On face value, unemployed yet talented defensive end Jason Taylor and the Bucs seem like a natural marriage (as opposed to an unnatural marriage between bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman and Raheem the Dream).

The Bucs could use a skilled defensive end and Taylor needs a job. Since Jim Bates was hired as the Bucs defensive coordinator, many pointed to Bates as an obvious draw for Taylor since Bates molded Taylor into a Pro Bowl player when Bates was the defensive coordinator at Miami.

But Ethan J. Skolnick of the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel points to a different coach with the Bucs that may keep Taylor away:

Raheem the Dream.

The Buccaneers could use a pass-rusher, Jim Bates is there and Taylor would prefer to be close to home and his family here, if possible. Tampa isn’t in South Florida (even if the university there oddly bears that name). But it’s a short drive, and an even shorter flight. The one question is whether he’d want to join a team with a rookie coach (dealt with that two straight years, and he’s older than Raheem Morris) and a quarterback situation in such flux.

It’s an interesting point Skolnick raises. A player of the age of Taylor wants to go out a winner; have a chance at a ring. No sober human being would suggest the Bucs will be playing in Miami next February.

In Joe’s eyes, whether Taylor plays for the Bucs or not comes down to this: What does Taylor want more, a six-(seven?) figure salary or a shot at a ring?

Chucky has no reason to frown about his work last weekend with NFL Network

To the best of Joe’s knowledge, this may be the first time in nearly 2,000 posts that Joe has linked to a Gary Shelton column. But there’s a method to Joe’s madness here.

Just from reading the various articles from the local MSM 19th Century news delivery service, it’s pretty clear very few local sports reporters have the NFL Network. That’s OK, Joe will continue to sccop them as a result.

But in Shelton’s column today in the St. Petersburg Times, it’s clear he’s one of the few (only?) local scribes who has the NFL Network. How can anyone cover an NFL team and not have NFL Network? This concept is unbelievable to Joe.

Shelton, like Joe, watched the NFL Network’s draft coverage over the past weekend. Like Joe, Shelton was impressed with Chucky’s work. So impressed is Shelton, that he thinks Chucky is the next NFL TV star provided he doesn’t coach again.

Odd how things work out, isn’t it? A guy spends most of his life trying to be the next Bill Walsh, and as it turns out, he might be the next John Madden. And why not? The pay is good, the work is steady and no scoreboard is involved. No matter what you think of Gruden, whether you think his firing was undeserved or overdue, whether you think the Bucs let him down or vice versa, it was a treat to watch him work the NFL draft. And, yeah, when it comes to spending time in front of a camera, the guy has a future like Natalie Portman’s.

Let’s not get too carried away. Though Joe (again) agrees with Shelton that Chucky could make a nice living on TV once his contract with the Glazer Boys expires, Joe won’t exactly compare Chucky to Natalie Portman.

Contrary to what Raheem The Dream might have you believe, Vacation Man of BSPN.com suggests Josh Johnson will not be in a Bucs uniform when the regular season begins in September.

In a Bucs mailbag edition, Vacation Man was asked who of the five Bucs quarterbacks will get the ax.

Adam in Jersey writes: Hi Pat — I know the Bucs plan to go to camp with 4 QBs, which probably means that Griese is gone. Looking ahead, do you know if they plan on keeping 4 QBs for the regular season again? If not, since they just invested in Leftwich and McCown, would it mean they are giving up on Josh Johnson already?

Vacation Man: You have to assume either Brian Griese or Johnson will be gone before training camp even starts. My guess is Griese, but I doubt Johnson will make it to the regular season on the roster. I’m not sure why fans got so fired up about him. He was a fifth-round pick.

Vacation Man was the first to suggest that the Bucs never thought that much of Josh Johnson in the first place. Though Joe is all but willing to bet a month’s mortgage that the first odd man out will be Son of Bob. And that transaction could come very soon.

BSPN’s vodka-swilling Dana Jacobson had an over three-minute chat with Bucs bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman.

Jacobson seems intrigued by Freeman’s nickname, “Tito.”

Freeman also discusses the “smokescreen” allegation he made about Bryon Leftwich on an NFL.com live chat.

He blocked for Shonn Greene and captained Iowa's offense, center Rob Bruggeman is in Bucs camp as a free agent rookie.

