For those who missed former Bucs defensive end Steve White’s Bull Rush column yesterday, shame on you.

It was an unbelievable in depth look at pass rushing moves.

One of the all-time greats examined was Warren Sapp. And White described Sapp’s little known “ghost move,” which helped bring him unprecedented success.

In the bowels of YouTube, White found the ghost move on display. Check it out. It starts at about 1:25 of the clip.

Joe recommends you cue up the video and re-read the ghost move description. And repeat often.

4. The Ghost Move – Warren Sapp: Sapp had a move that we decided to get together and call the ghost move. The reason we called it the ghost move is because it happened so quickly most of the time that if you didn’t have it on film to watch it in slow motion, you would probably miss what he did.

I can promise you that there are plenty of guards that he faced that probably still wake up in cold sweats having flashbacks of trying to block it. It’s not a move that I have actually seen many other guys even attempt, but it was a move I kept trying at and had just a little bit of success with when I went on to play for the Jets.

Now this particular move is more for interior defensive lineman but in the right circumstance a defensive end could use it, too. The important thing in either instance is that the offensive lineman is a “puncher.” Some offensive linemen like to get depth and make you come to them before there is contact. That’s what we call a “soft setter”. Other guys like to try to get you right now on the line and punch you to stop your momentum and we call those guys “quick setters.”

The idea is to get a quick setter to punch his hands at you. Instead of reaching for them you keep your hands close together in front of you and try to chop down on their outside wrist with your inside hand as you take a step with your inside foot almost directly at them. So that they don’t get any width or depth in their set.

Once you get their hand down (or even if you miss) the next part of the move is to use your outside hand to swat their outside forearm/elbow area while you turn your shoulders taking away a surface for them to hit, and you slide-step with your outside foot past the offensive lineman. The finish to the move can be either an arm over or a rip move, but the idea is to release off the move and step over with your inside foot so that your body is now decisively past the offensive lineman and you can sprint to the quarterback (provided no double team is coming).

If you think that description was confusing, you should try to watch Sapp in action doing this move.

Might the biggest talent in the draft fall to the Bucs in the second round?

In this analysis, NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM, breaks down how the Bucs will be affected by the Gators’ large crop of draft prospects, who showed off their talents at the University of Florida pro day on Wednesday.

Pawlowski explains how yesterday’s workouts may affect the Bucs, which had a  large contingent overseeing everything in Gainesville.

Aside from the Bucs, Pawlowski explains how the Gators’ festivities could be the most important Pro Day in the history of the NFL Draft.

Grab a cold beverage and enjoy. {+++}

[audio:podcastgators.mp3]

"Bryan, Gimme Five reasons not to ban that guy from the press box buffet."

Joe is left speechless by this video from ill-informed columnist John Romano, of the St. Pete Times.

(No, Joe can’t bear embedding it here for all to see. You’ll have to follow the link.)

Stale as the six-week old bagels in Joe’s refrigerator, Romano attempts to inform fans that Team Glazer now cares what you think because Team Glazer has sought high-profile help with finding a new Bucs media relations chief.

“Fifteen years into a relationship, the Glazers now care what you think. Never before have the reclusive owners of the Bucs seemed to worry about the feelings, opinions or desires of their fan base,” Romano proclaims. “…The team is suddenly interested in positive spin.”

First, last year Team Glazer told the whole world they fired Chucky, in large part, because of fan dislike of the head coach. Romano’s own freaking newspaper delivered that story headlined, “Glazers Took Pulse Of The Fans Before Firings.”

“We talked to a lot of people, but we not only talked to the players, but (also) out in the community getting a feel for the team,” Glazer said. “We get opinions and we mix them all together. We just took our time making that decision.”

Asked further about the community feedback, Glazer said, “Our fans are our stockholders. They’re what we play for — the people in our stadium and the ones that watch on TV. That’s what it’s all about: winning and how they feel about the team. If they don’t feel good about the team, then there’s something wrong. . . I think you all know the sense that’s out there. It was time for a change.”

Which is it, Romano? Did the Glazers care about the fans before now or not?

