The interesting thing about how NFL coaches handle the combine is they don’t just speak with and answer questions from just their local beat writers/TV talking heads. No, they are deal with NFL media types from all over the nation, in fact, from all over the world.

So today when Bucs coach Greg Schiano took to the podium in front of the masses, a Philly media type asked him what type of advice he would give Eagles coach Chip Kelly. Like Schiano last year, Kelly is coming from college to the NFL as a head coach. But there’s a twist of paths between the two that determined how Schiano ended up in Tampa Bay and Kelly in Philly.

It was Kelly’s cold feet. Schiano knew it and was grateful.

“First, my biggest advice would be to say, ‘Thank you, Chip,’” Schiano said. “Had Chip not decided what to do last year, I wouldn’t be standing here, that is first and foremost. I am happy for Chip, he will do a great job. I know he is excited, we got a chance to talk a little bit at the Senior Bowl. He doesn’t need any advice from me, he will do an excellent job.”

Yes, if Kelly hadn’t left Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik at the altar last year, rather than Schiano coaching the Bucs it would have been Kelly.

And who knows? Schiano could have been coaching the Eagles.

Nearing the end of his media car wash today at the NFL Scouting Combine, Greg Schiano (after he spoke to the horde at the podium, after he was on SiriusXM NFL Radio, after he spoke to Pro Football Talk Live, after he spoke with the NFL Network, after he was interviewed by Buccaneers.com, after a West Virginia sports network spoke questioned him), gave Joe a few moments of his time for an exclusive JoeBucsFan.com one-on-one interview, albeit a short one.

JoeBucsFan: Some people think, and have written, that you are hiring a bunch of cronies; your assistants. What is your reaction to that allegation?

Greg Schiano: I think it is, you know, people need to sometimes step away from the situation and look at the end. In the end, if you don’t win, what happens? So you are going to surround yourself with people who you think can do the best job to help you win. Now often times those are people who you have experience with and that is how you know that can happen, you are not guessing that can happen. So, often, our staff, a lot of guys I had worked with and a lot of guys I hadn’t, which is fine. The guys I hadn’t worked with certainly had relationships with guys I had worked with who knew their work ethic, who knew what kind of people they are and what kind of teachers they are. And that is really how I go about it.

Joe: Ronde Barber and Dallas Clark, as you said a bit earlier, you and your staff have gone through examination of each and every player, gone through every play. How would you grade out these two veterans?

Schiano: They are both productive players. Certainly, guys that have played a lot of football in this league. When you evaluate a player there are always some good and not-so-good plays. But at the end of the day, I thought both were huge contributors to our football team in 2012 and they did a nice job.

Joe: Ronde Barber, have you had a chance to talkto him yet, any insight into what way he may be leaning, coming back for one more year or hanging up his cleats?

Schiano: No, we haven’t spoken yet, myself, Mark [Dominik] and Ronde. That was kind of the plan. Let a little time pass by and let Ronde get away from the season and see how his body feels, where his mind is and kind of let us, you know, evaluate the football team and formulate the plan for the 2013 team. That is where we are. I am sure we will speak in the very near future.

Joe: Dave Wannstedt, your new special teams coach, obviously you have a background with him in Chicago. I know you don’t like to pigeonhole guys with titles. It would seem that with the experience that Wannstedt has, it would be a waste just to have him work with special teams. Do you plan on having him work with any other area of the team in addition to special teams?

Schiano: No, I think special teams is a huge job. And I think it will take every bit of his energies and efforts but the thing you have to remember is, Dave has sat in my chair at different levels, right, in the NFL and in college. So it is great to have a guy in the building like Dave or like Butch [Davis] that have done that and bounce an idea off here or there. It is not just football stuff but, ‘Hey, what do you think the fellas will think about this?” Or “How do you think the staff will feel about that?” That is where it is valuable and again, guys who you can really trust, they don’t have any agendas or motives other than, hey, to win and to win a Super Bowl. When you can find people like that and can hire people like that, so often those guys are taken and you can’t get them. When you have an opportunity to hire people like that, I jump all over it.

