Former Bucs assistant head coach Herm Edwards is nearly as excited with the Bucs picking Gerald McCoy as Gerald McCoy was at the Bucs selecting him third overall last night.

Former Bucs quarterback and JoeBucsFan.com analyst Jeff Carlson wrote a fabulous column last week that described the angst draft-day brings for so many veterans.

Draft day can spell the end of a career, especially on a rebuilding team for a well paid defensive lineman like Chris Hovan, who has 10 NFL seasons and 156 games under his belt.

As far as the Bucs are concerned, I just heard a radio commercial promoting current players that will be at the stadium for the team’s draft party.  Those players that are pressured into showing up for the gig will probably be sporting smiles on their faces, but inside they will secretly take sighs of relief every time the Bucs’ pick goes by and there isn’t a new player at their position. Or they may have some very uncomfortable moments with fans, trying to chuckle about the great potential of the new guy on the team. 

All players know that professional sports is about competition, but the business side of the game says the higher the investment in the new guy, the more opportunity he will get — or simply be given the position.

The draft was an incredible experience as a rookie coming out of college, but every year after that, it wasn’t something to get too excited about, since it could mean so much to the future of your career.  So the draft may be exciting for some, like the GM, coaches and fans, but for most of the current players around the league, there isn’t all that much to look forward to this week.

Former Bucs defensive end Steve White, also a JoeBucsFan.com analyst, took a hard look at Hovan after the 2009 season. He concluded that Hovan no longer can be a viable nose tackle but could play a vital role on the 2010 Bucs. 

It’s my opinion that if Hovan is to be a part of this team next year, his best option is to slim down to try to regain his quickness off the ball and vie for the undertackle position. I don’t believe that he is going to be a viable nosetackle at his age and his size, and I think he still has enough in the tank to at least get some good push from the 3-technique, where he will see more one-on-one opportunities. It’s pretty obvious at this point that the Bucs are going to draft a defensive tackle high in the draft. And with the progression of this year’s rookie defensive tackle, Roy Miller, that will likely create a youth push up front.

Still, I think there is a role for Hovan to play on this team as a mentor for these young guys. Not only could he be a help on the field but also in the locker room and in the meeting room teaching those guys what it means to be a professional and how to take their craft seriously. Still, there are no guarantees that management will see it that way so I can’t be sure that they will bring him back. I guess we will all just have to wait and see what moves are made during free agency and the draft.

Now that the Bucs have drafted Gerald McCoy, Hovan seems to be on the thinest ice of all the Bucs veterans. He’s in the final year of his contract and, per the USA Today salary database, last year Hovan earned just over $3 million, tied with Ronde Barber for the fifth highest salary on the team.

Joe agrees with Steve White that Hovan would be a great guy to have in the locker room to help groom McCoy and Miller.

While Joe knows Team Glazer said “money will never be an issue,” it’s reasonable — even for the most Glazer-loving fans — to think cash will play a role when it comes to Hovan’s future in Tampa.

A lot of people are throwing around Warren Sapp’s name in relation to the Bucs drafting defensive tackle manbeast-in-training Gerald McCoy.

Joe both smiles and cringes when he hears this. It’s unfair to McCoy. No rookie should ever be compared to a (future) Hall of Fame player.

Part of the reason for the comparisons is that McCoy grew up idolizing both Sapp and the Bucs as a youngster. McCoy isn’t shy in talking about how he wore No. 99 in Little League football to honor his boyhood hero, Sapp.

McCoy finally got to meet Sapp a few weeks ago. Maybe sensing McCoy would play for the Bucs — Bucs general manager Mark Dominik admitted he heeded Sapp’s advice when Sapp lobbied for the Bucs to draft McCoy — Sapp offered to be McCoy’s personal tutor and help him out any way he could, so reports Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.

“The plan is to come in and be a starter. I did that at college, and we did the same thing in college – we played the Tampa 2 (defense), so I can’t wait to get going.”

Once he gets going, McCoy can expect to get some help from Warren Sapp, the defensive tackle the Bucs drafted in the first round in 1995 and built their championship team around.

