Another body was added to Raheem The Dream's prized secondary, reports the Dallas Morning News.

Looks like the Bucs have added another cornerback, albeit a guy who hasn’t played much in four seasons with four teams.

The Dallas Morning News is reporting the Cowboys cut Michael Hawkins and the Bucs snatched him off the waiver wire.

Joe’s not reading much into this signing, other than the fact that it’s clear Tampa Bay needs more depth at cornerback.

 Raheem The Dream’s a great secondary coach. Perhaps he’s seeing something on film. 

The TBO Twins are back! Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune and Dan Lucas of WFLA-TV join forces again to talk Bucs football.

Cummings discusses how and why Jermaine Philips practiced at safety in yesterday’s morning practice. This video was cut before the Bucs announced that starting safety Tanard Jackson was suspended for four games.

Cummings also speaks of the elusive battle for the No. 3 wide receiver position. A lot of guys are fighting for the gig but no one is winning.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com takes a moment to chat with Bucs (starting?) quarterback Byron Leftwich. He loves the weapons he has to work with and labels training camp “exciting.”

Raheem The Dream said the starting quarterback must have standout leadership, skill set and mental approach.

Might Raheem The Dream flip-flop on his starting quarterback decision after it’s made next week?

No chance, so Raheem The Dream told the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, on 620 WDAE-AM on Tuesday.

Raheem The Dream said his three key factors for picking a starter are “leadership, skill set and mental approach to the game.”

“When we pick the guy, I gotta say that’s the guy,”  he said.  The head coach went on to explain that the final decision on a starter is his and it’s not in his makeup to name a starter and retain any thoughts of making a change.

Joe believes Raheem The Dream on all but one point: when the Bucs actually name a starter. In Joe’s eyes, it’s quite likely that the Bucs will wait another week if Luke McCown outplays Bryan Leftwich against Jacksonville, or both quarterbacks stink up the field.

There’s no reason not to be sure.

Scott Smith of Buccaneers Inside takes a look back at the Bucs first training camp at One Buc Palace and what if any progress the team made as a result.

Also, the good people of Buccaneers.com have their daily press briefing from Raheem the Dream.

Joe was out at One Buc Palace yesterday at a largely subdued Bucs practice. Seemed as though Santa Claus came with many gifts, among them were cloudy skies, nice breeze, no pads or helmets.

On top of that the Bucs largely worked on special teams for their final afternoon workout of training camp two-a-days.

The only things that jumped out at Joe were an interception by Aqib Talib when he cut in front of Kellen Winslow, and a routine catch made by Cadillac Williams out of the backfield. The play wasn’t significant but what got Joe’s attention was the way the crowd roared just because Cadillac touched the ball.

Cadillac is certainly a fan favorite.

Oh, and then there was this little item:

The Bucs were giving away game tickets. No, Joe has not had too many Caybrews (is there such a thing?). You read that correctly.

The Bucs were handing out free game tickets!

About halfway through the practice, Bucs employees, armed with handfuls of tickets to next week’s Miami game, began wandering through the stands asking, “Want any tickets?” If you said, “Yes,” you received a pair. If there was a family in attendance, the employees made sure each family member received a ticket.

The Bucs employees were handing them out as if members of a band were handing out flyers touting their next gig in Ybor City or at Jannus Landing.

This blew Joe’s mind. The Bucs employees must have dished out hundreds of tickets. Good tickets, too! Joe got sixth row in the 200 level.

What’s this tell Joe? First, it was an extremely generous and kind gesture by Bryan and Joel. Joe wants to thank them personally.

But this also tells Joe that fans should expect to see plenty of season ticket sales commercials during Saturday’s televised game from Jacksonville.

The free ticket giveaway for Joe was icing on the cake on what a wonderful camp it was for fans. Each day the players mingled with the fans and fans got as close to the practice fields as the coaches. Concessions were very reasonable, the facility easy to get in and out of, and, of course, the daily appearances by the cheerleaders.

Whoever was responsible for setting up Bucs training camp at One Buc Palace needs to get a raise or a promotion from Bryan and Joel. Job well done!

Who could forget Tanard Jackson's big hit, strip and fumble recovery to give the Bucs life against the Chiefs last year. Now he's out for the first four games of 2009 for violating the NFL drug policy.

There are morons across the NFL, and now there’s a new one at One Buc Place.

Safety Tanard Jackson is suspended for the first four games of the 2009 season for violating the NFL substance abuse policy. In other words, he likely partied with something other than ice cold Caybrew and robust Bucaneros.

