Joe has made no secret that he believes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik should give Tanard Jackson a parting gift for participating with the Bucs.

There may not be a better safety in the NFL than Jackson. But the guy cannot — allegedly — stay away from the smoke and that hippie lettuce — allegedly — is more important to him than his teammates or his career (he is due to be a free agent shortly but he’ll be lucky to make the NFL minimum as opposed to the megamillions his talent would normally bring).

In short, you cannot count on Jackson. At all. If he plays a game when his suspension is lifted, that would be  more surprise than expectation. And he’s on his last chance. Next time he is popped, he will have to hope the UFL or CFL will want his services; his NFL days will be over.

Bucs troubled cornerback Aqib Talib is dangerously close to Jackson’s territory for far more troubling reasons.

It has come to the point that Bucs fans expect Talib to be in some sort of hassle with the law… or with his teammates… or with his coaches… or with NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell.

As Joe wrote yesterday, Talib’s incidents are growing increasingly more violent. Whatever the Bucs are doing or the state of Florida did to curb his anger issues clearly are not working. If this pattern of Talib’s violent behavior takes the next step, well, Joe will let you come to the very frightening conclusion.

In short, is all of this nonsense worth it for the Bucs? Veteran sports columnist Gary Shelton isn’t too sure. The longtime respected sports voice of the St. Petersburg Times wonders if the Bucs should just turn Talib loose when the new CBA is agreed upon.

For a long time now, Talib has been a talented troublemaker, a walking bad decision followed by controversy and headed toward scandal. He does not hear the scolding, he is impervious to lapel-shaking, and he is beyond the benefit of doubt. The drugs in college. The fights with teammates. The assault. The suspension. And now this.

Here’s a question: Can Talib’s career withstand another scandal?

Here’s another: Should it?

Shelton even goes so far as to wonder if Bucs coaches or management are simply enabling Talib instead of bringing the hammer down upon him. It’s a fair question.

Let’s be frank: If charges are brought against Talib, is shooting at a person any worse or better than being popped for intent to sell pot?

Mark Dominik is a youngster among his peers. He’s a rock star general manager. But will he blaze a brave new trail?

Sports Illustrated columnist and NFL Radio and NBC Sports talking head Peter King warns fans that the young general managers around the NFL might very well toss the established logic in place on draft day.

And how many GMs are younger than Dominik?

Whether you call it RaysIndex.com or JoeRaysFan.com, those sites are where it’s at for all things Rays.

The unnerving details surrounding Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib doing his best Sonny Corleone impression has to make any Bucs fan wonder about Talib’s future employment with the Bucs, both short-term and long-term, not to mention his chances of continuing to walk the streets as a free citizen.

This subject has also got the attention of Tampa Tribune humorist Martin Fennelly. The nationally-respected columnist believes Talib’s track record of violence-related antics have run it’s course.

Fennelly writes it’s time for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to cut ties with the Bucs problem child.

Everyone knows this guy is Bad News. It’s going to end badly. It’s not a matter of if; it’s a matter of when.

The Bucs’ sliding sense of justice is in full view.

I mean, would Talib still be part of this team if he wasn’t very good at football?

Joe’s not sure how many of his readers heard him live on the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday morning to discuss the Talib issue. In short, Joe mentioned how fortunate both Talib and the Bucs are that Talib clearly can’t handle a gun.

First, in an attempt to pistol whip a man, Talib dropped the gun and the victim was able to pick it up and run with it.

Second, Talib — if witness testimonies are to be believed — shot at and missed the victim… twice!

Whew!

Where do the Bucs really stand on Myron Lewis?

Thirty days from the NFL draft, and now the Bucs are searching for a cornerback that prefers to keep his violence on the field.

The debate will rage for days how the Bucs should proceed in the secondary. NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM 620, touched on the subject via his draft page at 620wdae.com. Joe suggests you click through and take a look.

Remember, as part of the stellar draft coverage on JoeBucsFan.com, The Commish already has broken down potential cornerbacks and their possible impact on the Bucs. Might be time to give it a second look.

Joe’s of the mind that a big part of the Bucs’ decision making comes down to their evaluations and expectations of Myron Lewis, who looked like a rookie last year, unlike many of his fellow Bucs rookies.

If the Bucs’ braintrust truly believes Lewis is the proverbial “next man up,” then don’t expect anything bold from the Bucs in the secondary in the aftermath of Aqib Talib’s Wild West shenanigans.