“I met Warren Sapp a few weeks ago, and he said he’s going to take me under his wing and help me out,” McCoy said. “He’s going to work with me on the field, off the field, I’m going to be his guy.”

This is heartening to hear about Sapp and shows that Sapp still has his heart in Tampa Bay.

Joe first posted this a few weeks ago and thought he’d post it again. It’s a clip of former Bucs great Warren Sapp showing new Bucs defensive tackle how to put the moves on an offensive guard.

As former Bucs defensive lineman Steve White pointed out, the move Sapp puts on McCoy in the NFL Network video below is Sapp’s famous “Ghost Move.”

Who better to teach stud Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy a few moves than former Bucs great Warren Sapp?

Recently on the set of the NFL Network, Sapp, an NFL Network analyst, and host Rich Eisen welcome McCoy. While on the set, McCoy shows Sapp his signature moves, but they weren’t good enough for Sapp.

Sapp then demonstrated to McCoy how a Hall of Fame NFL tackle makes a quarterback pay.

Joe sincerely hopes Raheem The Dream didn’t offer a bizarre take on Warren Sapp’s penis last night.

But he did say the following during his press conference following the drafting of Gerald McCoy: The video is on Buccaneers.com (3:22 of the video).

“He’s got a nice reference point for him to go talk to [in Warren Sapp], for him to lean on. Because you know there’s no secret about it, Sapp is still well-endowed into our program. We respect that. But he’s going to come here and be Gerald McCoy. And that’s all we’re going to ask him to be.”

Joe forgot how much he missed a good press conference with an excited Raheem The Dream. They are so much fun.

Now, the Miriam Webster dictionary definition for “well-endowed” is as follows:

1. well-supported financially
2. having large breasts
3. having a large penis

Joe hates to speculate, but it’s unlikely the Glazers are still paying Sapp. So that leaves the other two options. Either that, or Raheem The Dream just misused the word.

Joe’s just happy the Bucs got McCoy and the head coach is back in front of the camera. Job well done on both fronts.

The stress of wondering how the Bucs will address their flimsy wide receiving corps this evening is weighing on Joe. So Joe’s thinking cornerbacks now to relieve the tension, as Rachel Watson is not here to help with that.

Five cornerbacks went in the first round. No position was more popular in the league on Day 1 of the draft. 

The Bucs need a replacment for Ronde Barber, and ideally that guy — assuming he’s not a free agent since Team Glazer doesn’t believe in that path anymore — will be on the roster in 2010.

Joe’s surely not going to wager on the Bucs using one of their second round picks on a cornerback. But one guy is out there who might be an ideal replacement for Barber, so says NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski.

In Pawlowski’s in-depth look at cornerbacks, part of the JoeBucsFan.com subscription draft coverage, Pawlowski is all good with the Bucs using a second-round pick on Chris Cook, out of the University of Virginia.

Pawlowski had him rated higher than Florida State’s Patrick Robinson, who was taken by the Saints with the final pick of the first round.

 5. Chris Cook – CB – Virginia
6’2’’ – 212 lbs – 4.46
1st – 2nd Round

Why I’m taking him: The combination of size and speed is what sets Cook apart from the rest.  He is an excellent athlete with soft hands and very good ball skills.  Cook is also a very good tackler and will support the run.  He has outstanding range and a short memory, playing play-to-play and not harping on mistakes.

Why I’m staying away: Durability is one major concern.  Cook dealt with injuries in 2005, 2007, and in 2009.  He was academically ineligible to play in 2008.  As for his skills, for Cook’s size, he really lacks ideal strength and needs to get stronger.  With that strength, he’ll need to play more aggressive and physical. 

Impact on the Bucs: Because of Cook’s blend of size and speed, I think he has to be considered for one of the Bucs’ 2nd round picks.  A duo of Talib and Cook would probably give the Bucs the biggest pair of corners in the NFL.

NFL Comparison:   Nnamdi Asomugha – Oakland Raiders

Joe suspects that if the Bucs don’t grab a cornerback in the second round, that they might be content to wait until next year.

