Good guy running back Earnest Graham, a longtime Luke McCown supporter, didn’t flinch when asked about Byron Leftwich on 1010 AM on Tuesday night.

“Byron’s the best quarterback I’ve played with since I’ve been here. Without a doubt,” Graham said. “As far as his knowledge of the offense, the way he commands the offense in the huddle. …I’ve watched him make some unbelievable throws.”

Graham went on to talk about how Leftwich established himself as a leader back in the spring.

Leftwich was voted by his teammates as a Bucs captain for 2009, along with Jeff Faine, Ronde Barber, Chris Hovan and Will Allen.

On the Jeff Jagodzinski firing, Graham said “I don’t really have a great grasp of even what the reason was. I know what I’ve been reading. Maybe there were some problems here or there about getting the plays in. …Changes happen in this game.”

Joe was pleased to hear Graham talk about he feels as good or better than he did entering his breakthrough 2007 season.

Graham said nobody should be surprised to see him play fullback. “I think it provides some tough looks for the defense, if you have no idea if I’m at fullback and I might back up and play tailback. … The versatility allows to do a lot. …I actually love playing fullback. I love going and hitting people.”

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin used the Bucs as a barometer for his Steelers to play strong defense in the Super Bowl this past February.

Joe regularly bangs the drum for the NFL Network. Simply put, if you do not have the NFL Network, you are not a man.

There are no excuses. You are the subject of a Sam Kinison bit. You are the inspiration for an outburst by Don Vito Corleone.

Rarely a day goes by that Joe does not watch the NFL Network at some point (added advantage: Stacey Dales debuted with her new NFL Network gig Wednesday).

Last night the newest edition of America’s Game premiered, highlighting the 2008 Steelers. This series is an hour-long documentary for each Super Bowl-winning team and may be the best thing ever produced by NFL Films which is saying a lot.

Naturally, Joe buried himself in his leather couch and watched. While Joe is well-aware that Mike Tomlin was the Bucs secondary coach when the Bucs won the Super Bowl, Joe wasn’t aware Tomlin challenged the Steelers to be like the Bucs.

This was all documented in the America’s Game segment of the 2008 Steelers.

Just before the Super Bowl, the Steelers practiced at USF. The Steelers were getting a lot of interceptions in practice but weren’t returning the interceptions for touchdowns.

That night, Tomlin explained, he put together a highlight reel of the Steelers not returning interceptions and mixed in the Bucs returning three interceptions against the Raiders in the Bucs Super Bowl win.

 The next day, Tomlin showed the highlight reel to the Steelers defense and told them, “When I coached with the Bucs we returned three interceptions in the Super Bowl. That was a great defense. If you want to be great, you have to return at least one, possibly two and it may take three to win this game.”

“It inspired us,” Steelers safety Troy Polamalu said of Tomlin’s Bucs Super Bowl highlights.

Then the show detailed why NFL Films is such a great production company. It first showed a clip of Tomlin joking with John Lynch during the Bucs Super Bowl that the Bucs defense was getting too greedy.

It next showed a clip, taken just after James Harrison’s 99-yard interception return for a score that ended the first half and proved to be the pivotal play of the game. Steelers linebacker James Woodley was woofing to whoever would listen how great the Steelers defense was as Woodley trotted off the field.

Tomlin walked up to him, held up three fingers and said, “The last time I was in this game the team I was with returned three. That was a great defense.”

Raheem the Dream seems to have a crush on Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Ware. An unrequited crush thanks to Chucky.

If Dallass defensive end DeMarcus Ware unloads on Byron Leftwich at all Sunday, Joe can just imagine Raheem the Dream muttering to himself, like Moe Howard would when told of another mishap Curly got himself into.

“Chucky!”  

Seems as if Raheem the Dream back in 2005 personally worked with the current Cowboys stud defensive end during practices leading up to the Senior Bowl. Raheem the Dream was smitten with Ware like Joe is with Rachel Watson, reports Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News.

But the chances of the Bucs drafting Ware was a pipe dream, Raheem the Dream said, because the Bucs still had Simeon Rice and because of who was the Bucs head coach.

Chucky.

