Gerald McCoy will have company in Hawaii when Pro Bowl festivities begin next Monday in advance of the Jan. 27 game.

With the 49ers and Falcons making the NFC Championship game, that means either Pro Bowl alternate Doug Martin or Vincent Jackson will join McCoy in playing for the NFC. Scott Smith, of Buccaneers.com, delivered the news.

If San Francisco wins the NFC Championship Game, then 49ers RB Frank Gore will pull out of the Pro Bowl and that will create a spot for Martin.  If Atlanta wins, then Falcons WR Julio Jones will pull out of the Pro Bowl and that will create a spot for Jackson.

If Martin ends up in the Pro Bowl, that might be enough to get Joe to watch.

Joe made no secret that changes to the Bucs coaching staff, specifically dealing with pass defense, had to be made. Again, Joe’s not a “fire him” kinda guy.

So when the Bucs secondary couldn’t stop East Lake High’s passing attack on a good day, and came within 14 yards of a grotesque 93-year NFL record for most yards allowed, that was simply unacceptable football and a change had to be made.

That’s why Joe singled out defensive backs coach Ron Cooper. The most damning element of the Bucs secondary was one couldn’t name a player who improved as the season transpired. That spoke volumes.

Now Joe knows many of his readers wanted defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan on the chopping block, too. Joe wasn’t going there. Sure, he oversaw a rotten pass defense, but Sheridan also was in charge of a worst-to-first rush defense so at least he was doing something right.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times is of the mind that Cooper, in so many words, was told by Bucs coach Greg Schiano it was in his best interests to leave voluntarily.

The Bucs essentially told Cooper to seek other opportunities but did not announce it. He’s a good coach and a better person. But let’s be honest: The lack of production in the secondary led to losses. Tampa Bay was last in the NFL in passing defense and nearly set a league record for passing yards allowed in a season.

Stroud also hints that there can be other changes to Schiano’s staff. Of course, the best move the Bucs could make is not a move at all. If Chicago elects to hire anyone but Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, who interviewed for their head coach vacancy, it’s a win-win for the Bucs.

McNulty had a stellar reputation as a receivers coach in Arizona and coached for Tom Coughlin and Bill Parcells, in addition to Greg Schiano at Rutgers.

So who did Larry Fitzgerald fly to the Pro Bowl as his personal guest after the 2011 season?

That would be his then Cardinals position coach John McNulty, Greg Schiano’s former offensive coordinator at Rutgers.

Schiano tried to hire McNulty from the Cardinals last year, presumably to be his offensive coordinator, but was denied by the Cardinals brass. However, McNulty is now a free agent after being fired from Arizona with Ken Whisenhunt’s staff.

As Bucs fans hold their collective breath hoping/praying that offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan isn’t the lucky one among the 13 known candidates vying for the Bears head coaching job, the Bucs still have three key coaching vacancies to fill: quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs.

McNulty is a name to watch, and that’s no big surprise. Today, CoachingSearch.com guru Pete Roussel even told Joe that McNulty is a near lock to land in Tampa.

Joe believes McNulty would come to the Bucs as a receivers coach, not as a quarterbacks coach, the job he held in Arizona in 2012.

McNulty, who played safety at Penn State, had success as a receivers coach with the Jaguars under Tom Coughlin (Keenan McCardell and Jimmy Smith) and worked in Dallas for Bill Parcells, before joining Schiano at Rutgers and moving on to the Cardinals.

Schiano must be salivating at the chance to add his trusted buddy McNulty to the Bucs family. And, frankly, it would be tough for the Bucs to find a receivers coach with better experience. Plus, in Schiano’s mind, McNulty could represent insurance if/when Sullivan leaves town.

Joe suspects the Bucs will lock up McNulty sooner rather than later. It’s hard to imagine McNulty’s resume leaving him without multiple job offers.

P.J. Fleck is one college coach Joe believes the Bucs will miss.

