Joe once touched upon the following, even though it seems far-fetched on face value.

Joe, a year or so ago, was of the belief that some Bucs fans wanted Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to go all “Hit Show” because it would not so much help the Bucs return to the Super Bowl, but it would provoke national sportswriters to write about the Bucs, and the mostly horrible national sports radio shows (excluding SiriusXM NFL Radio, of course) to discuss the Bucs instead of subjects such as the horrible non-basketball association or glorified croquet known as “golf.”

Well, Joe’s assumption may have come true. In popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King’s Tuesday column on SI.com, the Hall of Fame columnist was scolded by a Bucs fan for not writing about the Bucs.

SORRY. MANNINGMANIA OVERTOOK THE COLUMN THIS WEEK. “Love your MMQB but I am a little miffed why in the whole article you mention nothing about the Tampa Bucs Buccaneers signing Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright. Like all of us Buc fans I was hoping for some love from the sports writers and a much better year! It has to get better right?”
— Ken Nahrwold, of Tampa

You’re right — I owe the Bucs some attention for what they did in free agency, and it’ll come in the next two weeks. My apologies, particularly because I’ve been on ownership there to prove they’ll spend for a winner. A preview: I like Jackson a lot, and I like Nicks a lot — assuming he keeps his weight in check. Great signings. Eric Wright’s just another guy. I wouldn’t have paid for him. But there’s no question Tampa’s significantly improved, and if I’m Josh Freeman, I’m very happy with the attention GM Mark Dominik paid to help the team score more points.

While Joe is confident SI.com covered Dominik going all Danny Snyder last week, it was almost old news by the time King put down his beer Sunday night and began banging on his keyboard typing his MMQB. So Joe totally gets how bigger news pushed Bucs news to the back burner for King’s column.

Still, Joe just finds it a little creepy that fans of any team rejoice in a team making news just so they can see or hear a national sports personality write or talk about the Bucs, to get “some love.”

Isn’t that what Bucs cheerleaders are for?

Joe figured this subject may just blow away, but alas, it has not.

Yesterday, Joe explained why Bucs/Gators fans should forget about Tim Tebow in Tampa other than to give support to wounded vets, or to troll the trendy hot spots in south Tampa packed with nubile twentysomething lasses.

But today word leaked that the soon-to-be Broncos expatriate quarterback wants to continue his NFL career for a team in Florida.

Uh, oh.

So Joe will turn to Pat Yasinskas of ESPN who broke down why Tebow on the Bucs roster is a horrible idea, from a football standpoint.

From a business standpoint, it might make some sense for a franchise that struggles to sell tickets to bring Tebow back to Florida. From a football standpoint, it makes absolutely no sense. New coach Greg Schiano and offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan plan to run a conventional offense. They’ve already got a drop-back passer in Josh Freeman and they don’t want to cause any headaches for a player who needs to bounce back from a rough 2011 season if he really is going to be their franchise quarterback.

Joe can just imagine the first time Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman, who is the Bucs franchise quarterback unlike a stop-gap guy like Kyle Orton was with Denver, forces an incomplete pass into traffic aiming for Kellen Winslow, Jr. Roughly three-fourths of the crowd at the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway would be screaming for Tebow.

Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik doesn’t need that, new Bucs coach Greg Schiano doesn’t need that and, least of all, Freeman doesn’t have to put up with that nonsense with people in his ear that he should be benched.

The time now is to right Freeman, not turn him into a headcase.

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You want to hear Greg Schiano talk about running the football? Would that make your Tuesday?

Well, Joe’s got the audio of Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski’s interview with new Bucs head coach Greg Schiano on WQYK-AM 1010 last week (before Jeff Faine was cut.) You can access the audio below. Schiano comes on at the 8:20 mark following a chat with Derrick Brooks.

Three times during the 4 1/2 minute interview Schiano says with emphasis that the Bucs will “run the football.” Joe’s actually starting to believe the Bucs will pound the rock, not just pretend to be a running team as was done in 2011.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik might not want to inhale this week with all the smoke floating his way designed to cloud his judgment.

