It’s almost like the parade scene in the final moments of the comedy classic “Animal House.”

Bucs fans are outraged as they see rivals sign valuable players who may have helped the Bucs. Whether it is Leon Washington with the Patriots, the Dixie Chicks signing Osi Umenyiora or the Saints signing a pair of understated yet talented cornerbacks, the Bucs, since the first day of free agency, remain quiet.

Yes, the Bucs signed stud safety Dashon Goldson, which was fantastic, but Bucs fans see the crater (not hole) at cornerback and cannot fathom why Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has not signed anyone with a pulse to play corner.

Ah, such is life in the age of video games and fantasy football where only a click of a button brings you a player.

Yet through the din of pounding fists, like the cop in the aforementioned “Animal House” scene, a voice of reason softy cries out, in so many words, “Remain calm.”

That is the Bucs’ Facebook page.

The powers that be at One Buc Palace have heard the angry, desperate pleas of player transactions and have issued a statement. On the Bucs Facebook page, is a poster of sorts pleading with Bucs fans to remain patient.

KEEP CALM
AND
LIVE
THE
BUCS
LIFE

There is a point to all of this. The draft is less than a month away. The Bucs are five months from kicking off the regular season. There is plenty of time for Dominik to upgrade the corner position as well as the defensive line.

But Bucs fans, this is evidence the Bucs brass hears your cries in the dark of night.

Last season, the Bucs paid Jeremy Trueblood $4 million to largely sit on his ass and watch Demar Dotson have an average-at-best season at right tackle.

Perhaps heralded free agent right tackle Eric Winston would take the same money to produce and be the final cog in the NFL’s nastiest (in a good way) offensive line?

Winston, who publicly skewered Chiefs fans for cheering when Matt Cassel got hurt last season, was cut from Kansas City two weeks ago. Since then, he’s been visiting various teams (not the Bucs) but hasn’t inked a deal yet. Per ProFootballTalk.com, Winston just thinks it’s an off year for most free agents.

Winston turns 30 in November, and he hasn’t missed a game since 2006. He would be a significant upgrade for the Bucs. Joe’s having a hard time finding anyone saying Winston’s play sucks.

Yes, the Bucs have more pressing needs. However, Joe knows Greg Schiano yearns to run the ball — and run some more. And Greg Schiano has revealed this offseason that he likes what he sees when Josh Freeman throws on the run. A stud right tackle sure would help.

Winston might come cheap on a one-year deal. He might like playing next to a Pro Bowl guard in Davin Joseph. And the Bucs certainly have money to play with.

Spa-day-loving, pill-popping, BS-peddling Eric Wright, the Bucs’ letdown cornerback, explained on his blog recently that he’s tight with the Bucs’ new All-Pro safety and helped recruit Dashon Goldson to Tampa.

That really happened, says Goldson.

Tomorrow at 10 a.m., 98.7 FM host Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski will air an exclusive interview with Goldson, but The Commish has released excerpts that include Goldson talking about his relationship with Wright and how he believes he can mentor Wright back to a successful path.

“I definitely feel that I can be the person that can help guide him and be a positive role model and help him get back to that player he was and I know he can be,” Goldson said.

This is all fascinating to Joe. And Joe has to wonder whether there’s a chance the Bucs wooed Goldson, in part, with the chance to play with his close friend Wright. Many Bucs fans will remember how the re-signing of Davin Joseph seemed tied to his pal and linemate Jeremy Trueblood getting a new contract.

Regardless, Joe doesn’t want to see Wright in a Bucs uniform this season. The Bucs can do better.

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All that chatter about the Bucs and Tommy Kelly made Joe decide to go defensive tackles with his first draft video of the season.

Yes, JoeBucsFanTV has returned. Enjoy!

Joe was having a nice, calm, peaceful, quiet, relaxing Wednesday evening, the calm before the NCAA hoops Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds, watching DVR reruns of 24 when Joe learned free agent defensive end Osi Umenyiora was signed by the Dixie Chicks.

Joe knew what would happen next. The haters were awakened began bombarding Joe about how Bucs rock star general manager let yet another one get away and how Dominik is taking a two-month siesta, not to be disturbed until the first night of the draft.

Frankly, only the misinformed or the uneducated or the plain old haters would rag on Dominik for this non-move.

