One reason the Bucs offense put up franchise-record numbers in 2012 is because the Bucs not just drafted Doug Martin, but the Bucs also upgraded the wide receiver position by dropping a load (of cash) on Vincent Jackson.

Jackson wasn’t the lone player the Bucs bought, but that shouldn’t be the end. Per multimedia guru Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, by way of “The Professor,” John Clayton of ESPN.com, the Bucs have a good chunk of change for free agents this coming season.

On Clayton’s list, the Buccaneers rank fifth in available cap space, with $31.3 million. That total includes $8.5 million in carryover space; the Bucs had far less of this than they did last year after spending heavily in free agency to get Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. However, as General Manager Mark Dominik recently pointed out, the Bucs’ available space was helped significantly by the decision to restructure contracts for Jackson and Nicks. Dominik said the resulting cap space will allow the team to dive into free agency again if such a move would help but also to work on keeping the talented nucleus of the existing roster intact.

Here is where Joe thinks some of the cash is headed: The cornerback market is soft in free agency, but there will be decent players. In other words, a buyer’s market.

So Joe believes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will land two — maybe three — lower level cornerbacks, if for no other reason than to give the Bucs depth at the position.

Then, Dominik will draft a corner no later than the third round and still have cash for other areas and to secure current players (like Michael Bennett).

It is depth, not so much a stud starter, that the Bucs need most at cornerback.

If Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik can pull off this April what he did in the spring of 2012, the Bucs would almost have to play their way out of the playoffs.

What Joe and many others considered to be the best Bucs draft in years became official today when Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers of America announced their All-Rookie team for the 2012 season.

Not surprisingly, the Bucs landed three players on the team: safety Mark Barron, running back Doug Martin, the Muscle Hamster himself, and outside linebacker Lavonte David.

And there is a chance two of the three, Martin and David, could still play in the Pro Bowl next month.

Ladies and gentlemen, Joe considers that a haul of Eddie Van Halen proportions.

It appears the Bucs are on the verge of losing a third assistant coach to the college ranks. Joe’s good friend “The Commish,” Justin Pawlowski of WHFS-FM 98.7 and a member of the University of South Florida football broadcast team, is reporting that embattled Bucs defensive backs coach Ron Cooper is in discussions to become an assistant head coach at USF.

“The Commish” Justin Pawlowski is reporting that Buccaneers Defensive Backs coach Ron Cooper is being discussed to become the assistant head coach at the University of South Florida joining Willie Taggart’s staff. Stay tuned to 98.7 The Fan for the latest on this story

This is a win-win for local teams in Joe’s eyes. Cooper’s charges came 14 yards shy of setting a 93-year NFL record of futility for worst pass defense in NFL history. If that doesn’t grease the wheels for your exit, Joe doesn’t know what would.

At USF, the Bulls get a man with a proven track record of coaching up and, more importantly, recruiting top level high school defensive backs as he did at LSU before Cooper came to the Bucs.

In recent days, wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck took the head coaching job at Western Michigan and quarterbacks coach Ron Turner took the head coaching job at Florida International.

Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King likens Josh Freeman’s body language to that of bratty, whiney Jay Cutler. King says Bucs fans can look to young QB’s in the NFL playoffs, like Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson, to study quarterbacks that are poised when bad things happen.

There will be a new voice in Josh Freeman’s head this season, that of his fourth Bucs quarterbacks coach.

That’s likely a very bad thing, explained former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, one of only three quarterbacks to the lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game. Continuity is so important at the position, King said, and Freeman will have to overcome that change.

But King isn’t too concerned about that, so he said on WDAE-AM 620 this morning. King’s more worried about Freeman’s play and reactions under pressure, something King said has become more glaring with rookie quarterbacks exhibiting more poise and leadership than Freeman this season.

“You can tell during the game that that’s his biggest issue, when things go wrong, when he has an incomplete pass, how he handles it, how he reacts,” King said. “You know, that’s the most impressive thing about the RGIII, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, even Colin Kaepernick to a large extent. Just watch those guys.

“Buc fans, watch how they handle it when things go wrong. You know, their expressions ain’t anything like Josh’s. And I know each individual is different, but Josh is more Jay Cutler, without being, you know, abrasive as far as putting his hands on his teammates. His body language is kinda more of kind of a spoiled kid kind of thing. And you know, that’s something as he gets older, remember he’s only 24, but he’s played a lot of football. So that’s something that should be changed and probably should already be changed.”

