Former Bucs sackmeister and current Seattle DE Michael Bennett Twittered out this photo of his signing a contract extension with the Super Bowl champs this afternoon.

If Joe had one wish this free agent season (that’s a new term Joe just coined: free agent season) it was that Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett be scooped up by new Bucs general manager Jason Licht. That way, Licht would have righted a terrible wrong when last year Bennett, who led the Bucs in sacks in 2012, was allowed to walk away for no good reason.

Alas, that is not going to happen. The Seahawks weren’t that dumb. [read more]

Lovie Smith all but promises a quarterback competition come training camp

This may not sit well with the Mike Glennon Mob: Bucs head coach Lovie Smith isn’t exactly pro-Glennon but he’s not exactly anti-Glennon either. Lovie wants the best quarterback to start and that guy may not be on the roster.

At the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Lovie told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times there may be a quarterback who the Bucs feel is the starter of the future.

[read more]

Credible buzz flying around the Interwebs has known spreadsheet guru Tyler Oberly now on the Buccaneers staff as “manager of analytics,” so his Twitter feed claims.

It’s no surprise to learn NFL teams are diving deep into stats looking for an edge, but quarterback-hungry Joe finds it notable that Oberly just left his longtime gig at TheSidelineView.com, which does extensive draft analysis and considers Johnny Football the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2014 NFL Draft. [read more]

Yet another defensive end who has talent but lacks results is propped up as a fit for the Bucs.

Just about every guy who can sneeze on a quarterback and is a free agent or an eligible draft pick has been linked to the the Pewter Pirates.

Bucs coach Lovie Smith knows for his defense to work at all, and for the defense to rise from the ashes of the Bill Sheridan Dancing Stunts debacle, the Bucs simply must have a pass rush.

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Draft junkies know University of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s stock has been rising significantly. Even reasoned, brilliant NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock bumped up Donald from No. 3 to No. 1 on his positional rankings last week.

The guy can rush the passer, and that’s what Lovie Smith wants. [read more]

The Buccaneers/NIKE braintrust apparently doesn’t believe in the vocal Mike Glennon Mob, or they don’t want Glennon jerseys flooding the market yet, or they don’t believe Glennon will do more than hold a clipboard in the Lovie Smith regime. [read more]

Olivia Stacey had heard from Bucs fans what they think of the new Bucs uniforms. Undaunted, she decided to speak with some Tampa fashion experts to see if the Bucs scored a touchdown with the new threads, or fumbled, in this TBO.com video.

Joe wrote about this Saturday, but Joe feels obligated to revisit the point in light of comments this morning by Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud and former Bucs guard Ian Beckles on WDAE-AM 620.

Those local Bucs voices were adamant that the cutting of Davin Joseph represents a “big loss” of leadership. [read more]

Who knew Josh McCown was so popular?

The hot quarterback in free agency (down year, huh?) is touring various ESPN TV and radio shows this morning. [read more]

Joe apologizes for getting all Sesame Street here, but the number of the day for Lovie Smith is the number “4.”

One thing the Bucs couldn’t do last year is top of mind for Lovie entering free agency. And it’s all about that magic number. [read more]

A prominent former Bears quarterback weighs in

Yes, Bucs fans are still chattering about if Darrelle Revis, the Bucs’ all-world cornerback, can play defense in Lovie Smith’s scheme. Despite Lovie himself citing Revis as a key foundation to his defense, there are more than a few who think Revis is a goner, partially because his forte is man-coverage. [read more]

As a rookie, Will Gholston had better production than Vikings veteran free agent Everson Griffen.

Joe got a few Twitter people worked up yesterday when he suggested that the Bucs were better off with Will Gholston than Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen. You would have thought Joe suggested people drink warm beer.

Yesterday, the Vikings coughed up a five-year, $42.5 million contract ($20 million guaranteed) to a guy who was so good, he never started a game last year for the putrid Vikings. [read more]

Demar Dotson’s or Donald Penn’s replacement?

It seems the Bucs are coveting versatility in their new offensive linemen.

National Football Post scribe and Ravens beat writer Aaron Wilson is Twittering tonight that the Bucs are talking to representatives of versatile tackle and Bengals free agent Anthony Collins, as well as stud Rams guard/tackle Rodger Saffold. [read more]

Every year there is outright madness in free agency at certain positions. Unfortunately for the sack-starved Bucs, this year’s lunacy is at defensive end.

The Vikings inking of Everson Griffen to a five-year, $42 million contract today, with $20 million guaranteed, is evidence of what happens in a pass-happy league that has fewer sackmasters than star quarterbacks. [read more]

The guard drafted one selection after Myron Lewis in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, Jon Asamoah, is a man the Bucs should be chasing hard in free agency. (Thanks, Dominik.)

That’s the word from Buccaneers Radio Network analyst Anthony Becht, the former Bucs tight end who played with Asamoah on the Chiefs in 2011. [read more]

Just about everyone knows and understands the Bucs are shopping for a defensive end this weekend during the lead up to the free agent dinner bell ringing at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Now shopping and buying are two different things. The Bucs may kick the tires and sniff the bread and squeeze the tomatoes but that doesn’t mean they will have a defensive end in their trunk when they come home. [read more]

Joe’s got an uneasy feeling this morning, and it’s not undigested beer and grouper tacos from last night. [read more]

If there was a more standup guy in the Bucs locker room than Davin Joseph, someone please point him out.

It didn’t matter, after a win, after a loss, after a practice, when everything seemed to be caving in on the team around him, Joseph always gave sober, reasoned answers to whatever was going on and often harshly critiqued himself.

[read more]

Today’s release of Davin Joseph has Joe reminiscing about the lost dreams of Chucky.

The Bucs’ Super Bowl–winning head coach set out to build a beastly offensive line with draft picks and big investments but it never materialized. [read more]