If Michael Bennett brings in a haul in free agency, will that Brinks truck come from the Bucs or elsewhere?

The Bucs had a losing record. The players are watching the playoffs just like a guy in a bar. It has now been 10 years and counting since the Bucs last won a playoff game.

Straight-shooting Alan Dell has surveyed the Bucs thoroughly, and the Bradenton Herald columnist believes that getting the Bucs to the playoffs is a bit of a bigger task than some believe.

Two things that stick out about the 2012 Bucs are the horrible play of their cornerbacks and the inconsistency of quarterback Josh Freeman. The lack of pressure put on by the defensive front four is a major disappointment, especially with all the money the team has paid out in recent years for that unit.

The Bucs had 27 sacks, third worst in the NFL. The loss of injured defensive end Adrian Clayborn was devastating, but they did get a full season out of defensive tackle Gerald McCoy for the first time in his three-year career, and he made the Pro Bowl. Da’Quan Bowers will be a question mark every year at defensive end because of knee problems.

Injuries on both the defensive and offensive lines curtailed their productivity and showed the need for more depth. A third quality receiver would help. But there is only so much you can do in the offseason, so it’s unclear if all those needs will be met.

This is one reason Joe believes, if a defensive end that strikes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik’s fancy, Dominik will jump at the chance at the No. 13 slot. There’s a myriad of question marks still on the defensive line, whether it be free agents or guys with health concerns.

There’s not much to be had as far as cornerbacks on the free agent market, but even pedestrian cornerbacks are an upgrade to what the Bucs have on the roster.

If Ronde Barber retires, Bucs fans will be looking at three new starters in the secondary for the 2013 season.

The supreme sources of college football-ignorant, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame, are telling him that Bucs icon Monte Kiffin, who should land in the Bucs’ Ring of Honor before he dies, is on Andy Reid’s short list to be defensive coordinator in Kansas City. ProFootballTalk.com noted the news today.

How cool would that be to see 73-year-old Kiffin patrolling the sidelines in the NFL once again?

It was thought that Kiffin, when he announced his desire to return to the NFL recently, might only be interested in a consultant/advisor position But it seems he’s looking to jump back into the coordinator role.

Joe finds it interesting that Reid would consider running Kiffin’s Tampa-2 base defense. Perhaps Reid might take a sniff of Raheem Morris, now that Raheem’s Redskins are out of the playoffs.

Many Bucs fans, including several front office types if not Bucs coaches at One Buc Palace, are holding their breaths hoping that Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan is not tagged to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.

It’s not that the crowd at One Buc Palace wouldn’t like to see Sullivan advance and succeed. It’s the collateral damage that would happen if Sullivan leaves for greener pastures with the Monsters of the Midway.

If Sullivan goes to the Second City to succeed Lovie Smith, that would mean embattled Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman will have his fourth offensive coordinator in five years. This is partially why Alex Smith and Jason Campbell crumbled as NFL quarterbacks: Both had a revolving door of offensive coordinators in their formative years as professionals.

So Joe reached out to a long-time acquaintance, Chicago Tribune columnist and Bears insider Dan Pompei, to get feedback on Sullivan’s candidacy with the Bears. Joe first met Pompei some 20 years ago when Pompei, then was the Bears beat writer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Pompei was kind enough to provide Joe will some insight of Sullivan and the Bears.

JoeBucsFan: It is known that Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan had a lengthy interview last week with the Bears. Hearing from your contacts, how serious of a candidate is he? What is it about him that the Bears like?

Dan Pompei: It’s difficult to say at this point where Sullivan ranks in the Bears’ pecking order, other than to say he is one of many, many candidates. On the surface, his resume might not be as impressive as some of the other candidates, but Phil Emery isn’t necessarily looking for eye popping statistics or years of experience as a coordinator. He is looking for leadership and head coach qualities. And it wouldn’t surprise me if he found them in Sullivan, given his background and the men he has worked for and with.

Joe: Just based on resumes, it seems Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians would be a strong candidate, a better candidate than Sullivan. What do you know about Arians and the Bears?