The annual list of rookie free agents coming to Bucs camp always has some intrigue. There’s always a diamond or two among them.

In the spirit of Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, Joe has been handicapping the field of rookies for today’s kickoff of rookie mini-camp at One Buc Palace.

One guy with some good odds is Iowa Hawkeyes’ center Rob Bruggeman, a walk-on who later earned a scholarship and captained the Iowa offense his senior year in 2008.

A knee injury years ago made Bruggeman’s senior year his only healthy, full season at Iowa. He started every game in ’08, and was a 2nd team, all Big-10 selection and an academic all-American.

At 6-3, 290, Bruggeman’s a weight room fiend who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.97 seconds at the combine. With experience in the zone blocking scheme run by Bucs offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski, Bruggeman might just be a viable replacement for Sean Mahan, who served as center Jeff Faine’s backup last season.

Plus, Bruggeman’s got a fired up dad in Cedar Rapids who is certain his son will make the Bucs roster.

“Frankly, I’d be more surprised if he doesn’t make the roster than if he does,” said proud dad Chuck Bruggeman from his home on Wednesday night. (Yes, Joe hunts down sources at all hours.)

The elder Bruggeman said the Bucs talked to his son at the combine and “they acted like they wanted him.”

“I really think his experience in the zone blocking scheme in Iowa is a big reason.”

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, a former offensive line coach with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns, told The Gazette, in Iowa, that Bruggeman is better than guys he coached in the NFL who played nine or 10 years.

Rob Bruggeman told The Gazette that Bucs offensive line coach Pete Mangurian was the difference-maker for him in choosing the Bucs versus his many suitors in the free agent market.

Bruggeman, who stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 293 pounds, fielded several calls from teams immediately following the draft. Bruggeman spoke with both head coach Raheem Morris and offensive line coach Pete Mangurian before picking Tampa Bay.

“I really liked their offensive line coach (Mangurian) when I was down at the combine, and I liked the way he handled himself, how he talked to me,” Bruggeman said. “He seemed like a guy with integrity. I really liked him. Their head coach seems like a guy I could really get along with, too. So it’s exciting to go down there and just have an opportunity to compete.”

Joe’s had enough playing real reporter for one day. The kid looks like a real player who flew a little under the radar, and second-tier centers are only drafted in the lower rounds anyway, especially one-year starters.

Joe gives Bruggeman a better than 50-50 shot at making the training camp roster.

Jagodzinski could be one-and-done with Tampa Bay if he's offered a head coaching job next season

Pondering the successful development of Bucs’ bust-in-waiting quarterback Josh Freeman has Joe very nervous about offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski.

Jagodzinski, 45, has strong college and NFL experience, and he jumped at the chance during the offseason to interview for the Jets head coaching job before signing with the Bucs.

Surely, if the Bucs succeed on the offensive side of the ball in 2009 (and the talent is there to do it), Jagodzinski easily could become a hot candidate around the NFL. And there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t grab any head coaching job that came his way.

If Jagodzinski leaves Tampa Bay after one season, that would negatively impact the development of Freeman.

This puts fans in a tough spot.

You root like hell for the Bucs’ offense to hum like a finely tuned motor, yet the reward could be the new offensive coordinator takes off on the next bus out of town and your “franchise” quarterback is left scratching his head.

Joe has a busy radio day today.

First, Joe will appear with the czar of Tampa Bay electronic journalism, J.P. Peterson, at roughly 5:10 p.m. on “Happy Hour With J.P.” heard locally on WQYK-AM 1010. The show can also be heard online via the station’s website.

Then, not just satisfied with appearing on Sirius Howard 100, Joe will go national again. This time, Joe’s readers in Texas may hear him as he is scheduled to appear on KZNX-AM in Austin to chat with Geoff Ketchum and Chad Hasting on “The Drive,” roughly at 6:35 p.m. EST.

There, Joe plans to talk about Bucs third round draft pick out of the University of Texas, defensive tackle Roy Miller. The show can be heard online via the station’s website.

Sadly, from a bit of research, Joe learned it’s not likely former President George W. Bush will hear Joe, as the station’s signal loses some power late in the afternoon.

Raheem The Dream should feel fortunate Bill O'Reilly doesn't host a sports show.