Perhaps Raheem The Dream wants to see what he has in E.J. Biggers, a Bucs seventh-rounder last year who missed the season with a shoulder injury.

Joe just doesn’t want to watch yet another NFL Network highlight from 2009, featuring Derrick Roberson getting beat against the Eagles and Falcons.

Roy Miller rotated in the middle of the Bucs’ porous defensive line last year with Ryan Sims and Chris Hovan.

Now, with manbeast-in-waiting Gerald McCoy stepping into the 3-technique defensive tackle role, there’s no doubt the Bucs will give Miller every chance to cement himself as the starting nose tackle.

Perhaps as important as McCoy being the player the Bucs’ expect him to become, is Miller’s ability to take his game up a notch and develop in his new position.

Former Bucs defensive end and JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve White served up an in-depth analysis of Miller’s rookie season and looked at his future back in February. Joe recommends you read it again.

White wrote then about Miller’s next challenge, assuming the Bucs add some new talent in the interior of the line, which they did last night with McCoy.

Whether its a free agent or a high draft pick, it’s pretty much a given that we will have at least one new starter at defensive tackle this year. With Miller being a third round draft pick last year and the team rebuilding with a youth movement, I think the Buccaneers brass would love to be able to point to Miller as another “hit” for them.

That’s not to take anything away from what he himself has accomplished. I think he has basically all the tools to be a good player. But the second year is usually a tough one and he is going to have to step his game up a notch to be a starter.

While he will definitely have a leg up as a draft pick, he is going to have to go out and prove himself again this year. The Bucs don’t have many guys who you can write down in anything but pencil as a starter, especially at this point. So Miller better understand that starting out at the top of the heap doesn’t mean he’ll automatically end up there.

This is going to be a pivotal season for Miller. Either he will step up and become that starter that we can count on for years in our defensive interior, or he will stay the same or go backwards and allow someone else to overtake him. I guess we’ll find out what it will be later this year.

Joe likes Miller, and likes that he’s a real work ethic guy.

Whether he’s good enough to own the nose alongside McCoy for the next several years, that’s a big unknown.

When Gerald McCoy was interviewed by Deion Sanders just after he bear hugged NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell, one of the first things out of his mouth were the memories of his mother, who passed away nearly three years ago.

The Mad Twitterer of the St. Petersburg Times caught up with McCoy in New York and documented how McCoy discussed more thoughts of his deceased mother, who saved his football career before she passed.

In fact, it was Patricia who talked Gerald from quitting football and leaving Oklahoma as a homesick freshman.

“My mother was a people person,” McCoy said. “She loved people and the fire and drive that I have came from my mother,” McCoy said. “She’s the one who taught me to be a leader not a follower and be the head, not the tail. That’s what I tried to be. When I tried to quit my freshman year at Oklahoma, she’s the one I talked to and she told me, “We don’t quit in this family. If you quit, I’ll kill you.”

The more Joe reads and hears about McCoy, the more Joe likes this guy. Seems like a good guy. Nice job Mark Dominik.

New Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy talks to BSPN’s Suzy Kolber about what it’s like to be the new Bucs defensive tackle.

One of the happiest Bucs players is someone in the secondary because the Bucs got a defensive tackle third overall.

That sure seemed to be the case when Joey Johnston of the Tampa Tribune caught up with some Bucs players at the CITS for the draft party hosted by the Bucs.

Per Johnston, Bucs safety Tanard Jackson said of the pick of McCoy, “This feels right.”

Notice since the Bucs defensive front line barely got to breathe on opposing quarterbacks, they had all sorts of time to pick apart the Bucs’ secondary. Just having McCoy start should take some heat off of the Bucs’ defensive backs.

But it wasn’t just Jackson who seemed pleased. So too was linebacker Geno Hayes.

“A lot will be expected of him, but he’s awfully talented,” Bucs linebacker Geno Hayes said. “I definitely remember seeing Ndamukong Suh (of Nebraska, who went second overall to the Detroit Lions) just destroy Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game. I know people put him (McCoy) in the same class. I think we got a guy who’s going to help us get closer to getting back to the playoffs.”