Pompei: Arian’s depth of experience is a selling point, as is his track record with quarterbacks. He is a bit of an outlier because he is 60 years old. That could end up hurting his chances, but Emery isn’t concerned with age as much as he is concerned about energy and ability to do the job at a high level.

Partially an element of both hope and wishful thinking, Joe must believe the Bears would go after Arians first, before offering a gig to Sullivan. This is not a knock on Sullivan in any way, but Arians has a long, proven track record of excellent work with quarterbacks.

While Sullivan did a fine job molding Eli Manning as a quarterbacks coach with the Giants, his first year as an NFL offensive coordinator working with Josh Freeman is, one could describe as, incomplete.

Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has had incredible successes and notable failures, like most GM’s around the NFL.

And, of course, Dominik doesn’t coach. As Joe’s written previously, Joe gave Dominik 15 percent of the blame for the horrendous 2011 season, not 50 percent or more like many fans and pundits. Plus, it was pretty obvious that the 2009 hiring of Raheem Morris was a Team Glazer call, not Dominik’s.

But today, Joe’s wondering how much a GM should be judged by his teams’ won-loss record.

Wacky Scott Pioli took over the Chiefs in 2009, same year Dominik grabbed the reigns in Tampa, and was fired last week. Acclaimed veteran Chiefs beat writer Bob Gretz, Kansas City’s lone voter in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, said Pioli’s 23 wins in four seasons meant he deserved to be canned.

It’s not that I’m a numbers guy. In fact, if you have read this website over the years you already know I struggle with anything greater than basic math. Despite his many character flaws, rampaging insecurity, devious nature and seemingly bi-polar behavior, Pioli was fired because the numbers did not add up.

Specifically 23-42 – that’s the Chiefs record with Pioli in charge:

• 2009: 4-12.
• 2010: 10-7 (includes loss in playoffs to Baltimore).
• 2011: 7-9.
• 2012: 2-14.

Total: 23-42, a .354 winning percentage. That’s bad football. That gets people fired.

Dominik has just one more win than Pioli and one less playoff appearance. So does that mean Dominik is on thin ice or should be?

Ultimately, every GM must be measured by wins and losses, but it’s a far more complex threshold than that of a head coach. The record must be scrutinized to determine the GM’s role in the outcome. And then there’s the whole unknown factor of potential restraints placed on a GM by ownership.

One could argue that Dominik cost the Bucs the playoffs by making a series of wrong decisions that left the cornerbacks cupboard bare this season. But one could also argue that Dominik’s homerun 2012 draft and aggression with Vincent Jackson in free agency left the Bucs awfully close to becoming a playoff team — all while having a mountain of cash for the 2013 offseason, and emerging young NFL stars on the roster.

It’s a great debate. And hopefully it’s one that won’t continue among Bucs fans, because if the Bucs win, nobody will care.

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You would think Aqib Talib was heaven sent to the New England Patriots, if you read this Talib feature story in Sunday’s Eagle Tribune, a north Massachusetts/New Hampshire newspaper.

From Bill Belicheat’s comments to those of Patriots players to the stats rolled out to support Talib’s savior status, it’s almost hard to believe.

As for Talib, he says New England is more professional than what he ever experienced in Tampa under Jon Gruden, Raheem Morris and the New Schiano Order.

”As soon as you walk in the building you notice it,” said Talib. “It’s all about team here. Everybody is a professional. I have never experienced anything like this. I see the owner, Mr. (Robert) Kraft every day. That’s amazing, man. Coach Belichick treats everybody like a man, with respect. He’s a cool guy.”

Joe still would have traded Talib to the Pats for a fourth-round pick. It was the right move. The only thing reliable about Talib was his unreliability. And it surely would have made no sense for the Bucs to pay him a fortune in free agency after this season.

With three sacks in nine games in limited action, plus a couple of fierce hits on Matt Ryan, DaQuan Bowers left Bucs fans with plenty of hope for the 2013 season.

And even more uplifting was Bowers recently telling the Buccaneers Radio Network that his comeback from a torn Achilles in April was extraordinarily smooth. “No setbacks. No swelling,” Bowers said.

Bowers also dove into discussions of leadership on the Bucs defense that evoked two names: Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David.

The former went out of his way to encourage Bowers regularly during his long comeback.