Are you callling the Glazers liars when they explained why Chucky was fired? How do you explain the lack of blackouts and handing out free preseason tickets?

Joe’s not here to defend the Glazers. But Joe just can’t give Romano a pass on such a ridiculous take — on video no less.

And for the record, Joe’s quite certain the Glazers haven’t morphed into some overly fan-friendly owners who want to please the fans to a fault (See Michael Clayton and Antonio Bryant).

The Glazers care to the extent they want to and feel they have to. Sometimes it’s great. Sometimes it stinks.

Bunch of upsets in the first round in this region which featured a close battle ending in Warren Sapp beating Shaun King by two votes out of hundreds cast!

Enjoy Round 2.

Stephen Holder, of the St. Petersburg Times, was hanging out at the Tim Tebow Show in Gainesville yesterday and happened to cross paths with Raheem the Dream.

Unlike most Bucs fans who are looking to jump off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, Raheem the Dream is pumped for this fall’s season. A big reason for that enthusiasm is the signing of safety Sean Jones.

“He’s a nice box presence, but he also has some athleticism on the back end and some big-time movement,” Morris said. “You’re talking about a guy who, when you see him, you’ll see a demanding presence. You’ll see a guy who comes in the box and you have to account for.

“He has all the qualities we like. We’re fired up to have him.”

Interesting that Raheem the Dream didn’t use the word “violent.”

Holder also noted that Raheem the Dream said the Bucs are not ruling out signing more free agents. Sadly, Joe wonders if the free agent basket has been so picked through there’s anything left worth signing, outside of looking for just warm bodies.

Welcome to the second round of Buccaneers Madness.

Enjoy the Eyecandy Region and also enjoy the second round.

Rachel Watson

Jessica Diaz

Jaime Hanna

Rochelle Alvarez

Kayla Drawdy

Cynthia Bastos

Nina Stauffer

Lori Rumberg

SI.com NFL columist Peter King suggested teams wanting quarterback Sam Bradford have already likely made calls to Mark Dominik with preliminary discussions about a potential draft day trade.

A lot of Bucs fans are already convinced that if manbeast Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy are off the board when the Bucs pick at No. 3 in the NFL draft, the Bucs will trade down.

It’s not that simple. As the old saying goes, it takes two to tango.

Fielding a call from a Bucs fan on Sirius NFL Radio’s “The Opening Drive” this morning, longtime Sports Illustrated NFL columnist Peter King suggested Bucs general manager Mark Dominik has already fielded calls from other NFL executives in preparation for a potential trade that may go down on the first night of the draft.

The Bucs caller asked how quickly Dominik gets a phone call from Washington, Cleveland or Seattle after the draft begins if both Suh and McCoy are picked in an effort to land quarterback Sam Bradford.

“If someone wants Sam Bradford in the top three, they won’t wait until after the first two picks of the draft are made and until Tampa Bay is on the clock,” King said. “They will have already called [Dominik] long before the draft and made an ‘If so… ‘ conversation.”

For Bucs fans banking on Dominik trading down if Suh and McCoy are both gone, King had a cautionary tale.

“Remember, top five picks have not been traded much in the last few years because of the money involved. It’s not a gimme that everyone will jump up and aggressively trade up to No. 3.”

King also noted that he is not convinced Washington coach Mike Shanahan covets Bradford or any other quarterback at No. 3.

[UPDATE: After Joe wrote this post and scheduled it for an afternoon publishing, Joe learned Shanahan signed Rex Grossman, which only reinforces King’s statement that Shanahan is not compelled to trade with the Bucs to acquire the No. 3 pick.]

The offseason has been frustrating enough for Bucs fans. Some have groused they are getting depressed from reading all the unflattering posts (but one wouldn’t know it by Joe’s traffic).

So time for some uplifting information via Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune.

Jeff Faine has made loads of cash by being a haberdasher, a restaurateur and a provider of peanuts.

But now, wealthy beyond his imagination just a few years prior, Faine is trying to make the community wealthy, at least in spirit and maybe in the long run, in the wallet.

