Come home, Dexter.

The Bucs gathered their assistant coaches yesterday for Joe and other local media. Of course, these guys largely play things very close to the vest when it comes to commenting on the Bucs roster.

Joe’s got to hand it to veteran defensive line coach Joe Cullen. That guy knows how to stick to the no-substance, happy-to-be here, everybody’s-talented script. That’s no knock on Cullen, just the way it is with many hard-nosed veteran coaches.

But there were some spotlights shined yesterday. [read more]

“Greg, I mentor others, too. It’s gonna be ok.”

Joe talked to various NFL types at Super Bowl festivities about new Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford, the former University of California head coach. So many describe him as an intense guru type, tirelessly trying to improve his offense and be on the cutting edge, and people genuinely seem to love Tedford.

(His “Cal” players at the Super Bowl refer to him as “Teddy,” and Joe will have more on that this weekend.)

One thing Joe learned about Tedford is that he spent a week or so hanging out with Bill Belicheat and Josh McDaniels two years ago to learn all things Patriots. [read more]

Now this is one way to get Warren Sapp off the front pages.

The fellows over at PewterReport.com did some nice digging and have learned that because of his dubious Twitterings and postings on Instagram, along with being late to meetings and rehab assignments, Bucs receiver Mike Williams “accumulated several fines totaling more than $200,000” last season

UPDATE/REFUTE BELOW: [read more]

Longtime Chargers cornerback great Gill Byrd, now the Bucs’ cornerbacks coach, talked about the standards the Bucs’ defense must meet.

Joe enjoyed his chat yesterday with new Bucs cornerback Gill Byrd. It’s always great to talk to a top NFL veteran and lifelong football man. Byrd is highly intelligent, very philosophical, self-deprecating and he’s got a sense of humor.

Byrd was clear that he believes there’s only so far film evaluation can take him when evaluating the current Buccaneers. Byrd said he absolutely has to see how guys move in person, though he offered a shining early scouting report on some of his new students. [read more]

One thing Bucs fans should expect from Lovie Smith is a defense that specializes in forcing turnovers. Like former Bucs commander Greg Schiano, Lovie loves turnovers. The Bucs were already great at turnovers, but the problem was the impotent offense could rarely take advantage of turnovers.

There happens to be a turnover machine in Chicago by the name of Peanut Tillman, a stud of a cornerback. And per Michael C. Wright of BSPN Chicago, talking to former Bears great Brian Urlacher, don’t be shocked if Peanut, a free agent, comes to Tampa Bay. [read more]

“Bring it on, Strahan!”

So far, the two biggest stories to come out of New York this week in relation to the Super Bowl have been Marshawn Lynch’s talking/lack of talking, and the brewing fisticuffs between former Bucs great Warren Sapp and former New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan.

Sapp, hardly a bashful soul, went off on Strahan in front of the assembled Gotham press corps Tuesday saying in no uncertain terms Strahan is not yet worthy of being elected to the Hall of Fame, in no small part because he took advantage of a Brett Favre dive to gain a single-season sack record, which galls Sapp to this day. [read more]

Shaun O’Hara, the former Pro Bowl center now of NFL Network, weighs in on the Bucs.

The Bucs’ conference is loaded with quarterbacks, 14 of 16 NFC teams have established starters with guaranteed jobs.

Twelve have legitimate accomplishments under their belts.

Tony Romo (63-45 record as starter, 3 Pro Bowls)
RGIII (Division Champ)
Eli Manning (Two Super Bowls)
Nick Foles (Division Champ, Pro Bowl) [read more]

Their biggest fan might surprise you

The Seahawks march into the Super Bowl allowing the fewest points and yards in the NFL this season. That doesn’t happen often, and those stats generated many questions at Super Bowl Media Day about how the Seattle “D” stacks up against legendary defenses of the Buccaneers, Ravens, Giants and Bears.

One Hall of Famer is a huge fan of the Seahawks defense and explains why it’s more ferocious than those of Tampa Bay’s glory years.

Normally, such a take would anger Joe. [read more]

Yesterday, former Bucs great and Hall of Famer Warren Sapp held court for a handful of reporters at Super Bowl Media Day during the stampede to the trough a luncheon in-between team sessions of the annual NFL festival of frivolity.

Sapp, never ever at a loss for words, was prodded by Gotham media types to rekindle his loathing for all things Michael Strahan. And when teed up, Sapp didn’t disappoint. [read more]

NFL Network host/reporter weighs in

Joe knows some fans and readers are downright sick of the following, but it’s irresponsible to ignore a smelling pile of dung in the middle of the room that the elephant just dropped.

