Less than a day after former Giants running back and tarnished network news broadcaster Tiki Barber’s agent claimed the Bucs and the Steelers were finalists for his services, the twin brother of Bucs great Ronde Barber may want to quit fantasizing on toting the rock for the Bucs at The CITS.

That’s the word from eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, as he wrote on TBO.com that the Bucs braintrust has “no interest” in Tiki suiting up in pewter and red.

At the age of 36, Tiki doesn’t fit in with Tampa Bay’s youth movement and the people that count within the organization have no intentions of signing him once he is granted his release from the Giants upon the end of the NFL lockout.

Kaufman went on to write that Tiki is not a “right fit” within the Bucs.

This eases Joe’s mind somewhat. But could this also signal that the Bucs greatly covet free agent Cadillac Williams? In Joe’s eyes, if the Bucs didn’t want Tiki, that leads Joe to believe the Bucs will make sure Cadillac is back.

Never mind that a month ago Joe detailed a WDAE-AM 620 interview when Adrian Clayborn explained he was losing weight to prepare for training camp, not bulking up. (Memories can be refreshed here.) There are still misguided souls that believe Clayborn looked soft, if not pudgy, at the players-only minicamp last week.

Joe’s not buying that. And Joe didn’t encounter anyone at the camp who voiced those observations. Next to Gerald McCoy, sure, Clayborn hardly looks rocked up, but he’s supposed to be smaller. And McCoy wears tighter clothes and has spent months recently with a renowned football trainer in San Diego.

Regardless, more evidence that Clayborn is on track appeared yesterday in a Tweet from Clayborn himself. Already one of the best Twitterers in professional sports, Clayborn spit out this gem illustrating how he’s focused on his diet:

@AJaClay – Sucks I can’t even eat greasy unhealthy food anymore and enjoy it. #tummyhurt

Joe’s concerned about Clayborn getting enough coaching and absorbing his playbook before opening day. Joe is not concerned about Clayborn’s fitness.

Back up the Brinks truck, the Bucs are going to toss cash around when free agency starts like a lottery winner at Mons Venus, so reports NFL.com senior reporter Jason La Canfora, who doubles as a talking head on NFL Network.

In a live chat today, the seasoned scribe says he’s talked to his share of NFL executives who agree wholeheartedly. La Canfora even claims the Bucs will have to “set the market” with fat contracts if the new labor agreement mandates an annual cash minimum on salaries. La Canfora also dropped the popular Nnamdi Asomugha bomb.

Mika – 12:23 PM
If there is a higher cap floor as is being proposed, how is Tampa going to be able to spend the money to reach it? Seems like they would need to drop $30mm+ in free agency. Don’t they pretty much have to sign Nnamdi to $16mm/year to meet these new standards?

Jason La Canfora, NFL Network

I was talking to two GMs this morning and ran this very scenario by them, and neither disagreed. The Bucs are going to have to set the market with a deal or two to get up to the cash thresholds if that ends up being in the deal. And while I hear Nnamdi would like primarily to go to a team that is seen as a perennial contender, he also knows money talks and he ain’t a spring chicken anymore Remember, the Bucs put a pretty massive deal ont he table for Haynesworth a few years back as well. I could see them out-bidding others for Nnamdi (but that average per year is gonna be more like $19M than $16M). That would not surprise me. Talib could be gone and Ronde is year to year at this point. They have added some youngsters to the DL and need to address the back end. I also could see them being aggressive to add a weapon for Freeman as well.

 

In separate interviews with Justin Pawlowski, The Commish of WDAE-AM 620, both Da’Quan Bowers and Adrian Clayborn acknowledged they might not grasp the playbook for a while but they already know how to get to a quarterback and drive his body into the turf.

(Perhaps they can teach Kyle Moore.)

Interestingly, in a position-by-position examination of how rookies may or may not be succesful following a lockout-shortened offseason, longtime NFL scout and executive Greg Gabriel writes that pass rushers are among those who can be expected to deliver an impact quickly. Gabriel penned his piece for NationalFootballPost.com.