“We had a luxury of having one of those guys,” Morris said. “We had an offensive head coach, and we get Cadillac (Williams).”

Oh, well. Morris, who did the politically correct thing and said both teams hit “home runs,” will always have the memories of that week in Mobile with Ware.

And Morris is looking forward to seeing Ware this weekend, at least before the game.

“I can’t wait to see him and hug him,” Morris said. “I hope he leaves after that.”

Easy Ra.’ Maybe it’s just Joe, but when Joe thinks of the Bucs and hugging someone, a grimy, sweaty dude from the other team isn’t what Joe is thinking of.

"Caddy, I'm telling you. We can both get 1,000 yards. It feels good to share."

Answering questions from the Dallas media about all things Bucs on Wednesday, Raheem The Dream was quick to explain that Antonio Bryant is not a vocal leader but a guy who works extraordinarily hard on the field and off.

Now when asked about running back Derrick Ward, who has put a hurting on the Cowboys in the past and embarrased their starting cornerback, Raheem The Dream was quick to praise Ward his leadership, especially in selling the running-back-by-committee plan.

“You’re talking about a leader,” Raheem The Dream said of Ward. ” You’re talking about a guy that’s come from the bottom, that’s self-driven. You’re talking about a guy that’s absolutely spread that whole concept that the Giants had, the three running back system and spreading the ball around. …And being that same kind of core guy, and team guy. And he’s brought all those qualities to us. He’s just a dynamic person, and dynamic player.”

Now Joe has to wonder, to whom was Ward spreading the virtues of the three-back rotation? Surely, nobody on the team would care but the running backs. And Earnest Graham is the ultimate team guy.

That leaves Cadillac Williams.

Joe believes Ward reached out to give his best sales pitch to Cadillac, who has been less than glowing in recent interviews when asked about splitting carries in the new system.

Heck, Cadillac even told Joe not to assume the Bucs’ new offense would be better than Chucky’s.

Cadillac has had his best successes when he carried the load of the backfield work, 20- and 30-plus carries and often growing stronger as games went on. Joe suspects Cadillac sees himself as Chucky saw him, as a feature back.

Joe hopes Cadillac is over that.

Fans who love the running game should love the season opener between the Bucs and Dallass. Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News suggests the two best backfield trios in the NFL will be facing each other.

The trio of Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice should be one of the NFL’s elite running back committees. But it might not be the best seen Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bucs boast a trio of Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham. Unlike the Cowboys, Tampa Bay has declared how playing time will be split in the backfield. Williams, the former top-five pick who has come back from two serious knee injuries, will start and play two series. Ward will play the next two series. Graham will play the next series. The 2-2-1 rotation will repeat throughout the game.

Joe doesn’t know about this 2-2-1 rotation. If one running back has the hot hand, doesn’t Raheem The Dream have the responsibility to keep feeding that back the ball?

Joe’s not much of a fantasy football geek, but Joe loves to bet  pick NFL games against the spread.

Last week, Joe invited you to pick against him in a pool for the 2009 season. Entrants quickly were cut off at 35.

So far, 24 out of the chosen 35 have registered online to play for pride and prizes, only to be earned if you are better than Joe over the entire season.

For those selected, the deadline to get in the game is just before tonight’s season-opener, Steelers vs. Titans. You’ve all been sent the registration instructions. E-mail joe@JoeBucsFan.com if you have any questions.

Super Bowl winning coach Brian Billick and Pat Kirwan of Sirius NFL Radio indirectly lashed out at the Bucs Wednesday for firing offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski.

OK, so Joe wasn’t going to bring up the Jeff Jagodzinski firing again unless something came up.

Well, something came up.

Early Wednesday evening Joe was driving around in his truck listening to Mad Dog Radio with Chris Russo as well as Sirius NFL  Radio. Former NFL coach Brian Billick has been making the rounds promoting his new book and did interviews with Russo, who went to a commercial right after the interview so Joe quickly flipped to Sirius NFL Radio.

Who did Joe hear right away beginning an interview with Tim Ryan and Pat Kirwan? Yup. Brian Billick.