In some ways, it’s noble for a guy to go all Sonny Corleone on a skunk who has roughed up his sister.

But it’s not smart in any sense of the word for a guy on thin ice with a highly-paid, promising NFL career on the line to perhaps urinate it away by pistol whipping said skunk and then trying to gun him down as he ran from the scene… allegedly.

Whether Texas police turn the other cheek or authorities decided to bring Talib up on charges will be known shortly, so reports Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times.

“I will confirm he is a person of interest,” Garland police spokesman Joe Harn told the St. Petersburg Times Monday. “This is still an open case. Once the detectives have decided, probably later this week, if there are charges that need to be brought against him or not, because of the high-profile interest in this case, we’ll have an announcement.”

Talib, who was suspended one game last season for assaulting a St. Petersburg cab driver in 2009, could face further sanctions from the NFL from his involvement in the incident.

It will be interesting to see if Talib wiggles off the hook on this one. Joe is of the opinion this may never have happened if there wasn’t a lockout. Talib very well could have been at One Buc Palace working out, far from the trouble in Texas where he is doing a bad imitation of Captain America.

As loyal JoeBucsFan.com readers know, Joe often needs a barf bag when exposed to most things ESPN. But still, Joe is always sniffing out all things Bucs from all sources, including those of the Disney cartel.

In this BSPN video allegedly about the draft, Trent Dilfer, Chris Mortensen and some draft expert with motionless hair team up to make a bunch of love to the Bucs, among other tidbits. …Prepare to laugh out loud when Dilfer says no offensive coordinator in the league is better than Greg Olson.

With the news of Aqib Talib’s failed attempt to play Sonny Corleone, the immediate concerns of the Bucs secondary came to Joe’s mind.

No, Joe still is against going after a mega-free agent cornerback. Too costly when there are other much greater areas of needs for the Bucs (linebacker, defensive end, offensive line spring to mind). Besides, the Bucs secondary is solid, as documented by FootballOutsiders.com.

But with the very real chance Talib may miss games, Joe wonders if this changes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik’s draft plans? Or more precise, what to do with Talib?

Per Rotoworld.com, Talib signed a five-year, $14 million contract in July 2008 that includes $8.2 million guaranteed. 2011: $1,653,750, 2012: $1,852,500, 2013: Free agent.

With Ronde Barber retiring after the 2011 season, would the Bucs see fit to let Talib loose too, thereby creating at least one hole in the secondary?

Surely the Bucs are tired of dealing with all of Talib’s violent antics and to be frank, they have escalated. First, throwing down at a rookie symposium. Then, wielding a helmet at teammates which could have put someone in a hospital, or worse. That was followed up by slugging a cabbie while flying down the highway at 55 mph (or more). In between he had a cursing tirade at his head coach in a hotel lobby in England and got a little crazy with NFL officials after a close loss at Baltimore. Now, an assault and gunfight.

The next incident, well, Joe doesn’t want to think about it.

Dominik will surely wash his hands of Talib after the 2012 season, letting him walk and be someone else’s headache.

If Talib makes it that far.

THE PESSIMIST is a diehard Bucs fan whose negative writings appear occasionally on JoeBucsFan.com. His views surely do not necessarily reflect those of Joe. However, Joe sure gets a kick out of them.

So Roger Goodell said he wants to punish players for misbehaving during a lockout, when the NFL wants nothing to do with its players, won’t pay their benefits, won’t let them communicate with their team and has suspended their contracts.

What a two-faced phony.

So rather than play Charles Bronson last week, if Aqib Talib had broken his foot running sprints on a high school field and never played football again, the NFL wouldn’t have to pay him a dime left on his contract because of the lockout. But Goodell wants to be able to punish Talib for his lockout shenanigans?

THE PESSIMIST wants to barf. You can’t have it both ways, Goodell. 

For all THE PESSIMIST knows, Talib made the conscious decision to go wild last week because the lockout was in place. Maybe Talib is smarter than we think. Maybe he had the presence of mind to know his paycheck was somewhat safe as he defended his sister, albeit aggressively.

THE PESSIMIST knows Talib would have one hell of a lawsuit if Goodell suspends him for crimes committed during a lockout.

And if Goodell plans to go through with that BS, the Bucs should get a clear statement NOW from Goodell so the team can prepare properly for the NFL Draft.

Per the Tampa Tribune, Goodell said last week “we owe to our fans” enforcement of the personal conduct policy through the lockout.

