"If I can give Holmgren enough inside information, he'll hire me next year so I won't have to smell Jaws' bad breath any longer."

Joe has discussed before the too-cozy relationships between BSPN talking heads and fellow or potential clients — Trent Dilfer specifically. To suggest these relationships don’t taint the BSPN taking heads’ opinions is naive.

The lines aren’t just blurred, they are obliterated.

As Joe had a hunch, as did others, it seems that Chucky — yet another BSPN talking head — is working undercover for his former boss and current head honcho of the Cleveland Browns, Mike Holmgren.

BSPN is running a really cool series in which Chucky spends a day with many of the top quarterbacks in the draft. Chucky works them out, has them break down plays, etc.  It’s good fodder for BSPN.

It also could be a major conflict of interest.

Speaking today on “The Blitz” heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio, Rich Gannon, co-hosting with Ross Tucker, explained that Chucky and Holmgren talk “all the time” and referenced how Chucky is getting some really good insight into each of the top quarterbacks in the draft from the sessions BSPN is taping.

Joe knows that not only is Gannon, who played for Chucky in Oakland, a Chucky confidant who comes to Tampa often to brainstorm with Chucky in his bunker at the Ice Palace, but Gannon is also a Chucky acolyte. The fact Gannon mentioned this on national radio means to Joe it’s not empty talk.

Joe is not privy to how often or how much NFL executives are allowed to work out individual players, though Joe does know there is some form of time constraint. What Joe would like to know is if Holmgren is gaining an unfair advantage by tapping into Chucky’s insight — all while working on BSPN’S dime — with these quarterbacks that other NFL teams may not have?

Oh, and don’t forget that Chucky’s contract with BSPN runs out after the 2010 season. Might he also be angling to get a gig with Holmgren?

This is just another example that when listening to a BSPN analyst, i.e. a former player or coach, it’s best to keep in mind who he knows and his circle of both friends and business associates and process that information accordingly.  

Oh, and here’s an interesting tidbit: Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert has admitted talking to the Rams about obtaining the No. 1 overall pick in order to draft Sam Bradford.

By STEVE WHITE
JoeBucsFan.com analyst

Below is White’s weekly Bull Rush column that breaks down all things defense with a focus on the defensive line. It’s simply a can’t-miss read for the hardcore Bucs fan. 

With the 2009 season over, White has broken down every Bucs defensive lineman and is now sharing various takes on offseason preparation.

Today, White goes deep into a newer trend in the NFL of flip-flopping defensive ends to either side of the line, and how that trend has impacted the Bucs.

When you remember Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Chris Doleman or Michael Strahan sacking the quarterback, which side of the line do you imagine them coming from?

I ask because those guys are the top four defensive ends on the all time sacks list. I also ask because all four guys played the overwhelming majority of their careers on one side.

White and Strahan are always remembered as dominant left ends while Smith and Doleman are always remembered as dominant right ends. From almost time immemorial, the greatest defensive ends in the game picked one side and stuck to it for most of their career. But in recent years that trend has started to change.

One of the most significant moves from one side to the other was, of course, when the Carolina Panthers moved their standout defensive end Julius Peppers from left end to right end when their starter at right end, Mike Rucker, retired in 2008.

Peppers who had just 2.5 sacks in the preceding season ended up with 25 sacks over the course of the next two seasons playing primarily from the right end.

However, for all of Peppers’ production, there was still a stigma attached to him that his play was inconsistent. Several sports pundits and even a teammate of his questioned his commitment to the game even though in eight seasons he averaged just a bit over 10 sacks a season. As a matter of fact, a curious thing happened this past season just after his teammate, Jon Beason, called him out for not being as “intense” as he would like, which not many people in the sports media picked up on.

Peppers started lining up at left end a lot more. Peppers only had one sack at the time that Beason called him out so to speak, yet after spending more time rushing from the left side the rest of the year he ended up yet again posting double digit sacks with 10.5. That leads me to the question. …

Is it better to move defensive ends around nowadays as many teams are doing, or should they stick to what has always worked and keep them on the side they are most comfortable on?

Obviously, my own experience colors this conversation. In college I only played left end very briefly early in my career. After I started playing right end, I found my comfort zone.

For most of my NFL career I was a right end, but as a backup I had to be able to play both. And I can tell you that it’s not an easy matter. Not only do you have to be able to mimic your movements in reverse, you also have different challenges depending upon what side you line up on.

