One of the greatest truisms in football is that a good defensive line can make a mediocre secondary look good.

Now Joe’s not about to suggest the Bucs secondary is mediocre. Until this evening, it was the strongest unit on the team, sans Josh Freeman. Now Joe is convinced that the Falcons going out and getting Julio Jones will make no difference in Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik’s decision on whether to jettison troubled cornerback Aqib Talib.

Joe is of the opinion there won’t be much of a drop off if any at all if Talib is an ex-Bucs player in the coming weeks. Some suggested that the Dixie Chicks acquiring Jones sealed Talib’s job security with the Bucs.

With the selection of Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers, defensive ends each, along with current tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price, potentially the Bucs have the strongest, youngest defensive front in football.

The way these guy should torment opposing quarterbacks, Joe expects the secondary to explode, with or without Talib.

So you didn’t think Joe could find some video highlights of new defensive end Da’Quan Bowers? What’s the matter with you?

In this NFL Network video, a variety of highlights and description of Bowers’ talents are provided.

Next up is Mike Mayock’s report from Bowers’ Pro Day at Clemson. Mayock says something very telling: “If you love the tape on Bowers, you’ll still love the kid. Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is a big tape guy.

In yet another NFL Network video, Bowers talks about what gets his motor in gear and about where he grew up.

After Bucs second round pick, Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers has his next knee surgery, he can pass the time away with his other gift, guitar. Now he can double-dip, getting paid by the Bucs and making some cash at a Ybor City night club.

As the men who frequent this site probably saw already, former Bucs great John Lynch introduced the masses to the newest addition to the Tampa Bay Bucs, Clemson defensive end Du’Auan Bowers.

Fans can relive the scene in this NFL Network video and watch it over and over again tonight.

If Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik hits a home run on this one, Joe cannot think of a more powerful defensive front since the Bucs glory days.

The staff of CBS College Sports breaks down Da’Quan Bowers in this CBSSports.com video.

In a roll of the dice, Mark Dominik may have gotten one of the best defensive ends in the draft. Da’Quan Bowers of Clemson, who apparently has a severe knee issue reported to be bone-on-bone,  had a freefall all the way to the Bucs at the 19th slot of the second round.

Just this morning, Peter King suggested that Bowers was still on Dominik’s radar as Dominik lusted over Bowers at the combine but was sullen in the realization that Bowers would never fall to the Bucs.

Then came the news of his knee ailment.

This is a great gamble by the Bucs and reminds Joe exactly of what happened last year. The Bucs, woeful on the defensive front, loaded up on tackles in the first two rounds with Gerald McCoy and Brian Price.

Now, after drafting Adrian Clayborn yesterday, Dominik goes out and gets perhaps when healthy, the best defensive end in the draft, Bowers.

If both Clayborn and Bowers can play average football, the Bucs will have a monster defensive front not seen since, well, Warren Sapp and Simeon Rice prowled the turf of The CITS if not the old Steel Curtain of the Steelers.

Joe is happy to have covered some stud players as a sports journalist. Locally, that includes Dexter McCluster, Michael Jenkins, D’Qwell Jackson and Riley Cooper — NFL players all — spring to mind for Joe.

Maybe tonight, certainly tomorrow, former Clearwater Central Catholic and University of Miami linebacker Colin McCarthy should join that list.

A clutch player at CCC in his high school days, McCarthy, a bruising, hard-hitting linebacker, has experience playing all three linebacker positions in a 43 defensive front and called the players for the Hurricanes on defense. McCarthy was voted by his teammates as one of the Hurricanes captains this past season.

McCarthy was kind enough to give Joe a few brief moments to discuss visiting the Bucs at One Buc Palace, potentially playing for the Bucs and his soon-to-begin NFL career.

JoeBucsFan.com: Did the Bucs talk to you at all about character issues and if that is a big issue with players they interview?

Colin McCarthy: No, that wasn’t an issue. I just got the opportunity to visit and meet the head coach and then the defensive assistants. I got to speak with the general manager and got a tour around the facility and worked out a little bit. We just talked football and expectations and what they have and how I can fit into their system.

Joe: If the Bucs draft you, what kind of player are they expecting?