Joe went on record early this week saying he believed that the pinching of Da’Quan Bowers at LaGuardia Airport for packing heat would not impact the Bucs because at best, Bowers wouldn’t go to trial until after the 2013 season.

Apparently, Joe is wrong, so says Bucs coach Greg Schiano.

While talking to Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, during his car wash with the over 8,000 accredited media members at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for the NFL ScoutingCombine, Schiano said, yes, Bowers’ arrest has thrown the Bucs a curveball in preparation for the draft and free agency this winter and spring.

@RCummingsTBO: Added Schiano on Bowers: “I think you’d be naive to think it doesn’t have any impact” on teams plans.

Does this mean free agent Michael Bennett wins the lottery and is franchised (and will then receive some $11 million dollars this season)? Or does it mean the Bucs will draft a defensive end in the first round? Joe isn’t sure.

But it sure bears monitoring.

Schiano says his comments about competition at the quarterback position were not interpreted as he intended

As Joe reported earlier, Bucs coach Greg Schiano was asked about Josh Freeman’s status as the Bucs starting quarterback this afternoon in Indianapolis. In no uncertain terms, Schiano adamantly stated Freeman is the Bucs quarterback now, and will lead the Bucs to the team’s goals.

Schiano earlier had said there is but one goal for the Bucs: hoisting a Vince Lombardi Trophy aloft in victory.

Below is Schiano’s direct quote on Freeman’s job security:

“I am glad you brought that up because at the end of the season, the day after the final game, I probably said something that got a lot more attention than I meant for it to do. Really, it was about every year that I have been a head coach I step back and I evaluate every phase of our program and it starts with me. So that takes a while. I even said I didn’t know if I was the right guy, let’s figure this out.

“Then I went through every assistant coach and then as a staff, we went through every single player in a series of evaluations. But the one thing I believe in whether it is as coaches or as players, in our whole life we have grown up in competitive athletics and that competition is healthy. So I made the statement that I wanted competition at every position. My fault, but it kind of stood out at the quarterback position more than any other. Josh Freeman is our quarterback. And I believe Josh Freeman – with Josh Freeman – we will be able to accomplish our goals. So, that is my belief and our organization’s belief.

“I have been busy and I hadn’t had a chance to clear that up. I’m glad I had the opportunity to today.”

Moments ago the leader of the New Schiano Order gave a huge vote of confidence to Josh Freeman and threw cold water on the notion that the Bucs are eager to bring in competition to challenge for his job.

“Josh Freeman is our quarterback,” Schiano said from the NFL Scouting Combine podium.

Joe will have more later on Schiano’s subtle yet clear backtracking on the “competition” front, something Schiano himself put out there right after the close of the 2012 season.

As Joe’s written before, the whole notion of “competition” for Freeman makes no sense from a regime — and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik dating back to the 2010 offseason — that made sure the was no competition for Freeman. Current backup Dan Orlovsky didn’t even take snaps with the first team in practice.

Loads of pundits out there are uneasy about the Bucs’ tight ends situation, but Joe’s not in that camp.

Dallas Clark shocked the world by staying healthy through 2012. He displayed some great hands, never fumbled, and Mike Sullivan found ways to work him into the offense more during the second half of the season. Clark is no punishing blocker by any stretch, but Doug Martin had plenty of holes to work his magic.

Joe wouldn’t be so quick to toss aside Clark, who will be a free agent in a matter of days, though Joe would be intrigued by the versatility of free agent Martellus Bennett. Joe also thinks Luke Stocker could be poised to perform quite well in his upcoming third season.

Former Bucs defensive end Anthony “Booger” McFarland has another name in mind that he would be excited to see wearing pewter and red. That would be Jets tight end and soon-to-be free agent Dustin Keller.

Speaking on 98.7 FM yesterday, McFarland said he’s spent time training with Keller and he’s a tight end that has the speed to make the Bucs’ offense more dangerous in the middle of the field. “He’s got that burst,” McFarland said.

