Joe took a look at the list of 50 or so tryout players participating in the rookie minicamp that runs through Sunday at One Buc Palace, and one name jumped off the page at Joe.

That would be Hofstra. That’s where Raheem The Dream played 1-AA ball.

The head coach embraced the well liked Bucs practice squad running back and Hofstra alum Kareem Huggins, who was signed last offseason. Now the Bucs will take a look at fullback/tight end/long snapper Phil Riley III, who seems to be a workout warrior type at 6-3, 248 lbs.

Heck, the guy’s got his own Web site.

The Bucs have K2, why not Phil3?

In all seriousness, Joe’s just thinking that Riley’s got the eye of Raheem The Dream. He won’t go unnoticed, which could give him a leg up on the field — or get him packing quickly.

Joe has already written this: Joe believes the pick of Florida State linebacker Dekoda Watson just may be the Sammie Stroughter-like steal of the 2010 draft.

Florida State’s defense has largely had pathetic coaching since former linebackers/assistant head coach Kevin Steele left for Alabama after Watson’s freshman year. Longtime fixture at defensive coordinator, Mickey Andrews, had understandably lost the fire after his son’s suicide (the details were pretty spooky) and had to be coaxed out of retiring twice by FSU icon Bobby Bowden. Chucky the Chest Amato sucked.

So given that Watson hadn’t been coached up, despite his obvious talents, Joe believes Watson could be polished into a productive NFL player, especially on special teams.

Seems as though NFL.com’s Pat Kirwan is of the same mindset. Kirwan broke down the Bucs draft and singled out Watson as one to watch.

Tampa Bay —  After getting rid of both coordinators last year, the Bucs finally settled down and played decent football. Raheem Morris returned the defense to the Monte Kiffin package and went out in this draft and double downed on defensive tackles Gerald McCoy (first round) and Brian Price (second round). There will be some real quickness upfront with those two on board. Second-round WR Arrelious Benn is a fine blocker, as well as receiver, and he may be good enough to crack the lineup this year. Seventh-round LB Dekoda Watson will be a factor on special teams.

Bucs general manager turned rock star Mark Dominik has for months preached about last week’s draft. In four years it will be fair to grade the draft, though grading drafts hours after their completion is good fun.

If Watson does become a good player, it is moves like this late in the draft that can earn it a high grade.

Just a note from Joe to remind you to check back here through the day, as always.

Joe’s got some interesting stuff coming later, and Joe will have reports out of today’s rookie minicamp at One Buc Palace.

And NFL Network will give their take from Tampa later tonight, and Joe will bring that to you, as well.

No more Joe Barry at OTAs and minicamps this offseason.

Joe thought he’d give Bucs fans the offseason, post-draft schedule for the Bucs.

Minicamps
April 30-May 2 (rookies)
June 21-23

OTAs
May 17-19
June 1-3
June 7-10
June 14-17

A lot has been made in recent days of Seattle offensive tackle Walter Jones, who announced his retirement this week.

How many knew the future Hall of Famer came to the Seahawks thanks to the Bucs?

It was 1997. The Seahawks were jonesing for an offensive tackle. So they swung a trade with the Bucs, shipping the 12th overall pick and a third round pick, 66th overall, to the Bucs for Tampa Bay’s sixth overall pick which the Seahawks used to select Jones.

Those two picks the Bucs received in return turned out to be Warrick Dunn and Ronde Barber, two key elements in the rebirth of the Bucs.

While Jones helped lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl some eight years later, and Dunn left the Bucs after Father Dungy was fired, it’s quite possible the Bucs wouldn’t have made it to the Super Bowl without Ronde Barber, thus not being able to win the Super Bowl.

In Joe’s eyes, the Bucs got the best of the deal: A Super Bowl title. 

Before getting into this post, Joe must mention that last week Woody Cummings, Bucs beat writer for the Tampa Tribune, quoted Gerald McCoy saying Warren Sapp would spend time working with him in Tampa.  Yet today Rick Stroud, aka Mad Twitterer, trumpets this same news in a story about McCoy, Sapp and Brian Price as if it’s a revelation in the St. Pete Times.

The Mad Twitterer talked to Sapp about the Bucs’ new defensive tackles, and Sapp didn’t have specifics on when he’ll be in town. But Sapp did offer some good takes on the challenges facing McCoy and second round pick Brian Price.

“The biggest transition will be the holding,” Sapp said. “In college I’d look at the referee and the flag would be dropped for holding. The first time I did that in NFL, I turned to the referee and said, ‘You didn’t see that hold?’ The ref looked at me and said, ‘Grow up.’ I said right then that it looks like I have to get this on my own. It’s a learning curve, that nobody, nobody can understand or appreciate. He’s going to have some fun and some sleepless nights. It goes with that position right there.

