Joe’s going to bet the last time the Bucs made the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, was when the Bucs won the Super Bowl. Or was Tom Brokaw still working the nightly news then?

At any rate, here’s the video proof.

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Yesterday, the Bucs and Eric LeGrand owned the national headlines… for a few hours.

Before NFL news turned gruesome with the release of penalties for players involved in the ugly Saints bounty scandal and news of Junior Seau’s suicide (Joe finds it grossly irresponsible that far too many alleged media elites immediately fingered football for his demise — how exactly do they know what troubled the man?), the Bucs’ signing of LeGrand, Greg Schiano’s former player at Rutgers who was paralyzed in a game two years ago, was front and center in sports and news headlines.

LeGrand couldn’t make it to One Buc Palace on such short notice for the press conference — traveling for him is not simple — but LeGrand did hold court for the fourth estate at Rutgers.

Below is a transcript of LeGrand’s press conference, courtesy of the Bucs media relations department.

(On his reaction to being signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and head coach Greg Schiano)

“I was in shock. All my friends asked me if I was going to be drafted. I told them I think they all need to be worried about their other picks. He called me Monday and he just said ‘We’re picking you.’ At first we had just started talking. I want to draft you and pick you up as a free agent. I was just like ‘Really? You’re just going to waste a pick? You have a 90-man roster. You’re going to pick me as that?’ And he said yes, this is something they want to do. He’d talked to the GM, he’d talked to everybody. This is a dream come true for me to go to the NFL. The circumstances, yeah, but I’m there.”

(On what it will mean to be on an NFL roster)

“It’s always been a dream to go to the NFL. I never thought I’d be picked up in the draft. Coach said this was my draft. I’m not going to lie, I was watching the draft and it was hard seeing those kids and I’m thinking this could have been my turn. When he did this for me, it was a dream come true. I was like ‘Thank you, Coach. This means a lot to me.’ They are sending me a jersey by Friday so I can tweet that out. There are so many things right now that haven’t sunk in. He picked me as a guy for his roster.”

(On his relationship with Coach Schiano)

“It means a lot. It shows the person he is, still keeping in touch with me. He still calls me every week, once a week. I talked to him a week before the draft, then right after the draft. He just calls me up. He’s been thinking about me and my family since day one. He’s been getting me the best doctors, the best care. He even got me cable in my Kessler room. You know he’s down in Tampa right now, but he’s making sure we know that he’s not forgetting about my family and I up here. He’s like a father figure to me.”

(On how he feels about going to a team and being unable to play)

“Not being able to play kind of stinks, just because you can’t. Just being able to get picked like this, in the situation that I’m in. Getting a call that they really want to pick me up, not being able to play but be a part of the team and something like that. I’m just thanking them for the opportunity. Hopefully I’ll be able to meet some of my new teammates and some of my Rutgers teammates too. They picked up Desmond Wynn, and I just played with him.”

(On how he will contribute to the team)

“That’s what we have to talk about. I’ll meet with (Coach Schiano) soon, meet with Kevin MacConnell soon and see what we’re going to do up here in Jersey. People have been asking me all day if I’m moving to Tampa. I’m not going anywhere. I’m still here in New Jersey. So I’ve got to talk to them and see what we can do and work some things out. I’m sure (Coach Schiano) has something planned.”

(On what is in the future entails)

“I’ve got to get this degree. I signed with IMG. I’m working with my agent. He’s been working with me, trying to figure out where we’re going to go in the future. We just got my book deal. That’s going to come out in the August or September area, so I’m really excited about that. Once I get this degree, I’m hoping to be working with ESPN, CBS or NBC, or somebody by next fall in the whole broadcasting gig. I’ve just got to finish up with school. I still have therapy every day. I’m still working hard at that. I’m just getting better and better and hopefully starting my career off next fall.

(On how he misses football)

“That was when I was watching the draft. When I was watching that draft, everything just came down on me. This was the year. This was what I’ve dreamed about since I was five years old. This was the day. And you saw those kids going across the stage, I thought about what I could have done and where I could have had my name called. And said ‘Damn, I miss football.’ It’s the game I love. It’s the game that taught me the game of life, basically. Seeing that draft hit on a lot of stuff.”

Joe’s been known to appreciate what a good lubricant can provide on occasion, but it seems Gerald McCoy is making daily use of them and recommending them to his fans.

