Former NFL great Randy Cross fired an arrow at rockstar general manager Mark Dominik today during an interview with Bobby Fenton on WDAE-AM 620 radio.

The good news is Cross said he believes the 2012 Bucs are a winning football team and possibly a playoff team and it was the wrong mix of people, not talent, that soiled the Raheem Morris regime.

“They’re much closer to the team and the record after 2010 than they are after the 2011 season. I just think there was a such a meltdown and an incomplete job done as far as building that roster and stocking with the right kind of personalities,” Cross said. “You add the right sort of people.

“You know, you look at what you’ve done over the last two years. I love Adrian [Clayborn]. You get [Gerald] McCoy healthy and going. Josh Freeman has a Josh Freeman kind of year and doesn’t regress. You’ve done some very, very nice things. I think you’ve got areas that I’d immediately get after. Specifically, and it sounds strange, but I would go back into that defensive line personally and add a little bit. I’d go to that offensive line and add some.”

With all the draft gurus talking about player grades and big-board rankings, etc., it’s refreshing to hear a reminder like this from Cross that GMs aren’t just stockpiling bodies but trying to blend personalities, add the elements for good team chemistry, and all the other stuff that makes a winning football club.

Key player cogs gone from the 2011 Bucs are Albert Haynesworth, Geno Hayes, Sean Jones, Tanard Jackson, Jeff Faine, Josh Johnson and Kregg Lumpkin. Stepping in are Carl Nicks, Vincent Jackson, Eric Wright, Dan Orlovsky, Amobi Okoye and a whole new round of draft picks.

Hopefully, with a new law-and-order coaching staff, that’s enough to wipeout the quit the Bucs displayed in 2011.

UPDATE: WINNER ANNOUNCED – ADAM HOGE of Tampa was chosen randomly Friday night. He’ll be attending in style Thursday with a party of six in a chauffeured limo courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation.

Joe’s incredible opening-night draft party on Thursday, April 26 at Pete & Shorty’s just got more exciting. As if Bud Light girls, The Commish, jersey giveaways, former Bucs DE Steve White, and great food wasn’t enough.

Paradise Worldwide Transportation is so fired up by the draft blowout they are giving away a roundtrip limousine ride to the event from Hillsborough, Pinellas or Manatee County. That’s right, you could be living, say, in Brandon, and you could have a limo at your door to take you and your buddies to the party, and then Paradise will take you home afterwards. Your Brandon limo could make you the talk of the town and let you enjoy the draft like never before.

Just email joe@joebucsfan.com with the subject line “DRAFT LIMO” and the following information: Name, Address, Size of your group.

A winner will be randomly selected and notified via email on Friday, April 20. The winner will have 24 hours to respond and accept before JoeBucsFan.com will assign a new winner. Good luck.

Yes, there are only two-and-a-half scant days until the draft. Joe’s already getting complaints readers are tired of his pimping for stud LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne and dismissing drafting a position that is not needed with the Bucs and is a bad value pick at No. 5, a running back (specifically, Trent Richardson).

Well, Joe’s not going to start lying and being dishonest both to himself and to readers and start cheerleading for what Joe perceives as a bad pick just to pacify some people, huh-uh.

As eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune typed, the holes in the Bucs secondary are so massive, and Claiborne is so talented, that if Claiborne is stil on the board when the Bucs draft with the fifth pick Thursday night, Claiborne will simply be too irresistible for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to look past.

Playing in the NFC South, Tampa Bay cornerbacks are required to shadow game-breaking receivers such as Carolina’s Steve Smith, New Orleans’ Marques Colston and Atlanta’s Roddy White and Julio Jones.

“Defensive coordinators covet that one outstanding corner,” former Seahawks general manager Tim Ruskell said. “The way the game is played today, the value of cornerbacks can’t be overstated.”

If the Bucs didn’t have massive holes in the secondary while facing Matty Ice, Drew Brees and Cam Newton twice a year, if the Bucs didn’t have such dire needs of upgrades to linebacker (not to mention filling the void left by Geno Hayes), and if the Bucs didn’t already have a proven running back, then maybe, maybe Joe would think about drafting Richardson at No. 5.

Problem is, all three premises Joe laid out, match the Bucs’ needs/strengths.