On defense, linemen probably have the best chance to play early, especially if they are outstanding pass rushers. At the least, the good pass rushers can play in passing situations and just be turned loose. It may take a bit longer to play on running downs only because the coaches have to be sure they know the defense. A simple mistake can lead to a big play because the defender is out of position.

Joe is very intrigued by this take. It makes a ton of sense. It also could further explain why rockstar general manager Mark Dominik waited to snatch two defensive ends with his first two picks of 2011, knowing a prolonged lockout was inevitable.

Joe’s just going to hope either Bowers or Clayborn is healthy and exceptional. If the Bucs strike gold on just one of those guys, they should be in great shape going forward.

At various times and in various forms recently, Davin Joseph has told the media he wants to see the Bucs re-sign his pal Jeremy Trueblood and Barrett Ruud so Joseph himself can feel good about re-signing with Tampa Bay.

For Joe, Joseph’s comments come off as a calculated, public squeeze play attempt on Mark Dominik. This doesn’t sit well with Joe.

Perhaps Joseph is just being honest. But are we really to believe he’s going to thumb his nose at a fat contract from the Bucs — a team he claims to love — because, say, the Bucs consider Trueblood replaceable?

Here’s Joseph’s latest, via Anwar Richardson of TBO.com.

“I love the coaches here, I love the players, love the community, but at the end of the day, it’s a business,” Joseph said. “That’s the heartbreaking part about it. There are some guys that you’ve trained next to for five years and now you have to say goodbye because at the end of the day it’s a business.

“Hopefully, everything makes sense with me getting back here in Tampa, bringing my buddy Blood (Trueblood) back and making sure things work out well for the team and making sure everything is going forward because after having such a great year last year, I would hate to think we would make too many changes.”

Joseph’s comment about things “going forward” might hold some water if the Bucs were 6-10 last year and not 10-6 with a young roster. Again, for Joe’s taste, Joseph seems far too concerned with playing GM.

Just take the forthcoming offfer, assuming it’s fair, appreciate that you’ve got talent behind you and around you, and flatten everyone in front of you.

Tiki Barber to the Bucs just may happen after all.

When Chucky and Bruce Almighty tried to lure Tiki away from a network TV gig that was in the embryonic stages of crash and burn, Tiki took a pass on playing with his twin brother Ronde and the Bucs.

Now, unless Tiki’s agent agent Mark Lepselter is trying to use the Bucs as leverage — and we all know what paragons of virtue agents are — Lepselter told Tom Bedulla of USA Today that the Bucs and the Steelers are the among the final teams on his wish list.

Lepselter’s approach to negotiations — once they can occur — also suggests financial considerations are not foremost.

“We’re not looking to turn this into an auction,” he says. “There are only a handful of coaches he would want to play for.”

Barber notes that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Bucs are on that short list. He also received an overture from former Giants coach Jim Fassel to join the Las Vegas Locos of the United Football League for a season that begins in mid-August.

Joe has significant mixed feelings on bringing in Tiki Barber. On one hand he hasn’t run through a defense in five years. Joe doesn’t care how much he’s pumping weights, that isn’t football. While the time off from the brutal punishment a running back takes may help Tiki — look how much it helped Ricky Williams who took off a year to smoke dope with the aborigines — the main question is, can Tiki shake off five years’ worth of rust?

Then there is the clubhouse lawyer factor. New York writers claim there wasn’t a back in the Giants locker room Tiki didn’t enjoy stepping on, including those of Eli Manning and Tom Coughlin. The young Bucs don’t need that kind of nonsense in the locker room, to be frank.

If all things are equal, Joe would rather have Cadillac Williams on the roster rather than Tiki. In a perverted way, Joe would love to see Mike Tomlin’s reaction the first time Tiki called out handsy Ben Roethlisberger and/or Tomlin himself.

