Joe was amused to hear a Bucs fan call Sirius NFL Radio this morning to both kvetch about the Bucs not re-signing cornerback Phillip Buchanon and to find out what the Bucs are doing defensively from “The Opening Drive” co-hosts Randy Cross and Peter King. The fan was outraged the Bucs let Buchanon walk “but kept that bum [Michael] Clayton.”

The caller thought it would have been better if not cheaper for the Bucs to keep Buchanon and let Ronde Barber walk.

Both Cross and King explained the Bucs’ decision and gave listeners a quick glimpse into the near future.

Raheem The Dream “is trying to get them to play a much more physically tough defense,” Cross said. In the draft “I think they are going big time on the defensive side. Ronde still has the ability to make plays, to make an interception, to make a big play. That’s why he’s still there.

“Don’t expect this new regime to be all warm and fuzzy. They are not out to make friends.”

King suggested the Bucs wanted to keep Buchanon.

“I think they liked Buchanon but at the end of the day he cost too much blood,” King said. “They liked him for a second or a third corner. Aqib Talib was coming on strong. Buchanon might have been a nickel back. Detroit paid him $4 million a year. That’s all you need to know. That was too much for the Bucs.”

"Yo, Dream. Check out the film. I look alright."

The especially lovely Roxanne Wilder, of Bright House Sports Network, caught up to Derrick Brooks at a local golf course yesterday.

In her interview with Brooks, he talked about how he is “staying patient” and preparing to play football in 2009.

Asked whether he is putting in lots of offseason film study, Brooks said he has been studying film particularly of himself. And Brooks confidently said he is very pleased with much of his performance last season.

As any sober football fan can imagine, the vast majority of chatter on Sirius NFL Radio this morning swirls around Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler and the Broncos declaring the disgruntled signalcaller will be dealt soon.

Most calls are from fans of other teams full of wishful thinking that Cutler will wind up on their doorstep, from Bears fans to Browns fans to Redskins fans.

But SI.com columnist and NBC NFL analyst Peter King threw some cold water on the speculation.

“I’d say that it’s probably 80-20 [Cutler] gets dealt. But I would not put it past Pat Bowlen to just rattle sabers here. Yeah, it’s likely 80-20 he gets traded. But remember one important thing:

“Bus Cook, Cutler’s agent, has said to [SI.com analyst] Don Banks and to me, that Jay Cutler will report for the Broncos mandatory mini-camps, I believe the first one is April 17.

“This is not a situation where Jay Cutler was not going to show up [for a mandatory camp]. It’s not like he is going to stage a wildcat strike. I think it is 80-20 he gets traded but it’s not a lock.”

SI.com columnist and NBC NFL analyst Peter King this morning on Sirius NFL Radio’s “The Opening Drive” reinforced a premise THE PESSIMIST had about the Bucs acquiring Sgt. Winslow.

King, who is co-hosting this morning with Bob Papa and Randy Cross, fielded a call from a Browns fan that was critical of the Browns for trading Sgt. Winslow. King quickly set the caller straight.

“That was not a negative move by the Browns, that was a positive move. It was a tremendous deal. When you can get a [second round pick] and a [fifth round pick] for a guy who I will be surprised will have two more healthy years… [Sgt. Winslow] is on his last legs physically so if you can get a two and a five you are doing well.

“Winslow was a constant distraction. That was a good trade, not a negative trade.”

The great VCR master himself, Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas, of ESPN.com, says the Bucs will probably need to pay two first round draft picks and a player or two for Jay Cutler.

Now, it’s time for every team interested in Cutler to put all their cards on the table. We’ll find out if the Lions and Jets were bluffing in their reported interest in Cutler. We’ll also find out if Tampa Bay is willing to gamble everything it has.

To truly get into this game, the Bucs have to bid at least their first-round pick. To stay in the game, they’ll probably need to come up with more — like a first-round pick in 2010 and maybe a player or two.

And Vacation Man actually writes that the price for Cutler has dropped. Huh? Joe wonders from where? Isn’t two first rounders and a player high enough?

Joe completely disagrees with this assessment. It shouldn’t take two No. 1 picks to get Cutler.

The Broncos have granted Jay Cutler's wish to be traded, says the Denver Post.

Jay. Jay. Jay. Jay. Jay.

