The Bucs would certainly be wise to upgrade the slot receiver position from Robert Herron.

The Bucs have one of the best, if not the best, one-two punches in the NFL at wide receiver in Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson. After that, the wide receiver group drops off the cliff when your No. 3 is Louis Murphy. [read more]

So what kind of prospect is Jameis Winston when compared not just to Marcus Mariota, but all quarterbacks drafted in the first round since 2011?

One of the NFL’s top analysts took on this subject. [read more]

Former Tampa Bay tight end and current ESPN college football analyst Anthony Becht has been diving into game film and is all pumped up about an SEC pass rusher he thinks the Bucs could use immediately. [read more]

Miami linebacker Denzel Perryman will not play for the Bucs simply because he cannot defend the pass.

Often, Joe places more credibility on former NFL players evaluating talent versus guys who were/are just suits.

But as Joe learns more and more, being able to play football and being able to judge football talent are two very different things. [read more]

Gerald McCoy is only too happy to show next week’s No. 1 pick the ropes in the NFL.

Joe isn’t sure where this word “mentor” got started, as it relates to football rookies and young quarterbacks. It’s like NFL teams are supposed to hire child care professionals and place them on the 53-man roster.

When did the NFL become KinderCare? [read more]

Joe chatted off the record with a decision-maker for a team other than the Bucs at the NFL Owners meetings last month.

The discussion was about Marcus Mariota, and Joe asked about the typical Mariota concerns. [read more]

New Bucs free agent defensive end George Johnson said this week that he’s happy to be in Tampa but “more excited after watching the tape.”

Of course, Joe had to ask Johnson what he was seeing on film. [read more]

Joe remembers NFL Network tormenting football fans with the Titans versus the Jaguars late last season. Both teams were beyond abysmal. It was an insult.

Joe, supreme football nut, refused to be swayed. Joe never watched one play. Not. One. Play. [read more]

So Lovie Smith will have a new job — or no job — if he can’t develop Jameis Winston in two years, says former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland.

Joe saw Booger drop that take on Twitter yesterday, and Joe immediately had another thought: [read more]

It appears Bucs general manager Jason Licht is a popular guy these days. No, not because he needs a beer.

You see, Licht holds the key to acquiring Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston. Licht wants him. Other teams want him. The Bucs need him. But apparently, quite a few general managers also covet young Jameis. [read more]

Damn, Joe thought with an upgraded defense, and a franchise quarterback (finally), the Bucs would pull themselves out of the worst record in the NFL next season.

They certainly couldn’t be worse than their 2-14 season last year, could they? [read more]

Buying a used car is a gamble.

So is throwing $600 at Phoenix hookers when they’re not interested in working.

And spending money every week to play fantasy football is gambling, too. [read more]

A bunch of Bucs fans are willing themselves and chewing glass hoping somehow Jason Licht has a change of heart and drafts quarterback Marcus Mariota. [read more]

Some view the Bucs as a 2-14 team that came off a 4-12 season, a team that sits on just 30 wins in its past 100 games.

For a lot of fans and analysts, Joe included, that means the Bucs are far from being above average. [read more]

Joe isn’t much for predicting the outcomes of games before the draft even takes place much less before a training camp has opened.

Who will be drafted? Who will be hurt? [read more]

“As a general rule, you know there’s a reason why there is a salary cap. And we want to use all of our resources to get as many good football players in here. It’s kind of as simple as that. We want to be right up; we don’t want to have a lot of money in reserves. No one does. I mean you want to use money to get as many good football players. And it takes money to get good football players in here. So that’s our approach.” — Lovie Smith, January 2014 [read more]