Last year the Bucs drew 41,000+ in their blacked out preseason home opener against the Chiefs.

Attendance is improving.

Tonight against the Patriots, the official crowd tally was 49,313.

Off these numbers, it’s pretty safe to assume the Bucs’ season ticket base  has increased about 15 percent over last year. Joe’s pleased that a 10-6 season at least had some impact at the gate, though the Bucs are a long way from a Lions-Bucs opening day sellout on Sept. 11. That blackout miracle is not happening.

With an early September 1 o’clock start for the opener, and Games 2 and 3 at home against the Falcons and Colts, Joe’s just not seeing a rush of fans running to play 12th man in less than three weeks.

It’s a team loss, but Joe has to shine a spotlight on the Bucs’ offensive line tonight because it’s a veteran group and possibly the highest-paid unit in the league.

Josh Freeman was hit tonight several times in less than an one half of work — the worst of all possible sins on this team. And it seemed like the O-line was blown off the ball repeatedly.

Freeman was clobbered on one sack by three Patriots. Yes, Earnest Graham missed a blitz pick-up, but what about the other two guys?

LeGarrette Blount had four carries for one yard.

There shouldn’t be any learning curve or readiness issues for this O-line.

Unacceptable.

Patriots 31, Bucs 14

What a horrible game this was. The Patriots manhandled the Bucs when both first teams were on the field. Joe was stone sober but he swore to a higher authority he saw the ghost of Jim Bates lurking at The CITS.

The Patriots played like they just got off Nevin Shaprio’s boat. It was the varsity against the junior varsity and the Pats were the varsity.

Joe will have much more tonight as you watch the first airing of the game on either Joe’s partner WTSP-TV Channel 10 or on the man’s channel, the NFL Network.

Joe didn’t go over the top when the Bucs dominated the Chiefs last week, and Joe’s not about to act like a screaming child who just lost his lunch money after the Bucs’ regulars were annihilated by the Patriots tonight.

It was a clean knockout, as Josh Freeman and his fellow first-teamers couldn’t generate a first down, and Tom Brady and friends racked up 28 first-half points with ease.

The ghost of Jim Bates was back with the Bucs gashed left and right against the run. The Pats averaged a whopping 7 1/2 yards a carry in the first half, 22 carries for 144 yards. For Joe, this was the most glaring statistic. The Bucs have to find away to stop the bleeding.

Alright Bucs fans, feel free to comment and fire away about tonight’s game. No chat tonight but this thread will be open throughout the game so fire away.

Yes, if you must know, that’s Jaime Hanna above.

Preseason Game 2
Patriots at Bucs
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
TV: WTSP-TV Channel 10 locally. The game is blacked out in the Tampa Bay TV markets and will be broadcast several times on a tape-delayed basis with the first airing tentatively at 11:30 p.m. tonight in the Tampa Bay region on Channel 10. Other airings will be tonight on the NFL Network at 11 p.m., 4 p.m. on NFL Network Friday, 8 p.m. Friday on WTSP and Saturday, noon on WTSP.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 93.
Weather: Per Accuweather.com, temperature at kickoff will be sunny and 84 but rain chances increase quickly with a 51 percent chance of thunderstorms the rest of the game. By the end of the game, temperature should be 81.
Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs -2.
Outlook: It’s a first look at some players for the year and second looks at many others.
Tonight will be the first look at the new look Gerald McCoy. The third overall pick last year in the draft was just turning the corner when he was lost for the season with an injury. GMC spent all offseason rebuilding his body and undergoing a reprogramming by defensive tackles coach Keith Millard, it will be very interesting to see if GMC is a changed man. If he is it will go a long way to a better Bucs defense. … But what Joe will be interested in is if some of the players who shined against the Chiefs can continue to play well or even improve against a solid ballclub like the Patriots. … Adrian Clayborn looked promising against the Chiefs. Now that there’s a book out on him, will Clayborn be able to adjust to what Bill Belicheat throws at him? … Kyle Moore made a solid appearance last week. Can he show up again? He’s on the bubble and if the Bucs keep seven defensive lineman, Moore might need to have a helluva preseason to lock up a roster spot. … Anthony Gaitor sure seemed like a promising player with his play against the Chiefs. Another game like that and he may have a roster spot. … Joe is also hoping Mason Foster logs more than 10 plays tonight than he did at the Chiefs. The young man needs reps. … Oh, just FYI for readers, Joe will have a live open thread rather than a chat tonight. It launches at kickoff. So have fun and behave.