Can’t you just hear the chants now at Raymond James Stadium? The Bucs crowd on its feet for Jay Cutler as Tampa Bay scores its fifth touchdown of the game.

Sure, the Bucs trail in this mythical game 47-38, since they have no defensive line. But it’s fun! And fun has been gone from Tampa for a mighty long time.

The Denver Post now reports the Broncos are trading Jay Cutler ASAP. 

Joe believes the Bucs must get in the mix again. There’s no reason to ridiculously overpay. But they shouldn’t have to. The Broncos have lost a little bit of leverage, though the Bucs will have to compete.  

An NFL source said the Washington Redskins are among the leading candidates to pull off a trade for Cutler. The Redskins have a proven young quarterback, Jason Campbell, and would meet the Broncos’ preference of dealing Cutler outside the American Football Conference. The Redskins also have the No. 13 overall selection in this year’s draft, one spot behind the Broncos.

The New York Jets have also been aggressive in their pursuit of Cutler. The Jets, who have extra picks in the third and fourth rounds, are better stocked for the upcoming draft than the Redskins, who don’t have picks in the second and fourth round. The Jets have no proven quarterback with the retirement of Brett Favre.

Joe might take some heat here. But by Derrick Ward’s own admission in this video, the Broncos wanted to sign him just before he inked a deal with Tampa. Perhaps he could be part of a trade.

Denver also is desperate for defensive help, and Joe would consider Gaines Adams or Aqib Talib in a deal for Cutler. Of course, Luke McCown, as well.

Should be fun. Joe can’t imagine the Bucs won’t make another offer.

The Dream points to John Madden for the reason he is the Bucs head coach.

New Bucs coach Raheem The Dream has it figured out. He was hired indirectly thanks to John Madden.

More specifically, he and the other under-40 crowd of new NFL coaches are in the business thanks to Madden, the video game version, so The Dream tells SI.com’s Don Banks.

Asked about the league’s trend toward younger head coaches, Morris said: “I told NFL Network the other day that it’s John Madden’s fault. Ever since he made that game, everybody thought they could be a coach. Everybody’s been creating their own teams, doing salary caps since they were 12. He ruined the league for the older coaches. I blame John Madden.”

Someone followed up by asking Morris how much Madden Football he had played.

“Are you kidding me?” he said. “I majored in it in college.”

Pretty good one-liner, Dream.

Banks has an interesting comment about The Dream. Banks notes, “If Morris can coach half as well as he can talk, the Bucs may have landed one of the game’s future greats.”

Joe is of the opposite mind: If The Dream coaches half as good as he talks, the Bucs are in a world of hurt.

Bucs wide receiver Antonio Bryant is reminding Joe of Rickey Henderson, who loved to talk about "Rickey."

Let Joe say that he really likes Antonio Bryant. The passion, the uncensored communication, the talent; he’s a fun guy.

And now, to add to that mix, Bryant likes to talk in the third person. Joe is a big fan of that, too, for obvious reasons.

At today’s mini-camp, Antonio talked to the St. Pete Times about Antonio’s contract and Antonio’s responsibilities.

“I look at it like this: if you get a $9-million raise — did you count the taxes? Did you count the fact that Antonio Bryant just doesn’t take care of Antonio Bryant. Antonio Bryant has got kids, a mom, brothers, sisters. I’ve got people in my family lost their jobs, too. If you’re a guy in this situation and somebody says, “We’re going to give you $10-million,’ of course you’re a guy who’s going to go and think of more than just yourself. You’re going to go beyond that because you’ve got family, you’ve got other people that you’re the backbone for. That’s how I look at it, too. I’m the burden bearer in my family. When things happen, when a crisis happens, they come to me. I’m sure a lot of guys in this locker room understand the situation.”

Times are tight, Antonio. We know. Do your best to stretch that paltry after-tax net of $6 million this year. Joe is pulling for you.

BSPN’s Todd McShay and Vacation Man talk Bucs draft. There’s way too much talk about future NFL stiff and Kansas State quarterback product Josh Freeman. This is beginning to turn Joe’s stomach.

Joe is starting to believe all of this Josh Freeman talk coming from One Buc Palace is simply a bad ruse.

Joe has already stated all this Josh Freeman talk coming out of One Buc Palace may be nothing more than a smoke screen by the Bucs.

