Where the Bucs honchos stand on Aqib Talib is a closely guarded secret. Of course, the way Talib’s legal case plays out will be a huge factor in the team’s approach.

But it’s interesting to see how much disagreement there is from the full-time Bucs beat writers on the subject.

Yesterday, Joe brought you Stephen Holder’s take from a live chat on TampaBay.com that he believes “we’ve seen the last of Talib.”

That was decisively countered by Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune during his on-air chat with The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on WHBO-AM 1040 on Friday.

“I don’t think they’re going to dump Aqib Talib,” Cummings said.

While rock star Bucs general manager Mark Dominik clearly is a detailed planner, Joe can’t imagine Dominik has completely made up his mind on Talib.

Joe keeps coming back to Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski’s take, that Dominik will withhold a decision on Talib until he can fully assess the roster following the draft, free agency and preseason.

UPDATE 9:56 a.m.: Earlier today JoeBucsFan.com published a post that stated the felony assault case against Aqib Talib was reduced to a misdemeanor charge and he was headed for a sentence of probation.  

Joe jumped the gun.

Joe had talked to sources in Dallas on Thursday and, in conjuction with the case being assigned to a judge Friday and further follow up, Joe reached the wrong conclusion, though that’s the resolution Joe expects in the case.

Mistakes happen, and Joe will not hide from his error.

This morning, Talib’s Dallas attorney Frank Perez told JoeBucsFan.com that he “expects to take the case to the grand jury and have it resolved there,” meaning Talib would not be indicted. “We’ve interviewed 17 or 19 witnesses and none of them say Aqib Talib had a gun. He wasn’t handling a gun,” Perez said.

So many Bucs fans were wild with hope over the thought of Kareem Huggins becoming the shifty speedster running back the Bucs needed entering the 2010 season.

But Huggins went down with a massive knee injury, which followed up his 2009 knee injury that cost him a season.

Will the Bucs go for Round 3 with the undrafted kid from Hofstra that was out of football in 2008? Esteemed beat scribe Roy Cummings weighed in on Huggins’ future via a fresh Q&A on TBO.com.

Huggins had complete reconstructive knee surgery. He blew out everything. It was a very bad injury, but the Bucs are confident he’ll be back. The problem is, he never got a chance to really prove he could be an every-down or even third-down change-of-pace back so the Bucs have to prepare for the possibility that, after the injury, he’s not an NFL caliber runner. That means looking at running backs in the draft. We’ll get a good feel for how they really feel about Huggins during the draft …

Joe suggests you click the link above and read Cummings’ entire response and more.

Huggins seems like a fine young man, extremely nice during Joe’s many interactions with him. But one would think the Bucs could find a more promising prospect in the draft, or the second draft, as Mark Dominik sometimes calls it.

Huggins has accomplished nothing and is coming off a brutal knee injury. He almost feels like Cadillac Williams used to sans the huge achievements.

Joe suspects the Bucs will keep him around to see if he’s got a Cadillac-style comeback in him.

There’s been rampant “why” speculation surrounding the Bucs agreeing to move the Bucs-Bears 2011 home game to England.

The Bucs have deferred official comment to the NFL suits until the league announces its schedule. But, of course, that doesn’t stop every beat writer, analyst, blogger, talking head and water-cooler philosopher from chiming in with a definitive take.

Veteran Bucs beat scribe Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune chimed in with vigor during an interview on The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on WHBO-AM 1040 today.

Cummings wagged a finger at Bucs fans for bringing the loss of a home game on themselves.

“Folks, this is what happens when you don’t come out and support your football team. Sometimes they might take it away,” Cummings said to those complaining about Team Glazer agreeing to play in England for the second time in three years.

The dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, of WDAE-AM 620, had a similar take last week.

And Cummings echoed a popular opinion that the Bucs didn’t want a repeat of the Bucs-Steelers game last year, when the C.I.T.S. was overwhelmed by Steelers colors and the game was blacked out, just short of a sellout.