“We’re about to see how much does he really love it?” Sapp said. “You see his enthusiasm, but does that correlate to hours and hours in the office? When you want to go home to Oklahoma, maybe you should want to bring the family to Tampa. Does he take that mentality? Everything he needs is here. Disney is right up the road.”

Of course, Sapp’s talking about commitment.

Price and McCoy have an awful lot of work to do to even come close to being impact players in 2010. Joe has high hopes for them, just not this season.

If Sapp himself couldn’t impact the league or his team significantly in his first season, Joe can’t figure out why anyone should expect that of McCoy and Price.

Joe’s putting his big expecations in 2010 on guys like Aqib Talib, Tanard Jackson and Barrett Ruud to step up to near Pro Bowl levels, and the Bucs actually being able to move the chains on the ground.

Shortly after the close of the NFL Draft, the Bucs reached out to undrafted free agent James Ruffin, who was a star defensive end at Northern Iowa, a two-time defensive player of the year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, and a two-time Division 1-AA All American (Yeah, Joe realizes they don’t call it 1-AA anymore).  He is now a Buccaneer and will join drafted playes and other rookie free agents at a three-day minicamp in Tampa that starts tomorrow. Ruffin will then return to Northern Iowa to graduate with a degree in construction managment on May 8. Joe talked to Ruffin this morning. Here’s what he had to say:

Joe: What should Bucs fans know about you as a football player?

James Ruffin: I think I’m a type of guy that’s going to come in and know that I’m an underdog with something to prove. I’m a leader and I give 100 percent all the time. And I can bring a lot to the team as far as that kind of effort and attitude.

Joe: What kind of pass rusher are you?

Ruffin: I can mix it up a little bit. I have an inside move and an outside move. I’m relentless rushing the passer. I really can get it going.

Joe: What’s your football story? How’d you get to this point in your career?

Ruffin: Getting to Northern Iowa and moving positions a couple of times was unique. I was told I would be fullback out of high school, then the first day at Northern Iowa they moved me to linebacker. They asked me to play as a freshman as a backup linebacker, but then I said I would redshirt because I didn’t want to do that. Then they asked me to be a defensive end. At first I didn’t like it because I never played defense before. I thought I would never get over 250 pounds, and I didn’t want to be one of the fat guys.  I didn’t like it. But I gained 35 pounds that first year and got up to 274 pounds with low body fat. And then I’ve been progressing every year and learning the position. I’ve always been a coachable kid.

Joe: How was the NFL Draft for you? What were your expectations?

Ruffin: I was told I was going to go sixth or seventh round. I was sitting around with my family. That was the hardest thing. Really hard.

Joe: Who told you to expect to be drafted?

Ruffin: It was a combination of coaches, scouts and agents. They said I could slip through but they didn’t think so.

Joe: How did the Buccaneers come into play?

Ruffin: The Bucs were the one team that I had never talked to, never talked to them personally. The Bucs came out of nowhere. I was talking to Kansas City, Jacksonville, Denver and Cincinatti. I think the fact that they drafted [defensive end] Erik Lorig in the seventh round and the coach [defensive line coach Todd Wash] was telling me that there could be a couple of spots open, that’s what made Tampa Bay more attractive to me and intriguing. It’s ideal to not have a big bunch of vets in front of me.

Joe: Do you know anyone on the Buccaneers? And have you gotten advice on how to approach rookie minicamp?

Ruffin: I don’t know anyone. My [agent] also represents a couple of the Bucs’ linebackers, but I’m not sure which ones. I’ve gotten all kinds of advice. ‘Don’t count your reps; make your reps count’ was something I heard. I’ll follow that.

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.

Yesterday, White served up a deep Xs and Os look at how the Bucs could successfully integrate their young defensive tackles.

Today, White offers up a bonus take in hopes the Bucs organization takes notice and considers this subtle change to its defensive line play.

I want to make a direct plea to whom it may concern over at One Buc Place.

When I got into the NFL almost every NFL team lined up their defensive end to the strong side in base in a 7-technique (outside foot splitting the tight ends stance) with their outside hand down.

I’m not quite sure who came up with it, but every team did it. And it was horrible. Not only did we still allow the tight end a free release on passing plays. We also, by alignment, made it easy for even mediocre tight ends to cave us inside on stretch running plays outside. To make matters worse, we were constantly losing our gap, which was the inside C-gap between the tight end and tackle, even though we were lined up there initially because with our outside hand down we ended up stepping outside while the tight end was stepping outside and bam, there goes a cutback lane.