Joe’s been irritated by a couple of his sports radio brethren in the media over the past few days, specifically good guys Tom Krasniqi of WHBO-AM 1040 and J.P. Peterson of WQYK-AM 1010.

Basically, each has said on his respective afternoon drive show that there’s no reason to believe the Bucs are not shopping Aqib Talib, even though both are completely aware that Greg Schiano came out last week and boldly squashed that rumor floated initially by PewterReport.com.

Schiano even fully clarified saying “there’s absolutely zero thinking on our part as far as wanting to [trade Talib].” And Schiano explained further saying he wants Talib to be a Buccaneer.

Krasniqi and Peterson have shrugged off Schiano’s comments as the kind of baloney response every team says when it comes to trade rumors.

Here’s why Joe disagrees: Schiano’s entire stated philosophy to his team — core beliefs, if you will — is Trust, Belief and Accountability.

So why would Schiano lie right out of the gate about Talib when it could undermine the credibility he’s trying to build with his players and with fans?

It makes no sense. And Joe refuses to believe Schiano would be so foolish. Joe has to give the guy the benefit of the doubt until he proves he doesn’t deserve it. Ironically, both Peterson and Krasniqi openly say how much they like and respect Schiano.

Now if Joe were to accept the takes from the sports radio guys, then Joe would be forced to believe that Schiano lied to fans, media and his team when he didn’t have to. Obviously, Schiano could have offered some sort of coachspeak about the Talib rumor that said, ‘teams guage trade interest all the time and no player outside of a select few should feel safe.’ Or he could have brushed it off and said something like, ‘I don’t want him traded, so you’d have to ask Mark Dominik if he’s gotten offers.’

But no, Schiano offered the make-no-mistake denial quoted above.

Now Joe cannot find one Bucs fan irritated that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik signed San Diego wide receiver Vincent Jackson. The former target of Philip Rivers instantly gives the Bucs a home run threat at receiver.

But he does more than that, said NFL.com contributor and Bucs beat writer Jenna Laine.

Appearing last night on “670 The Score,” WSCR-AM 620 in Chicago, Laine believes Jackson’s presence in the locker room is twofold.

After initially gaining the rapt attention of host Matt Abbatacola by explaining how she was wearing pink pajamas, Laine explained how valuable Jackson will be to the rest of the young Bucs receivers.

“Not having a leader in the [receivers] meeting room to show them how to be leaders, it was the blind leading the blind. When you don’t have someone to show yo9u how to be a pro, that is when problems happen.”

Laine also believes LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, if available, is the smart pick for the Bucs at the No. 5 position.

“You are going to need three solid corners. Claiborne is instinctive and fluid. He can play man and zone. They trusted him in so many situations at LSU they didn’t have to worry about anyone making a big play against him. And he is a solid special teams performer.”

Joe believes Laine is onto something with Jackson’s roster spot. The guy not only can be a big brother of sorts, just having Jackson around will push Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn and Preston Parker. Competition is always a good thing.

It’s no surprise that any current and former offensive lineman would claim that a good O-line is the absolute key to a successful running game, versus the running back holding anywhere close to the same importance. 

Three time All-Pro O-lineman Randy Cross makes this point on Sirius NFL Radio regularly. And joining Cross in the camp of pundits saying the Bucs would be out of line drafting Trent Richardson is former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996).

But Beckles took this line of thinking a giant step further today with a bold statement made while co-hosting the The Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620.

“Every running back I played with could have run for 1,200 yards with the [right] offensive line,” Beckles said.

Beckles served up this stunning take during a discussion of what drafting star offensive tackle prospect Matt Kalil would mean to the Bucs and why he’s a smarter pick than Richardson.

Look, don’t shoot daggers at Joe. Joe’s just relaying takes from two linemen that played a combined 21 years in the league.

As Joe first pointed out last week, it’s looking more and more likely that the Bucs could have stud offensive tackle Matt Kalil fall in their laps.

It’s beginning to appear Minnesota will draft LSU stud cornerback Morris Claiborne, who Joe covets for the Bucs.

Then, the Browns will draft Alabama running back Trent Richardson. That leaves Kalil still on the board.