Kyle Moore before he changed his number, and before he was set free form the clutches of Todd Wash.

Sackless in regular season play, defensive end Kyle Moore had two sacks in Kansas City last week and looked darn sharp, even if he was playing against future furniture movers, beer truck drivers and guys who might be enrolling in grad school next week.

Moore battled some injuries during his first two seasons but still managed to see the field for 16 games. He was gifted the starting left end job entering last season and was never impressive,.

Tuesday night, while speaking on 1010 AM to Derek “Old School” Fournier, former Bucs defensive end Steve White said Moore regressed during his first two seasons but  White danced around calling former Bucs defensive line coach Todd Wash second rate. However, that was the message.

“Now you see a little bit different attitude, a little bit different technique from everybody [on the D-line,] White said of  play under new line coaches Grady Stretz and Keith Millard.

“Nobody questioned [Moore’s] effort or anything like that, the thing with Kyle [Moore] was his technique, plain and simple. He did not get off blocks. He did not come off the ball real fast. He was always kind of a look-and-see move instead of just making them react to him. And, you know, a lot of that can be contributed to coaching. But you know you’ve got do what you gotta do with whatever coach you have.

“Yes, he’s flashing now and that’s great. Unfortunately, now he’s so he’s so far down on the depth chart, how does he get to stay on this team? What I hope to see is him out on kickoff team, on kickoff returns, maybe even on punt return team trying to show how important it is to him to make this team. Because when you’re third team, man, it’s hard. … You gotta get in where you fit it in.”

White also talked about the important changes Michael Bennett has made under the new coaching staff and how he was a clear standout against the Chiefs.

Joe almost feels bad now for Moore. First, the Bucs demanded he fatten up fast as part of the heinous Jim Bates Experience. And perhaps Wash so mangled his development that the guy is going to lose his job because he was set free too late — after the Bucs drafted two ends.

Joe can’t wait to see Gerald McCoy tonight, his first game of the post-Wash era.

There was a lot of national media types out at One Buc Palace this week to do features on the Bucs and as Joe has documented, two of them were Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan who host “Movin’ the Chains,” heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

The duo spent much of Tuesday interviewing players and coaches and executives learning every little nugget they could about the 2011 Buccaneers. Ryan, the former Bears defensive lineman, came away nearly giddy over the Bucs chances of making a run to the postseason this fall, so Ryan Twittered.

@TimRyan99: Love Raheem Morris. Bucs fans get your buts in the seats and support a quality team. Get on now, there may not be room soon

Joe will have much more from Ryan later as he graciously spent time with Joe Tuesday and gave a six-minute interview that Joe has yet to transcribe (whew). There’s some good stuff in this interview including why Ryan thinks Kellen Winslow will blow up this year, and what Bucs player will be responsible for Winslow having a Pro Bowl season (other than Josh Freeman).

Joe’s been wearing his businessman hat lately and has inked an exciting new partnership with WTSP-TV, Ch. 10, the Tampa Bay CBS affiliate. It’s always exciting to Joe when corporate executives study Joe’s operation and want to be a part of it.

But enough of that.

In this brief video below for JoeBucsFan readers, Ch. 10 sports guru Dave Wirth looks at tonight’s Bucs-Patriots game and shares a take from Josh Freeman and John Lynch. Of course, Ch. 10 has the game broadcast on tape delay starting at 11:30 p.m tonight. The second airing will be Friday at 8pm. The third will be Saturday at noon.

Myopic Bucs fans who refuse to have an open mind and look the other way when clear facts are presented them have been getting out of hand of late.

These “fans” who want Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to go wilding with Team Glazer’s American Express card and sign every warm body allowable by NFL warden Roger Goodell with a name fans recognize from their fantasy football leagues have become delirious if not unruly with their hate.