Billick was outspoken in his disgust at how three offensive coordinators were canned just days before the NFL season began. With Ryan and Kirwan, co-hosts of “Movin’ the Chains” on Sirius NFL Radio, Billick said of the firings, “It astounds me. As a coach, I think to myself, ‘Can’t we at least lose a game?'”

With Russo, Billick told Mad Dog it was his belief with Jagodzinski (and the Bills with the firing of Turk Schonert) that “the owners and the general manager and the coach” were all in on Jagodzinski’s firing.

Billick called this move by the Bucs when he later spoke with Kirwan and Ryan as a “gang mentality.”

Billick also said that the NFL, being a copycat league, saw what the Chiefs did and the Bucs and Bills decided such a drastic move wasn’t so bad.

Kirwan went on to tell a story (likely referring to his time with the Jets) about how premature he though firing Jagodzinski was. He didn’t call out the Bucs specifically but he could only be talking about the Bucs. Joe will detail this shortly.

Kirwan said he once worked with an NFL team (Jets?) where a new offensive coordinator was disorganized and wasn’t doing much in practice. Kirwan thought the coach was a virtual train wreck with the upcoming season being the crash.

“But on game day, damn, this guy was calling a helluva game from the booth,” Kirwan said. “It was obvious then why he was hired for the job. Now with these guys, we’ll never know.”

These guys?

Kirwan had to be referring to Jagodzinski and the Bucs. Chan Gailey, who was fired by the Chiefs which seemed to start the snowball of offensive coordinators being fired, has extensive experience as an offensive coordinator. Schonert also has NFL experience as an offensive coordinator.

Jagodzinksi did not. So by process of elimination, Kirwan had to be referring to the Bucs.

Bucs running back Derrick Ward is out.

No, not out of the Bucs season-opener with Dallass. Ward is apparently out of the Kardashian Clan.

Seems his one-time squeeze, celebrity (?) Khloe Kardashian of the Kardashian Clan fame (?), was seen on the streets of Gotham knoodling with pro basketball player Lamar Odom, so reports Jason McIntyre of TheBigLead.com.

On the right: serial athlete-dater Khloe Kardashian (previously: Derrick Ward, Rashad McCants) with her new boyfriend, Lamar Odom of the Lakers.

Let Joe be blunt: With the cash Ward is pulling, you cannot tell Joe he can’t do better than a Kardashian. Hell, armed with the proper prescriptions, Joe can probably hook up with Khloe Kardashian. This is just beyond Joe’s comprehension. I mean, really?

Ward can walk through any number of malls in the area, have one of his posse leak word that he’s with the Bucs, and Ward could be like the proverbial kid in a candy store.

Does Ward really want to be an E! Network star that bad?

Well, on second thought, it did work out for Jeff Garcia.

Joe loves Lee Roy Selmon’s.

Great environment. Stellar food. High-end TVs. And here’s another mention for the truly great, inexpensive menu. Joe can often be found closing the St. Petersburg location.

Lee Roy Selmon’s president Greg Lynn will make the rounds today on local sports radio touting the new free Club 63 Pick’em game on Selmon’s Web site. Fans sign-up there to pick college and NFL winners and can win trips to England to see the Bucs, the BCS championship game and more.

And just for playing you get free wings and a Bud draft. Nice.

Simply stated, they get it over at Selmon’s. Join Club 63 Pick’em today.

After spending time with Antonio Bryant last season, Joe was quick to write that Bryant is the best interview on the Bucs — intense, entertaining and always unpredictable.

Plus Bryant often refers to himself in the third person, a trait Joe wholeheartedly understands and respects.

On Wednesday, Bryant was called upon by the Dallas media to talk about all things Antonio Bryant. He didn’t disappoint.

Bryant scolded reporters, he went on tangents and gave wiseass answers at times delivered in his “I’m dead serious” style.

The reporters opened by asking him if his knee felt 100 percent, and Bryant shot back explaining that nobody in the NFL ever feels 100 percent. Of course,  it didn’t seem to matter to Bryant that the season hasn’t started yet.

On his Dallas days:  A lot of things were going on with Antonio Bryant.