Short of Bucs coach Greg Schiano firing defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, there is simply no way Osi was going to sign with the Bucs, even if Dominik pursued him like Joe would Rachel Watson on Clearwater Beach.

For those unaware, once upon a time, Sheridan was the defensive coordinator of the Giants, whence Osi came from. Few if any would suggest Sheridan did a good job with the Giants. He didn’t and his tenure was very short.

From Sheridan’s time with the Giants, he and Osi clashed, much of it came about when Sheridan benched Osi, relegating him to a part-time role. There was bad blood between the two. At one point, nerves between Osi and Sheridan were so frayed, the two got into a shouting match and Osi bolted from a team meeting in a fit of rage as a result.

It’s likely there is enough lingering animosity that Osi would never willingly put himself in the position of being an underling to Sheridan again.

And to be fair, Osi, who wasn’t exactly an angel with the Giants, may not have worked with the Bucs, Sheridan or not. There is a very real possibility that Sheridan has good intel on Osi and perhaps persuaded Schiano and Dominik to steer clear of him.

At any rate, those planning to march on One Buc Palace with lit torches and pitchforks wanting to storm Dominik’s office, put the liquor down and take a deep breath. This idea of Osi and the Bucs was dead on arrival.

What’s going to make Gerald McCoy turn into an absolute monster undertackle in his fourth season?

Former Bucs nose tackle Booger McFarland says a big, physical nose tackle alongside McCoy, one who can draw a double team on occasion and rush the passer, would be a great next step for the Bucs and McCoy. Speaking on his “Booger and Rich” show on 98.7 FM this evening, McFarland lobbied hard for the Bucs to pursue veteran former Raiders tackle Tommy Kelly to fill that role. Kelly was cut today.

McFarland likes Kelly’s size (6-6, 330), strength and experience but questions whether he’d bring the motor and dedication of Roy Miller.

Kelly, 32, is a very intriguing possibility. The guy hasn’t missed a game since 2007, and he played for years alongside Warren Sapp in Oakland.

Joe would love to hear what Sapp has to say about Kelly’s fit with the Bucs. If Sapp likes him, Joe suspects No. 99 has already been in touch with the New Schiano Order.

Since before the 2012 season was completed, Bucs fans already were hollering about what free agent cornerback the Bucs should sign when the free agency bell rang.

Now two weeks after the doors were thrown open to start free agency, the Bucs have not collected a cornerback for one of the NFL’s most historically rotten pass defenses (though Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik did reel in safety Dashon Goldson).

This has been met by Bucs fans about the same way citizens in Cypress reacted upon learning banks were closed by their government and funds seized. Of course, the situation has ratcheted up the expectations Bucs fans have that Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis will be wearing pewter and red, so Twittered eye-RAH Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

@IKaufmanTBO: Buc fans will be very upset if the club doesn’t consummate a deal for Revis. Lots of pressure on Dominik and Schiano to close this deal

Joe sees where Kaufman is going but Joe isn’t quite there yet. It’s pretty obvious Dominik doesn’t believe the corners currently on the free agent market are worth working up a sweat over.

Joe firmly believes Dominik thinks if he drafts two corners in the first three rounds, those guys will be just as talented and, perhaps, more cost effective than the guys knocking on doors looking for work as the close of March nears.

Also keep in mind Dominik could still keep Eric Wright in the fold. The fact he is still on the roster demonstrates how little Dominik thinks of the current cornerback free agent crop.

Remember folks, the regular season is five months away. Lot of clock left for Dominik to repair holes at corner.

When it was learned recently that former Bucs and current Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett had a torn rotator cuff, it backed up information Joe learned from a suit at One Buc Palace, who claimed one reason the Bucs let Bennett, their sack leader last season, walk is because the team was spooked his shoulder and ankle issues were not improving.

It seems the Bucs had solid information. Seattle general manager John Schneider conducted a radio interview Monday and said Bennett played last season with the same injury he will likely need surgery for, per BSPN.

Schneider said in the interview that it was his “understanding” that Bennett played with the injury last season when the 27-year-old had had a career-high nine sacks for the Buccaneers, starting all 16 games for the first time in his career.

Not only does this explain fully why Dominik waved goodbye to Bennett, it also may explain why Bennett’s numbers took a nosedive late in the season.