Boy, Raheem The Dream really has the spin cycle working in overdrive.

Joe has called out the Bucs new coach just three months into his administration due to the fact he’s outdoing Chucky when it comes storytelling.

Consider that Michael Lombardi of the NationalFootballPost.com wrote in an article on the Bucs quarterbacks that Byron Leftwich was signed by the Bucs because thus far Luke McCown has been “unimpressive” in mini-camp.

Lombardi was asked if Bucs bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman would be the Week 1 starter this season, then Lombardi dropped this bomb:

Very doubtful, but he just might be able to beat out the other quarterbacks on the Bucs’ roster. All the talk about Byron Leftwich being signed as a smoke screen is just talk. I was told by a very good source that the reason they signed Leftwich was because Luke McCown was unimpressive in the recent mini-camp. The Bucs have many options at quarterback, but in reality, they have only one long-term solution — Josh Freeman, and he will play soon.

It’s time to play Bucs trivia:

Q. The Bucs signed Leftwich because:

a) Raheem The Dream wanted him to compete for the starting job;

b) The signing was nothing more than a smokescreen to make other teams think the Bucs would not draft Freeman; or,

c) McCown, who Raheem the Dream waxed poetic about for three months, is stinking the joint up?

Which is it Chucky, eeerrr, Ra’?

In a story that even a guy walking around with a white cane could see coming, Son of Bob’s tenure with the Bucs is all but finished. It’s not a matter of if, but when.

As Joe first noted just moments after the Bucs selected bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman, Son of Bob is clearly the odd man out at quarterback, if for no other reason than the $2.1 million  salary due him for making the 2009 roster and $4.2 million he made last year.

In the few days since the draft, Joe had heard whispers from trusted sources this would happen but Joe decided to go public when he read Michael Lombardi of the NationalFootballPost.com claim he had heard the same thing.

Any day now, back-up QB Brian Griese will either be traded or waived as the Bucs cut down on the number of players at that position.

Who the hell would trade for Son of Bob, Chucky’s not working for anyone?

For Joe, Lombardi’s post was confirmation.

Given the fact Son of Bob has not been seen at One Buc Palace since the end of the 2008 season, and that the Bucs then both signed Byron Leftwich and drafted Freeman in recent weeks, it stood to reason Son of Bob was gone.

Bucs general manager Mark Dominik dropped a veiled hint yesterday during an interview with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig on WDAE-AM

Bucs general manager Mark Dominik appeared with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig on WDAE-AM Tuesday afternoon. The audio file can be found here.

Joe has a transcript below.

Steve Duemig: The pick of Josh Freeman has drawn a lot of attention. I watch a lot of football. I have ESPN GamePlan. I watched a lot of Big XII games. It’s not that I don’t want the kid to succeed, but the Big XII doesn’t play defense. Any concerns?

Mark Dominik: You have to take it all into consideration. You look at the tools. You go as deep as you can. Who has he played against? What weapons were around him? How he makes his decisions? You look at 2008 and a step further, 2007 when he had Jordy Nelson he was productive. This year, his completion percentage was not as strong. But when you asked him to take the big shot down the field, I am comfortable.

SD: Big shots down the field decreased his accuracy?

MD: It can. Sure, that did decrease and we do want to see a good percentage. [Kansas State] is a team that did struggle on defense so he had to come from behind and throw the ball deep and that did affect his accuracy. When you look at the tools, he was high enough on our draft board to make sure we got him.

Why did we move to No. 17? In our reasoning, Denver was there. I was concerned about Denver. There was enough information out there that people thought we would take him at No. 19 and we were concerned someone would jump up at No. 18. Carolina came up from nowhere last year just to move up a couple of spots. To eliminate that risk, moving up was worth it.

SD: There was enough information available that there was someone who would jump up and get him?

MD: That’s how I felt. No. 18 was a bulls-eye. He was high enough on our draft board that at No. 17 we made sure we got him.

SD:  You said that you got a chance to watch him when the Bucs played in Kansas City and you went out to the Kansas State-Kamas game.

MD: What he did was I saw how he handled adversity. He battled through a tough ballgame. That was a perfect game for me to see. He didn’t quit. He didn’t pout. It wasn’t statistics that you always want to see but it was one of those games when you see how he reacts to a downslide. Is he still a leader? Does he still try to get the team to rally? Those things helped me.