Faine is establishing a halfway house of sorts for foster children who don’t have a foster home to call home.

Faine’s vision is house six to eight teenagers no longer eligible to participate in foster care. He wants to equip them with the essential tools and training necessary to become successful in life.

“This is a place for some of these kids who really want help and want to make something better for themselves,” Faine said. “A place to get social counseling and financial guidance, learn how to open a checking and savings account, the things that most people take for granted. A place they can live as well, but there will be requirements on their end, whether it be a obtaining a GED, two-year college degree, trade school degree, or attending a four-year university.

“They also have to do community service and try to reinvest themselves in the community. It’s really an opportunity to set these kids on the right track and prevent them from making the wrong decisions.”

Joe doesn’t know exactly what to write. That’s beyond giving back to the community. If every millionaire NFL player had the heart and foresight Faine has for the area he lives in, it would be a whole lot easier to look the other way when a cornerback drills a cabbie in the grill while flying down a highway in the wee hours of the morning.

Bravo Mr. Faine, bravo.

Joe’s been sniffing around to learn as much as he can about the Bucs’ new safety, Sean Jones.

Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto offered his take last year on why it was wise to let Sean Jones walk from the Browns. Pluto calls Jones a good locker room guy, weak against the pass and average at best, among other things.

The Browns wisely declined to tag safety Sean Jones their franchise player, meaning he’d be paid about $6.3 million. Instead, he will be a free agent at the end of the month. The more I watch Jones, the less I know about him – other than he seems average. When healthy, he’s a strong tackler against the run. But he had knee surgery early last season, missing four games and that seemed to cost him mobility. He never was an asset on pass coverage. After four seasons and 60 games with the Browns, is there any reason to think Jones will be anything more than just OK? And how much salary cap do you commit to him? In my mind, not a lot.

The biggest argument in favor of keeping Jones is the Browns have no one else to take his spot. In 2007, he was on the field for 98 percent of the snaps. He played every game his first three seasons, before 2008. He is reliable and a solid locker-room guy. But the safety combination of Jones and Brodney Pool was nearly as much of a problem in the secondary last season as young cornerbacks Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald. They certainly didn’t seem to give those kids on the corner a lot of help – and Jones has been especially vulnerable defending tight ends over the years.

Jeff McLane, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, reported last year that Jones was slow to pick up the Eagles’ playbook.

Jones has seen his playing time increase with each week. He didn’t dress for the opener but has been the “dime” in the Eagles’ six-defensive-back formation in the last several games. He has 18 tackles overall and recovered a muffed punt last week at the Redskins.

Acquired in the off-season after five seasons in Cleveland, Jones admitted that his slow start had something to do with learning all of the Eagles’ defensive playbook.

“The Eagles have a great scheme, and there’s a lot of detail in it,” he said. “You got to study it, you got to work it.”

The 27-year-old Jones mostly played strong safety with the Browns. He had 14 interceptions in his last three seasons there. The Eagles, like Cleveland, consider their safety spots interchangeable.

“There are a couple of small differences in there,” Jones said. “The strong safety is down in the box more, the free is obviously back in the middle more. . . . But both blitz and both cover.”

And late last season, Jones took a lot of grief for shoddy effort on this 61-yard touchdown by the Giants. If you have the stomach to click the link and watch the video, Jones is the safety who looks like a middle school tackler.

Joe’s just sharing what he found. Jones is the same upgrade from Sabby The Goat as he was yesterday.

Adam Schein, of Sirius NFL Radio, has been a loud critic of the Bucs since the purge of last spring, when Derrick Brooks, Warrick Dunn and Ike Hilliard, among others, were thrown into the streets by the Bucs.

Such a vocal critic of the Bucs’ hierarchy, Schein, on a recent airing of the show he co-hosts, “The Blitz,” went so far as to call the Bucs one of the worst, if not the worst, organization in the NFL.

Tuesday, while co-hosting with Rich Gannon, Schein couldn’t contain his disdain.