Joe wrote last week if he were Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, if the above-mentioned scenario plays out, Joe would draft Kalil quicker than one could say “free beer.” You’d have a guy who would be an anchor on your offensive line for the next decade if not beyond.

Now some of Joe’s detractors claim this would be a bad move because it would tie up too much cash on the offensive line. Joe suggested this is not exactly accurate as Jeremy Trueblood is in the last year of a two-year contract. Factor in the rookie wage scale in effect and it’s not a hit financially as some would believe.

Joe was of the mind Kalil would step into Trueblood’s spot and in a couple of years, replacing left tackle Donald Penn.

But Stephen Holder of the Tampa Bay Times seems to suggest Penn, not so much Trueblood, should be keeping a close eye on Thursday’s transactions.

Penn, a 2010 Pro Bowl selection who turns 29 this week, has four years and more than $22 million remaining on his contract. But the guarantees in his deal have already been paid, meaning there are few financial consequences for his release. And Penn wasn’t at his best in 2011, when he failed to keep his weight in check.

It’s less likely Kalil would play right tackle because of his demonstrated ability at the more valuable left tackle position. But if the Bucs are open to that, Trueblood is in the final year of a two-year contract and the future of the position is uncertain.

There are positions of greater need for a team that finished 4-12 in 2011? But there might not be a pick of greater value than Kalil, depending on where the team has him ranked.

People always scream the Bucs not only need to draft the best available talent, but with a No. 5 pick, the Bucs’ personnel department cannot risk missing an impact player with this pick.

If Claiborne is gone, Kalil has the best chance of having a major impact for many years to come.

It seems the Bucs really are the most beloved and popular NFL team in Florida

Attendance talk in any sport is generally a yawner for Joe, but given how much blackouts affect the Bucs’ fan base, Joe can’t avoid studying what’s going on.

On that front, stunning news came out of the Miami Herald this weekend with a revelation from columnist Dan Le Batard that the Dolphins are working hard to keep their season-ticket base at 30,000. 

From 1995 to 2005, Dolphins season-ticket sales were always around 60,000, but one source says the team is presently laboring to be at half that number. Sales are worse at the moment than the 46,131 season tickets the Dolphins sold after a 1-15 season, and that’s with the Dolphins selling a season-ticket package of 10 games in one section for $250 — $25 per game, the cheapest rate in the league.

Wow! Keep in mind Bucs season ticket sales checked in around 40,000 last year and likely got a bump after the Bucs made a big splash in free agency last month.

It’s just hard to imagine how the once-mighty and popular Dolphins have 25 percent fewer season tickets sold than the Bucs. Miami won the tough AFC East in 2008 and have at least stayed competitive. But obviously fans have lost faith in their wacky front office and the challenging economy has made folks far more quick to dump their tickets if they’re feeling dissatisfied.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the Dolphins again gobble up tickets to get their home games televised, of if they go the other direction and let blackouts infest their market to allegedly drive fans to games.

Joe also wonders whether Miami will do something bold and unpredictable in the draft, aka trade up to draft Trent Richardson or Ryan Tannehill, to drive excitement and ticket sales.

Look, Joe knows Trent Richardson is a great football player and a great pro prospect. Joe’s not an idiot.

But Joe’s tiring of the crazy faction of Bucs fans that really think this guy is going to wear pewter and red on Thursday. Joe even believes many of these fans would pass on a night of passion and domination with Rachel Watson if it meant seeing Richardson in a Bucs jersey. Forgetting for a moment that Richardson isn’t the smartest pick for the Bucs at No. 5 overall, Richardson is not going to be there for the Bucs at No. 5.

If Richardson is the legendary, once-a-generation running back every draft guru and Richardson-crazy fan say he is, then there’s no way the Vikings, with their No. 3 overall pick, won’t have a pile of great trade-up offers for Richardson. That’s reality. When draft day comes, if Richardson really is considered that special, the Vikings will get pounded with deals from multiple teams.

And the Vikings will deal — and the build-through-the-draft Bucs won’t be the ones trading up. Minnesota has Adrian Peterson locked in to another $40 million or so guaranteed on his new contract. They have no need for a running back but a big need to stockpile talented players by trading the pick.