SD: Did it concern you at all his record against winning teams? Even Jay Cutler put his team on his shoulders in a strong SEC conference. There was no defense in the Big XII. Other quarterbacks in that conference put up big numbers. Freeman did not have the best numbers vs. those defenses. And he didn’t have a winning record. Did that concern you?

MD: It was hard, I don’t want to make an excuse but we thought he made progressions from his freshman year. His interceptions were down. His accuracy did decrease but there was no one else drafted from that program last year. That made it hard on Josh and we were comfortable with our scouting. He made progress.

SD: Did you have to sell this pick to the Glazers?

MD: I certainly talked to them and let them know the thought process not only for the first round but through the seventh round. I’ve been with Tampa Bay since 1999. We’ve used 10 picks on trading for or drafting quarterbacks and the most production we’ve had came from Brad Johnson and Jeff Garcia who we didn’t trade for. Hopefully this is our franchise quarterback. A franchise quarterback is a guy who can go out each week and win the game and be a winner.

SD: Would [Freeman] have not been such a good pick with the previous regime?

MD: We felt he was a good fit for Jeff Jagodzinski system. He’s good and accurate when throwing on the run and can throw down the field. He has an accurate, big arm. He makes good play-action plays that can be devastating for the defense.

SD: You didn’t draft a linebacker. You stuck to your guns.

MD: We had the opportunity with Angelo Crowell and he will be up and running. I am excited about the young guys we had. It’s a good opportunity for them to battle with Phillips and Crowell. But stepping into the draft, I was comfortable with our linebackers and we were able to attack the defensive line early.

SD: Does this make a better football team? There is competition at every position. Does this make a better football team in your mind?

MD: Yes. Competition brings the best out in everybody. Guys in the offseason  programs, guys in the weightroom. I’m excited about the guys that are here. There’s competition in the building. The guys we selected have the opportunity to play. With Moore and Miller, we’ll see if they can take a starter’s role. If not, they will have a chance to play quality minutes.

SD: People are saying Peria Jerry should have been drafted. But the scheme didn’t fit. Did you feel there were people that forgot you had scheme changes?

MD: There is a change. Miller may not have the weight of a big man but he has good strength and good leverage. He holds his point. He has strong hands and can shed the block. He did that consistently in Texas.

SD: Even the seventh round pick, all the picks are from Division-1 programs. Tell us about Meyer.

MD: He has the ability to play left end. He’s 270, 6-5 and an athlete and that was important. I have been in Tampa long enough to see big bodies get cut. He has the ability to get bigger and be 290 and be in there on third down. When he rushed inside he led USC in sacks. That was exciting for us.

SD: Do people read too much into numbers?

MD: One of the projects we did this year, we created sack reels on each player we were interested in and then we look at how did they get the sack. If he got a sack on an error or was unblocked, we didn’t count that as a sack. We wanted someone that showed power, someone that showed speed, something that showed the ability to turn the corner from the edge, show something athletic and showed something that he earned  a sack.

We take that into account for anyone that is rushing the passer. How did they get the sack?

SD: What do you ask the kids to do when you bring them in?

MD: We look for starting the foundation of our schemes. We load them with information and see how they retain it, see how they learn. We try to get them up to speed and get them in conditioning. See if they have stayed in shape. Get the wheels moving that this is the National Football League and not college. We selected guys that are football junkies.

SD: How do you learn that?

MD: We were completely satisfied with Freeman’s worth ethic. We dug with Moore and with Miller and the other selections. Part of it was leadership. Part of it was a big heart. We have our area scouts go to the schools and talk to academic advisors and strength coaches and the position coach. How is his motivation? We dig deep on that. We wanted guys who were viewed as leaders. Roy Miller was the Texas team captain. That meant a lot to us and then you put the tape on and we were very, very impressed.

SD: So how was your first draft?

MD: It was good, it was intense. There was an adrenaline rush as you can imagine. You sit there and it’s getting close to making a selection, whether it’s the fifth round or the first round. It teaches you patience and you really have to trust the information you get. It was very exciting.

SD: How many mock drafts do you do and do you look at others?

