In between “grunting” with fellow iPhone types and working out at Saddlebrook Resort in Pasco County, Bucs (?) middle linebacker Barrettt Ruud is lost.

He’s supposed to be a free agent. But NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell and his horribly short-sighted employers are hellbent on destroying the NFL as we know it with this lockout nonsense. Have you ever heard of a company that rakes in cash hand over fist actually going to court in order to shut itself down? Can you imagine?

Shoot, Ruud doesn’t even know if the Bucs want him back or not. So like an expatriate is a man without a country, Ruud is a linebacker without a team.

After working out with the Eastern European tennis hotties of the WTA at Saddlebrook — smart move Mr. Ruud, very smart — Ruud took time out to discuss his status with eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

“I keep hoping something will get done with this lockout,” Ruud said. “There’s been about five times when I thought something was going to get done, but here we are. It’s pretty frustrating. Even if there’s an agreement, nobody knows what’s going to happen with free agency … we could be playing under 2010 rules.”

The way Joe sees it, Ruud will be employed somewhere. He may very well be back with the Bucs in 2011 — provided there is a 2011 season — for a rate less than he expected or he may just go elsewhere such as the New York Giants.

Look, there are plenty of people who need to worry about their futures. There are cancer-ridden souls and those out of a job with no idea how they are going to pay rent much less food for their children. There are people who cannot afford proper healthcare.

Working out with the scantily-attired, spandex-laced Eastern European tennis babes in a plush, gated resort isn’t exactly what Joe would call worrisome.

Joe’s big on technology. Loves it in fact. But Joe has yet to hop on the iPhone tsunami.

One reason Joe has never done the iPhone is that it was until recently an exclusive AT&T product. Joe has Verizon, has had Verizon for many years and is so pleased with Verizon was never moved to switch.

The second reason Joe has not done an iPhone is that Joe loathes touchscreens. Joe needs a keyboard. Until or unless Steve Jobs capitulates and builds a keyboard for his iPhone, Joe will stick with his trusty Blackberry.

(Post intermission: Memo to Blackberry: What the f’ gives? You forced an upgrade to Joe’s Blackberry software and now you take away columns from the internet browser? Ridiculous! Now Joe has to screw around with the zoom feature whenever he has to launch his browser, which is terribly cumbersome. NEVER fix something that’s not broken you flippin’ Canucks.)

So since Joe is so anti-iPhone (for now), it appears Joe won’t get to communicate with Bucs middle linebacker Barrett Ruud.

Per eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, former Bucs Ryan Nece and Jeb Terry have developed an iPhone app which will allow fans to chat — in “real-time” — to various players who have signed up for this app, which includes Ruud.

“I’m not a Facebook guy or a Twitter guy, but I thought this was a cool idea,” Ruud said. “It’s kind of like leaving voicemails for anyone who wants to listen. During the football season, when fans are really focused, they can get direct feedback from players. It could be a mid-week quote on the upcoming game or a grunt Sunday night about the game that was just played.”

Fans can download the app to their iOS device of choice, pick the players they want to follow and subscribe to the program.

“You’ve got to have a catchy name,” Ruud said of Gridiron Grunts. “At the same time, you don’t want people to think you’re a Neanderthal. I’m OK with ‘grunt,’ because we’re talking about short, quick messages.”

Joe can only imagine the possibilities that fans would have to chat with Ruud, or as Nece’s company calls it, “grunt.”

Shoot, there may not be a more polarizing figure on the Bucs other than perhaps troubled Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib than Ruud. If anything, this device should sure be lively.

Moments ago, the Bucs announced on their official Facebook page that the team has declined the NFL’s overtures to have training camp featured on HBO’s Hard Knocks.