Now Joe doesn’t think Freeman’s whiney looks and gestures compare to Cutler’s, but King’s point is clear. Freeman gets rattled far too much and doesn’t respond with confidence and leadership.

Joe’s not sure that can be fixed after 56 starts, but perhaps it doesn’t have to be repaired. If Freeman can simply get more accurate and comfortable within the current offense, that might be enough considering all the weapons around him.  (You can listen to the entire King interview below.)

Want to know why Bucs coach Greg Schiano isn’t putting pedal to the metal on re-upping the contract of quarterback Josh Freeman (aside from his losing record, bouts of frightening inaccuracy and speed bumps of inconsistency)? Look no further than the AFC East, says Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com.

The Bills and Jets, who are on the hook for millions of dollars to Ryan Fitzpatrick and Mark Sanchez, respectively, are making Team Glazer, if not Schiano, pause.

Following the 2011 season, the Jets rushed things and signed Sanchez to five-year, $58.25 million deal. With New York coming off a horrific 2013 season, Sanchez’s deal is now being labeled as “one of the most ill-conceived contract extensions in NFL history,” according to Gary Myers, the Jets beat writer for the New York Daily News.

Sanchez, who was benched in 2012, is set to make $8.25 million in 2013 and there are rumors that the team is trying to trade the former first-round pick in 2009. Sanchez’s poor performance in 2012 and the team’s decline with a 6-10 record this year already cost general manager Mike Tannenbaum his job. The Jets quarterback completed 54.3 percent of his passes for just 2,883 yards with only 13 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

In Buffalo, Fitzpatrick was quickly signed to a foolish, six-year, $62-million contract in October of 2011. Heading into 2013, the Bills are looking to dump Fitzpatrick after finishing a disappointing 6-10. Fitzpatrick’s didn’t play that poorly statistically speaking, as he completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 3,400 yards with 24 touchdowns and 16 interceptions, but just didn’t make enough plays to win games. That prompted Buffalo to fire head coach Chan Gailey.

At least with Sanchez, he guided the Jets to consecutive appearances in the AFC title game. Freeman, who is entering the final season of his Bucs contract, cannot say as much.

As much as it could cripple the Bucs’ salary cap by signing Freeman to a monster contract, Joe has no issue with Team Glazer and Schiano being prudent in assessing whether Freeman is worthy of such a (in many ways) costly investment.

There’s been much speculation about Ronde Barber’s potential 2013 return, and Tampa Bay Times beat writer Stephen Holder penned a feature hedging many sides of the issue yesterday.

But one nugget that gets routinely overlooked comes from Barber’s own words. While Barber never commits one way or the other publicly about a return during interviews, he did tell Keyshawn Johnson that he had no plans to retire in the near future. NFL Films had Barber “miked up” for the Bucs-Eagles, Super Bowl reunion game in December. And the following exchange caught an enthusiastic Barber giving a fast answer to the big question.

Keyshawn Johnson: Still playing, boy. When are you going to retire, man?

Ronde Barber: No time soon, baby!

Joe thinks it’s very unlikely Barber will retire in 2013. He’s healthy. He’s productive. He’s stated that he’s been invigorated by the challenge of safety. And if Team Glazer is willing to pay him $3 million again to play in 2013, that’s still significant incentive.

Holder floated a possibility that Barber might not want to go through a grueling Greg Schiano training camp again, but in Joe’s mind that’s not a factor because Barber definitely would have the flexibility to limit his training camp activities if he felt the need.

OK, this merits keeping an eye on. Though Joe cannot confirm embattled Bucs defensive backs coach Ron Cooper is leaving the team, neither can Joe confirm the rumors flying tonight on the Internet and on radio airwaves late this afternoon that Cooper is on his way out are inaccurate.

Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times apparently heard the same rumors and seemed to add credibility to the suggestion that Cooper and the Bucs are parting ways.

@NFLSTROUD: No final decisions have been made or announced, but indications are the Bucs will allow DBs coach Ron Cooper to explore other opportunities

Again, Joe has been working the phone for the past two hours to try to confirm Cooper is gone. Joe cannot, but more importantly, Joe cannot confirm the Cooper-leaving-Bucs whispers are inaccurate.