MD: We do it a little bit different. I ask our coaches, I put guys in groupings into rounds and then rate them. We have scouts and coaches in there. “Who are you taking? Let’s walk through this.” Instead of working through four rounds, we put up five or six guys who might be there.

SD: During the interview process did anyone work there way off your list?

MD: I try not to do that. You have so many people you get to interview at the combine. You select the kids there. Some have a blank look or a bad attitude. If you talk to Morris and don’t get excited, something is wrong with you. We throw softballs at them and see how they react. We use medical information and interviews and see where we can put them on our board.

SD: Freeman doesn’t play this year, right?

MD: Ideally he sits back this year and watches how things work. You hope a guy can sit out a year. We’ll work with him and see how he progresses but competition is important. We’ll see how he feels. It’s important for a guy to sit and learn and not to rush him. For a quarterback it’s nice to sit back and learn.

Roy Miller's blog entries reveal a man deeply committed to the community

New Bucs defensive tackle Roy Miller has leader written all over him. Joe is impressed.

The third round pick and Unversity of Texas captain is one of the leadership injections Mark Dominik tried to give the Bucs in the NFL Draft. (Later, Joe will have Dominik’s Tuesday comments about leadership).

Below is an excerpt of one of Miller’s recent blog entries for TheFootballExpert.com.

It seems like the dates of the past were here just yesterday. Get around old friends if you don’t believe me. It is very therapeutic to reflect on the glory days of the past. Our pasts are very important. Older people say “back in my day,” no different from the parent watching the baby videos of their teenage children to give them that glimpse of hope towards the future.

Life is based off of choices we make. The decision to hurt another person is one that could dramatically change a life possibly by putting one in confinement for the rest of their life.

As T.D. Jakes says, “The worst thing you can do in life is be stagnant. You must choose to continue writing your history.

 I’ve been told that the greatest sin in the world is wasted talent. Remaining stagnant on the idea of mediocrity when you have the ability to be the world’s greatest Dad is the worst thing in life to do.

I challenge you to cut your computer time or whatever it is that consumes a majority of your time in half today and use that time to do something special for someone’s life. I promise to do the same. When our life is over, what do we look back and say?

Choose to take control of the history book, pick up your pen and write your own stories of life which are the only things you leave behind when you die. One kid says, “That man took me out to lunch at a very nice restaurant. From that day on I decided I wanted to take my whole family to the same restaurant. Eventually I became a doctor and did so.”

Some say I have the opportunity to do more because I may be a professional football player, reality is that if you put every professional athlete to work at this, we still won’t be able to reach every child, or anyone in need of help. Every parent of a child knows that the opportunity to be a young one’s hero does not take much but time and love.

Let’s not make any excuses. That coach deep down inside me wants to see others reach their full potential. Someone needs me and I am about to find that person.

The more Joe studies Miller the more he likes him. Let’s hope Miller can manhandle offensive guards the way he seems to have seized control of his life.

While horse racing is not a widespread passion like football, Joe knows the Kentucky Derby gets massive ratings in the Tampa Bay market.

Joe also knows many of you love to gamble, especially on the big races like the Derby. So Joe is committed to offering some guidance.

First, you can bet on Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg starting on Friday at 10 a.m.

For you novices, that means you can drop $20 on a horse the day before the race, then go home and bring the ticket to the Kentucky Derby party you’re going to and impress your buddies.

Second, you can spend the whole day Saturday partying with thousands at Derby Lane, feasting at the Derby Club and wagering on all the races at Churchill Downs, as well as local greyhound races and more. It’s a party you don’t want to miss.

Check back Friday for Joe’s Derby selections. Yes, Joe spent four years as a horse racing beat writer, so there will be some meat behind the picks.

Call Joe a crazy nut if you wish, but it wouldn’t be completely surprising to see the Bucs consider pursuing Brett Favre now that he’s a free agent as of yesterday afternoon. 

Too much about a Favre acquisition could make sense, so don’t be surprised if it’s at least considered. Clearly, Bucs management has no problem jolting its stable of non-rookie quarterbacks. Take the Josh Freeman pick as evidence.