Some of you may have heard that we were approached by the league about the possibility of being this year’s team on “Hard Knocks.” After discussing the idea and carefully considering the opportunity, we have respectfully declined. It was certainly an honor to be considered, and we think it is a good indication of the excitement and national interest that is forming around our team. This year, however, we believe it is in the best interests of the team to keep the focus on the field and what we hope to accomplish in 2011. As we told the league, we would be honored to be considered again in the future; it is always an entertaining and informative show and we look forward to watching whomever takes our spot this year.

Joe agrees with this line of thinking. The Bucs are still a very young team and really don’t need the distractions of having camera crews in their faces every waking moment.

When the team begins to establish itself, and more Bucs personalities begin to emerge, it will make for a better series.

Joe also has a hunch the lockout has in some way played a part in this decision.

Hattip reader Jason Klafter.

Joe swears he hasn’t had a beer or a cocktail in 24 hours, nor has Joe been cruising around with Alex Magee or Jerramy Stevens, so Joe is certain he wasn’t seeing things this morning reading Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback column on SI.com.

In conjunction with the man channel NFL Network series, Top 100 Players of 2011, King is counting down his personal Top-100 and has them matched up alongside a graph of the NFL-player picks in his column. This morning, King published his Nos. 61 through 70, even though NFL Network hasn’t aired those selections yet.

Joe read Kings’s list and saw Davin Joseph at No. 64. (Really. Joe swears). However, the editorial gremlins at Sports Illustrated have since taken down all of King’s selections in the 60s.

Now Joe nearly spilled his coffee seeing Joseph ranked that high.  …Perhaps it was King hanging out with Magee and Stevens.

Joseph is an excellent, injury-prone player, but the Bucs didn’t miss a beat without him in the last five games of 2010 against the Falcons, Lions, Redskins, Seahawks and Saints. And there’s no way he’s in the class of the best 100 players in the league, let alone 26 spots ahead of Josh Freeman, as King ranked him.

Joe wonders what will be there when King unveils his list — again — next Monday.

Joe was in stunned disbelief listening to former Bucs Ryan Nece (2002-2007) and Anthony Becht (’05-’07) interviewing Bucs third-round pick Mason Foster on WHBO-AM 1040 this morning.

Asked what Bucs players he’s been in touch with since being drafted and what plans, if any, he had to come work out with them in Tampa, Foster replied, “I haven’t talked to any players yet.” And Foster very politely went on to say he looked forward to hearing from somebody at some point.

Nobody reached out to the Foster? C’mon. In Joe’s eyes, this is disgraceful.

Nece and Becht were equally horrified and expressed their disbelief after they hung up the phone with Foster.

“Who on the Bucs defense is going to make that phone call?” Nece asked rhetorically. “That’s a problem. … I’ve got his number. They can call me to get it.”

“Somebody has to be a leader on that defense,” Becht said. “Somebody has to reach out.”

An oversight by captains Ronde Barber, Josh Freeman and activist Jeff Faine? Or simply evidence that all team leaders aren’t too on the ball? Regardless,  it stinks.

In case any of the Bucs care, Foster said he’s been training regularly on the University of Washington campus with fellow Huskies Jake Locker and Nate Williams.

Unfortunately, the long arms of Major League Baseball and the Tampa Bay Rays have reached out to crack down on the great Rays fans at Paradise Worldwide Transportation.

You see, Paradise Worldwide Transportation launched a little promotion on Facebook to give away a roundtrip limo ride to the May 28 Rays game, plus four free Rays tickets and four Rays hats. All you had to do was “Like” their page, and they were going to randomly pick a winner from their Facebook “Likes.”

Pretty simple. And very harmless. Paradise bought the Rays tickets.

But Major League Baseball slapped Paradise with fancy legal paperwork demanding the promotion cease immediately. Apparently, only approved partners of MLB and the team can give away or sell tickets.

Remember, Paradise is the same company that – for no profit – runs the No Excuses Tour that has delivered nearly 200 fans to Tropicana Field from Tampa for only $9.95 on a chauffeured luxury bus.

Also, Paradise was a Rays luxury suite holder in 2008, 2009 and 2010. How dare they threaten the success of MLB and the Rays by giving away four tickets!!