But then one day in the offseason after my rookie year, the defensive ends and Coach Marinelli, our defensive line coach, decided that instead of doing what had always been done, we would start lining up head up on the tight end, most of the time with our inside hand down.

With that alignment, tight ends had to work to get around us before they could get down the field on a pass. It also made it a mano-e-mano matchup with the tight end on blocking plays. And we expected to, and usually did, dominate that matchup. But maybe most important of all with our inside hand down even though we were head up by alignment we would always be taking our first step towards our gap, which makes it easier to keep the tight end from cutting us off.

Needless to say the new alignment worked, and all of a sudden a bunch of other teams in the NFL were doing the same thing. Nowadays you will be hard pressed to find a team still employing a 7-technique on the strong side of base defense in a 4-3.

That point leads me to this one.

There are some formations that cause the current Bucs linebackers to remove themselves from the tackle to tackle “box.” In that situation, or even sometimes just for the hell of it, defensive coordinators may ask the nosetackle to play what is commonly referred to as a “G” technique, where they are head up to just shaded inside on the backside guard but still have the -gap inside of them as their gap responsibility.

The thought process generally is that if the nosetackle can get push on the guard while maintaining their A-gap, they will make it hard for a running back that starts strong to make a downhill cut all the way back to the B-gap, which is open initially because of the linebacker being out of the box. Instead, in theory, the running back will have to keep running strong or, if they try to cut back, they have to go laterally or even give ground, which gives the removed linebacker and the rest of the defense a few split seconds to rally to the ball.

The problem is that forever and a day, for whatever reason, the nosetackle has been taught to put his outside hand down in this alignment. This creates the same problem for the nosetackle that it created for us when the guard blocks inside. Either the nosetackle has to come off cautiously so as not to lose their gap, in which case they end up getting pushed off the line of scrimmage, or they come off hard and the guard gets inside them easily. Either way it gives the running back an immediate downhill cut back lane.

So my suggestions/recommendation/plea is that we experiment with having our nosetackles play a “G” technique with their inside hand down. This allows them to still get off the ball hard while maintaining their gap. An added plus is it also helps them get into a pass rush should that occasion come up.

If you try it in pads and it doesn’t work, then you can always go back and scrap it. If you try it and it DOES work, however, you will have helped your young nosetackles immensely. And I bet that soon enough other teams will follow your lead.

Just a thought.

The Bucs could have used Chris Hovan's experience and leadership. But his salary may have prevented his return.

With Mark Dominik now an NFL rock star, with some of the top names in sports broadcasting now begging him for airtime, Bucs fans seem to be equally giddy over Dominik and his selections in last week’s NFL draft.

The way people are raving over Dominik, he may be the most popular Bucs employee since Chucky hoisted the Lombardi Trophy aloft in victory.

It seems, however, that eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune isn’t totally drinking the Dominik Kool-Aid. Kaufman seems to be of the mind that because the Bucs are so full of youth with a limited number of veterans, that it spells doom for the coming season, so Kaufman posted on the TBO Bucs Twitter feed.

Going all young doesn’t work in the NFL. Never has. You need some veterans to show the kids the way. The 3-13 Buccaneers need leaders.

Veterans are one thing. Stiffs are another. Sure, Chris Hovan may have been able to help out rookies Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, but if Hovan was going to be a part-time player (at best), it was hard to justify his hefty salary.

Blocking icon Michael Clayton is a veteran. Does anyone want him tutoring the young receivers?

While Kaufman is on the mark as usual, a veteran has to be both cost effective and productive on the field. Otherwise, what’s the point?

Sitting at a breakfast table at the NFL winter meetings with Raheem The Dream and/or schmoozing with Mark Dominik in a hallway doesn’t mean you’ll learn much.  

Bucs rookie cornerback Myron Lewis was quite a student and had an interesting pre-test ritual

Now Joe couldn’t resist making a big deal when Gerald McCoy told the world his favorite movie is Little Mermaid, a Disney classic and a booger-nosed toddler favorite to this day.

So, to be fair, Joe can’t just blow off learning that Bucs third-round pick Myron Lewis listens to Barry Manilow in order to loosen up and get focused.

Also, educating his readers to this bizarre fact gives Joe a chance to put out there that Lewis graduated Vanderbilt in 3 1/2 years and was an honor roll student. The dude’s a smart guy.

What does it take to be academically successful at Vanderbilt?
[Lewis:] Knowing how to manage school work and leisure time. Also, avoiding procrastination is key to being academically sound.

How do you manage your demanding schedule?
I am a guy who usually goes with the flow, but at this level scheduling and writing down important times and dates are very imperative in order to get things done.

What is your ritual before taking a test?
I usually read over my notes before class and listen to a little Barry Manilow!!!