Switching Likely Hurt Gaines Adams

As a right end, you have a lot more freedom to make pass rush moves without as much regard for keeping containment. As a left end facing predominantly right handed quarterbacks, if you lose containment on the rush you could end up costing the whole defense and, thus the team, dearly.

My one year playing with the Jets our defense called for the ends to line up according to formation from play to play. So one down you might be on the left side and the next you might be on the right side. I have to say that at times it was the most frustrating season of my career because I never felt like I could get into a groove rushing either tackle.

This question has come up for me for two reasons. The first one being that the Bucs were toying with the idea of signing Alex Brown who has played right end all of his career, ostensibly to play left end for us. Brown ended up signing with the Saints also to play left end, so the question still remains.

The other reason is because I truly believe that the Buccaneers likely hindered Gaines Adams’ development by flipping him to left end in definite passing situations. I realize that he played left end in college but once they made him a right end with the Bucs, in my opinion, that’s what he should have played. It’s hard to go against an offensive tackle for two downs and set him up for a move only to end up rushing from the other tackle on third down who up until that point you haven’t seen before.

And it doesn’t really get any better because you only get to see one tackle occasionally, while you play the other guy down after down wearing him down only to have the opportunity to burn him taken away.

From Waltz To Salsa

You see, pass rushing is like this complicated dance where you work move after move in hopes of getting to the quarterback. You work one move and based on the outcome you decide whether to work the same move or a different move the next time. You try to keep the Offensive lineman guessing. So when the game is on the line and you have to come home, he has no clue what you are about to do. Switching sides on every third down is like changing dance partners from a waltz to a salsa and you end up having to make it up almost as you go along.

The Bucs and Saints are obviously not the only teams who believe that shifting their ends around is not a big deal.

This offseason the Jacksonville Jaguars signed an injured Aaron Kampman who had been a left end for most of his career with the Green Bay Packers, to a big contract to play right end for them. At the time of the signing I expressed my skepticism about the move, and I still am not sure it will work out well for them. Kampman was a very effective rusher from the left side but while his power moves were money against right tackles, when dealing with left tackles you are generally going to have to be able to use more finesse. I am definitely not saying that Kampman can’t do it, I’m just pointing out that finesse moves haven’t been a big part of his game so far.

In a bit of irony Kampman himself tried to justify the move by comparing himself to Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl right end Jared Allen:

A left end at Green Bay, Kampman sees his situation as being similar to that of Jared Allen, who played left end at Kansas City before switching to the right side in Minnesota, where he racked up 14.5 sacks last season.

There was just one problem with that comparison, Jared Allen never played left end.

One thing to consider, as always, is money. Many teams also believe that your big money defensive end has to play on the right side. Obviously, White and Strahan as well as other left ends make that sentiment bogus. Yet still the sentiment persists.

And in all reality, I think the size of Kampman’s contract more than anything else is behind the Jaguars’ decision to move Kampman to the right side.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with that and there are some guys I can point to who flip from one side to the next from play to play and are still productive. John Abraham for the Falcons has done it through out his career and been good at it. Hell, for a while Simeon Rice did it here in Tampa on occasion. But those guys tend to be the exception rather than the rule.

Bucs Were Flip-Floppers In ’09

The conventional wisdom is that the Bucs will select a defensive end in the top four rounds of this draft. With last year’s starter at left end, Jimmy Wilkerson, being injured and also being courted by other teams there is no guarantee that he will be coming back.

For that reason many (not me) believe defensive end is a position of need for the Bucs. But the question I have is will they try to draft a left end who is used to playing the position in college to come in and try to fill that starting role here, or will they go with a guy who played right end in college and try to move him to left end in the pros. I am obviously in the traditionalist camp that believes you draft a left end to play left end, but I’m not sure the Buccaneers feel the same way.

One hint is in the fact that when their right defensive end, Greg (Stylez) White, was injured for a game last year and didn’t start, the Bucs moved Wilkerson over to start in his place and had Tim Crowder start at left end.

It made absolutely no sense to me to move Wilkerson, who was having a pretty productive year at left end, over to the right side when Crowder had been backing up both side since signing with the team. For that matter, Crowder also looked better in my opinion rushing from the right side than from the left side for most of the year. For me, that was proof that whomever made the decision to flip flop Adams on third downs was probably still involved with making defensive line decisions.

