Like many Bucs fans, iconic Double Nickel, Mr. Derrick Brooks, isn’t expecting miracles from the 2012 Bucs defense. In fact, Brooks isn’t sure if the Bucs can climb to the ranks of a middle-of-the-pack NFL defense this season.

Former Bucs guard Ian Beckles, an ex-teammate of Brooks, hit Brooks with a hardball question on the potential of the Bucs’ defense during the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday. Based on his response, Brooks doesn’t seem moved by the addition of Eric Wright, Mark Barron and Lavonte David, the return of Ronde Barber, and guys like Gerald McCoy, Cody Grimm and Michael Bennett coming into the season 100 percent healthy.

Ian Beckles: Did we do enough in the offseason to think that we’re going to be at least an average defense this year?

Derrick Brooks: That’s yet to be seen. You know, I wasn’t expecting much to be done up front because of the drafts that we’ve had the last couple of years. It’s time to see where these young [defensive linemen] are and see if they’re the answer, or do you need to be more active in free agency. …  That’s a tough question that I asked myself looking at their defense based on how they performed last year. How much was it personnel? You know, how much was it with the defense itself and the players alone and the system they played in, you know, the details of it? So we’ll get a chance to see going in with Coach Sheridan what Head Coach Schiano was able to put together. But the answer may not be in the free agents. It may just be in stability of what you’re bringing to the orgainization and the stability of what you’re bringing on the defense. That may be enough to get some improvement. How much? Only time will tell.

Joe has no crystal ball, and can only hope/assume the Bucs will return to respectability on defense. Joe would be happy to simply not see the team get gutted and gashed up the gut repatedly and, you know, tackle.

Joe’s confident the Bucs will improve defensively, though unsure it will be enough — or fast enough — to successfully defend the Panthers, Giants and Cowboys in the season’s first three games. 

There were so many pointed fingers, and areas for the Bucs to improve on, after the grotesque 10-game losing streak last season that Joe doesn’t know where to start.

Of course, Josh Freeman’s 25 interceptions sure didn’t help matters. And because Freeman is trying to rebound from such a hole, Len Pasquarelli of the Sports Xchange believes Freeman could very well be the 2012 Comeback Player of the Year provided the Bucs play well.

No doubt, it’s still very much a quarterback league, and the Bucs play in one of the most quarterback-driven divisions in the NFL, with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton around. But the Bucs, who slumped from 10 wins in 2010 to a dozen losses last season, ran the ball fewer times than any team (346 attempts) in ’11. That might help explain their No. 30 statistical rating in rushing offense, and the paucity of runs could be explained in part by early deficits in most games, but a trickle-down effect as the, well, trickle down of Freeman’s performance.

Regarded as one of the NFL’s rising stars, and with some Tampa Bay officials privately insisting only a year ago that they would not trade Freeman for any player in the league, his touchdown passes fell from 25 to 16 and his interceptions rose from six to 22. Freeman posted a better completion percentage than the previous season, and had more passing yards, but his quarterback rating fell by more than 20 points. One of the league’s biggest quarterbacks from a physical dimension standpoint, Freeman was also one of the biggest flops in the NFL in 2011.

But if the Bucs are to compete for an unlikely playoff spot, they desperately need Freeman to rebound. And Freeman, who won’t turn 25 until a week after the regular seasons ends, needs some help, which the new Bucs’ staff apparently plans to give their talented quarterback.

Joe finds it interesting that Pasquarelli hinted former Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson Pearl Harbored Freeman’s season because Olson — for reasons Joe simply cannot comprehend — refused to feed the ball to a guy who averaged over four-plus yards a carry, LeGarrette Blount.

As revolting as the Bucs defense played in December last year, so too was it equally nauseating to see Blount get five carries in the season-opening chain-whipping at the hands of the Lions — FIVE!

Sam Monson of ProFootballFocus.com has doubts about whether Ronde Barber can be a solid safety

The spreadsheeters over at FootballFocus.com have been keeping busy during the dog days of the football dead period scouring tape of the last three years NFL seasons to determine the best tacklers in the league.

This piece, typed by Sam Monson, seemed to wag a finger at the Bucs, and not in a good way. Monson writes about how, when executed with sound fundamentals, the Tampa-two defense is a good defense, which left Monson wondering about former Bucs coach Raheem Morris.