McCarthy: If they draft me, they are going to get a hard-nosed football player who can play any of the linebacker positions in the 43 system. They gave me the opportunity at Miami to make all the calls on defense and get the defense lined up so I’m ready to make that move to the next level. At the end of the day, no matter where I end up, I am going to keep pushing forward.

Joe: Tell Joe about being a captain for the Canes.

McCarthy: That wasn’t the biggest thing with Miami, to get voted on by the players and to get their respect. Fellow teammates look up to you whether it’s in a game or in the locker room or of the field for guidance and making decisions. I’m always looking out for [others] to set a good example.

Joe: What do you think about the possibility of playing for your hometown team?

McCarthy: It would be a great opportunity obviously. The Bucs are an up-and-coming team. They got snubbed last year for a playoff game but there is a lot of young talent there. Given the opportunity to help get them to be a playoff team and use my athletism and my passion for the game of football… I really think I could help them get to the playoffs and hopefully win another Super Bowl.

Joe: What was your take on Dominik? Did he grill you about anything in particular? What did he say he liked about you?

McCarthy: The one thing was, since I have played all three linebacker positions, it increased my value and how I can help the team. He also said he liked the way I carry myself on and off the field and the passion I play with and the mentality I play with and how I get to the football and make plays. Overall, there is no character issue and they are willing to let a football player approach the game as a professional and take full advantage of the opportunity to play for the organization.

Joe: What did you think of Raheem Morris?

McCarthy: I met a few coaches along the way during this period and [Morris] seems like a player’s coach. From the first minute I met him at the Bucs facility, I knew right away he was going he was going to be very easy to talk to. I got a chance to watch film with him and we were going over plays. It would be a great opportunity to play for Raheem.

Joe: What did he like about you?

McCarthy: He told me I was a hard-nosed football player that will do what it takes to make a play, that I have a true passion for the game and he likes the way I lead and how I take control of the defense. I make most of the calls and he said I was smart enough to handle all of that as a rookie in the NFL, that I was more than capable of doing that.

BSPN draft analyst Todd McShay — who in his seven-round mock draft did not have the Bucs taking any defensive ends — discusses the Adrian Clayborn selection.

Joe listened live to the Adrian Clayborn news conference at One Buc Palace this afternoon, and Clayborn didn’t say much of anything outside of general-speak and cliches, so Joe stopped transcribing.

However, Clayborn repeated his “I kick ass” philosophy, as Joe documented last night.

And he also said he met with Brian Price today at One Buc Palace. Joe thought it was awesome to learn that Price, a west coast guy, was in town and at the team facility, presumably drooling at the thought of getting back to work.

Clayborn reiterated that Gerald McCoy called him last night, and said Josh Freeman called him today. Damn, Joe would have loved to hear what the Bucs’ leader had to say to the newest rookie.

Clayborn will wear No. 94, worn by Kyle Moore the past two seasons. Let the Moore speculation begin.

Joe and NFL Draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski, of WDAE-AM 620, have hooked up with the good folks at Courtside Grille in Tampa (Westchase) for a draft party on Friday kicking off at 6 p.m, although The Commish says he’ll be there at 5:30 to talk football and start drinking beer. 

No party favors, hookers, or giveaways. Just the draft on the big screens — with audio — on Courtside Grille’s huge covered outdoor deck. They’ve got some solid beer specials (The Commish was drooling over had his eye on some sort of 100-ounce beer bong for $17) and first-rate food.

So come on out and talk football and watch the draft. It’ll be a blast, and Joe’s sure you’ll find a TV with the Lightning playoff game on, and there’s free WiFi for all.

Super Bowl-winning coach Brian Billick and Laura Okmin discuss the Bucs selecting Adrian Clayborn in this FoxSports.com video.

He’s got 143 catches over two seasons and hasn’t missed a game, but Kellen Winslow’s chronic knee issues and suspect blocking are a serious concern, so says Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings of  The Tampa Tribune.

During an interview on The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on 1040 AM yesterday, Cummings said he believes the Bucs may view Winslow now as “just a third down player.”

Cummings says the Bucs would love to draft a tight end, especially considering Jerramy Stevens fishbowled his way out of the league and John Gilmore is a free agent turning 32.

Prospects Kyle Rudolph, Luke Stocker and Lance Kendricks are still out there for the Bucs on Day 2.