It’s impossible to say whether keeping Wilkerson at left end and having Crowder at right end for that game would have changed anything, but I have a strong suspicion that they both would have been more productive.

What I do know for sure is that for the Bucs’defense to play better this year, we are going to have to have a better, more consistent pass rush from our defensive line, especially our defensive ends.

My personal belief is that we can help ourselves with that, if we put guys in the best position for them to be productive, and that means leaving them on one side and letting them do their thing.

Again, this is just one man’s opinion, but I think it has some merit. I keep going back to that list of the all time leaders in sacks and trying to find one true defensive end who put their hand on the ground every play that flipped sides and I just don’t see one. But still, I could be wrong and just slow to catch on to the new trend.

What say you?

A possible Raiders-Bucs draft day trade? Click on Al's ugly mug and subscribe to the JoeBucsFan.com subscription draft coverage. There's a pile of analysis to enjoy, and plenty to come!

Might the Raiders and Buccaneers be trade partners on draft day?

NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski looks at some possibilities considering the Raiders’ wild mindset on draft day and their team needs. It’s all part of the daily look at every NFL team leading up to Round 1 of the draft.

Interesting.

Enjoy. {+++}

[audio:raidersdraft.mp3]

Joe’s friend Jason La Canfora, of the NFL Network, had a recent item on his NFL.com blog that hinted the Bucs may trade stud offensive left tackle Donald Penn.

Penn is a restricted free agent and tendered to a first- and third-round pick. Penn has been in a contract dispute with the Bucs for some months and La Canfora has learned that Penn may either sit out or force the Bucs to trade him before next week’s draft.

Penn has performed at a Pro Bowl level at times during his career, and though he’s seeking greater consistency, he would have received abundant interest from other teams had he been granted a first-round tender. The Bucs know this and, smartly, are trying to protect their asset. But like the Brandon Marshall case, at some point, a team either must provide a fair-market, long-term deal to top young talent or try to get what it can in a trade.

There had been some reports linking the Bucs to Oklahoma State left tackle Russell Okung with the No. 3 overall draft pick, but barring them dealing Penn, that seems unlikely.

Penn’s weight ballooned to around 370 pounds at the end of last season, but he has altered his diet and revamped his lifestyle and is down to about 335 pounds. He’s working with a nutritionalist, and his meals come from a company that specializes in healthy content. Penn also is working with a sports psychologist, Dr. Michael Zervais, and a personal trainer.

This disturbs Joe a great deal. Joe has noted on more than a few occasions that Penn is arguably the Bucs best player. He totally locked down some of the NFL’s best defensive ends last year. If there is one area where a high draft pick is not needed, it’s the offensive line.

If Penn forces the Bucs to trade him and, in fact, the Bucs do draft Okung, as Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune has suggested, with the third overall pick, Joe can pretty much predict a positively horrid season in 2010. Because that means the defensive line and wide receiver positions, woefully inept, will not get the studs they need thanks to Penn’s bitterness.

Joe has no issue with Penn. He deserves to be paid among the elite offensive tackles in the game. The Bucs don’t need to further paint themselves into a corner by pissing off their best player by nickel-and-diming the guy.

Regular readers of Joe know that at best, he was lukewarm to the prospect of the Bucs trying to acquire troubled Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Joe knows many of his readers are absolutely in love with Marshall’s skills. Joe was equally turned off by his attitude, his rap sheet, and his magnetism for trouble.

The biggest element that Joe had a great difficulty swallowing is that his team needed one win to make the playoffs last season, and Marshall was in street clothes, suspended for insubordination.

That was beyond a red flag for Joe. One can only imagine just what Marshall had to do for a coach to suspend one of his star players for a must-win game, all but Pearl Harboring any chance of a playoff berth. How can anyone depend on such a malcontent?

That was the second time under two coaches in as many years Marshall was suspended for conduct. Nice.

Yesterday, Joe happened upon a link via Andrew Brandt of the NationalFootballPost.com that documents seven cases of (alleged) domestic abuse by Marshall over the past four years.

Seven cases in four years! That’s seven that are known. How many other times did Marshall (allegedly) slap around a woman that was not reported?

Sick. Disturbing. Disgusting. These words don’t quite capture what Joe felt upon reading this. The link above also has photographic evidence of the injuries Marshall apparently inflicted upon one woman.