“[McCoy] would always check on me in the weight room,” Bowers said.

As for David, well, Bowers essentially called him the ultimate Buccaneer Man.

“It’s breathtaking,” Bowers said of David’s on-field performance. “He has that instinct about him. He has that downhill, right-at-you-right-now type of play. You know, that’s hard to find, especially from young guys like ourselves.

“If he sees you with the ball, he’s going directly towards you, right now, he’s not going to wait. And that’s what we need on this team. I think he was a great pick for us last year in the draft. We need more guys like him.

“He doesn’t wear a captain sign, but he’s the captain of our defense. You know, when he talks, nobody is talking. We’re listening to him because he’s going to get us in the right situation. He going to make the calls and the checks and we’re going to go with it. He’s done a great job this year.”

Joe was glad to hear the respect and admiration for David. The Bucs desperately needed a leader at linebacker, and it seems David is already there and surely will evolve into a better one next season.

Yesterday, Joe’s post about Josh Freeman, and what Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times suggested as a less than stable future for the Bucs signal caller, blew up with 200+ comments so Joe decided to take the rest of the day off and watch football.

Well, Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings took the Freeman saga a step further in his Sunday column.

Cummings described the comments from Bucs coach Greg Schiano wanting “competition” for Freeman as nothing more than “rhetoric” and went so far as to suggest the Bucs are so unclear about Freeman’s future, the team may be looking at options to replace him after the 2013 season, the last on his current contract.

That’s what this offseason’s search for a quarterback to compete with Freeman is all about. It’s about getting ahead of the curve. It’s about preparing for the possibility of a future without Freeman.

Fast forward to late 2013 or 2014. Imagine a Bucs team with Freeman playing at the same level as this year, which is good enough to dream about making the playoffs but not quite good enough to get there.

The Bucs have imagined that scenario. Freeman has left them no other choice. He forced the issue when he suddenly went off the rails down the stretch and cost them two critical games.

Whoa! This is an eye-opener to Joe. To be honest, it would be prudent. There is no guarantee Freeman will be on the Bucs roster in 2014, and Schiano doesn’t want to be caught with his pants down having to rely on Dan Orlovsky (!) of all people to lead the team.

Joe has gone on record as stating the Bucs should try to re-sign Freeman now to a very team-friendly, incentive-laden contract, as Freeman has little leverage currently. Apparently, this is not in the Bucs plans.

Cummings’ information pretty much reinforces what Joe has been preaching for the past week: That getting “competition” for Freeman doesn’t add up in that it means even less snaps for Freeman and when you are trying to develop a quarterback, that’s actually a backwards method. The quarterback you want to develop needs more snaps, not less.

Cummings also throws out two names that Bucs fans may want to monitor as potential draft picks: Landry Jones of Oklahoma and/or E.J. Manuel of Florida State. A pick like that, Cummings explains, is no different than what the 49ers did in drafting Colin Kaepernick. If starter Alex Smith improved, he would be entrenched as the Niners quarterback. If he slipped, the Niners had a Plan B.

Joe knows there are many Bucs fans who would cherish the day that Josh Freeman is no longer with the Bucs.

Many Bucs fans are tired of seeing Freeman’s inconsistent ways and they also see quarterbacks with less experience if not lesser talent lead their teams to a playoff berth, something Freeman has yet to accomplish as he enters his fifth season as the Bucs’ starting signal caller.

Joe is under the impression that, barring something totally unforseen, Freeman will have his contract extended with the Bucs at some point before it runs out after the 2013 season. If Freeman struggles again, well, then the Bucs get a team-friendly contract from Freeman.

But not all believe this to be the case. Enter Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times,who is of the mind there is a very real possibility that Freeman, if he struggles again in 2013, could play for a new team in 2014.

Coach Greg Schiano inherited Freeman, so he has no loyalty to the enigmatic quarterback. He likes a lot of things about Freeman’s game — he did set franchise records for passing yards and touchdowns — but plans to add a quarterback, either in the draft or free agency, to compete with Freeman next season.

But let’s say Freeman doesn’t lead the Bucs to the playoffs in 2013, his fifth season. He’s gone. Schiano might start over with a new signal caller that might not win fast enough to save his job.

