Jerramy Stevens may be on thin ice

Boy, how things are different in Raheem the Dream’s second year as Bucs coach.

Last offseason all Joe heard about was “violence” on defense, 2-2-1 running back rotations and how the Bucs tight ends would be major weapons in the red zone.

Well, Joe hasn’t heard much about the defense being violent of late, the 2-2-1 tailback rotation is just as much history as Chucky and Rachel Watson, and Joe is wondering what happened to the King of Turds in the red zone?

To be fair, Joe has to acknowledge that to the best of his knowledge, the King of Turds has been a model citizen since coming to Tampa Bay.

But the lanky tight end seemed to have vanished last year — hardly used. eye-RAH Kaufman, of the Tampa Tribune, believes this is not an accident, that tight ends aren’t that big of a weapon in a Greg Olson-influenced Bucs offense.

As a result, the King of Turds may not be with the Bucs when the team breaks training camp this August.

Stevens, an imposing target at 6-foot-7, caught seven passes from Byron Leftwich in the first two weeks, including a TD reception at Buffalo, before disappearing from the attack. Stevens caught only eight passes in the final 14 games and never found the end zone again, failing to establish a rapport with the 6-6 Freeman.

Now the Bucs must decide whether Stevens, who turns 31 in November, can be productive in Olson’s offensive scheme. Stevens hasn’t generated any off-field headlines in his three seasons with the Bucs, but he has a checkered past and he’ll need a solid training camp to regain the confidence of a coaching staff that has been overhauled since Jon Gruden was dismissed after the 2008 season.

Joe just wonders if the Bucs do keep blocking icon Michael Clayton at wide receiver — which Joe believes will happen — then could King of Turds lose his job as a result? If Clayton is kept, that would likely mean there will be a glut of receivers, perhaps as many as six.

Because of that, Joe could see the King of Turds getting flushed.

After six seasons wearing pewter and red, the Bucs parted ways with safety and special teams ace Will Allen during the offseason. Not only did the Bucs lose a productive player, the Tampa Bay area lost a committed community servant who worked with kids weekly during the school year. Allen’s charitable foundation will live on locally, and he’s hosting an exciting party and golf event on June 12 & June 13 in Tampa. More than 20 NFL players, including many Buccaneers, will participate.

Joe talked to the always well-spoken Allen last night about football and his foundation, and here’s what Joe can share from their conversation. 

Joe: Tell me about your foundation. What about it is most enjoyable for you?

Will Allen: My favorite part about my foundation is working with the kids and helping them prepare for life after high shool and prepare for life period. … Meeting the families and the kids. I love positively affecting lives around me. …We work in the high schools hands on with the kids to get business professionals in front of them, everything from Bank of America, to Kaplan to financial aid directors and health professionals. So many kids don’t have the guidance about everything in life from SATs to paying for college and all kinds of basic life skills. …You can go to your guidance counselor, but you have someone in your face from the real world and it becomes more intimate and effective. We work with the kids on resume writing, managing credit, so many things. It’s been very enjoyable. We rotate working with kids every other week year-round at King High School and Brooks-Debartolo [Collegiate High School] in Tampa.

Joe: Did you get Raheem Morris in front of the kids? I know he was doing a lot in the schools last year.

Allen: No, but Raheem will be out. Personal success stories like Raheem’s get the kids attention. And as a young guy, he’ll really make an impact.

Joe: Anything people should know particularly about the golf event, and the pairings party on June 12?

Allen: What I’ll say is that it will be authentic. This isn’t the typical golf tournament with a bunch of players where you just play golf, have a meal, take some pictures and go home. There will be special events at tourmanent, and some great surprises at the parings party the night before. I don’t want to tell all the secrets. But it will be different and memorable for everyone.

Joe: Did the Bucs make an offer to keep you in Tampa Bay? How did that transpire?

Allen: We talked over what would be the best situation and best opportunity. They obviously respect my professionalism and I do theirs. It just didn’t work out. It’s not that we partned ways negatively. It was just the business side of the numbers and the playing opportunity on the field. It just wasn’t a fit. … I’ll always have great love for the Buccaneers. I met a lot of great people and worked with a lot of great people. A bittersweet moment. I loved being here. But I’m looking forward to my new opportunity in Pittsburgh.

Joe: You were a special teams captain and a Pro Bowl alternate special teamer. You played on a top-flight special teams unit in Tampa Bay, captaining one in 2008. What really makes the Bucs special teams so good? And how do you think they’ll fare without you and a guy like Brian Clark who also left this offseason?