Keller’s an interesting option. He was hurt much of last season but hadn’t missed a game in his previous four seasons with the Jets. A near freakish athlete, Keller was a favorite target of Brett Favre and he’s got plenty of playoff experience.

A few big questions hang out there: How much does Mike Sullivan want to use the tight end? Would the Bucs prefer a major upgrade at slot receiver versus tight end? And just how many weapons does Josh Freeman need to become a star?

Joe wrote many times last year that he thought Mason Foster, the biggest Ric Flair fan in the Bucs locker room, played at or close to Pro Bowl level early in theseason. Joe even told Foster Joe thought he would be eating pineapple in January.

But that didn’t happen. Foster’s play slid toward the end of the season, and Joe doesn’t think it was a coincidence Foster’s play declined when Quincy Black went down with nerve damage. Most Bucs fans know the Bucs may have their eyes on an outside linebacker with the likelihood that Black cannot return. Earlier this year, Bucs coach Greg Schiano noted that the Bucs, on behalf of Black and his doctors, were consulting with doctors from Europe, which demonstrated the seriousness of Black’s injury.

Foster, a former outside linebacker at Washington, might be revisiting his old position.

Monitoring outside linebackers, however, may be too narrow of a focus, Woody Cummings believes. The Bucs beat writer from the Tampa Tribune thinks Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik just may draft a middle linebacker and move Foster to the outside, Cummings Twittered this morning.

@RCummingsTBO: Something to consider is possibility Bucs will draft or sign a free agent MLB and move Mason Foster to SLB as replacement for Quincy Black

When Foster was a rookie he played, and looked like, he was simply overwhelmed at the NFL level. At the time, Joe was screaming for the Bucs to move him back to the outside. But Dominik’s hunch was right. Foster could — and did — play well at middle linebacker (got some coaching for a change last year), though he could brush up a bit on pass coverage.

As well as the Bucs played against the run last year, Joe would hesitate to do too much tinkering moving players around. The fact Foster played so much outside linebacker in college may just give Dominik flexibility in order to fill Black’s void.

An ESPN makeup artist plies her trade on an ESPN anchor type. Chris Mortensen and Bill Polian look on during a commercial break Thursday morning at the NFL Combine held at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Yes, Joe is at the NFL Combine in frosty Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. It was a balmy 21 degrees when Joe left his hotel.

Though Joe and the rest of the credentialed media are not allowed to watch the combine drills live in the stadium (there are plenty of TVs turned to the NFL Network), the NFL has a parade of players, coaches and general managers come through all day the next four days for interviews. Joe will try to bring you interviews and nuggets of interest to Bucs fans.

FYI, cornerbacks are scheduled to make an appearance Sunday, and yes, Joe is going to concentrate on those guys for interviews.

Below is the NFL’s scheduled parade of players for the next four days.

Thursday: Offensive Linemen, Kickers, Punters, Long Snappers, Tight Ends.

Friday: Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Wide Receivers

Saturday: Defensive Linemen, Linebackers

Sunday: Defensive Backs

Though Joe doubts Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik would pull such a stunt, Joe is pretty sure few Bucs fans would cry if Dominik drafted nothing but cornerbacks in April’s draft.

There is no debate this offseason; the Bucs need help at cornerback desperately. And re-signing free agent E.J. Biggers doesn’t qualify has help

Many Bucs fans are jumping up and down like a Warren Sapp touchdown dance for Dominik to throw the National Bank of Glazer at Falcons free agent Brent Grimes — whatever it takes.

It is an intriguing thought: Add a solid player to your lineup at a major position of need and weaken a division foe, the reigning division champ, all with two strokes of a pen.

For Bucs fans who pine for Grimes, this little piece of analysis by Pete Damilatis of ProFootballFocus should whet their appetite.

The Falcons’ surprise march to the No. 1 seed this season appears even more impressive when you realize they did it without their best defensive back. Grimes’ +17.2 grade in 2011 was second only to the great Darrelle Revis, and Atlanta used the franchise tag to ensure they’d keep the 29-year-old cornerback around for at least another year. When Grimes unfortunately tore his Achilles in Week 1 and missed the rest of the season, many assumed that his days as a Dirty Bird were done. But Atlanta should not let him walk away that easily.