Joe’s got no problem with Little Mermaid or Barry Manilow. (the “Showgirl” reference in the headline is a popular Manilow lyric.)

And the new-era Bucs defensive players in touch with their feminine side is all good with Joe, as long as they play like savages on Sundays.

Yeah, Joe’s a Rays fan.

And with the Rays jumping out to a 16-5 record with a sound team loaded with pitching, it’s a pretty good bet that the Rays will be back in the playoffs or at least playing very meaningful games in September and October.

Back in 2008, Joe was in the press box on Mike Alstott Night when the Rays were in the playoffs and the Buccaneers still had plenty of seats available for a Sunday Night Football game honoring perhaps the most popular Bucs player in history.

Joe remembers looking around at the empty seats and being flabbergasted that the then 4-2 Bucs were struggling to sell tickets. Especially considering that fresh in Joe’s mind was the absolute sea of New York Giants fans at the Bucs’ last playoff game nine months earlier.

That was enough evidence for Joe that the Bucs were in a popularity freefall, which has now culminated in Team Glazer admitting to looming blackouts in 2010.

Given the still-painful economy, Joe can’t help but wonder how ugly it could get for the Bucs as early as September, if  the team isn’t winning and the Rays are buzzing toward a division crown.

There’s only so much money to go around nowadays, and Joe knows quite a few middle class Bucs fans who would rather save their cash for a Rays playoff ticket then go out to the C.I.T.S. to watch a losing football team.

Of course, football always comes first for Joe, but just how many hardcore fans are there to stand behind a rebuilding team in a rough economy?

If the Bucs can’t win early and Rays keep humming along, we’re all going to find out.

Bucs general manager Mark Dominik has truly turned into a rock star since, by all accounts (on paper), he had one of the best drafts in the NFL last week.

There doesn’t seem to be a decent or respectable radio show, both locally and nationally, that Dominik hasn’t appeaed on since last week’s draft.

Wednesday, Dominik decided to walk into the lion’s den, joining Adam Schein and Rich Gannon, co-hosts of “The Blitz” heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio.

Gannon is a Chucky disciple and intimate and is not overly friendly towards the Bucs, partially because the Bucs not only beat him and his Raiders in the Super Bowl, but that Derrick Brooks basically ended his career. But Gannon at least tries to be objective.

Schein may have been the most vocal critic of Dominik and the Bucs over the past year, using loud versions of either “I don’t think they know what the hell they are doing,” or “I don’t know what the hell is going on down there.”

To be blunt, the Bucs did little to dispute Schein’s statements in 2009.

At one point, Schein suggested the Bucs were one of the worst organizations in the NFL and openly guffawed at Dominik’s personnel moves in choosing wide receivers.

So it was more than interesting to hear Dominik choose, of all shows, to join Schein and Gannon. Joe snickered when Schein — in person, a truly kind fellow — introduced Dominik as “a friend of the radio program.”

Here are some of Dominik’s nuggets:

On Brian Price and Gerald McCoy:

“We stayed with our board. We took who we thought was the best player available. We brought him in and talked to him in Tampa about the possibility of picking him if he was still there at the 35th pick. We asked him what he wanted to play and he was on board with us about playing [different positions alongside Gerald McCoy].

“We are happy to have Brian Price. People on the east coast don’t know much about him but people on the west coast do. 

“McCoy is a fantastic kid. You can understand how he can turn it on and be the face of the franchise. He can plug right into this defense right away. We believe [production on the defense will go up]. That’s why we went back to Price. The way McCoy plays, he will get others to produce around him.

“Price has great leverage and great use of his hands. He can go full throttle and create disruption. That is what we look for, anything to collapse the pocket. With his leverage, he can play nose tackle. Now we have two legitimate inside pass rushers.”

 On Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams:

“Both have size and that’s what I believe in. In the west coast offense, I’m, a big believer in getting out of breaks and getting open. Ben can get yards after contact. The same thing with Mike Williams. He has big play ability. He can attack the football and dominate games. Both should have a great opportunity not just to play, but to start.

“[Williams] is competitive. He made mistakes and paid the price. He is coming in with a new clean slate. It made a lot of sense for us in the fourth round to bring him to Tampa.”

On Josh Freeman:

“I expect him to deliver the ball quicker. It was good experience for him to win two of the final three games to end the season. He’s excited to play with the two young guys and Sammie Stroughter and Reggie Brown.”

[Joe’s note:  No mention of blocking icon Michael Clayton. Hhhhmmmm?]

“[Lack of experience at receiver] is not as concerning. It’s a position that a player can jump into and produce. Look at Percy Harvin. [Rookies] can be productive. Stroughter certainly was for us as a seventh rounder.