Part of this is pure wishful thinking from Joe. But rarely do NFL teams without the first pick in the draft openly gush about a player like the Bucs are drooling over Freeman, who can’t even complete 60 percent of his passes in a horrid defensive conference.

Seems as though BSPN’s Vacation Man, aka Pat Yasinskis, isn’t slurping the hype either.

As I said last week, I think defensive end and defensive tackle are possibilities. There also is a lot of speculation about the Bucs possibly taking quarterback Josh Freeman in the first round.

Since there’s still a lot of time until the draft and speculation is going to keep swirling.

In keeping their draft plans confidential, most NFL teams are more paranoid than Richard Nixon would have been in a roomful of Ivy League leftists. So all this talk of Freeman is starting to convince Joe this is a bad attempt at a diversionary tactic.

Joe hopes this is what is going on.

The Raiders signed QB Bruce Gradkowski. Needless to say they have more work to do in the NFL Draft.

With Al Davis still in charge, it’s a pretty safe bet the Raiders will look hard at the flashy receivers available in the 2009 NFL Draft.

But could Davis turn over a new leaf and snatch defensive tackle B.J Raji with the 7th overall pick?

NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski stops in Oakland and San Diego for today’s podcast.

Pawlowski examines every team’s needs and options as part of the daily draft coverage on JoeBucsFan.com.

Remember, every subscriber gets a $10 gift certificate to Courtside Grille.

{+++}

Former Bucs QB Trent Dilfer says the Bucs top priority should be to draft quarterback Mark Sanchez and suggests the Bucs trade up significantly to get him

Listening to Trent Dilfer on ESPN 1040 AM yesterday, you couldn’t help but wonder if he is somehow getting a percentage of former USC quarterback Mark Sanchez’s future NFL signing bonus.

Dilfer, now a studio analyst for ESPN, was so adamant that Sanchez is “the best pro in this draft” and the Bucs should do whatever necessary to draft him.

“I really believe this is the opportunity the Bucs have and move up and get a quarterback,” Dilfer said. “Mark Sanchez is the best pro in this draft. When the only bad thing you can say about somebody is that they’d only started 16 games, that’s pretty good. …The more film I watch, … the better he looks each time. …For the Bucs he’s a QB for 8 or 10 years and take them to a couple of Super Bowls.
 
He’s a far superior player to Matt Leinart at this point in his career. … [Sanchez’s] receivers at USC were not very good, undisciplined in route running. He had inxperienced linemen. …He carried the offense. …. He’s better than Carson Palmer, as well. …Mark Sanchez is a leader among leaders, a special individual who embraces the challenges in front of him. …
 
He does have a strong arm. He doesn’t have a [Matt] Stafford arm. …Study the film hard enough and you see a combination of quick release and strong arm. … His style makes it very hard for secondary players to break on the football. … He’s got great pocket maneuvering. … a remarkable ability to play the position the way it needs to be played in the NFL.”

Dilfer went on to say Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan are not as as talented as Mark Sanchez. And Dilfer makes the claim citing his “hours of deep film study on what translates to the NFL game.”

“Personnel people around the NFL are now digging into the film and more are falling in love with him, as well,” Dilfer said. “I really believe the Bucs need to do whatever it takes to get to the [No. 3 pick], or No. 4, 5 or 6 to get up there. … I’m confident in the Glazers having the money.”

Asked if the Bucs should make the trade for Jay Cutler, Dilfer said he believes that would be a good move for the Bucs but thinks Sanchez will be a better pro than Cutler.

“Denver might trade if it leads ultimately them to get Sanchez,” Dilfer said.

Dilfer went on to say the Bucs are in “a major rebuilding process.”

Despite the spin Raheem The Dream is concocting out of One Buc Palace, many NFL insiders seem to be of the mind that the Bucs will try to upgrade their quarterback position whether it’s a trade or via the draft.

Count Justin Hathaway among the believers.

NFL.com recently hosted a chat between a variety of NFL analysts and Hathaway suggests the Bucs will be one of two teams agitated Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler ends up with come the day of the draft.

He’ll be traded, probably on draft day as the Broncos collect the best offers. The top contenders, to me, are the Buccaneers and Jets. The Lions won’t give up their No. 1 pick for him.