While Joe gets why the Bucs agreed to play the Bears in England, and it’s a sound gamble for the long term health of the franchise, the attendance part of the equation is a tough one for Joe to swallow.

Are we to accept in April, with an improving economy and a vastly improved football team with legitimate stars, that a home game in October against the Bears is going to be a repeat of the Pittsburgh invasion of 2010? Joe’s not buying that six months out.

Is there no confidence in the Buccaneers’ sales and marketing staffs? Perhaps those departments need to be put under the microscope. Last Joe checked, JoeBucsFan.com has never been hit up to buy season tickets and never been approached to creatively, or traditionally, market ticket sales. 

But so what if there are 25,000 Bears fans at the C.I.T.S? What better way to generate buzz and passion among your own fan base — and the visitor’s — then to bury Chicago on the home turf? And experienced Bucs fans know that half those Bears fans are bandwagoners living locally who’d be happy to start calling themselves Bucs fans when Tampa Bay returns to glory.

Last Joe checked, fans get jacked up and start buying gear and talking up the team when they experience a big home victory in the flesh.  

A near-full stadium, including Bears fans, seems like a game the Bucs should have been salivating over.

Friday means happy hour, and for Joe that’s one hour of meat and potatoes football talk with FOX Sports analyst Chris Landry and the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, today at 5 p.m. on WDAE-AM 620.

No hockey. No hoops. No hokey radio bits. Just good, in-depth football chatter. … Landry is very entertaining and digs deep with his Xs and Os.  

If you’re chained to a computer, listen live online at 620wdae.com.

The last thing the Bucs need in the draft is a defensive tackle, assuming Brian Price really is not a health concern, as Mark Dominik alluded to last week.

But who cares? Joe still brings you in depth draft coverage, courtesy of Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM 620.

Enjoy The Commish’s breakdown of defensive tackles below.

1. Marcell Dareus – Alabama
6’3’’ – 319 lbs – 4.92
Top 5

Why The Commish would take him: The main reason I’d take Dareus is his outstanding combination of size and speed. He also flourished in the toughest conference in college football. Dareus is a powerful defensive tackle that possesses a mean streak.

Why The Commish would stay away: It’s tough to explain, but there’s something about Dareus that worries me. He isn’t very explosive and is not a great pass rusher. Durability is also a concern as he dealt with a nagging ankle injury for most of the 2010 season.

Commish’s Final Say: I have little doubt that Dareus will go either 2nd or 3rd overall in this year’s draft. His best fit will be with the Broncos in the middle of their depleted defensive tackle position. I do not think Dareus is near the talent that Ndamukong Suh was as the 2nd overall pick last year. On the high end, Dareus could be like a healthy Kris Jenkins, but on the low end he could be compared to Gerard Warren coming out of college.

Comparison: Pat Williams – Minnesota Vikings

2. Nick Fairley – Auburn
6’4’’ – 291 lbs – 4.87
Top 10

Why The Commish would take him: Dominance is the best way to describe the play of Fairley in 2010. He was a beast inside and could take games over on his own. He is a violent player who is willing to deliver the big hit at any time.

Why The Commish would stay away: There are a lot of character issues with Fairley. He does not have a good work ethic, has anger issues, and is an immature player. He was also just a one-year starter for Auburn which makes you wonder if he is a one-year wonder.

Commish’s Final Say: It’ll be interesting to see if late rumors of missing meetings and bad character will drop Fairley on draft day. There are always concerns with one-year wonders, but I think Fairley’s dominance in 2010 has made him at least worthy of a top-15 pick. It’ll be interesting if his character takes him down a similar path to Albert Haynesworth.

Comparison: Kevin Williams – Minnesota Vikings

3. Corey Liuget – Illinois
6’2’’ – 298 lbs – 4.99
1st Round

Why The Commish would take him: What stands out about Liuget is his overall personality. He is a great leader with an outstanding work ethic and awareness. Liuget is an excellent fit as a 3-technique in an even front with his quick first step and ability to penetrate.

