"It's only a matter of time, little guy."

Joe polled his readers the other day to see if they thought the Bucs were a playoff team in 2011. Only 47 percent were believers of the more than 1,000 responses. This surprised Joe somewhat. Joe thought the total would come in about 55 or 60 percent among the rabid Bucs lovers on this site.

Reading and listening to various media takes about the Bucs, it’s nearly universal that the pundits don’t believe the Bucs will improve where it counts most this season.

Another man in that group is eye-RAH! Kaufman, NFL writer at The Tampa Tribune.

“I think they might take a bit of a step back this season,” Kaufman said on the The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on 1040 AM yesterday. The Bucs “snugly fit into that third [place] spot” in the NFC South.

Joe believes fans and media are looking for more of those “signature wins” talked about ad nauseum last year. Beating Atlanta at home this month will go a long way toward changing perception.

Joe is not like his old man. Joe’s old man heavily plays the stock market.

Joe was brought up to love newspapers. Before Joe’s old man even touched his breakfast each morning, he was poring over his Wall Street Journal. Only until after he had devoured the Wall Street Journal did Joe’s old man grab the sports section of the local papers (the news section was left for after-dinner reading).

In sort of a harbinger of the 21st century, though Joe’s old man was a sports addict like Joe, he told Joe the reason he didn’t read the sports section first is because he had watched the games the previous evening and already knew what happened.

At any rate, if Joe played the stock market as much as his old man, Joe would be homeless. The stock market isn’t Joe’s wheelhouse if you get the drift.

So it was interesting to Joe to read of the stock watch listed by ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas. In his monitoring of the NFC South stock market, he is bearish of Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib, listing him among the top “falling” stocks, essentially advising investors to divest of Talib.

Aqib Talib, cornerback, Buccaneers. We’re starting his stock low because he had a turbulent offseason and he’s going to be under the microscope. This guy can’t afford a wrong move on or off the field. He’s got to stay focused on football and get his career on a good path.

Well, Joe will agree that Talib cannot afford another off-field incident, specifically an incident that involves another brush with the law. On the field, Talib should be coming into his own. He’s a talented cornerback and with just a modicum of improvement, could be a Pro Bowl player.

This one surprised Joe. It appears Preston Parker has taken over as top punt and kick returner ahead of Micheal Spurlock.

Stephen Holder, of the St. Pete Times, delivers the news.

Receiver Preston Parker has replaced Micheal Spurlock as the top kick and punt returner, making Spurlock more likely to be among the team’s inactive players on Sunday.

Spurlock did not return punts and kicks during the preseason. Joe asked Spurlock about it, and he told Joe a couple of weeks ago that was done to get other guys work and not a knock on him.

Joe’s not sure he’s on board with Holder’s assertion that Spurlock is likely to be inactive on Sunday, considering Spurlock is such a sure-handed receiver (17 catches for 250 yards in 2010) and returner, and the emergency third quarterback. Considering the Bucs likely will remain cautious with Arrelious Benn, Joe would hardly be surprised if all six receivers on the roster are active.

"It's time to be your best self, Olie."

Earnest Graham has won the starting third-down spot, so Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson said during a news conference today.

Olson said Graham taking on that role is not a big loss at fullback, if at all where Erik Lorig will start.

“We like the develoment of [Erik] Lorig. He provides a bigger body and more explosiveness,” Olson said. “Earnest was only playing fullback eight to 10 snaps per game.”

Olson went on to say Graham’s new role is no knock on Kregg Lumpkin or LeGarrette Blount. Olson emphasized that Blount is still a very young player.

For Joe, Graham can get the job done protecting Freeman — priority No. 1 — and Joe sees no reason why he can’t come close to duplicating Cadillac Williams’ stats as a third-down back. Though Joe would much rather see Cadillac running the draw play, which often was effective for the Bucs last year.

On the newly signed undrafted rookie tight end, Zack Pianalto, Olson said the Bucs “liked his size, athleticism and size” coming out of North Carolina and liked what their contacts with the Buffalo Bills had to say about him. Olson said the rookie is mature enough to be thrown into the fire.

While stats are for losers, Olson mentioned the Bucs were a top-10 team in explosive plays last season. Joe’s not sure how that is defined. But Joe knows the offensive line better start opening holes for Blount if that mark is to be duplicated.

Months ago Kellen Winslow talked on the Real Man Channel, NFL Network, about how he thought a no-huddle offense was the next evolution for Josh Freeman and the Bucs.

For Joe, Winslow’s quick answer didn’t sound like something out of left field.