$24 million guaranteed for this piece of trash? No thank you.

And Joe thanks Mark Dominik for using some reasoning in not going after this dirtbag. Who knows how long it will be before he’s thrown into a cage for a few months, or worse, something truly awful happens to another victim that can’t easily be brushed off.

In comparison, blunt smoking Santanio Holmes is an angel. What helmet-wielding, cabbie-punching Aqib Talib has done is simply child’s play.

And no, Joe hasn’t yet touched upon how Marshall’s posse ignited a riot that led to a gunfight that left one of his Broncos teammates, Darrent Williams, dead.

No, this guy Marshall is a piece of trash. Joe is relieved he will soon be terrorizing South Beach, not Clearwater Beach.

Regular readers of Joe know how much he detests the vile, arrogant Tampa Bay area cable TV company known as Out House Networks and how it holds NFL fans hostage by not providing the NFL Network yet strong-arming innocent subscribers with every putrid shopping channel known to man along with the utterly vapid and repetitive Bay Sludge 9, funded by gouging unsuspecting customers.

Wanna know what the temperature is? Same as it was 10 minutes ago! It truly is a Satanic organization.

Well, Joe learned last night, quite by accident, the NFL is helping get the NFL Network to women (read: Out House Networks prisoners).

All Verizon Wireless smartphone customers have access to an NFL app that, among many neat features, also includes free live video streaming of the NFL Network feed. As a public service, Joe is providing a link to have the app texted to your phone.

The video quality is actually quite good. Joe was impressed. 

Joe has only two words to say to Out House Networks upon learning of this fabulous device.

“EAT IT!” 

Citing a source “inside” (presumably the Bucs; Twitter only allows 140 characters), Joe’s good friend and the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, reports that Ed Werder of BSPN is spreading false information concerning the Brandon Marshall trade to Miami.

Werder, citing a “source with direct involvement in the talks” (Josh McDaniels?), claims the Bucs were one of four teams in the final negotiations to acquire the troubled Broncos wide receiver. Duemig’s contact with the Bucs apparently strongly denies Werder’s report, as “The Big Dog” Twittered late Wednesday afternoon.

Ed Werder of BSPN is making s(p)it up on this Bucs being a finalist for Brandon Marshall. Total fabrication from very good source inside.

This is getting interesting.

Joe strongly trusts “The Big Dog’s” sources within the Bucs organization. So this tells Joe that Werder is/was being used. But why float the Bucs out there, for what purpose?

Very interesting.

Nice little bombshell dropped by BSPN’s Ed Werder via Adam Schefter.

Directly conflicting information posted a short while ago by Stephen Holder of the St. Peterburg Times, it appears the Bucs were one of the final four teams to make a play for troubled Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, so reports BSPN.

Marshall was shipped to the Dolphins this morning for two second round draft picks.

The BSPN.com piece is written by Schefter but the information about the final four teams attributed to Werder.

Miami was hot after Marshall, as was Seattle. Tampa Bay showed some interest, and even the Jets considered making a play for Marshall before making their deal for Holmes, according to sources.

Well now. Holder — who Joe has absolutely nothing against; he seems like a fine fellow — channeled his colleague The Mad Twitterer and all but scolded fans in his earlier post that there was no way the Bucs would make a play for Marshall, even invoking the phrase “told you.”

Either Werder got conned or whoever Holder’s source is at One Buc Palace played him terribly.

Taking a respite from crossing swords with Ian Beckles, St. Petersburg Times Bucs beat writer Stephen Holder explains/preaches the reason why Bucs general manager Mark Dominik didn’t upgrade the wide receiver position by making the ridiculously low-risk/high-reward move of sending a normally joke of a fifth round pick to Pittsburgh for talented Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes, or outbid Tuna Parcells for gifted yet unreliable malcontent Brandon Marshall, is that Team Glazer didn’t want them.

It wasn’t because Team Glazer specifically had an issue with the problems each player has (Holmes: bongs; Marshall: gunfights/insubordination) but that upgrading the abysmal wide receiver corps from sources other than the draft is not part of the “plan.”

There were several reasons we’ve told you all along that this wasn’t something we envisioned the Bucs doing. But one of the primary reasons, I think, is the message that co-chairman Joel Glazer and his brothers delivered to Mark Dominik and Raheem Morris.