Then there’s Cleveland. If the Vikings don’t deal, what would be a huge red flag for Joe on what league GMs really think of Richardson, then the Browns are sitting there at No. 4 and hurting for running back. Yeah, it’s Cleveland, but it’s damn hard to believe they wouldn’t take Richardson.

The point is if Richardson is the superstar savior some Bucs fans believe he legitimately is, then there’s no logical reason for these same fans to believe he’ll be there for the Bucs.

Joe wants to believe rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and Greg Schiano would not draft Richardson, but Joe firmly believes they’ll never get the chance at No. 5.

One of the more amazing things about the Raheem Morris era was the Bucs’ habitual slow starts to games.

Sometimes they battled through to victory; sometimes they got brutally clobbered. Regardless, they started slowly nearly every game.

Last year Joe begged and pleaded on these here pages for the Bucs to find a consultant to come in and study why the Bucs were mental midgets — and physical midgets — in the first quarter and first-half of games. But that never happened, and Raheem had no answers.

Enter Greg Schiano.

The new head coach’s ramped up practice tempo unveiled this week will solve the Bucs’ propensity for slow starts, so says Arrellious Benn in this Buccaneers.com video. (Click the link to watch.)

Essentially, Benn believes religiously working up-tempo will carry over to Sundays, especially practicing “paying attention to detail when you’re tired.”

There’s no doubt in Joe’s mind Schiano will keep everything ramped up through future minicamps, training camp and the early stages of the regualar season. Enacting a real and thorough culture change will require that consistency and drive.

But it’ll be interesting to see how Schiano adapts as the long NFL season goes on and injuries take their toll. Joe’s willing to live with the consequences of a somewhat burned out team come December, if the results of the hard work are seen on the field. He can always dial back the practice energy a notch in 2013.

Yes, the Bud Light girls will be in the house for Joe’s absolute blowout of an NFL Draft party at Pete & Shorty’s onThursday. But the evening is not just about beer and girls and the jerseys Joe will be giving away, it’s really about hardcore football fans gathering for serious draft fun and analysis.

Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski will broadcast live at the party on the 1010 AM airwaves breaking down every draft happening, and former Bucs defensive end Steve White (1996-2001) will be in the house joining Justin at times on the air and simply enjoying himself among fans. 

White is hands-down one of the most astute Bucs and NFL analysts around. Many of Joe’s readers became addicted to his Bull Rush column on JoeBucsFan.com and on White’s personal blog. Joe has warned Steve that he can’t protect him from the Internet groupies that might harass him, but Steve is not concerned. So if you ever wanted to buy Steve White a beer or shake his hand, the draft party is your chance.

Joe’s hoping to announce other special attendees in the coming days.

Greg Schiano wants to run the ball. He’s drooling over his offensive line. Goodness, the way Schaino talks about running the ball, one might think he wants to take the NFL back to the 1970s.

Joe guesses that as a young lad Schiano was mesmerized by Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris dominating the NFL in 1972 and 1973, enroute to back-to-back Super Bowl wins. Want a mind-blowing stat? Bob Griese was a Pro Bowl quarterback with that ’73 team despite completing less than nine passes per game. Nine!

The point is with a high-priced, high-powered Buccaneers offensive line, and a coach in love with the handoff, the Bucs obviously need to add to their stable of running backs. Moisses Madu, Robert Hughes and LeGarrette Blount are nowhere near enough.

Joe expects the Bucs to draft a running back in Round 2 or Round 3 later this week, but they still need a veteran back to round out the stable.

Free agent Ryan Grant is a name that intrigues Joe, and one that seemingly would pique the interest of Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik. Grant, 29, is a high character guy, a former captain at Notre Dame, who came on strong in Green Bay in second half of last season and revived his career.

The Journal-Sentinel out of Milwaukee yesterday claimed the Packers want Grant back but money is likely an issue, along with promising young backs on Green Bay’s roster.

Last year, Grant started out slowly upon his return from ankle surgery, but late in the year he looked much more like the 1,000-yard rusher he had been for the Packers in 2008 and ’09.

In his last five games, he carried 50 times for 276 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a healthy 5.5 yards per carry. He also caught eight passes for 179 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown on a screen pass.

Grant is an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team.

The Patriots may have brought in three backs at one time with the idea of signing the one who was willing to take the cheapest deal. Grant accepted a $1 million cut in pay last year but still earned $4.25 million salary and probably isn’t prepared to sign a minimum-wage deal.

