"Just be happy I'm not playing defensive end, little guy."

The esteemed Bucs captain Jeff Faine says there’s a team in the NFC South that’s got a serious edge if the NFL Lockout extends deep into the summer or beyond.

Sadly, he’s not on the same page as rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, who had said he believes the Bucs’ youth will give them a post-lockout advantage.

Faine likes the Saints, so he told J.P. Peterson on WQYK-AM 1010 Tuesday evening.

J.P. Peterson: Looking around your division, you think anyone would have an advantage [if the lockout extends to late August]?

Faine: Yeah, I think that New orleans, especially, with the pieces that they’ve had in place for some time. Not much change. You’ve got a hell of a quarterback that’s leading his team in an offseason program. Those guys have played together for some time. They’ve had the same coordinator in Sean Payton and also the head coach for some time. I don’t think there’s a better duo when it comes to head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterback relationship in the league than those two.

Faine may be exactly right, but his style of presenting himself as captain of the Bucs makes Joe ill.

Guess who turned down the true leader of the Bucs when asked to participate in informal team workouts in Tampa?

That would be Bucs captain Jeff Faine, aka Captain Negative.

Remember, this is the same dude who told the St. Pete Times Freeman wouldn’t be able to get strong attendance at his workouts and was all down about them.

“You’re not going to see Josh Freeman and our receiving corps down at the University of Tampa soccer field,” Faine said. “They might go out there and run some routes and throw. But you’re talking about getting an entire receiving corps together being able to work against an entire defensive backs corps. It’s just not going to happen.”

Now Faine has changed his tune a bit during an interview with J.P. Peterson yesterday evening on WQYK-AM 1010.

Jeff Faine: I was actually invited. I guess they wanted me to come snap the ball a little bit and block air. But I decided my time was best served in the weight room than making sure that our snaps were still good. They’re definitely putting in some work. These guys are out there throwing the ball. It’s good. It’s great for our young receivers and our young franchise quarterback to be able to get together and throw the ball around the yard a little bit and spend a little time together. They’ll hopefully be able to basically supplement what we’d normally be doing. But of course it definitely isn’t replacing the amount of work we’d normally be putting in, and that’s something that’s definitely going to be missed this upcoming season.

J.P. Peterson: Pretty good participation level?

Faine: “From what I’ve been told from Josh, I checked in with him earlier today actually, great turnout. These guys were lifting, doing a little running and doing some routes and what not. So it’s been good.”

What a captain! Faine’s fellow Bucs are lifting, running and working and Faine feels his presence is meaningless.

Perhaps it is.

In this video from The Oregonian, Bucs fans can see Sammie Stroughter interviewed and working out at Oregon State University. He’s joined by a tragic figure in Bucs history, a young mangoat, who in this interview seems completely oblivious to the fact he played for the Browns to end the 2010 season.

Josh Freeman passed out directions to another clandestine Bucs informal workout yesterday to Stephen Holder of the St. Pete Times.

Nothing much new and exciting to report by Holder, other than Luke Stocker’s appearance and an admission by Arrelious Benn that he doesn’t feel injured despite ripping apart his ACL in December.

“I’m new to the knee injury thing, but for the most part, I didn’t think that I’d be back this fast,” Benn said. “I kind of feel like it never happened. But I have to be smart. I still have things coming back together in my knee. I might not feel it, but I’m young right now, so I heal fast.”

Holder paints a picture of Benn running routes and catching balls. Joe wonders whether Benn’s ahead of schedule, in part, because he’s not under the cautious eye of Bucs doctors.

Joe loves the magic of Twitter and Facebook. What great sources for Bucs information, quality one-liners and revealing photos.  

Sniffing around last night, Joe found evidence of Buccaneers defensive lineman working out together in San Diego. First, there was Kyle Moore’s revelation on Facebook.

Kyle Moore:
All i know is that Gerald McCoy, Michael Bennett, Adrian Clayborn, and me of course Kyle Moore have been getting some good workouts in today in sunny California!!! The young BuC D-Line is getting ready!

Then there was Gerald McCoy’s Twittering.

@GK_McCoy – Out here in San Diego with my boy @AJaClay getting it in with @ToddDurkin. For all Bucs fans who are wondering, yes he is focused and ready!

Piecing together Twitterings from Adrian Clayborn, it’s pretty clear the group of D-linemen started training together Monday, and Clayborn recently ate an overpriced breakfast and gorged on crab legs.

Hardly exciting news, but in the world of the heinous lockout, it’s at least uplifting.

Bring up the name “Barrett Ruud” and many Bucs fans slam their beer down so violently and scream obscenities so loudly they are thrown out of they’re neighborhood bar.