When the Bucs jettisoned Raheem Morris just over a year ago, it took Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and Team Glazer nearly the entire month of January to find a new coach, who happened to be Greg Schiano, of course.

Because the Bucs were so late in replacing Morris, it sort of put Schiano in a bind in finding assistants. How many times did the Bucs get blocked from hiring NFL guys; their teams wouldn’t release them from their contracts?

Former Bucs defensive lineman and current co-host of “Booger and Rich,” heard locally on WHFS-FM 98.7, said that hurt the Bucs and led to the current exodus of coaches from the Bucs coaching staff — all who came from college and are going back to the college ranks — proves that.

McFarland delivered the take via his “Top Five at Five.”

“This brings up an issue of continuity on this Buccaneer staff. We know Greg Schiano was forced to hire his staff at the last minute. Who was available? A lot of college coaches. So many that an anonymous statement by a player (to Mike Florio that the college coaches should go back to college), we should have put a little more credence to it.”

The three college coaches who went back to college are wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck, who took the head gig at Western Michigan, quarterback coach Ron Turner grabbed the head job at Florida International and, just yesterday, defensive backs coach Ron Turner took a job at USF.

Now Joe knows for a fact that the Bucs wide receivers were crushed when they learned Fleck left. The Bucs receivers loved the guy. So much so that Mike Williams wants to make a special trip to Kalamazoo, Mich. to work out with the Broncos wide receivers.

Fleck, Joe believes, will be missed.

Then there is Turner, who will not be missed. A bad offensive coordinator with the Bears (twice!), and short of the immortal Kurt Kittner, a bad coach at Illinois, Turner is a good departure. The Bucs, and quarterback Josh Freeman, can do so much better.

Then there is Cooper, whose charges nearly pulled off an NFL record for futility in garbage pass defense. Now Joe had heard whispers that Schiano wouldn’t let Cooper do one thing to deviate from Schiano’s exactly measures, not one practice drill, not one scheme. Did Schiano trust him? Joe cannot answer that.

But McFarland’s point may make sense. Schiano was all but stuck reaching into the college ranks for coaches. Maybe that was part of the problem all along?

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Fans who watched Bucs training camp practices saw the wild, high-energy style of P.J. Fleck, the 2012 Bucs wide receivers coach who is now the head coach at Western Michigan University and the youngest head coach in Division I college football.

On Thursday night, Fleck did his first extensive interview since leaving the Bucs with Steve Isbitts on 98.7 FM. Joe wrote about Fleck’s take on the Bucs offense’s late-season struggles yesterday.

Below is the full interview with Fleck. He offers deep insight into Vincent Jackson’s attitude, working for Greg Schiano, along with comments on Preston Parker, the Adam Hayward-Bryan Cox shoving match, and more.

Joe has lived in the greater Tampa Bay area spanning three decades now, will not leave and will have his ashes spread locally at a yet to be determined Tampa Bay location when it’s time to go to the football stadium in the sky.

But for the life of Joe, he cannot understand the full erection local sports fans have with attendance. It is mind-boggling.

Moreso, the two-bit, research-depraved talking heads on radio that throw gasoline on these bonfires, Joe just wants to rip the radio out of his truck and throw it at some random cat walking down the street. It’s one reason why Joe has SiriusXM.

Attendance, when it comes to the modern day NFL, is a drop in the bucket compared to all the billions of dollars the NFL rakes in through various TV gigs, commercials, sponsorships, Internet revenue … the list goes on.

Yet for some reason, locals believe the NFL is the NHL, where gate receipts will either make or break a franchise. And sadly, one of our country’s bravest is of this mindset, which sent Joe into orbit on an otherwise calm, even-sober, early Friday evening after reading the weekly BSPN NFC South chat.

Ben (Ft Bliss)

Have not heard much on the LA stadium, if TB struggles selling out next year are they a viable candidate?

Pat Yasinskas

I don’t think it’s to that point yet for Bucs. Could be if attendance lags for a few more years, but not yet. Jags are well ahead are well ahead of them in the LA line anyway.