Joe thinks it would be a serious blow for the Bucs if Winslow’s role is limited. Joe can’t even count the number of times he’s heard Bucs opponents before and after games talk about how their teams game-planned to stop Winlsow. Him just being out there helps open up the offense.

Don’t think that when Clemson defensive end Da’Quan Bowers was sitting there for the taking at No. 20 last night that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik didn’t pause. In fact, earlier this offseason, Dominik was all over Bowers as a Bucs defensive end but secure in the fact that drafting him was folly.

That’s the story from coffee-slurping, popcorn-shoveling, fried chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving Peter King of Sports Illustrated who broke down each team’s first round pick from last night.

20. Tampa Bay: Two months ago, the Bucs never thought they’d be passing on Da’Quan Bowers. In fact, when I saw GM Mark Dominik at the Scouting Combine in February and mentioned Bowers’ name, he shook his head and said he’d never be there at 20. Well, Bowers is there at 33, sunk by a bum knee. And Adrian Clayborn now becomes the speed guy around the edge the Bucs are desperate for.

Simply put, Bowers’ alleged bone-on-bone knee condition is way too big of a risk for the money that is shelled out to first round picks.

Joe is of the mind that, much like last year when Dominik drafted two defensive tackles in the first two rounds, if Bowers is still there when the Bucs pick tonight, Dominik just might be able to justify Bowers’ pick with low-second round cash.

OK, Joe has read all the excuses people are piling on about Bucs first round draft pick Adrian Clayborn and why he didn’t have a good senior season: He was overrated. He didn’t play against anyone (Joe had to pick himself up off the floor after reading that). He has a baby arm. He punched a cabbie.

Seems as though Gil Brandt is laughing like Joe.

Brandt, who was the architect of the famed “America’s Team” of the 1970s Dallas Cowboys, makes a good living as an NFL analyst for NFL.com, Sirius NFL Radio and still pulls in a paycheck from the NFL.

Brandt, as he told the Iowa Hawkeyes blog BlackHeartsGoldPants.com, fell in love with Clayborn’s motor after a come-from-behind loss to Northwestern in Chicago on the last week of the season.

“I just happened to be looking at the (2010) Northwestern game,” said Brandt, who spent three decades as the vice president of player personnel with the Dallas Cowboys. “I thought at the end of the game, when the game was on the line, he came from the right side, the quarterback’s backside, and he was really hustling to make a play. I think that’s a good mark when you see a guy late in the year, who’s gotten a lot of accolades — rightfully so — and he’s working hard to be a better player.

“You classify that as a hustle play or a competitive play. That play meant a lot to me as far as evaluating.”

Clayborn didn’t get to Northwestern’s Dan Persa on that play. He was a split-second late. Persa threw a touchdown pass that lifted the Wildcats to a 21-17 victory last November.

But that’s not the point to Brandt. What he saw was Clayborn — whose hustle as a senior was questioned in recent months in the NFL draft blogosphere — playing with max effort on the 82nd snap of the season’s 10th game.

Call Joe what you will, but Joe enjoyed the 3:30 p.m. Saturday Big Ten games and the noon games on Big Ten Network when he wasn’t distracted by Courtney the Bartender, of course. Clayborn showed Joe enough smarts and enough big plays that gives Joe reason to believe he has a chance to be a force with the Bucs.

The Adrian Clayborn pick by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik seems to have split the Bucs fanbase.

Many, largely consisting of those who don’t watch college football outside of the SEC, railed in outrage that Dominik would stoop so low as to pick a Big Ten player, as if Clayborn played in a JUCO league.

Others, who are open-minded and watch football from all corners and who have watched Clayborn play, nodded in approval of Dominik’s choice.

And who better to know an NFL prospect than former Bucs great Derrick Brooks?

Brooks, the greatest Bucs linebacker that ever played and now a pinball football executive, co-hosted “The Opening Drive” this morning with Bob Papa heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio. Brooks gave Dominik a golf clap for picking up Clayborn.

Bob Papa: I really thought the Da’Quan Bowers freefall would stop at the Bucs. I thought the Bucs would put the stop sign on and snag him. But they got quite a prospect in Adrian Clayborn.