Most of the time referring to the Tampa-2 conjures up images of discipline, sound fundamentals, and quality play to force mistakes from the opposition, but not on this occasion. The Tampa Two to which I am referring are Ronde Barber and Tanard Jackson, who lead the pack with more missed tackles than any other defensive backs over the past three seasons. Barber has racked up a massive half-century of misses, but what is even more staggering is the 43 that Jackson has managed to total on fewer than half of Barber’s snaps.

You have to wonder exactly what the Buccaneers were practicing over the past few seasons, because it certainly wasn’t sound fundamentals and the basics, those fell to pieces under Raheem Morris.

Monson then claims that, per his charts, Barber and Jackson, were among the worst culprits in the NFL for tackling efficiency for defensive backs.

Monson also goes on to write that he believes Barber, unless he improves his tackling efficiency, will not be a solid safety because the position calls for sure tacklers.

This took Joe aback because in Joe’s eyes, there are few better tacklers at corner than Barber. Shoot, he made so many plays inside in 2010, it was as if Barber was a fourth linebacker.

NFL.com analyst and former NFL receiver Bucky Brooks has pored over game film and determined that Vincent Jackson is a better receiver than Brandon Marshall, a guy many Bucs fans yearned for in free agency a couple of years ago.

Marshall is now on Chicago’s roster, as he and Jackson are two big-name wideouts with new homes for 2012. Brooks offers an interesting audio and video breakdown here, and you can read the written version.

Route running

Big-bodied receivers typically struggle running routes due to the difficulty of dropping their weight on cuts and re-generating speed. However, Jackson and Marshall have become solid route runners over the course of their respective careers. Jackson excels at running the vertical portion of the route tree. From the “Bang-8” (skinny post) to the post-corner, he has developed into an indefensible threat in isolated situations with his speed and athleticism. In an offensive system that emphasizes the vertical passing game, he is a nightmare to defend.

It’s going to be darn interesting to watch how Mike Sullivan decides to use Jackson. Joe suspects we’ll see more of Jackson over the middle of the field than ever before.

And Joe’s very eager to see how well Josh Freeman can throw the homerun ball, something he did painfully little of last year. If the Bucs stay healthy, Freeman has every possible toy he needs to be wildly successful. He’s got to deliver.

Joe loves the idea of the Bucs and Greg Schiano resurrecting the offensive philosophy of the undefeated 1972 Dolphins. Those guys had two 1,000-yard rushers in a 14-game season and successfully picked their spots to throw the ball deep. Smashmouth, run-first football.

But the NFL has changed, and there are those who believe the pass-happy NFL is that way because it’s a winning formula.

NFL Films guru Greg Cosell, one of the game’s more astute analysts, makes a case against building a run-first offense in his latest breakdown for NFL.com. If you read Cosell’s entire take, it’s easy to walk away believing the New Schiano Order is starting on the wrong foot.

Teams that feature the run as their foundation generally don’t score as many points. They tend to play closely contested games that are within one score in the fourth quarter. Those kinds of games can be decided by one play. In fact, too often better teams lose to less-talented teams simply because the game is close and that single play becomes magnified. That’s a tough way to play every week. But that’s the profile when you’re a running team built around a great back. Your margin for error as a team is very small, which is exactly why you have to be extremely good in all phases, like the 2011 49ers. That’s very difficult in today’s NFL.

In fact, I strongly believe most organizations recognize that kind of team-building is not truly viable in the salary-cap era. That’s not the best approach to compete for championships. You will not consistently beat the top quarterbacks and the top offenses by playing conservative football, with the emphasis on shortening the game, and as a result, limiting the opposing offense’s snaps. I always debated this with coaches as it pertained to Peyton Manning. For years, the Indianapolis Colts had the fewest overall possessions in the NFL, usually eight or nine per game. That’s great as an abstract number. But they would score touchdowns on three, four or five of them. If your offense controlled the ball, and the clock, but did not score touchdowns, as was often the case, then all you’ve accomplished is shortening the game for yourself. You get fewer opportunities to score and you’re not built to aggressively attack with the passing game. It’s a catch-22 that ultimately fails.

Of course, Joe hopes Cosell is off the mark and the Bucs with Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount can break new ground as they revive what worked in the past.