The cliche that it all starts up front is not really a cliche. It’s fact. When the defensive front creates disturbance, it all rolls downhill for an offense from there. If McCoy excels, it will help the Bucs defense a great deal in more ways than just the defensive line.

New Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy appeared live with “The Commissioner,” Justin Pawlowski of WDAE-AM Thursday night to discuss his boyhood dream: Being drafted by the Tampa Bay Bucs.

McCoy could barely contain his excitement.

“I love it… I love it… I love it!”

McCoy couldn’t wait to get to Tampa Bay and begin work.

“It’s been a whirlwind of things going on but I have had a lot of fun and can now relax for a couple of hours but I have a new home in Tampa Bay.

“I grew up a Tampa Bay fan and of course a Warren Sapp fan. I wore his number in Little League. I can’t wait to get it going and play in the Tampa-2.

“The style I played in college is a Tampa-2. It’s very similar to what the Bucs now play. I am a pass rusher and this [defense] gives me the chance to get to the passer. That’s what I plan on doing.

“Honestly, I didn’t know who was going to pick me. I was hoping to go to Tampa Bay. It’s a great opportunity. I can’t wait to get it going.

[Raheem the Dream] “called me and he said, “We’re going to trade back to get you… nah, I am just teasing,” McCoy said of how he found out he was a new member of the Bucs.

“Everything you have seen from the media and on film of me, that is the player you will get. That is what I plan to bring to Tampa Bay.

“I can’t wait to get it going. We’re going to get it. We’re going back to the Promised Land baby. I will be in Tampa first thing in the morning.”

Veteran St. Petersburg Times sports columnist Gary Shelton and his colleague, good guy Tom Jones, discuss the Bucs selecting Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy with the third pick in the draft

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Bucs general manager Mark Dominik appeared live on WDAE-AM 620 to discuss his selection of Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

“It worked out. As soon as Sam Bradford went off the board, we knew we had our guy. There was a lot of cheering in the war room. We’re proud to have him on the field and off the field. He’s a great young man to add to our organization.

“He’s a passionate kid. He really loves football. It’s his lifelong dream to be a three technique for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He just realized his lifelong dream has begun.

“He’s a two-time captain as a sophomore. He’s one of the best leaders Bob Stoops said he ever had and that is a helluva statement. He’s physical, he has a strong upper body, he has a strong upper body and he is durable. We went through him medically with a fine-tooth comb and he passed with flying colors. We want him to get involved in the rookie minicamp next week.

“One of the games we went back to watch was against Josh Freeman at K-State and he showed how disruptive he was. He made the players around him a good football team and that is what a good three-technique tackle does even though those guys may not have the numbers. Look at Simeon Rice. Not taking anything away from Simeon Rice, but he worked out with Warren Sapp so well. They were great for each other.

“Warren carries some weight around here, he liked McCoy. But I wasn’t going to tell Warren who we were picking. He’s part of the media now. I didn’t want him to tell any of his media friends.”

Raheem The Dream was on Cloud 9 at the prospect of landing defensive tackle Gerald McCoy in the first round Thursday night.

Appearing on WDAE-AM 620 live, Raheem The Dream was downright giddy.

“We’ve been thinking about this since the season ended. We’re really excited about the potential of what we are getting. We have a player we are proud to have and the fans will be proud to have.

“When you pick that high, you are always going to get calls. We had this guy on target. He was the guy we targeted. We went out and evaluated everybody. It’s a chess match and we won the chess game today.

“He’s a three-technique, no doubt about it. He will be the cornerstone of the defense. He will cause as much disruption as he can.

“He played all 40 games in college. That shows a lot about his endurance and how much he loves the game and how much he cares about his teammates.

“He’s the kind of a guy we wanted. He brings toughness and is violent.

“I am ecstatic. I am real ecstatic. I can’t wait to get my hand on him to mold him and get him to be the best he can be. We have to find ways to get him active and get him more involved and put him in the best position to have success.”

Seems like Mark Dominik realizes like Joe that the Bucs are in a desperate need for a wide receiver.