The thickest haze, and perhaps it’s true, has the Vikings general manager hinting he wants to draft stud cornerback Morris Claiborne with the third overall pick, via ProFootballTalk.com.

Bob Sansevere of the Pioneer Press writes that Vikings General Manager Rick Spielman is talking like a man who isn’t as high on USC left tackle Matt Kalil as everyone seems to think, and that Spielman has been hinting that he’d draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne over Kalil with the third overall pick.

What if Claiborne is gone with the third pick?

The Bucs have no use for a left tackle. Would the Bucs draft Justin Blackmon or Trent Richardson and, likely, stay true to their draft board?

NFL.com/NFL Network guru and former personnel executive Mike Lombardi recently belted out a take that the Bucs would draft fleetfooted, manbeast defensive tackle Dontari Poe (6-5, 350) out of Memphis with the fifth overall pick. Lombardi said the Bucs need to change the attitude of the defense and a ferocious dude like Poe is a good fit after the failures Brian Price and Gerald McCoy.

Joe sure would like to plant surveillance in the Bucs’ draft war room.

Mason Foster simply needs help at linebacker or this scene will be repeated far too often this season.

When the Carolina Panthers, rich and deep in running back depth, signed versatile running back Mike Tolbert Monday, it sent a clear message to the Bucs that if something isn’t done at running back this offseason, it could get very ugly in two games against the Panthers.

This was not lost on former Bucs defensive lineman Steve White, who aired his concerns on Twitter.

@sgw94: Cam, DeAngelo and Tolbert… *cranes neck at Bucs* Yall aint got to get Lofton but yall better bring SOMEBODY in at LB that can tackle

Now Joe knows that linebackers, especially inside linebackers, may very well be devalued much like running backs are in this pass-happy league. Otherwise, why would so many decent linebackers still be floating out there unsigned over a week after the gun sounded opening free agency?

Shoot, the Saints had Curtis Lofton for a full weekend of wining and dining in one of the greatest eating and swilling districts in the world, the French Quarter, and even after all of that, Lofton is still unsigned. You get Joe grubbed up and liquored up at The Gumbo Shop on Rue St. Peter, and the Bourbon Street Blues Company, respectively, just two blocks apart, and Joe would perform all sorts of acts at a discount rate.

One reason for the devaluation of linebackers is, of course, how the NFL has gone pass-happy. Another, per Seattle coach Pete Carroll, by way of Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM NFL Radio and CBSSports.com, is that the draft is loaded with linebackers.

@PatKirwanCBS: Pete Carroll has a take on slow signing of linebackers. ‘There are close to 12 draftables with good grades which hurts vets looking for deals’

So basically, if Carroll is to be believed, the quest for an inside linebacker by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has turned into a glorified game of chicken between Dominik and a couple of agents.

In short, Dominik has told the linebackers’ agents, “Here is what I am paying and nothing more. Try to find someone else who will pay this and fine. I’ll draft a linebacker for far less cost and about the same talent level.”

Joe just hopes Dominik can win this stare-down. For if the Bucs open the season with a linebacker corps consisting of Quincy Black, Mason Foster and Geno Hayes, let’s just say a good investment to make will be in Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), after all the beers Joe will need to consume both during the game, and for days afterwards each week.

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Earlier today Joe caught word from Tampa Tribune beat scribe Woody Cummings that Michael Bennett had signed his restricted free agent tender. No surprise there, as Bennett was sure to jump at the $2.7 million rather than hold out for more.

Of course, Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WQYK-AM 1010, grabbed hold of Bennett right after he signed and got him on the air.

Bennett talked about how “nice” rockstar general manager has been to him, how the Bucs can’t claim their young anymore, and more. Enjoy.

The moment Joe heard Peyton Manning was Denver-bound, Joe just knew there would be Bucs fans wondering aloud about the Bucs trading for Tebow.

The former Gators star is so popular in this state, that even yentas know of him… and like him. Why, as Joe was in his dermatologist’s office today, he heard the hired help talking amongst themselves about the Bucs maybe acquiring the southpaw.