Paradise is complying and no longer giving away the free Rays tickets. However, the limo ride giveaway remains in effect. The winner will be announced in a matter of hours. So you can still Like their page now.

What a shame.

To help ease the emotional wounds endured by watching Andy Sonnanstine pitch for the Rays on Sunday, Joe started watching game film of the 2010 Bucs.

Viewing Ronde Barber’s interception on opening day against Cleveland (via BucStop.com), clearly the turning point of the game, Joe was intrigued to see Stylez White working his ass off on the play to get past perennial Pro Bowler Joe Thomas and cut out Jake Delhomme’s legs as he throws.

Not too shabby. See the link above.

As Joe has written before, Stylez made his share of plays last year and, in past seasons, had proven to be a durable and top-flight backup. He just didn’t get it done at an acceptable level as a starter last year.

While many fans want to see Stylez on the first Greyhound bus out of town, Joe would have no problem seeing No. 91 in the DE rotation this season.

Joe has decided to help out his loyal readers who, for reasons Joe cannot understand, refuse to be men and instead, wallow with a far inferior product, Out House Networks and its celebration of yentas.

Recently, the NFL Network aired the lower tier of its Top 100 Players of 2011 and Josh Freeman was on the list. Here is the highlight video featuring him. It’s narrated by John Abraham.

In the second video, co-hosts Lindsay Soto, Brian Baldinger and Charles Davis discuss Freeman and other quarterbacks on the list.

When Texas authorities accused Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib or pistol whipping and shooting at a fleeing victim recently, it was just another in an escalating series of violent acts by the Bucs former first round draft pick.

Many local media members demanded Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik jettison Talib the instant a CBA is in place, or the American judicial system orders NFL owners back to work as normal.

Many Bucs fans howled upon hearing this, claiming the Bucs would crumble before their very eyes and become the Yucs without Talib on the roster.

Khaled Elsayed of ProFootballFocus.com isn’t a Talib apologist. Though he writes that Talib is a good cornerback, Elsayed doesn’t see Talib among the NFL’s best.

Because you just can’t trust Aqib Talib. Regardless of whether this latest incident sees him facing any follow up action, do you really think Talib is going to turn into the model player? Even from an on the field point of view, it’s not as if Talib is one of the leagues’ elite corners that you can look past indiscretion after indiscretion. That’s not to say Talib isn’t a good player. He’s always had a positive grade in our coverage rankings, but never challenged the top guys with his tendency to give up too many touchdowns.

This reminds Joe of what his good friend Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch told Joe  this past season: That Talib is a gambler. And what happens when you gamble? You get burned.

As Joe has written before, elite cornerbacks don’t volleyball touchdowns to the opponent like Talib did against Pittsburgh. Elite cornerbacks haul those passes in, not assist in two offensive touchdowns.

There are all kinds of stories of former NFL players mismanaging their money, and stories of ex-players effectively being 20 or 30 years older than they really are because of the football pounding they took.

Sadly, former Bucs first-round pick Keith McCants, 43, falls into both categories. Tampa Tribune scribe Joey Johnston caught up with McCants in Pinellas County Jail recently and painted a long, ugly picture of his life. McCants has dementia and doesn’t remember much of his standout college career, among other problems.

“They call me a bust,” he said. “I played six seasons on one leg. I think that’s remarkable. I was always hurt. I was so shot up all the time. Without the dope, I couldn’t play. My body was wrecked, so I didn’t want that needle anymore. I was ready to leave the game.”

With no post-NFL career options, his financial troubles mounted. Court records show he bounced 34 checks over a few days in 1999. The following year, the home he built for his mother was seized by the state of Alabama because of unpaid taxes. In 2004, he went to a Mobile car dealership, took a Lincoln Navigator for a test drive and never returned it. He was indicted by a grand jury and later pleaded guilty to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

There was a time when he roamed the streets, not knowing his name, sleeping in cars, eating out of garbage cans, showering in gas stations, wondering where he belonged.