How desperate? The Bucs are looking to trade back into the first round to get troubled wide receiver Dez Bryant. That’s the word from Vacation Man of BSPN.com.

But the Bucs might not be done for the night. According to a league source, the Bucs are open to the possibility of trading back into the first round if wide receiver Dez Bryant is available at a certain point. Makes sense because the Bucs are holding 11 picks still.

Interesting. Joe would be willing to wait for Golden Tate. But Bryant sure would be an interesting selection.

Here’s what Bucs fans can expect from Gerald McCoy, the Bucs first round draft pick.

It seems from browsing through Twitter that the biggest feedback about Gerald McCoy is that he may be as good of a human being as he is a football player.

All men like Joe watching the NFL Network saw the tears roll down McCoy’s face. Tears of joy.

Those are not crocodile tears, per Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King.

@SI_PeterKing I spent an hour with McCoy at the combine. Wide-eyed, good kid, so honored to be a top NFL draft pick. I don’t think he’ll waste the chance.

The voice of reason in the Tampa Bay sports media, Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune believes McCoy is such a prospect, he’s already a starter, and OTAs have yet to be held.

@JoeHendersonTBO Bucs make obvious pick in Gerald McCoy. If he’s not starting from Day 1, it’ll be stunning.

Joe thought it was cool that virtually the first thing out of his mouth was that McCoy said he was thinking of his deceased mom. Joe also thought it was a Kodak moment when he bear hugged NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell. 

Speaking to Deion Sanders just after he was announced as the Bucs first round draft pick, Gerald McCoy wiped away tears of joy to describe what this moment meant to him.

Sanders needled him for tearing up and McCoy explained his mother was on his mind. McCoy’s mother passed away two years ago.

When Sanders asked if McCoy was going to do what his hero, former Bucs great Warren Sapp, did for the Bucs, McCoy shook his head.

“There’s only one Warren Sapp,” McCoy, “I just want to be Gerald McCoy.’

McCoy also said how happy he was that the Bucs drafted him and that he “wanted to make a difference” with the Bucs.

Meet your newest Bucs player Bucs fans, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

Now can the kid live up to the expectations?

The Bucs needed a defensive tackle terribly. What’s next?

Should the Bucs trade up from the second round into tonight’s first round to grab a wide receiver?

If McCoy can do three-quarters for the franchise that Warren Sapp did, it will be a fine draft pick indeed.

Wondering what to do in the nervous hours before the draft?

Though some will suggest otherwise, Joe does not bash blocking icon Michael Clayton as much as some Bucs fans and local radio hosts. But even those from the ivory towers of the fourth estate are befuddled as to how Clayton has kept his job.

In a recent question-and-answer session on TBO.com. Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer Anwar Richardson confesses that the job security of Clayton is a puzzle that perhaps Steven Hawking would be hard-pressed to solve.

Q: The Bucs require obvious assistance at many positions. DT, OT, CB, S and WR. Maybe you can tell me and the rest of the free world why are they holding onto a reciever that can’t and doesn’t catch the ball, and has been injured 98 percent of his career? Clayton needs to be shown the door now, and maybe we can recoup a draft pick even in the 6th round for a perennial subpar player who is taking up an exorbitant amount of money.

Chuck King, Palm Beach County

A: The answer to your question is more confusing than “The Da Vinci Code.” After Clayton had five catches for 93 yards in Week 1, Raheem Morris challenged the media to question why his favorite receiver was still on the team. Clayton finished the season with 16 catches for 230 yards and one touchdown and, needless to say, Morris never challenged the media on that point again.

— Anwar Richardson

You know what puzzles Joe more than Clayton keeping his job?

That Bucs management has done so little to beef up the wide receivers to help out their franchise quarterback, who on paper looks like he is being hung out to dry. Not even a throwaway fifth round pick for an elite receiver like Santonio Holmes moved the Bucs to help out Freeman.

Is Reggie Brown really the next coming of Cris Carter?

To solve the riddle of Clayton’s job security, Joe can sum it up in one word:

Cash.