In recent days, when a caller phoned in with a Bucs question, Schein would let Gannon take the heat. As Gannon fielded yet another call from yet another frustrated Bucs fan, Gannon, while breaking down the Bucs’ draft plans, said, “Right now your top two receivers you are looking at are Reggie Brown as your No. 1 receiver playing opposite of Michael Clayton.”

Schein couldn’t hold back. Upon hearing who the Bucs will start at receiver if the season began today, Schein exclaimed, “Boy… oh… boy!” It was as if Joe could hear his dad react after Joe got into trouble (again).

Joe could just picture Schein shaking his head in disbelief.

Then, Schein guffawed.

That is what the Bucs have become in the eyes of the national media, and one member working for the national flagship of the NFL no less!

The Bucs corps of receivers have become a laughingstock.

Gannon did make a very interesting, salient point. If Bucs general manager Mark Dominik sticks with this current crew of receivers (Joe cannot fathom that happening), then the Bucs better load up on offensive linemen in the draft Gannon cautioned.

“They need to help Freeman,” Gannon said. “They have to get better on the offensive line. You’ve got Donald Penn and not much else.”

Gannon added, if the Bucs don’t add any more receivers “then you’re going to have to protect your young quarterback, Freeman.”

Joe has just drawn six winners of a Reebok replica Cadillac Williams jersey. Exciting!

These jerseys retail for $80.

The winners were selected randomly from Joe’s pool of NFL Draft coverage subscribers. Winners have been alerted via e-mail and, with their permission, Joe will post their names and cities here.

The first winner to respond was Bill Wheeler — Lakeland, Fla.

Winner #2 is a fired up Chet Parker — Houston, Tx.

Winner #3 is Patrick Prill — Tampa, Fla.

Winner #4 is Gary Russ — Tampa, Fla.

Winner #5 is Michael McLaughlin — Tampa, Fla.

By STEVE WHITE
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

[Updated: Steve White has found video of Warren Sapp’s “Ghost Move.” See the end of this post for details]

Steve White spent every season of the Tony Dungy era (1996-2001) playing defensive end for the Bucs. He’s spent countless hours in the film room with the likes of Warren Sapp, Rod Marinelli and more. Joe is humbled to have White, also a published author and blogger, as part of the JoeBucsFan.com team. Recently, White even contributed “Insider” NFL Draft content to ESPN.com.

Below is White’s weekly Bull Rush column that breaks down all things defense with a focus on the defensive line. It’s simply a can’t-miss read for the hardcore Bucs fan. 

With the 2009 season over, White has broken down every Bucs defensive lineman and is now sharing his views on offseason preparation.

Today he looks at how D-linemen can improve their pass-rushing moves through film study.

Offseason Routine

Every player has his own routine during the offseason, and I think as long as it works that’s all that matters. For me, the offseason was always about trying to improve my game. I always wanted to find an advantage one way or another. So for the next few weeks I will devote this column to explaining a few of the things I tried to do each year to build on my successes and cut down on my failures.

Today’s focus is film study, but not just any run of the mill film study.

One way I tried to improve myself was to try to find the best pass rushers that had ever played — or were still playing — pick out their favorite moves and break them down so I could try to emulate them.

Not all pass rushers are built the same, of course. So I couldn’t try to, say, learn how to do Reggie White’s hump move because only a handful of defensive ends who have ever played the game were strong enough to do it the way he did. So it was always important to pick a guy who was at least some what similar in body type to try to mimic.

Here is a list of pass rushers and the moves I tried to steal from them. It’s a useful list because I think any defensive lineman can learn from watching these guys. (And yes, that WAS a hint for any young Bucs defensive linemen that might read this post.)

1. Speed Rush — Derrick Thomas: Obviously there are few defensive ends who could match Thomas’ blazing speed and explosion coming out of his stance. However, the point for me was never about trying to be as fast as Thomas, but instead trying to use the same technique he used before, during, and after the snap.

The one thing you notice about D.T. is that he hardly ever used anything but a rip move on his speed rushes and there is definitely a reason for that. Using a rip move allows you to stay low to the ground, keep your balance and defeat the block without having to skip a beat. Any other move, including primarily an arm-over, slows you down, gets you high and helps the offensive tackle block you.