Mike Florio, of ProFootballTalk.com, will deliver the latest to Justin Pawlowski at 5 p.m. on WDAE-AM 620.

Bearing the most stunning optimism yet as it relates to the asinine lockout, NFL insider and lockout guru extraordinaire Mike Florio, of ProFootballTalk.com, is on the air with Justin Pawlowski, at 5 p.m. today on WDAE-AM 620.

The Commish is filling in the for the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, and will drive The Sports Animal bus up to 7 p.m.

Florio will share his perspecive on the extensive Yahoo Sports report that claims an end to the lockout is damn close. Those chained to a computer can listen online at 620wdae.com.

Joe’s giddy as the next guy and eager to embrace solid news purporting a near end to the lockout mess. Is Joe ready to wager there will be training camp in July? No.

Former Bucs guard and current vocal critic Ian Beckles said he wants the Bucs to have plenty of quality bodies available on the defensive line when the 2011 season opens so the young guys can play roughly 40 snaps rather than an entire game.

“The more the merrier,” Beckles said, speaking as co-host on the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 today. Citing the “shock” effect of the pro game on raw linemen, Beckles said he’s no fan of young D-linemen taking every snap, especially following a shortened offseason.

Also, Rick Stroud of TampaBay.com delved a little deeper today in to Gerald McCoy’s struggles last year, when McCoy was playing nearly every snap.

“They were moving me around,” McCoy said. “My first snap as an NFL player against Cleveland, I didn’t even play the three technique. I was an end. I was moving around all at the beginning of the year. I asked coach straight up, ‘Please let me play one position so I can learn it.’ I got it. He said, ‘Look, I want you to get off the ball. Do what got you drafted.’ I said, ‘All right.’ I started doing that, things started working. Then I took that tape and said let me take that tape and build off of that.”

Joe wonders what “coach” McCoy was referring to in the quote above — Todd Wash or Raheem Morris. Regardless, it further illustrates Beckles’ point.

If the Bucs feel the same way, then re-signing Tim Crowder and/or Stylez White becomes more of a priority.

Kellen Winslow has missed six games over the past five NFL seasons but none since joining the Bucs in 2009, yet Pat Kirwan, the former NFL coach and executive turned analyst, skewers Winslow for his lack of durability in a ranking of tight ends on NFL.com.

Have you lost your fastball, Pat? C’mon.

Kellen Winslow, Bucs (>): If he could ever stay healthy enough to play 16 games, Winslow’s numbers would be off the charts. Still, his 143 receptions rank third among tight ends over the last two seasons.

Kirwan tiered tight ends into five levels, and Winslow was in Group B with Tony Gonzalez, Heath Miller, Zach Miller and Chris Cooley.

At least Kirwan got that right.

If there is a Bucs fan who doesn’t love Ronde Barber, Joe has never met that person.

The Bucs cornerback stands for all that is good about football players: Smart, good citizen, durable and puts up numbers.

Bucs fans are pretty much united in their belief Barber is a Hall of Fame player and Joe doesn’t disagree. But Barber will have an uphill battle getting into Canton.

BSPN’s NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas decided to write an extensive, reasoned, well-researched feature detailing how more likely than not, Barber and the Saints Darren Sharper will be forever praying to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not inducted.

Yasinskas correctly points out that with Deion Sanders induction next month, it will bring the number of defensive backs to 22. The Hall of Fame does not separate safeties and cornerbacks, they are all lumped into one group.

So of the hundreds of players in the Hall of Fame inducted for the past roughly half-century, only 22 defensive backs have been enshrined.

That’s a pretty low figure.

That might be it for a Tampa Bay team that was known for its great defense in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Barber and Lynch each have a shot. But, at absolute best, maybe one of them gets in someday.

It should be pointed out Barber has transcended eras. He’s continued going strong since the departure of Kiffin after the 2008 season and has provided stability as Tampa Bay has gone through a youth movement.