Cornerbacks are still too often judged by their interception count, and Grimes’ one pick in 2011 didn’t put him on anyone’s radar. However, after dissecting the film, we saw one of the best cover corners in the NFL. Grimes’ average allowance of 0.58 Yards Per Cover Snap was the lowest for any cornerback with over 200 coverage snaps. On the season, he surrendered just 258 yards, allowing just 10.3 yards per reception and a 62.9 passer rating. His 12 passes defensed tied him for seventh-most at his position, as he knocked away 21.4% of the throws when he was targeted. And he was the model of consistency, only twice earning a negative PFF grade in a game.

That season wasn’t an outlier for Grimes either, as he received a Top-10 cornerback grade in 2010 and allowed just a 61.3 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks, earning the first of two straight PFF Pro Bowl selections. But regardless of his past production, should the Falcons really invest in a 30-year-old cornerback coming off an injury, especially when they already have Asante Samuel and Dunta Robinson under contract? That depends upon your opinion of Robinson, which at this point shouldn’t be very high.

Damilatis also touts Grimes as a solid run defender, which of course would make Bucs coach Greg Schiano smile.

Oh, and it seems the Dixie Chicks may not franchise any player this offseason.

The only things that scare Joe about Grimes is he is 30 and recovering from a blown Achilles. That is not a good combination.

But as bad as the Bucs’ play at corner was last year, a hobbled Grimes would have been an upgrade.

Joe has so many interviews he conducted at Media Day of Super Bowl week, he still has plenty in the can to last another couple of weeks.

Today, Joe brings you the words from former Super Bowl quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Boomer Esiason. The golden southpaw, a noted Josh Freeman critic, talked to Joe about how he feels the Bucs are on the verge of being an NFL powerhouse thanks to the decisions of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

JoeBucsFan: Your impressions of Greg Schiano’s first year guiding the Bucs?

Boomer Esiason: I thought it was good. I thought it was great. Now they just have to figure out their quarterback situation. They have to get more out of Josh. I know he is putting pressure on him; there is nothing wrong with that. It is all good. All of these young quarterbacks have to learn to grow into the next Tom Brady, Peyton Manning or Drew Brees. It takes lot of hard work and dedication and I am sure that is exactly what Greg was pointing to.

Joe: Was Mark Dominik, in a sense, a trendsetter because he was the first [NFL general manager] to look at Chip Kelly and all of a sudden everybody wanted to hire Kelly.?He did hire Schiano, mostly a college a guy. Now interviewing and hiring college guys seems to be a fad.

Esiason: Well, it’s not an overall fad. I do know Andy Reid was hired and a lot of [NFL] coordinators were hired. The pro game is different than the college game; I don’t care what anybody says. But, coaching, dedication, commitment, putting the time and effort in, that never changes. I don’t care what level you are at and Schiano has that in spades. He will put the time in. He knows the game and he certainly has a track record to fall back on. We will see if Chip Kelly has that. I’m not ready to brand him like that yet.

Joe: Lavonte David, I thought he was one of the most underrated rookies.

Esiason: He was! Uh, huh, he was. Most of us that follow the game on a weekly basis think [the Bucs] had a terrific rookie class, by the way. That is an up and coming team, there is no question about that. With the addition of Vincent Jackson through free agency, a smart addition, then adding Carl Nicks, there are a number of things they did that are really good. As long as Josh continues to grow and doesn’t have any downturns like he did towards the end of the year, even though they are in a tough division, they will be a tough team to deal with.

Joe is on the ground in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine! Damn, it’s cold around here.

It was a smooth trip made a lot more interesting by the Bucs’ coaching staff joining Joe on the flight.

Over the next handful of days, count on Joe delivering interviews with Bucs and NFL movers and shakers, as well as from various draft prospects and so much more.

Of course, Joe also will continue to deliver you all things Bucs 24/7.

ProFootballTalk.com creator/guru Mike Florio and the folks at NBC Sports looked at the Bucs’ offseason roster and declared that drafting a quarterback is a major priority. “You have to draft a quarterback,” Florio explains.