In the final five games, Bennett had but two sacks, both coming against the Eagles in that debacle of a loss at home.

Helmet hair Mel Kiper, Bucs fan torturer Trent Dilfer and Chris Mortensen sit down to discuss Darrelle Revis in the BSPN video below.

Mortensen counters Dilfer’s heavy praise of Revis with the point that if Revis was such a healthy “gamewrecker” manbeast, he’d have more interest in the market place. The two also discuss whether the Jets are being “held hostage.”

Joe doesn’t hold many draft gurus in high esteem like he does Mike Mayock and Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski. But Russ Lande is a guy Joe likes to keep an eye on.

Lande actually worked in scouting for the Rams and Browns. He’s now in the media and pumps out lots of draft stuff for NationalFootballPost.com.

Lande’s latest first-round mock draft out today has the Bucs taking the first cornerback off the board.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama, Junior: Things did not go as well as planned when the Bucs signed CB Eric Wright a season ago, so now they make the move to upgrade at cornerback. Milliner is a strong, physical corner with the athleticism and speed to excel in man and zone coverage.

Interestingly, Lande has two defensive ends and two defensive tackles — potential Bucs targets in the first round — coming off the board before the Tampa Bay steps up for the 13th overall pick — Bjoern Werner (Jaguars, No. 2), Star Lotulelei (Eagles, No. 4), Ziggy Ansah (Lions, No. 5), Sharrif Floyd (Titans, No. 10).

Joe’s hardly sold that the Bucs draft Milliner, but Joe would hardly moan about that pick. Joe will only moan if the Bucs pick Milliner and Eric Wright is starting opposite him at the other cornerback position.

Hail (no) to the Redskins?

Monday night, Bucs icon Ronde Barber didn’t exactly slam the door on playing anywhere other than Tampa Bay this fall, he seemed to leave the door a wee bit cracked open, though his body language suggested the door will be bolted.

Given that he is still on the open market and he has ties to Redskins secondary coach Raheem Morris, some Redskins fans — desperate for corners like the Bucs — asked “The Professor,” John Clayton of ESPN, if Redskins chieftain Danny Snyder would swoop in and latch on to Barber.

Q: Given that there are some quality veterans that remain on the free-agent market, do you think the Redskins go after Ronde Barber or Charles Woodson? Woodson can still play in the league, and Barber is connected to Raheem Morris. The team currently lacks safety and corner depth with the loss of DeAngelo Hall, who played well down the stretch.

Matt in New York

A: I can’t see Barber playing anywhere but Tampa Bay. Plus, the Bucs have the cap room to pay him $3 million if he decides to continue playing. The Redskins don’t have that cap room. They would be able to offer him or Woodson a minimum benefits contract of around only $1.005 million, and that won’t entice Barber to go to another team. The Bucs have made it clear that they have a spot for Barber if he wants to come back. If Barber is playing football this year, I think he will be playing in Tampa Bay.

Now Joe knows exactly what Bucs fans are about to bang on their keyboard quicker than Joe inhales a cold beer on a hot summer afternoon: “Why can’t the Bucs get Woodson?”

Like Barber, Woodson’s days as a great corner are over. He’s a safety now. And if the Bucs bring back Barber, the team will have a glut of safeties. Besides, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is not inclined to sign outside free agents in the sunset of their careers.

It’s getting obvious that the Bucs covet Eric Wright more so than any free agent cornerback still on the market, such as DeAngelo Hall.

Joe knows Bucs fans repeatedly hit that F5 button while on JoeBucsFan.com because they yearn not just for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to sign any warm body who plays cornerback but to consummate a trade with the Jets for Darrelle Revis.

Bucs fans may be in for a long wait, per Joe’s various research and sources. And eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune cautions Bucs fans clamoring for a quick fix.

Until the Bucs know whether Revis is theirs, they’re not going to be ultra-aggressive in signing free agent cornerbacks. This process could take awhile.

The evidence reinforces Kaufman’s point. It is clear by now that, more than two weeks after the free agent dinner bell rang, Dominik is not pursuing any free agent corners, at least not full throttle. And, yes, Dominik knows how awful his current crop of corners is. He has publicly stated the group needs an upgrade.