“We will just look for Freeman to have more accuracy and limit turnovers. He had some great moments last year but also had five interceptions against Carolina. He put us in position to win in six of nine games and that was important. He just needs talent around him.”

On Alex Van Pelt and Greg Olson:

“Alex Van Pelt is a great hire. We have four young guys at quarterback, partially because we have Alex Van Pelt. I am looking forward to the quarterbacks taking advantage of Van Pelt.

“Olson will have his own offense. He will try to get this offense in the right direction.”

On Raheem the Dream:

“Very few coaches call plays from a defensive perspective. But Raheem dialed in and the players responded with the same crew. I think he does a great job with the players. They respond to him. I think — myself included — he has learned.”

On perceived money restrictions for the Bucs.

“We are able to do whatever we want in Tampa. [Budgets are] never a concern for this organization. We will build through the draft and add as we need to.”

On Myron Lewis:

“I’m really excited about his ball skills. He can play with his back to the ball and turn around and make a play. I like his feet and his movement skills.’

"Look man, you need to practice or I'm not &^%'n playing your old ass."

Now how the hell is Mike Shanahan supposed get Joey Galloway and Santana Moss on the field at the same time if Chucky couldn’t figure out how to play Galloway and Antonio Bryant at the same time?

Perhaps that question will be answered in September.

Galloway, who turns 39 in the fall, just signed with the Redskins, per the Washington Post. One would have to believe he looked pretty good in a workout to get signed, albeit surely for no guaranteed money.

Very impressive for a guy his age.

And to think the free-spending Skins could have had Michael Clayton last week for, say, a seventh round pick in 2013.

Considering the Bucs seemingly drafted a stable of model citizens and students, wide receiver Mike Williams and his questionable reputation certainly stand out in the crowd.

Compounding that is Williams being one the of the big wild cards on the Bucs’ roster in 2010. Raheem The Dream and Mark Dominik already have expressed high-impact hopes for the young man.

So Joe has been doing his homework on Williams since the draft. Today, Joe found this interview Williams did with NationalFootballPost.com a few weeks ago.

It seems Williams grew up respecting his mother’s strict authority growing up on the mean streets of Buffalo.

What was it like for you growing up in Buffalo?

Williams: “It’s called the hood where I’m from. I don’t want to compare it to other people’s hoods, but it was hard growing up there and seeing people selling drugs, seeing a fight every day. All my friends was like seeing the same thing. We didn’t know how to grow up any other way. My mom took me away from all that.

“She made me come home by 9’oclock. I had to make decisions and I made the right one, I took the school route. Everybody knew I had a strict mom that I had to be in the house at 9. At the time, I was mad that I had to be in when the street lights went on, but that was the right thing for me.”

Joe respects what Williams has overcome. Few accomplish what he has.

But Joe has very limited expecations of Williams in a Bucs uniform in 2010. If the Bucs can get 20 catches out of him and a couple of touchdowns, Joe will be very pleased. Heck, that’s an upgrade over Michael Clayton.

How good was Mark Dominik’s draft last week? So good, on paper, that the man is becoming a rock star of sorts.

First, Joe’s good friend and the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, honored Dominik with a prime appearance on his radio show.

Then, Peter King paid homage with a good chunck of his weekly Tuesday edition of Monday Morning Quarterback devoted to Dominik.

Yesterday, none other than Jim Rome hosted Dominik on his widely popular national syncidated radio show, heard locally on WDAE-AM 620.

During yesterday’s Rome appearance, Dominik stated had the Bucs somehow landed the top overall pick, Gerald McCoy still would have been selected, even over manbeast Ndamukong Suh, so notes eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

“We knew we were in great shape with Gerald McCoy or Ndamukong Suh, but we were excited about McCoy because he’s the entire package. He’s a great fit for the 3-technique. We thought he was the best 3-technique on the board.”

As Michael David Smith, writing for ProFootballTalk.com pointed out, this quote will be good news to McCoy’s agent.

Joe also suspects this same quote will motivate McCoy to work like a crazed dog to prepare for the 2010 season.

Joe loves the 21st century, when fans get to belt Bucs beat writers with questions in live chats.

Most of the time it’s boring, annoying interaction, but today there were some fireworks at TampaBay.com when Stephen Holder, of the St. Pete Times, entertained comments and queries from readers.

One guy tried to question Holder’s manhood and cornered him with a question about Raheem The Dream’s future, but Holder danced out of it and even talked down to the guy.