Folks, it ain’t happening.

The Bucs organization is strongly if not 100 percent behind Josh Freeman, the Bucs starter. Bringing in Tebow would do nothing but muck up the waters here and become a major distraction.

Still, insiders among the NFL are trying to link Tebow and the Bucs. Take Shaun King, one of only three quarterbacks to lead the Bucs to an NFC Championship, who took to Twitter this morning and banged the drum for Tebow coming to Tampa Bay.

King, who will again appear on NBC Sports Network’s SportsTalk tonight at 6 p.m., and a replay at 11 p.m., believes Tebow will be an asset with the Bucs both off the field (ticket sales) and on the field.

@realshaunking: David carr was the #1 pick in the draft, do u think eli manning is worried that he is his backup?

Before Joe gets going here, Joe really likes King and thinks he’s a good guy with good information. But King Twittered the above on his flight to New York so Joe hopes the reason he put out such nonsense was that King had a few cocktails on his flight.

To compare David Carr backing up Eli Manning — who just won his second Super Bowl MVP award — with the Giants and Tebow potentially backing up Josh Freeman with the Bucs is absurd.

There might only be eight hardcore fans of Fresno State (where Carr played college ball) in the stands of Giants Stadium. Maybe. Here, Tebow, to a significant segment of the Bucs ticket fan base, is one step short of God for what he did in Gainesville.

Additionally, Carr was a complete flameout as a starter, partially because he was beaten to a pulp. Tebow actually led a team to a playoff win. Bucs fans are starved for a playoff berth.

With Tebow here, it would be an absolute circus, which football coaches loathe like an outbreak of eczema.

The phone lines on sports talk radio not to mention the stands of the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway would be filled with deafening chants for Tebow whenever Freeman forced a(nother) pass to Kellen Winslow.

And such nonsense would do nothing but hinder the development of Freeman.

No, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will have no part of Tebow. And for good reason.

Just turn the page on Tebow, Bucs/Gators fans.

The self-proclaimed "Geraldini" will need to flash serious get-off to rattle Peyton Manning

Aside from the inevitable Bucs free agent signings in the coming days, the next big season highlight for Joe is the release of the Bucs’ 2012 schedule, usually done in mid-April before the NFL Draft.

That’s always a glorious day of examining the upcoming season. And now the Bucs will be facing Peyton Manning (assuming he can move his neck), the new Broncos quarterback, so BSPN is reporting. The Bucs will play at Denver this season.

Of course, Joe would have much preferred the Bucs take on the ugly yet creative offense Tim Tebow led every week, especially if the Bucs are minus Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib.

Interestingly, the addition of Manning to the Broncos could actually enhance the Bucs’ chances of getting a second nationally televised game this season.

Any game with Tebow would have been the No. 1 choice for every broadcast network. The Manning-led Broncos won’t get as much interest. If Tebow can’t find a starting QB gig, then the networks will look to other teams to fill the void.

Fairly or unfairly, it seems it’s gotten to the point that troubled Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib makes more headlines off the field than on the field.

And those headlines are not exactly the type to boast about on your LinkedIn profile.

Recently, Talib was in the news for what sure smells to Joe like a shakedown, where a woman is claiming Talib threatened to “cap” her after a fender bender in which Talib allegedly rear-ended the alleged victim.

But there is no police report of the accident. Why? Budget cuts, so say the Tampa police, by way of Ray Reyes of the Tampa Tribune.

Before 2008, police would have investigated the crash and submitted a report. The department’s policy required officers to investigate every crash, no matter how minor, and write a report.

The policy was changed that year to be more in line with state regulations, a change that saved thousands of man-hours a year, said police spokeswoman Laura McElroy.

Under the revised policy, a police officer will write a ticket or a report if someone died or was hurt in the crash. Officers also will issue citations if a motorist shows signs of driving under the influence or if the incident is a hit-and-run.

Talib’s wreck involved no deaths, no injuries, no DUI and no hit-and-run, according to police.