Why, Joe has even heard otherwise sober fans have the gall to suggest Dominik should have signed Braylon Edwards if you can imagine such a thing.

How crazy are these fans? Virtually each day Joe hears them shout at Joe’s good friend “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig, calling him unflattering names. Joe has even learned these same ne’er–do–wells heckled Anwar Richardson and Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune at Bucs training camp, as if Duemig, Richardson and Cummings can force Dominik to draw up a horribly irresponsible player contract.

Well, the lightbulb turned on in pondering this mob mentality that wants Dominik to channel his inner Danny Snyder. These people actually want the Bucs to lose. Joe figured this while reading a piece from NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas.

It seems the last time the Bucs breached the salary cap, in 2003, they were losers.

Records from that season show the Bucs actually spent over the salary cap. Their adjusted cap for that year was $75.443 million. They exceeded it by $1,104.58 — a figure that would be shaved from their 2004 cap.

So what did all that spending get the Bucs? An incredibly-disappointing 7-9 record that was good for third place in the NFC South. It also marked the first time since 1998 that Tampa Bay didn’t make the playoffs. And the season was filled with all sorts of controversy.

So it is now clear to Joe: The loud crowd willing to blame Team Glazer for everything including their neighbor’s dog dropping a deposit in their front yard are closet Saints fans or Dixie Chicks fans or Stinkin’ Panthers fans, to steal an NHL line away from the Great GOB, the late great Chris Thomas.

That’s the only logical explanation to Joe. What Bucs fan would actually want their team to remain in third place?

Yesterday on the last day of training camp, Joe and a small gaggle of reporters got a chance to talk with Bucs defensive tackle Frank Okam. In short, Okam said he is more than happy to not rack up any stats if it helps his teammates and results in wins.

 (Passing thought: Joe thinks Okam talks about the same way that Barry White sings. Deep Texas baritone. Dude could make some cash doing voiceovers after this football thing is over for him. He could be the next James Earl Jones.)

What have you been working on this training camp?

I want to take advantage of every opportunity I get. Right now we’re thin at defensive tackle. I’m a big guy with a big body and I like to clog things up and let the others make plays.

You are not really a pure run-stopper.

That’s the style that Keith Millard is trying to get us to do. In the old Tampa-2, you get up in there and make it happen. This year, the focus is on penetrate and react to the run on the way to the quarterback. That is the emphasis because of the number of sacks we had last year.

Is there something that you have learned from Millard as far as technique?

If you are able to hear us out there on the field, you can hear people saying “Flipping your hips,” which means open yourself up to the man that is trying to block to to set yourself free. A lot of times you have a tendency to go down the middle of the guy not sure what kind of move he is going to make. This is focused on rushing the edge of the guy, rushing the half-man. This is a technique that requires a lot of quickness and being able to read on the move.

Have you been able to adapt somewhat easily?

It’s pretty much what we did in college at the University of Texas. It’s been a while since I have been in a defense like that. It brings out a lot of natural abilities of the guys who played in the Big XII against a lot of those spread offenses there in that league. The NFL is a pass-happy league also. I think that [new defensive technique] translates very well for us.

My old coach at the University of Texas [Mike Tolleson] coached in the USFL and he told me about Millard, he said he coached against him in the USFL and he was a heck of a pass rusher.

How have the lack of two-a-days been?

Length-wise, not different but the wear and tear on your body has been different. In the mornings, we are out in shorts and no pads where you would otherwise have pads. It takes a little bang off of your body. Without having (OTAs and minicamps) we are playing catch-up and Clayborn and Bowers and the rookies are playing catch-up and and trying to learn the techniques that guys in the league already have.

Are you as prepared as your were in years past at this point [of the preseason]?

You know, I was worried about that, honestly. I didn’t know if that would be the case but once we were out there banging with the guys you get your competitive juices flowing and you want to put good things on tape and I think that is what this team’s attitude is.

How about your defensive line, how is that coming together?