[Comment From Victor]
Show some balls. How many wins does Raheem need to keep his job in 2011?
Wednesday April 28, 2010 12:23 
 

Stephen Holder
12:24 I don’t think you understand how this works. There is no number. They need to show progress. That can happen even if the record isn’t substantially better. This is a long term thing with the Glazers. The Bucs aren’t winning the Super Bowl this year most likely, so the record isn’t the most important issue. They’re building something — or trying to build something I guess

Joe likes Holder’s style, but Joe knows there’s a number on Raheem’s head somewhere in the cone of silence deep in the bowels of One Buc Palace.

It’s just almost impossible to think Raheem survives a three- or four-win season in which the team somehow “progresses.”

As Joe has written before, the Glazers may be patient, but there’s always a limit.

In this video from Comcast sports in the Washington D.C. market, Bucs seventh-round pick Cody Grimm talks all things Bucs, including insight into his future role on the team as a special team player and a strong safety.

Joe’s waiting for the first ridiculous John Lynch comparison.

Former Bucs DE Steve White

By STEVE WHITE
JoeBucsFan.com analyst 

 Steve White spent every season of the Tony Dungy era (1996-2001) playing defensive end for the Bucs. He’s spent countless hours in the film room with the likes of Warren Sapp, Rod Marinelli and more. Joe is humbled to have White, also a published author and blogger, as part of the JoeBucsFan.com team. Recently, White even contributed “Insider” NFL Draft content to ESPN.com. 

 Below is White’s weekly Bull Rush column that breaks down all things defense with a focus on the defensive line. It’s simply a can’t-miss read for the hardcore Bucs fan. 

With the 2009 season over, White has broken down every Bucs defensive lineman, shared takes on offseason preparation, and gotten into some serious Xs and Os. For football junkies, reading White’s work is like striking gold.  

Today, White analyzes how the Bucs could find success on the defensive line with their young defensive tackles.

Grab a cold beverage and enjoy.

I have my issues with us drafting Brian Price in the second round after drafting Gerald McCoy with the No. 3 pick in the first round, which don’t really reflect the way I feel about Price as a player.

He definitely has first-round talent and that he would have made us or somebody else a great undertackle. It more has to do with the fact that I have reservations about drafting two guys with such similar skill sets so early in the draft, and I also truly believe that drafting Price at that slot eventually cost us a fifth-round pick that potentially could have at least provided competition at another position, if not developed into a starter.

But let’s set all that aside for the moment.

Both McCoy and Price are here now, and GM Mark Dominik as well as Coach Morris both say they will team up with Roy Miller to form a disruptive defensive tackle rotation. The question is how do we maximize each player’s abilities both individually and collectively to get the most out of them as a group?

As you might imagine I have some ideas, so I thought I might share.

First of all, it’s important for fans to understand that playing nosetackle is as different from playing undertackle/3-technique as playing safety is to playing cornerback. Sure, you both belong to the same generic group whether its the defensive line or the secondary, but the technique with your footwork and hands are divergent, as are the schemes you will see thrown at you.

For an undertackle, you are going to be in a wide 3-technique with your inside hand on the ground on the offensive guard’s outside foot or wider. You will be tilted inside in your alignment to aid you in seeing the ball being snapped and you will have what we call a “credit card” alignment, meaning you get as close to the line of scrimmage as possible without being called for lining up in the neutral zone. Everything is about attacking off the snap and then playing whichever blocking scheme is thrown at you. There is no read and react, you force them to react to you as much as is humanly possible.

From this position you may see a zone-strong running scheme where the guard tries to overtake your outside shoulder and block you inside so that the running back can bounce it outside. There also is the opposite play, in which they zone-weak and the guard slip blocks you off quickly up to the linebacker and the backside tackle tries to scramble or cut block you to create a cutback lane.

You may have a base block where the offensive guard comes off low and hard at your inside shoulder on downhill between the tackle runs by the running back. You may also get a double team between the offensive tackle and guard, either on a downhill off tackle running play or on a counter-play strong. And then you have the occasional down block where the guard in front of you pulls outside and the tackle on your side blocks down on your outside shoulder to cave you inside.

Nosetackles don’t have the luxury of being in wide alignment. Instead, you line up with your inside hand down inside of the center’s outside leg. Your tilt is more pronounced in our defense and is referred to as being cocked. The secret about this alignment is when being double teamed, which a nosetackle will be A LOT, you don’t want to give both guys a lot of surface to hit.

If you go into the gap with your shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage then you make it easy for the offensive line. The center takes one shoulder, the guard takes the other, and you end up playing the deep third back by the safeties. But if you can get into the gap with your shoulders more perpendicular to the line of scrimmage you still give the center your chest to block but you make it hard on the guard who only has your back to push on. In fact, the more the guard pushes you in the back, the more he is actually helping you defeat the center’s block, if you get good hand placement and arm extension on him.