Here are eight reasons the return of the Favre-to-Tampa chatter is not utterly ridiculous:

1) Farve would take every ounce of pressure off the “franchise quarterback,” Josh Freeman, the rookie legend-to-be or bust-in-waiting, depending on your outlook. Raheem The Dream and Mark Dominik have already stated they prefer Freeman spend 2009 studying the pro game rather than playing it. 

2) What QB available is better than Favre for The Dream and Dominik’s hand-picked wonder Freeman to study and learn from? Surely, it’s more valuable for Freeman to study Brett Favre every day than Luke McCown or Byron Leftwich.

3) If Freeman is “the franchise” guy, then offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski surely would rather spend his one non-Freeman season in Tampa with the best possible quarterback available. And that guy is Brett Favre, who Jagodzinski coached in Green Bay. And reports say Jagodzinski is a big Favre admirer.

4) The Bucs are hurting to sell tickets in a big way. That’s even public knowledge now. Favre would sell an awful lot of tickets, suites, jerseys and more.

5) On his first day on the job in January, Raheem The Dream announced to the world that “Stay The Course” is his plan for 2009. Since The Dream has yet to, in fact, Stay The Course, perhaps pursuing Favre would qualify. It was the course last offseason.

6) Raheem The Dream and Mark Dominik have been doing a lot of talking over the past few months. One thing they never seem to talk about is winning anything next year— not the division, a playoff berth, nothing. Favre would change all that. And this franchise needs a major dose of optimism immediately. Winning is always important.

7) Favre is smart enough to be excited by the Bucs’ offensive line, the talent in the backfield, and at tight end and receiver. Plus he’d feel comfortable with Jagodzinski and excited by the home game against Green Bay.

8.  Joe has found that he really enjoys having a quarterback’s hottie wife to pine for. Now Deanna Favre is no Carmella Garcia, but Joe is intrigued.

Given Son of Bob's contract, pathetic performances and recent actions, it's hard for Joe to believe he'll be with the Bucs come July.

Joe was up until the wee hours of the morning transcribing Mark Dominik’s interview with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM.

Joe will have the interview a bit later this morning. There’s some really good stuff in there and you’ll want to read it. Monitor Joe’s Twitter account to learn the moment it’s posted.

There was one element of the interview that Joe just couldn’t wait on. It was another hint, a strong hint, that Son of Bob is gone; not if, but when.

As Joe has documented previously, Son of Bob has been nowhere to be found for offseason workouts or OTAs at One Buc Palace. Though Son of Bob had an excuse, football coaches have long memories about players being absent from offseason workout sessions.

During Dominik’s interview with Duemig, he had this to say about competition:

“Competition brings out the best in everybody. Guys in the offseason conditioning programs, guys in the weightrooms, I’m excited about the guys that are here. I like competition in the building.”

Let’s review:

*Son of Bob has not been competing with anyone in the offseason locally.

*Son of Bob has not been involved with any offseason conditioning at One Buc Palace since the 2008 season ended.

*Son of Bob has not been in the weight room since December at One Buc Palace.

*Dominik isn’t excited about players not at One Buc Palace.

Given the fact Son of Bob has a fat salary, is brutal beyond words and is one of five (six?) quarterbacks that are vying for the starting job, it’s doesn’t take a graduate of a directional school to figure out Son of Bob should have his non-football resume updated.

Let’s just say that the Bucs trading up to acquire NFL bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman didn’t win over BSPN’s Todd McShay.

Chucky must be drooling. Another arm is coming to Tampa. 

The Bucs have invited James Madison (Division 1-A) quarterback Rodney Landers to this week’s rookie mini-camp, reports the Daily News Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Landers has been invited to play quarterback at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ rookie mini-camp this weekend, his agent said Monday night. Landers plans to leave for Tampa on Thursday and practice with the Bucs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“That’s the plan at the moment,” agent David Sullivan said by phone from his Norfolk home. “Right now, Rodney does not have a contract. He has an offer from Tampa to come down and compete at the quarterback spot.” 

Landers put up great numbers at James Madison, with 1700+ yards rushing, and throwing for 21 touchdowns versus four interceptions. He’s largely viewed as a phenomenal athlete that could be running back or a major project at QB.

Yes, of course, Joe knows this guy primarily is coming to work alongside Josh Freeman and have a glorified Pro Day weekend. But you never know, and at least fans can be sure Landers is not another QB “smokescreen.”