Out on the Twitterverse, McCoy, aka @Geraldini93, is singing their praises.

“Multi-Vitamins and fish oils everyday to fuel and lubricate the muscles and joints. Much needed people. Try it. It’s worth it. Promise!!”

Joe puts this out there as it seems McCoy has enhanced his training regimen to include these supplements, probably more, too. No harm there. If a few milligrams of cold water sardine oil will keep him lubed up and more flexible, maybe they’ll overcome the Pop Warner fudamentals that killed his 2011 season and likely led to the jettisoning of Raheem Morris.

Joe joins the legions of Bucs fans hoping/praying McCoy can transform from part-time patient to full-time force.

When the Bucs signed the defensive lineman from Rutgers, Eric LeGrand, to a contract today, it brought about more love for the team, both locally and nationally, then Joe has seen since Chucky hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft in victory.

As Joe wrote about earlier, LeGrand’s story is inspirational if not a heart-tugger.

Though LeGrand will not take up a roster spot, he is essentially a member of the Bucs family. Joe also learned his number will be No. 52, the same number he wore for the Scarlet Knights.

Not coincidently, this news was released on May 2. You know, 5/2?

Now Joe has been bombed with questions about buying his jersey. Of course, one could customize a jersey with LeGrand’s name and number. But for the NFL to sell a jersey of a guy who is not on an active roster, they gets a little dicey as far as all sorts of agreements and legalities between the NFL, the NFLPA and NIKE. So Joe isn’t sure if one can ever purchased an official NFL LeGrand jersey.

(For example, in baseball, you cannot order an Albert Pujols Cardinals customized jersey because, of course, Pujols is with another team.)

Joe has communicated with someone within the walls of One Buc Palace and team officials are overwhelmed with the positive response from fans querying about buying a LeGrand jersey.

Joe has a hunch if the Bucs can sell a LeGrand jersey, the team will, and don’t be surprised if proceeds go towards some group of LeGrand’s choice.

This photo sort of says it all — former Rutgers defensive lineman Eric LeGrand, who will never play another snap of football after being paralyzed while making a tackle on a kickoff in a game against Army, reacting just hours after news he has signed with the Bucs.

Welcome to Tampa Bay, Eric.

How crazy is the new-found Bucs hugfest getting after the Bucs draft last weekend? Consider “The Tim Brando Show,” broadcast live on CBS Sports Network yesterday, also heard on SiriusXM radio as well as local radio in various markets via syndication.

NFL Network analyst Michael Lombardi appeared on the show and waxed poetic about the Bucs draft. So much so that the crew of the show broke into song.

(FYI, a guy in the background is none other than “Big Papi,” Dave Druda, former executive producer of “Happy Hour With J.P.” heard locally on WQYK-AM 1010. Druda now is a producer for “The Tim Brando Show.”)

Hat tip to Big Papi and the good people of CBS Sports.

Eric LeGrand leads his Rutgers teammates out onto the field for Senior Day last fall.

The Bucs, like all NFL teams, are scouring the bushes to find any hidden gem to bring to their rookie mini-camp in hopes of finding the next Night Train Lane or Drew Pearson or Kurt Warner.

One player the Bucs signed this morning has no chance of ever making a football team, much less the Bucs. But that’s not the point.

Today, the Bucs announced that former Rutgers defensive lineman Eric LeGrand signed a contract with the team.

LeGrand, who played for new Bucs coach Greg Schiano at Rutgers, won’t make the Bucs and won’t even participate in the rookie mini-camp.

That’s because LeGrand is paralyzed.

LeGrand made a tackle in a game against Army in October 2010 and couldn’t get up because he couldn’t move from the neck down. LeGrand was able to recover movement in his shoulders and some in his arms later in therapy.

LeGrand wouldn’t let the injury stop him. He is scheduled to graduate this fall with a degree in labor studies. This past year, he was also a radio analyst on Rutgers broadcasts.

LeGrand was able to take part in Senior Day ceremonies for Rutgers last season.

Per NJ.com, LeGrand will have some sort of affiliation with the Bucs, though currently his role is unspecified.

“Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class,” Schiano said in a statement released today by Rutgers and the Buccaneers. “This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit, and perseverance. The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men.”

This is just beyond a cool gesture by Team Glazer and Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. LeGrand and Schiano are clearly very close. It is a nice gesture not just for your new coach, not just for the image of the team, but for LeGrand as well.