This lawsuit screams “moneygrab,” if for no other reason than the alleged victim didn’t file a mysterious $15,000 lawsuit until more than a year later — after she learned Talib plays for the Bucs.

There’s no denying the Bucs need a veteran linebacker not yet on the roster to pump decency and respect back into the Bucs’ linebacking corps. An ex-linebacker himself, Greg Schiano had to be as nauseous as Joe watching film of the Bucs’ middle three last season.

Reports have cash-hungry Curtis Lofton high on the Bucs’ radar, plus ex-Lions MLB Stephen Tulloch is still sniffing around. But NFL Draft guru and radio personality Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, also is calling attention to three more possibilites for the linebacker-desperate Bucs, via CommishOnline.com. 

London Fletcher, 36, is still playing at a very high level and would remind Bucs fans of Hardy Nickerson.

David Hawthorne, 26, is another run-stuffing middle linebacker that might be much cheaper than either Lofton or Tulloch. The concern with Hawthorne is his durability and keeping him on the field.

Jameel McClain, 26, has been Ray Lewis’s backup in Baltimore the past few years, so it will be intriguing to see if he can take what he has learned from one of the all-time greatest middle linebackers to his next team.

Joe can’t say he watched much Redskins football last season, so Joe can’t really speak for Fletcher’s level of play. However, despite turning 37 in May, Fletcher never misses games, racks up tackles, is a leader, and has that shiny Super Bowl ring when the Rams squeaked out a win against the Titans long ago. The Bucs could do a lot worse, but Joe’s guessing rockstar general manager Mark Dominik wants to stay yungry and away from Chuckyesque veterans.

McClain, Joe suspects is a tougher guy to evaluate. He was undrafted and has started alongside Ray Lewis in the Ravens’ wacky 3-4 defense the past two years. Dominik called Schiano a “4-3 fundamentalist,” so how McLain would translate is unclear.

So many times and so often Joe has read about fans claiming if Team Glazer channeled Danny Snyder and started cutting checks right and left, said fans would return to the stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

Color Joe skeptical.

Now will the signing of wide receiver Vincent Jackson, guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright bump up ticket sales? Joe’s pretty sure, yes.

Does that mean there will be a season full of sellouts this season, Joe will bet no.

This same subject was tackled by dapper Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger.

Ever since the purge and coaching change, fans have been slow to come back to Raymond James.

The team has had blackouts in 13 of the past 15 regular-season games. That means the stadium hasn’t officially been sold out and the team hasn’t been shown on local TV.

It probably should have been more games as the Glazers brought tickets to prevent blackouts in Raheem Morris’ first year. When the club went 3-13, the Glazers said enough.

There have been many changes since Chucky was last coaching along the Bucs sidelines that, in part, keep fans away from Bucs home games.

There is HDTV at home. It many ways, it’s a better way to watch games than at the game, though there’s no way of duplicating a stadium atmosphere. And of course, you can relax while watching a game at home, not having to stand up the whole game because a couple of louts in front of you are of the mind the Bucs cannot win unless they are “into it.”

But the most important part about what has not changed since Chucky was jettisoned is people’s homes in Florida are underwater or on the verge of foreclosure.

People simply don’t have the expendable income as they did 10 years ago. Denying this simple fact is like burying one’s head in the sand at Treasure Island.

When it comes down to putting grub on the table or making car payments or house payments, Bucs games take a back seat to such priorities.

Until the housing market rebounds, until the local economy rebounds, Joe doesn’t expect a season full of sellouts like the Bucs enjoyed for so many years at the end of the last century, or the first few seasons of this century.

Though we are still in the throes of free agent season (with draft season soon to follow), it also means NFL fans are in the thick of the silly season.

The silly season means that teams are putting out more smoke signals than a Sioux tribe after receiving word that George Custer is nearby.

One such stunt is reported to be taking place by Aaron Wilson, of Scout.com, who claims North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples is visiting the Bucs this week.

University of North Carolina defensive end Quinton Coples is scheduled to visit the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to league sources with knowledge of the situation.