On the Bucs chemistry: Teams gel under real adversity, not in practice. … You can’t simulate [the regular season]. Chemistry comes during the season.

On how his knee feels now: I don’t have any pain. …It’s a matter of getting the phantom out of my head.

On whether he appreciates the toughness of Bill Parcells, who sent him packing from the Cowboys: Most definitely, but I still stand my guard as a man.

On whether he has a relationship with Keyshawn Johnson, who he clashed with in Dallas: (after explaining that they are not close) I’m a real person. All the time every time. You know what I’m saying, I’m a real person. You come to my house, my mom will talk to you. My people will talk to you whatever. …I don’t put on no show. I don’t say hi just to say hi. …I do it out of respect. This is not a game or an act. This is real life.  …I’d like to see other people have it.

On what turned around his career: I believe in positive thinking.

On whether it was upsetting to not be rewarded with a longterm contract after his success in 2008:  I did get rewarded. I’m playing this year.

Former Bucs linebacker Nate Webster likely wanted custody of his son, Nathaniel III. If he didn’t have full-time custody of his son, he probably does now.

Seems as if Webster’s baby mama decided to leave 10-year old Nathaniel Webster III at Tampa International Airport all alone without money or a cell phone, so reports Keith Morelli of the Tampa Tribune.

A 31-year-old Brandon woman was released from jail today after she was accused of leaving her 10-year-old boy – the son of a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer – alone with no money or cell phone at Tampa International Airport for 90 minutes last week.

Martine Lifleur, of 2526 Cherrywood Hill Drive, Apt. 206, was charged with one count of child neglect, a third-degree felony. She was booked into the Orient Road Jail with bail set at $2,000, but on Wednesday, a judge released her without having to post bail.

The child’s grandmother _ his father’s mother _ said that her son is Nate Webster, former linebacker with the Buccaneers who last season played with the Denver Broncos.

He is a free agent now and lives in Cincinnati, said his mother, Linda Webster. Her grandson, Nathaniel Webster III, currently is staying with him and his wife, Jennifer.

This could have turned out a whole lot worse and thankfully the little boy is safe and with his dad.

Thankfully, local police left the dirtbag mom by herself in a cage located on Orient Road, until a judge turned her loose.

Joe does a considerable amount of trashing BSPN. The four-letter outfit gives him ample ammunition. After all, Joe is a sportsaholic and for an outfit to chase away Joe, it has to really try.

And BSPN has done just that. Joe finds SI.com to be far superior in so many ways. Joe just doesn’t give a damn about the Yankees, Red Sox, Cowboys, Patriots, LUH-bron, ko-BEE, Duke or North Carolina.

Joe has been so conditioned to expect the aforementioned tripe when happening upon any of the BSPN properties, he surfs over BSPN from January through September. As a result, Joe misses a lot of good college basketball.

With the NFL Network, MLB Network, NHL Network, NFL Sunday Ticket, MLB Extra Innings and NHL Center Ice and broadband internet, why does Joe need BSPN? He doesn’t. Just this past weekend, in order to watch college football, was the first time Joe returned to the four-letter in months.

(Joe must confess that ESPN’s coverage of college football is superior and it saddens Joe a great deal that the four-letter can’t cover other sports with the passion, reverence and respect it does with college football.)

SI.com is another story. Joe is not inundated with the same eight subjects over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. Additionally, Joe finds many of SI.com’s writers to be far superior than the schlock thrown at Joe from the four-letter.

But even SI.com is not perfect, like BSPN, not many think much of the Bucs. In fact two of its NFL columnists not only think the Bucs will finish the season in the NFC South basement, but that the Bucs will hear NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell utter the haunting words, “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock.”

The two columnists in question are Ross Tucker and Dominic Bonvissuto. Both think the Bucs will have the NFL’s worst record.

Joe gives Porter much more weight than Bonvissuto. Tucker is a former NFL player; not that his resume gives him a complete pass. Tucker had this to say about the Bucs:

The talent base is way down on this roster from recent years, Leftwich will give way to a green Josh Freeman early in the season, and the recent firing of their offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski proves all is not well in Tampa. They may be picking first in the 2010 NFL Draft.