Joe can’t speak for Grant’s pass blocking, but he’s surely a guy that can do some explosive stuff on third down and run hard between the tackles, plus he comes from a classy club and has playoff experience.

The Bucs shouldn’t look for a way around scoring a veteran running back. Maybe it’s not Grant, but they do need one.

Joe couldn't draft USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil fast enough if Minnesota and Cleveland pass on him.

Though Joe is excited about the draft, Joe has to confess: He’s about drafted out. Good thing the draft is but a few days away. Joe’s ready to get this thing over with and move on.

Now Joe got into a discussion on Twitter last night and today with a few fans. Joe knows many pine for Trent Richardson more so than Joe pines for a wet, shivering Rachel Watson knocking on Joe’s door in the wee hours looking for warmth and comfort.

Joe’s in the Morris Claiborne faction, which he has made no secret of in recent months.

So let’s say the Richardson acolytes are bummed because Cleveland drafts him. And what if the Vikings draft Claiborne? What then?

ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas has that answer and he believes it to be Justin Blackmon, so he wrote in a recent ESPN NFC South chat.

Tim (Athens): Pat, do you think the Bucs have a plan if Richardson goes to CLE and Claiborne goes to MIN? Thank you.

Pat Yasinskas: I’m sure they do. Teams usually are prepared for any scenario. The thing I wonder about in that scenario is Justin Blackmon. I know they just signed Vincent Jackson and have a bunch of young WRs. But those young WRs haven’t really established themselves. I could see them going with Blackmon to give Freeman another target.

Now Joe can see Yasinskas working here and Joe doesn’t neccesarily disagree. Adding Blackmon to the unit of Jackson, Williams and Benn turns the Bucs’ receiving corps into a truly frightening bunch.

Joe’s of a different mind. Why not draft Matt Kalil? From all reports, this guy is an absolute stud of an offensive tackle, a franchise tackle that will anchor an offensive line for the next decade.

Now some of Joe’s followers claim that means too much cash is tied up on the offensive line. Well, that’s not totally accurate. Jeremy Trueblood is in the last year of his two-year, $10 million contract. So if the Bucs draft Kalil, easily he could replace Trueblood (remember, rookie salaries are locked in now to a set amount).

When Donald Penn’s career begins to wane, then Kalil could move over to left tackle a few years from now.

What better way for Kalil, who did play some right tackle at USC, to break in than to play alongside of Davin Joseph? Then down the road, move to replace Penn?

If Kalil is as good as experts say, Joe would jump all over drafting him if he is there for the picking.

As the old football saying says, “It all begins up front.”

Longtime Colts chief Bill Polian is a guy rockstar general manager Mark Dominik referenced during his recent news conference as a guy he learned from, a guy Dominik called among “the best.” Polian now works for SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Interestingly, Polian has explained numerous times on the air this month that he applauds general managers who see a player that fits their team, a player they feel great about, and “reach” out and grab them. Polian essentially makes the point there’s no such thing as a reach and GMs are trying to win games and build teams, not win drafts for pundits or history.

This brings Joe to Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly, who to his position is what Trent Richardson is to running backs this year. Kuechly is being slobbered over as a total-package player not seen in years.

Lead NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock, a guy who spends his entire year on the draft, talks about how Kuechly might be the guy with the most Pro Bowls out of this draft class. 

Mayock says several general managers have told him Kuechly “is the cleanest single player in the draft. And by that they mean huge production in a BCS conference, no off-the-field problems, no medical injuries. I think he’s the best pure zone-drop pass linebacker I’ve ever seen on tape. And what usually knocks inside linebackers down is there inability to stay on the field for three plays. It’s the opposite with Kuechly.”

Mayock calls Kuechly the sixth-best player overall in the draft. The Bucs pick at No. 5.

Architect of the Cowboys teams from 1960 to 1989, Gil Brandt, aka The Godfather, is another guy Dominik referenced Thursday as a guy he lumped in among “the best” NFL personnel men and one he’s learned from. Brandt has been NFL scouting guru for NFL.com and Sirius NFL Radio for years.