Allen: The special teams play so well, first from the leadership from Rich Bisaccia. what he was coaching saying and doing, everybody believed in him and everybody wanted to fight for him and each other. Once we established that, everybody followed suit. … So much of it comes back to the coach. It’s almost hard to put into words. Playing for Rich Bisaccia, it was awesome. I think it will be hard to replace losing Brian Clark, Torrie Cox, Josh Bidwell and myself. That’s four core guys on special teams, but there’s lot of guys still there who know what’s expected and who know what’s coming up. They’ll be alright.

Joe: What was the mindset of the defense after Raheem took over last year and got rid of Jim Bates’ system? And how would you compare what was going on when the Bucs were struggling and then when Raheem became defensive coordinator?

Allen: When Raheem stepped in I just think [the defense] had a more competitive nature. They were more angry with Raheem taking over. What I mean is they could play angry and they could play faster. [Raheem’s system] was what they wanted to play. And when you know what you are doing on the football field, you play harder and better. Guys were very frustrated with what we were doing under Jim Bates, and then you add all the losing to that. You were always tyring to figure out your new way versus just having the knowledge of what to do. There was a lot of confusion. Raheem turned it around, and it was a good time. It was good.

Joe: You were a starter in 2006 at free safety when Raheem left the team to coach at Kansas State. Raheem comes back the next season to coach the defensive backs and you moved into a reserve role behind then-rookie Tanard Jackson? How hard was that? And did you feel like Raheem wasn’t a fan of yours?

Allen: I’m not quite sure why that decision was made, Tanard’s a great player. Situations are frustrating when you don’t know why, when you don’t get that communication. They wanted to move forward with Tanard Jackson, and I think I dealt with it professionally and filled my role very well.

Joe: In addition to the Bucs cutting Derrick Brooks and many veterans, across the NFL there seems to be less value placed on experience. Teams don’t seem to value what a veteran player offers. What do you think about all that?

Allen: If a team doesn’t place the value on experienced veterans, then they’re missing the big picture. You can’t send an intern to do a 10-year guys’ job. You’re just not going to get the results. But if the 10-year guy isn’t doing the job, then you have to train somebody else. There’s still a value to the vet teaching that new guy and showing him how to become the guy he was. …The NFL is a great resource to learn professionalism, but it recycles itself. The older guys have to be there to teach the younger guys. It’s been that way for many years. …There definitely is a need and a value for veteran guys, as a mentor or role model, to be a coach on and off the field. It’s suprising that trend is happening.

Joe: Going back to your college days at Ohio State and your memorable hit on Willis McGahee that nearly cost him his career, have you talked to him at all? Are there any bad feelings there?

Allen: After that game, I talked to him a couple of days after to see how he was doing. I wanted to talk to him and encourage him. Just being in the NFL world, we’ve seen each other. There’s not bad feelings or anything like that.

Joe: The Steelers are in quite a different situation than the Bucs. Recently Mike Tomlin called it a “circus atmosphere” at practice because of the media harping on the Ben Roethlisberger scandal. How is that affecting the team? Are guys divided on how they feel about Roethlisberger?

Allen: I really think that it’s going to be old news. Everybody knows the repercussions of how Mr. Goodell will come down on people who break that policy. It’s really old news, man. Old news on the team. Everybody knows Ben’s going to be out for the six games and the season will go on. In the NFL, things happen and a team has to move on quickly.

Joe has to admit he likes how “Geraldini” rolls.

Geraldini would be Bucs rookie defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who wants to be called “Geraldini.” He’s loose. He’s living life. He’s smiling all over town. And he’s not afraid to share his on-top-of-the-world status with anyone.

God bless him.

Joe really doesn’t care much about what McCoy does, as long as he doesn’t belt defenseless cab drivers, or assault women and teammates, and as long as he wreaks havoc on Sundays. But Joe is aware that many think McCoy would be wise to steer much more clear of the spotlight before he plays a down in the NFL.

While Bucs fans think about his future, McCoy continues to savor every moment. Last weekend, he was spotted at a swanky club opening in Las Vegas with 11 buddies, so reported a reputable Vegas gossip magazine.

Now Joe’s been to Vegas several times, once with some very high rollers And Joe can safely say there’s an ulimited supply of debauchery and trouble to be found. And it’s far easier to access than New York City’s noted underworld.

Joe thinks McCoy is an extraordinary standup guy, and Joe hopes he can avoid temptation, which can destroy the best of them. But if McCoy can’t avoid temptation, Joe absoulutely would be pleased to join his posse for what should be an incredbile night out after he signs his $30+ million rookie contract.

The Mad Twitterer, aka Rick Stroud, of the St. Pete Times, talks OTAs, which he refers to as “basketball on grass” for some bizarre reason.

Stroud goes on to drop that wide receiver Mike Williams “is ahead of Arrelious Benn” at this point, along with some other unsourced buzz from today’s OTA session at One Buc Palace.