This tells Joe Dominik thinks he can get as good (for the price) or better corners in the draft than what is currently on the street.

This brings Joe to Eric Wright, who Bucs fans want Wright in line applying for unemployment more than they want Dominik to upgrade the corner position.

The fact Wright, after losing his grievance against the Bucs that allows Dominik to cut him and void the second year of his two-year contract, is still on the roster tells Joe Dominik thinks Wright is as good if not better than any corner currently on the free agent market.

So unless Revis lands at One Buc Palace, Joe isn’t seeing Dominik signing a corner before the draft, which is just under a month away.

As Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com wrote yesterday, “It’s really not hard to find a cornerback this year. It’s hard to find a really good one.”

Joe’s not a big numbers guy. Numbers don’t make tackles, run over defenders, pop Adderrall, or roll around big cities packing heat. In short, numbers are boring, unless they involve Rachel Watson’s phone number or Joe’s bank account.

But Joe does understand many fans get off on fantasy football stats and salary cap room.

So with that in mind, Joe hereby delivers the latest from BSPN on how much dough the Bucs can spend in 2013. It’s a lot.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to hold a commanding lead on the rest of the NFC South when it comes to cap space. They’re $27 million under and that could grow by $7.75 million if the team releases cornerback Eric Wright.

Yes, the Bucs still must pay their draft picks, potentially pay Darrelle Revis $6 million or so for 2013, re-sign Ronde Barber and, one would hope, add more depth in free agency along their offensive and defensive lines at least. Plus, some pundits expect the Bucs to extend Mike Williams’ contract and push some of that cash onto this season’s books. And then there’s the whole concept of the Bucs “rolling” extra salary cap room to next season in order to have more flexibility in 2014.

Regardless, the Bucs are free to spend recklessly and/or wisely.

Joe’s getting a real kick out of this waiting game Ronde Barber is playing. Yeah, like Joe’s supposed to believe Barber doesn’t know yet whether he wants to play in his 17th NFL season.

Speaking on NFL Network last night (here’s part of the video), Barber left virtually every door open for himself — including joining a team outside of Tampa — as he takes his sweet time deciding on the contract offer presented to him by the Bucs early this month.

So what’s Barber waiting for?

Joe has to believe Barber wants to know whether the Bucs will guarantee him a starting cornerback job. After all, every decent free agent cornerback is all but guaranteed a starting job before signing on the dotted line. Eric Wright would be an example of that last season. Why wouldn’t Barber, a durable veteran who can still make plays, want the same assurance?

Barber made it quite clear that the Bucs brass advised him they’d be active on the open market trying to upgrade the secondary but they wanted him back regardless.

Joe can’t blame Barber for wanting to see what the regime’s real intentions are before committing, though Joe is a bit surprised Barber’s ego hasn’t already driven him to sign the contract and be confident he can win a starting job.

And that brings Joe to Barber’s motivation. If Barber’s looking to be embraced with a starting gig, perhaps he would actually consider playing for a contender like Atlanta, New Orleans or San Francisco, strong teams in need of cornerback help. That would be a travesty.

After Ronde Barber fielded questions about his future or non-future with the Bucs last night on NFL Network, a pair of stud defensive backs, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and Pro Bowler Ryan Clark, debated the merits of the Bucs coughing up a first- and a second-round pick for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis in this NFL Network video.

You may be surprised to hear what they have to say and why. Both agree but for far different reasons.

When asked whether any Buccaneers swayed his decision to play in Tampa, new Bucs All-Pro safety Dashon Goldson fingered Mason Foster as a fellow Washington Huskies alumnus he turned to for feedback on the Bucs.

But hold on! Eric Wright wants Bucs fans to know he, too, had a hand in recruiting his “close” friend Goldson. Wright was busy on his website yesterday sucking up to Bucs management sharing his hopes and dreams and feelings on his favorite team.

Things are still very much in the air in regard to my situation with the Bucs. I would like to be back, especially with Dashon Goldson coming in and signing. I want to play with somebody that I consider a brother. I’ve known him for a very long time, and we’re close.

I told him about Tampa. It’s not to say that Tampa didn’t do their job as far as going out and getting him and paying him, and all that stuff. But of course, when he’s going over his options, he’s going to ask me about Tampa. I told him it would be a great place for him to continue his career and continue his success as a football player. And obviously, it would help the team.