McCants never saw another large contract. The Bucs cut him in 1993. McCants lasted six seasons in the NFL. He draws a monthly $1,100 disability check from the NFL, his only regular income. Since 2004, he has unsuccessfully petitioned the league for an increase based on his physical condition. His pension kicks in at age 55.

Joe can’t feel sorry for McCants blowing his millions. However, the NFL really needs to do more for these guys who have been disabled by the game. Joe suggests you read the whole story on McCants above.

A handful of years ago, Joe worked with another young ex-NFL player, who had spent most, if not all, of his millions. The guy was working a respectable 9-5 job making about $37,000. He was 40 years old, looked good, but walked like a very old man.

There’s got to be better answer to how the NFL handles medical coverage for former players.

Hey Rays fans in Tampa! Wake the heck up! Gas is nearly $4.00 a gallon. Parking is expensive. But help is here.

It’s the No Excuses Tour to Tropicana Field, which takes Rays fans via luxury bus from Lee Roy Selmon’s restaurants in New Tampa and South Tampa to ALL weekend Rays games. And you can bring your own food and beer and travel in style courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation.

It’s only $9.95 per person, and the chauffeured bus is sticking around for select postgame concerts.

Visit NoExcusesTour.com to get ALL the details and buy tickets. And while you’re there, don’t forget to watch the video.

Yeah, this is a Bucs site in particular and an NFL site in general.

So when the lords of the NFL decide they are going to lock out players, which limits any worthwhile news from seeping out of NFL team headquarters, Joe has to do some stretching.

This is one such example.

In recent weeks, PAC-12 commissioner Larry Scott has made no secret of wanting to move some PAC-12 games to Sunday in the event NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell either cancels games or delays the start of the NFL season, thereby taking advantage of a potential Sunday football void left by the NFL.

If Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has any say, he’d likely pass on Sunday games if ACC leaders have similar plans as Scott.

Fisher, who made an appearance in Palm Harbor today, referred to playing Sunday games as “scary” when Joe asked him. Fisher’s main concern is the academic aspect of Sunday games.

“Not sure if you have seen what these guys go through after a game, but they need a day off,” Fisher said. Sundays are normally reserved for players to deal with the bumps and bruises of a game whether that is time with trainers or medical personnel.

If there was a Sunday game, players would have to limp off to class on Monday.

Fisher noted that the NCAA is ever increasing academic standards and requirements, such as number of hours spent in a classroom each week. A player missing classes on a Monday because of punishment absorbed from a football game the previous day isn’t worth playing on a Sunday, despite the increased exposure, Fisher said.

Joe can only imagine how many eyeballs this year’s Oklahoma-Florida State game, which BSPN is already suggesting would pit — in theory — the No. 1 Sooners against the No. 3 Seminoles, played in Week 2 of the NFL season calendar would pull in if played on a Sunday night with no other football programming on TV.

Joe knows some players care about their community, but Bucs first-round pick Adrian Clayborn seems to have gone the extra mile before getting his NFL Draft ticket out of the Hawkeye state.

Joe found a blog entry about it from Des Moines Register columnist Sean Keeler.

Why the goodwill tour?

“I mean, it’s pretty much my last couple weeks in Iowa for a while,” Adrian Clayborn told me this morning. “I figured I wanted to give back to the community — not only the fans, but go and visit kids in the hospitals. I’m going to a retirement home today. Just to give back to the fans who watched the games and supported the Hawkeyes.”

The former Iowa defensive end and all-Big Ten pass-rusher is in the middle of a four-day farewell tour of the Hawkeye state, a run that began with his pro day in Iowa City Monday; continues in Des Moines on Wednesday; and concludes on Thursday in Coralville with a hospital tour, a book reading, and an NCAA basketball tournament watch party.

