It’s seems Lovie didn’t get his man

The chatter swirling about Chiefs director of pro personnel Chris Ballard being targeted by Lovie Smith as the next Buccaneers general manager has died.

ProFootballTalk.com guru Mike Florio delivered the simple reason this afternoon. Ballard didn’t want the gig.

The team explained that, while Ballard has great affection and respect for new Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith, Ballard has a young family, he has moved multiple times in recent years, and he is happy working with coach Andy Reid, G.M. John Dorsey, and owner Clark Hunt.

And so the Chiefs denied the request to interview Ballard, at Ballard’s request.

The quest continues for the Bucs to find the 1b to Lovie’s 1a.

Tears weren’t shed for Greg Schiano

Gerald McCoy was given every opportunity to throw love at Greg Schiano today on the national Jay Mohr Sports show.

McCoy didn’t bite.

“I think a fresh start was needed,” said of the hire of Lovie Smith. [read more]

Those darn NFL head coaches; they just can’t help themselves. They want to win now and that often gets the best of their brains.

That was the take from longtime general manager Charley Casserly, who now works for NFL Network. Casserly was interviewed on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday and explained that Lovie Smith, as ruler of Bucs personnel and head coach, likely will have challenges thinking long term when building the Bucs. [read more]

Below is more DUI law need-to-know from Tampa criminal defense attorney Brett Metcalf. Learn more at MetcalfLawFirm.com and schedule a free consultation.

Is the Breath Test accurate? 

That depends on your definition of accuracy. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) drafted the rules governing the breath machine used in Florida – the Intoxilyzer 8000. FDLE decided that everyone arrested for DUI needs to provide two breath samples and that the results are “accurate,” if they fall within .02 points of each other. That .02 margin of error is 25% of the legal limit of .08! 

To illustrate, let’s imagine you’re arrested for DUI and you blow exactly .08 on your first attempt. With a .02 margin of error, your second test can fall anywhere between .06 – .10 and be considered accurate by FDLE. That means the spread of acceptable results on your second attempt is .04! Does that sound accurate to you? 

If you have been arrested for DUI and you blow over a .08, we can still win your case. The incredible margin of error allowed by FLDE is just one fact we can use to attack the Intoxilyzer 8000. Remember, the prosecution has the burden of proving you were above a .08 at the time you were driving. If we can show the jury a reason to doubt the accuracy of your breath test, you are not guilty of DUI.

Entering this past season, Joe had an unhealthy obsession with how former Bucs offensive coordinators Greg Olson and Mike Shula would fare with their respective new offenses in Oakland and Carolina, respectively.

Joe couldn’t believe those guys were hired to run NFL offenses again. Shula was dreadful as a young man running the Bucs offense under Tony Dungy and, well, the Benn’d Around and other 2011 nonsense by Olson should have had college teams questioning his sanity.

So Joe paid quite a bit of attention to what went on in Oakland, where new Bucs offensive line coach Tony Sparano was hired to fill the same job there last season. [read more]

Well, it is official. Yesterday, Johnny Football told the world what the world expected to hear; Johnny Football declared he’ll enter the 2014 NFL draft in May.

And the Bucs have a high draft pick.

And the Bucs need a quarterback. [read more]

Gerald McCoy could sure use a guy to rotate in and give him a break once in a while. That would a be a great way to keep McCoy fresh and likely make him more effective.

McCoy missed a load of games while injured during his first two seasons. But it seemed like the back-to-back Pro Bowler was making up for lost snaps under the New Schiano Order.

McCoy rarely came off the field the past two seasons. He played an extraordinary percentage of snaps, often against double-teams. [read more]

All things Bucs were on the table this evening on WDAE-AM 620 during Joe’s weekly hour with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig.  Of course, Lovie Smith, roster-building, Johnny Football, Mike Glennon and much more were discussed.  

Xs and Os guru and former Bucs tight end Dave Moore didn’t hesitate to identify a necessary fix for the woeful Bucs offense today during an interview on WDAE-AM 620.

Offensive line and quarterback weren’t the calls. [read more]

The Tampa Bay Times is Twittering that the Bucs will grill newly-promoted Falcons director of player of personnel Lionel Vital for their vacant general manager position.