After Winslow explained to Eisen that Josh Freeman could be talked about among the all-time great quarterbacks, Eisen asked Winslow what’s next for No. 5.

Winslow was quick with an answer. “I think the no-huddle system is next for [Freeman]. Calling plays at the line, not huddling up so much,” he said. “There’s only so many coverages you can run when you run no-huddle offense.”

The Bucs didn’t show any no huddle or much of any up-tempo in the preseason, so Joe asked Winslow about this after the Bucs-Dolphins preseason game. Winslow replied, “It’s preseason. You’ll see a lot more to the offense this year,” before saying goodbye to Joe.

What that meant is unclear. But a no-huddle and a faster pace to the Bucs offense is something Joe will look for on Sunday. The Lions, one of the oldest teams in the NFL, will no doubt be suffocating from extreme heat that they’re unaccustomed to in the second half. What a great time for the Bucs to roll out the no-huddle.

Frankly, as slow as the Bucs start games under Raheem Morris, Joe wouldn’t mind seeing the Bucs come out of the gate pushing the tempo.

It’s always informative and entertaining when Tampa Tribune NFL writer eye-RAH! Kaufman takes to the sports radio airwaves, and today was no exception when Kaufman shared Lee Roy Selmon stories on The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on 1040 AM.

Kaufman talked about how Selmon was a “frequent visitor” to practice in recent years and his impact was reflected today by current Buccaneers.

Kaufman said Geno Hayes got choked up talking about Selmon in the locker room this afternoon. And Kaufman noted Aqib Talib was eager to talk about Selmon’s impact. Lastly, the Tribune scribe said Donald Penn shared a memory about how it impacted him early in his career when Selmon came up to him to tell him he’s been studying his play and praised his “great feet.” Surely, Selmon had studied his share of left tackles over the years.

Per Kaufman, the Bucs will pay tribute to Selmon before Sunday’s game, in addition to ceremonies commemorating Sept. 11.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Selmon.

As promised, Joe’s been monitoring TicketMaster.com as a public service to Bucs fans and, as of 12:45 p.m., all $35 tickets for Sunday’s home-opener are gone. Hundreds were released Sunday, but they’re history.

The cheapest seats available now, including service charge are $71.25. Those are upper deck seats with the majority the west side of the C.I.T.S. Various secondary market websites have tickets available for about $50.

Interestingly, the Bucs will have nearly all tickets sold on the east side, which will look great on television — for those far outside Tampa Bay TV market.

Team Glazer member Bryan Glazer graced the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves for an exclusive interview Friday with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig. The entire audio can be heard here. Joe suggests you listen.

Among the highlights, Glazer passionately opens up about his philosophy on free agency. In one exchange, Duemig asked Glazer if he’d be opposed to adding a big name free agent “to get over the top” if his personnel team recommended it.

“Not opposed to it but those situations are few and far between. Peter King wrote this week that over 60 percent of the free agents this year were signed on one year deals. Teams let players go for a reason,” Glazer said. “Generally, there’s only been one or two difference-makers in the last 10 years that have been really released by teams, just players that went to another team and lasted seven, eight, nine years. We’re not looking for one-year solutions. I don’t think anybody is.”

Joe completely understands the whole build-through-the-draft approach. But Joe never really gets all the justification by Glazer and various pundits when it comes to being philosophically opposed to free agents. Just pick the right free agent when you need one, and free agency is a wonderfuly glorious thing. It’s really that simple. And it’s always been that simple.

Interestingly, Mark Dominik, during an interview with Dan Sileo a couple of weeks ago, talked about how he’s not opposed to free agency and told fans that the Bucs “made a big splash” obtaining Kellen Winslow and “you can look at that as free agency.” It was a great take by Dominik. Trading, the way it is in the NFL, essentially is free agency — with a higher price tag. Trading for John Abraham and Tony Gonzalez sure has served the Falcons well.

Joe applauds Team Glazer for the enlightening public appearance. Joe thinks it can only help the franchise to hear Team Glazer speak genuinely and passionately like this.

A lot has changed in the past two years for the Bucs, and specifically Bucs fans. When the Bucs were stumbling over themselves to a three-win season, Bucs fans were no less than outraged, and Joe understood the venom.

Watching teams run up and down the field at will against the heinous Jim Bates Experience, Joe’s neck hurt so bad he had to seek the aid of a chiropractor.

Bucs fans were livid and the target of their ire was then rookie head coach Raheem Morris. The common rant was that Team Glazer was (allegedly) broke thanks to that damned English kickball team, and as a result, Morris was one of the few men the team could have afforded. Otherwise, unemployed Bill Cowher would have been hired as Bucs coach, so the naysayers said.