When you have the worst quarterback in the division, you are screwed. Mike Glennon is a good guy. Joe likes him. But let’s not be foolish. He is not Cam Newton. He is not Matty Ice. And he sure as hell isn’t Drew Brees. [read more]

Saturday looms for three Bucs icons

Joe enjoyed sitting next to Warren Sapp during Super Bowl Media Day lunchtime inside the frigid confines of the Prudential Center in ugly downtown Newark, New Jersey.

No. 99 was in great form, sporting a brown suit and tie, and bitching loudly about the sub-freezing temperatures. Sapp playfully berated Joe for leaving cozy Tampa to come to Newark, and then it took Joe about five minutes to piss off Sapp and get the cold shoulder the way only Sapp can deliver it. But for Sapp, that was a lot of rope to a reporter asking him questions that don’t give him a chance to tell many stories. So Joe is not insulted. [read more]

Arguably the greatest wide receiver never to make a Pro Bowl (five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons) Amani Toomer learned plenty of football during his 13 seasons and 668 receptions with the New York Giants. A former student of ousted Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan when he coached Giants receivers, Toomer was doing his SiriusXM NFL Radio/NBC Sports thing at Super Bowl Media Day today. Joe caught up with Toomer to talk about the failed Bucs offense and Sullivan. [read more]

Why is Bennett talking about the Bucs’ D-line coach?

Of course Joe drilled and grilled Seahawks sackmaster and former Bucs defensive end Michael Bennett today about all things Bucs.

Who cares about Super Bowl stuff at Super Bowl Media Day? Joe wants to know about the Bucs. [read more]

Longtime NFL quarterback Rich Gannon, now a game color analyst and a host on SiriusXM Radio, talked about Mike Glennon today at Super Bowl media day.

In the name of bringing Bucs fans all kinds of views of their beloved team, Joe made his annual trek to Super Bowl media day and has attended other Super Bowl festivities. And here’s the first of many notes, quotes and takes Joe will have through the week.

Joe’s got all kinds of big names.

This one’s for the Mike Glennon Mob, as well as Joe’s annoying commenters who inexplicably believe Joe quashes all good reviews of Mike Glennon like the KGB silenced democracy back in the day. [read more]

Learn football from Trent Dilfer.

When it comes to the Super Bowl and/or the NFL in general, everyone is trying to make a buck or two.

Hell, Joe is staying at a hotel out in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J. (by the way, if you ever saw the pit where MetLife Stadium — a fine stadium — is located, you wonder whey northeast types never gripe about the location but for Tampa Bay locals, the Fruitdome, in their eyes, may as well be located in Brooksville?) and even there the hotel has a “Super Bowl Shop” where you can be gouged buy Super Bowl gear.

So it was not much of a surprise that one of the greatest slugs to ever play quarterback, former Bucs embarrassment Trent Dilfer, is trying to jump on the capitalistic bandwagon.

For a fee, you too can learn from Dilfer how to throw pick-sixes from your own end zone and throw into triple-coverage. A flier with Dilfer’s likeness was found recently, including tear off numbers like you see in laundromats for services rendered, or on college dorm bulletin boards where students look for roommates.

Just dial 844-TDI-LFER and you can learn all about horrendous football play from Dilfer.

You know, Joe just can’t figure out what the Mike Glennon Mob sees in the Bucs quarterback. But when you are conditioned to think Trent Dilfer is the answer at quarterback, damn near any other quarterback looks like Peyton Manning by comparison.

Yes, Joe’s been in frigid New Jersey today hanging out with NFL movers and shakers and preparing for Super Bowl Media Day in Newark tomorrow.

Joe likes to attend Media Day and Super Bowl happenings. In addition to lots of beautiful TV babes everywhere and unique access to players, Joe can gather all kinds of information from various media and NFL types on Bucs topics and personalities. It’s a great education.

Every Super Bowl city is different, and today Joe learned North Jersey will stand out for its unique, um, hospitality. [read more]

The “godfather” of the NFL Draft surprised many in the scouting world

Joe loves listening to and talking to Gil Brandt. The famed personnel director for the Dallass Cowboys during their first dynasty is still a footballholic, oversees the combine for the NFL (which was his brainchild years ago), writes a column for NFL.com and is a regular analyst for SiriusXM NFL Radio.

The guy is a wealth of information and Joe finds his takes fascinating. [read more]

Bucs fans are absolutely captivated by who possesses power at One Buc Palace not named “Glazer,” who calls what shots when and why? The subject never seems to stop and likely won’t until the Bucs state publicly where the buck stops on what decisions.

Of course, the odds of that happening are about the same odds of Joe returning from Jersey this week to find a cold, shivering Rachel Watson waiting for him at his front door. [read more]