at Western Michigan, quarterback coach Ron Turner grabbed the head job at Florida International and, just yesterday, defensive backs coach Ron Turner took a job at USF.

Now Joe knows for a fact that the Bucs wide receivers were crushed when they learned Fleck left. The Bucs receivers loved the guy. So much so that Mike Williams wants to make a special trip to Kalamazoo, Mich. to work out with the Broncos wide receivers.

Fleck, Joe believes, will be missed.

Then there is Turner, who will not be missed. A bad offensive coordinator with the Bears (twice!), and short of the immortal Kurt Kittner, a bad coach at Illinois, Turner is a good departure. The Bucs, and quarterback Josh Freeman, can do so much better.

Then there is Cooper, whose charges nearly pulled off an NFL record for futility in garbage pass defense. Now Joe had heard whispers that Schiano wouldn’t let Cooper do one thing to deviate from Schiano’s exactly measures, not one practice drill, not one scheme. Did Schiano trust him? Joe cannot answer that.

But McFarland’s point may make sense. Schiano was all but stuck reaching into the college ranks for coaches. Maybe that was part of the problem all along?

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Fans who watched Bucs training camp practices saw the wild, high-energy style of P.J. Fleck, the 2012 Bucs wide receivers coach who is now the head coach at Western Michigan University and the youngest head coach in Division I college football.

On Thursday night, Fleck did his first extensive interview since leaving the Bucs with Steve Isbitts on 98.7 FM. Joe wrote about Fleck’s take on the Bucs offense’s late-season struggles yesterday.

Below is the full interview with Fleck. He offers deep insight into Vincent Jackson’s attitude, working for Greg Schiano, along with comments on Preston Parker, the Adam Hayward-Bryan Cox shoving match, and more.

Joe has lived in the greater Tampa Bay area spanning three decades now, will not leave and will have his ashes spread locally at a yet to be determined Tampa Bay location when it’s time to go to the football stadium in the sky.

But for the life of Joe, he cannot understand the full erection local sports fans have with attendance. It is mind-boggling.

Moreso, the two-bit, research-depraved talking heads on radio that throw gasoline on these bonfires, Joe just wants to rip the radio out of his truck and throw it at some random cat walking down the street. It’s one reason why Joe has SiriusXM.

Attendance, when it comes to the modern day NFL, is a drop in the bucket compared to all the billions of dollars the NFL rakes in through various TV gigs, commercials, sponsorships, Internet revenue … the list goes on.

Yet for some reason, locals believe the NFL is the NHL, where gate receipts will either make or break a franchise. And sadly, one of our country’s bravest is of this mindset, which sent Joe into orbit on an otherwise calm, even-sober, early Friday evening after reading the weekly BSPN NFC South chat.

Ben (Ft Bliss)

Have not heard much on the LA stadium, if TB struggles selling out next year are they a viable candidate?

Pat Yasinskas

I don’t think it’s to that point yet for Bucs. Could be if attendance lags for a few more years, but not yet. Jags are well ahead are well ahead of them in the LA line anyway.

Good Lord! For those stuck in the 1970s, please, rather than being willfully ignorant, obtain a copy of the Bucs lease with the Tampa Sports Authority — it’s public record — and read it to understand exactly why this notion of the Bucs moving is about as intelligent as suggesting the Dallas Cowboys are bankrupt.

Aside from the sweetheart lease Team Glazer has, the Tampa Sports Authority, bound by its voter-approved referendum, is set to have a fan-friendly, revenue-enhanced upgrade of the stadium in the near future.

So the Bucs are going to break a sweetheart lease and leave a stadium about to be upgraded for very likely a less-than-favorable lease in Los Angeles where they will get sandbagged by business-hostile California state taxes that are absolutely choking the economy of the Golden State?

Right, and Joe just finished his morning shower with Rachel Watson.

If the above information isn’t enough to move you, does anyone really believe some deep-pocket business man in Los Angeles is going to build a $1 billion football stadium and not want to own at least 40 percent of the the team? Are there people out there that drunk to believe someone is going to build such a stadium for charity? Really?

How many times has Team Glazer said they are not selling any part of the Bucs?

Bucs fans, please do a modicum of research before talking about such a nonsensical subject, and by all means, knock off the insipid attendance talk.

Contrary to the belief of far too many sports fans in the Tampa Bay area, the most important line of a box score is not the bottom line (attendance) but the top line (final score).