To hear these same Bucs fans bellow, Ruud is such a disgrace to the NFL he should be shopping for feminine products.

But NFL insiders and those that played the game, from Pat Kirwan to Steve White, from Tim Ryan to Derrick Brooks explain in great detail why Ruud is as important a cog to the success of the Bucs defense as any player strapping on a chin strap.

Count Bucs coach Raheem Morris in the latter group. In speaking with video star Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune this morning, Morris explained how both Ruud and Cadillac Williams are key targets to re-sign with the Bucs.

“First of all, you mentioned two guys with great character,” Morris said. “Two leaders in our community and two guys that gave us great service throughout their time and hopefully it can continue.

“We’ll get a chance to sit down when all the collective bargaining agreement stuff is solved. We’ll get a chance to find out if we can have both of those guys back on our football team, the two guys that we know we’ll have in free agency right now. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Now whether the Bucs can retain both Ruud and Williams is another story.

As this notorious, asinine lockout drags on in large part thanks to NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell, Williams will continue to be the object of desire by the Rams and Ruud will (wisely) continue to work out with the eastern European hotties of the WTA.

So what’s Raheem Morris’ day like during a lockout with no players around to inspire?

His day is about half has busy as it would usually be, so Raheem told the WQYK-AM 1010 morning crew last week. Raheem says the lockout makes him worried about players improving without coaches around — missing out on what he calls “the stuff that makes you great.”

“Those guys that you don’t know at the beginning of the season, … they’re missing the opportunity to come into the facility right now and get better. That’s what you worry about. You know, usually we’re in the office a lot earlier. We’re in the office at 4 a.m. because we’re getting ready for our guys to come in, you know, for that hour that we get them as a coaching staff other than what they do as far as training. And we’re preparing for that and then in the afternoons we’re able to look at some of our cutups. Right now we kind of cut that day in half a little bit, so we’re just looking at our stuff and getting ready to look at [film of] free agents in the afternoon. So that’s the stuff that we’re missing, the stuff that makes you great,” Raheem said. “So it gives me a little more time to come up and talk to [media]. It also gives me a little more time to really enjoy what Coach [Joe] Maddon is doing. It gives me a little more time to really enjoy what’s going on with Coach [Guy Boucher].  … I’m really enjoying what’s happening in our city and our town.”

With the extra time on their hands, Joe wonders how tempting it might be for Raheem and other coaches to find their way over to Josh Freeman’s top secret workouts.

Seems that talk is seeping out of St. Louis that the suits and powers that be with the Rams covet Bucs running back Cadillac Williams.

Of course, this is all just chatter and what we are left with as news in the dearth of information during this asinine lockout orchestrated by NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell.

The Rams are looking for protection for Stephen Jackson, who by NFL running back standards is middle-aged. The Rams believe Williams and his blocking and running off the bench is just such the protection Jackson needs, so reports ProFootballWeekly.com.

Chargers RB Darren Sproles remains the most frequently mentioned free-agent possibility in St. Louis as a change-of-pace backup to Rams RB Steven Jackson. But another attractive option generating some behind-the-scenes buzz at Rams Park is Cadillac Williams, who took on a new role this past season in Tampa Bay as an effective backup behind LeGarrette Blount. “Cadillac would be a perfect fit behind Jackson,” one team insider said. “I hear he had no problem accepting a part-time role in Tampa. The one thing you have to wonder about, though, is whether the Bucs would really be willing to let a guy like that leave.”

One of the reasons Williams was so valuable for the Bucs is that stud LeGarrette Blount isn’t yet proficient in blocking, especially on blitzes. Cadillac excels in that area and is a very, very important element in keeping Josh Freeman’s jersey clean.

Many NFL insiders believe if Barrett Ruud walks, the defense will wilt. Joe believes offensively, that could happen without Cadillac on the roster.

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Josh Freeman is determined to keep his young teammates sharp and free of distractions.

That’s the word from NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas, whose BSPN employee badge impressed Freeman enough to allow Yasinskas access to the Bucs’ top secret mini camp. Yasinskas explained that Freeman asked him to keep the location under wraps.

There are good nuggets in the story, but Joe was most impressed by Kellen Winlsow’s apparent dedication.

Speaking of peers, who has caught Freeman’s eye in the workouts?

“I will say [receiver] Sammie Stroughter is having an incredible offseason,’’ Freeman said. “So is [tight end] Kellen Winslow. Arrelious is obviously coming off his [torn ACL] injury, but he’s looking great as well. We have a number of guys playing great football right now. Kellen Winslow is just a guy that’s so impressive. He’s a guy that comes in and works out in the morning, then comes and gets the throwing part in, and then he goes and works out some more.’’