Such a move is not unprecedented. In 1981, Isiah Thomas led the Bobby Knight-coached Indiana Hoosiers to second national title in six seasons. A junior center was also a key member of the club, Landon Turner, who many expected to be a star in the NBA.

But fate was cruel to Turner, who was paralyzed in a car accident a few months later.

Knight and then-Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach were close. Knight had mentioned to Auerbach that Turner was a huge Celtics fan and how nice of a gesture it would be if he could sign Turner as a free agent.

Auerbach one-upped Knight’s suggestion and selected Turner in the 1982 NBA draft.

Of course, that was in the days that the NBA had 10 rounds in its draft. If the NFL still had a 12-round draft, Joe’s pretty confident the Bucs would have pulled a similar move.

All around, this is turning into a proud Bucs week.

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In simply one of the coolest moves Joe’s seen by a team in a long time, the Bucs signed former Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand today.

He was paralyzed after an on-field injury during the 2010 season.

“Leading up to the draft, I couldn’t help but think that this should’ve been Eric’s draft class,” said Coach Schiano. “This small gesture is the least we could do to recognize his character, spirit, and perseverance. The way Eric lives his life epitomizes what we are looking for in Buccaneer Men.”

Not much for Joe to say about this one and how Schiano chose to honor one of his own.

Whenever the leader of the New Schiano World Order, Greg Schiano, does an interview, it seems he always finds a way to mention that the Bucs will run the football like a 1970s powerhouse and break the mold of the 21st century NFL.

He’s said a couple of times recently that the Bucs’ offense will be out of “vogue” in the pass-happy NFL, and that they’ll “ham-and-egg-it” with LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin. Joe remembers in March when Schiano kept repeating “run the football” with emphasis. Daven Joseph even had some laughs talking about how much Schiano wants the run the football. And in Joe’s off-the-record luncheon with Schiano and other media types, Schiano talked in even more detail about pounding the rock. (Sadly, Joe can’t get more specific from that gathering.)

Ask Schiano what he’s going to do on defense, however, and you don’t get much to sink your teeth into. And that’s fine, the unknown plays in the Bucs favor on defense and they’ve got major personnel questions on that side of the ball.

Now Joe admits he’s fascinated by Schiano’s desire to grind out an old-school running game when many successful NFL teams are throwing the ball all over the field with reckless abandon. It’s even more intriguing knowing the Bucs were hot on the trail of Chip Kelly, who would have brought nearly the exact opposite offensive style to Tampa Bay.

Joe just hopes Schiano has the stomach — unlike Greg Olson and Raheem Morris — to stick with his plan to run the ball behind what should be a beastly offensive line. Perhaps the greatest load of BS floated by Raheem last year was that the Bucs were a running football team. That team abandoned the run — even in close games — faster than Joe would dart from a room if Rosie O’Donnell entered it naked.

Then new head coach Tony Dungy opened the 1996 season with a 1-8 record with a team that could barely move the chains. But Dungy didn’t panic or flinch from his version of the Buccaneeer Way.

Joe suspects the New Schiano World Order will have no problem sticking to its stated core beliefs and plan, even if the NFL beats to a different drum. Frankly, Joe can’t wait to see the Bucs pick up a first down on 3rd-and-3 running behind Carl Nicks.

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There are many accolades coming from all circles on the work of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik during last weekend’s NFL draft.

Count ornery Pete Prisco among the fans of the Bucs’ draft. The CBSSports.com NFL columnist put fingers to keyboard and banged out a grade of every team in the NFL on their picks and he gave the Bucs a “B.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Best pick: They landed a future Pro Bowl player in second-round linebacker Lavonte David. They have their next Derrick Brooks.

Questionable move: Trading out of their spot in the first round to pass on Morris Claiborne and take safety Mark Barron. Corner is a much more valuable position than safety.

Third-day gem: Linebacker Najee Goode is a run-thumper from West Virginia who is worth a look in the fifth round. He plays the run well. Has played inside and outside.

Analysis: The Bucs landed three starters with their first three picks in Barron, running back Doug Martin (who I really like) and David. That’s a nice bounty. I don’t know if Barron is quite the player some think he will be, but Tampa Bay had a big-time need there.