Why The Commish would stay away: Liuget has only had one real good year of production, so I do have to wonder why it took so long for it to “click” for him. Liuget really has struggled with his weight and stamina through a majority of his collegiate career.

Commish’s Final Say: Liuget has seen a surge as of late. He is not a finished product, but has a lot of potential that good coaching will help him reach. I think Liuget would make a lot of sense for the Rams or Giants.

Comparison: Gerald McCoy – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

4. Phil Taylor – Baylor
6’3’’ – 334 lbs – 5.20
1st Round

Why The Commish would take him: Taylor is big, mean, and physical. As a nose tackle, that’s all I want.

Why The Commish would stay away: As with most nose tackles, weight and conditioning will be a question. Taylor also has some durability concerns and might deal with some injuries.

Commish’s Final Say: The nose tackle position does not have the value that other positions do in the NFL draft, but a dominant nose tackle can be the difference in games. I’m not sure if Taylor will be dominant, but a combination of size, strength, and meanness is a good start.

Comparison: Casey Hampton – Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Muhammed Wilkerson – Temple
6’4’’ – 315 lbs – 4.96
1st/2nd Round

Why The Commish would take him: I think the most intriguing part about Wilkerson is his fantastic potential. Sure, the word “potential” can be a scary word, but with his size and athletic ability, I think Wilkerson could be special in the NFL.

Why The Commish would stay away: The word “potential” means to me that a player has not gotten where he needs to be yet. Wilkerson is slow off the line and has a tendency to play too tall.

Commish’s Final Say: I think Wilkerson is one of the most intriguing prospects in the entire draft this year. He reminds me of what Jason Pierre-Paul was a year ago. Wilkerson has the size, athleticism, and talent to be special in the NFL. I also think Wilkerson has the work ethic and understanding to reach his potential if he gets the proper coaching.

Comparison: Chris Canty – New York Giants

6. Marvin Austin – North Carolina
6’2’’ – 309 lbs – 4.90
1st/2nd Round

Why The Commish would take him: Austin was highly touted before the 2010 season and before he was suspended for the season as part of the scandal that occurred at North Carolina. He possesses the dominant features you want in a defensive tackle. Austin is big, strong, quick, and a good pass rusher.

Why The Commish would stay away: Sitting out an entire season, there has to be concern about whether Austin will be ready to make an impact in the NFL. He showed up to the Senior Bowl in decent shape, but not as good as scouts had hoped.

Commish’s Final Say: Even though Austin missed the entire 2010 season, I still think he should be regarded as one of the top defensive tackles in this draft. Like most of his teammates from North Carolina, Austin is supremely talented and could get drafted a lot higher than people think.

Comparison: Sedrick Ellis – New Orleans Saints

7. Stephen Paea – Oregon St.
6’1’’ – 303 lbs – DNP
1st/2nd Round

Why The Commish would take him: With Paea, it all begins with strength. He did the most reps on the bench at the combine. He can hold up against NFL linemen. Paea also has a good get-off from the line of scrimmage. I think Paea is a reliable player who’s a leader, has a great work ethic, and is durable.

Why The Commish would stay away: For as solid as Paea could be, there really isn’t anything overly special about his play. He isn’t the flashiest player and does not have a lot of pass rush ability.

Commish’s Final Say: I think the question for Paea is whether he is Tyson Alualu or Trevor Laws. I don’t think he is Alualu because I’m not sure he is as good a pass rusher. I think Paea’s best fit will be in in a 4-3 defense that asks it’s defensive tackles to take on multiple blockers.

Comparison: Trevor Laws – Philadelphia Eagles

8. Christian Ballard – Iowa
6’4’’ – 283 lbs – 4.80
2nd Round

Why The Commish would take him: Ballard has a great combination of power and speed. He’s a hard worker with no character concerns. Ballard is versatile and projects to any type of defense. Ballard really saw his stock rise at the Senior Bowl where he was deemed “unblockable.”

Why The Commish would stay away: I think Ballard might be limited to being an end in a 3-4 defense. He was not very productive when it came to numbers at Iowa and was overshadowed by Adrian Clayborn. My biggest concern is that Ballard can struggle to shed blocks when an offensive lineman gets inside on him.