Good Lord! For those stuck in the 1970s, please, rather than being willfully ignorant, obtain a copy of the Bucs lease with the Tampa Sports Authority — it’s public record — and read it to understand exactly why this notion of the Bucs moving is about as intelligent as suggesting the Dallas Cowboys are bankrupt.

Aside from the sweetheart lease Team Glazer has, the Tampa Sports Authority, bound by its voter-approved referendum, is set to have a fan-friendly, revenue-enhanced upgrade of the stadium in the near future.

So the Bucs are going to break a sweetheart lease and leave a stadium about to be upgraded for very likely a less-than-favorable lease in Los Angeles where they will get sandbagged by business-hostile California state taxes that are absolutely choking the economy of the Golden State?

Right, and Joe just finished his morning shower with Rachel Watson.

If the above information isn’t enough to move you, does anyone really believe some deep-pocket business man in Los Angeles is going to build a $1 billion football stadium and not want to own at least 40 percent of the the team? Are there people out there that drunk to believe someone is going to build such a stadium for charity? Really?

How many times has Team Glazer said they are not selling any part of the Bucs?

Bucs fans, please do a modicum of research before talking about such a nonsensical subject, and by all means, knock off the insipid attendance talk.

Contrary to the belief of far too many sports fans in the Tampa Bay area, the most important line of a box score is not the bottom line (attendance) but the top line (final score).

For Bucs fans pining for the return of Monte Kiffin to run the Bucs defense, well, it’s time to turn the page and find another dream.

The renowned defensive mastermind, despite having his primary residence listed as Redington Beach, has just been hired by the Cowboys to run their defense, so reports ESPN.

Kiffin, who turns 73 in February, resigned as Southern Cal’s defensive coordinator last month after spending four years on his son Lane’s staffs at USC and Tennessee. He spent 26 years as an NFL assistant coach, including a 13-year run as Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator before returning to college football in 2009.

Cue the Chucky-is-coming-to-Dallas rumor mongering, which Joe believes has a kernel of merit.

Unless something totally unforeseen happens, Bucs coach Greg Schiano will keep Bill Sheridan as his defensive lieutenant.

What is interesting to Joe is the Dallass defense is not stocked for a Tampa-2 type of a defense.

Warren Sapp is one step closer to entering the Hall of Fame in 2013. The list of 17 finalists was announced this morning and Sapp, in his first year of eligibility, made the cut. The panel of Hall voters meets the day before the Super Bowl to select up to five modern-era nominees.

Sapp’s got a tough road, with Michael Strahan, Charles Haley, Jerome Bettis, Larry Allen, Bill Parcells and Jonathan Ogden on the finals ballot. (Here’s the full list.)

The Tampa Bay area’s lone voter, Tampa Tribune writer eye-RAH! Kaufman, also dubbed “The Custodian of Canton” by national radio host Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, will present the case for Sapp before his colleagues.

John Lynch, also in his first year of eligibility, was a semifinalist, but Lynch didn’t make the finals. Bruising former Broncos safety Steve Atwater also was a semifinalist but was iced out of the finals. It’s a tough road for safeties and it could take Lynch years to get in, if he gets in at all.

Those hoping Ronde Barber gets in the Hall one day should keep an eye on former Cardinals and Rams great Aeneas Williams. He’s a finalist for the second consecutive year. Over a 14-year career, Williams made seven Pro Bowls as a cornerback (two more than Barber) and one Pro Bowl as a safety. He’s also got more career interceptions than Barber.

Joe’s not saying Williams is better than Barber, but how the voters treat Williams could indicate how Barber’s eventual process might go.

Former Bucs wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck weighs in for the first time since leaving the Bucs for Western Michigan University.

The late-season troubles of the Bucs offense had a lot to do with coaching, as in opposing coaches flummoxing the Bucs enough to affect execution, so says former Bucs wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck.