The spin is so thick coming from The Dream Joe wonders if even The Dream understands what is truth and what is fiction. Joe considers The Dream talking up Luke McCown and Josh Johnson to be little more than damage control after the Bucs failed to acquire Cutler in a three-way deal back in February.

Justin Pawlowski continues his daily NFL Draft coverage with a look at teams' needs and likely directions around the league.

With new coaches and quarterbacks, the Broncos and Chiefs are major question marks entering the NFL Draft. Especially when it comes to what they’ll do on defense.

NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski breaks it all down in today’s podcast.

Don’t forget. Justin answers your NFL Draft questions on Wednesday. Shoot him an e-mail today at justinpawlowski@620wdae.com {+++}

NFL Network analyst Marshall Faulk is not much of a fan of Luke McCown.

NFL Network has a feature with former Bucs great Warren Sapp and Marshall Faulk where they discuss the state of the Bucs.

Sapp seems to think Raheem The Dream will do fine as Bucs coach. But Sapp was far less enthusiastic about the Bucs’ defense, scolding them for sloppy tackling and little run-gap responsibility.

Faulk was somewhat critical of the Bucs’ quarterback position claiming it’s a franchise tradition to have lousy quarterbacks.

Charles Davis also breaks down the Bucs’ needs in the draft and makes a prediction for the Bucs’ first round pick (hint: think Penn State).

Along with his displeasure over his $9 million raise, Antonio Bryant is less than enthusiastic about the Bucs' quarterbacks.

Seems as though Antonio Bryant got just about the biggest raise an NFL player can make. Yet he’s angry.

Per Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, Bryant was on “The Tim Montemayor Show” on Sporting News Radio and whined about his massive pay raise where he is now making over $9 million.

“[But it’s] a one year contract, it’s a ‘prove yourself’ contract, again, and the circumstances for me have gotten a little tighter. Now I’ve got quarterbacks fighting for opportunities to showcase their talents so the ability that was there last year is gone. We lost a lot of leaders, so we’re going to have to find some leaders in the locker room. And we’ve got some guys that can step up but there’s a lot more tweaks and new things I’ve got to get comfortable with again. So it’s simple situation, but an unfair situation for myself.”

Wait a minute? You were making less than a million a year and you got a raise to over $9 million and it’s unfair???

Joe has some simple advice for Antonio Bryant:

Shut the f’ up!

[UPDATE: Here are the audio clips of Bryant’s interview, courtesy of TBO.com. Part one, part two and part three.]

If Wes Bunting of the NationalFootballPost.com is accurate, LSU defensive tackle Ricky Jean-Francois will be wearing Pewter and Red.

Bunting has a three-round mock draft and believes the Bucs will go for a defensive lineman with the 81st pick.

A long-armed, explosive interior lineman who possesses impressive tools but is very raw.

Joe has no problem with this pick. The guy played in college football’s premier conference and excelled. Plus, the guy played on a winner.

Joe likes winners.

The Bucs will face Jeff Fisher and the Tennessee Titans to begin their preseason schedule.

The NFL released the 2009 preseason schedule of opponents today, but not specific dates.

As usual, the Bucs will play in-state rivals Miami and Jacksonville and once again will play Houston. New to this year’s preseason schedule is Tennessee.

Below is the schedule. All games but Miami will be broadcast on WFLA locally. The Miami game will be broadcast on FOX for national distribution.

Preseason begins in mid-August and ends Labor Day weekend. Joe thinks this abortion of a four-game preseason schedule needs to be dropped to two.

Week 1: at Tennessee
Week 2: at Jacksonville
Aug. 27: vs. Miami
Sept. 4: vs. Houston

It was among the weekend news, so Joe is putting it out here for you.

Free agent defensive end Jason Taylor is still being kicked around as a possiblity for the Bucs, says Miami Herald reporter Armando Salguero.

A year ago, Taylor wanted out of Miami because he wanted to a chance to win right away. But in getting his wish, he learned that going to another team is no guarantee of going to the playoffs.

Taylor still has that grand postseason desire, and now New England is the sexy, and probably most logical team, for him to end up with in 2009 — assuming Brady doesn’t get injured again. Tampa Bay also beckons as a possibility, with former Dolphins defensive coordinator Jim Bates running that defense.