Wright went on to say he’s training with Goldson in California, and Wright explains to Bucs fans that he’s been an injured superstar and fans just haven’t seen all he can do yet.

The difference in this game is millimeters and milliseconds. So when you have those little things, nagging injuries, things change and you have to make different decisions. This year I expect to play with a lot more bounce, a lot more energy, look a lot more youthful.

That’s what they brought me in for, and frankly, that’s what I know I can do. They brought me in because they know I can do it, and I hope they still have that confidence in me. I would like to be back, and will continue to express that until something happens where I’m not a Buccaneer.

Click through above for the rest of the comedy show.

Joe’s no fan of Wright. He let down his team in multiple ways. If Wright returns, Joe will be dumbfounded. There’s just no way the Bucs’ intense evaluation and scrutiny of the cornerbacks market could lead them back to Wright.

The favorite topic among Bucs fans is Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Will he or won’t he? To be more accurate, will Jets general manager John Idzik succumb to pressure from Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik or will he waffle and not get anything for Revis?

The second favorite subject is, of course, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman. Joe’s good friend “The Commish,” Justin Pawlowski of WHFS-FM 98.7, told Joe how he read a text on-air from a listener about trading Freeman for a first-round pick and the station phone banks lit up full the rest of the show, and “The Commish” never once gave his opinion on the matter.

Freeman’s name came up with Bucs great Ronde Barber during Monday night’s broadcast of “Total Access” seen on NFL Network, as documented by Dan Hanzus of NFL.com.

“I think Coach (Greg Schiano) wants to find out if Josh is the guy because Josh shows moments of complete brilliance,” Barber said. “Yet he gives you the moments where you’re scratching your head as well. It’s kind of reflective of our season and as a whole last year.

“Coach Schiano did not draft him, even though (general manager) Mark (Dominik)’s married to him because he was with him when (former Bucs coach) Raheem (Morris) drafted him. But you have to believe that Josh Freeman is our franchise quarterback. He fits the build. He has the arm. He understands the mechanics of the game. Like I said, when he’s good, he’s really, really good. We just need him to be that player with more consistency.”

Will Freeman play for his job next season? “I would imagine so,” Barber replied. “That’s just the nature of football. (When) you have a new coach, which we had last year, you’re proving yourself to him, and Josh has to do that.”

Interesting that Barber talks about Freeman much like others do outside the organization. There are times when Freeman absolutely makes your jaw drop. The end of the Carolina game at Charlotte and the final game of the season at Atlanta spring to mind.

But then there are the bad games. The four picks against the NFL’s worst defense (New Orleans) and the epic meltdowns at Jacksonville and Atlanta in 2011. Then there are the mostly erratic short throws.

Looking ahead to September, Bucs fans would not be wrong to call 2013 “The Year Of Freeman.” If he has a fantastic season like in 2010, he’s here for another big contract. If he struggles again, who knows what happens?

Many Bucs fans are just slightly less angered than a hornet whose nest was destroyed at the thought of the Bucs not upgrading the cornerback slot prior to the draft.

Yes, the Bucs may or may not trade for Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Yes, the Bucs may or may not draft a cornerback in the first or second round. This doesn’t matter to hyper, frustrated if not impatient Bucs fans who demanding Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik sign someone, anyone, even though they may not be an upgrade in any way to current projected starters Danny Gorrer and Eric Wright.

These same fans want a signing like yesterday.

But it likely won’t be Brent Grimes, claims Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. It seems Dominik (and thus far, 31 other teams) have turned their nose up on Grimes.

@NFLSTROUD: Doesn’t look as though CB Brent Grimes is going to be a Buccaneer, according to someone with knowledge of the situation. Miami or Cleve?

Based on why Dominik let sack leader Michael Bennett walk (he’s damaged goods), Joe believes there is a reason Dominik hasn’t made a move for a corner yet. Given there are so many corners walking the streets right now begging for a contract, it seems to reinforce whatever motivation (or lack thereof) Dominik has to signing a corner.

If Jets general manager John Idzik doesn’t get off his throne, Dominik’s liable to draft a corner in the first and second rounds and his laughing at Idzik would be heard all the way to Bradenton.