Brandt says Kuechly “makes tackles in the hole and still covers in space. He is a rare talent who will be very good for a long time.” Brandt places Kuechly at No. 9 on his big board.

Obviously, the Bucs need serious help at linebacker.

Joe keeps thinking about how weeks ago Dominik called Greg Schiano a “4-3 fundamentalist.” Joe has no clue what that really means but Joe suspects Schiano’s defense calls for a beast of a middle linebacker. And Joe can’t forget that Schiano himself was a linebacker in college.

So is Kuechly, who turned 21 yesterday, a senseless “reach” for the Bucs with the fifth-overall pick?

Joe still prefers Morris Claiborne, but Joe’s not about to freak out or be completely stunned if Kuechly’s name is called by the Bucs.

Joe loves when Josh Freeman improvises in the pocket, and when he runs the ball. So does Bill Cowher.

Yeah, nobody wants to see Freeman get hit, but the guy is a beast and was the No. 2 rushing quarterback back in 2010. Perhaps running more keeps Freeman more locked in.

With all the hype around Robert Griffin III heading to the Redskins next week to channel Michael Vick, one man is not completely sold on Griffin pulling that off. That would be last year’s super rookie Von Miller of the Denver Broncos. Speaking to Pro Football Weekly, Miller said Griffin is no Josh Freeman.

“He can throw the ball pretty well, and he’s fast. But if you hit him enough times, he’s going to wear down,” Miller said of Griffin. “He can run and throw, but I wouldn’t put him in that same class as (Michael) Vick, Cam (Newton) or (Josh) Freeman.”

It’s good to see Freeman commanding such respect. Perhaps Miller’s gotten a jump on watching film for preparation of the 2012 season. The Bucs head to Denver in December.

From the moment Bucs fans read about on Twitter, and later saw on video, law-and-order Bucs coach Greg Schiano barking orders where to place toes while lining up for warm-ups, people knew a new era had begun at One Buc Palace.

It’s a New Schiano Order.

Gone are the days of rap music and backslaps and having feel good moments at practice. No, practice is for work, serious work, detailed work.

Thus far, per Woody Cummings of  The Tampa Tribune, many Buccaneers are digging the new attitude of the New Schiano Order.

Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy is one many players applauding Schiano’s forceful ways.

“There’s nobody complaining out here. You just deal with it and go about your business. What are we going to say? ‘I’m not doing it.’ Coach would be like, ‘OK, thanks for your services.’ ”

So too are LeGarrette Blount, Vincent Jackson and Ronde Barber applauding Schiano’s intense practices

One reason Schiano is going all Sgt. Carter is to weed out those who are not serious about football. Remember, just a few short months ago, many players tanked on jettisoned coach Raheem Morris. If one can stomach it, watch again the ghastly performance against the Dixie Chicks to close the horrid season, completing the heinous 10-game losing streak.

Already Tanard Jackson is gone. Joe suspects Dezmon Briscoe could be next.

It’s a new day in Tampa Bay. And the Bucs will likely be better off for it. Much better in fact.

Since the great, cranky, well-informed Dr. Z, Paul Zimmerman, had a series of strokes, knocking him off the pages of Sports Illustrated and SI.com, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King, the NBC Sports guru and Sports Illustrated scribe has picked up the mantle for the publication’s annual mock draft.

King has done a pretty good job too. Last year, King even beat Mike Mayock for accuracy. That’s pretty solid in Joe’s eyes.

So SI.com just posted King’s mock draft. He claims the Bucs secondary is in such a dire need of an upgrade, that drafting LSU Morris Claiborne is a must for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

(Should pick: Morris Claiborne). Ronde Barber is 37, and free agent corner Eric Wright is plenty leaky, so this is Tampa Bay’s position of greatest long-term need. The Tigers trusted Claiborne on an island; as a pro he’ll have to hold his own against NFC South gunslingers Drew Brees, Cam Newton and Matt Ryan if the Bucs are going to have a chance to be competitive.

This is what Joe has been writing for months now: Never mind that Wright next year (if not this year) may be the Bucs’ best corner. It looks like Barber will be playing plenty of safety and who knows about Talib this year, much less if the Bucs re-sign him after his contract ends after the 2012 season.