Barber is 36 and has committed to at least one more season. Durability counts for something, but Barber might need a big 2011 season and maybe more to really get his résumé shining for the Hall of Fame.

It’s an outstanding point Yasinskas makes: rarely (twice, actually, if Joe’s research is accurate) will there be two defensive backs from the same team inducted. It’s pretty much a given that Lynch, after Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp, will get in, but perhaps not for a few years. Lynch very well could cancel Barber out.

Does Joe believe Barber should be included? Yes. Does it mean he will? No. The Hall of Fame voting is political and number of Super Bowl rings does play a factor whether voters will admit to it or not.

If Barber does get in, it might be quite a few years before it happens.

Standing ovation to the Bucs’ multimedia staff on its latest work showcasing Ronde Barber via a classroom Xs and Os film breakdown by secondary coach Jimmy Lake on Buccaneers.com.

Two cuts from the three-part series have been posted. Here’s No. 1, and click through here for No. 2. Essentially Lake walks and talks fans through a few plays highlighting Barber, explaining why Barber is exhibiting Hall of Fame greatness, even if he didn’t finish with an interception.

Hey Buccaneers, let’s get more of this and less of, well, everything else that doesn’t involve cheerleaders.

Interestingly, in the first Barber breakdown, Lake goes out of his way to say he believes Steve Smith is the No. 3 wideout in the NFL.

Since Lake was expressing that so freely and confidently, Joe had to wonder who else in the organization feels that way and whether Smith’s potential availablity could be too tempting for the Bucs to ignore.

In case you missed this when Joe posted last week … Joe and his multimedia comrades have churned out a sweet video wrapup of minicamp.

If this doesn’t fire you up for Bucs football, then you need serious medical attention. Enjoy.

After 1,000+ votes, Joe’s Sunday poll asking readers to name the the Bucs’ top priority in free agency revealed a clear winner: Davin Joseph with about 59 percent of the vote.

Nnamdi Asomugha checked in with about 26 percent (Joe is shaking his head). And Barrett Ruud took third with 7 percent, doubling Cadillac Williams and leaving Quincy Black as a forgotten man (1.9 percent).

Esteemed Tampa Tribune beat writer Roy Cummings agrees with Joe’s readers on Joseph being top priority, but Cummings’ next choices don’t match up to the poll. 

“I think the Bucs have to re-sign Davin Joseph No. 1, Barrett Ruud No. 2, and Quincy Black No. 3,” Cummings said last week during an interview on WDAE-AM 620. “If they don’t do it, I have a hard time believing that their real game plan is to draft guys, develop them, and then re-sign them, because I think those guys are critical.

“You’ve heard Davin Joseph even talk about, ‘If they don’t bring back Barrett Ruud and maybe a Jeremy Trueblood, I got to wonder if I want to come back.’ So I got to think the players all feel those guys are just as important as we do.”

Joe’s on board with Joseph as top priority. There’s no reason to mess with the depth of the Bucs’ offensive line, and Joseph is a top flight guard when healthy. For Joe, health is a legitimate question mark with Joseph.

Ruud’s value increases daily as the asinine lockout presses on threatening to eliminate a significant training camp.

But Joe has to disagree with Cummings on Quincy Black. Joe’s not sure the Bucs have really developed him, and Joe questions his value.

Black started just 10 games last year and was off the field for some of the Bucs’ best defensive efforts. He’s not a standout in pass coverage, and the run defense has been woeful in the two years Black has been starting. And Joe keeps coming back to Mark Dominik paying Angelo Crowell handsomely in free agency to play Black’s position in 2009.

If Joe had to pick between Cadillac and Black, Joe would take Caddy.

Regardless, Dominik can’t pay everyone and extend the contracts of some of the young Buccaneers. Bucs fans should brace themselves to lose a handful of familiar faces.

Joe highly recommends the superior service and value you’ll experience at Ed Morse dealerships. Joe bought his used car at Ed Morse Auto Plaza in New Port Richey, and it’s been a stellar experience all the way around.