Joe can’t jump on that bandwagon.

Yes, it would be intriguing and possibly beneficial for the Bucs to use a 2013 mid-round pick on a quarterback, but this team has much greater needs. Joe’s long thought the desired “competition” for Josh Freeman is a bunch of hot air and needless. If Freeman cant lead a winning team and/or look like a guy who could be a Super Bowl winning quarterback next season, the last on his contract, the Bucs are sure to part ways and retool the offense. Better to address QB in 2014, if (and hopefully not) necessary.

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Look, Joe loves the thought of Jets star cornerback Darrelle Revis wearing pewter and red and making Bill Sheridan and Greg Schiano look like blitz-crazed geniuses next season.

But has the world forgotten that Revis tore his ACL five months ago? It’s starting to seem that way.

New York-based NFL Radio host and NFL.com analyst Adam Schein is the camp that brushes off concern about Revis’ knee. Yesterday for NFL.com, Schein had the nerve to suggest that the Bucs would trade two first-round picks for Revis.

Tampa Bay makes a lot of sense. The Buccaneers have plenty of cap room. Coach Greg Schiano loves Revis’ style. GM Mark Dominik needs a winning season. Revis is very marketable, and there are a ton of New York transplants living in Tampa. That’s important to the Glazer family. Could the Jets get a first-round pick this year and next in exchange for Revis? Tampa would pay him. A win for everyone.

Joe would be nauseous if the Bucs coughed up two first-rounders and gobs of cash for Revis. That’s a massive huge roll of the dice for a team that may not be so close to moving into the NFL’s elite. Joe would give up nothing more than a first round pick, and even that seems like a bit much.

As for Team Glazer desiring to market to “New York transplants,” tbat’s pure nonsense thrown out there by Schein. There’s no evidence of that and it doesn’t make any sense.

What does intrigue Joe is Revis having played under new Bucs special teams coach Dave Wannstedt at Pittsburgh. Wannstedt and Schiano are tight, and Revis might just be the “Buccaneer Man” cornerback in the Schiano mold.

Yes, the NFL Scouting Combine starts tomorrow, an event Joe likes to call “The World’s Largest Indoor Track Practice.” Others like to call it the “Underwear Olympics.” Whatever, it’s not football.

But it is the site of the best offseason football chatter outside of the draft — thanks to the NFL marketing geniuses. The NFL trots out hundreds of potential draft picks in one spot over four days for NFL writers to fill their notebooks and radio stations (such as SiriusXM NFL Radio) for four days. General managers and head coaches, and many other coaches, are there and available for rare offseason interviews.

To sort of kick off these events, NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock held a conference call to talk draft. He said he believes two defensive ends many people have going in the top 10 may still be sitting there at No. 11, via a press release from NFL Media.

Q. Mike, I’d like to ask you if there is any pass-rushing depth at the defensive end position around 30 where the Falcons will be picking. A lot of folks think tight end, but wanted to check on the D-end talent, the late first round, early second round?

Mike Mayock: Yeah, I have a little different opinion than what I’m hearing a lot of people have on these quote 4-3 defensive ends. I’m not as high on these guys as some people are.

For instance, I don’t think Bjoern Werner or Damontre Moore are top 10 players. They might go in the top 10, but I don’t see it that way. As you start dropping down later, what happens is Ezekial “Zeke” Ansah from BYU, he’s got as much upside as anybody in this draft. I don’t think he gets to [pick number] 30.

A couple other names to keep an eye on, whether it’s the first round or a little later after that. Tank Carradine, the quote “other” defensive end at Florida State who had a medical issue, he probably had first-round talent. He’s probably going to go in the second or third round, and somebody’s going to get a steal with this kid because of his natural upside. Alex Okafor from Texas is a second or third-round guy.

Now this gets Joe totally pumped. Joe has stated on the record more than a few times that he has a strong hunch that if there is a defensive end sitting at No. 13 that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik believes can provide an immediate pass rush, then Dominik will grab him.