THE PESSIMIST can’t stop laughing. You care about fans, Goodell? How about getting good, full-time referees and giving teams the freedom to lift a blackout before you worry about punishing guys that aren’t even on the payroll.

With the not-so-shocking news this morning that police in Texas have identified Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib as a “person of interest” in a disturbing domestic dispute where witnesses claim Talib tried to pistol whip and then shoot another man, it’s a good thing for Talib there is currently no CBA.

(Had there been a CBA, perhaps Talib would be at One Buc Palace working out and away from this mess back home?)

Since there is no CBA, the player conduct policy of the NFL is out the window. But NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell has claimed he can still rule despite the players being locked out and no CBA in place.

Greg Aiello, spokesman for the NFL, e-mailed the Tampa Tribune Monday morning and it seems as if the NFL is trying to have things both ways.

“The conduct and drug policies are currently suspended,” Aiello said in an email to The Tampa Tribune on Monday. “However, any violations of law that occur during the work stoppage will be reviewed for potential discipline.”

That is consistent with statements NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell made last week during the NFL owners’ meetings.

“The Personal Conduct Policy continues,” Goodell said. “It applies to everybody in the league. I don’t know how it would apply to the players under this circumstance, but it’s something I feel strongly about, that we owe to our fans.”

So what does this tell Joe? That with a new CBA in place, the owners are likely going to demand that language be included that all player conduct policies would be retroactive for the time during the lockout and that Talib will have to go to the principal’s office in New York to pay a visit to Goodell.

Of course, the word out of Dallas regarding Aqib Talib’s possible role in firing shots at some dude that repeatedly mistreated his sister is very troublesome.

It makes trying to decapitate Donald Penn with a deadly weapon seem tame.

But with the NFL locking out the players, fans and media have been led to believe that the behavior clauses in players’ contracts don’t apply during a lockout, drug tests, off-the-field issues, etc.

So barring Talib serving time for allegedly shooting at a guy, the Bucs’ season wouldn’t miss a beat where Talib is concerned.

Joe never thought he’d write this; but perhaps the lockout was a blessing.

Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib is named by police in Texas as a “person of interest” in a shooting.

Per the Dallas Observer, Talib was involved in an ugly domestic incident last week.

After a March 21 altercation involving his sister, his mother, his sister’s boyfriend, two guns and at least five shots fired, former local high school football star and Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ cornerback Aqib Talib is a “person of interest” on a Garland Police Department incident report and, pending an investigation, could be arrested and charged with anything from discharging a firearm within a municipality (class A misdemeanor) to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (second-degree felony).

According to a GPD initial report about the incident and two sources familiar with the case Talib allegedly attempted to pistol-whip his sister Saran’s boyfriend, Shannon Billings, and then, after a struggle, used his mother Okolo’s pistol and fired several shots at Billings as he fled the scene on foot.

“The investigation is ongoing,” Garland Police Department administration supervisor Captain Patrick McCulley told the Observer on Friday. “But I can confirm that Mr. Talib is a person of interest in the case.”

Joe hates to say it but something like this coming from Talib isn’t exactly shocking. Surprising, but not shocking.

Looks as though the Bucs will find out first hand if Roger Goodell can actually enforce his player conduct policy during a lockout as he claims he can.

Per the police report via the Dallas Observer, it paints a disturbing image.

According to the report, Billings said Aqib produced a handgun and “attempted to strike him in the face.” During the ensuing skirmish Talib dropped the gun and Billings picked it up and began runnning, prompting Okolo to produce a gun and fire three shots toward him. Billings told police that Talib then took Okolo’s gun, said “I’ll shoot him” and fired at least two shots before Billings safely ducked into nearby woods. Neighborhood witnesses corroborated Billings’ story.

If you don’t have NFL Network by now, Joe doesn’t know what to say. You really might have to put an asterisk on your man club membership card. It’s really that simple. Their programming is phenomenal.

Just break the grip already from the demon cable company that is ok with denying you joy.

Coming on April 30 on NFL Network, per SI.com scribe Peter King, the network will air a series counting down the top 100 players of today, as voted by current NFL players.

Is LeGarrette Blount the second rookie in the top 100? Does Aqib Talib get any love, and more love than Ronde Barber? Do the players think Donald Penn is the best left tackle in the NFL? Does Josh Freeman make the cut?

Joe’s counting on some very telling surprises. And Joe’s already got a friendly wager, albeit small, on Blount making the cut.

Joe loves the draft as much as any red-blooded American male who regularly watches the NFL Network. But after a point, all the talk about 40-times and playing hopscotch with cones wears on Joe pretty quick.