Here’s some background on him from AtlantaFalcons.com:

From 2005-07, Vital served in his second stint with the Ravens and covered schools across the country as a National Scout while being responsible for reporting on defensive linemen. During his time in Baltimore, he was honored with the inaugural Fritz Pollard Alliance Scouting Award, which is given to the top African American scout each in the AFC and NFC.

Vital served as the Assistant Director of College Scouting with the New England Patriots from 2001-04 after maintaining duties as a National College Scout in 2000. It was during his tenure with New England that he worked directly with Vice President of Player Personnel Scott Pioli and Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff.

Prior to his stint in New England, Vital spent three seasons as a Talent Scout with the New York Jets, covering the Southeast region from 1997-99. He entered the scouting ranks with the Cleveland Browns in 1991 and spent five seasons as a Talent Scout, after being hired by Head Coach Bill Belichick. Vital followed Belichick and the Browns when the team moved to Baltimore for its inaugural season in 1996, working as a College Scout. For two seasons (1990-91), Vital was the Director of Player Personnel for the Montreal Machine in the World League of American Football.

A native of Loreauville, Louisiana, Vital graduated from Nicholls State and was selected by the Washington Redskins as a running back in the seventh round of the 1985 NFL Draft.

Joe’s knows little of Vital, 50, who played in the CFL. But he seems like the prototype potential GM the Bucs will pursue —  an up-and-comer that will be a complementary 1a to Lovie Smith.

A different kind of culture change has arrived at One Buc Palace.

The foul-mouthed ways of Jon Gruden and Raheem Morris were notorious. Greg Schiano? He brought his Jersey vocabulary to Tampa.

Lovie Smith is a different kind of cat. [read more]

Shelton Quarles explains

Every head coach has catch phrases, and they often come in fours.

With Raheem Morris, it was play “hard, fast, smart and consistent.”

Greg Schiano? “Toes on the line!” or “Just do your job!” [read more]

Joe joins Tampa Bay sports radio icon Steve Duemig to talk all things Bucs this evening at 5 p.m. It’s the popular Wednesday JoeBucsFan Hour!

You don’t want to miss it.

His December numbers were eye-opening

Maybe it is because Joe has not had any sleep and has to catch a flight to the frigid north in nine hours, but Joe is starting to warm to the idea of the Bucs chasing veteran defensive end Jared Allen.

(Joe better start warming to something. The temperature is hovering around 16 degrees where Joe is headed.) [read more]

Right now one of the biggest questions for Bucs fans is just who is going to be the quarterback knighted by new Bucs coach Lovie Smith. Many Bucs fans are screaming to draft a quarterback. Others believe in dumpster diving for a veteran castoff.

And then there is the Mike Glennon Mob. This outfit all but went underground after Glennon seemingly played his way out of a starting gig in the final weeks of the season. But the Mike Glennon Mob is still here, though less active, less vocal.

Thus far, Lovie has been rather coy about Glennon’s status. At times, he sounds like Greg Schiano, where Glennon is the man. But then, Lovie will throw out a one-liner to chase you off the scent, just enough to plant doubt in your mind as to which way he is leaning. [read more]

When new Bucs coach Lovie Smith came to One Buc Palace Monday for his formal coronation, he stated he hoped to complete the hiring of his coaching staff by Saturday.

Though the end of the week is not yet here, another new addition has leaked: that is former Dolphins head  coach Tony Sparano. [read more]

No surprise here. Bucs icon Hardy Nickerson said on WDAE-AM 620 last month that he wanted out of coaching high school football in California and back into the big time.

Nickerson last coached in the NFL for, you guessed it, Lovie Smith in Chicago in 2007. Back in 2006, he was an analyst on the Buccaneers Radio Network. [read more]

Joe has written several stories about new Bucs coach Lovie Smith and his unprecedented power over football operations. Joe thinks this is one reason Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik was asked to clear out his desk: Lovie didn’t want interference from Dominik; he wanted his own man.

Well, Pat Yasinskas lauds the recent moves of the Bucs, including the hire of Lovie, but the ESPN Bucs beat writer is uncomfortable with Lovie wielding as much power as Bill Belicheat with the Patriots, sans the resume of Belicheat (or many other top coaches). [read more]