Grade: B

Prisco of late has been a fan of Dominik’s dabbling in the draft. Just two years ago, Prisco wrote how Dominik “owned” the draft and was impressed specifically citing Dominik’s prowess in landing Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Myron Lewis, Mike Williams and Dekoda Watson.

Trevor Olson, not to be confused with the man obsessed with calling the heinous Benn’d around play, is another undrafted free agent body the Bucs have signed and expect at rookie minicamp, which will start soon.

And it’s a safe bet Olson will be there. The left tackle didn’t miss a start in four years at Northern Illinios, so a nice January feature story in the Chicago Sun-Times explained.

Battling future 2009 NFL first-round pick Larry English in practice every day for two seasons helped him get better, said Olson, who will see a lot of Arkansas State standout defensive end Brandon Joiner.

… Fellow linemates marvel at Olson and his streak.

“It’s amazing,” said senior center Scott Wedige, who has 27 starts. “All the injuries you go through, all the bumps and bruises and turned ankles. To work through all those things and never miss a start, heck, he never misses a snap. It’s miraculous to do that.”

Olson was one of two offensive tackles the Bucs added to their list of undrafted free agent signings today. The other is Rocky Weaver of Central Michigan.

Boy this is tough. Just when Joe felt like he wanted to pull for Olson to make the team, the Bucs had to go and sign a guy named “Rocky.” How cool would that be to have a Rocky on the roster. Maybe Bullwinkle can come in and play linebacker.

Joe always has a place in his heart for these undrafted guys chasing a dream. Brandon Carter was one guy Joe pulled for a couple of years ago and he made it. And Carter’s dad became a regular reader on these here pages. The Bucs will put these undrafted guys up in some local hotel room and feed them as they try and hit Lotto  to make the team and live their dreams.

The new offensive tackles have a tough go of it. Demar Dotson re-signed and the Bucs added young veteran tackle Jamon Meredith in free agency.

Yeah, it’s BSPN. So Joe’s not about to all of a sudden call this gospel, but at least it holds a little drama and is informative. Todd McShay’s outlines his top-5 winners in the NFL draft.

Virtually every Bucs fan has seen video of new Bucs coach Greg Schiano laying the law down on the very first moment of the very first voluntary workout when he screamed at his players the proper way to line up along the stripes for warm-ups.

Some would suggest that is a sign of attention to detail. Others would think that’s way over the top.

Whatever he may think of it, Bucs linebacker Dekoda Watson has no problem with the law and order ways of Schiano.

Watson, along with fellow Bucs linebacker Quincy Black, attended a ceremony yesterday in St. Petersburg where the Bucs presented a needy single mother ,who largely used public transportation to get around, a new car to help simplify her and her children’s lives.

Joe will have more about that later, but Joe did get in a few questions with Watson. Though tight-lipped about what is going on behind the fences at One Buc Palace, Watson isn’t bothered by the New Schiano Order.

“No,” Watson beamed when asked if Schiano’s ways were a bit over the top. “That all comes with discipline, I’m all right with that.”

The fact that Watson, who battled injuries last year, is considered a strong pass rusher, and with a new coaching staff and Geno Hayes’ departure leaving a hole in the starting lineup, Watson admitted this season brings new opportunities for him. But he would not elaborate.

“I’m very excited with the new opportunity,” Watson said. “There are a lot of things going on on the field for a lot of people. I hope all the hard work comes out this season. Only time will tell.”

Watson couldn’t compare Schiano’s voluntary workout practices to those of jettisoned coach Raheem Morris because Watson explained he never attended a voluntary workout practice with Morris.

Two years ago when Watson was drafted, the voluntary practice came before the draft. Last year there was no offseason thanks to the asinine lockout, which Watson said drove him nuts.

“To be honest with you, I never had a voluntary workout with Raheem,” Watson said. “I am happy for [attending this year’s]. I don’t like sitting around.”

The incomparable and vivacious eye-RAH! Kaufman, NFL writer and Bucs beat writer of The Tampa Tribune, took to the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves yesterday to do what he calls “read the tea leaves” of the NFL Draft as they related to the Buccaneers.

What Kaufman saw in his bag of Earl Grey was a vote of confidence for Aqib Talib.

Kaufman said it’s wise to project that the Bucs waiting until the sixth round to select a cornerback means the organization believes Aqib Talib will walk away from his felony assault with a deadly weapon trial in June with little or no punishment from Roger Goodell and the Texas penal system.