By STEVE WHITE
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

Former Buccaneers defensive end Steve White (1996-2001) is a devoted student of the game. He’s even authored a coaching guide and coached defensive linemen at the University of South Florida. And after all those years breaking down film with former defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and the other architects and legends of the Bucs’ defense, White shares his knowledge with JoeBucsFan.com readers every week in his must-read Bull Rush column.

I’m confused.

I could swear just a few weeks ago we were being sold a story from the Buccaneers about how important it was that we draft Brian Price in the second round even though we had just used our first round pick on Gerald McCoy who is the exact same type of player.

The story went that having two guys with such high draft grades at the same position to team up with second year player, Roy Miller, a 2009 third round pick, would go a long way towards shoring up the interior of our defense. We were going to go back to how the defense “used to” look we were told.

Isn’t that what we were told?

Well how, exactly, do these quotes on TBO.com fit into that equation?

“We think he’s going to be fine there,” [Todd] Wash said of [Kyle] Moore, who is slated to play first and second down at left end and move inside to tackle on obvious passing downs. “We’re really excited about him.

“He’s a guy who can really give guards some trouble on third down and give us some pass rush from the left end, because he’s got his explosion back. And what we’re seeing from him there is something we haven’t seen here in a while.”

Kyle Moore, as I suspected is being given first dibs at starting at left end, and that’s great. And really, before I go any further, I want to make sure everyone understands that this isn’t a knock against Moore.

But why with McCoy, Price, and Miller on the roster would we need Kyle Moore to move inside on third downs/obvious passing downs???

Let me be clear, that is NOT how we did things back in what most people consider the “glory years” of the Buccaneer defense.

When Brad Culpepper was our starting nosetackle, Culpepper stayed in and rushed on third downs.

When Booger McFarland was our starting nosetackle, Booger McFarland stayed in and rushed on third downs.

Really, that’s one of the upsides of having smaller, quicker nosetackles rather than the big burly two-down run-stoppers, and that is you have a guy who can play all three downs rather than having to waste both a roster spot and a spot on the active list on game day using two guys for one position.

Setting McCoy Up To Be Double-Teamed

And it’s not only that it’s an enormous waste of money to have three guys taken in the top three rounds of the last two drafts at a position and only use one on passing downs. From a practical on the field perspective, it’s a horrible move as well.

Here’s what you need to understand: on any given passing play an interior defensive lineman is going to get double-teamed. The center will either slide to one side or the other, or he will do what we call “M” set and backpedal straight backwards and then, after watching both directions, he will pick one guard to go and help out. But the wonderful thing about film study is that you can usually predict before the snap which way the center will slide or help out based on the formation.

Because of this, you can move your more dominant inside pass rusher to the side away from the center double team most of the time, knowing that the other guy will be double teamed but still have the option to run pass rush games or use bull rush techniques to overcome that.

So being that McCoy as the No. 3 pick in the draft is absolutely going to be in on all passing downs, who between he and Moore would get the single block and who would have to take on the double team?

If we want McCoy to be the second coming of Warren Sapp, that’s going to be awful hard to do rushing against a double team every passing down. If we are expecting to get something out of Moore inside on passing downs that’s going to be awfully hard to do if he is facing double tWeams every time. Especially after he lost weight to be a more effective defensive end.

And speaking of Moore, explain to me how this doesn’t hurt his development as a left end if he is constantly having to move inside to rush on passing downs?

I have made it known that I am not a fan at all of moving starting defensive ends around on third downs anyway. And I hate to say it, but I would venture to guess that if the Bucs indeed go forward with this plan that Moore will end up a lot like Gaines Adams, may he rest in peace, in that because he never gets to rush the guy on third down that he just got done setting up on first and second down; he will never put up the numbers that he should.

I mean seriously, think about the elite 4-3 defensive lines in the NFL right now. How many of them move their starting defensive ends inside on third down?

I can’t think of any.

Even the Vikings, who have a big beast inside at nosetackle in Pat Williams, keep pretty much their whole defensive line intact on third downs and passing downs. And if they do sub for Pat Williams, it’s to bring in another, lighter, defensive tackle in the game. It’s not to move a defensive end inside to replace him.

I don’t know whose bright idea this is, but I am just as against it as I was when they kept moving Gaines to the left side on passing downs, and when they proposed using Quincy Black as a defensive end on third downs, and when they kept moving Jimmy Wilkerson inside on third downs during the season.

It’s something I think a video gamer might do, but it’s not a serious professional NFL defensive line strategy. And whether anybody else buys it or not, I will guarantee you that I’m going to be vocal about my opposition going forward.

It’s an answer in search of a problem and it makes a helluva lot more sense to just give Price and Miller a chance to rush on third down.

It is what it is.