When Team Glazer came out and gave Morris a vote of confidence after the season, Joe was confident pitchforks at local Home Depots were out of stock.

After a few months, and Josh Freeman leading the Bucs to a near-playoff bid, losing a tiebreaker with the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers, fans have chilled out. So much so, that Morris is now perceived to be a fan favorite, so writes Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune.

Most fans were ready to close the book on Morris after the team finished 3-13. They wanted him to be fired after one season and replaced by former Steelers coach Bill Cowher.

So many people called for Morris’ to be fired, the Glazers, who rarely speak publicly, issued a news release stating they remained committed to Morris and the rebuilding plan in place.

Morris just laughed.

Joe loves the fact Bucs players are eating out of Morris’ hand. That’s great. Joe loves Morris’ energy and enthusiasm, too.

But let’s not forget we are not speaking of college or high school football here. The NFL is not a popularity contest. As former NFL coach Jerry Glanville once famously stated, “the NFL stands for ‘Not For Long.'” If the Bucs do not make the playoffs this year, that will make three playoff-less seasons for Morris.

That likely would mean Morris’ fourth season will be critical. Joe is not suggesting anything here, other than the fact the NFL is an unforgiving business.

Always remember and never forget that the previous two Bucs coaches were both very popular men, and Team Glazer had no qualms in removing them despite both coaches having far, far, far more pelts on the wall than Morris has.

Being popular with players and fans is a great thing. At the end of the day, popularity doesn’t mean squat without playoff appearances.

That’s just how the NFL rolls.

Popcorn-shoveling, oatmeal-guzzling Peter King, of Sports Illustrated fame, is back on the record again with his trademark season predictions.

Last year, he drew the wrath of nearly everyone associated with the Bucs by saying they’d win two games in 2010. Nostradamus he is not. In this SI.com video, King explains gives his impressions of the Bucs’ chances.

New Bucs tight end Zack Pianalto

The Bucs snagged an undrafted tight end and named their practice squad today in what could be the final roster moves before opening day.

First, the two guys booted from the roster are cornerback D.J. Johnson and defensive George Johnson. Tough break, fellas. Joe feels for you. The new TE is rookie Zack Pianalto, per Buccaneers.com.

The 6-4, 250-pound Pianalto is a rookie who signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in July out of the University of North Carolina.  In three preseason games this summer he caught six passes for 59 yards, with a long of 23.  The Bills originally retained Pianalto on their 53-man roster during Saturday’s cut-down, but then released him on Sunday, and the Buccaneers put in a successful claim.

You can see Pianalto make a big catch in the Bills’ final preseason game against the Lions in this video from NFL.com.  It’s late in the video, after some guy named Megatron catches a deep ball and Maurice Stovall scores the Lions’ opening touchdown.

Bucs seventh round pick in 2011, TE Daniel Hardy, will hang around on the practice squad. 

In addition, Tampa Bay formed its first practice squad of the 2011 season, signing eight players, all of whom were with the team in training camp.  Though the practice squad remains fluid throughout the season and could change at any time, the first iteration includes the following players: safety Ahmad Black, tackle Will Barker, quarterback Rudy Carpenter, tight end Collin Franklin, wide receiver Ed Gant, tight end Daniel Hardy, running back Mossis Madu and linebacker Derrell Smith.

No real new names there. And if Mark Dominik is finished, on paper that’s not much of a “second draft.” Though Joe would hardly wager that Dominik is through now and for the rest the season.

Before the Bucs had a chance to release the members of their practice squad as the team prepares for the season opener against Detroit, Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune had word that backup quarterback Rudy Carpenter and rookie safety Ahmad Black passed waivers and are back with the Bucs on the practice squad.

@RoyECummings: QB Rudy Carpenter is backl with the Bucs – as a member of their practice squad. Same for WR Ed Gant, TE Daniel Hardy and S Ahmad Black

Good to see Black, who was injured much of preseason, return to his hometown team to be given a second chance of sorts.

Joe knows Bucs fans will be happy that fan favorite Ed Gant is still in Tampa, and Joe was sort of impressed with the limited play he saw from Daniel Hardy, also a Bucs draft pick this spring.

As word spreads of Peyton Manning now listed as doubtful for opening day and not practicing this week, Bucs icon Ronde Barber can prepare for a new honor.

Barber would take over as the NFL’s king of longevity if Manning sits out. Barber has made 179 consecutive starts, second only to Manning. NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas took time to point this out today.

Barber has started every regular-season game since 1998. He holds a healthy lead over Washington linebacker London Fletcher, who is third with 163 consecutive starts.