In an interview with the Times last month, Joel Glazer said the following:

“We’ve had long talks about this. And really, the general message is: You think long-term, we think long-term. It’s plain and simple. You start thinking short-term, we start thinking short term.

“Everyone buys into this plan. I always ask, “Does everyone have the stomach for this because there’s a lot you’ve got to endure early on.”

In short, Holder notes that Dominik and Raheem the Dream covet their jobs. So they don’t dare stray from the direct orders of Team Glazer. In other words, believing Holmes or Marshall would wear a Bucs uniform is slightly more unrealistic than Joe finding Rachel Watson in his bedroom this afternoon wearing a skimpy Bucs cheerleader outfit.

As a result, Holder cautions Bucs fans, that unless a wide receiver is obtained in the draft, or some guy walking the streets comes knocking on Dominik’s door looking for work, the current lot of wide receivers the Bucs have on the roster is what the Bucs are stuck with.

Oh, and good seats are plentiful at the CITS for Bucs season tickets starting at $35 per game. Call (866) 582-BUCS.

Click on Chan Gailey to subscribe to unmatched NFL Draft coverage. Bucs-focused. All-encompasing. You won't be disappointed.

While crazy Al Davis and the Raiders are surely the biggest wild card in any NFL Draft, this year’s edition of the Bills has to be a close second.

The Bills are unpredictable, in transition and might go several different directions next week. They’re a key player in the draft, for sure.

And with the departure of Terrell Owens, Buffalo is yet another team looking for a receiver, in addition to the Bucs.

NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski breaks down the Bills’ many angles and possible strategies in this edition of the daily draft countdown.  (Pawlowski’s new safety and cornerback position breakdowns are coming later this week, plus other draft goodies.)

Subscribe now and enjoy. {+++}

[audio:billsdraft.mp3]

While Greg Olson has concerns about Kellen Winslow’s durability, the Bucs offensive coordinator is feeling good about Cadillac Williams and his once-mangled knees.

How about that. Some good news!

In a recent Behind The Flag video on Buccaneers.com, Olson explains why this could be the year Cadillac recaptures his rookie-season glory.

“This year, Cadillac for the first time in three seasons has had an offseason where he’s able to kind of rest up a bit,” Olson said.  The last two offseasons he’s been really working very hard to get the strength back in both of his knees. And now he’s got a chance to relax, so we think Cadillac can be even better this upcoming season.”

So Cadillac’s rested, healthy and looking at two productive years left, at most. Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham also are well rested, healthy and 30 years old this season.

Aside from being charged with squeezing greatness from a historically poor receiving corps, perhaps Olson’s greatest challenge is figuring out how use all three of these talented guys effectively.

Olson couldn’t do it last year.

Joe’s happy for Caddy. But it’s a little said that he’s nothing more than a placeholder until the Bucs draft their running back of the future, this year or next.

[Update: The NFL announced early this afternoon that the 2010 schedule will be released Tuesday at 7 p.m. on the NFL Network and NFL.com.]

There have been non-MSM hints this morning that it’s possible the NFL may release the 2010 schedule Thursday.

Non-MSM meaning specifically, Sirius NFL Radio and Twitter.

(Non-football related diatribe: Memo to the great media ethicist of our time, Eric Deggans: Will you knock off this nonsense about federal bailout money for newspapers? What next, federal bailout cash for telegraph companies? We, the government, are broke, unless you haven’t read your own newspaper in recent months! Look, Joe very much treasures newsrooms and the newshounds that populate them; he still works for one. But that 20th Century media delivery service model is history. “Newspapers” are more multimedia delivery services today. The print version of newspapers may go the way of the buggywhip but so long as Al Gore’s Internet is around, so too will there be reporters and newsrooms. Besides, the core tenant of the Fourth Estate is objectivity. By accepting federal cash, that objectivity is blown forever. That’s no different than taking money from the mob! Anyone working for a media outlet will then be considered on the take. Bad enough that many Americans are convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the MSM is in the pocket of the Democratic Party. Don’t make every American pay out the nose because you lost your monopoly. Joe understands your burning passion for turning this country into an eastern European nation, but this just in: We still live in America! Companies that put out a good product will survive on their own merits and consumer popularity. Simple as that).

Peter King said this morning on Sirius NFL Radio, as he co-hosted “The Opening Drive” with Bob Papa, that he believes the NFL will release the 2010 schedule “tomorrow or Friday.” BSPN’s Chris Mortensen Twittered that he believes the NFL schedule will be released Thursday.