Which ain’t easy. In fact, a nosetackle getting his hands into a center’s chest consistently on run blocks is one of the hardest things to do in football in my opinion.

Timing Very Different At Nose, Undertackle

Now some of the schemes a nosetackle will face will somewhat mimic what an undertackle sees but the timing is different because guards are usually backed off the line while the center is, of course, lined up on it. So when an undertackle is double teamed it’s more of a simultaneous block, whereas when a nosetackle gets doubled it’s more of a bang-bang scenario. The center punches you and then here comes the guard coming to clean you up. In that same vein, a nosetackle wants to be quick off the ball but he doesn’t want to fire up field. Instead, he wants to take a good short power step and shoot his hands so that he has a good base of strength with good balance.

Aside from the double team a nosetackle will see a lot of scoop blocks on zone-strong, where the center posts them and then heads up to the linebacker and the guard tries to cut or scramble them. If a nosetackle can’t play that block, it creates a huge soft spot in the defense because the linemen on the strong side are hustling to make sure the running back has to cut back. If he can cut back and hit the hole downhill where the nose should be, then he gets to get up a head of steam heading into the secondary. Not a good look.

There are a few centers still athletic enough to reach-block a nosetackle, and it can also be hell on a run defense if they are successful.

I remember back in the days when Frank Winters for the Green Bay Packers made that block into almost an art form. If you block a nosetackle inside you are moving him from one side of the formation to the other. At that point, the defense is woefully outnumbered on the weakside and that’s how you end up with breakout runs.

Line Stunts, Assignments Could Provide An Edge

A more rarely used but very effective blocking scheme against a nosetackle is the Wham block. It’s a total asshole move where a team uses an offset fullback or a flexed tight end to come in and blindside the nose after the center flashes them to get them going up the field. Guys get so excited about being unblocked that many times they never see the block coming, and MAN does it sting!

Probably, the No. 1 worry with such young guys playing for us in the middle is they will have urges to make plays that aren’t theirs to make.

What I mean is that McCoy may be getting reach blocked and see the running back appear to be on course to run inside of him. Well, natural instinct in that case is to forgo your gap and peek inside to help out on the tackle. But the difference between NFL running backs and college running backs is tremendous. And if you duck inside on most NFL running backs they will see it, bounce the ball outside right where you were supposed to be and make you pay.

You have to trust that your teammate that is supposed to have the gap inside will do their job and make the play while you continue to do yours. It sounds easy, but it goes against most football players makeup to not try to make every play no matter what.

So considering the fact that we have three guys in McCoy, Price, and Miller who are all of similar size, which is to say they are considered somewhat undersized in this day and age, but are all athletic and strong, how do we put them in the best position to win?

One word. MOVEMENT

And really, this doesn’t just apply to them, but to our whole defensive line.

Don’t get me wrong, the majority of snaps in most games we will have to line up and get after it. But we should also be mixing it up with line stunts on early downs and pass rush games on longer yardage situations.

In all reality, line stunts turn into pass rush games if it’s not a run anyway. But the point is with movement you keep offensive linemen off balance, you make them hesitant when coming off the ball, you keep our guys from being double teamed as much, you get the most out of our guys athleticism, and you also set yourself up well to get a pass rush versus play-action pass.

Also, and this isn’t a minor thing, you can save young guys from themselves by giving them an assigned place to go rather than have them trying to read and play a block correctly every single play.

Tons of people keep saying we need to get back to what we used to do in our defense and I couldn’t agree more. But it’s worth noting that even at the end of his tenure, Monte Kiffin probably wasn’t using as many line stunts as he could have or should have.

We can dictate to the other team where the ball goes with our stunts while helping each other defeat blocks. For instance, there is a stunt where our strong side defensive end and undertackle make inside moves on the snap of the ball. This creates a situation where the running back has to keep the ball strong and, when run properly, can’t cut back. On the same stunt the undertackle has the ability to pick the center off of the nosetackle so that he can get over the top strong and help out on the tackle. And guess what, if it’s a pass instead, the nosetackle just loops around strong to get after the quarterback while the defensive end and undertackle have opportunities to get quick pressure with their inside moves.

If you have ever read any of my missives here you know how I feel about pass rush games and with the addition of McCoy and Price along with Miller getting better in his second year, we could strike fear in the hearts of offensive linemen on third down.

Again, there are times when guys will have to win one-on-one battles but pass rush games even help with that. If we have success running a TEX game (tackle penetrate, end loop inside) then offensive tackles will be wary of kick-stepping out to defend the speed rush. If we have success with EX games (end penetrate inside, tackle loop outside) you can have the guard scared to follow the defensive tackle on inside moves worried a defensive end is on the way to blast them in their earhole.