If you are still suffering from restless nights like Joe, unable to fall asleep because Mark Dominik had the nerve to trade up to acquire Bucs bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman — traded up! — then you can finger one person other than Dominik for this crazy move:

Mel Kiper. At least, that’s what Peter King suggests.

Did you wonder, like I did, why the Bucs, set on taking Kansas State quarterback Josh Freeman with their first-round pick, paid the Browns a sixth-rounder for the privilege of moving up two spots in the round.

Blame the Mel-Kiperization of the draft world.

“A lot of mock drafts had Denver taking Josh Freeman,” Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik said the other night. “I thought paying a sixth-rounder was a small price to pay for insurance to make sure we got our guy.”

Dominik told me the fact that Raheem Morris was a one-year assistant at K-State before returning to the Bucs last season was a key part of Tampa Bay falling in love with the kid. “We got tremendous feedback from Raheem on him,” said Dominik, “plus we met him and wanted to get answers to questions like: ‘Was he a self-starter? Was he a big film guy? Was he a worker?’ The answers came back yes, yes, yes.”

Joe is of two minds with Kiper. Unlike some others, Joe knows there are other, better NFL draft analysts than Kiper and you will not see Joe very often reference Kiper. The man was a second-rung draft analyst when Joel Buchsbaum was alive and is second-rung so long as Mike Mayock is breathing. Unlike some in the local MSM, Joe doesn’t believe Kiper to be an oracle and only interview him about the draft.

But Joe has to confess that Joe loves to hear Kiper talk college football. Think about it, now that we are entering the dog days of football (May through July), what would you rather listen to, Kiiper talk football or the non-basketball association drivel or even worse — golftalk?

You want straight talk. You listen to Bucs personnel man and ex-QB Doug Williams.

Doug Williams is a one-man no spin zone.

Joe likes that. How refreshing. He’s like a Glade air freshener over at One Buc Palace.

Months ago the Bucs personnel man and former star QB talked about Antonio Bryant’s need for daily therapy.

Williams now has offered perhaps the clearest insight into the Bucs’ plans at the quarterback position, during a recent chat with the St. Pete Times.

“It’s a perfect situation for Josh. He gets to watch guys like (Byron) Leftwich and (Luke) McCown battle it out for the starter, and he can see it firsthand. One of them is going to take him under their wing.”

Williams says if the Bucs were looking for a rookie quarterback to play this season, it wouldn’t have been Freeman.

“I love Josh, but if we’re looking for a guy to come in here and play tomorrow, let’s get Sanchez,” Williams said. “But ask me who has the most upside, it’s Josh Freeman. Bar none. I’ve seen them all play.

“That’s why I like this pick more than anything. There wasn’t any pressure on Raheem or Mark. I think if you had to take a poll here with Bucs fans and across the country, they said don’t draft Josh Freeman. In meeting rooms, it wasn’t about a poll. It was about who we think is the best guy.”

Here’s what we can take away from Williams comments:
1) Josh Johnson is an afterthought at best, and his touting by Raheem The Dream appears to have been a ruse.
2) Mark Sanchez is better than Josh Freeman, even though Freeman says he’s better.
3) There are no plans for Freeman to see the field in 2009.
4) Brian Griese, who has more starts and wins combined than Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich, is out of the picture and will not mentor Freeman.
5) Mark Dominik and The Dream believe they have complete job security for 2010.

Joe applauds Williams’ candor. The dude said quite a bit in three paragraphs. And Joe trusts him completely.

Not only did Adam Schein, of FOX Sports and Sirius NFL Radio, take the Bucs to task for drafting Josh Freeman, he also stated Luke McCown should start.

Sirius NFL Radio’s Adam Schein is one of the few national voices who could never be confused as a proponent of Bucs bust-in-waiting Josh Freeman. In fact in this video for FoxSports.com, Schein wonders if the Bucs even know the direction they want to take the team.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on,” Schein said.

In a video earlier this month, Schein lobbied for Luke McCown to be the Bucs’ starter, saying McCown was “the right guy for right now” for the Bucs, and also accurately predicted the Bucs would draft Freeman in the first round, which Schein also predicted would be a mistake.

This should send shivers up the spine of any sane Bucs fan.