Drafting a running back instead of Claiborne with the fifth pick is simply irresponsible, unless fans pine for the Bucs being down three touchdowns in the first half facing the likes this season of the Mannings, Phillip Rivers, Brees (twice), Matty Ice (twice) and Newton (twice).

Bucs icon Derrick Brooks is not hiding his desire for fellow Pensacolan Trent Richardson to wear pewter and red. And we already know Richardson wants to be here, too.

Joe’s tired this morning and will not beat the drum again for Morris Claiborne, who Joe desperately wants to see donning Bucs gear this time next week. Brooks spoke today on WDAE-AM 620. Listen below.

With about half his voice lost on the One Buc practice fields, Greg Schiano made it very clear to the media Thursday that Mason Foster’s role on the team is a major question mark.

Asked point blank whether Foster, who led all NFL rookies in tackles last season, showed enough to give Schiano confidence that he will be the Bucs’ middle linebacker, Schiano replied the following:

“You know I want to sit down with the staff and really talk through it. You know these have been long days. And at the end of the day we staff meet, but we haven’t talked a lot of personnel,” Schiano said. “I thought he had a good three days. I’m not sure where all those linebackers will land. You know Mason played [weakside linebacker] when he was in college. And then he played the Mike last year. So we have to kind of look. I may go back and even watch more of his college tape. I’ve watched a few games. You know, just to get a better feel. Because we’re not back at this stuff again now until June. So we’ve got some time to really study it.”

It’s interesting that Schiano is talking about going back to Foster’s college tape, considering he’s got hundreds of snaps on film — and likely watched all of them — of Foster playing MLB for the Buccaneers. Joe can’t figure out whether that’s alarming, or refreshing that coaches are working to get the most out of their players, versus the Jim Bates Experience of trying to ram the wrong scheme down players’ throats.

Clearly, Schiano is trying to find the right fit for Foster, versus trying to transforming him into something he might not be.

“It’s not only enough to get the right guys on the bus, but you gotta get’em in the right seats,” Schiano said. “And that’s one of the things that we’re trying to work very hard at is to figure out who fits where in our scheme. And do we have to adjust our scheme because nobody fits it.”

"Mark Dominik didn't draft me."

Joe makes no efforts to hide the fact he’s a fan of Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik. It was his uncanny ability to pull guys off the scrap heap in 2010, guys who plugged holes left by injured players with no apparent drop off in play, bringing the Bucs within whiff of Rachel Watson’s perfume from the playoffs. Combined with his sudden, new-found celebrity with the national media, is how Dominik earned his moniker.

But things didn’t start off so good for Dominik in his first year running the Bucs.

First, there was the messy divorce from popular, cornerstone franchise players like Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn that still has fans howling in disgust in their local watering holes, some three years later.

Attempting to channel his inner Ted Thompson and Kevin Colbert to fill the Bucs roster with draft picks, well, Dominik’s first draft hasn’t gone so well, documented Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Only quarterback Josh Freeman, the first-round pick, has developed into a starter.

Two players — fourth-round pick Kyle Moore, a defensive tackle, and fifth-round pick Xavier Fulton, an offensive tackle — are no longer with the team. The other three players — cornerback E.J. Biggers, defensive tackle Roy Miller and receiver Sammie Stroughter — have limited roles as backups.

Gulp. That’s not good, especially for a team that wants to build through the draft. And Joe knows many Bucs fans want to run Biggers out of town on the next Greyhound bus… and Miller may be in the fight for his short professional career in trying to keep a roster spot this fall.

Still, Dominik will really have to try hard to find the magic of drafting that his predecessor Bruce Almighty and noted quarterback savant Chucky possessed.

Joe only needs to reference the 2007 draft, which may go down in Bucs history as the absolute worst draft.

First round: Gaines Adams (RIP).
Second round: Arron Sears, Sabby the Goat.
Third round: Quincy Black.
Fourth round: Tanard Jackson.
Fifth round: Greg Peterson.
Sixth round: Adam Hayward.
Seventh round: Chris Denman, Marcus Hamilton, Kenneth Darby.

No, Dominik’s first draft may have been a stinker. But Dominik will be able to rest at night, comforted in the knowledge that he couldn’t try to have a worse draft than Bruce Almighty and Chucky pulled off five years ago.

And people actually wonder why those two are no longer employed by the Bucs?