Screw GMC or manbeast-in-waiting, Gerald McCoy has his own take on what his new nickname should be. 

McCoy tells The Oklahoman, his hometown paper, that he prefers “Geraldini.”

JC: So, if you could rewind and ask The Commish to use a nickname for you, what would it have been?

GM: Geraldini.

JC: Geraldini?

GM: It’s like Houdini. A lot of guys think they got me trapped just like they had Houdini, but I always find a way to get out of it.

Joe’s not planning to honor McCoy’s request anytime soon.

In the Q&A, McCoy goes on to talk about car shopping, big house shopping, and building a home for his dad.

As Joe wrote yesterday, nobody’s looser than McCoy. And that’s all good. Joe just hopes he earns an intimidating nickname on the field. Brees-stomper would be nice.

Yesterday, Joe read the short feature about Kyle Moore in The Tampa Tribune and was so stunned it took Joe a whole day to respond.

Beat writer Roy Cummings learned that last year Moore, a rookie out of Southern Cal, was falling asleep in team and positional meetings, and failed to learn the defense completely.

“We feel like he’s gained not just one step but maybe two steps, thanks to the weight loss,” Bucs defensive line coach Todd Wash said. “His agility, his quickness, that’s what he was lacking last year.

“He was just real sluggish, even as a pass rusher. But now we’re seeing the explosion we saw from him in college again and he’s really locked in (mentally) on that left side, too.”

That’s the biggest difference.

It might have been all those cheeseburgers he was eating, or maybe it was the heat. Moore isn’t really sure. All he knows is he struggled to stay focused off the field last year.

At the height of the problem he was nodding off in team and positional meetings and failing the little pop quizzes Wash or a teammate would throw at him to make sure he was grasping the details of the defense.

Joe is just floored that a NFL rookie could have an ongoing attention problem. 

One would think the first time it was noticed Moore would have had to run endless sprints, or run four miles, or be publicly humiliated and tortured in another way to snap him out of it immediately. Maybe he was made to suffer, but apparently it didn’t work until this offseason?

Moore has dropped his Jim Bates-mandated weight and allegedly is all dialed in to be the starting left end, so Cummings reports. Joe really has to be skeptical of a second-year guy who couldn’t concentrate last season and is now expected to carry the load.

The only thing that comforts Joe about Moore is former Bucs defensive end and JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve White’s assessment of him.

Kyle Moore:

If there is one guy I expect to make the biggest leap in production next year, it’s Kyle Moore. Hampered by injuries most of 2009, he finally got an opportunity to play late in the season and he showed flashes in his rookie year. The Bucs used him both at left end and inside at defensive tackle some, but I think he will find a home next season just staying at end. He has all the physical tools to be a very good defensive lineman, but the one thing I believe he has to work on is transitioning to a more pro-style approach instead of a college approach to playing defensive line.

For instance, Moore didn’t show a great variety of pass rush moves and the one move he seemed to rely on was an arm over/swim move.

Now everyone loves to see a guy execute a swim move when it works, but the problem is in the NFL it rarely does. And when you miss on a swim move, you generally can not counter out of it and make a secondary move. That’s why the majority of winning moves you see in the NFL are some version of a rip move. Rip moves allow you to keep your balance and, if you get blocked, you still have the ability to counter out of it with a spin move or a hump move or a bull rush.

I think the Buccaneers’ brass is going to give Moore the opportunity to start at left end, especially if Jimmy Wilkerson isn’t re-signed or isn’t healthy by the beginning of training camp. With some technique work this offseason, I think Bucs fans will be happy with what they see out of Moore in the fall.

Let’s hope.

Fresh off a season in which he and his backfield mates finished 25th in the NFL in average yards per carry, Bucs fullback Earnest Graham preached from his pulpit Monday that the Bucs are one of the best running teams in the league.

Caught by Joe’s friend Tom Balog of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune at the start of the latest Bucs OTAs, Graham claims few NFL teams can match the Bucs in talent.

”I’ll put this group up against any group in the league,” Graham said Tuesday after the team’s organized team activity voluntary workout. “We’re definitely looking to make our stamp this year, as opposed to what we were supposed to do last year.”

If this were 2005, maybe Joe would agree. Now Joe doesn’t expect Graham to say the Bucs stink worse than a BP oil spill, but it would have been cool to read that Graham called out everyone in the backfield — including himself — to live up to their previous reputations.

Graham, however, is too nice of a guy to do something like that.

Hey, the numbers don’t lie. The Bucs were woeful in the running game last year and it’s not unlike the Bucs have total stiffs up front. Maybe part of the reason is the top three running backs (Derrick Ward, Cadillac Williams and Graham) are basically the same kind of running backs. Perhaps the Bucs could have used a speedy scatback as a change-of-pace kind of runner?