Commish’s Final Say: Ultimately, Ballard’s best option is as an end in a 3-4 defense. He isn’t the flashiest player, but could be a very solid choice in the 2nd round.

Comparison: Ray McDonald – San Francisco 49ers

9. Drake Nevis – LSU
6’1’’ – 294 lbs – 5.06
2nd/3rd Round

Why The Commish would take him: For as talented as Nevis is on the field, he is a great person off the field as well. He works extremely hard and never gives up on a play. Nevis is also a good pass rusher and gets penetration into the backfield.

Why The Commish would stay away: Nevis was unable to beat out other defensive linemen at LSU during his career, so he was just a one year starter. He’s also not the most powerful lineman as he does not have elite size or strength.

Commish’s Final Say: Despite his lack of size, Nevis has everything that a team could want in a defensive tackle to be drafted in the middle rounds. I think you have to take into account his community service that he has done out of the kindness of his heart, his experience in the SEC, his leadership skills, and his work ethic. When you combine those factors, Nevis looks like a very solid mid round selection.

Comparison: Darnell Dockett – Arizona Cardinals

10. Jurrell Casey – USC
6’1’’ – 300 lbs – 5.06
2nd/3rd Round

Why The Commish would take him: Casey’s strength is his first step off the ball. He does a decent job of shooting the gap and making plays in the backfield. His strength will be as a one-gap defensive tackle in a 4-3 defense.

Why The Commish would stay away: Casey doesn’t have the greatest work ethic and it shows by his sloppy upper body. Also, with as good as his first step is, it’s sometimes late which hurts him tremendously.

Commish’s Final Say: Casey isn’t the most impressive specimen at the defensive tackle position. He does have talent and potential, but his lazy work ethic would steer me away from him.

Comparison: Kentwan Balmer – Seattle Seahawks

When Aqib Talib was hauled off in cuffs by Texas authorities after he allegedly pistol whipped a man and allegedly shot at a fleeing victim, it was yet the latest in a troubling series of violent episodes that average more than once a year from the Bucs troubled cornerback.

The incident also will lead to his departure from Tampa Bay.

That’s the word from good guy Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times. In a recent live chat on the paper’s site, Holder explained why he’s convinced fans have seen the last of Talib in a Bucs uniform.

Specifically, Holder explains that if the Bucs don’t so something severe to Talib, NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell will do something severe to Team Glazer and rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

jermainejermaine: Is there any hope at all Aqib stays?

Stephen F. Holder: Well, this book is a long way from being closed, but I personally believe you’ve seen the last of No. 25 in Tampa Bay. Bucs have defended him on too many previous occasions and they know if they do it again there could be hell to pay. And remember something else: Roger Goodell has said he reserves the right to punish teams that don’t hold their players accountable and continue to have character problems. You don’t want to start getting a reputation with Goodell.

LeoInCanadaLeoInCanada: Hey Stephen, thank for hosting this forum. I want to commend Coach Morris on a great job overall. In the past he has exasperated me with his comments concerning Talib. Any inside info on his mindset at the moment concerning Talib?

Stephen F. Holder: Nothing on the record that I can share, but I personally think we’ve seen the last of Talib here. Guilty or not, I think the Bucs know that if they take him back it’ll be seen as not taking a stand. And what happens if there’s another incident? They’ll havve no defense.

Holder makes a point Joe never factored: Last year Goodell went on record saying that if teams didn’t clean up their act, he, Goodell, would come after teams and may even take away draft picks.

Dominik covets draft picks like Joe does cold beers and the warmth of Rachel Watson’s bosom. Dominik has been uncanny with his ability to find solid players in the later rounds of the draft. So to lose draft picks due to Talib’s inability to control himself, it logically means the Bucs would lose starting players.

Talib will be suspended for a number of games when a new CBA is in place since he is a repeat offender. Given his dark track record, there is every reason to believe his name will again come out of the mouth of police authorities and given the escalating violent nature of Talib’s scrapes with the law, it’s downright frightening to think of his next tussle — and be suspended for a season.