“People spend a lot of money, especially with the economy now, (on the Hawkeyes),” the St. Louis native continued. “Season tickets are outrageous — I wouldn’t pay that. It’s definitely the least that I could do. It doesn’t take much energy out of my day; anything I can do to give back is a plus.”

Joe also found additional evidence of Clayborn working the community circuit in Iowa in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Does this mean he’ll get to the quarterback? Of course not. But consider Joe impressed. The guy knew he was leaving town yet he was still out there serving the community.

Joe has to laugh about Clayborn thinking Hawkeyes season ticket prices are outrageous and saying, “I wouldn’t pay that.” A little research revealed to Joe that an Iowa season ticket for the general public in 2011 costs $374 for seven home games — about $53 per game.

It seems the Bucs drafted a guy that understands blackouts.

Most football observers rose in unison and applauded Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik for yet another savvy draft.

But not everyone leapt from their seats.

Seems as though Adam Caplan of FoxSports.com was very much underwhelmed with the Bucs draft, specifically Dominik’s first two selections, Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. Many Bucs fans believe these two will be bookends for a number of years.

Not Caplan, who explains why he’s not buying Dominik’s draft in a FoxSports.com mailbag.

Question: If you consider Tampa’s draft only a C, you need to step back and re-examine. Picking up the top two ends (Da’Quan Bowers and Adrian Clayborn) with only minor concerns was brilliant. Then picking up the top tackler in the draft (Mason Foster) with their next pick only added to the genius. — Mike A.

Answer: Mike, I hear you, but you need to look at why Bowers slipped way down and why Clayborn wasn’t selected any higher.

In Bowers’ case, it’s hard to argue with the belief that he should have been a top-10 pick based on talent alone. But his knee surgery, which some teams believed was microfracture or close to it, caused his drop. And many of those teams questioned whether he’ll be able to have a long enough career to warrant selecting him in the first round. Medical issues come down to risk. Thirty-one teams believed the risk was too high in the first round. The Buccaneers waited until they thought the risk was worth it in the second round. Time will tell if he turns out to be a steal or not.

As for Clayborn, I had him pegged there, I believe, in all four of my mock draft updates. And the reason is I had a strong feeling that based on his medical issue (Erb’s palsy), he wouldn’t be selected within the first half of the first round. The interesting thing is that on tape, you really can’t tell there was an issue. But that condition affects one side of his body, and sources said you could see that with his shirt off, the affected side wasn’t as developed as the other side. Many teams were concerned that he could play on only one side of the defensive line. It will be interesting to see how he does in the NFL.

As for Foster, he’s an intriguing player. He could play middle or strong-side linebacker in Tampa’s 4-3 defense. He’ll bring a physical presence. And there could be jobs open at both positions depending on the rules of free agency.

Joe’s not so sure Dominik is dodging Bowers’ issues, but Dominik has gone on record he’s comfortable in picking Bowers.

Clearly, only time will tell and picking Bowers very much was a roll of the dice. But it’s not a huge roll where he was selected. Three years from now when people start getting a full read on whether a draft class was good or not, how Bowers is playing will go a long way to determine Dominik’s final grade of this year’s draft.

One of the best stories and saddest stories of the Bucs improbable 10-win season was the story of Cody Grimm.

When Tanard Jackson got popped (again) for a banned substance and was suspended for a year, Grimm, a rookie seventh-round draft pick, was thrust into Jackson’s starting position (thankfully, it wasn’t Sabby the Goat) and outside of getting twisted around by the Steelers, looked and played like anything but a rookie seventh-round draft pick.

But then against Baltimore, the saddest part of the Grimm story happened when he broke his left fibula.

(Shortly thereafter, Sabby the Goat was inserted into the lineup and was burnt to a crisp by Todd Heap and before you know it, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik put Sabby the Goat out to pasture and out of the misery of Bucs fans both sober and smashed. Sabby the Goat did more for alcohol sales in the Tampa Bay area than the good people of Anheuser-Busch and Dewars could ever have imagined.)