Considering Winslow has spent a lot of time in past offseasons in California, Joe thinks it’s pretty cool that he’s in town and setting a positive example. And Benn doing significant running five months after his surgery is a great sign.

Like most NFL fans, Gerald McCoy is frustrated that NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell has overseen the longest labor stoppage in league history and seemingly has done little to bring his employers to their senses and stop this asinine lockout.

As a result, GMC calls himself “unemployed.” But if one is to listen closely to what GMC has to say in this video, GMC likely wouldn’t be ready to go for OTAs as he is still rehabbing his injured arm.

In fact, GMC discusses with “Oklahoma Now” how his rehab is going. Shockingly, he said the longer the lockout lasts, the better it will be for his recovery. Hhhmmm?

Though Joe is confident the Bucs got players lists of approved medical facilities to use during the lockout, Joe can’t help but wonder if GMC would be at full-strength if he was using Bucs medical personnel.

In what Joe can only describe as a 90 second stream of consciousness that rocked Joe’s world on many levels, Raheem Morris touched on a multitude of Bucs topics — past and present — during an interview last week with Mike Pepper on WQYK-AM 1010.

Revealing his masochistic side, Joe has transcribed the audio. You can read it below. Raheem was asked to explain what it’s like interacting with fans now versus coming off a 3-13 season, and the head coach brought his A-game.

Mike Pepper: What’s the difference between this summer and last summer? Fans, instead of going, ‘Ehhh, Hey, Coach,’ they are like happy with you. Yes?

Raheem Morris:  Well, when you go back to the beginning, I gotta be honest, the Tampa Bay area is awesome. I know you guys probably get the tougher [questions] than I get on the street. Because if I get an upfront question that you may have to talk about on the radio, it’s easy for me to absolutely sit there and talk to you and detail myself and just kill you with knowledge. By the end of the day, you’re going to walk away and you might have had a negative or a derogatory comment and you’re going to leave and say, ‘Man, that guy’s a good guy.’ So that stuff’s easy for me. So that never really bothered me.

I remember reading things, like I told people I like to go to Publix and like to do things on my own. And they said, ‘You know, after you lose a couple of games you won’t want to do that.’ That’s not necessarily true. You gotta be able to face your critics.

What I do is not based on confidence. It’s a mentality before it’s ever reality. So we always go into it with the same mindset. You know, you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re gonna to lose guys like Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Garcia, Joey Galloway and all the great players, Ike Hilliard, all the players that walked outta here and that year that we had to let go and make moves and do changes and think you’re going to win a bunch of games. You’re trying to get better, and you’re trying to build something for the future. And you draft a quarterback. You want to do that, and that’s how it started when we went 3-13 that year. So going into the next year, in your next offseason, you’re knowing you’re coming back and you’re going to be better.

That’s why you can put things out there like the ‘Race to 10.’ You can put things out there like ‘We’re the Best in the NFC’ because you’re creating a confidence around your team.

So now that confidence is created amongst our team, amongst our fan base, amongst our sportswriters and reporters, now we can go out there and we can go get it. This year we want to win our division. This year we want to be our very best self like we’ve always wanted to be. And we want to go out there and get it. And that’s kinda the mentality.

Joe finds it interesting that Raheem all but admits here that the Bucs chances of winning in 2009 were a joke. 

Plus, Joe is surprised that Raheem talks about creating confidence “amongst our sportswriters and reporters” like it’s somehow important. How could that remotely matter?

Joe can attest to the fact that the media won’t win or lose one damn game for the Bucs in 2011, or in any other year. Rick Stroud may type and Twitter well but he’s not going to shed a block. Anwar Richardson might be a video star, but he can’t talk his way out of a pass rush. And the media won’t be influencing personnel decisions anytime soon.

Regardless, Joe likes Raheem’s mentality that the Bucs are ready to win now — now that they’ve put the building blocks and confidence in place. It’ll be interesting to see how the team reacts when the free-agency bell rings.

Joe can confirm that Bucs’ third-round pick Mason Foster is not a skirt-wearing ninny.

Speaking on the Ron and Ian Show today, on WDAE-AM 620, Foster said he watches NFL Network and referenced old school Bucs highlights he viewed recently. It’s safe to say Foster will not be an Outhouse Networks customer when he eventually settles in the Tampa Bay area.

Here are some highlights of Foster’s interview:

Regarding his 6 1/2 sacks last year, Foster said he had “half and half as a weakside D-end and other times making plays at linebacker running through gaps,” etc. He said he had a lot of fun putting his hand down and playing in the trenches.