Balog also quotes Graham as fingering the change in offensive coordinators as a culprit to the (lack of) rushing production. Joe doesn’t buy that either. Both Buffalo and Kansas City canned their offensive coordinators the same week as the Bucs jettisoned offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, yet the Bills and Chiefs had significantly better rushing attacks than the Bucs.

Currently, the Bucs don’t even have the best running attack in the NFC South — far from it in fact — much less the NFL.

The subject of blocking icon Michael Clayton is a hot-button issue for Bucs fans. So too does the subject bring out the emotions in objective, reasoned journalists.

Such is the case for Woody Cummings and Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune. In this exclusive TBO.com video, the two Bucs beat writers debate the merits and faults of Clayton and whether the Bucs should keep the blocking icon for the final year of his contract.

The sparring of words turns spirited but not over the top. In short, it’s informative but also entertaining.

What do the duo suggest Bucs general manager Mark Dominik do with Clayton? Well, Joe’s not going to spill the beans. You’ll just have to click on the link above to find out. Trust Joe, you will be cheating yourself if you don’t view that video. It’s good stuff!

In the NBA, it’s known as a makeup call when the referee blows a call but “fixes it” with another questionable whistle soon after to even the slate.

Today, Greg Olson appears to have put out a makeup call in the direction of Josh Johnson.

Just three weeks ago, Olson told TBO.com that undrafted rookie free agent quarterback Jevan Snead and Rudy Carpenter, who’s never taken a snap in the NFL regular season, were on equal footing with Johnson.

“The good thing is we have two younger players in Josh Johnson and Rudy Carpenter that aren’t that much older than him and haven’t been in the league that long, so development wise, they shouldn’t be much further along,” Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. “He has an opportunity to come in and compete with those guys as opposed to a four-, five-, six-, 10-year vet guy. He should be on equal footing with those guys.”

Joe blasted that unfair assessment at the time, and now Olson comes back with praise for Johnson and telling The Mad Twitterer, of the St. Pete Times, today that Johnson is the clear cut No. 2.

… The nice thing is we’re still in the process of developing Josh Freeman, but Josh (Johnson) has entrenched himself as that No. 2 guy right now, so he’s getting the majority of the other reps.

“He has a real solid handle, in my opinion. Mentally, he’s very sharp, he makes very few mistakes if any and he makes the most of the reps he’s getting,” [Olson said.]

Olson went on to say Johnson has a starter’s ability.

Which is it, Olie?

Joe’s waiting for Olson to resurrect Johnson’s receiving career. After all, Olson is the guy who liked him there.

Now for all Joe knows, Derrick Ward has some sort of horribly infected tooth and/or gums and should be commended for even having the strength and pain tolerance to call in sick for this week’s OTA practices at One Buc Palace.

And it is a dental issue keeping Ward away from practice, so reports The Mad Twitterer of the St. Pete Times from the scene of choppergate today.

Ward, 29, missed the first voluntary OTA two weeks ago. He said he was frustrated by the team’s 3-13 record and not by backing up Williams. He rushed for just 409 yards on 114 carries (3.6 average).

“With Derrick, it would be nice if he were here,” offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. “It’s not mandatory and he’s not here right now — for legitimate reasons. He’s seeing a dentist this week and taking care of some issues there. But it’s hard and you want to reward the guys who are here. They want to be here and be part of the solution.

Joe wishes Ward a speedy recovery and hopes he doesn’t have to go under the knife.

And Joe hopes this situation this isn’t indicative of Ward’s ability to fight through pain. Perhaps Cadillac Williams could help him fight through this ordeal.

The Bucs were back at One Buc Palace today, sweating through the latest round of OTAs.

Some players decided to hang out and talk with some of the pen and mic club. Good guy Backwards Hat, aka Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger, caught up with Earnest Graham, who currently is projected as a fullback.

Brown Twittered that Graham is hoping to be a weapon in the Bucs passing game and Brown believes that very well could happen, not unlike how Chucky used running backs as pass receivers.

@rickbrown91 Graham thinks he can catch 50-60 passes out of the backfield. Remember the years Michael Pittman was among the team’s leaders in catches?

Joe believes Graham could be a helluva good fullback and has shown flashes of being a solid fullback in periodic assignments in years past, even with Chucky.

The prospect of getting more touches for Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward and Graham is a good thing. One way to do that is to have Graham play fullback.

In recent weeks, largely thanks to Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, Joe has learned that the RedZone Channel will be available in all NFL stadiums this season.

Don’t know what the RedZone Channel is? The RedZone Channel is a network broadcast on Sundays carried by upstanding, customer-friendly organizations like DirecTV, Dish Network, Verizon FIOS and Knology. Whenever a team enters the red zone, the RedZone Channel immediately goes live to said game.