Joe checked the NFL Network’s schedule for Thursday and Friday. If the schedule is released, whenever it is released, the NFL Network will have a live show announcing the games. Per the NFL Network schedule on NFL.com, nothing of the sort is on the NFL Network grid.

Generally, the NFL likes to release the schedule before the draft. There are eight days left and it’s doubtful the NFL would release the schedule over the weekend or on one of the three days of the draft.

Joe will update you when he hears anything definitive on the NFL schedule release.

Why these Tampa Bay Buccaneers would bury positive news for months just baffles Joe.

How sadistic are the guys at One Buc Palace? Sheesh.

Legions of fans are begging for glimmers of hope, yet uplifting news was swept under the rug.

Joe’s colleague Charlie Campbell at the defunct toilet-friendly magazine turned Web-only PewterReport.com has uncovered, apparently with little help from the Bucs, that Mark Dominik months ago hired accomplished football man Bill Rees to serve as draft consultant in chief.

Rees was a college coach, a key recruiter at UCLA during their glory days in the 1980s, a co-worker of Dominik’s when they were with the Chiefs, and a NFL personnel director, most recently with the Browns in 2008.

Some league scouts and staff with other NFL teams tell Pewter Report that this is very rare for a team to hire an outside consultant to do draft evaluations. Some say that if you have confidence in your staff you don’t need an outside source, and that is why you hire a director of college scouting.

Sources with the Buccaneers say Rees protects the team from getting tunnel vision on internal thoughts regarding draft prospects. The Buccaneers view Rees’ hiring as a way to get another view on college talent from outside their own building.

Of course, it’s unknown to what depth Rees is really operating. No quotes in the story from the Bucs is a little odd.

Joe can only speculate that Dominik is so confident the Bucs will be successful in the draft, he kept this a secret so he could take all the credit.

Click the picture and enjoy yourself. Written breakdowns of cornerbacks and safeties, plus a fresh double mock draft are coming this week. 

Immerse yourself in NFL Draft coverage

Since the 2009 season ended, it seems just about everyone — from Joe, Ian Beckles, Steve White, Justin Pawlowski, Dan Lucas, Anwar Richardson and Gary Shelton to the mailman and the local bartender — has been asked, “Who’s better, Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy?”

That’s pretty much like asking, “Which do you prefer, brunette or blonde?”

Doug Farrar of Yahoo! Sports did something unique: He put together about the best detailed pro/con article comparing the two Big XII defensive tackles.

With as many as nine defensive tackles projected to be taken by the end of the second round, the 2010 draft class may be the deepest we’ve ever seen at the position. That said, there’s no doubt whatsoever who’s on top of that list – the same two who have been competing for the No. 1 spot on their position lists all last season, and perhaps the first pick in the draft. Ndamukong Suhwas good enough in 2009 to win most possible defensive awards (and probably a few that haven’t been invented yet) and make a legitimate run at the Heisman Trophy, based on his historic performance in the Big 12 championship game. Gerald McCoy trumps Suh on the cards of some experts because his first step is so quick, and he’s able to penetrate front lines so well.

Both players stand to make immediate impact on their future teams, but does one of them stand apart?

Joe was impressed with the research and how Farrar displayed his information.

So who would Joe take? Joe is ever so slightly leaning Suh but will sleep soundly if the Bucs acquire McCoy.

Michael Clayton is exhaling right now. And he’s grinning. Maybe even planning a trip to the bank.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall and his 100-catches-every-year ass was traded to the Dolphins today pending him passing a physical, so reports Adam Schefter, of BSPN.com. The price tag was a second round pick in 2010 and 2011.

With an extremely weak receiving corps, the Bucs have now passed on Antonio Bryant, Santonio Holmes and Brandon Marshall over the past six weeks.

What, did Mark Dominik not like what he saw on film from Marshall? Heck, Marshall’s 21 catches and two touchdowns against Indianapolis last year bested Clayton’s entire season. Marshall is young, nasty, extraordinarily talented, and his presence would have made the team a lot better.

Consider offensive coordinator Greg Olson just said the following during an interview on Buccaneers.com when asked what fans should see from the Bucs offense this season.