I am excited. I think I may be the oldest guy and I’m only 25. Kind of crazy for me to be the oldest guy in the room. We are all just trying to get better. We’re constantly pushing each other and I truly believe the sky is the limit once we figure out what we want to get done and what their role is.

How has your camp gone so far?

I am just working. That’s what my whole philosophy is about. The older you get, the less you worry about that and the more you worry about team. I just want this team to compete and to compete for championships. You put yourself on the back burner. I want to give it up for the team and allow people to make plays. Hey, if I can take on two at the line of scrimmage, I can free someone else up and allow Gerald [McCoy] or Quincy Black to make plays that helps out the whole defense.

Few things are more enjoyable to Joe than talking football with former Bucs defensive end Steve White (1996-2001). The man spits out great Xs and Os for the common man with more ease than Joe shovels french fries into his pie hole.

White has been on sabbatical from sharing his football insight on his blog and on radio, but Joe hopes his appearance last night on 1010 AM with Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhattheBuc.net is a sign White will be treating fans again this season.

White talked all things Bucs D-line and more and urged fans to stay patient with talented Adrian Clayborn, whose impressive motor he says will carry him until he gets his technique.

“He doesn’t have that benefit of really somebody to learn behind. And that’s why I say that learning curve is going to be steep. For instance, one time [against Kansas City] I saw that he took off around the corner and it looked like a good corner to him, I bet. But he turned the corner at about nine yards. Well, in the NFL there’s very few times you’re going to find a quarterback, unless they’re running a triple reverse, that’s at nine yards. You have to cut that corner at seven yards if not six or five,” White said.

“And so that’s something he’s going to have to kinda pick up a little bit on his own because it’s one thing to say it, it’s another thing to do it. And you have to feel that. You see what I’m saying. Because when you’re running and you’re trying to pass rush it’s not like you’re counting out yards, ‘Ok, I’m at six or seven I better turn.’ You kinda have to feel that.

“Whereas in college, there are plenty of quarterbacks at seven or eight yards. There just standing there patting the ball like, ‘C’mon, sack me.’ So those are the kinds of things.

“It’s going to take some time. And hopefully people will give him time to really put it all together. But I think the future’s really bright.”

White went on to share a story of his former Bucs teammate Eric Curry, who enjoyed an indirect route to the QB. 

“We used to call it the Eric Curry route. That became our little running thing in the [defensive line] room even when [Curry] was there. You take this circuitious route to the quarterback that’s never going to really work out for you,” White said.

Joe will have more from Steve White tomorrow.

Joe’s not expecting miracles from the rookie defensive ends. Though stud play from Gerald McCoy would be damn nice, and Raheem Morris seems to think it’s on the way tomorrow.

The Bucs keep being careful with Arrelious Benn, who ripped up his ACL Dec. 26. Rightly so.

But the official word all through the offseason was Benn came through surgery like a champion, was ahead of schedule on his rehabilitation and would be ready for training camp. Benn’s been participating, but he will not play in his second consecutive preseason game tomorrow against New England.

Exactly how long Benn will be held out of game action is unclear.

Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996), co-host of The Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620, said today he’s not confident in Benn’s ability to stay healthy this year. All that missed offseason time doesn’t sit well with Beckles.

“That’s a hamstring waiting to happen,” said of Benn’s eventual 2011 return.

Joe wrote countless times during the offseason that Benn returning at 100 percent from ACL surgery this season was far more dream than reality, which is why Joe thought the Bucs might look to the secondary free agent market for a receiver. But that didn’t happen — not yet anyway.

Apparently, the next-man-up mantra will rule, with Dezmon Briscoe filling Benn’s spot and Sammie Stroughter and Micheal Spurlock waiting behind him.

Interestingly, this area was a minor point of concern and interest for Pat Kirwan yesterday on Sirius NFL Radio. The former NFL coach and personnel guy was discussing how defenses likely will approach the Bucs with a mindset of double covering Mike Williams and making someone else beat them.

Oh, the money. Spend the money. Team Glazer, open the damn vault and buy us victories. Yeah, Joe’s heard all the sports radio callers and seen the Internet comments.