Foster said he went to Herman Edwards’ football camps near his hometown from the time he was 8 years old into his high school years. Foster said he became a Bucs fan through his connection with Edwards and Edwards distributed Bucs gear to the kids.

Right now, Foster said he’s working on using his hands and dropping into coverage, and doing as many football-oriented things as possible trying to stay in “real football shape.”

Foster said he spent a lot of time with Da’Quan Bowers in the winter and talked about what a hard worker the Bucs’ second-round pick is.

On helping stop the often hemorrhaging Bucs run defense, Foster said he can help through film preparation, being physical and playing downhill. 

Joe can’t wait to see this guy, if/when NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell ends this senseless lockout.

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Former Bucs guard and renowned Barrett Ruud basher Ian Beckles sees Ruud as a leprechaun sitting at the end of a giant lockout rainbow.

The longer the lockout lasts, and Beckles is convinced it will extend deep into August at least, the greater the chance Ruud gets a fat one-year deal from the Bucs, Beckles said today on the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620.

Beckles is convinced that third-round pick Mason Foster or any young player relatively new to the Bucs defense could not be successful at middle linebacker without the benefit of a full offseason. Of course, Beckles expalined that Ruud’s performance on film likely would preclude him from getting a fat offfer elsewhere.

“The lockout is the best thing that’s ever happened to him,” Beckles said of Ruud. Without a true offseason, “you gotta do something in house and go with it.”

Beckles went on to explain that Ruud’s value is not in making the the defensive calls. Ronde Barber could handle that, Beckles said, but retaining Ruud in this lockout scenario would simply be valuable because he knows the defense.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has a lot of cash invested in Gerald McCoy, Brian Price and to a lesser degree Roy Miller.

With so much cash tied up in the three and the Bucs sack totals from its defensive line last season slightly better than embarrassing, it’s not a shock that Dominik loaded up on defensive ends partially in a way to help GMC, Price and Miller flush out their talents.

This has not been lost on GMC who told Jake Trotter of The Oklahoman that the Bucs needed to upgrade their defensive ends, and GMC is grateful.

You have to be excited about Tampa’s draft. Looks like you’re getting some help up front (the Buccaneers drafted defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers with their first two picks).

“I loved that our GM and head coach trusted not just me, but the rest of the defense enough to go get two D-ends to help us up front. That means they knew there was a need there. They believe in us. They believe that if we get two more guys to help, we’ll be real good.”

Yes, Dominik may trust GMC, Price and Miller but the NFL is also a business. If GMC, Price and Miller never improve or develop, it’s not out of the question that Dominik may have to answer some pointed questions from Team Glazer as to Dominik’s investment with their money.

It’s a smart move by Dominik, both fiscally and football-wise. The fact that Miller terribly regressed last year and that GMC finally started to improve when he publicly stated he was going to quit listening to former defensive line coach Todd Wash is a significant reason why Wash is no longer under the employ of Team Glazer.

Now Joe knows there is a segment of Bucs fans that would fall to their knees and wail how rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has destroyed the Bucs defense for years to come if Dominik decides to jettison troubled Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib for his string of increasingly violent episodes and brushes with the law.

To believe these same fans is to believe that Talib is the second coming of Deion Sanders, one of the few cornerbacks in the history of the NFL who were game-changers.

But Khaled Elsayed of ProFootballFocus.com believes these same fans are grossly short-sighted. He did painstaking research on cornerbacks’ coverage abilities and has Talib ranked in the bottom tier of NFL cornerbacks.

In fact, in a graph titled “Catch Percentage per Coverage Snaps,” Elsayed has Talib rated as the 69th-best cornerback in the NFL. Per Elsayed’s research, Talib was thrown at 59 times and opposing quarterbacks completed 35 passes with Talib defending the targeted receiver.

That’s a stark contrast to Tramon Williams of Green Bay who Elsayed has ranked the top NFL cornerback in this category who gave up 56 completions while being thrown at 123 times.

Unlike Talib, Williams also has shown to be a solid defender in postseason play as well.

Now whether Dominik decides to keep Talib as the legal system works is way in Texas, Joe isn’t sure. But Joe is sure of the following, which he has written before:

Talib is not (yet) an elite cornerback; good, but not elite. Remember, the Bucs last season were 4-1 in games Talib missed due to either suspension or injury, and the one loss was an overtime defeat after which the NFL later apologized for butchering a call that would have resulted in a Bucs touchdown, and a win.

The asinine lockout fronted by NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell continues and this mind-numbing work stoppage has no end in sight.