The news broke today after practice. In its story about Jackson’s suspension, the St. Pete Times reports steroid use is governed under a different NFL policy.

What is there to say?

Joe hopes Jackson doesn’t have a serious problem. And now the secondary is perilously thin. The Bucs only have three cornerbacks worth anything — Ronde Barber, Aqib Talib and Elbert Mack — and now the safety rotation has taken a shotgun to the gut.

No wonder Jermaine Phillips was back getting reps in the secondary today.

And how curious was the timing of Scott Smith’s video feature Monday where he announced that Phillips is still listed as a safety on the roster? Smith is a Bucs front office employee.

You don’t suppose…

Joe can't look at a picture of Michael Clayton right now

Well, here you have it, finally.

Michael Clayton, the Bucs’ resident blamer, explains the December collapse that sent the Bucs from first to worst. And just for good measure, Clayton proclaims this year’s Bucs are better than the 9-7 team in 2008, so he tells Vacation Man of ESPN.com

“We were 9-3 last year and had a rocky ending because the atmosphere wasn’t right,” Clayton said.” But the team we’ve put together this year is a whole lot better than last year. You know the energy is going to be in the right place because of the atmosphere. Raheem maximizes you. Raheem does a good job of maximizing everybody’s effort and we didn’t have that last year.”

And here Joe thought it was just terrible tackling and defensive line play that led to losing four straight losses to close last. Unbelievable! It was “the atmosphere” the whole time.

This blamer Clayton is the same guy who ran off to be tutored by Jerry Rice this offseason. Maybe — and it’s a big maybe — Clayton can get past his four seasons of dropped passes and overall disappointment. But it’s becoming clear he doesn’t have the mindset of a champion.

 Joe can guarantee that whatever negatives befall the Bucs and Clayton this season they surely won’t be Clayton’s fault.

Could Josh Johnson give Greg Olson and Raheem the Dream enough of a reason to cut either veteran quarteracks Bryon Leftwich or Luke McCown?

A lot of talk by Bucs fans in the aftermath of the first preseason game centered on the play (or lack thereof) of Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich.

Sure, Josh Johnson made a nice play of a busted play where he didn’t know the snap count, scampering for a long touchdown.

Joe has no idea where Raheem the Dream is going with his quarterback decisions but two things seem pretty clear:

1) It now appears the starting job is Bryon Leftwich’s to lose, which is still possible; and,

2) Josh Freeman sticks. Sure, that’s a no-brainer.

But could the loser of the Leftwich-McCown showdown be out of work next week? Reason Joe asks is there appears to be something odd happening at One Buc Palace per the TBO gang in their updates of this morning’s practice.

11:06: For the second day in a row Josh Johnson is getting a lot of reps at quarterback. It’s looking like this kid has a chance to make this team after all.

Maybe Joe is adding two-and-two and coming up with five. But if Johnson doesn’t have a chance of making the club, why increase his snaps in practice when Raheem the Dream is so close to naming a starter?

Now Joe’s not crazy enough (or had too many Caybrews to drink) to suggest Johnson has a shot at starting. He doesn’t. But could the loser of the Leftwich-McCown derby be cut next week, thus giving Johnson (who comes cheaper than Leftwich or McCown) the job as the No. 3 signal-caller?

The sack artist formerly known as Greg White was embarassed before his teammates for what Raheem The Dream said was poor effort in practice

It almost sounded like Raheem The Dream was taking a little credit for Stylez G. White’s strong performance on Saturday.

Talking to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, on 620 WDAE-AM yesterday, Raheem The Dream said he had “called [White] out in front of the team” prior to the game for “not playing that hard in practice.”

Raheem The Dream talked about a film session last week in which the Bucs had a red dot following White on the big screen for all too see how he was dogging it in practice. He went on to say that White turned his status around with maximum effort — and results — against Tennessee.

Joe can only give Raheem The Dream high marks to date for having his players motivated and ready to play.

Whether these young Bucs have the talent to win more games than they lose is another story.

The always informative and telegenically entertaining eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune talks Bucs with WFLA-TV’s Dan Lucas in this daily (?) TBO video from Bucs training camp.

Kaufman talks of dire consequences for the Bucs in losing punter Josh Bidwell and states emphatically that wide receiver Sammie Stroughter makes the team.

“This kid’s got it!”

Ready? (Cough.) 3… 2… 1…

CBSSports.com’s Pete Prisco decided to get nasty with Not As Big Nasty, and some guy who glosses himself as “A-Train Man.”

Prisco and Vacation Man must dine in the same eatery or drink from the same watering hole because Prisco referred to Mike Alstott as the most overrated player in NFL history.