As loyal Joe readers know, Joe’s not really excited by salary cap talk. Sure, it would be very interesting if Team Glazer and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik had a plan that included buying up non-homegrown talent, but they don’t. So it sort of ends right there.

The team finished 10-6 and in Joe’s head the post-Hayenesworth era of organic growth is working.  

For those who like to stare at leaguewide salary numbers until they induce an ulcer, Jason LaCanfora of NFL.com has all the latest. The Bucs check in at $30 million under the salary cup. A step ahead of the Chiefs, which have the most available cash in the league. 

Interestingly, the esteemed Pat Kirwan of Sirius NFL Radio, and CBS Sports and NFL.com, told Joe yesterday that after talking with Bucs officials and players he feels the Bucs will look to extend some contracts during the 2011 season.

They certainly have the cash to do it.

Of course, Raheem Morris was one of the parade of guests on Sirius NFL Radio yesterday when four hours of Bucs heaven descended upon the satellite radio airwaves.

Joe brought you a Raheem take on Luke Stocker yesterday and here are more nuggets.

Raheem clearly was most excited by Gerald McCoy suiting up for his first preseason game tomorrow night. Essentially, Raheem said McCoy is a new man mentally and physically in 2011. “Paralyzed by analyzation” is how Raheem described much of McCoy’s play last year. “I can’t wait to see him get off and play in a game situation.”

Raheem on Mason Foster: He’s a sponge. A gym rat.

Raheem On Cody Grimm: The ultimate overachiever.

On Ahmad Black: Out a couple of weeks with ankle sprain. We’ve got to figure that out. (Don’t ask Joe to bet Black makes the roster.)

Tuesday also was the Bucs feature on the real man channel, NFL Network, with Warren Sapp leading the report. You can watch part of it here. It’s a classic Raheem interview with Sapp. (Notice Raheem miked up and apparently getting on Ahmad Black.)

Raheem talks a lot about the team being “youngry,” using his new word many tims, explains that his greatest challenge is keeping the team from hearing the media say how great they are, and he describes LeGarrette Blount as a “roadkill beast.”

Joe’s not sure what the hell a roadkill beast is, but Joe likes it. And Joe wouldn’t want to have to tackle it.

Joe needs a favor. His pals at Paradise Worldwide Transportation are in the hunt to win a reader’s choice award from the Tampa Bay Business Journal. And Joe’s wants you to stuff the ballot box.

Click here to pick your favorite companies in various categories, but make sure you nail it with Paradise in the limousine/fancy transportation category. The great leaders at Paradise support fans with the Blackout Tour and the No Excuses Tour, and they line Joe’s pockets with gold. So please hook the guys up. Just click the image.

Joe got a chance to chat with SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Pat Kirwan prior to him going on the air with his “Movin’ the Chains” co-host Tim Ryan, as they broadcasted their show live from One Buc Palace Tuesday as part of the SiriusXM NFL Radio’s annual “Training Camp Tour.”

JoeBucsFan: So, tell us your impressions thus far — Joe knows you’ve only been able to watch a little of practice.

Pat Kirwan: We’ve done a lot of interviews thus far. I spent a lot of time with the defensive linemen and there is definitely an excitement about Keith Millard coaching. [The Bucs] made a huge investment in this defensive line; first round picks and second round picks. They all feel that Keith Millard is pushing them hard and bringing them to a place where they can function as a defensive line.

There is a chance you are going to have four guys on that defensive line on certain downs and situations that between the four of them won’t have 15 games of pro experience.

I think that is one sentiment that has come out that has been pretty clear to me: I think that with all of their cap space and their young football team that they may do some signings of their own guys or some contract extensions in September and things like that. They have space to do business, they have young talented defensive players.

In talking to them about letting Barrett Ruud go, some of the young linemen are a little nervous because of the way he could recognize what the opponent would do. They still have to get that out of the young linebacker.

Joe: Ronde Barber went on record on local radio noting there have been plays Ruud used to make in his sleep that his replacements — either rookie Mason Foster or Tyrone McKenzie — are missing in practice. Is that going to continue to be a problem?