“They should expect to see an aggressive offense. By nature, I like to push the ball down the field. I’ve been fortunate in a lot of the quarterbacks that I’ve worked with are those that have that kind of mentality, to push the ball down the field,” Olson said. “Now we’ve got to try and indentify some weapons that we can get the ball to. Certainly the draft will provide us, you know hopefully, with those players. We’ve also got to develop the players we have here on our roster right now. And we’ve got to get comfortable with our quarterback.”

Keep hoping, Olson.

Joe’s right there with you.

Joe is still quite irked that the Bucs didn’t take a fifth round flyer on Santonio Holmes when the Steelers shopped him around Saturday night.

So Joe decided to do some research to determine just how valuable this fifth round pick is that Bucs general manager Mark Dominik is holding onto as if it’s the Hope Diamond.

Below is every Bucs fifth round pick in franchise history:

1976
Michael Kelson, DB, West Texas State
Steve Wilson, T, Georgia

1977
None

1978
None

1979
Chuck Fusina, QB, Penn State

1980
None

1981
None

1982
Jeff David, LB, Clemson

1983
Tony Chickillo, DT, Miami

1984
None

1985
None

1986
J.D. Maarleveld, OT, Maryland

1987
Henry Rolling, LB, Nevada
Tony Mayes, DB, Kentucky

1988
William Howard, RB, Tennessee

1989
Jamie Lawson, RB, Nichols State

1990
Ian Beckles, G, Indiana

1991
Terry Bagsby, LB, East Texas State 
Tim Ryan, G, Notre Dame

1992
Rogerick Green, DB, Kansas State 
Santana Dotson, DE, Baylor

1993
None

1994
Pete Pierson, OT, Washington

1995
Clifton Abraham, DB, Florida State

1996
Jason Maniecki, DT, Wisconsin

1997
None

1998
None

1999
None

2000
James Whalen, TE, Kentucky

2001
Russ Hochstein, G, Nebraska

2002
Jermaine Phillips, S, Georgia

2003
Sean Mayhem, C, Notre Dame

2004
Jeb! Terry, G, North Carolina

2005
Donte Nicholson, DB, Oklahoma 
Larry Brackins, WR, Pearl River Community College  

2006
Julian Jenkins, DE, Stanford

2007
Greg Peterson, DT, North Carolina Central
 
2008
Josh Johnson, QB, San Diego

2009
Xavier Fulton, OT, Illinois

Pretty damned depressing, isn’t it, that a superior talent like Santonio Holmes was there for the taking for a fifth round pick, and the Bucs decided that the talent like the players documented above is a better alternative?

Best as Joe can tell, Dotson may have had the best impact in the NFL… for the Packers! Fusina actually won a league championship however, hoisting a trophy in final victory… in the USFL! Jermaine Phillips was pretty good; not so much as a linebacker. Hockstein did well… for the Patriots!

Beckles is best remembered as a sports radio personality!

Joe keeps hearing the Bucs talk about how deep this draft is and that as a result, cannot give up any draft picks. Charley Casserly, former Washington and Houston general manager, claims this is the deepest draft since 1983, in which the last two guys drafted in the first round, Dan Marino and Darrell Green, are in the Hall of Fame.

The Bucs pick in that vaunted 1983 draft, Chickillo, had about as much impact for the Bucs as Joe has had.

This is just damned depressing.

As Joe first reported Tuesday morning, former Bucs offensive lineman and current WDAE-AM 620 morning personality Ian Beckles was adamant that the Bucs would not spend the money it takes to sign a No. 3 overall pick, and thus would trade down not so much to stock up on picks but to save money.

“I’m telling you. They’re not going to do it. No way [the Bucs keep the No. 3 pick],” Beckles said.

It didn’t take long for St. Petersburg Times Bucs beat writer Stephen Holder to take issue with Beckles.

Moved to Twitter and later his blog on the Times’ Web site, Holder, careful not to name names (though quite clear who he was referring to) scoffed at this notion, writing that he was “hearing talk” the Bucs would trade down.

Making sure his point was clear, Holder later clarified his comments so they were not mistaken, and specifically wrote about how he heard this on radio, going so far as to write “radio jocks.” In other words, he heard Beckles.

Unlike Beckles, Holder is equally certain the Bucs will not trade down but will in fact keep the No. 3 overall pick.

I was merely attempting to bring some realism to the situation by reminding everyone that’s a very unlikely scenario, even if the Bucs wanted to trade out (I don’t believe they do, by the way).