Joe has to confess he has never watched the RedZone Channel. It costs a wee bit extra in addition to the NFL Sunday Ticket (for DirecTV subscribers like Joe) and Joe has really never had a burning desire to watch it because it appears geared towards those who participate in fantasy football.

As Joe has written several times, Joe’s idea of a fantasy has nothing to do with football and everything to do with Rachel Watson.

Joe has friends that do have the RedZone Channel and Joe is told the channel is crack-like addictive and, in some cases, better than watching an actual game.

As Joe has also written a number of times, NFL owners have to find a way to make fans get their arses off the couch and fight traffic and pay hideous costs to attend games and buy obscenely priced beers. With the advent of HDTV, more and more fans prefer to stay home on their leather couch in the air conditioning with colder, more inexpensive beer just steps away, as well as a clean bathroom with no lines at the urinal.

One way NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell has concocted to lure fans to the game is to offer the RedZone Channel at all NFL stadiums. This presents an interesting predicament for Team Glazer and the Bucs.

As you may have noticed in the list of quality cable carriers above, Out House Networks is not among them. For good reason. That syndicate would rather shake down customers into bankrolling an insipid yenta news channel that believes people would rather find out the temperature every 10 minutes than add the NFL Network. It would rather subject its prisoners (subscribers) to mindless traffic updates every 10 minutes, deliver so-called news about a backyard BBQ fire in Balm and ambush viewers to a kickball evangelist turned news anchor slander a solid All-American businessman like Larry Flynt by labeling him as a “pornographer.”

Yet this same outfit refuses to give innocent subscribers something they crave: the NFL Network. And without the NFL Network, a carrier cannot have the RedZone Channel.

So what does Out House Networks have to do with the Bucs and the CITS broadcasting the RedZone Channel? Out House Networks is a Pewter Partner with Team Glazer and the Bucs.

So imagine going to the CITS this fall and, as mandated by Goodell, the CITS will offer the RedZone Channel, which will get innocent convicts of Out House Network angry they cannot receive the RedZone Channel at home.

Joe suspects this practice of broadcasting the RedZone Channel at the CITS will make for many a long day for Out House Networks mouthpieces trying to concoct more excuses for denying prisoners the NFL Network.

Good job, Goodell! Keep the heat up!

So this fall, Bucs fans will have something else to gawk while at the CITS other than the Bucs cheerleaders, such as the lovely Holly Sellers pictured above.

Manbeast-in-waiting Gerald McCoy is loose. Real loose.

Hell, Joe would be loose, too, if he was waiting on $30 million or so guaranteed fresh off his 22nd birthday.

God Bless America.

McCoy is enjoying good clean fun on Twitter, soaking up the Tampa Bay area, and always looks like the most relaxed athlete on the planet when the cameras are rolling. 

In this latest video on Buccaneers.com, McCoy says Beynoce better take notice of his dancing. And, of course, McCoy explains all this while dancing (this comes up late in the video).

Joe’s a big fan of McCoy. And Joe is very eager to see evidence of McCoy’s stated ability to transform into a savage when he steps on the field and buttons his chin strap.

Also, Joe would never pass up such an opportunity to post a Beyonce photo.

Most men think of the popular Wing House chain and envision cold beer, hot food and pretty, sometimes naughty young women serving them in a revealing uniform. While Joe shares those happy thoughts, Joe always remembers that behind the Wing House is one of football’s great work-ethic stories.  That would be Wing House founder Crawford Ker. 

A former standout guard with the Dallas Cowboys, Ker got his humble start in the restaurant business busing tables at Capogna’s Dugout in Clearwater, and he played just one year of high school football at Dunedin High before heading to junior college at Arizona Western as a walk-on. Hard work led him to transfer to the University of Florida and a seven-year career in the NFL.

Joe talked a little offensive line with Ker at the grand opening of the new Wing House on Gulf-To-Bay Boulevard in Clearwater.

Joe: Entering last season, I thought the Bucs offensive line was on the cusp of something special because they were full of good young players. But last year they regressed. They had injuries and personal issues and were incorporating zone blocking. Why do you think they took a step back?

Crawford Ker: I think on the offensive line it’s continuity, it’s working next to a person for a while. In the business world it’s the same thing. And, you know the left guard was out with personal issues, you’ve got a good center, you’ve got a really good nucleus. But you know they’ve got a new coach, a new offensive coordinator, a new scheme, so they just need a little time to gel. I like [Raheem Morris]. I like his enthusiasm, and I think he’ll be a great addition. But it’ll take some time. You know a lot of people don’t understand that Jimmy Johnson was 1-15. So then, over time, he started getting the right people on the team and rebuilding. So if you’re a Bucs fan out there, go Bucs.