Kirwan: Think of it as, I just got rid of this veteran quarterback and I am putting in this rookie on opening day. We all would recognize that rookie won’t be ready for all the things he has to see. And so I think this is the same thing for Foster. He is going to have to deal with personnel recognition, formation recognition… motion… shift. You really don’t want to change what you do on defense. So if you are a team that stunts the front to this set but [the offense goes] to the other set you should change the stunt, you might not think Foster can do that for you.

Now I think they have taken the burden of third down off his shoulders.

Joe: Putting Foster in this sort of position with just a handful of days to learn the defense thanks to the lockout, is that too much pressure on him, is it really unfair to Foster?

Kirwan: Well, they are not going to know until you get into the season because there is not going to be enough preseason tape for them to realize he can or cannot. I think they are very excited that he can. But I think their backup plan is for Quincy to handle the mental aspect for him.

You know Patrick Willis in San Francisco? He still doesn’t have the headset [in his helmet], the safety does. So what that means is you want the players to play fast. If he cant handle the play call you give it to someone else. This will be the first time on a team I know that the SAM or the WILL [linebacker] makes the calls.

Joe: Heard you on the Tim Brando Show this morning and you said the teams that had the same offensive coordinator, the same head coach, and had a quarterback in place should be a step ahead of  teams that will be going through a transition because teams had no offseason with their new coaches or quarterbacks. The Bucs have their offensive coordinator still in place. They have their quarterback coach still in place. Raheem is still in place. Josh Freeman will be back for his second full season… Is there a chance the Bucs could make a run?

Kirwan: Yeah, I think they are right in the mix of things. I think that they are right where they left off last year. I think the least of their expectations will be 10 wins. A lot of people say they will win less games because they have a tougher schedule but they will be a better team. If you think about it, LeGarrette Blount carried the ball just 10 times in the first five games and he still was a 1,000-yard back. I think he could be a 1,200-, 1,400- maybe 1,500-yard back. They will be in the hunt because there was continuity in the building. Yet they didn’t bang into free agency and go after free agents — in fact they got rid of some veterans. They are younger, that could be the one issue early in the season. I believe by midseason this team is rolling along and is one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

The Bucs’ second round pick who was supposed to be the No. 1 overall pick, defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, wants his leash off.

“I’m good, good. Ready to cut it loose,” Bowers told Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan as they hosted their popular Sirius NFL Radio show Movin’ The Chains from One Buc Palace today.

Some other highlights from Bowers’ chat on the glorious Ch. 88 on Sirius.

Bowers was pressed to talk about his first 1-on-1 battle with Jeremy Trueblood. Kirwan told his audience that Trueblood’s the kind of guy that likes to finish blocks and drive you into the ground, so he wanted to know what Bowers’ first taste was like.

“He had to miss a few days of practice and I was hearing all about Trueblood and Davin [Joseph]. The first time I faced [Trueblood] I used my speed on him and it worked,” Bowers said.

Bowers went on to say he got Trueblood good with a “stutter stop and go-inside move and got him” another time. Bowers’ added that another memorable moment for him was when he didn’t realize Trueblood’s strength on got stood up badly.

Bowers said he’s been enjoying learning how to be “an NFL rusher” because “there’s a whole lot of difference between an NFL rusher and a college rusher.” Part of that process, he said, his building his speed. Bowers said he entered camp fit at 285 pounds but, by choice, is down to 277 and hopes to play at 270 on opening day.

“Losing the weight has helped. It’s done everything but hurt me,” Bowers said, adding that he feels more flexible. “As you said, [Kirwan,] its not about the big guy, it’s about the fast guy.”

On getting blocked by a tight end, Bowers said, “If you do, you should be fired.”

Overall, the Movin’ The Chains crew liked Bowers’ attitude and what they heard. Trust Joe, the way they roll, they would have said otherwise. After Bowers’ interview, Kirwan talked about how Browns rookie Jabaal Sheard, taken ahead of Bowers, was saying the wrong things to him at training camp.

Boy is Joe enjoying the all-Bucs four hours on Sirius NFL Radio this evening.