To lose a player to multiple games, if not a season, for being a knucklehead and having to cough up draft picks (players) is a very steep price to pay and Joe doesn’t believe Dominik is willing to pay that kind of a price.

There are scant NFL players worth looking the other way in missing multiple games due to suspension and losing draft picks as well. Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and Clay Matthews spring to mind. (No, none of these players have ever dealt with the long arm of the law to Joe’s knowledge.)

Joe’s not so sure Talib’s talent is worth that high of a price. Joe isn’t quite ready to suggest Talib is a top-five talent in the NFL.

Who knew Ron Jaworski was a shrink? Maybe all that crying by Dick Vermeil inspired him.

Or maybe “Jaws” stayed at a Holiday Inn Express during his recent Tampa visit.

Regardless, Jaws is deeply concerned about Aqib Talib and thinks the Bucs need to show him extra love and care, so he told esteemed NFL writer eye-RAH Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune

Among other things, Jaws said Raheem Morris needs to give Talib more support.

“I think if you give up on a guy like this, and this is the human side of this situation, Talib could be worse off,” said Jaworski, in Tampa Bay recently for an ESPN shoot. “He could go off the deep end if he doesn’t have football, if he doesn’t have structure in his life.”

Of course, Joe agrees that Talib is close to the “deep end” and seems to swim in it quite a bit.

But Joe thinks Jaws is out of his mind. What the hell are the Bucs supposed to do, pay bodyguards to shadow Talib 24/7? And would that really help anyway?

Talib hit a teammate with a deadly weapon with Buccaneers within reach. He pummeled a cabbie with Buccaneers at arms length. He went after an official with Buccaneers around.  And he launched a profanity tirade at his head coach in England.

Sure, with this latest episode of Talib allegedly playing cowboy vigilante in Texas, maybe a bodyguard would have served him well. But the point is Talib must exercise some discipline and get himself full-time counseling, if he doesn’t have it already.

The Bucs can’t be expected to have his back any more than they already have.

Joe hates to be a tease, but Joe’s giving advance love here to an interview NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski had with FOX analyst Brian Billick.

Joe’s heard it, and it’s great stuff.

Pawlowski, aka The Commish, will air the interview about 2:05 p.m. on his Saturday show, The Blitz, on WDAE-AM 620. And JoeBucsFan.com will have the audio Sunday. Billick gives all sorts of takes on evaluating talent and on the Buccaneers. Billick, who says he’s got too high a price tag to get another NFL head coaching job, was the game analyst on several Bucs telecasts in 2010.

“I’ve become a huge, huge Raheem Morris fan. I just can’t tell you how much I admire his approach,” Billick said. “You could just see the growth of this team. You could see the confident growing.  … Every outing they got better and better. … that’s all you can ask for in this league.”

Billick went on to explain how he talked to Sean Payton before the Bucs-Saints game in Week 17 — Billick was on the broadcast team — and Payton detailed that the Saints were playing straight-up to win.

Billick offers great takes on Aqib Talib, as well. He’s of the mind that the Bucs will be patient with Talib.

Don’t miss the interview this weekend.

Occasionally, Joe gets into an e-mail scuffle with a reader.

Joe gets lots of e-mail, usually Bucs tips, jokes, penile enlargement ads, and words of encouragement, but sometimes Joe gets hate mail or stupid Bucs takes that said reader thinks is football gospel.

Today’s genius hater decided to hammer Joe and every other Bucs fans who thinks the Bucs will draft a linebacker or two:

 “Joe, you and Mr. Commish are idiots if you think the Bucs are looking at linebackers. They’ve got three young starters and Tyrone McKenzie and good backups. It shows you know nothing about football.”

Joe’s not going to re-print the whole exchange. But it’s obvious that linebacker is a position of need on the Bucs.