As great as Warren Sapp was as at pass rushing one on one, his TEX games were devastating. It got to the point where you could watch film after our games and see offensive tackles immediately reaching out their inside arm on the snap for fear that he was coming for him. And, of course, that would make them late getting out to block the defensive end. That’s the kind of fear we need to get back to instilling in people.

No ‘Vanilla Football’

And best of all, if we can get back to running great TOM games (one tackle penetrates inside, other tackle loops), we can give both of our ends straight one-one-one opportunities while getting great push in the pocket from the penetrator and the looper has a chance for a cleanup hit. If we run that a few times, the interior offensive linemen will be so confused they will end up losing all of their technique and start taking bad pass sets, which once again only helps in one-on-one situations.

Now I know that there are some 4-3 teams that have these humongous defensive tackles teamed up with somewhat lighter undertackles, but it’s important to remember that in the so called glory days of our defense that was never the case here. Both Brad Culpepper and Anthony McFarland were at nosetackle and Sapp was at undertackle, so it’s not like this is unprecedented or an impossible situation.

What it does mean though is that we shouldn’t just be playing vanilla football. A lot of attention gets paid to blitzing but you have to have movement even when we are just in a four-man line. That’s how we did it back then, and that’s how we can have a lot of success now.

Otherwise, you are asking Price and Miller at just over 300 pounds to sit in there against double teams from, say, the Saints, which will bring guards pushing 350+ pounds and a center pushing 320.

Not a good look.

Before you ask, yes, I remain skeptical about Price starting at nosetackle, but at the same time I want my team to win and I want him to be successful. I think the best way for both of those things to happen is to keep our defensive line on the move. It’s worked before, and it can work again.

As long as that’s our actual game plan, that is….

Joe had heard various employees at One Buc Palace talk about the need to add players to help out franchise quarterback Josh Freeman.

When the Bucs passed on a chance to add a young, elite receiver like Santonio Holmes for a fifth round pick, Joe was chagrin, convinced that talk of helping Freeman was lip service.

But then Bucs general manager Mark Dominik landed stud wide receivers like Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams.

NFL Network’s Steve Wyche, writing for NFL.com, is convinced Josh Freeman has become a markedly better quarterback as a result of last week’s draft, before Freeman has even thrown a ball their way.

As good as Dominik feels about the defensive upgrade, adding big, game-breaking receivers Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams with second- and fourth-round picks, respectively, will make Tampa Bay competitive faster than presumed after last season’s 3-13 train wreck.

The 6-foot-1, 219-pound Benn and Williams, who’s 6-1, 221, provide Freeman two noticeable targets to team with tight end Kellen Winslow. Benn and Williams are strong run-after-the-catch players who could help Freeman’s completion percentage by allowing him to throw shorter routes and letting the receivers do the rest of the work. Benn’s style has been compared to Baltimore receiver Anquan Boldin, a powerful runner who often makes catches in tight traffic because of his physicality. Williams can stretch the field more than Benn, but he is similar in the way he fends off would-be tacklers.

Tampa Bay’s existing and former crop of receivers was more prone to catch the ball and go down. The Buccaneers wanted significantly more help with the maturation of Freeman, who started nine games last season, completing 158 of 290 passes (54.5 percent) for 1,855 yards, 10 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

Joe isn’t overly impressed with the Bucs’ running game, though he thinks the world of Earnest Graham and Cadillac Williams. Maybe since the Bucs receiving corps last year was so miserable, teams pretty much ignored the passing game and concentrated on the rush.

Perhaps the two new stud rookie receivers can take some pressure off the Bucs’ running attack.

By ignoring big-named free agents, Mark Dominik was able to land defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Consider longtime Sports Illustrated NFL columnist Peter King to be in agreement with Bucs general manager Mark Dominik considering free agents. There weren’t that many good ones out there.

Dominik thought it would be better, long term, to stock up on draft picks. Meanwhile, many Bucs fans howled from the highest reaches, fingering Team Glazer for financially draining the Bucs dry thanks to their English kickball team.

King, as he wrote yesterday, believes Dominik was on target.

The Bucs refused to enter the restricted free-agent market — logically, I think, because to give up the third pick in the draft for most of the top RFAs who carried first-round or first- and third-round compensation is silly. But that puts a lot of pressure on the five top picks to come and play pretty big roles right away. It’s interesting that the focus will almost be as much on the 101st pick as on the third.

But King also noted a cautionary tale: As can be expected when depending too much on the draft, if the players don’t work out, Raheem the Dream is in hot water and perhaps, so too is Dominik.