Given Dominik’s habit of picking defensive linemen early, this isn’t much of a stretch. Now if somehow, someway, the Baron of Berlin, Bjoern Werner, is still there at No. 11, Joe would not be shocked in the least if Dominik makes a trade up to nab him. If the Bucs were able to land Werner, Joe would be giddy drunk for days on end!

Moore, of Texas A&M, is a guy some have speculated would slip to the Bucs at No. 13.

Mayock also made a great point about Carradine. He was widely regarded as Florida State’s best defensive end, not Werner, prior to the 2012 season. Carradine suffered a knee injury against Florida and was lost for the season.

If his knee checks out, wow! What a steal he could be in the third round, if he even lasts that long.

Bucs defensive end Da’Quan Bowers leaves a New York City jail late Monday after being collared for possession of a pistol at LaGuardia Airport yesterday morning.

Sometimes, Joe enjoys the hubris of some. Take attorneys who represent clients. In this case, said attorney is Dennis Coppin, who represents Bucs defensive end Da’Quan Bowers.

Yesterday, Bowers admitted to a US Airways clerk at LaGuardia Airport in Queens he was packing heat in his carry-on bag. This practice is frowned upon by New Yorkers, very much so in fact, and Bowers was slapped with a felony charge and locked up for the better part of Monday.

But in an e-mail to the Tampa Tribune, Coppin declares Bowers will walk away from these proceedings free as a bird, so reports Woody Cummings.

“After a full and fair investigation of the facts and circumstances regarding this registered firearm Mr. Bowers will be fully exonerated,” attorney Dennis Coppin wrote in an email to The Tribune on Tuesday.

That’s much easier said than done. As Joe pointed out yesterday after speaking to a former Manhattan prosecutor and current defense attorney in the Big Apple, Bowers and his counsel are going to have to disco dance through legal hoops for Bowers to walk on these charges.

Just like player agents, Joe is always suspicious of hired-gun attorneys boasting of their client’s innocence. Why? Well, have you ever heard an attorney say of his client, “He was caught with the bloody glove and we are throwing ourselves at the mercy of a jury of his peers for lenience?”

Of course not. Lawyers and agents have agendas, and Joe has no issue with that. Part of said agenda is putting up a desired front.

Phil Loadholt would be a massive addition

Here’s what we know about the Bucs’ right tackle position:

1) Overpaid free agent Jeremy Trueblood is sure to have a new address
2) Demar Dotson is barely starting caliber
3) Greg Schiano wants to run the football
4) Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has only drafted one offensive lineman in four years (he was cut) and prefers to not draft them

So given how much Schiano wants competition, and right tackle is the weakest link on the offensive line, you can safely bet the position will be addressed this offseason.

That’s a good thing, writes 98.7 FM host and draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski. The Commish explains it’s a buyers’ market at right tackle.

Bottom Line: Mark Dominik and the Bucs have invested a lot of money into their offensive line with the resigning of Donald Penn and Davin Joseph, and the addition of Carl Nicks in free agency. With that investment, the Bucs have not settled on a true right tackle. With the amount of offensive tackles available, it should be a buyers’ market and teams looking for a tackle could get a good deal. I think the Bucs should inquire about Andre Smith and Branden Albert, but I’d be fine if the Bucs ended up with Sebastian Vollmer or Phil Loadholt. With the physical style the Bucs like to use on offense, Loadholt might be the best target. He’d also give the Bucs the biggest offensive line in the NFL. #FGU

Top Free Agents: Jake Long (MIA), Branden Albert (KC), Ryan Clady (DEN), Andre Smith (CIN), Sebastian Vollmer (NE), Phil Loadholt (MIN), Gosder Cherilus (DET)

Loadholt is an interesting cat. He’s gargantuan, listed at 6-8, 343 pounds. And in a breakdown yesterday of Vikings free agents, Vikings beat writers at the Star-Tribune called Loadholt “a mauler” in the running game.

Joe would love to have another true mauler on the line. One great way to close out games is to run the football, rather than what Schiano did against the Eagles, set up a punt and rely on your league-worst secondary.