Bonvissuto, who if Joe judged by just the name would guess he knows where to find a good pasta joint, sort of exposed himself, or his lack of knowledge about the Bucs, when he wrote:

A team in transition has some playmakers (Gaines Adams, Barrett Ruud, Kellen Winslow) but nowhere near the depth needed to be successful.

Gaines Adams a playmaker??? You mean like Michael Irvin?

Look, Joe isn’t exactly on the Bucs bandwagon, but if you are going to say the Bucs will be the worst team in the league in spite of Adams being a playmaker, well, you’ve got to do better than that!

It seems Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips found something he likes on the Bucs’ preseason game films.

That would be rookie Bucs wide receiver Sammie Stroughter.

In a conference call with the Tampa Bay media today, Phillips was asked to comment on the several rookies that made the Cowboys’ roster. 

Phillips paused and said, “For us? (pause for reporter’s answer) Oh, cause I was going to say Stroughter looks pretty good.”

Likely starting as the slot receiver, Stroughter’s going to grow up real fast on Sunday. Joe thinks he’s up to the task. A few Bucs fans may even mutter, ‘Ike who?’

Joe’s hearing whispers which should result in many Bucs fans, local restaurant owners and sports bar proprietors breathing a giant sigh of relief… for now.

Seems as though it’s likely Bucs fans can watch the season-opener against Dallass. These whispers originate from inside One Buc Palace. In fact, Bucs officials are cautiously optimistic that the Giants game Sept. 27 will also be sold out and available on local TV airwaves.

However…

The same Bucs officials aren’t as optimistic about the rest of the season. Sure, on paper, the Packers and Jets games would seem to be a virtual lock for a sell out. But if those teams, for whatever reason, drop out of playoff contention, who knows?

The Dallas media seems to be hounding Bradenton native and former South Florida star Michael Jenkins to talk trash about the Bucs not drafting him.

Jenkins, thus far, doesn’t seem to be biting.

That doesn’t mean the Cowboys cornerback isn’t steaming. In particular, Bucs running back Derrick Ward better watch out for Jenkins.

Seems as though Cowgirls fans if not the pen and mic club have taken Jenkins to task for an ole’ tackle of then-Giants running back Ward. And the criticism for Jenkins on that one play continues and Jenkins is getting sick of it.

Jenkins played in 14 games, starting three. In his second start, against Tampa Bay, Jenkins made a career-high seven tackles.

But he took a big fall for the one tackle he did not make. Late in a blowout loss to the New York Giants, Jenkins avoided contact with running back Derrick Ward. Criticism from that replay is still ringing.

“I feel like I had a great season last year until one play, and everybody’s judging me off of one play, and that was a tackle,” Jenkins said. “That’s how I’m getting judged, off one play.”

Joe gets the impression Jenkins might be headhunting Ward if the two are near each other in the same piece of real estate. Ward might want to look out. And Joe hopes the zebras have their hands on the yellow hankies.

Sure, it’s been a week since the Bucs fired offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski. But it’s taken a week for SI.com NFL scribe Peter King to weigh in.

In short, King insinuates the Bucs organization dropped the ball big time.

From Joseph B. of El Paso: “Which of the three offensive coordinator moves did you like the most — Chiefs, Bills or Bucs? Least? Also, do any of those teams have a shot at making the playoffs this season?”

Well, I don’t see any of the three being above .500, and I’m sure I’m not alone there. I think the troubling ones are Kansas City and Tampa Bay because these were new coaches and administrations interviewing candidates and settling on two experienced coaches, Chan Gailey and Jeff Jagodzinski. And you get a month into training camp and find out you don’t like them and can’t work together?

Here’s Joe’s final thought on the matter: Did the Bucs not vet Jagodzinski properly? Of course.

But — at the risk of sounding like a homer — as Joe told his good friend Justin Pawlowski on an edition of “The Blitz” Saturday afternoon on WDAE-AM 620, how many locals would have rejoiced if Father Dungy would have fired one of the three wretched offensive coordinators he had nine days before the opening of the season?

At least Raheem The Dream had the spine and common sense to get rid of a bad coach before bad turned to worse.