Derrick Brooks: He’s a tough, hard-nosed kid that will go hard. I knew they liked him and they liked his toughness. The thing I liked about him is he has fluid hips which gives him the ability to make a change of direction from the right end. He’s physical at the point of attack. He will provide pressure fom the defensive front. When we got better, we did it on defense from front to back, started with Warren and myself.I see the Bucs adding that piece. I like the pick. I like the fact they went with Adrian Clayborn.

There you have it. It’s one thing to mock Dominik. It’s one think to mock Clayborn. It’s one thing to mock those who don’t play in a conference entirely located in the old confederacy.

It’s quite a different thing to mock Mr. Derrick Brooks.

Many readers know of JoeRaysFan.com and Joe’s proud partnership he has with Cork Gaines, the proprietor of the absolute best Rays blog on the interwebs, RaysIndex.com. It just so happens that Cork, who grew up in Carrollwood, is a Hawkeye.

No matter where Cork is, whether it is New York or back home in the Tampa Bay area or his current residence in Austin, Tex., Cork always finds a way to watch his Hawkeyes, and the Bucs, each and every weekend.

By Cork Gaines
RaysIndex.com

As a proud graduate of the University of Iowa, I did not miss a single play by Adrian Clayborn this year. So you can imagine that I am damn excited that he will be in a Bucs uniform this year. Here are a few thoughts on what I saw this past season…

THE GOOD: This guy is going to be an instant fan favorite. He is colorful and demonstrative. But he is also the “underdog” type. That is, he not a workout freak. He doesn’t have the best body. He is not the strongest guy and he is not the fastest. But his motor never stops. And every time you look up he has beat a bigger, stronger offensive lineman (or two) and is chasing the QB. He is a football player and he just has a knack for making plays.

THE BAD: Where you have to worry is that sometimes, grit and guts and determination can get you by in college, but not in the NFL. That being said, it was the Big Ten, so the offensive linemen Clayborn was beating were not slouches. There is some thought that he could really dominate in the NFL if he ever dedicated himself to get in shape. But how many guys suddenly morph into gym rats after they go to the NFL and get the big paycheck?

THE TELLING: If I had to pick one guy to compare Clayborn to, it would be Warren Sapp. Clayborn is not a physical specimen, but he is stronger than he looks, and has some deceptive quickness. He is a character and just seems to have a knack for getting to the quarterback. Sapp had his fair share of sacks. But how many more plays did we see where Sapp had broken through and forced the QB to scramble out of the pocket with Sapp on his heels? If Clayborn is playing well, we will see a lot of those.

As long as he makes plays, he will instantly be one of the most popular guys on the team and we will see a lot of “Clayborn” jerseys in the stands on Sundays.

Adrian Clayborn passed his first Buccaneer interview with flying colors.

The newest Buccaneer was intense and fired up on the phone tonight with draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski on WDAE-AM 620.

“I wanted to be a Buc from the start. That two-hour wait was worth it,” Clayborn said. “I just got off the phone with [Gerald] McCoy a minute ago. I’m ready.”

Clayborn said coming to One Buc Palace before the draft “was my best visit.”

He went on to say he “can’t wait to get into the playbook” and that Bucs fans will see a defensive end who gets after the quarterback and “kick offensive lineman’s asses” in the running game.

And Joe’s favorite quote, “If you’re not playing violent on the defensive line, there’s something wrong with you. Go somewhere else,” Clayborn said.

No wonder Raheem fell in love with this guy. Joe can’t wait for training camp. Oh, the agony of watiing.

Say hello to Adrian Clayborn, your new Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end.

Joe loves to read between the lines, so Joe found it telling that Raheem Morris mentioned two other defensive ends during his brief post-draft interview on WDAE-AM 620 tonight with Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski.

Sharing his love for new Bucs DE Adrian Clayborn, Raheem specifically mentioned Tim Crowder and Michael Bennett as defensive ends Clayborn would be working with daily.

Joe just finds it interesting that Crowder and Bennett were on the tip of Raheem’s tongue, and Kyle Moore, Alex Magee and Stylez White weren’t.

Maybe it’s meaningless. Maybe it’s not. Joe’s a big fan of high-motor Crowder and Bennett, so Joe’s not complaining.