Regardless, Joe is not concerned about the Bucs’ offense outside of having a newbie playcaller. It’s the heinous defense that must at least become close to average for the Bucs to have a chance at competing in 2012.

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When Joe filled in on 1010 AM last week for Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, Joe embraced some of his media brethren and they joined him on the air.

Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer was kind enough to field questions from Joe and you can enjoy the interview below. Cummings talks Eric Wright, Mike Sullivan, Ronde Barber at safety, and more.

Update 12:55 p.m.: Per Joe’s afternoon communication with the NFL, rookies reporting early can begin on-field practice with coaches the day after reporting to their teams, including padded practices. 

For reasons unclear, the NFL is allowing rookies to report to training camp long before veterans and there is a wide range of reporting dates. Some teams are taking advantage of the extra time with their youngsters; some aren’t.

The Bills, for example, had rookies report yesterday.

The New Schiano Order, per NFL.com, will have rookies report July 18, fourth earliest in the NFL. Bill Belicheat is next with his rookies reporting July 19, but many teams are waiting another week before having their draft picks get rolling.

Of course, Joe is not suprised that the New Schiano Order wants its youngest Buccaneer Men in early. And it has Joe wondering whether Doug Martin will be able to parlay this extra time into gaining an edge on LeGarrette Blount.

Rookies already had more 2012 OTA time than veterans under the new labor agreement, and now Martin will get more time “in the building” to impress, and to absorb the Bucs’ playbook and bounce stuff off fellow rookie running back Michael Smith. Yeah, it’s not training camp practice, and perhaps Martin officially will be limited in what he can do with coaches, but it still represents extra time to shine and learn that Blount won’t have.

The early reporting is a huge advantage for all the Bucs’ rookies, and Joe’s glad to see Greg Schiano seizing the opportunity.

Joe is a man, therefore, as Rene Descartes might say, Joe has the NFL Network.

Joe understands there are some — for reasons unknown yet purely illogical — that choose not to have the NFL Network (and if you do not have the Man’s Channel, it is your choice, it’s that simple).

This type of mentality, choosing not to have the Man’s Channel, is akin to Joe to lusting over Candy Crowley as opposed to, say, Courtney Friel. Joe just can’t think this way.

So for the troubled, unfortunate few who do not have the Man’s Channel, Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com has welcome news for you.

Women throughout the Tampa Bay area will be able to watch the Bucs’ Oct. 25 Thursday night game at Minnesota can on WMOR-TV Channel 32.

Coming off a 4-12 record in the 2011 season, the Buccaneers were only slated to play one game in prime time in 2012. That game takes place on Thursday, October 25 at Minnesota and will be broadcast nationally on NFL Network. For those Buccaneers fans that don’t have NFL Network, MOR-TV has secured the local broadcast rights to air the game in the Tampa Bay area.

Again, this was no issue for Joe as he (literally) enjoys NFL Network on a daily basis.

It’s just an absolute disgrace that a coaxial cable outfit locally holds so many Bucs fans hostage by not providing such outstanding programming — but sees fit to pipe in a New York City, 24/7 all-news channel into innocent, unsuspecting citizens homes, not to mention the noise pollution of virtually every two-bit shopping channel known to man.

It’s a direct slap in the face to every sports fan in what is considered a strong football market.

Eric LeGrand now gets to stuff his face full of bread and meat products and get paid to do it. What a dream job!

LeGrand has inked a deal with Subway to be one of the TV marketing faces of the franchise. FOX Sports Florida delivered the news. (By now everyone is familiar with LeGrand’s story and Joe feels no need to reset LeGrand’s role with the Bucs and the tragedy the befell him while playing for Rutgers.)

LeGrand is the latest athlete hired by Subway, joining Tuck, Michael Phelps, Apolo Ohno, Blake Griffin and Robert Griffin III.

“I am grateful for the opportunities,” LeGrand said. “I gain additional inspiration and motivation from that as I train to achieve my next goal.”

Joe’s damn happy for LeGrand. And Joe sincerely hopes this deal leads to a sandwich named after LeGrand’s mentor and friend Greg Schiano. Joe could see himself ordering a footlong “Schiano” — 6.3 ounces of capicola, three melted 1/8-inch slices of provolone, with tomatoes served at 100.4 degrees.

You want softball, weakass takes on the Bucs and the NFL?