Video star Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune caught up with Grimm to talk about his rehab and Grimm believes he’s about 85 percent healed. He went into cringe-inducing detail about what doctors did to his leg.

“They pretty much put a plate and some screws in there and reattached the fibula,” Grimm said. “I had to stay off of it for nine weeks. Then they went in and took out one of the screws that holds my fibula and tibia close together so the cartilage can grow back together and get strong in between there.

“Once that happens, the fibula is good to go. Then it’s all about getting the strength back and the motion back. That’s the key. The bone is not the issue. Once the plate is in there, it’s stronger than before.”

This is just great news. Joe doesn’t believe Grimm will be one of the question marks for the Bucs this season.

Provide NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell allows a season to happen.

Joe always feels a little sad this time of year, when competition to become a Bucs cheerleader is in full swing.

Joe can’t bear to think of all those beautiful women who will be rejected. Joe wishes he could console each and every one of them.

The good folks at Buccaneers.com, presumably with very little to do during the lockout, have put together a stunning video update of the 2011 cheerleading tryouts. Joe was riveted. You should watch it.

Speaking of cheerleaders, Joe remains puzzled by the Bucs imposing term limits on their cheerleaders, forcing some of the classy young veterans into early retirement. There’s something extraordinarily wrong about telling a cheerleader she’s not allowed to compete.

That kind of injustice could be enough motivation for Joe to establish his own cheerleading squad.

The Optimist is eternally grateful that Bruce Allen has left the building

You’ve all read THE PESSIMIST, who spews his Bucs-related anger like no other. But Joe also wants you to know THE OPTIMIST. 

THE OPTIMIST is Nick Houllis, a Bucs fan and an accomplished writer whose steadfast allegiance to the team goes back to the 1970s. Houllis is the founder, creator and guru of BucStop.com, a place Joe goes to get lost in time via Houllis’ stunning video collection.

THE OPTIMIST will shine that positive light in your eyes. Some will love it. Some won’t.

Ahh, the draft has been over a little while, but The Optimist is still a happy camper; the Bucs stocked up on great talent, and they did it the old fashioned way — without free agency.

So why is The Optimist beaming with sunshine? Why is The Optimist talking about himself in the third person like Joe does? That one I cannot answer, I don’t know. Call it the mood.

But the draft question I can answer, because I’m excited the Bucs are using that April New York NFL get-together once again like they used to; to build the foundation of a winning football team.

Oh the years gone by when we picked John Lynch (’93), Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks (’95), Mike Alstott (’96), Donnie Abraham (’96), Ronde Barber (’98), etc. For the last decade, the draft has been somewhat of a non-event around these parts.

The front office would make its seven picks, and you could line them up and describe them in order like this: Picks Nos. 1 and 2 should make the team, Nos. 3 & 4 have a 50/50 chance of being a starter in three years, and the rest were just names not really worth reading the bios on because you just knew you’d never see them after preseason.

Wow, how that has changed since Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik have taken over the job!
How much so? Well, lets take a look, and to be fair, lets take out this year’s 2011 draft because we have NO IDEA how these players are going to turn out.

We DO know what last years class did, and the year before, so we can compare it to the damper that was called the NFL draft put on by Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen.

You can start with the NO.1’s, which is really not even fair, because the picking of Josh Freeman makes the 2006, 2007, and 2008 top round picks worthless by comparison. Oh sure, Gruden got us Aqib Talib; and how typical. He may be gone in four years like the rest of Gru-Allen’s selections!

But while Davin Joseph (2006 No.1) will probably be re-signed and continue as a Pro Bowl-level guard for the team, the second & third round picks Jeremy Trueblood and Maurice Stovall are all but history; replaceable. 

Jump to 2008, where the pride of Gru-Allen, Mr. Cab Slapper himself, is looking at a possible prison sentence as a worse case scenario, and getting kicked off the team as a sort of win-win situation. Third-rounder Jeremy Zuttah has more upside than all the G-A Picks of the last four years combined.