What can one say about Barber? Consdering he plays on the defensive side of the ball and isn’t protected by Roger Goodell’s rules, Barber’s streak already is more impressive than Manning’s.

But the streak does illustrate a concept few Bucs fans want to consider: life without Barber. He can’t take the pounding forever. The odds of him being part of the lasting contender in 2012 are slim, and Myron Lewis being injury prone isn’t a comfort.

As for Manning, Joe wonders whether the Bucs would catch a major break and have Manning miss the Colts-at-Bucs Monday Night Football game at the C.I.T.S. on Oct. 3. Though it would be so much sweeter — and better for attendance — if the Bucs could beat the Colts with Manning under center.

Team Glazer took to the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves Friday for an exclusive sit down with host Steve Duemig and part of that chat was about ticket sales.

Bryan Glazer told fans to keep an eye on TicketMaster.com because the Bucs and Ticketmaster would be working to release a new round of $35 tickets for opening day. Well, Joe has been monitoring TicketMaster to see what would happen.

It seems that about 250 $35 tickets (including service charge) were released Sunday morning, and as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, about 40 remain in section 339. Unfortunately, there are still 2,000 or so end zone tickets available in the $105 class, per Tickemaster, and many in other price ranges.

Joe will continue monitoring the $35 ticket availability. And there’s always The Blackout Tour with free beer and wings if you can’t afford or physically handle attending opening day.

It’s a lousy looking beach and barbecue day, so head on over to Derby Lane in St. Petersburg for spectacular live greyhound racing and 99-cent hamburgers, hot dogs and ice cream, and FREE cash!

Gates open at 11:30 a.m. and racing starts at 12:30 p.m.

After races No. 1 thru No. 10, Derby Lane will randomly draw a $250 cash prize winner! How sweet would that be in your pocket? You must be present to win.

Don’t forget. Derby Lane has the best poker room in the Tampa Bay area and, in simulcast wagering, today is the final day of racing at the legendary Saratoga Race Course. Watch and wager on 2012 Kentucky Derby hopefuls in the Three Chimeys stakes. That race goes off about 4:50 p.m.

It’s a great day of action at Derby Lane, one of Joe’s favorite places.

Last week Bucs officials all but stated the season opener against the Lions this coming Sunday would be blacked out.

This news was hardly a revelation. The Lions are not a team that draws in fans like the Cowboys, for example.

Bucs officials noted that at normal sales rates, it would take something unforeseen to see 10,000+ tickets to an early, steamy September game gobbled up in less than a week, to meet the Thursday, 1 p.m. deadline to avoid an NFL mandated blackout.

Could that unforeseen event be Lee Roy Selmon’s passing?

Surely with the game being on Sept. 11, the 10th anniversary of demented animals flying planes kamikaze-style into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon and a cornfield in Pennsylvania, murdering thousands and leaving countless innocents maimed, the victims and their families will be honored and remembered leaguewide at games.

But with yesterday’s passing of Bucs great Selmon, a beloved figure throughout the Tampa Bay community, the Bucs will almost assuredly honor the man prior to kickoff. A moment of silence will certainly be in order.

Sunday’s game will likely be a very public memorial service of sorts for Selmon.

Joe was a guest on Rays Rev Radio podcast last night (after a few adult beverages no less), produced by Raysheads Matt Sinn and Mike Weber, both producers at Joe’s proud media partner, WTSP-TV Channel 10. During the podcast, Sinn wondered aloud if fans wanting to pay tribute to Selmon will buy up the remaining tickets to not just sell the game out, but avoid a blackout?

It’s an interesting thought that Joe admitted right away to Sinn he never thought of.

It is a salient point by Sinn. It will be an emotional day, not just because of the memories of a dark day for America 10 years ago, but to honor a fallen man that meant so much to both the Bucs, and the Tampa Bay area in so many ways.

Will Selmon’s death motivate Bucs fans to pay homage to the man, despite all the reasons fans cite for not going to games?

We shall see in just a handful of days.

This time it is all too accurate.

Lee Roy Selmon, Mr. Buccaneer, the lone player from the Bucs who has his bust enshrined in Canton, the very first player drafted by the Bucs in team history, the man who started the football program at USF, has passed away.

Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune has the sad details.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Hall of Fame defensive end Lee Roy Selmon died this afternoon, two days after suffering a massive stroke.

Selmon, 56, was admitted to St. Joseph’s Hospital Friday. A steady stream of family and former teammates have been visiting Selmon over the weekend to offer support for the first player indicted into Tampa Bay’s Ring of Honor and to his family members.