The choice will be largely up to Taylor. And the choice largely will determine who Taylor is and what he is about. If he is still driven by a desire to put himself in the best spot to win a title, he must go to New England.

But Taylor is said to also be motivated by a desire to remain close to his family and not put them through the difficulties of his disastrous 2008 experience, when he lived in Washington and they stayed in South Florida.

Now Taylor seems to be exactly the kind of guy Raheem The Dream and Mark Dominik don’t want — an over-30 veteran not interested in killing himself in the offseason.

But if the Bucs either trade their No. 1 pick in a package for Jay Cutler or use it to draft a wide receiver, Dominik and The Dream are going have to throw Jim Bates some kind of bone to shore up the defensive line.

Reuniting him with Taylor could be that medicine.

Raheem The Dream gets to stop polishing his interviewing skills and return to old fashioned coaching on Tuesday

The Bucs’ often confusing offseason schedule is clarified a bit today on the team’s official web site.

Raheem The Dream’s men hold their first official practice on Tuesday morning. The dreaded double session is in the afternoon.

The Buccaneers will hold a total of five full-scale practices from Tuesday, March 31 through Thursday, April 2. The team will conduct “two-a-days” on Tuesday and Wednesday and finish up with one final practice on Thursday morning.

The Dream has talked about how he values practicing very hard and working in pads through the regular season. Joe is certain he will set a demanding tone come Tuesday.

Bring it on!

Joe is intrigued to see how Bucs elder statesman Brian Griese responds.

After Son of Bob proclaimed he wants to be the starter last week, and his strong preseason last year, Joe lives in fear that Griese might throw Jeff Jagodzinski into the same trance he reserved for the last offensive genius.

Who would have thought these two guys would be out of a job within a few short weeks?

Clark Judge, not to be confused with Mike Judge or even Matt Drudge, writing for CBSSports.com, pens an article on the Bucs that describes what the team needs to be competitive in 2009.

To Joe’s surprise, Judge claims the Bucs’ defense will be geared toward MMA.

There is change everywhere in Tampa Bay. The head coach is new. The general manager is new. The players are new. Even the defense is new.

That’s right, say goodbye to the Tampa Two and say hello to Mixed Martial Arts.

“It’s about us becoming who we want to become,” new Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris said at the NFL owners’ meetings. “And that’s more physical and more violent because the more violent team always wins.”

He pointed to last year’s Pittsburgh Steelers, and he was right. He cited the 2007 New York Giants, and he was right. But does anybody think the 2006 Indianapolis Colts were more violent than Chicago? Hey, two out of three will take you far in the NFL.

Joe likes what Raheem The Dream says about how tough he wants the Bucs, but it’s hard for Joe to see with a weak defensive front and a porous linebacking unit how the Bucs are going to stop too many opponents.

Jeff George claims he's healthy and chomping at the bit to compete for a QB job

We don’t know him, but his future bosses say he’ll be in Tampa and ready for training camp.

He’s Mr. Fourth Quarterback Guy, who Jeff Jagodzinski and Raheem The Dream keep telling us will arrive from the shadows to compete for the Bucs’ starting job.

The Dream reminded us again of this fiery, competitive mystery man on Sunday, through the St. Pete Times.

The Bucs will monitor the Jay Cutler situation, and there’s a chance the Broncos could trade him closer to draft day. Short of that, the Bucs will wait to see which veterans might get whacked after the draft.

“You’re just looking for the most competitive guy, the one that’s going to come in and create the most competition whether he’s the Day 1 starter or whether he’s a Week 6 or Week 16 starter,” Morris said.

Thank you, Dream. Now we’ve learned even more about Mr. Fourth Quarterback Guy; he’s just got to be “the most competitive guy.” So it’s all about competition.

Sure sounds like Jeff Garcia is a good fit. Oh, that’s right, the Bucs are going in a different direction. Jeff George, perhaps?  He can stay in the pocket and throw deep, and he’s dying to compete, so he’s telling everyone.

Joe is getting a little confused by all of this.

Last week, Tampa Tribune Bucs beat writer Anwar Richardson said on ESPN 1040 AM that Luke McCown and teammates already have been advised that McCown will get a two-year window to prove himself.

Is there going to be a competition or not?