And now the good news is the great Bay area Ed Morse dealerships are all open July 4 until 3 p.m. Car shop all weekend long, or right now online, with Ed Morse.

While Joe was awash in beer and baseball Saturday night — Joe’s adopted team the Rays were hosting the team Joe grew up with, the Cardinals — Joe was sifting through Twitter and saw a cool post from Bucs first round draft pick Adrian Clayborn.

Chillen at the Rays game with @GK_McCoy and his Sis.

Now Joe knows the Cardinals are Clayborn’s team — for now. Joe chatted with Clayborn last week at Josh Freeman’s three-day minicamp at IMG Academies in Bradenton and Clayborn confirmed with Joe he’s a Cardinals fan, which is natural given the fact Clayborn is from St. Louis.

But what Joe thought was cool was that very clearly last week Gerald McCoy took Clayborn under his wing being both big brother and coach to the Bucs rookie.

GMC went so far as to voice his admiration for how Freeman has molded the offense into a tightknit group and GMC strives to be to the defense what Freeman is to the offense.

That’s also the Warren Sapp influence on GMC as well.

The fact Clayborn and GMC went to the Rays game together — and you just know the two talked football between innings — suggests to Joe these two just very well may be terrors to offenses, big brother GMC and little brother Clayborn.

Joe also knows Da’Quan Bowers was at the same Rays game but Joe cannot confirm if he was with GMC and Clayborn.

Still, Joe believes the way Clayborn is bonding with GMC — he soaked in every word GMC had last week — simply rocks and can be nothing but a positive for the Bucs this coming season and beyond.

Joe sends his sincere wishes for everyone to have a blast celebrating Uncle Sam’s 235th birthday.

The Fourth of July for Joe is like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s Day and Super Bowl Sunday all rolled into one. The Fourth of July embodies all that Joe loves: summer, scantily clad, nubile young lasses frolicking at the beach and, of course, copious amounts of cold adult beverages.

The only thing missing is football.

Have fun today folks! Joe will.

The Bucs have college football’s top defensive end in 2010 on their roster, Da’Quan Bowers. Exciting stuff whether you’re an optimist or pessimist.

Whether Bowers is healthy is a question hopefully answered soon, but it’s still damn exciting to have grabbed this guy. During his extensive exclusive interview with Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski on WDAE-AM 620 this weekend, Bowers explained his versatility and why fans shouldn’t confuse him with the late Gaines Adams, even though they were close and wore the same number at Clemson.

Bowers: I have the speed that Gaines [Adams] had but I’m a lot stronger than he was. I very strong. I can normally run by you but I can run through you if necessary. And As far as the running game, I can hold my own. I’m not going to get tossed around by anyone in the running game, offensive tackle or tight end.

The Commish: Do you prefer the left side or the right side? … As a defensive end, does that matter which side of the line you’re on? 

Bowers: I’ve played both my entire life. I have no preference. … Some guys won’t put their left hand down, some guys won’t put their right hand down. But me, I’ve done it so long it comes naturally to me. It doesn’t matter what side I’m on.

Joe can’t wait to see what this guy’s got, and what Keith Millard can do with him. Imagine if he really is a versatile manbeast churning out double-digit sacks?

If Joe’s going to fantasize, and Rachel Watson is not involved, then Joe’s imagining a healthy Bowers with a massive chip on his shoulder.

When troubled Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib was pinched for allegedly firing shots at a fleeing man, many, many people jumped to conclusions. Some even suggested Talib would soon be an ex-Bucs cornerback.

But Talib’s lawyer, predictably, is upset by this notion. He had an interesting comment to Howard Altman of the Tampa Tribune that, “There is a presumption of innocence. It should not affect him at all.”

Of course, in the court of law this is correct. Sadly, in such a public position as Talib is in, he also has to fight the court of public opionion.