Stroud goes on to note that if the Bucs decided to franchise Freeman after the 2013 season — provided he has a good season — it could cost the team as much as $17 million a year or more to keep the Kansas State product via thefranchise tag.

This is something Joe has written about a few times before, even before Freeman was drafted. A new coach, Schiano, isn’t going to Pearl Harbor his own gig if Freeman struggles. Schiano didn’t draft Freeman; he is not tied to Freeman in any way.

Also, as Joe has noted before, Schiano was wont to start freshmen quarterbacks at Rutgers. That tells Joe Schiano expects a high level of production from his quarterbacks and if he does not get said production, is quick to pull the trigger on another quarterback.

Simply put, if Schiano doesn’t believe Freeman can lead the Bucs to the playoffs after the 2013 season, Joe wouldn’t be surprised if Schiano waves goodbye to him.

In short, the ball appears to be in Freeman’s court. His future with the Bucs is in his hands. Get to the playoffs in 2013 and Freeman not only hits the lottery, but he will be your Bucs quarterback for perhaps the next decade.

Ron Turner, the Bucs 2012 quarterbacks coach, explained to a Miami radio station how Butch Davis got him the head coaching job at FIU.

Standing at the podium for his final 2012 news conference last week, Greg Schiano wore a black and white, rubber-looking bracelet dangling from his wrist engraved with the word, “Family.”

Family is a big theme in the New Schiano Order. Schiano himself even leads his “Family 1, 2, 3 cheer” with the Buccaneers.

So given the allegiance Schiano demands, Joe was very surprised to hear 2012 Bucs quarterbacks coach Ron Turner tell a Miami radio show that it was trusted Schiano senior advisor Butch Davis who asked him if he wanted to coach Florida International University and then recommended him for the FIU job. Turner was hired by FIU on Thursday.

“Butch Davis is very good friends with [FIU athletic director] Pete Garcia,” Turner told WQAM-AM. “Butch and I were together on the staff in Tampa this past year. I’ve known Butch for a long time. And Butch asked me one day if I, you know, wanted to be a coach in college again. And I said, ‘Yes, I absolutely do.’ And he asked if I’d be interested in FIU, and I said, ‘Yeah, I would. I want to do some research on it, look into it a little bit, but yes, I would definitely have some interest.” I was familiar enough to know a lot of good things were going on. I did some research, liked it, and Butch was kind enough to recommend me to Pete Garcia.”

Asked whether Davis was legitimately considered for the FIU job, Turner said those were rumors and “when that happened, Butch recommended me.”

This was very bizarre to Joe and makes Joe wonder what the heck went on behind the scenes.

Did Davis, on the Bucs payroll, get permission from the Bucs to recommend his buddy Turner for another job during the Bucs season?

Or did Davis disrespect the family and work to help his friends above the interests of the Buccaneers?

Or, was Davis encouraged by Schiano to find Turner work because the organization was looking to get Turner out of his contract?

Whatever the truth is here, Joe finds it fascinating that a well paid Buccaneers consultant helped a key assistant coach leave the team.

At Derby Lane tonight you can enjoy the nation’s best greyhound racing, the Tampa Bay area’s biggest and best smoke-free poker room, and great food and options to watch all the NFL playoff games. It’s no wonder Joe loves Derby Lane, and it’s easy to get to on Gandy Boulevard.

Longtime readers here know Joe is a student and critic of all things Bucs football, and that includes how the team is viewed by national and local media, from opinion writers to ex-player talking heads to allegedly unbiased journalists.

So it was notable to Joe when Bucs beat writer Stephen Holder expressed “hate” for the way Team Glazer operates with media.

And it was a real stunner considering the reader/commenter, during a TampaBay.com live chat Friday, never asked Holder for his opinion on access to Team Glazer, nor did the reader/commenter offer his own opinion on that topic. Holder simply felt compelled to express a little “hate.”

Comment From George Steele: Has any reporter ever asked the Glazers whether they would admit that they were trying to run this team on the cheap the last few years.  The whole “building through the draft” thing was obviously a ruse for them to spend as little money as possible.  Once they went out and spent money on some top quality free agents this year we saw what an immediate difference it made.  I think they are going to have a hard time filling the stadium for a while given the way they ran the team for so long.