(rip move = take your inside arm and “rip it” up and through the offensive lineman’s outside arm until your hand is above your helmet.)

Watching D.T. also shows you the benefits of being decisive on a move. You hardly ever saw him get caught on a pass rush where he couldn’t decide whether to keep going around the horn or come back underneath. He made a decision and went with it and most of the time he was right.

2. Long Arm — Chris Doleman: I happen to believe Chris Doleman was and is one of the most underrated pass rushers in NFL history. Perhaps the reason for this is that while he made a ton of plays, he didn’t always do it with a lot of flash. His long arm move is one of the most effective yet underused pass rush moves to this day, and it’s something I fully endorse for young defensive linemen.

The basic premise is this: one arm is longer than two. Meaning, if I can stab you in the middle of your chest with my arm fully extended then it’s going to be hard for you to get both your hands on me. Especially if I do so with speed and leverage. A long arm combines elements of a power rush with elements of a speed rush and it gives you the ability to counter off it in countless different ways.

Doleman could damn near control a guy with that one arm when he did it then come off and sack the quarterback. The most important coaching point about the move is proper initial hand placement. The second most important coaching point is for whomever uses the move to be ready to release off it the moment they feel the offensive lineman sitting down on it (meaning they hunker down with their weight really focused forward in order to keep from being pushed back into the quarterback or his throwing lane.)

This is actually the move that I recommended to Gaines Adams his rookie year when he was struggling at the beginning of the season. For a guy with his kind of speed, I felt like he could really be deadly once he mastered that move. Unfortunately for all of us, we will never get to see his full potential.

3. Spin Move — Bruce Smith: I know people are enamored with Dwight Freeney and his spin move, but for me nobody has ever done it better than Bruce Smith. To be honest, if there was one guy I studied the most it was Smith anyway. He was the most diverse and detail-oriented pass rusher that the game has ever seen.

Whether he was at defensive tackle or defensive end you can see him setting a guy up for a spin move two plays before he even does it. He keeps threatening the speed rush and threatening the speed rush then BAM he hits that spin move and comes scot free on the way to the quarterback.

The move is all about footwork and once you get it down it becomes like second nature. Some guys ASSume that all you have to do is pirouette on your inside leg and bam you have a sack, but it just doesn’t work that way.

When you watch Smith spin, the first thing you notice is the hard step he takes with his outside foot. Not only does it give the impression that he is about to try to take the corner, it also allows him to balance his weight up for the spin.

At the same time, he flashes with his hands at the offensive lineman. Whether that means he fakes a rip move or he fakes a dent move (knocking their outside hand down at the wrist) he shows enough to make the offensive lineman attack so to speak.

That’s really the key to a great spin move because what you want is for the guy to be coming at you while you are spinning off of their forward momentum. If you can’t get a guy coming at forward at you more than likely they will be able to sit back and block the move.

Once he got a guy coming at him, then you see Smith push off with his outside foot. And then as soon as his inside foot lands he pivots inside while whipping around with his outside arm to make sure he “clears” the offensive lineman. By clear I mean his elbow helps their momentum to keep going forward so they can’t turn around and try to block him.

After that it’s pretty much all she wrote, and it’s a foot race to see if you can get from that point to the quarterback before he gets rid of the ball. I have found that it’s an especially effective move versus play action pass because the offensive lineman comes off aggressive anyway to give the appearance of a running play.

I certainly tried to take advantage of this as a defensive end when I had the nose tackle on my side and the B-gap open.

4. The Ghost Move — Warren Sapp: Sapp had a move that we decided to get together and call the ghost move. The reason we called it the ghost move is because it happened so quickly most of the time that if you didn’t have it on film to watch it in slow motion, you would probably miss what he did.

I can promise you that there are plenty of guards that he faced that probably still wake up in cold sweats having flashbacks of trying to block it. It’s not a move that I have actually seen many other guys even attempt, but it was a move I kept trying at and had just a little bit of success with when I went on to play for the Jets.