Fleck, who bolted from the Bucs for a head coaching gig at Western Michigan, hit the 98.7 FM sports radio airwaves last night to talk all things Bucs with host Steve Isbitts, one of the voices of “Joe.”

Fleck dismissed the notion that “miscommunication” between Josh Freeman and receivers was a significant problem during the Bucs losing streak.

“I think you just have to give the type of defenses we were facing [credit]. The National Football League has some of the best coaches in the world. And they’re not going to go ahead, once you start to getting around to playing guys again and again, they’re not going to give you the same looks and they’re going to try to create different things that you’re going to be able to see, and show you things that may look like the first time they played you, then the second time it’s completely opposite,” Fleck said.

“Some of the adjustments we were making, but, I just think they did a great job scheming against us like everybody does toward the end of the year. I wouldn’t say it was a ton of miscommunication, in terms of we weren’t on the same page, I just didn’t think we executed as an entire offense at time. That happened to be at the end of the season. Instead of the beginning, it somewhat happened at the end. But I think we were always on the same page. [Mike Sullivan] did a great job preparing the entire offense. That happens in the National Football League sometimes, where the defense gets the best of you.”

Hearing/reading Fleck’s comments, Joe can’t help but sum them up; the Bucs were outcoached during their five-game losing streak.

It happens.

But that’s also why Joe believes it was so important that the New Schiano Order righted the ship against a full and hungry Atlanta Falcons squad, on the road no less. It was proof that the regime has the fortitude and intelligence to bounce back against a familiar, powerful and well-coached foe.

(Joe will deliver more from Fleck’s interview through the weekend)

First there was Greg Schiano revealing his rage surrounding the historically dreadful Bucs secondary before the season-ending Falcons game. Then Schiano went wild on cornerback Anthony Gaitor during that Falcons game with what appeared to be overhead film shots, pointing things out to Gaitor on the sidelines (the position coach’s job) and apparently screaming, “Do Your Job!” to all the defensive backs.

For Joe, those were all very damning signs for the future of defensive backs coach Ron Cooper, who the Bucs officially waved goodbye to this morning. Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski of 98.7 FM broke the news that Cooper will be assistant head coach and defensive backs coach at the University of South Florida.

Cooper’s first shot in the NFL was with the Bucs, and it was a disaster. The Bucs secondary was dreadful, nearly missing the NFL mark for most yards allowed in one season. Schiano, a former defensive backs coach with the Bears, was not going to tolerate that level of disgrace.

For Joe, another red flag on Cooper was Joe never once hearing Ronde Barber mention Cooper. In the past, Barber had routinely and openly praised his position coaches, from Jimmy Lake to Mike Tomlin to Herm Edwards, but never Cooper.

Sure, Cooper didn’t have a load to work with, but he didn’t seem to get anyone to improve, including the Adderrall twins, Aqib Talib and Eric Wright. Undrafted Leonard Johnson might be the only feather in his cap. Cooper’s fellow defensive position coaches all had major successes in 2012.

Joe hates to use “unnamed sources,” and rarely does, but Joe has an excellent source telling him that Cooper was forced to run Schiano’s secondary drills and was unhappy about not being able to use his own drills and coach in his own way. But of course, there’s more to being an NFL position coach than just teaching.

Replacing Cooper represents a critical hire for the Bucs. This time around the Bucs have ample time to score an experienced, proven NFL secondary coach. Joe hopes Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik have a blank check to hire the best coach available.

One reason the Bucs offense put up franchise-record numbers in 2012 is because the Bucs not just drafted Doug Martin, but the Bucs also upgraded the wide receiver position by dropping a load (of cash) on Vincent Jackson.

Jackson wasn’t the lone player the Bucs bought, but that shouldn’t be the end. Per multimedia guru Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, by way of “The Professor,” John Clayton of ESPN.com, the Bucs have a good chunk of change for free agents this coming season.