Simply put, Joe still has not fully recovered from the acid reflux episode caused by watching Cooper’s defensive backs get blowtorched game in and game out this season.

Joe is not a “fire him” kinda guy. But how in the world can anyone try to sell that Cooper did a good job when his defensive backs came 14 yards shy of setting a 93-year record for NFL pass defense futility? How does Bucs coach Greg Schiano speak to Team Glazer and/or Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik with a straight face and say, “Oh, the job we did coaching up the defensive backs, OK, we’re good.”

The last measuring stick of Cooper’s job with the Bucs this year was this: name a defensive back that improved as the season wore on.

Joe cannot, and therein lies a damning statement for any coach.

Joe suspects that when Greg Schiano makes time to relax and daydream with his feet up and a cold beverage, he dreams first about running Doug Martin behind Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph.

And in that fantasy of an unstoppable running game, Joe suspects Schiano envisions a second running back spelling Martin and further bruising opposing defenses.

Is that guy LeGarrette Blount? Joe’s not sure. But Joe believes Blount should be tendered a restricted free agent offer from the Bucs when they’re dished out around the league in February.

Blount is among the best and most dangerous backup running backs in the NFL, and he would come relatively cheap. The Bucs could put a “second-round tender” on Blount for 2013, which would pay him just under $2 million. If another and better offer soon after was made to Blount that he accepted, then the Bucs would get a second-round pick from that team. Or the Bucs could put a right-of-first-refusal tender on Blount. That would be pay him a little over $1 million for 2013, and another team could try to lure Blount with a better deal. In that scenario, the Bucs would get no compensation if Blount left.

Considering there’s no guarantee the Bucs will find the No. 2 running back of their dreams when the March free agency bell rings, Joe can’t imagine a scenario that has Blount getting released. Last spring, Schiano couldn’t stop saying “run the football.” And Blount can run the football if called upon.

Sure, Blount could be one of the “weeds” Derrick Brooks referenced. But if that were the case, why wouldn’t the Bucs have cut Blount once they were out of the playoff hunt?

Obviously, the organization has no faith in inactive list captain Michael Smith, and D.J. Ware was hardly impressive. At the very least, if Blount had to fill in for Martin, Blount is durable, will get respect in the play-action game, and he didn’t fumble during the 2012 preseason or regular season.

Joe believes a Blount in hand would be a wise move. The alternatives are not very enticing.

Until the draft starts heating up, aside from the need for a new secondary coach(es), a new QB coach, a new secondary (sans Mark Barron and/or Ronde Barber), and the looming questions concerning the Bucs’ defensive line, there really is only one subject remotely moving the needle with the Bucs. That’s the status of Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

It began when Bucs coach Greg Schiano stated flatly the Bucs need competition at quarterback. Some have suggested that is code for either letting Freeman’s contract expire or even drafting a potential replacement for the fourth-year product from Kansas State.

To hear former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland discuss the subject, McFarland likened the whispers seeping out of One Buc Palace about Freeman to a relationship between two lovers when one is looking for an upgrade

And in this relationship, McFarland said, it is the Bucs who have developed a wandering eye, so he said while co-hosting “The Booger and Rich Show” heard locally on WHFS-FM 98.7.

“If you are Josh Freeman and you are 24-years old and you are looking for a commitment just like any woman out there who has been in a relationship as long as Josh Freeman’s relationship has been with the Buccaneers — four years? You know you want a ring on it. ‘I have shown you commitment for four years and what do you do? Eh honey, I like you, but…’

“You see, that is what the Buccaneers have told Josh Freeman. ‘You are our starting quarterback until we can replace you.’”

McFarland went on to confess he didn’t know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for the Bucs, but he did say there is only one way for Freeman to repair the bond between himself and the Bucs. And that is for Freeman to lead the Bucs to the playoffs next season.

Joe believes that’s a reasonable request.

No, this is not about making sure all nationalities are represented equally on the Bucs’ offensive side of the ball. Wrong forum if you had the wrong impression.

Joe has heard periodically a Bucs fan here or there kvetch about the Bucs’ play-calling diversity and, frankly, Joe was confused. If anything, Joe thought the Bucs were unpredictable. Yet this same subject was lobbed at Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune in a recent TBO Bucs Q&A.