What does Joe make of all of this? Aside from the fact it’s very entertaining, Joe is going to take Team Glazer at their word that money is not an obstacle, hence, they will keep the No. 3 overall pick.

Joe has stated all along it’s easy to want to trade down, but one has to have a partner to do so. Easier said than done, mainly because team’s don’t want to spend the extra cash a high first round pick will cost in salary, which is Holder’s premise.

That written, Joe wouldn’t be shocked if the Bucs indeed do trade down if this draft is as deep as Mark Dominik and others claim it to be. The Bucs have many holes to fill and if Dominik can swing a trade where he can stock up additional high picks, pull the trigger.

We’ll all find out in about a week what will happen. In the meantime, Joe is really hoping Beckles steps to the plate later this morning to resume the war of words.

This is fun!

Former Bucs defensive end and JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve White doesn’t agree with Joe about Santonio Holmes. All angles considered, White believes the Bucs made a good call to pass on the young, weed-smoking wide receiver.

On White’s blog, he lays out his take thoroughly. Joe recommends you click here and read the entire analysis.

One snippet Joe found particularly interesting was the following. White has said many times that the Bucs have a PR problem, and he makes the case that bringing in Holmes would have added to those woes.

There are reasons that the Bucs really COULDN’T trade for Holmes anyway. First off after they let Antonio Bryant leave via free agency the Bucs tried relentlessly to spin it as a move brought on by Bryant’s bad attitude. Unfortunately a lot of fans bought that particular line of bullshit and started really heaping smears on him that I don’t think he deserved. I saw on more than one forum fans calling AB a scumbag etc. So how then could the Bucs justify bringing in a guy who has even MORE problems?

Not only that but the Bucs have put SOOOO much focus on their draft up to this point and to hear them tell it every single pick from the 1st rounder to the 7th rounder is going to be a starter and a future all star…or so they hope. And keep in mind that the supposed depth of this draft is the reasoning behind why the Bucs haven’t been active in free agency…allegedly. So in that situation a 5th rounder isn’t really a fifth rounder anymore. Instead its the potential steal of the draft, a guy who could have gone 1st round in any other year blah blah blah. So for the Bucs to give up said 5th round pick they would have again had to go back and contradict what they have been saying all along. And of course we couldn’t have that could we?

White also has a good take on Mark Dominik’s and Raheem The Dream’s possible perspective on the deal, citing how their jobs could be in serious jeopardy before Holmes takes the field following his suspension. Again, Joe recommends you read the whole thing.

Whatever one’s perspective on the Holmes non-deal, it’s sad that the Bucs have put themselves in the position to be so hurting for talented wide receivers that they have to consider troubled players just to be competitive.

Joe can’t describe offensive coordinator Greg Olson’s body language and voice quality when talking about Kellen Winslow, Jr. recently. For that, you’ll have to watch the latest edition of the hit video series Behind The Flag on Buccaneers.com. 

Media-loving Olson stepped into the hot seat for a face-to-face with Bucs video guru Scott Smith, who peppered him with questions.

One query was about Winslow and how much more the Bucs can expect from him in 2010.

And that’s what cued Olson’s somewhat stressed and very measured response.

Olson raved about Winslow’s talents, although he said Winslow needed to improve his run blocking. However, Olson clearly went out of his way to dampen fans’ hopes that Winslow might put the Bucs on his back and pull in 100+ catches and another new Bucs receiving record for tight ends.

“You gotta be careful with him at this point in his career,” Olson said of Winslow “There is an issue there where you gotta be careful about how much you play Kellen because you want him to be durable throughout the season. …We expect the same kind of season [as in ’09].”

The Bucs were careful with Winslow last season, with him taking on limited action in many practices. But this is the first Joe has heard of the Bucs limiting his action in games. Winslow has had multiple knee surgeries on his right knee and broke that leg in 2004.

Joe’s very concerned about Olson’s response and the way he delivered it, saying the Bucs have to be cautions with Winslow “at this point in his career.”

The guy has three more full seasons before he even turns 30. It’s troubling that the league’s highest paid tight end must be babied to keep him healthy.

One could say it’s wise to try and preserve Winslow for when the Bucs can really compete for a playoff spot. But on gameday fans pay their hard-earned cash to see the best football the Bucs can muster. Nothing else.