On Clayton’s list, the Buccaneers rank fifth in available cap space, with $31.3 million. That total includes $8.5 million in carryover space; the Bucs had far less of this than they did last year after spending heavily in free agency to get Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. However, as General Manager Mark Dominik recently pointed out, the Bucs’ available space was helped significantly by the decision to restructure contracts for Jackson and Nicks. Dominik said the resulting cap space will allow the team to dive into free agency again if such a move would help but also to work on keeping the talented nucleus of the existing roster intact.

Here is where Joe thinks some of the cash is headed: The cornerback market is soft in free agency, but there will be decent players. In other words, a buyer’s market.

So Joe believes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will land two — maybe three — lower level cornerbacks, if for no other reason than to give the Bucs depth at the position.

Then, Dominik will draft a corner no later than the third round and still have cash for other areas and to secure current players (like Michael Bennett).

It is depth, not so much a stud starter, that the Bucs need most at cornerback.

If Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik can pull off this April what he did in the spring of 2012, the Bucs would almost have to play their way out of the playoffs.

What Joe and many others considered to be the best Bucs draft in years became official today when Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers of America announced their All-Rookie team for the 2012 season.

Not surprisingly, the Bucs landed three players on the team: safety Mark Barron, running back Doug Martin, the Muscle Hamster himself, and outside linebacker Lavonte David.

And there is a chance two of the three, Martin and David, could still play in the Pro Bowl next month.

Ladies and gentlemen, Joe considers that a haul of Eddie Van Halen proportions.

It appears the Bucs are on the verge of losing a third assistant coach to the college ranks. Joe’s good friend “The Commish,” Justin Pawlowski of WHFS-FM 98.7 and a member of the University of South Florida football broadcast team, is reporting that embattled Bucs defensive backs coach Ron Cooper is in discussions to become an assistant head coach at USF.

“The Commish” Justin Pawlowski is reporting that Buccaneers Defensive Backs coach Ron Cooper is being discussed to become the assistant head coach at the University of South Florida joining Willie Taggart’s staff. Stay tuned to 98.7 The Fan for the latest on this story

This is a win-win for local teams in Joe’s eyes. Cooper’s charges came 14 yards shy of setting a 93-year NFL record of futility for worst pass defense in NFL history. If that doesn’t grease the wheels for your exit, Joe doesn’t know what would.

At USF, the Bulls get a man with a proven track record of coaching up and, more importantly, recruiting top level high school defensive backs as he did at LSU before Cooper came to the Bucs.

In recent days, wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck took the head coaching job at Western Michigan and quarterbacks coach Ron Turner took the head coaching job at Florida International.

Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King likens Josh Freeman’s body language to that of bratty, whiney Jay Cutler. King says Bucs fans can look to young QB’s in the NFL playoffs, like Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, to study quarterbacks that are poised when bad things happen.

There will be a new voice in Josh Freeman’s head this season, that of his fourth Bucs quarterbacks coach.

That’s likely a very bad thing, explained former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, one of only three quarterbacks to the lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game. Continuity is so important at the position, King said, and Freeman will have to overcome that change.

But King isn’t too concerned about that, so he said on WDAE-AM 620 this morning. King’s more worried about Freeman’s play and reactions under pressure, something King said has become more glaring with rookie quarterbacks exhibiting more poise and leadership than Freeman this season.

“You can tell during the game that that’s his biggest issue, when things go wrong, when he has an incomplete pass, how he handles it, how he reacts,” King said. “You know, that’s the most impressive thing about the RGIII, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, even Colin Kaepernick to a large extent. Just watch those guys.

“Buc fans, watch how they handle it when things go wrong. You know, their expressions ain’t anything like Josh’s. And I know each individual is different, but Josh is more Jay Cutler, without being, you know, abrasive as far as putting his hands on his teammates. His body language is kinda more of kind of a spoiled kid kind of thing. And you know, that’s something as he gets older, remember he’s only 24, but he’s played a lot of football. So that’s something that should be changed and probably should already be changed.”

Now Joe doesn’t think Freeman’s whiney looks and gestures compare to Cutler’s, but King’s point is clear. Freeman gets rattled far too much and doesn’t respond with confidence and leadership.