Joe: Some have suggested Jeff Jagodzinski’s firing really messed up the offense. But would that really mess up the offensive line since they retained their position coach?

Ker: I think it does because it went to another scheme. Once you go to too many schemes, you know, it throws people in disarray. At the end of the day, with a little more continuity, the Bucs offensive line will be fine.

Joe: Who stands out for you on the Bucs’ offensive line? Does Davin Joseph jump out, Jeff Faine? Who do you like?

Ker: I think they’re a scrappy bunch, and I think they’ll get it done. Joseph is a big strong guy, and I think with some time he’ll be that All Pro. You know what I mean. But it takes some time. Trueblood is a great player, too, but you’re going to get beat now and then. So they just have to gel. They’ll be fine. I like the enthusiasm of Coach Morris. They just have to keep chippin’ away and move forward.

Joe: What’s the best thing on the menu?

Ker: I like the burgers. They’re excellent. But it’s the Wing House, so you better have good wings, and we do. The wings are our thing.

Joe has had some good banter over the past few days about the Bucs running back situation. Many feel the Bucs offense must play well for the Bucs to win.

Herm Edwards doesn’t subscribe to that philosophy. The former Bucs secondary coach is now slaving for the Bolshevik cable network BSPN. A hard-core Twitterer, Edwards was asked for his outlook for the Bucs and his response didn’t surprise Joe.

@janimal45  Hey Herm your thoughts of the Bucs this season?

@HermEdwardsESPN  Tough sch(edule). the d will be the key, the qb is young

Joe would expect nothing less from a defensive coach. Defense wins games.

But Joe found it curious his little comment on quarterback Josh Freeman. Most pundits point to Freeman as being an asset. Apparently, Herm doesn’t think so.

Joe just isn’t about football. He likes other sports too, including baseball.

For some reason, likely because of fantasy baseball, it seems the calculator crowd has tried to take over the game of baseball.  In, oh, the past decade, all sorts of statistical nonsense has been invented largely because some clown who got bored at home and decided to play with an Excel spreadsheet and invent acronyms like OPN and WISP.

(In baseball, one statistic that greatly concerns Joe is AWLB: At-bats While in Line for Beer.)

And it’s godawful boring. There’s a reason why numbers geek Bill James is often credited with this phenomenon during his days as an overnight security guard. That factual sentence is damning on many levels.

As a result, some have tried to do this with football. Thankfully, this trend has not had great success. One such proponent of football statistical jibberish is something called ProFootballFocus.com.

Per the spreadsheeters there, Stylez White is an elite defensive end, so discovers Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

What aided White is the fact that PFF looks at more than just sacks. Though it does so at a fraction of the value given to a sack, it also takes into account quarterback hits and pressures in accumulating its Pass Rushing Points total.

That total is then divided by the total number of regular defensive plays the player participated in during the regular season and is finally multiplied by 100 to get the Pass Rushing Productivity Rating.

In the final 2009 rankings, Dwight Freeney led all defensive ends with a 13.7 rating. He was followed by Robert Mathis (11.2), John Abraham (10.5), Leonard Little (10.2), Ray Edwards (10.1) and White (10.0).

Look, Joe doesn’t need some formula to figure out White is a good defensive end. Does he get pressure on the quarterback? Check. Does he lead the team in sacks? Check. That’s all.

Joe just prays he doesn’t read someday from some spreadsheeter about a football player’s OBGYN.

Last week Joe broke down the Bucs running backs situation, noting that the Bucs were 25th in the NFL in rushing average.

Seems as though Joe is not the only one underwhelmed by the Bucs rushing attack. Add Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports to the list. In analyzing the rushing attacks of each NFL team, Cole has the Bucs ranked No. 26.

26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  A tip of the cap to Bucs leading rusher Cadillac Williams, who came back last season after suffering through injuries for two years. Still, it’s not like Williams was all that electric, averaging only 3.9 yards per carry. Likewise, backups Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham(notes) were just roster flotsam. The Bucs have a bunch of guys who are nice backups at this point. They need somebody who can be a starter. 

This is just what Joe was trying to say last week. The Bucs have depth at running back. Deep, that is, with average backs, most of which have already seen their best days in the NFL.

One night last week, Joe had a chance to rub elbows with the likes of Cowboys greats Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Crawford Ker, plus former Bucs Chris Hovan and Chidi Ahanotu, as well as Stylez White. And Joe enjoyed talking to all of them. 

Luckily, Joe had his trusty recorder with him and pulled some of them aside for an interview. Here’s most of Joe’s chat with “Too Tall” Jones. The legendary defensive end shared some insight on the Bucs. … And yes, his friends call him “Too Tall.”