Stephen F. Holder:  I think I might phrase it a little differently if so, but I hear you. The Glazers, for the most part, don’t do interviews. And it’s not for a lack of us trying. I hate it as much as you do

So what does it mean or matter if a supposedly unbiased beat writer has true “hate” for an aspect of the team he or she covers? Joe’s not sure. But expressing it in a public forum without being prompted probably means the “hate” has reached a troubling level and could affect objectivity.

For the record, Team Glazer does interviews a few times a year in recent years, the next one likely being their traditional state-of-the-team extended sit-down at the NFL Owners meetings in March. Joe gets how his colleagues want more access, but Joe thinks there’s surely enough access to not invoke extreme emotions like “hate.”

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The leader of the New Schiano Order joined ESPN Radio to talk NFL playoffs, Bucs and Chip Kelly on Thursday.

Schiano sounded like the stress of the season was off his back and he was upbeat and even talked about how much fun he had without being prompted. Schiano also kept it real. He agreed the Bucs could have had a better record if they got it done in some tight games, but also acknowledged the flip side. “It could have been worse,” Schiano said.

You can enjoy the entire interview below.

The culture has changed at One Buc Palace the past 11 months or so, but even Bucs coach Greg Schiano admits it’s not a finished product.

Kellen Winslow didn’t want to tow the line. Some players wanted a buddy for a coach, not someone who is intolerant of sloppy play, turnovers and overall lousy attitudes.

This, however, doesn’t mean Schiano is a tyrant. That’s what Pat Yasinskas of ESPN tries to explain in an NFC South chat.

Kevin (Tallahasseee): Greg Schiano seems to be a reincarnation of Ray Perkins…Perkins was also known to run his teams ragged and the teams fade throughout the season.

PY: Yeah, but it’s not quite the same. Perkins was doing three-a-day practices in training camp. The new rules don’t allow Schiano to do anything close to that.

This is over the top and trying to compare apples and oranges. Perkins was a glorified drill sargent and wannabe Bear Bryant. He worked his players to death, sort of put them through a Junction Boys-type training camp each summer, a stunt that even Bryant admitted was a massive mistake when he was coaching Texas A&M.

As Yasinskas points out, the Bucs, like every other NFL team, are limited to what they can do. Only X-amount of practices in the regular season can be in pads and there is a ceiling to how long practices can be.

If the Bucs were wiped out from practices under Schiano, that tells Joe practices under the previous regime were little more than recess sessions.

So early this week, Bucs coach Greg Schiano made no bones about how the Bucs want to give embattled quarterback Josh Freeman competition. Schiano was less than forthcoming how the Bucs would acquire said quarterback.

Joe knows the Bucs really do want competition for Freeman, and if that means drafting a guy in the middle rounds of the draft, so be it.

That’s why a little nugget on Twitter from Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune was so interesting when he typed that Bucs fans should watch and become familiar with Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones in tonight’s Cotton Bowl because the Bucs are kicking the tires on possibly drafting the four-year Sooners starter.

Joe doesn’t know what to make of this. Jones, once thought to be a high draft pick, has seen his stock steadily decline the past two seasons.

Joe does know that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik greatly respects the opinion of Sooners coach Bob Stoops. After all, it was largely based on Stoops’ high recommendation that Dominik drafted defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Also, Dominik is fond of Big XII and Big Ten players, having used high draft picks on players from those conferences in Freeman, GMC, Adrian Clayborn, Roy Miller and Lavonte David.

Joe has no clue if the Bucs really would draft Jones in a middle round. But it doesn’t surprise Joe that Dominik might be watching Jones with a sharp eye.

Bucs outgoing QB coach Ron Turner opened up this evening

The Bucs’ 2012 quarterbacks coach, Ron Turner, has exited the New Schiano Order for Florida International University. But Turner was back talking Bucs this evening with Tom Krasniqi on WDAE-AM 620.

Turner was adamant that Josh Freeman has all the makings of a franchise quarterback, and Turner explained that a Freeman offseason of studying the Bucs offense, versus learning it, will make all the difference in his performance.