Joe’s not sure that can be fixed after 56 starts, but perhaps it doesn’t have to be repaired. If Freeman can simply get more accurate and comfortable within the current offense, that might be enough considering all the weapons around him.  (You can listen to the entire King interview below.)

Want to know why Bucs coach Greg Schiano isn’t putting pedal to the metal on re-upping the contract of quarterback Josh Freeman (aside from his losing record, bouts of frightening inaccuracy and speed bumps of inconsistency)? Look no further than the AFC East, says Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com.

The Bills and Jets, who are on the hook for millions of dollars to Ryan Fitzpatrick and Mark Sanchez, respectively, are making Team Glazer, if not Schiano, pause.

Following the 2011 season, the Jets rushed things and signed Sanchez to five-year, $58.25 million deal. With New York coming off a horrific 2013 season, Sanchez’s deal is now being labeled as “one of the most ill-conceived contract extensions in NFL history,” according to Gary Myers, the Jets beat writer for the New York Daily News.

Sanchez, who was benched in 2012, is set to make $8.25 million in 2013 and there are rumors that the team is trying to trade the former first-round pick in 2009. Sanchez’s poor performance in 2012 and the team’s decline with a 6-10 record this year already cost general manager Mike Tannenbaum his job. The Jets quarterback completed 54.3 percent of his passes for just 2,883 yards with only 13 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

In Buffalo, Fitzpatrick was quickly signed to a foolish, six-year, $62-million contract in October of 2011. Heading into 2013, the Bills are looking to dump Fitzpatrick after finishing a disappointing 6-10. Fitzpatrick’s didn’t play that poorly statistically speaking, as he completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 3,400 yards with 24 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, but just didn’t make enough plays to win games. That prompted Buffalo to fire head coach Chan Gailey.

At least with Sanchez, he guided the Jets to consecutive appearances in the AFC title game. Freeman, who is entering the final season of his Bucs contract, cannot say as much.

As much as it could cripple the Bucs’ salary cap by signing Freeman to a monster contract, Joe has no issue with Team Glazer and Schiano being prudent in assessing whether Freeman is worthy of such a (in many ways) costly investment.

There’s been much speculation about Ronde Barber’s potential 2013 return, and Tampa Bay Times beat writer Stephen Holder penned a feature hedging many sides of the issue yesterday.

But one nugget that gets routinely overlooked comes from Barber’s own words. While Barber never commits one way or the other publicly about a return during interviews, he did tell Keyshawn Johnson that he had no plans to retire in the near future. NFL Films had Barber “miked up” for the Bucs-Eagles, Super Bowl reunion game in December. And the following exchange caught an enthusiastic Barber giving a fast answer to the big question.

Keyshawn Johnson: Still playing, boy. When are you going to retire, man?

Ronde Barber: No time soon, baby!

Joe thinks it’s very unlikely Barber will retire in 2013. He’s healthy. He’s productive. He’s stated that he’s been invigorated by the challenge of safety. And if Team Glazer is willing to pay him $3 million again to play in 2013, that’s still significant incentive.

Holder floated a possibility that Barber might not want to go through a grueling Greg Schiano training camp again, but in Joe’s mind that’s not a factor because Barber definitely would have the flexibility to limit his training camp activities if he felt the need.

OK, this merits keeping an eye on. Though Joe cannot confirm embattled Bucs defensive backs coach Ron Cooper is leaving the team, neither can Joe confirm the rumors flying tonight on the Internet and on radio airwaves late this afternoon that Cooper is on his way out are inaccurate.

Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times apparently heard the same rumors and seemed to add credibility to the suggestion that Cooper and the Bucs are parting ways.

@NFLSTROUD: No final decisions have been made or announced, but indications are the Bucs will allow DBs coach Ron Cooper to explore other opportunities

Again, Joe has been working the phone for the past two hours to try to confirm Cooper is gone. Joe cannot, but more importantly, Joe cannot confirm the Cooper-leaving-Bucs whispers are inaccurate.