Among the nuggets from rockstar general manager Mark Dominik was how happy he was with Myron Lewis on special teams in practice, calling him a “standout flier” fight through on coverage teams. But Dominik seemed genuinely down when he announced that Lewis would miss Thursday’s game against New England with his bad hamstring.

Joe too would like to see the elusive Lewis, who didn’t play in Kansas City and missed his share of time during his rookie campaign. He’s gotta get on the field.

Again, Joe will have more later from this glorious day on NFL Radio.

C’mon, Mayor Buckhorn. You’re the new guy in Tampa. Are you going to be upstaged by the Jacksonville mayor?

Please don’t tell Joe and your constituents that you’re clueless about Bucs football. You recently sat on the damn Tampa Sports Authority board. You know the Bucs’ attendance and all about the heinous blackouts that torture your city’s citizens.

The Jacksonville mayor, per Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com, is now pounding fans in his town to buy up tickets and kill the evil blackouts.

“With the NFL lockout, it has been a difficult off-season for many NFL teams.  Jaguars’ ticket sales were slowed by the lockout and now the team faces a Herculean task in trying to sell over 5,000 season tickets in the next few weeks in order to have a chance to avoid the dreaded blackouts for home games this season,” Brown writes.

The Bucs’ 2011 fourth-round pick has been spotted contributing again.

Per Raheem Morris, tight end Luke Stocker was “running today for the first time in a while,” so Raheem told Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan as they hosted their popular Sirius NFL Radio show Movin’ The Chains from One Buc Palace.

Raheem said Stocker “showed the willingness to block” before he was injured when training camp started and he’s excited to see him. Speaking of tight ends, Raheem said of Kellen Winslow: “He looks the best I’ve seen since I’ve been here in Tampa.”

Joe will have much more from NFL Radio tonight and tomorrow.

Eager to weigh in on Tyrone McKenzie telling The Tampa Tribune that he’s not been competing for the starting middle linebacker job since very early in training camp — and Raheem Morris saying the opposite — former Bucs quarterback Shaun King pointed a finger of blame at the media today.

Speaking on The King David Show on WQYK-AM 1010, King blasted PewterReport.com chief Scott Reynolds for hyping McKenzie needlessly for a long time and mainstream media outlets for raising McKenzie’s profile simply because he helped Josh Freeman coordinate offseason practices.

King said the current Bucs regime always hype a young player they like and McKenzie has never drawn that kind of praise from Raheem or Mark Dominik.

“Name one thing McKenzie has done at linebacker,” King said. “If he’s good enough, it’ll show up on tape. … The media can’t write you into a starting job.”

King also wagged a finger of suspicion at McKenzie saying he asked to leave the Patriots and now he’s speaking publicly about not getting an honest shot in Tampa.

Joe really couldn’t care too much about all this, but it’s turning into a fun sideshow as Joe prepares for a heavenly day of NFL Radio on location at Bucs camp.

So what did Mason Foster really do out there Friday?

Sure, every fan saw Foster fall on a fumble and aggressively drive a backup quarterback out of bounds on a third down. But what about the rest of the film? Raheem Morris filled in Bucs fans on The Steve Duemig Show yesterday on WDAE-AM 620. 

“[Foster] played about 10 or so snaps on defense. He played a bunch on special teams for us. He was able to go out there and he had two minuses: he missed one run fit maybe because of me and a call, and then the other one he missed something else and graded about 80 percent,” Raheem said. “He was able to go out there and get the fumble and made a big third-down stop on the quarterback. He had a pretty productive day. And he did the things you want to see him do on the first day — play physical and play fast. If you get those two things out on the first day, then you’ve got a chance.”

Raheem went on to explain that Foster was almost the opposite of Gerald McCoy playing early last year when McCoy tried to play “too smart.” Raheem said he ordered Foster to “make full speed mistakes” and got what he requested.

With a little bit of apprehension in his voice, Raheem said he’ll free up Foster to play in some nickel situations against New England on Thursday. So fans should see much more of him.

Hearing about Foster’s grade made Joe think of Barrett Ruud talking about his perfect scores. It’s unfair to compare the two, but it’ll be an interesting sport nonetheless through the season.