Now this particular move is more for interior defensive lineman but in the right circumstance a defensive end could use it, too. The important thing in either instance is that the offensive lineman is a “puncher.” Some offensive linemen like to get depth and make you come to them before there is contact. That’s what we call a “soft setter”. Other guys like to try to get you right now on the line and punch you to stop your momentum and we call those guys “quick setters.”

The idea is to get a quick setter to punch his hands at you. Instead of reaching for them you keep your hands close together in front of you and try to chop down on their outside wrist with your inside hand as you take a step with your inside foot almost directly at them. So that they don’t get any width or depth in their set.

Once you get their hand down (or even if you miss) the next part of the move is to use your outside hand to swat their outside forearm/elbow area while you turn your shoulders taking away a surface for them to hit, and you slide-step with your outside foot past the offensive lineman. The finish to the move can be either an arm over or a rip move, but the idea is to release off the move and step over with your inside foot so that your body is now decisively past the offensive lineman and you can sprint to the quarterback (provided no double team is coming).

If you think that description was confusing, you should try to watch Sapp in action doing this move.

I swear he was so fast with his hands that at times even in slow motion you would swear that he never touches the other guy but all of a sudden they are still standing there at the line while he is tearing some quarterback’s head off.

The great thing about watching tape of him doing this in the offseason is you have time to mess around and try it without the pressure to win every rush that you feel during training camp or during the season.

In short, you have the opportunity to make mistakes without anybody bashing you for it, so why not try a move you haven’t mastered? And truly, The Ghost Move is something that 99.9 percent of athletes won’t be able to do just from watching it. You have to rep it over and over just to not make a fool out of yourself when attempting it.

And even the guy who I would say the best ever at it, Sapp, never quit working on it day after day. Of course, that is without a doubt why he continued to have success with it and why he is considered one of the best to ever play the game.

So those are the guys who I really paid the most attention to and studied during my career.

Obviously, there are plenty of other pass rushers guys might want to emulate. But there is one thing that I truly believe: the best defensive line coaches in the NFL are the guys who put you through technique drills until your tongue hangs out and are also supreme motivators. But even the best defensive line coaches generally do not teach you pass rush moves.

From my experience, by and large each guy has to come up and perfect the pass rush moves that they plan to use. And if they can’t do that, then they rarely if ever show much more than flashes of potential here and there.

Watching film of the guys who were the best we have ever seen is the best way in my opinion for guys to really learn how to execute and perfect their moves. When guys become students of the game in that way, it’s usually apparent in the improvement of their play.

My question for the commenters is this. Who are some of your favorite pass rushers and what move did they have that our young guys should try to emulate? I look forward to seeing your answers and addressing any other questions you might have.

Next week’s post will be on how to study film of upcoming opponents in the offseason.

Video of Sapp’s “Ghost Move” found

A number of people asked about Sapp’s Ghost Move and I finally found a shot of it where you can almost see what he’s doing. Even though its in slow motion you probably still won’t catch everything he is doing with his hands but you will notice him beating the guard before the center comes over to double team him (still got a sack though)

Relevant replay starts at about 1:25 of this clip.

And so ends the first round of the Buccaneers Madness tournament, largely influenced by Joe’s good friend, Jason McIntyre, the father of TheBigLead.com and his Pop Culture tournament.

Later this week Joe will have the second round matchups.

With today’s reported free agent signing of safety Sean Jones, Joe has to wonder whether stud safety prospect Eric Berry is no longer under real consideration for the Bucs in the 2010 draft.

Now surely Jones isn’t the future of the franchise at strong safety. However, this is the 2010 Bucs. And when you’re a free agent signing for a couple of million bucks on this team, you’re here to play football, and a heck of a lot is expected. 

Joe just doesn’t see the frugal Bucs investing in Jones and then Berry at the No. 3 pick.

Although that sure would give them a prime time group of safeties with Tanard Jackson, Berry, Jones and Piscitelli as the athletic fourth-stringer/special teamer. 

Raheem the Dream would sleep better with that crew in tow, especially knowing that Jackson is a screwup away from a lost season.