That would be roughly 50 minutes before the Great American Track Practice NFL Combine begins.

So for all the talk about a guy’s shuttle speed and long jump ability and his all-important, all too rehearsed 15-minute interviews at the Great American Track Practice NFL Combine, it is sometimes the little things that makes the biggest differences.

Take LeGarrette Blount. The Bucs rookie standout running back was brought into One Buc Palace last year for what was basically an all-day interview. In a story about how worthless Pro Days are, Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com got a neat nugget from Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik about what others would perceive as trivial but what eventually sold Dominik on Blount.

“We had about eight players eating lunch together at the facility, and after the meal, only one of the guys took the time to go back into the kitchen and thank all the chefs. That kid was LeGarrette Blount.”

Blount, of course, was suspended for much of his 2009 senior season at Oregon for punching an opposing player in the face on national television.

“Thanking the chefs showed us something about LeGarrette and his values. We knew that he’d appreciate the guy taping him up in the training room, the scout breaking down the film. We knew he was a guy we could see in our system.”

As Joe has stated before, the combine judges which players were good track athletes, not football players. Pro Days are little more than scripted rehearsals. It is when a player comes into a team’s facility for a day is when the real business of judging if the guy can be a value on Sunday afternoons takes place.

Even if that edge is with a couple of cooks.

In large part thanks to the disaster of signing Kardashian-chasing Derrick Ward, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik may not be as likely to splurge on free agents.

In recent years, since Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik got burned by free agency (and nearly roasted out of a job when he almost landed Facestomper Haynesworth), Dominik has seen the light and has pretty much avoided free agency like a breakout of the hives.

And why go after high-priced, often over-the-hill free agents? The Steelers have built a dynasty doing without them. Packers general manager Ted Thompson loathes free agents. Seems as though the Packers have done OK.

But in a recent chat with Raheem Morris, Rick Stroud of the St. Petersburg Times believes the Bucs may be eyeing free agents in the not too distant future.

But after a 10-6 season in which the Bucs narrowly missed the playoffs, and given the production of young stars such as Josh Freeman, Mike Williams and LeGarrette Blount, coach Raheem Morris says it could be time to add free-agent pieces to push Tampa Bay back over the top, especially with about 500 players scheduled to become unrestricted free agents when the lockout ends.

“We wanted to accumulate talent throughout the draft, and it was no different in 2002 and 2001, when our ownership went out and got a Simeon Rice, a Brad Johnson or a Keenan McCardell (in free agency) in order to push that team over the top and help the draft classes of Derrick Brooks, Warren Sapp, John Lynch and Ronde Barber,” Morris said at the owners meetings last week in New Orleans. “We may be nearing that plateau. As soon as the free agency season is able to be open, some of those discussions will be more realistic. You’re talking about adding components, getting the right guy, a good fit.”

After Dominik’s first foray into free agency in his first few months on the job (Mike Nugent, anyone?) Joe believes Dominik won’t go after top-flight, cost-heavy players. Instead, he will look at second tier guys to bolster roster depth and be serviceable starters, not unlike a Sean Jones.

NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM 620, recently grabbed some one-on-one time with top defensive end prospect Ryan Kerrigan, the production machine out of Perdue.

And being a multimedia guru, as well, The Commish had his fancy recording equipment on the scene and passed on some fans’ questions to Kerrigan. The DE stud sounds like a mature dude, and we learn that he calls himself “relentless”  and his grandma lives in St. Pete, among other stuff.

Click the arrow to listen, or download here.

[audio: kerrigan.mp3]

Remember, Joe’s draft coverage is just heating up. More to come all week and The Commish will soon kick off the popular Draft Countdown. Also, shoot The Commish your draft questions for his inbox podcast, commish@620wdae.com.

Who better to know a quarterback than a Super Bowl-winning quarterback?

Who better to know a quarterback than a Hall of Fame quarterback?

That’s the case with former Broncos quarterback John Elway. Now a president of the team, Elway attended the NFL owners meetings in New Orleans recently where eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune decided to corner a number of non-Bucs officials to gauge their take on the Bucs starting quarterback.

Count Elway among those who is impressed.

A first-round pick out of Kansas State in 2009, Freeman said his personal goal is to be compared with the game’s elite quarterbacks – Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway already likes what he sees.

“I’m really impressed with Josh Freeman,” said Elway, the new executive VP of the Broncos. “I haven’t met him, but from the way he plays, the Bucs definitely hit on him, that’s for sure.”