Then, there is an even more severe juror Joe can name: The court of NFL honcho Roger Goodell.

Apparently, one of the sticking points in the current NFL labor hassle is that Goodell should not have jurisdiction over punishing players for unseemly behavior since it was the NFL owners’ decision to shut down the league, now in its longest labor stoppage, all under the watchful gaze of Goodell.

Now, Talib’s trial is scheduled for next spring, if the case actually goes to trial. So the question now is, when the NFL returns to business, will Goodell have the opportunity to suspend Talib, or will he wait until after this mess is complete?

Joe enjoys hearing about bubble players on the Buccaneers doing everything they can to work to succeed in the NFL.

Yesterday it was Tyrone McKenzie flying to Nebraska to watch film in a hotel with Barrett Ruud. No wonder Josh Freeman called him a “different kind of dude.” And now NFL.com Bucs blogger Jenna Laine shares a feature about safety Larry Asante’s work ethic and commitment to character. 

He watches film daily. “The Redskins all the way down. I got all that film,” he says. “I try to critique what I would be looking for if I was back in Tampa with my teammates in the film room, breaking down opponents.”

He studies quarterbacks closely, noting where their eyes wander. He pays close attention to the way they square their shoulders, and how they plant their feet. He’s careful not to overanalyze, noting that anticipation can work against an eager defensive back.

“Coach Raheem says you have to be the most patient person out there on the field,” Asante says. “You have to see it. You have to be 100-percent sure before you shoot your trigger. If you think you saw something, which it may not be, and you shoot your trigger, that’s a touchdown.”

Laine also delves into Asante’s spiritual side and reveals what Bucs teammates he counsels.

Good luck making the team, Mr. Asante.

As Joe wrote earlier, Bucs second-round pick Da’Quan Bowers, the guy who dropped in the draft because of a suspect knee, had a candid interview with Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski of WDAE-AM 620 yesterday. It was his first extensive local interview.

Of course, The Commish hit Bowers with the question of why he didn’t attend the Bucs’ minicamp this week. Bowers was clear with his answer.

“I didn’t want to miss rehab and training. I thought that this was a crucial point coming that the lockout may end in the next couple of weeks.  I didn’t want to put myself behind for my great rehab program that I have going for myself,” Bowers said. “So I decided to skip the [rookie] symposium and the minicamp they had.”

Bowers went on to say he understood that getting hurt at minicamp would render him or any player without a contract worthless, and he didn’t want to run that risk. Bowers explained he was in regular touch with Gerald McCoy and said his future teammates understand his absence and just want him to show up healthy when the lockout is over.

Joe gets Bowers’ explanation. However, previously in the interview Bowers said his knee is in “playing shape.”

“I’m running, cutting, jumping. Everthing is full-go,” Bowers said.  

If this is the case, then why is he so concerned about missing a couple of days of “rehab?”

Something smells fishy to Joe. Surely Bowers wouldn’t have hurt himself by attending the symposium for a day and merely shaking hands with his soon-to-be teammates.

Joe doesn’t fault any NFL player who is worried about injury before signing a contract. For most players, signing that rookie contract is the equivalent of winning the lottery, and Joe understands any guy who wants to protect his health.

But to say you’re 100 percent and concerned about missing rehab time in the same breath just doesn’t fit. Joe’s raising a cold beer hoping Bowers is healthy and just extremely cautious.

Finally!

Da’Quan Bowers has opened up for his first local interview since being drafted by the Bucs in April. The manbeast defensive end with the bad knee opened up for about 20 minutes yesterday to The Commish, Justin Pawlowski on WDAE-AM 620 radio. Props to the The Commish, who has a small write-up on his website, CommishOnline.com.

The full interview will air again during The Commish’s show today about 2 p.m. on WDAE. Pawlowski drives The Sports Animal Saturday bus on the air from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Those chained to a computer can listen online at 620wdae.com.

Joe will carve up key points of the interview this morning and through the weekend.