The fact that only four players are even on the roster left from a draft that occurred only three years ago is so telling. After three seasons is when you should be relying on these guys to make the nucleus of your team. Instead, 3rd, 4th and beyond selections like Cory Boyd, Dre Moore, Alan Zemitis, Julian Jenkins, TJ Williams, Justin Phinisee, and the unforgettable Tim Massaquoiare are nothing more than Internet trivia.

On the contrary, Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik have brought the lost art of late-round drafting back en vogue.

Players like Roy Miller, EJ Biggers, Sammie Stroughter show how the new Bucs front office gurus know how to pick talent that can contribute. More names like Arrelious Benn, Myron Lewis, Mike Williams, Cody Grimm and Dekoda Watson are only going into their second seasons, but they are already on the cusp of being NFL starters ready to make a mark in the league.

That’s a far cry from the disaster draft that was 2007, two years before the Bucs 3-13 season that everyone wanted to pin on Raheem Morris.

But that’s not as bad as others who are nowhere even near a Buccaneer nor NFL roster of any kind for that matter; Gaines Adams and Arron Sears. Both surrounded by tragedies to be sure, but still, those are No. 1 and No. 2 picks, and it’s only four years later, and they are not even in the NFL anymore. 

No Mel Kiper or even Nostrodamus could have foretold their futures, but it just summarizes how terrible the former regime drafted around here, and further explains to those who couldn’t figure out why the Bucs havn’t won a playoff game in almost a decade.

Heck, with that lack of talent around here, maybe Jon Gruden deserves some

extra credit for posting NFC South division championships in 2005 and 2007.  But all the accolades now go to Raheem and Mark Dominik. Who knows, maybe in a few years their first couple of drafts may look even better than Tony Dungy’s.

Wouldn’t that be something; Jon Gruden’s prognostication couldn’t be more accurate — “The futures so bright, you gotta wear shades.”(News conference-2006)

I’ve got my Ray Bans on, Jon.

The second Saturday of every June is a special day in Belle Glade, Fla. It’s officially James Lee Day in the small sugar-industry town.

It’s no publicity stunt. The proclamation came down from the Belle Glade mayor a year ago.

Bucs right tackle James Lee is a tireless worker for kids in and around his hometown, which is well known for rough neighborhoods and for producing incredible football talent.

Lee regularly visits schools throughout Palm Beach County on his own time, in addition to his work in the NFL Play 60 program. Also, the James Lee Children’s Foundation runs a free football clinic, and organizes and funds college visits for local high schoolers that are aiming high.

The annual main event, Muck City Fest, is held on James Lee Day at Lake Shore Park in Belle Glade. It’s a free football camp run by Lee with many of his NFL friends coaching, and sponsors providing food, shirts and more. It runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on June 11, and kids ages 7-17 — even from the Tampa Bay area — are welcome.

Lee said he is expecting Davin Joseph, Josh Johnson, and other Buccaneers to be among 20 guest coaches this year.

When the clinic finishes, Lee said he’ll be diving into working on his annual back-to-school drive.

Bucs fans and business owners who want to help can call the James Lee Children’s Foundation at (561) 215-3717 and ask for Kevin McLellan. Lee stresses that any donation makes a difference.

The NFL Network — which we all know every real man has wired to his flatscreen 52-inch HD TV at home — this past week ran a Top 100 list of current NFL players, as voted by the players themselves.

It was a mild surprise that Bucs wide receiver Mike Williams made the cut. It was not a surprise that Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman was included.

It was very much a surprise that Bucs left tackle Donald Penn was not among the same elite group.

While Penn is happy that his offensive teammates made the list, Penn is one hacked off man over omission, so writes video star Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune.

I’m going to make a lot of (general managers) mad this year. I’ve got a big ol’ chip on my shoulder for not making the top 100,” Penn said. “My biggest thing is at the end of my career, I want to be mentioned with the great left tackles. At the end of my career, I want to be mentioned with Derrick Brooks, Ronde Barber and John Lynch in Buccaneer history. That’s all I want.