Joe: The Bucs drafted defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price  in the first two rounds of the draft, and they expect to start those guys and have them be pretty decent right off the bat. Isn’t that a lot to ask?

Ed “Too Tall” Jones: First of all they’re rebuilding. You can do that when you’re rebuilding. If you’re a team that’s projected to make the playoffs and do well once you get there, you don’t start two rookie defensive tackles. Boy, [those tackles] have got a lot to learn. But also, if you’re going to start a rookie, that’s also a pretty good position to put him because he doesn’t have containment responsibiliites. All he’s got to do is learn the system, which now, with all the minicamps they have, they’ll know the system entering training camp. And rookies, you know, they’re excited, they’re going to get after people. And that’s all you ask a tackle to do, disrupt things. So they should do well.

Joe: At defensive end, the Bucs have some young, pretty inexperienced players and Stylez White, who’s going to be 31. That’s almost an old man in today’s NFL. What do you think about that? 

“Too Tall” Jones: I retired at 40. It all depends how your body holds up. … … Jim Marshall would still be playing if he didn’t get hurt hang gliding. …I played 15 years and never missed a game. The only practice I missed was when my mom passed. I’ve never had a serious injury, knock on wood. I was truly blessed. So I don’t think Stylez is old at all, but I don’t know how his body feels or what it’s been through and how he takes care of it. But if you’re pretty injury free, then that’s not old. He’s playing now on his knowledge and experience, and that can get him successfully through another four or five years.

Joe: Could you have played at 45, if back in your day they had pass rushing specialists or guys who just played on certain downs or in specific situations like you see today?

“Too Tall” Jones: Randy White and I joke about it all the time, that we’d be playing now if they had what I call situational players. I played every down. …Now guys now before the game know that they’ll play 25 run plays or 15 passing plays. And I’m going, ‘I would have played forever.’ …The way they play now, they’re keeping everybody fresh. It’s working. The game’s changed.

Joe: How else have things changed technically on the defensive line over the last 30 years?

“Too Tall” Jones: I’d say that’s it, really. You still have to have talent to win games, and you have to have good horses to run. And you have to have good coaching, and guys who fit the system, which is very important.

Joe: The Bucs spent all those years running primarily one system or slight variations of it under Monte Kiffin, then they brought in Jim Bates to run a system last year, then switched back when Raheem went to defensive coordinator. Talk about how that affected the Bucs, or would affect any team.

“Too Tall” Jones: I always say anytime you bring a new system in or a new coach, you gotta give it three years. You gotta give it three years, and then after three years, you have to see some progress. It’s always been that way. Again, the ones who are not patient, I don’t see them winning many games. 

Joe: Like Danny Snyder?

“Too Tall” Jones: I don’t see him winning many games. It was that way when I first broke into the league. You had to give players three years, and a new system three years. …It’s still that way today. If you look at the teams winning, with winning longevity, they’re teams with a coach that’s been in place who has had a chance to bring in his players to fit his system.

Joe isn’t about to tell you how to think or what to do. But in between beers, grilling and the beach, Joe just asks that you remember why you have the day off today. And, if you can, raise a glass at 3 p.m. to remember those who can never share a drink with you.

Joe’s dad was a naval officer in World War II on an aircraft carrier sunk by a kamikaze pilot, so Joe was brought up to learn the value of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice so Joe could ridicule the horrid tackling of Sabby the Goat without fear of being thrown in a slave labor camp, forced to eat maggot-infested rice while being “re-educated” or flogged in public.

Joe hopes you can also remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice fighting those animals on the other side of the world who fly planes into buildings.

If it wasn’t for people who gave their all for our country, Joe (and the rest of us) might be forced to watch kickball on Sunday afternoons. Remember, Japan during World War II banned baseball because it was too American.

Imagine what other Axis nations, or those savages that behead people, would do to football if given the opportunity?

The way Kellen Winslow racked up the receiving yards last year, it’s hard to argue against him being an elite tight end.

Just don’t try telling Winslow that.

In a chat Friday on NFL.com, Winslow shrugged off compliments that he was one of the game’s best tight ends.

D,Jones, Detroit
Hey Kellen hows it going,I have a goog questoin here, Do you Believe your 1 of the top TEs in the game, And What do you think Tampa Bay need to do to make the playoffs?

Kellen Winslow
No, I’m not there yet. The top 5 are Jason Witten, Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, personally I like Tony Scheffler and either Owen Daniels or Jeremy Shockey. As for your second part, the element with Josh and the young defense and receivers, we’re headed in the right direction. We’re not that far off.

Joe likes to see this. If a guy who strives to be the best like Winslow does, if he doesn’t consider himself among the game’s best, that means he has the drive and the fire inside.

In the chat, Winslow also noted that the Bucs are not rebuilding, but going young. Uh, OK.