Aside from the fact that the Bucs can’t stop the run, Barrett Ruud, Quincy Black, Adam Hayward and Niko Koutouvides are all unrestricted free agents, so The Tampa Tribune reported months ago. It’s the most number of unrestricted free agents for any position on the team.

There’s no way Mark Dominik is going to bank on those guys returning. He can’t, with free agency eventually coming after the NFL Draft.

Joe’s happy to wager that Dominik takes a linebacker in the first three rounds.

With the draft just two weeks away, that means smokescreens are everywhere and thicker than the haze in Jerramy Stevens’ car on a Saturday night.

In today’s exclusive podcast, NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM 620, talks about navigating through the baloney from agents and teams. And The Commish discusses the near record uncertainty surrounding picks in 2011.

Click the arrow below, or download here.

[audio: smokescreenpodcast.mp3]

Don’t forget to catch all the daily draft buzz from The Commish at 620wdae.com.

Joe can’t count the number of times he’s read comments from angry fans who threw empty beer bottles at their dog in rage over the way BSPN shafted the Bucs and the ugly fact the constant barking, howling and gnarling from the cur sounded remarkably like Chris Berman.

Joe always countered with “If the Bucs win, the attention will follow.”

Apparently, that didn’t happen in 2010.

Unless someone has lived in a cave for roughly the past decade or is a zombie, BSPN cares only about a few select teams/athletes. They slurp at the alter of Bill Belicheat and Tom Brady, genuflect at the feet of Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, wipe the nose of Opie Taylor Peyton Manning, sing the praises of the NFC East, unquestionably the most overrated division in football year after year.

Though the four-letter outfit’s baseball coverage is significantly worse and should be a model for all journalism schools on how not to cover a sport — it’s nothing short of shameful — its NFL coverage has also sunk in recent years and Joe can only think that the lone two groups of people who actually turn to BSPN for real news are ADD-afflicted adolescents and invalids who are incapable of operating a remote. It’s why Joe has long preached the gospel of the NFL Network for thinking football fans and men of all ages who actually possess a pair.

(To be fair, the four-letter is the gold standard for college football coverage and does a solid job on college basketball, which makes Joe wonder why the outfit can’t put forth the same effort and dynamite coverage of America’s most popular sport?)

Eash Sunday morning there is the depressing image of stoic if not burned out Ed Werder from Valley Ranch, Sal Pal from Lincoln Financial, never-blinking Rachel Nichols at Gillette Stadium.

How much did BSPN ignore the Bucs last year? When the Bucs and Saints met at The CITS with both teams fielding a winning record, the Mouse Outfit ordered its NFC South blogger who lives in the area to cover a non-NFC South game.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik even indirectly spoke about this months ago when he appeared with co-hosts of “The Blitz,” Adam Schein and Rich Gannon heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio, that he was pleased to see the Dixie Chicks and the Saints play on Monday Night Football because — Joe is paraphrasing here — TV networks seem to look the other way at the NFC South so any chance two teams from the division got some national exposure, it’s a good thing for the Bucs as well.

Armed with this information, based on multiple sources with direct pipelines to the powers that be at One Buc Palace, Joe learned that the Bucs have tried to go on the offensive in getting the word out that the team has a number of highly-marketable, exciting young players that football fans will gravitate to if they only knew about them.

This push to get the Bucs out in view of football fans everywhere is also part of the reason the Bucs were proactive in offering team access to be highlighted in “Hard Knocks” on HBO.

In short, the move to play in London was a savvy ploy by Team Glazer to ensure the Bucs had at least one nationally televised game. In fact, it will be an internationally televised game. Sure, the Bucs could get a prime time game on BSPN or NBC, but that is totally out of the hands of Team Glazer. The Bucs, to get on Monday Night Football or Football Night in America, are completely at the mercy of TV networks and quite frankly, those same networks haven’t been warm to the Bucs.

Playing in London is a smart end around BSPN and NBC to get the Bucs national and international TV exposure. It also doesn’t hurt that the Bucs are quickly becoming the team of choice for British football fans as there is a large contingent of Bucs fans there.