If so, then you better not listen to the interview below with former Bucs defensive end Steve White.

White joined JoeBucsFan.com on 1010 AM last week to talk all things Bucs, as Joe served as fill-in host for Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski. White explains whether he thinks practice discipline will equal wins, why he’s not sold yet on the Bucs’ playcallers on both sides of the ball, as well as his takes on Eric Wright, Gerald McCoy and more. … The interview picks up about 1 minute in. Click the arrow below.

[audio: stevewhite703.mp3]

The sometimes sizzling, sometimes fizzling Rays are back home this weekend against the hated Red Sox, which means it’s time to have more fun going to Rays games and save money.

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Click on through to grab a seat, and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com.

Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More than 750 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board! Check out the BayNews9 video on the tour below.

Those who read Peter King’s massive, must-read Monday Morning Quarterback column on SI.com noticed that former Bucs general manager Bruce Allen was the guest author today.

Bruce Almighty did a solid job and went out of his way to reference Team Glazer and other of his past NFL employers. Joe found it interesting that despite getting fired along with Chucky with multiple years left on their contracts, Bruce Almighty praised Team Glazer’s loyalty.

During the Al Davis celebration it dawned on me how much I have learned from the NFL owners for whom I have worked. The Glazers of Tampa Bay are an extremely loyal and honest family, and are becoming the leading experts on sports franchise ownership around the world thanks to their time with Manchester United. Similar to the Davis family, they have a burning desire to win on the field (or pitch).

Now Joe knows some cynical/psychotic Bucs fans that will claim Allen has some sort of agenda and is just kissing up to Team Glazer because it looks good and he wants another job someday. Of course, Joe is not in that conspiracy camp.

It’s simply nice to read good things about anything related to the Bucs.

Mike Florio, of the renowned ProFootballTalk.com, gives indirect applause to Team Glazer in this NBCSports.com video.

Florio says that with all the focus on technological enhancements at games to improve the fan experience, it seems much of the NFL has simply forgotten to lower prices on concessions and tickets to get fans in the door and happy. Team Glazer, as we know, has slashed prices, including half-price concessions on opening day. … Interestingly, it seems Florio is bitter at Jerry Jones for his popcorn prices.

Former New York Giants wide receiver Amani Toomer raved about the Bucs hiring Mike Sullivan as an offensive coordinator.

There have been many stories in recent weeks coming from a variety of sources — Jeff Faine and Aqib Talib being a couple — referencing what a country club-like atmosphere there was around One Buc Palace under the Raheem Morris administration.

But two former NFL players, Tim Ryan and Amani Toomer, while co-hosting Movin’ the Chains Friday, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, pointed a finger at Bucs players for the grotesque 10-game losing streak to end the season, not on Morris.

A caller mentioned to Ryan and Toomer he found it odd all of the stories that have been typed in recent weeks condemning Morris.

Caller: Kellen Winslow leaves and all of a sudden, things come out about a lack of leadership. Talib comes out and talking about how loose things were…

Tim Ryan: He’s got no room to talk! Talib should just put a cork in it.

Caller:… Right right, but is that an indictment on Raheem?

Ryan: It is.

Amani Toomer: Yes.

Ryan: I think the biggest indictment Amani is the 10 consecutive losses last year and the play they were putting on the field. It was putrid.

Toomer: No question. If you are a head coach, the one thing that people up top, the executives, are most scared of is they are scared the team is going to quit on your head coach and obviously with 10 straight losses in a row, that team quit on their head coach, there was no way they could bring Raheem Morris back. There is no coming back from losing 10 games in a row, especially when you have the talent which they showed the year before that they can be a contender. To go from that to being a laughing stock — Tampa Bay has come way too far from where they were at in the 70s and 80s and then to win their Super Bowl, they did so much to get that fanbase to be on board and to go backwards was just not acceptable.

Ryan: Alright, Vincent Jackson comes in, Carl Nicks comes in. They draft Doug Martin, Dallas Clark comes in for K2, your thoughts on what the Bucs did on offense and does it parlay into more points scored and more W’s for the Bucs.