BSPN contributor and Dallas Morning News columnist/blogger Tim Cowlishaw likes Cadillac Williams. The Bucs? Not so much.

Bucs fans who believe a win is possible against Dallass this weekend need to e-mail Tim Cowlishaw. It seems the BSPN contributor and Dallas Morning News columnist is of the opinion that the Bucs will be NFL bottom feeders this season.

Cowlishaw recently wrote two pieces referencing the Bucs. One was in an NFC South preview where he referred to the Bucs — who he says will finish 3-13 — as “one Cadillac and 52 KIAs.”

In a column from the Dallas Morning News, Cowlishaw writes how the Cowboys lucked out with such soft opponents to open the season.

It’s also easy to like the way the schedule-maker has the Cowboys opening with three winnable road games the first five weeks. Tampa Bay, Denver and Kansas City should be among the bottom 10 teams in the NFL this season.

Bottom five for all three is possible.

So the opportunity for excitement in September and October is real. The Cowboys and Eagles should be playing for first place or some share of it when Dallas goes to Philadelphia on Nov. 8.

While Joe does believe Dallass will be a formidable opponent, Joe isn’t so sure the game will be a cakewalk for Dallass. Joe believes the Bucs have a legitimate shot.

Former Bucs great Derrick Brooks sits down with Jim Rome on his BSPN show Jim Rome Is Burning to discuss what if any future he has in the NFL. Rome tried to pin him down but Brooks wouldn’t take the bait.

Brooks did profess sadness as to how his exit with the Bucs transpired.

Good guy Richard Deitsch of SI.com (who reads Joe) snagged an interview with former Bucs coach and current BSPN talking head Chucky recently. Deitsch, being the journalist he is, wasted little time in trying to pin Chucky down on when or if he will coach again.

Chucky deftly dodged the question.

SI.com: Your boss, ESPN executive vice president John Skipper, predicted to SI that you would be in the booth for at least two years. Will he be right?

Gruden: I hate to predict my future. I never really thought I would be a head coach at 34 years old. I never thought I would be traded to Tampa. I never even really thought I would be fired, even though I probably deserved it. I try not to predict things. I signed up to a job and I’m going to finish it and give it everything I have. I feel like I have made some improvements, but I have a long way to go to be good at it.

Chucky also seemed to take a veiled shot at the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig. When asked if he can be critical of players or teams since he may be affiliated with them some day, Chucky said, “Yeah, I can be critical. Now I’m not going to be one of these sports-talk show hosts that does negative criticizing for a living.”

Chucky also confessed that his arrogance may have contributed to his dismissal saying, “I never thought I’d be fired.”

Seeing a mess of Bucs doomsayers all on one computer screen had Joe doing a double-take.

BSPN.com is offering season previews and prognostications from 14 of their “experts,” and every last one of them is predicting a last-place finish in the NFC South for Tampa Bay.

John Clayton perhaps had the most reasoned comments.

DIVISION FINISH: 4  The Bucs are rebuilding their defense, which had been the backbone of the franchise for countless years. The quarterback position is also in transition. Put those things together with a young, first-year coach and a tough schedule, and it might be hard for the Bucs to win more than six games.

Joe can’t believe not one of these 14 clowns thinks the Bucs have a prayer. Surely it’s reasonable that at least one of them would like what they see out of One Buc Place. Maybe not.

If the Bucs are going to be remotely successful this season they will need to come up big on special teams. If Tim MacMahon of the Dallas Morning News is correct, Clifton Smith could come up huge Sunday.

MacMahon notes how the Cowboys are not exactly efficient in their kick coverages and he fears Smith may blow the game open.

There’s a pretty good chance that Smith will break another big return Sunday for a couple of reasons:

1) Smith made the Pro Bowl last season despite not making his NFL debut until that Oct. 26 game. He averaged 27.6 yards per kickoff return and 14.1 per punt return, taking one of each back to the house.

2) Well, you saw the Cowboys’ special teams coverage during the preseason. Joe DeCamillis has his hands full turning those units around.

Joe hopes this is the case. Dallass’ defense isn’t exactly swiss cheese. Short fields for the offense to work with will sure help.