So for Bucs fans who griped, stomped their feet and nearly scared their pet pooch to death about the Bucs not being on national TV, you have your wish. It will just be in London and not at The CITS.

There may be head-in-the-sand fans out there who think the 2011 Bears-Bucs game in England is another step toward Team Glazer moving the franchise to London and preparing to sell Josh Freeman jerseys to legions of crumpet munchers.

Frankly, Joe doesn’t know why anyone would think that, but Mike Florio, creator and curator of ProFootballTalk.com, explains why and offers a sound take. Feel free to read it here.

Last Joe checked, the NFL is a business. Therefore it makes no sense to move the Bucs when some other investor would pump, say, $500 million into the NFL for a London expansion team.

Plus, Team Glazer has a wildly profitible enterprise in Tampa with its fabulous stadium deal, like most NFL owners.

Signing off on the England “home game” is about money, marketing and a willingness to part with what would not exactly be a dynamic (to steal a Raheem word) home field advantage against the Bears. 

The Bucs aren’t going anywhere.

So are you freaking out about the possibility of the Bucs burning a first-round pick on stud running back prospect Mark Ingram? Damn that Peter King.

But how about LeGarette Blount, Mark Ingram and Cadillac Williams lining up behind Josh Freeman? The Bucs sure seem interested in marketing their team these days. A Heisman Trophy winner from the SEC and morphing into a high-octane offense wouldn’t hurt, if that’s a consideration.

NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski explores the Bucs interest in Ingram, who came into town for an official visit today with the Bucs brass.

Interesting stuff.

Click the arrow below to listen, or download here.

[audio: ingrampodcast.mp3]

Joe’s got to give a hand to Tampa Bay Lightning and Tampa Bay Storm owner Jeff Vinik. In addition to the complete one-year transformation of the Lightning and massive upgrades to The Forum, Vinik went out and hired Derrick Brooks to run his fast-food/pinball football team.

Brooks was announced this week.

So Derrick Brooks wanted to stay in town and build a football management resume and he works for the Storm? Something’s wrong with that picture, although the Arena route was good enough for John Elway.

Hmmm, Joe wonders whether Chucky is still breaking down film in the bowels of the Forum.

“Look 55, you and I are cut from the same fuc*n cloth. We eat and sh*t this game. My brother played Arena ball. I know the damn game. You want to pack the building and sell sponsorships, you freakin’ hire me as an assistant coach. We’ll bring home another ring and rip some money out those Glazer pockets at the same time. Did Parcells or Walsh or Belichick get an Arena Bowl ring? Huh? Huh? You think I don’t want this? I love you, man.”

It’ll be interesting to see how visible Brooks is with the Storm. He’s got massive marketing value to the team, if he’s willing to bang the streets.

Yeah, it’s nuts. But Joe wonders whether Brooks might put the pads on for one more game.

First, let Joe say that he tries to avoid exposing himself to all the hype surrounding draft picks. Joe’s been around too long and been let down too many times. Let’s see a guy play in the NFL.

But Joe admits he did get sucked into this highlight reel of defensive end Cameron Jordan. Joe found it on the Chicago Bears website. Joe particularly liked Jordan playing without his helmet, and not in the way Antonio Cromartie does.

NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski talked to Jordan about all things draft recently, including his pre-draft experience with the Bucs. Fun stuff. And all part of the exlusive draft coverage on JoeBucsFan.com.

Click the arrow below to enjoy, or download here.

[audio: cameronjordanpodcast.mp3]

Don’t forget to catch all the daily draft buzz from The Commish at 620wdae.com.

Bucs fans have destroyed so many remote controls in rage over the Bucs linebacker play in recent years, the families won’t even hang out and watch Bucs games for fear of injury from collateral damage.

So it almost seems like so many vocal, outraged fans wanting “a thumper” could get their wish later this month. First it was Miami and

former Clearwater Central Catholic linebacker Colin McCarthy Monday at One Buc Palace. Tuesday it was a cat named Chris Carter.