Q: I know the problems we have on defense but I’m focusing on the offense for now. We must diversify our pass plays as much as New England does using our tight ends, fullbacks, tailbacks and wide receivers. We are way too predictable in our play calling which is what many opposing players have said after facing us. We must keep the other team guessing. Go Bucs!

— Bill Elkins, St. Petersburg

A: Keeping ’em guessing is always a big part of football and I hear what you’re saying. But based on the fact the Bucs produced more points and yards than any other team in franchise history tells me the Bucs did a pretty good job this year of keeping their defensive opponents off balance. Now, do they need to improve and become more consistent, absolutely. And yes, upgrades at TE and a little more use of the fullback can help take care of that.

— Woody Cummings

Aside from early in the season when tight end Dallas Clark was virtually a non-factor, Joe is as confused by the charge the Bucs aren’t diverse offensively as he is at this faux controversy that Brent Musberger thought Miss Alabama is hot. What, Musberger was supposed to say that Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron was sleeping with a Rosie O’Donnell clone?

As Cummings points out, the Bucs scored the most points in franchise history. Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman had and used plenty of weapons. Fullback Erik Lorig was involved in many games.

How much more diverse can the Bucs offense get?

Last offseason, Greg Schiano was hired in late January and was so busy luring assistant coaches and advisors, evaluating film of the Bucs roster, crafting internal systems and building playbooks, that he wasn’t very involved in the critical early stages of the NFL Draft process.

Yeah, many fans want to believe Schiano took over the draft from rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, but it just would not have been humanly possible. Schiano said of Dominik, “there’s none better in this league,” and Joe’s confident that praise was not for Dominik’s ability to get out of the head coach’s way or fetch coffee.

Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network recently, Dominik said he was fired up to have Schiano much more involved in the 2013 draft.

“I’m excited with the coaching staff and with Coach Schiano having a chance to really commit to the draft this year instead of hiring all the coaching staff. It’s going to be an exciting year for our offseason.”

It will be interesting to see whether Schiano’s greater influence is noticeable. Raheem Morris was always involved in scouting. For example, the story goes that Mason Foster was a guy Raheem became enamoured with at the Senior Bowl and lobbied to make him a Buccaneer.

WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 sports guy Chris Fischer sat down for a long season review and offseason preview with Tampa Bay Times Bucs beat writer Stephen Holder on Sunday. The video is below.

Holder calls “competition” for Josh Freeman a “blanket” statement and is very skeptical that there will be any kind of competition at quarterback. Among many topics, Holder also says the “jury’s still a little bit out” on Greg Schiano and his coaching prowess.

Joe’s favorite part of the video comes at the 5:30 mark. It’s good to see Joe’s lingo is making an impact.

Now Joe realizes beat writers at the Tampa Bay Times and Tampa Tribune both wrote this weekend about how the Bucs aren’t sold on Josh Freeman and are crafting Plan B and competition scenarios behind closed doors.

But Joe’s rather cynical and is taking more of a we’ll-see approach when it comes to how the Bucs really feel about Freeman and the prospect of potentially replacing him and pushing him with “competition.” Keep in mind that rockstar general manager Mark Dominik wasn’t interested in providing competition for Freeman in 2010, 2011 or 2012, and Greg Schiano didn’t make competition happen in 2012, when Freeman was coming off a dreadful 2011 season. So why should Joe be so quick to believe these two leaders will make competition happen, even if they desire it?

Eight days ago, Dominik took to the Buccaneers Radio Network airwaves and sang loud-and-proud praises for Freeman. Dominik didn’t sound like a GM with any doubts about his young quarterback.

“Although Josh went through a stretch there where the turnovers were heavy, Josh still had a tremendous football season if you look at it as a whole,” Dominik said.

“Knowing that, again, he’s 24 years old, going to be 25 years old in the offseason, he guided this football team to the most touchdowns we’ve ever scored in franchise history. It’s the most points we’ve ever scored in franchise history. It’s the most yards we’ve ever had in franchise history. It’s almost 6,000 yards. So when you sit there and think about what Josh Freeman did, he set, you know, the season record for touchdown passes with 27, season record for yards, it’s very exciting to say, ‘Wow, this is a young quarterback who’s got in here who has helped us create the strongest offense in Tampa Bay Buccaneers history.’ And yet, you know, we still continue to want to look at this football team and say, ‘How can we improve it?’ And I know Coach [Schiano] probably touched on it a little bit, it’s competition. We’re going to continue to try and push competition at every level. And I am really excited about what Josh Freeman did [last season], but I know that he can do better and am excited about what he can become for our football team.”