Selmon’s teammates are being notified now of his death.

To paraphrase Doug Williams, Selmon’s teammate with the Bucs, who was quoted  by Kaufman today, Joe doesn’t know what to say.

Perhaps, a humble “thank you” is in order?

Condolences to the Selmon family.

Nicole Darin, of Joe’s partner WTSP-TV Channel 10, has quoted via Twitter a statement of Selmon’s passing from his family.

“It is with very heavy hearts that the Selmon Family announces the passing of our beloved husband, father and brother, Lee Roy Selmon.”

The Glazer Family, owners of the Bucs, also released a statement on Selmon’s passing.

“Tampa Bay has lost another giant. This is an incredibly somber day for Buccaneer fans, Sooner fans, and all football fans. Lee Roy’s standing as the first Buc in the Hall of Fame surely distinguished him, but his stature off the field as the consummate gentleman put him in another stratosphere. Put simply, he was first class. He was the real deal. We are so blessed to have known this fine man and to have called him one of our own, yet so sad to have lost him so soon. Our hearts go out to the Selmon family at this time of their loss.”

The Bucs moved quickly to add a sixth linebacker to the roster today, as Joe projected this morning. There was just no way the Bucs would only have five entering the season.

The newest Buccaneer is veteran LB Zac Diles, per ProFootballTalk.com via the Twittering of agent Jim Thomas.

Diles, 26, started 30 games for the Texans over the past three seasons at weakside and strongside linebacker. He was signed as a free agent by the Rams this offseason and cut after St. Louis’ final preseason game.

Joe wonders what Buccaneer will be sent home sobbing to make room for Diles.

Sniffing around the Detroit area newspapers, Joe found season predictions from four Lions columnists and beat writers at the Detriot Free Press.

Not a one picks the Bucs to make the playoffs.

Joe’s read a lot of predictions across the country, and it seems the pundits are united on the Bucs being an emerging, exciting young team. But few, if any, are buying that the Bucs are ready to step forward in the wins column. Joe suspects Raheem Morris is elated that the media are non-believers when it comes to the Bucs’ goal of winning the NFC South.

Joe doesn’t care either way, but it’s always interesting to hear what is being said about the team around the country.

For those seeking an uplifiting moment, Lions beat writer Dave Birkett is on record writing that the Bucs will beat the Lions on opening day. And Chucky thinks the Lions will win six or less all season, so he blabbered on BSPN this week.

There’s no question that rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik worked through the night scouring the overflowing NFL trash bin after yesterday’s leaguewide cuts.

Joe’s not about to sit here and predict any specific player acquisition, other than Dominik is sure to make at least a couple of plays and the Bucs seem certain to grab a linebacker very soon. There are only five on the roster.

Stephen Holder, of the St. Pete Times, offered up his take on Dominik’s cuts and next moves, some of which Joe disagrees with, such as this one on running backs.

RBs Allen Bradford/Mossis Madu: The Bucs kept sixth-round pick Bradford but released Madu, which seems a bit curious based on preseason performance. The Bucs have a group of backs who are very similar in that none of them possesses the quickness or elusiveness of Madu. LeGarrette Blount, Earnest Graham, Kregg Lumpkin and Bradford are all on the bigger side and run with power — not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Madu will be on the practice squad, which will give him additional opportunity to show his talents to the Bucs’ coaches. But, for now, the Bucs have opted to go without Madu’s skill set, which differs from the other backs who remain on the roster.

Madu had a nothing-special college career that included a drunk driving charge with a very high blood alcohol level. Dominik clearly has little, if any, interest in a scatback type, so Joe never saw any chance for Madu over Bradford. Feel free to read all of Holder’s thoughts by clicking through above.

Bradford, recruited to Southern California as a linebacker, was a special teams ace in college and seemed to embrace the role with the Bucs. John Lynch even gushed over his touchdown saving tackle and hustle in Washington.

This afternoon, the Glazer Family, which owns the Bucs, issued a release concerning the lone former Bucs player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Lee Roy Selmon.

From the very start, Lee Roy Selmon has been there for his team and community. Now, he and the whole Selmon family should know that our family and the entire Buccaneer organization is thinking of and praying for him.

For those waking from a deep sleep, Selmon suffered a stroke in his Tampa home Friday afternoon and, after initially thought to have passed, his brother Dewey and former teammate told the Tampa Tribune Saturday he was stable and improving.

As Joe stated before, if the power of well wishes can rally someone, then Selmon should get a lift from the massive amount of concern so many have for a man who means so much to the area.