“A second year in the system will definitely help him as far as consistency goes,” Turner said.

Turner praised Freeman’s work ethic and said Freeman “wanted to be coached” and “wanted to learn.”

Interestingly, Turner said Freeman’s game-film grades were better than many might think. And Turner specifically mentioned the Rams-Bucs game when Freeman had four interceptions, as an example.

In all, Turner was very positive about all things Bucs and very matter of fact about Freeman’s struggles, saying all quarterbacks have rough stretches.

Joe was geeked when the Bucs drafted running back Michael Smith out of Utah State. A guy gifted with blazing speed, Joe was of the mind he could be the Bucs’ version of Darren Sproles of the Saints, a dangerous scatback out of the backfield and a lethal kick returner.

But this never happened as Smith was only activated on opening day. It became such a joke to Joe, he renamed the weekly Bucs inactive list as the “Michael Smith List.”

That may change next season, as Woody Cummings explained in a Bucs TBO Q&A.

Q: What is the plan with Michael Smith? He’s never activated. Will he back up Doug Martin at some point? He’s a real burner.

— Alan, Zephyrhills

A: The Bucs definitely have a plan for Michael Smith and you’ll probably see it come to fruition next year. A lot depends on whether they retain LeGarrette Blount or not, but the Bucs see what you see and believe Smith has a lot of value. He was inactive for the most part this year for a couple of reasons. First, the Bucs had a greater need for bigger bodies on special teams in other spots than return man and there was also a desire to keep Smith practice squad eligible for next year. Smith is definitely part of the future here.

— Woody Cummings

Color Joe a little skeptical. Now the Bucs will say that Smith just got caught up in a numbers game because coach Greg Schiano wanted so many linebackers and defensive linemen on the bench ready to go.

That does not explain, however, that when the Bucs were playing musical chairs with return men early in the season, rather than activating Smith, the Bucs went out and signed Roscoe Parrish.

How many bodies did the Bucs go through at kick return? Yet the Bucs had a guy on their own roster they could have used, but Smith sat rotting the season away after the season opener as an inactive.

To Joe, it was borderline criminal.

So the Bucs are saying they have plays for Smith in 2013. In short, Joe will believe it when he sees it.

Mike Sullivan can ramble on a topic with the best of them, so Joe’s not too freaked out by this report. However, it does have an ominous vibe to it.

Former Giants beat writer turned USA Today NFL writer Mike Garafolo is Twittering that Sullivan had an extra long interview for the Bears head coaching job earlier this week.

@MikeGarafolo – Sounds like Mike Sullivan and the Bears had a very good meeting the other day. Went six hours, about twice as long as expected.

Joe’s not surprised that would be an engaging candidate. Flashing Super Bowl rings and presenting his years as an Army Ranger and familiarity with a tight ship under Tom Coughlin and Greg Schiano likey would peak the interest of any owner in need of a head coach.

It would be hard for Josh Freeman to overthrow this guy

Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings, of The Tampa Tribune, took to the wee-hours airwaves this morning on 98.7 FM and reminded Bucs fans that their favorite team “is still all about No. 5.”

Cummings, speaking to The Fabulous Sports Babe show, acknowledged the Bucs’ deficiencies on defense but insists tight end is a huge priority and the Bucs might just be tempted by star Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert in the first round of April’s NFL draft.

Eifert, at 6-6, 250 lbs., seems like a can’t-miss talent, is hands down the best tight end in the draft, and a typical Notre Dame character guy. Various draft gurus now peg him as a middle to late first-round pick.

Obviously, his performance in Monday’s national title game and at the NFL combine will be game-changers for his draft stock.

Joe would rather see the Bucs go defense, but Joe could stomach the Bucs scoring a beastly, versatile pass catcher like Eifert, especially if they can’t get Dallas Clark to return, or score a decent tight end in free agency.

In a state of his beloved Bucs address yesterday, former Bucs quarterback Shaun King fired a brutal dagger at rockstar general manager Mark Dominik.

King didn’t mince words.

“I don’t think Mark Dominik’s very good at his job,” King said on WDAE-AM 620.