Superagent Drew Rosenhaus told Joe he’s not talking about Michael Bennett’s contract negotiations

Joe talked to oily yet very cordial superagent Drew Rosenhaus this morning, but Rosenhaus said he won’t comment on Michael Bennett’s contract negotiations with the Bucs, or anything related to Bennett. So that leaves Joe to speculate.

Given the fresh legal troubles of Da’Quan Bowers, who could get sacked big time by New York City courts, it’s reasonable to wonder whether that situation will affect the Bucs’ approach to re-signing Bennett. He’ll be on the open market in 21 days if the Bucs don’t ink him to a new deal or tag him as a franchise player before the March 4 franchise deadline.

Joe has to think Bowers’ gun shenanigans won’t radically change the Bucs’ plans but will at least make them a little more likely to franchise Bennett. They simply can’t afford to lose Bennett for 2013. Per BSPN, Bennett played a stunning 84 percent of defensive snaps, and every Bucs fan knows he played well. The Bucs aren’t good enough or deep enough to wave goodbye to Bennett. Plus, they have the cash to spend.

While the franchise tag would cost the Bucs in the neighborhood of $10.5 million for 2013 — and inflated rate for Bennett — it at least lets them avoid guaranteeing Bennett $20 million over, say, three years, which is likely what he’d be seeking in a new contract.

Joe has no clue how this might shake out, and Joe couldn’t press Rosenhaus into any hints.

In the wake of Bucs defensive end Da’Quan Bowers getting pinched for having a loaded gun at LaGuardia Airport in New York yesterday, details about the arrest as well as what Bowers could expect from the State of New York are leaking out.

Of course, Joe already dove into the legal hurdles Bowers must climb in order to avoid jail time altogether.

Shane Dixon Kavanaugh and Kerry Burke of the New York Daily News had a gripping blow-by-blow of what went down at LaGuardia Monday morning with Bowers.

Bowers — a second-round draft pick in 2011 who played college ball at Clemson University — was collared after he waltzed up to a US Airways check-in counter about 10:50 a.m. and told a ticketing agent he was packing a Smith & Wesson, authorities said.

The New York Post reports Bowers had the gun in his baggage on the flight to New York and didn’t realize it until he arrived at his hotel.

For those who fly regularly or infrequently, when checking bags, agents are asked if you have any dangerous items or firearms. Bowers, honest yet naively, stated, yes he did.

Next thing you know, Bowers was hauled away in cuffs.

Now Bowers was charged with the very same thing NFL wide receiver Plaxico Burress was slapped with and he spent the better part of two years in the hole.

But as Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com and a former practicing attorney, points out, the circumstances are night and day.

Still, prosecutors could regard Bowers’ case differently. Burress took his gun into a Manhattan nightclub, securing it in the waistband of his pants and having it discharge in the building. Though he only shot himself, the end result could have been much worse.

Bowers, if he’d known the severity of the New York law, could have found a way to get rid of the gun short of handing it over and essentially confessing his guilt. Throwing the book at him seems grossly unfair.

Sal Paolantonio, of ESPN, writing when Burress was arrested, noted that nearly 24 percent of those convicted of a lesser felony possession charge  didn’t serve a day in prison, but 24 percent spent one year in jail.

Indeed. Burress put many innocents at risk with his reckless decision. Bowers put no one at risk, and thought he was doing the right thing by telling a ticketing agent of the firearm, surely hoping to learn how to properly check the gun for travel.

If this case goes to trial, and the Burress trial is any barometer, Joe would be shocked if it took place before the end of the 2013 season.

Aside from a few mandatory court appearances, Joe cannot see Bowers missing any playing time as a result this season, barring the long arm of NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell getting involved.

Joe’s exploration of New York public records reveals that Da’Quan Bowers has posted bond and was released from jail this evening following the felony weapons possession charge slapped on him this morning.

His next court date is April 11, right around the time the Bucs will report back to One Buc Palace and begin their offseason program. Per Joe’s chat with a Manhattan defense attorney, Bowers likely will have to be present for all of his court appearances.