Carter was a beast for Fresno State, and was named the WAC defensive player of the year. Aaron Wilson of the NationalFootballPost.com breaks down Carter’s measurables.

The 6-foot-1, 248-pounder ran the 40-yard in 4.58 seconds, registering a 36-inch vertical leap and bench pressed 225 pounds 27 times. He also posted a 9-6 broad jump with a 4.34 20-yard shuttle and a 6.88 three-cone drill.

For his career, he posted 200 tackles and 19 1/2 sacks. He recorded 11 sacks last season and 16 1/2 tackles for losses. The first-team All-Western Athletic Conference ranked seventh in the NCAA in sacks last year, forcing four fumbles.

The thing about Carter that jumped out at Joe is that he played his entire junior season with a broken hand. That tells Carter is a man and is hard to get off the field.

It’s not like Fresno State played a University of Florida non-conference schedule that would even embarrass Largo High School coach Rick Rodriguez.

Last year the Bulldogs played Mississippi, Nevada, Boise State, Nevada and Zooker (Fresno State beat Illinois at home in one of the strangest games Joe has ever watched. The Illini had over 300 yards rushing… and lost! Only Zooker). When Carter was a junior, Fresno State played Wisconsin, Boise State and Cincinnati (Sugar Bowl year for the Bearcats).

So it’s not like Carter hasn’t played high level talent. Also, Joe remembers some linebacker by the name of Brian Urlacher played in the Mountain West as a safety no less and he was able to make the transition to the NFL.

Sure appears the Bucs are bound to upgrade their linebacker corps.

Not citing a source, so Joe is dubious, St. Pete Times Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud paints a picture of Team Glazer asking the NFL to snatch a home game from their local fans and move it to England.

Stroud explained in an updated blog entry on TampaBay.com, whose time stamp has apparently been adjusted.

While season ticket sales were crisp in January and February, the NFL labor situation and the lackluster economy in Tampa Bay prompted the Glazers to campaign for moving another game to London.

If this is true, this is very troubling to Joe.

Surely, playing in England is not an on-field advantage for the Bucs as compared to a home game in Tampa. That’s not debatable.

Isn’t winning more important?

Joe has no confirmation, but it seems obvious that playing as the “home team” before 80,000 in England has a strong financial upside for the Bucs, especially when your team is struggling to sell 50,000 tickets in Tampa.

Joe doesn’t want to believe that Team Glazer would sell out an on-field edge for its Super Bowl contender Bucs for a profit.

Say it ain’t so, Joel.

UPDATE 7:47 p.m.: The staff at TampaBay.com removed the Rick Stroud quote above from their published story.  Odd without any explanation. Though Joe, sadly, has seen this tactic before from the MSM without a published correction. Joe can only hope Team Glazer did not “campaign” for the London game as Stroud wrote originally.

In what can’t make any Bucs fan happy, unless he or she is a Euro stuck in soccer-mad Europe, the Bucs will play another home game in England in 2011. This time it’s against the bears.

News broke on AM 1000 in Chicago this afternoon, JoeBucsFan.com just confirmed with the station, and moments ago was reported by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.

Well, at least that’s one game sure to not be blacked out.

How could this not be a disadvantage for the Bucs? Why would Team Glazer approve such a thing when the team is a serious contender? Surely the NFL didn’t force their hand. The Bucs just played a “home game” there in 2009.

Frankly, Joe is disgusted. One less game for the home fans to enjoy.

Insert a big fat lockout asterisk, but the first glimpse of the Bucs’ preseason schedule is out.

The only fixed date is the opener in Kansas City on Aug. 12. And Bill Belicheat and the Patriots will soil the blacked out C.I.T.S. turf the following week.

Joe’s already drooling at the thought of the first preseason game only — and exactly — four months away.

2011 Preseason Schedule

August 1, (National TV-FOX)            at Kansas City                
(August 18-22)                                   NEW ENGLAND           
(August 25-28)                                   MIAMI                         
(September 1-2)                                 at Washington                       

Damn, this lockout thing better get resolved. Joe yearns for all the fun of training camp and preseason.