Nobody can say with certainty that they know how the Bucs brass really feels or how they even define “competition.”

And there could be a whole smokescreen element to all this. It doesn’t hurt the Bucs to have the league think they might jump at a quarterback in the third round, for example. That could help Dominik make a quality trade down to pick up another mid-round pick, like the one he snagged last year that allowed him to trade back into the first round and draft Doug Martin.

Nothing would surprise Joe when it comes to the Bucs adding another QB alongside Freeman next year, including if the Bucs bring back Dan Orlovsky and a third veteran QB to compete for a backup job.

The Bucs need cornerbacks for 2013. Terribly so. But the free agent market isn’t bursting with a long line of cornerback depth.

How shallow is the free agent market for corners? Well, the cornerback Bucs fans love to hate, despite his occasional strong games, E.J. Biggers, nearly makes a top-10 list of free agent corners. Football thinktank ProFootballFocus ranks Biggers at No. 12.

Joe never understood the vile hatred Bucs fans have for Biggers. Joe certainly understands why fans throw a remote at their TV when they see Myron Lewis take the field, but not the screaming and hollering over Biggers.

ProFootballFocus even has Biggers rated far higher than Aqib Talib and even higher than Marcus Trufant, Elbert Mack, Brent Grimes and Tracy Porter. Interestingly, PFF has the immortal Stanford Routt, who was virtual Viagra for too many desperate Bucs fans this year, only one notch above Brandon MacDonald.

Given how bad the Bucs need corners and how few decent corners are available via free agency, Joe expects Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to ink Biggers to a new deal. He can’t afford to let a serviceable corner walk away.

If Michael Bennett brings in a haul in free agency, will that Brinks truck come from the Bucs or elsewhere?

The Bucs had a losing record. The players are watching the playoffs just like a guy in a bar. It has now been 10 years and counting since the Bucs last won a playoff game.

Straight-shooting Alan Dell has surveyed the Bucs thoroughly, and the Bradenton Herald columnist believes that getting the Bucs to the playoffs is a bit of a bigger task than some believe.

Two things that stick out about the 2012 Bucs are the horrible play of their cornerbacks and the inconsistency of quarterback Josh Freeman. The lack of pressure put on by the defensive front four is a major disappointment, especially with all the money the team has paid out in recent years for that unit.

The Bucs had 27 sacks, third worst in the NFL. The loss of injured defensive end Adrian Clayborn was devastating, but they did get a full season out of defensive tackle Gerald McCoy for the first time in his three-year career, and he made the Pro Bowl. Da’Quan Bowers will be a question mark every year at defensive end because of knee problems.

Injuries on both the defensive and offensive lines curtailed their productivity and showed the need for more depth. A third quality receiver would help. But there is only so much you can do in the offseason, so it’s unclear if all those needs will be met.

This is one reason Joe believes, if a defensive end that strikes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik’s fancy, Dominik will jump at the chance at the No. 13 slot. There’s a myriad of question marks still on the defensive line, whether it be free agents or guys with health concerns.

There’s not much to be had as far as cornerbacks on the free agent market, but even pedestrian cornerbacks are an upgrade to what the Bucs have on the roster.

If Ronde Barber retires, Bucs fans will be looking at three new starters in the secondary for the 2013 season.

The supreme sources of college football-ignorant, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame, are telling him that Bucs icon Monte Kiffin, who should land in the Bucs’ Ring of Honor before he dies, is on Andy Reid’s short list to be defensive coordinator in Kansas City. ProFootballTalk.com noted the news today.

How cool would that be to see 73-year-old Kiffin patrolling the sidelines in the NFL once again?

It was thought that Kiffin, when he announced his desire to return to the NFL recently, might only be interested in a consultant/advisor position But it seems he’s looking to jump back into the coordinator role.

Joe finds it interesting that Reid would consider running Kiffin’s Tampa-2 base defense. Perhaps Reid might take a sniff of Raheem Morris, now that Raheem’s Redskins are out of the playoffs.

Many Bucs fans, including several front office types if not Bucs coaches at One Buc Palace, are holding their breaths hoping that Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan is not tagged to be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears.