“My peers know. Well, I guess my peers don’t know because they are the ones that voted. It’s motivation. I love it.”

Joe can’t really blame Penn and Joe hopes Penn is so fired up about the snub that he locks up every right defensive end who so much as looks at Penn this season (if there is a season).

The funny thing about this article was that Richardson pointed out Penn plays in two basketball rec leagues to try to keep the weight off. But as big as Penn is, he’s trying to become a power guard. He won’t mix it up in the paint because, Richardson writes, Penn is scared of getting hurt.

That doesn’t sound much like a growling, drooling, fire-breathing left tackle, does it?

When the Bucs drafted linebacker Mason Foster, Joe brought word from Foster’s hometown newspaper in California that Herm Edwards was a big Foster fan and knew him from his old neighborhood.

Speaking to Tom Krasniqi on 1040 AM earlier this week, Edwards explained that he went so far as to sell the love of Foster to Raheem Morris before the draft.

“I talked to Raheem before the draft and told him this kid can play Sam or Mike [linebacker],” Edwards said. “He’s a tackling machine. He fits their scheme.”

Edwards went on to compare Foster to (take a deep breath) Derrick Brooks because of the way Foster can play “sideline to sideline.” And Edwards also said Foster has some Shelton Quarles in him.

Sheesh, after Raheem put the Ray Lewis analogy on Foster last week, and now this high praise from Edwards, Joe’s not sure how Foster was on the board in the bottom half of the third round.

Either the Bucs got lucky, Mark Dominik’s a genius, or Foster’s not that special. Take your pick. It’s all speculation before these draft picks hit the field.

Joe despises lockout talk (Enough already. Just cut a deal.), but Bucs icon Derrick Brooks did offer an interesting a labor-related message yesterday that should peak the ears of Aqib Talib.

Brooks usually brings fresh insider knowledge on the NFL lockout during his Wednesday on-air visits with The Big Dog, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620. Yesterday, Brooks talked about how the NFL discipline policy will be a major point during any eventual collective bargaining that would lead to a new labor agreement. Brooks said Roger Goodell is “judge, jury and executioner right now,” making the point that altering Goodell’s role or power would be important.

So where might that leave Talib if he isn’t found guilty of the Texas felony charge pending against him?

As it stands now, Goodell could still slap Talib with a hearty suspension after reviewing the facts of the case. But that could change in Talib’s favor with a new labor agreement.

Time appears to be on Talib’s side — and on the Bucs’ side. If the unfounded claims, courtesy of the St. Pete Times, that Talib will be cut when the lockout is over are bogus, then if Talib gets a light suspension or no suspension under a new labor deal, he’s still got plenty of trade value and on-field value for the Bucs.

Before this post gets going, Joe must say that he had a great chat with classy Bucs right tackle James Lee yesterday. The man currently is working tirelessly on charitable efforts and training hard to be ready for the 2011 season. Joe will have a much more extensive story about Lee later today.

It seems the lockout, for now, could be a blessing for some Buccaneers.

James Lee told JoeBucsFan.com that he’s been working out religously every Monday through Thursday at a Tampa training facility with Davin Joseph, Adam Hayward, Corey Lynch and a personal trainer the four are sharing since the start of the NFL lockout.

“There’s some positive to it versus being with the team. It’s a smaller group and we’re getting more one-on-one, and we’re still doing football work outside,” Lee said.

Months ago, rockstar general manager Mark Dominik scoffed at the popular notion that the young Bucs roster would be hurt by the lack of supervision and organized workouts during a lockout. Dominik said he thought youth would prevail because his guys were more likely to stay in top shape.

Of course, time will tell whether Dominik is wrong or right, and the lockout surely hasn’t been good for Alex Magee or Aqib Talib, but Joe was uplifted after learning of the dedicaton of Lee, Joseph, Lynch and Hayward.