And the longer it lasts the more it hurts Josh Freeman. That’s the word from Ron Jaworski, per eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

Seemingly better known as “Jaws” on BSPN’s Monday Night Football, Jaws speaks from both research and his own personal experience as an NFL quarterback. Jaws is convinced Freeman’s timing will be way off the longer the lockout drags on.

Singling out the Patriots (Tom Brady), Colts (Peyton Manning) and Saints (Drew Brees), Jaworski said the lockout isn’t likely to hurt clubs led by veteran quarterbacks as much as teams like the Bucs, who rely on 23-year-old Josh Freeman under center.

“A lot of Josh Freeman’s terrific development last year can be traced to the work he put in during the spring and summer before training camp opened,’’ Jaworski said. “Things are a lot different right now and I think you’ll see the effects on quarterback play when the 2011 season begins.’‘

Yeah, Joe knows that Freeman is holding periodic private workouts, but who is there? Who is participating? Joe was under the impression blocking icon Michael Clayton was with the Giants now? This is all very confusing.

Each day this lockout grows, Joe gets more and more irritated!

Rather than write to his pen pals in a renowned Russian women’s prison, today Joe is penning a note to Josh Freeman.

Dear Josh,

Joe hopes you’re having a fun offseason and continuing to train hard with blocking icon Michael Clayton. There may never have been a better practice player in Bucs history, so he’s probably a solid choice.

As the unquestioned leader of the Bucs, Joe wants to advise you to make your next workouts with skill position players open to media and fans — at least in part. Consider the prior week of workouts a test run. Now it’s time to play to the community.

Your Bucs aren’t your typical NFL team. They struggle to sell tickets, and they need all the buzz and loving local publicity they can get. You charging a couple of bucks to watch a practice, hiring a few security guards for the event and giving the proceeds to charity would be a great move on so many levels. Believe it or not, there are legions of people whose lives would be enriched by the chance to watch you throw a spiral to Sammie Stroughter. Not everyone’s world is as glamorous as yours.

The TV cameras would be all over it, and how could the world seeing players hungry to play be bad for your labor negotiations?

Frankly, Joe sees no reason to keep the workouts completely private. The Bucs don’t play the Patriots in 2011, so there’s not much to worry about there. And surely, you guys can handle signing autographs for the average Joes (no relation).

Do the right thing, Josh. Every Bucs fan knows you’re calling the shots.

Be your best self. —Joe

Bucs third-round pick Mason Foster may be a lot of things: He could be another Ray Lewis, per Raheem Morris. He could be Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles rolled into one, so claimed Herm Edwards.

But Joe is quite certain Foster is not leverage in the Bucs’ future free-agent negotiations with Barrett Ruud, as St. Pete Times writer Stephen Holder wrote today in a piece about Ruud. 

Ruud won’t even speculate on the chances of a return to Tampa Bay. The Bucs drafted Washington LB Mason Foster last month and have initial plans to use him as a middle linebacker, something that would give the team significant leverage in any potential negotiations with Ruud and makes his departure more likely.

Joe likes the Foster pick as much as the next guy, but nobody knows if he’s going to be any better than Tyron McKenzie, another third-round pick (Patriots, 2009) the Bucs seem to like, too. Either of those unproven guys is meaningless to the Ruud negotiations.

The only leverage the Bucs might have with Ruud is his perceived value on the open market. If the rest of the NFL is horrified by Ruud’s film, like many Bucs fans are, then the Bucs have leverage. If not, well, odds are Ruud is gone. Is Mark Dominik going to overpay for Ruud? Highly doubtful unless a new salary cap floor changes the game in a bizarre high-pressure, abbreviated free agency period.

Joe believes it’s Ruud who eventually will have strong leverage on the Bucs if the lockout extends deep into the summer. The odds of the Bucs wanting to start Foster at middle linebacker after an abbreviated training camp and preseason are pretty slim.  

Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is known for his football skills.

Who knew he was a drummer?

Seems as though GMC was a drummer in his high school band back in Oklahoma City. So he dropped in this week to drop cash on the band and played drums at a high school assembly with his former high school band.

Apparently, the gift and appearance by GMC at his old high school was a surprise, per Scott Wright of The Oklahoman.

In the video below, GMC talks about being a drummer and how both football and music got him out of his environment.

As the message blared on Facebook, “the wait is finally over.”

The gods of football, angered with NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell and his ilk in the throes of this asinine lockout, have spoken: There is still something to look forward to.

The Bucs have announced their 2011 Bucs cheerleading squad.

Notable returnees are the ravishing Jaime Hanna and the underrated Holly Sellers.

Joe is confident you will enjoy the video, which includes unique angles of the girls during a grueling three-day cheerleader boot camp at One Buc Palace.