In breaking down the NFL draft for the NFC South, Vacation Man, of BSPN.com, invoked a frightening name from the Bucs past when discussing the drafting of Josh Freeman, Bucs bust-in-waiting.

Nothing else is even remotely close to the Freeman selection when it comes to risk. When you draft a franchise quarterback, something the Bucs hadn’t done since Trent Dilfer in 1994, you’re obligated to try to build your team around him.

Joe will never forget the home game against the Giants when Dilfer, for some twisted reason, had the hairbrain scheme of rushing out of the pocket. And as he was stepping out of bounds he decided to wing the ball down the sideline roughly 50 yards. Of course, it was picked off though replays showed he was likely out of bounds.

When asked later about the idiotic play, Dilfer said he was trying to throw the ball away. Dilfer was so brutal and inaccurate, he couldn’t even throw the ball out of bounds!

Freeman couldn’t be this bad, could he?

Vacation Man, who has been on a roll of late, really tripped up during a live chat on Saturday, but Joe will somewhat let it slide in that Vacation Man could have been exhausted and needed another vacation.

Vacation Man claimed Dilfer played on a bad team with the Bucs.

Jonathan (Miami): Why does Tampa always pick QB’s it never works for them

Vacation Man: They haven’t picked one in the first round in 15 years. Dilfer and Testaverde weren’t busts. They just had horrible teams around them.

Wrong! Dilfer was on a playoff team in 1997 with the Bucs and was on the team that advanced to the 1999 NFC title game, but was hurt and didn’t play in the playoffs. Joe would hardly consider those two teams “horrible.”

The quarterback? That’s a different story.

Despite Raheem The Dream's constant sales pitch the past three months, the Bucs may be on the verge of releasing quarterback Josh Johnson.

At this point, after hearing the utter nonsense that has been coming out of Raheem The Dream’s yap the past three months, Joe doesn’t know what to believe. So take the following with a grain of salt.

Vacation Man of BSPN.com reports that the Bucs, per general manager Mark Dominik, will only take four of their current five quarterbacks into training camp this July. Vacation Man was first to report (that Joe had read) that the Bucs weren’t “enamored” with Josh Johnson, despite the constant sales pitch by Raheem The Dream that Johnson is some sort of secret weapon to be  unleashed upon the NFL.

The Bucs also are expected to take Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich to training camp along with either veteran Brian Griese or second-year pro Josh Johnson.

“Our plan would really be for [Freeman] to compete,” Dominik said. “We’d like him to be in the mix with the four quarterbacks we take to camp and let him let his talent show. I understand he’s 21 and I’ve seen it where it helps when they sit and I saw last year where guys played themselves on the football field. But I do realize he’s a young quarterback and, ideally, you like those guys to at least learn a little bit how to prepare and get caught up to the game. We’ll see how it goes through the preseason.”

Gee, all this time Raheem The Dream — and players — sang the praises of Josh Johnson and now he’s about to be kicked to the curb. Just like Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn. Strange.

As Joe wrote Saturday, he still thinks the odd man out is Son of Bob. Just follow the money.

Joe is starting to fall in love with Roy Miller, the Bucs’ new defensive tackle drafted in the third round.

Whereas recently re-signed Bucs defensive tackle Ryan Sims is a Grade A first-round bust — the sixth overall pick by the Chiefs in 2002 — Miller is a hard-working, workout fiend with track record of success on and off the field.

Legitimate hope is there for Miller to quickly become an effective starter on the D-line, much like 2008 third round pick Jeremy Zuttah performed on the Bucs offensive line.

About Miller, a University of Texas bio says Warren Sapp is his NFL hero, he was an honor roll student who graduated with a degree in corporate communications. and he grew up in a military family.

After the Bucs’ selected Miller, UT coach Mack Brown raved about him being a leader and a two-way player.

“Roy Miller is one of the best leaders we’ve ever had because of his toughness,” Texas head coach Mack Brownsaid. “He was able to play both ways. He was our fullback in the short yardage and goal-line package. At the same time, he dominated the line of scrimmage from the day he got here. He’ll do the same in the NFL and is very similar to Casey Hampton.”

If you want to get a look at the 300-pounder who looks awfully agile, Joe highly recommends this video.

Watch Roy Miller – Draft Video Profile in Sports Online  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com