Now while Joe would be somewhat surprised if Talib is found guilty given the apparent flimsy evidence in the case, Joe doesn’t have a clue what’s in Goodell’s head. However, Team Glazer likely does.

The X-factor in all of this is that Talib’s alleged crime took place during the NFL’s asinine lockout. Does Goodell want the inevitable legal and public relations mess associated with suspending Talib for his transgressions when he wasn’t under contract?

Last year during the grotesque 10-game losing streak that led to then-coach Raheem Morris being jettisoned, the Bucs defense turned in a historic franchise low, topped by the ghastly performance at Atlanta where the Dixie Chicks nearly hung half-a-hundred on the Bucs … in the first half no less!

There were many holes and fingers to be pointed at the defense but the linebacker player was especially grim. It reached the point where no linebacker unit in the NFL was worse than the Bucs’.

A mulligan could be handed out to rookie Mason Foster, who was playing out of position at middle linebacker and expected to call the defensive plays, with no offseason to speak of. He was simply in a no-win situation.

The second of the three starters, outside linebacker Geno Hayes, recently signed with the Bears to be a backup.

That leaves Joe with the third starter at linebacker, outside linebacker Quincy Black. Now entering his fourth season as a starter, he has done little to justify the contract awarded him by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik after the 2010 season, a contract that still puzzles people to this day.

Well, if one can read between the lines of an article typed by Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, there were two shots across the bow in last weekend’s NFL draft that Black had best step up his game in a serious way this fall.

In breaking down who might seeing diminished playing time as a result of the draft, he suggested that both linebackers Lavonte David and Najee Goode could push Black to the sidelines if his game is not elevated.

Round 2/58 David Lavonte, LB, Nebraska: Mason Foster.

Lavonte is most effective as an outside linebacker, where he can run and hit. That might also be the best spot for Foster, but it’s more likely he will either remain at middle linebacker or move to strong side linebacker. The Bucs consider Lavonte the best linebacker in coverage in the draft, so he’ll also remain on the field in nickel passing situations. That means either Foster or Quincy Black will leave the field on third down.

Round 5/140 Najee Goode, LB, West Virginia: Quincy Black.

At 6-foot, 244-pounds, Goode is powerful enough to play inside but coverage is not his strong suit, meaning he’s a two-down linebacker. In the Bucs defense, that means he either plays the middle or strong side. Since you would prefer the middle linebacker to remain on the field on passing downs, look for Goode to get a shot to compete with Black, who did not live up to his 5-year, $29-million contract last season.

It appears the gauntlet has been thrown down by new Bucs coach Greg Schiano. Clearly he was horrified by the tapes of the Day-at-the-Races-like defense last season, when it only took a running back to turn the corner for a full-out jailbreak to occur.

At the Buccaneers draft party broadcast live last Thursday, defensive end Adrian Clayborn told Joe’s good friend, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig, that Schiano’s primary for his defense was to focus on stopping the run first and foremost since that was a lost art last season.

And a big reason for that was the linebacker play.

A man rockstar general manager calls one of the great personnel men of all time, Gil Brandt, has weighed in with his top-10 undrafted free agents of 2012.

And the Bucs have one of them under contract, former Largo High star QB Leonard Johnson who turned into a cornerback at Iowa State.

Architect of the Cowboys teams from 1960 to 1989, Brandt, aka The Godfather, is now an NFL scouting guru for NFL.com and Sirius NFL Radio. (The guy’s a walking encyclopedia.) Brandt laid out his take on Johnson for NFL.com.

10. Leonard Johnson, CB, Iowa State — Johnson didn’t run well at the combine, but he ran extremely well at his pro day. He was a high school quarterback. When Iowa State stunned then-No. 2-ranked Oklahoma State in November, Johnson did a very good job defending Justin Blackmon (the first-round pick of the Jaguars). Johnson could be a great special teams player because of his toughness and probably is best suited for a team that runs a Cover-2 scheme. 

“Toughness?” Again that word surfaces with another new member of the New Schiano World Order. 

Click through the limo to learn more about the best in the Bay area.

Leader of the New Schiano World Order got the call to join the national Jim Rome Show on WDAE-AM 620 today. The coach delivered more of his scouting on Doug Martin, in addition to saying he would have taken Mark Barron higher, and more. Schiano talks about drilling the running game — “ham and egg it” with Martin and LeGarrette Blount. Listen below.