Toomer: Oh, I think it really does, especially when they got their new offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan. He is going to put this thing together. He was my position coach at the Giants for a while. I really respect him a lot. I know he understands how to deal with personalities and to deal with people. I think he will get Josh Freeman — he is the guy credited with changing Eli Manning’s fortunes around, to cut down on Eli Manning’s 25 interceptions he had the year before (Sullivan was the Giants quarterback coach). So I am really looking at Josh Freeman being a much better quarterback than he was last year; more of the quarterback he was in 2010. With Carl Nicks on the inside and Vincent Jackson on the outside, this team, they show signs of being reckoned with in the near future.

Joe’s of the mind both Ryan and Toomer have a point. One can debate whether Morris was cut out for the job or not (his overall record after three seasons suggest he was not) but it wasn’t Morris that was dogging it on the defensive side of the ball, a pattern that sickened new Bucs coach Greg Schiano as he studied tape of last season, flatly saying in his first full-length interview after getting the Bucs job that such cowardly play against the run “will not be tolerated.”

Joe also was intrigued by how strongly Toomer spoke about Sullivan. In Joe’s eyes, that’s high praise coming from a guy that practiced with him for years.

Ex-Bucs captain Jeff Faine talked about some former teammates and Bucs offseason moves.

Former Bucs captain Jeff Faine had no problem praising the Bucs front office and serving up a backhanded slap to Raheem Morris during an interview with J.P. Peterson of 1010 AM Friday evening.

Typically, Faine was one of the more candid Buccaneers during his time in Tampa, except when he was dishing out “Saltines and anchovies” labor union spin. So it’s also worth noting his gushing praise Friday of Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, two guys Faine lined up against in practice.

Peterson asked Faine directly about McCoy and Faine seemed to struggle to find words to express how very highly he rates McCoy, emphasizing that McCoy is an extraordinary talent and “he’s a very, very, very special player.”

Faine went on to say Adrian Clayborn is a top talent “with a mean streak” and a guy with great versatility against the run and pass in a division where that’s critical. And Faine had similar McCoy love for Brian Price.

“I’m telling you, J.P., if he can stay healthy, Brian Price is a very, very, very special player. He was out of shape the entire season. And it wasn’t his fault, he couldn’t run because of his [previous medical issues,]” Faine said.

As for Faine’s future, he explained that he passed on offers to join team in free agency, and Faine expressed confidence that he’ll find a new and competitive team soon.

“Some teams have to make some decisions internally that we’ve been talking to. There’s definitely interest,” Faine said. “I could have jumped at some teams that don’t have the pieces in place to win. … I want to go where they have some pieces in play and what’s a winning situation.”

Faine identified the Bucs’ top move of the offseason as the re-signing of Ronde Barber because of his veteran leadership. He also said Vincent Jackson brings a “legit threat and legit leadership,” and he painted a picture of Mike Williams yearning for the kind of hands-on guidance and teaching Jackson will deliver.

Just the fact former Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson left town means to Joe that the offseason was a success.

It seems as though just yesterday the Bucs just got pistol-whipped by the Dixie Chicks, nearly coughing up “half-a-hundred” points… in the first half!

It was the most brutal of brutal NFL performances Joe had ever witnessed. The coaching staff should have got on their knees and thanked Team Glazer for letting them board the plane back to Tampa it was such a slap in the face to Bucs fans.

The reason why if feels like that alley-beating happened just yesterday is because the Bucs offseason was anything but quiet. They hired a head coach, then some sort of czar of the football staff, then the trickle of assistant hirings, then big and small free agents, and then came the draft and then minicamps and OTAs.

It was a busy offseason.

Mike Tanier of FootballOutsiders.com took note of this and believes the Bucs had both a bad half, and a good half during the offseason.

The first half of this essay was written just before the Combine, when Greg Schiano cobbled together his band of unlikely coaching misfits. There’s Butch Davis, whose job title is carefully crafted so he can double dip on his North Carolina University severance. There’s Jimmy Raye, last seen mumbling into a headset and losing a power struggle to Alex Smith in San Francisco. There’s Bill Sheridan, who was so terrible with the Giants that he was fired before season’s end in 2010 by the most patient organization in the NFL. This is one garbled mess of a coaching staff, with guys like Davis and Raye holding vague titles that all but guarantee chain-of-command questions.

The second half is more optimistic, because the Bucs had a solid draft, made wise free agent acquisitions, and appear to have a decent young nucleus in place. The coaching staff may have some hiccups, but the Bucs will be better than they were in December of 2011. To get any worse, they would have to have all the bones from their bodies removed and live on as jellyfish people.