He has previously visited the Carolina Panthers, who have also hosted LSU defensive lineman Michael Brockers for a visit.

The 6-foot-6, 284-pounder is regarded as a potential top 10 selection, and Carolina owns the ninth overall pick of the first round.

Well, given that teams are only allowed to have a set amount of potential draftees visit team headquarters, Joe’s not sure how much of a smokescreen this is by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

The Bucs already have three solid defensive ends in Adrian Clayborn, Da’Quan Bowers and Michael Bennett. With sssooo many holes in the back seven for the Bucs, it seems odd that Dominik would target another defensive end, especially with the fifth pick in the draft.

Truly one of the premier interviews in football, Warren Sapp cranked off an epic chat on The Jim Rome Show about 10 days ago. Joe’s been waiting to share, and this mellow Sunday seemed like a great spot.

Sapp tells a fantastic story of an exchange between him and Chucky when he ripped his head coach for messing with the football gods. Sapp also gives his take on Bountygate and how such a concept would have been dealt with in the Bucs’ locker room during the glory years. Lastly, Sapp also details the moment he knew he would retire. Great stuff. Enjoy.

Not only is Carl Nicks here to play next to a stout left tackle in Donald Penn — literally and figuratively — he’ll be alongside one of the premier league loudmouths in Penn.

Penn has said publicly he dials the trash talk back a bit when he goes up against John Abraham, but otherwise Penn gets after his opponent verbally and physically. Luckily for the Bucs, new Bucs manbeast guard Carl Nicks says that kind of chatter fires him up.

“I met Penn at the Pro Bowl a couple years back, too. We’re going to be beasts out there, man. Penn is nasty. He gets after it. I’ve seen him play. I’ve seen him talk out there and that pumps me up,” Nicks told Tom Krasniqi of WHBO-AM 1040 last week.

Now Joe’s not about to assert that Penn will make Nicks a better player. It’s possible, but Nicks played alongside first-time Pro Bowler left tackle Jermon Bushrod last season, clearly an elite performer. The Saints passed all day long and that guy only allowed three sacks when he was voted into the Hawaii exhibition. Nicks is used to being around greatness.

However, Joe is hopeful Nicks’s presence will help bring Penn back to his Pro Bowl form. Penn’s play clearly tailed off in the final quarter of the 2011, and the Bucs can’t afford to have their most important offensive lineman playing anything but his best football.

Yesterday was the annual open call for Bucs cheerleaders at One Buc Palace and again Joe was not invited to judge the talents of these young ladies and determine who moves on to the next round. Joe’s appauled that Team Glazer didn’t insist on Joe as a guest scrutinizer. Oh, well. There’s always next year. And perhaps Joe’s friends at HootersCalendar.com will insist on using Joe’s talents to their fullest one day.

It turns out a TampaBay.com journalist was kind enough to show up at One Buc Palace with a video camera to give Joe and fans a glimpse of the process. Enjoy.

After new Bucs coach Greg Schiano spoke on SiriusXM NFL radio about his offense and after Carl Nicks said one main reason he came to the Bucs is because he wanted to be involved in a running offense, it’s pretty clear the Bucs will be a ground-and-pound team in 2012.

Usually, teams that like to beat opponents to a pulp with the run have solid blockers up and down the line. With the Bucs, that line ends with Kellen Winslow.

Despite being a gifted pass catcher, it’s hard to see Winslow fitting in on a team that is trying go all Woody Hayes. As talented as a receiver that Winslow is, he isn’t exactly the greatest blocker.

Winslow’s status with the Bucs came up in a NFC South chat coordinated by Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.

Andrew Hawkins (West Virginia)
Any word on what we plan to do with Winslow? I would have liked to have had another TE to go with Stocker and just cut K2 and free up that money and the problems he seemed to be causing on the field.

Pat Yasinskas
I still wouldn’t be surprised if something happens there. Lot depends on what new staff thinks of him. But he’s got a high cap figure, is a little older and has knee issues. Plus, Sullivan’s calling the plays now. If he follows the system he was in with Giants, Bucs might not be throwing to TE as much.

