No, the media hasn’t seen the fine print on the contracts of new Buccaneers DE Michael Johnson, TE Brandon Myers, CB Alterraun Verner and DT Clinton McDonald. It’s unknown how much these signing will count against the 2014 salary cap.

On the surface, it seems those deals ate up about $21 million of the roughly $25 million the Bucs had available this season entering free agency. [read more]

Bill Polian explains why Alterraun Verner is in the Dungy-Lovie mold

Yes, Lovie Smith doesn’t like being called a Cover-2, Tampa-2 guy. He’s evolved. The Bears defense evolved under his leadership. Times have changed.

That’s all very nice, except the Bucs are still going to be playing loads of Cover-2 this season. [read more]

Joe wants to say the Bucs won opening day in free agency, but really, when was the last time a team that won free agency made a legitimate run at a Super Bowl? The path to earning high draft picks is often taken by a team that went wild in free agency (yes, Joe is looking at you, Danny Snyder).

Aside from the Revis situation — Joe doubts he will ever get over that — it’s easy to argue the Bucs had a great day yesterday. [read more]

When your website regularly gets 25,000+ sets of passionate eyeballs visiting daily, it’s expected that a chunk of those people will think you’re a complete moron — along with those who think you’re a genius.

That’s how life is for Joe, who is constantly being called an idiot and a blessing. That’s just fine, but Joe feels the need to set the record straight this morning as it relates to soon-to-be ousted, all-world cornerback Darrelle Revis. [read more]

There lots of hunger for a Darrelle Revis return in New York. The Jets faithful don’t want Revis to land with their arch rivals in New England, where credible reports have him coveted by Bill Belicheat. [read more]

Enjoy this audio cut from your newest Buccaneer, Pro Bowl cornerback Alterraun Verner. The 25-year-old took to the SiriusXM NFL Radio airwaves last night to share his excitement for the Tampa Bay area and playing for Lovie Smith, who told him that he’s not just a Tampa-2 man.

“It’s a tough business, my son.”

After today’s free-agency madness, the Bucs could have a whopping 10 new veteran faces on the roster. And Lovie Smith and Jason Licht are just getting started.

If you’re playing the free-agency home game and keeping score, the 2014 Bucs bounty is as follows:. [read more]

A better poker player than John Elway

Don’t even get Joe started on this nonsense of throwing away all-world cornerback Darrelle Revis. Joe woudln’t give a damn if he made $20 million. It’s quite possible we will never see a Bucs cornerback that good again in our lifetimes.

Joe is trying to look at the bright side of yesterday’s moves (and there will be plenty more today), and that is the Bucs nabbed stud cornerback Alterraun Verner in the free agency frenzy. [read more]

It’s a four-year deal

He’s 25, lightning fast, a Pro Bowl cornerback, and now he’s a Buccaneer. The Bucs have signed former Titans CB Alterraun Verner, who hasn’t missed a game in his four seasons in Tennessee and had five picks last year and made his first trip to Hawaii. [read more]

NFL employee/NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport is being fed a steady diet of information about a potential Darrelle Revis trade, and he’s delivering troubling but expected news to Bucs fans tonight. [read more]

OK, this will be something a little different from Joe. Here is a post Joe will leave near the top of the page for Bucs fans to comment on any NFL item they want. Joe will periodically post Bucs-related rumors or information here as well, whether it is updates on the Darrelle Revis situation or other potential transactions. Of course, Joe will do his usual work, too.

Joe will start it off with this nugget: [read more]

New Bucs well-paid, pass-rushing defensive tackle Clinton McDonald has got quite a story to tell when he meets the Tampa Bay media tomorrow.

McDonald was cut and out of work after training camp last season before winning a Super Bowl ring with Seattle. [read more]

ESPN and the Chicago Tribune are reporting that free agent superstar cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, a longtime stud and Pro Bowler for Lovie Smith in Chicago, will bring his injured body to Tampa for a visit ASAP.

Tillman is 4 1/2 years older than Darrelle Revis, the all-world, healthy cornerback the Bucs don’t want anymore. And Tillman is recovering from a troubling knee and a torn triceps muscle.

As Joe wrote earlier, Tillman is damaged. Joe can’t hazard a guess at Tillman’s value to the Bucs without knowing what kind of cash he’s seeking.

The Bucs have a center coming to Tampa

As of 6 p.m., offensive linemen are getting gobbled up across the NFL and the Bucs still have Carl Nicks, Donald Penn, Jeremy Zuttah and Demar Dotson on the roster. Davin Joseph remains unemployed.

Here who’s off the market: [read more]

His believed payday of $24 million guaranteed eclipses what Michael Bennett got from Seattle

The first step to making opposing quarterbacks sweat is now official, as the Bucs have made it public. Defensive end Michael Johnson is now a member of your Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It will be interesting to see how Johnson pans out. [read more]

Depth, experience, durability and production were added to the Bucs’ tight end corps today with the signing of former Giants and Raiders tight end Brandon Myers. He caught 126 balls over the past two seasons, including 47 catches for 522 yards with New York last year. [read more]

The Bucs weren’t just satisfied signing defensive end Michael Johnson. Today’s upgrade to the defensive line continued when the Bucs tapped the world champion Seahawks, not to land defensive end Michael Bennett, who the Bucs let walk away for no good reason, but instead for a defensive tackle.

Adam Schefter of the four-letter claims the Bucs just signed Clinton McDonald.

‏@AdamSchefter: Former Seahawks DT Clinton McDonald reached agreement on a 4-yr, $12M deal with Buccaneers, per ESPN sources.

Now Joe doesn’t know if this is in any way a response to Akeem Spence’s driving ways in Alabama or if this is an upgrade or a look at depth. But McDonald is making starter-level money.

McDonald, 27, had 5.5 sacks last season and is a fifth-year player and former seventh-round pick of the Bengals in 2009, 16 selections after the Bucs took Sammie Stroughter.

This should be an interesting next few hours.

Joe wrote many days ago the Bucs would pounce immediately on Josh McCown, the journeyman quarterback turned super hero in this down year for free agent QBs.

Per the Twittering of Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Mc Cown is heading to Tampa to meet with the Bucs now that the free agency bell has rung.

Joe’s only question is whether McCown is on that fancy Team Glazer (rented?) private jet used for big-money free agents the past couple of years. Does McCown get that kind of royal savior treatment?

Like La Canfora, Joe expects McCown will sign within minutes of his arrival.

The Bucs appeared to address their kick/punt returner issues this afternoon if Instagram is to be believed. At least, Eric Page’s Instagram account.

Per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, third-year pro Eric Page has inked a deal to remain with the Bucs. [read more]