"I sure hope the new guy doesn't eat all the hay and grain."

Looks like the Bucs have made their first offseason move on the defensive side of the ball.

Free agent safety Sean Jones is now a Buccaneer, so reported the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, just moments ago on WDAE-AM 620.

Sabby the Goat will be pushed hard as Raheem The Dream tries to “fix” him. This also means linebacker Jermaine Phillips and his fragile limbs seemingly have no shot of returning for an eighth season in Tampa. 

Jones, 28, is a legitimate NFL player with plenty of starts under his belt although not a star. He played for the Eagles last year on a one-year $3 million deal to replace Brian Dawkins, per the Soviets at BSPN.com.

He had two interceptions and a sack in nine starts last year.

That’s already an upgrade over the goat.

Joe’s loyal readers know Joe’s infatuation with BSPN’s Jenny Dell is rivaled only by that of Rachel Watson.

The girl responsible for the most, um, eye-catching weekly football videos is back in front of a camera Joe has learned. Sadly, she’s not doing football reports. Rather, she’s doing something for the Red Sox/Yankess-loving Bristol-based Soviets called, “Lunch Date with Jenny Dell.”

Suddenly, Joe is hungry.

Why Jenny doesn’t get more face time instead of, say, sweaty-ass Chris Berman is beyond Joe’s comprehension.

Vacation Man believes the Bucs are eyeing Texas receiver Jordan Shipley in the second round.

If the season were to begin today, the current starting wide receivers would be Sammie Stroughter, Reggie Brown and blocking icon Michael Clayton/special teams stalwart Mo Stovall.

Gulp.

Rather than be bitter, Joe is confident Mark Dominik is trying to upgrade the position. He’s an intelligent man. No matter how the crowd at One Buc Palace may spin it, Dominik just has to know the Bucs cannot enter the 2010 season with just those four guys at receiver.

Will Dominik draft a wide receiver or two? Bank on it. Vacation Man, working for an outfit only Joseph Stalin could love, BSPN.com, believes Dominik is burning up his Blackberry in an attempt to pull off a trade for another receiver.

Raymond in Tampa writes: What’s the deal with the Bucs’ receivers? Any clue on who they might be looking for in the draft or possibly free agency?

Vacation Man: Well, right now, the Tampa Bay receiving corps doesn’t look very good. The Bucs still need a No. 1 receiver to replace Antonio Bryant and I’m not sure the current crop even includes a solid No. 2 receiver. It obviously is a position that has to be addressed. The Bucs have stayed away from any of the big names available in free agency or possible trades to this point. I know it’s hard for fans to be patient when you see a glaring need like this. But the Bucs will make some moves at some point. I’m guessing you’ll see one veteran come in a trade or as a free agent (might even be somebody who isn’t even available yet) and I’m thinking one of those two second-round draft picks will be used on a receiver. Texas’ Jordan Shipley is the guy I’d keep an eye on.

Joe isn’t so sure drafting Shipley in the second round wouldn’t be a reach. That written, Joe’s willing to lay cash that, barring a move prior to the draft, the Bucs will draft a receiver in the second round.

It’s halfway through March and more than 70,000 actual visits have been made this month to JoeBucsFan.com.

And the average visit is more than eight minutes!

Wow!

Good to know that so many are soaking up all that is JoeBucsFan.com.

March will surely be a record month here.

As always, Joe appreciates your patronage! Tell a friend. And if you own a business, it’s time to get your Web site buzzing and your phones ringing.

Now Joe has a hard time giving credibility to a wild, unsourced rumor flung out there by little known DraftHeadquarters.com.

But NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM, did sniff it out with a call to the site’s reporter and thinks there may be at least a tiny shred of credibility to it. But Pawlowski surely isn’t betting on it and thinks it’s just a rumor, too.

Oh, the rumor? The Bucs are looking at a possible swap of first-round picks with Denver (No. 3 for No. 11), with Denver throwing in headache wide receiver stud Brandon Marshall and maybe more.

Maybe. But Joe can’t imagine the Bucs want to pay Marshall the long term deal he’s obviously seeking.