Simply put, Joe still has not fully recovered from the acid reflux episode caused by watching Cooper’s defensive backs get blowtorched game in and game out this season.

Joe is not a “fire him” kinda guy. But how in the world can anyone try to sell that Cooper did a good job when his defensive backs came 14 yards shy of setting a 93-year record for NFL pass defense futility? How does Bucs coach Greg Schiano speak to Team Glazer and/or Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik with a straight face and say, “Oh, the job we did coaching up the defensive backs, OK, we’re good.”

The last measuring stick of Cooper’s job with the Bucs this year was this: name a defensive back that improved as the season wore on.

Joe cannot, and therein lies a damning statement for any coach.

Joe suspects that when Greg Schiano makes time to relax and daydream with his feet up and a cold beverage, he dreams first about running Doug Martin behind Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph.

And in that fantasy of an unstoppable running game, Joe suspects Schiano envisions a second running back spelling Martin and further bruising opposing defenses.

Is that guy LeGarrette Blount? Joe’s not sure. But Joe believes Blount should be tendered a restricted free agent offer from the Bucs when they’re dished out around the league in February.

Blount is among the best and most dangerous backup running backs in the NFL, and he would come relatively cheap. The Bucs could put a “second-round tender” on Blount for 2013, which would pay him just under $2 million. If another and better offer soon after was made to Blount that he accepted, then the Bucs would get a second-round pick from that team. Or the Bucs could put a right-of-first-refusal tender on Blount. That would be pay him a little over $1 million for 2013, and another team could try to lure Blount with a better deal. In that scenario, the Bucs would get no compensation if Blount left.

Considering there’s no guarantee the Bucs will find the No. 2 running back of their dreams when the March free agency bell rings, Joe can’t imagine a scenario that has Blount getting released. Last spring, Schiano couldn’t stop saying “run the football.” And Blount can run the football if called upon.

Sure, Blount could be one of the “weeds” Derrick Brooks referenced. But if that were the case, why wouldn’t the Bucs have cut Blount once they were out of the playoff hunt?

Obviously, the organization has no faith in inactive list captain Michael Smith, and D.J. Ware was hardly impressive. At the very least, if Blount had to fill in for Martin, Blount is durable, will get respect in the play-action game, and he didn’t fumble during the 2012 preseason or regular season.

Joe believes a Blount in hand would be a wise move. The alternatives are not very enticing.

Until the draft starts heating up, aside from the need for a new secondary coach(es), a new QB coach, a new secondary (sans Mark Barron and/or Ronde Barber), and the looming questions concerning the Bucs’ defensive line, there really is only one subject remotely moving the needle with the Bucs. That’s the status of Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

It began when Bucs coach Greg Schiano stated flatly the Bucs need competition at quarterback. Some have suggested that is code for either letting Freeman’s contract expire or even drafting a potential replacement for the fourth-year product from Kansas State.

To hear former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland discuss the subject, McFarland likened the whispers seeping out of One Buc Palace about Freeman to a relationship between two lovers when one is looking for an upgrade

And in this relationship, McFarland said, it is the Bucs who have developed a wandering eye, so he said while co-hosting “The Booger and Rich Show” heard locally on WHFS-FM 98.7.

“If you are Josh Freeman and you are 24-years old and you are looking for a commitment just like any woman out there who has been in a relationship as long as Josh Freeman’s relationship has been with the Buccaneers — four years? You know you want a ring on it. ‘I have shown you commitment for four years and what do you do? Eh honey, I like you, but…’

“You see, that is what the Buccaneers have told Josh Freeman. ‘You are our starting quarterback until we can replace you.’”

McFarland went on to confess he didn’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for the Bucs, but he did say there is only one way for Freeman to repair the bond between himself and the Bucs. And that is for Freeman to lead the Bucs to the playoffs next season.

Joe believes that’s a reasonable request.