Well, if Winslow won’t be thrown to much, and if he cannot block that well, and his knees have given him so much trouble that Raheem Morris had to limit his practice time in order to ensure he could answer the bell on Sundays, Joe wonders how much longer Winslow (and his big contract) will be around?

In fact, the Bucs might just be trying to unload Winslow. Earlier this week, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune Twittered just hours after the free-agent frenzy began Tuesday that the Bucs tried to unload Winslow on the Bears, but Chicago wouldn’t take the bait.

@BradBiggs: One rumor making rounds is #Buccaneers tried to trade TE Kellen Winslow to #Bears who did not bite.

To be fair, Schiano has said he wants to take shots downfield. If that is the case, Winslow is still valuable.

Given the Bucs’ change of offense, Winslow’s subpar blocking, his aching knees and his bloated salary, Joe wouldn’t be surprised if Winslow is playing elsewhere next season.

Rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik took a brief moment to salivate over his revamped offensive line this week during an interview with “The Blitz” on SiriusXM NFL Radio with hosts Adam Schein and Rich Gannon.

And Bucs fans should join in the drooling. Jeremy Zuttah is a better, more durable center than Jeff Faine, and Josh Freeman makes all the line calls anyway. Plus now Zuttah is flanked by the best guard in the game in Carl Nicks, 6-5, 343 pounds, and Pro Bowler Davin Joseph, 6-3, 315 pounds.

The presence of that trifecta up the gut will let Josh Freeman be “more unpredictable,” Dominik told Gannon and Schein.

Joe can only imagine how much easier it will be for the Bucs to sell play-action with that kind of interior line and, hopefully, an honest commitment to running the football, not the crock of power football BS sold to fans by the previous regime.

Also, in what felt like a backhanded knock on Greg Olson, Dominik said Mike Sullivan is “a big step” in Freeman’s development based on his history with Eli Manning and as a former receivers coach with the Giants.

In Joe’s mind, there’s a lot of pressure on first-time offensive coordinator Sullivan from the opening whistle. Sullivan inherits a young 1,000-yard rusher with unique skills, a quarterback with all the tools and a stunning season (2010) under his belt, arguably the best offensive line in football, plus a legitimate No. 1 deep threat and a proven talent in Mike Williams.

Get the man a dangerous third-down back and Sullivan really has no excuses from Day 1. The man even will have OTAs and minicamps, what some wrongly viewed as the panacea to the Bucs’ 2011 troubles.

Joe’s pretty sure he knows what Carl Nicks was talking about when he said Coach Schiano has got that “Italian swag/Jersey shore” going on.

It’s just a presence that exudes ‘I’m the coach. I won’t BS you. And don’t try to BS me or you’ll get slapped upside da head immediately.’

Joe speaks from experience, as Joe (this Joe) grew up in Schiano’s hometown county, where that kind of attitude is rampant in all walks of life. Bill Parcells wasn’t Italian, but he was from the same neighborhood and had that same stereotypical swag. How Schiano will translate to the NFL is a mystery, but the well-known, NFL-readiness of his many ex-college players in the league likely is a testament to his no-nonsense, demanding approach. 

Nicks was asked for his initial impression of Schiano by Tom Krasniqi of WHBO-AM 1040 this week, and below was his response:

“Coach G, man. He’s got that Italian swag, you know that Jersey, you know that Jersey shore going on. Big family guy, which I love and respect. Hard-working guy. He’s not going to take no crap,” Nicks said. “We’ve got a lot in common. He’s passionate about the game. I can tell he wants the players to do good not just in football, but after football as far as your charities. He just wants you to be better people. You gotta surround yourselves with guys like that.

New cornerback Eric Wright’s early take on Schiano was, “he’s real stern and very focused on what he wants to get accomplished.”

There’s no question this new regime will be a culture shock for the Bucs that return in 2012. Joe suspects there will be a few “situations” as the team adjusts Schiano’s interpretation of the Buccaneer Way.