One of only three quarterbacks to lead Tampa Bay to the NFC Championship game, King said the Bucs’ biggest weaknesses are stains on Dominik’s hands. Investing in Carl Nicks versus a premier cornerback in free agency last year is something King has been talking about since March, and King believes the chickens have come home to roost.

“Very rarely in free agency do you have elite cornerbacks that are on the market. And not getting Cortland Finnegan and Brandon Carr is going to be a problem that is going to continually to rear its head as we move forward,” King said.

“What are the two most deficient areas that we have? Secondary, and most people would say pass rush. We spent seven picks in defensive linemen since Mark Dominik has been our GM. Four of those seven picks were in the first and second round.

“We’ve spent seven picks on defensive backs since Mark Dominik has been GM, yet we go into this offseason with those as the most glaring issues on this team in a free agent period where, and I know some may laugh at this, Aqib Talib is probably be the top cornerback on the market. Brent Grimes will be available but he’s coming off of a major injury. There’s not the market in free agency that was there last year that we didn’t take advantage of.”

King went on to say that Dominik has “not done a good job in accumulating and developing players.”

Joe can’t buy in to all of King’s logic. The Bucs have a pile of talent on the defensive line, including Tampa-developed Michael Bennett from the NFL scrap heap and resurrected Roy Miller from his Raheem-era haze. And the Bucs should get a lot more next year from Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. All of those guys, including homegrown Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, should have their best football ahead of them. Plus, Dominik pickup Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (four sacks) proved to be a legitimate young backup, who should truly shine in spot duty next season.

Joe does place some blame on the Bucs secondary on Greg Schiano buying into Aqib Talib’s I’m-a-new-man baloney. Schiano was conned into counting on a guy that was unreliable. Surely Talib would have been gone last winter if Schiano had given the nod.

Also, Schiano could have moved Ronde Barber to cornerback and played Ahmad Black at free safety, something that would have left more talent on the field, an alleged goal of Schiano to get the “best 11” out there.

As for Dominik, yes, he left the Bucs’ cupboard bare in the secondary last season, and the Bucs paid dearly. Overall, Eric Wright was a bust. But Dominik has plenty of money to repair when the free agency bell rings, and a guy like Grimes and perhaps durable veteran CB Quentin Jammer, plus a cornerback in the draft, could make everyone quickly forget the 2012 secondary.

One positive to Josh Freeman and the Bucs winning the final game of the season, though it could cost them the chance to draft the Baron of Berlin, Florida State stud defensive end Bjoern Werner, is that for a brief moment it has softened the cries for Freeman’s head.

Freeman frustrates Bucs fans and a loss would have done nothing but fuel the flames of anti-Freeman chatter on sports radio through the entire offseason.

Freeman will enter his fifth season as a Bucs starter in 2013, and there are a number of Bucs fans tired of his inconsistency and patches of frightening inaccuracy, despite the fantasy football-like numbers he put up last year. He’s 24-32 over his career as a starter and has been upstaged by a crop of up-and-coming quarterbacks, evidenced by the playoffs which begin tomorrow. Consider a handful of starting quarterbacks this weekend:

Cincinnati: Andy Dalton, second year in NFL.
Minnesota: Christian Ponder, second year in NFL.
Indianapolis: Andrew Luck, rookie.
San Francisco: Colin Kaepernick, second year in NFL.
Seattle: Russell Wilson, rookie.
Washington: Robert Griffin III, rookie.

So half the starting quarterbacks in the NFL playoffs are either second-year guys or rookies. Throw in the fact that Mark Sanchez, a guy who was drafted just ahead of Freeman, has already played in two AFC championship games, it is easy to see why Bucs fans are losing patience with Freeman when they see him one-hop passes to running backs in the flat, miss wide open receivers terribly in the end zone and occasionally force a pass into triple coverage.

Does this mean Freeman is or will be a bad quarterback? No. Just that Bucs fans see the aforementioned quarterbacks lead their teams to the postseason, and wonder why the former Bucs first round pick cannot play up to the same level as rookies or others with half the NFL time logged than Freeman has.

So Joe can understand why Bucs fans have lost trust in the Bucs signal-caller.