Among others Kaufman spoke with was Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt who claimed Freeman is special because of the way he is clutch late in games.

The interesting thing is that virtually every non-Bucs source eye-RAH! spoke with for the story raved about the way Raheem Morris has handled and nurtured Freeman.

When the 49ers hired Jim Harbaugh to run the team back in January, many Bucs fans began to connect the dots that the 49ers would trade for Bucs backup quarterback Josh Johnson because Johnson started for Harbaugh when the two were at San Diego.

That notion flew in the face of Raheem Morris’ contention that Johnson is a “career backup.”

But it seems Raheem likes Johnson so much that there’s no chance of Johnson getting traded or being usurped by another backup, so claims Disney blogger Pat Yasinskas.

Typing for the Leninites at BSPN.com, Yasinskas claims the Bucs have no interest in acquiring a QB to replace Johnson of the depth chart.

Dylan (Las Vegas)
Pat, any chance the Bucs try to get a verteran [sic] QB as a backup to Freeman?

Pat Yasinskas
I’d like to see that. But my impression is that Raheem likes Josh Johnson a lot, so I don’t think anything will happen.

Could it be that Raheem, in an effort to quash any interest from other teams in Johnson, called Johnson a “career backup” last year on purpose? Joe thinks it is a possibility.

But Joe can’t believe rock star general manager Mark Dominik wouldn’t want to get a veteran backup — you know, a guy who may have played a handful of games — to at least be a No. 3 signal caller.

No one wants to see the Bucs third string quarterback on the field unless it’s special teams. But if a game ever came down to that, who would you have more faith in, Rudy Carpenter or, say, Brady Quinn or (shudder) Kyle Boller or (gasp) J.P. Losman?

NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM 620, continues to work night and day on his must-read draft coverage on JoeBucsFan.com, and on the draft page at 620wdae.com.

The Commish talked to possible Bucs DE target Ryan Kerrigan yesterday, as well as tight end prospect Kyle Rudolph out of Notre Dame. Enjoy this story below, including audio of the Rudolph interview. (Kerrigan to come later.)

By JUSTIN PAWLOWSKI

One of the first moves Mark Dominik made as general manager of the Bucs was to trade for Kellen Winslow and make him the highest paid tight end in the NFL.  We’re not three years removed from that day, and the Bucs are interested in another highly touted tight end.

In my Friday interview with Rudolph, who is considered by many including myself to be the top tight end in the 2011 draft, said that the Buccaneers had genuine interest in him.

“I interviewed with the Bucs.  I really like coach Morris and our interview went really well,” Rudolph said.  “I loved his energy and enthusiasm for the game.  I would love to be a Buccaneer.”

Kellen Winslow Jr. is still under contract, but the depth behind Winslow is extremely shaky.  Jerramy Stevens finally wore out his welcome last season and was released, and John Gilmore is a free agent this off-season. Ryan Purvis could be the only depth behind Winslow. which is why the Bucs will be looking to add a tight end some time during this year’s draft.

Rudolph has the ability and talent to be an outstanding threat from the tight end position, but injuries have hurt him the past two seasons at Notre Dame.  He missed the second half of 2010 with a hamstring injury that required surgery. Rudolph says he is at 100 percent and will fully participate in Notre Dame’s April 7 pro day.

“It’s been a long time since I was able to go out and run around like my old self and I feel like I’m back to that point,” Rudolph said about his expectations for his pro day.  “I’m going to do every drill, run routes, and catch balls. I’m definitely excited for it.”

Rudolph’s pro day is as important as any pro day this offseason.  Without being able to workout at the combine, Rudolph has not been able to show off his full talent or show off that he is healthy.

Rudolph would not go into too much detail about future visits or workouts, saying that he is mainly focused on his pro day, and those arrangements would take place after that day.  However, he did confirm that the Bucs assured him they would be there.

Mark Dominik has warned that the Bucs might not be a lock for a defensive player in the first two rounds of this year’s draft. 

Continuing to gather more weapons for Josh Freeman will always be something this Buccaneer regime will look to do.  It should also be noted that Greg Olson, like Jon Gruden, runs a lot of 2-tight-end sets. Depth at that position is extremely important.

If the Bucs are indeed smitten with Rudolph, they might consider drafting him in the first round to secure him.  Waiting until the second round could be too late, considering that Rudolph should end up as a late first round or early second round pick.

Here’s the entire Kyle Rudolph interview: [audio: Rudolph.mp3]