It’s not that the crowd at One Buc Palace wouldn’t like to see Sullivan advance and succeed. It’s the collateral damage that would happen if Sullivan leaves for greener pastures with the Monsters of the Midway.

If Sullivan goes to the Second City to succeed Lovie Smith, that would mean embattled Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman will have his fourth offensive coordinator in five years. This is partially why Alex Smith and Jason Campbell crumbled as NFL quarterbacks: Both had a revolving door of offensive coordinators in their formative years as professionals.

So Joe reached out to a long-time acquaintance, Chicago Tribune columnist and Bears insider Dan Pompei, to get feedback on Sullivan’s candidacy with the Bears. Joe first met Pompei some 20 years ago when Pompei, then was the Bears beat writer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Pompei was kind enough to provide Joe will some insight of Sullivan and the Bears.

JoeBucsFan: It is known that Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan had a lengthy interview last week with the Bears. Hearing from your contacts, how serious of a candidate is he? What is it about him that the Bears like?

Dan Pompei: It’s difficult to say at this point where Sullivan ranks in the Bears’ pecking order, other than to say he is one of many, many candidates. On the surface, his resume might not be as impressive as some of the other candidates, but Phil Emery isn’t necessarily looking for eye popping statistics or years of experience as a coordinator. He is looking for leadership and head coach qualities. And it wouldn’t surprise me if he found them in Sullivan, given his background and the men he has worked for and with.

Joe: Just based on resumes, it seems Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians would be a strong candidate, a better candidate than Sullivan. What do you know about Arians and the Bears?

Pompei: Arian’s depth of experience is a selling point, as is his track record with quarterbacks. He is a bit of an outlier because he is 60 years old. That could end up hurting his chances, but Emery isn’t concerned with age as much as he is concerned about energy and ability to do the job at a high level.

Partially an element of both hope and wishful thinking, Joe must believe the Bears would go after Arians first, before offering a gig to Sullivan. This is not a knock on Sullivan in any way, but Arians has a long, proven track record of excellent work with quarterbacks.

While Sullivan did a fine job molding Eli Manning as a quarterbacks coach with the Giants, his first year as an NFL offensive coordinator working with Josh Freeman is, one could describe as, incomplete.

Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has had incredible successes and notable failures, like most GM’s around the NFL.

And, of course, Dominik doesn’t coach. As Joe’s written previously, Joe gave Dominik 15 percent of the blame for the horrendous 2011 season, not 50 percent or more like many fans and pundits. Plus, it was pretty obvious that the 2009 hiring of Raheem Morris was a Team Glazer call, not Dominik’s.

But today, Joe’s wondering how much a GM should be judged by his teams’ won-loss record.

Wacky Scott Pioli took over the Chiefs in 2009, same year Dominik grabbed the reigns in Tampa, and was fired last week. Acclaimed veteran Chiefs beat writer Bob Gretz, Kansas City’s lone voter in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, said Pioli’s 23 wins in four seasons meant he deserved to be canned.

It’s not that I’m a numbers guy. In fact, if you have read this website over the years you already know I struggle with anything greater than basic math. Despite his many character flaws, rampaging insecurity, devious nature and seemingly bi-polar behavior, Pioli was fired because the numbers did not add up.

Specifically 23-42 – that’s the Chiefs record with Pioli in charge:

• 2009: 4-12.
• 2010: 10-7 (includes loss in playoffs to Baltimore).
• 2011: 7-9.
• 2012: 2-14.

Total: 23-42, a .354 winning percentage. That’s bad football. That gets people fired.

Dominik has just one more win than Pioli and one less playoff appearance. So does that mean Dominik is on thin ice or should be?

Ultimately, every GM must be measured by wins and losses, but it’s a far more complex threshold than that of a head coach. The record must be scrutinized to determine the GM’s role in the outcome. And then there’s the whole unknown factor of potential restraints placed on a GM by ownership.

One could argue that Dominik cost the Bucs the playoffs by making a series of wrong decisions that left the cornerbacks cupboard bare this season. But one could also argue that Dominik’s homerun 2012 draft and aggression with Vincent Jackson in free agency left the Bucs awfully close to becoming a playoff team — all while having a mountain of cash for the 2013 offseason, and emerging young NFL stars on the roster.

It’s a great debate. And hopefully it’s one that won’t continue among Bucs fans, because if the Bucs win, nobody will care.

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