If the New Schiano Order is such a “garbled mess,” then what exactly would you call that schlock last season running the Bucs? Joe still cannot believe he didn’t rifle his remote through his (then) new HDTV for the notorious Benn’d-around play week after week, game after game.

Then, there was the weekly irresponsible if not dastardly mishandling of LeGarrette Blount.

Watching the Bucs last year was like watching a decent football team on ‘shrooms.

Definitely click on through to learn more and/or shop online at Ed Morse Brandon Auto Mall. Joe bought his pre-owned Ford at Ed Morse and had a fantastic experience. Not a peep of trouble with the vehicle in 17 months. You’ll be amazed by the selection, price and service at Ed Morse.

Joe has gone on record several times calling the Bucs’ 2011 linebacking corps the worst linebacker unit in all the NFL.

And it wasn’t close.

When teams ran the ball at the Bucs, once the ballcarrier got past the first level, it was quite simply a jailbreak, snap after snap, the way opposing running backs ran wild on the Bucs.

Since it is early July, the unofficial dead season in the NFL calendar until training camps begin later this month, the football eggheads at ProFootballFocus.com decided to study tape of the last three years and they camp up with the worst group of tacklers playing linebacker in the NFL.

Not surprisingly, two Bucs were in the top (bottom?) five, Geno Hayes and Quincy Black.

In 2,563 snaps, Hayes had more missed tackles than assists. So did Black, logging 1,833 plays.

Following hot on his heels in the list are Hayes and Levy, both of whom have racked up misses and whose ratios are only marginally behind that of Weatherspoon’s.

Hayes’ teammate in Tampa, Quincy Black also notched his fair share of missed tackles, as the entire Buccaneers defense seemed to be engaged in a competition last season to see who could miss the most.

Unless Sam Monson, who did the research, was totally off in his study, Joe has no earthly idea how any defensive player can have more missed tackles than assists. Hell, you just fall on a guy who is lying on the ground and you get an assist.

Yes, Joe knows Hayes is gone, but Black is still among us. Still, this is a disturbing thought that such a sloppy tackler remains in the Bucs’ starting lineup as training camp approaches.

No wonder new Bucs coach Greg Schiano said his No. 1 goal is to somehow fix the defense and to stop the run.

Joe will give Black some slack this season as this is a new regime and from all the whispers coming out of One Buc Palace, Black wasn’t coached up (along with many others, apparently).

Yes, Joe’s read all your emails about Team Glazer preparing to sell shares of Manchester United in the United States.

Joe’s simple response is that Joe really isn’t too interested, and Joe’s confident all this talk about a $100 million IPO isn’t going to get the Bucs defense to get after the quarterback, it won’t make Mike Sullivan an experienced playcaller, and it won’t drive the Bucs to buy more expensive free agents.

More importantly, no matter how much cash Team Glazer raises in this venture, it won’t force NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell to raise the salary cap ceiling.

For those still interested in Team Glazer’s kickball cash, Joe recommends this video from the folks at Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal. Click below.

Former Bucs center and captain Jeff Faine, a man who Joe crossed swords with over the years, opened up on all things Bucs this evening to electronic media czar J.P. Peterson on 1010 AM.

In a stunning show of professionalism, Faine said the Bucs made the “right decision” to cut him (and the mega-millions left on his contract) and re-sign Jeremy Zuttah and sign Carl Nicks.

“I can understand the decision. They made an investment in Carl Nicks. Looking into the future and trying to build through youth, and I think it was the right decision,” Faine said. “I’m going to be playing for two, three more years, and they’re looking to build something to last.”

Faine went on to praise rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and how he communicated with Faine through the process that led to his release.

“I had a fantastic time. I have nothing but good things to say about this organization and how they do business,” Faine said. “I can’t be bitter. I still have years to play, and hopefully win games wherever I go.”

In rather telling commentary about the unraveling of the Bucs last season, Faine said Greg Schiano’s leadership style was “desperately needed.”

“Coach Morris will be a head coach again, but he’s gotta be a head coach of a very veteran team that can handle the style that he brings,” Faine said.

That’s not much of an endorsement for Raheem, considering he led the youngest team in the NFL to a 10-6 record in 2010.

Joe will have more goodies from Faine’s interview this weekend.