Who knew Not As Big Nasty is a “Jersey guy?” Sometimes Joe thinks Not As Big Nasty is actually Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski in drag.

Joe believes Not As Big Nasty may have watched too many Hulk Hogan matches.

Joe’s a stick-waving Tampa Bay Lightning fan sharing his views with the world over at JoeBoltsFan.com.

If you haven’t yet visited, do it today. The fabulous Amanda Harris, Joe’s hockey-crazed sister handles the heavy lifting at JoeBoltsFan.com.

Amanda turns out her can’t-miss review of all things Lightning, The Rundown, every Monday through the offseason.

Put JoeBoltsFan.com in your favorites today.

As many JoeBucsFan.com readers know, Joe has a partnership with 620 WDAE-AM, The Sports Animal, and ClearChannel Radio.

(No, there’s no truth to the rumor that Joe’s founders will replace Jim Rome next month.)

Joe provides content for The Sports Animal’s stellar online Bucs coverage. You can also find Joe’s work here.

Today, Joe shares his post-game interview with Chris Hovan, which you can find via the links above. 

All Joe’s going to say here is that Hovan’s voice turned to one of a grizzled, almost-angry veteran when Joe asked whether he could succeed in Jim Bates’ new defense.

Scott Smith in his daily Buccaneers Insider has a feature on strong safety weakside linebacker Jermaine Phillips, who, Smith notes, is still listed on the Bucs roster as a safety.

Smith claims Phillips said he didn’t get much action because the Titans didn’t run his way and that should change this weekend against Jacksonville.

Smith also features quarterback Josh Johnson and how he played so well and Smith also discusses the punting situation.

Also from the good people of Buccaneers.com is the daily press conference from Raheem the Dream.

Hard to believe someone other than Luke McCown's mother would suggest he still is in the race to start against Dallas.

Since Joe launched this site over a year ago, he has met all sorts of Bucs fans. Even the most diehard Luke McCown fans are pretty discouraged by McCown not taking advantage of being all but given the starting quarterback job the moment Chucky was fired.

Vacation Man of BSPN.com is no fan; an impartial observer, he. So Joe was somewhat perplexed by what Vacation Man deemed the Bucs quarterback race to be.

Vacation Man said the race is now “cloudy.”

If anything, Tampa Bay’s quarterback situation might have gotten more cloudy in the preseason opener Saturday night.

The battle between Luke McCown and Byron Leftwich for the starting job is probably closer than it was before. McCown started and didn’t play badly, but didn’t do anything particularly well on a night when the Titans were able to put some pressure on him. Leftwich followed and had a better outing.

Um, did Vacation Man see the same game or was he on vacation again and didn’t set his DVR? McCown, really nice guy that he is, played terrible. It pains Joe to write that because McCown is such a good person, but there was no way to sugarcoat his play Saturday.

Look, Vacation Man lives in Tampa. He’s been to a number of practices. Surely he’s seen what others at practices have seen: That Leftwich has pulled away from McCown in practices. And playing with lesser talent Saturday, playing behind reserve offensive linemen and throwing to guys farther down the depth chart than McCown , Leftwich moved the ball, looked smooth and rarely rattled.

McCown cannot say the same thing.

Unless Leftwich stinks up the joint badly this weekend and McCown shines, there’s nothing cloudy about who will start against Dallass.

Leftwich.

Even Raheem The Dream acknowledged that Michael Clayton has trouble catching the ball

It’s got to hurt when your new head coach tells the world you’re not a great pass-catching wide receiver.

Raheem The Dream spanked Michael Clayton in just that way Monday in an interview with Steve Duemig on 620 WDAE-AM. Raheem The Dream said Clayton dropped two passes in practice Monday and that’s “the M.O. that’s been killing him throughout his career.”

Ouch!

Joe’s heard many people try to make excuses for Clayton’s hands of stone — blaming Chucky, injuries, etc. Joe never buys any of that garbage.

You’re a wide receiver, Clayton, catching the ball is No. 1 in your job description.

It’s no secret Clayton is the highest paid blocking wide receiver in the NFL. Clearly Raheem The Dream knows it, too.

Joe’s just hoping Antonio Bryant can come back healthy and the Bucs don’t settle on a No. 3 receiver, but actually find a guy who can push Clayton and represent a deep threat.

Saints fans are all abuzz over Derrick Brooks’ comments on Sirius NFL Radio today.

He wants to be a Saint.

He was talking about taking on a reserve role and other stuff with Bucs basher Adam Schein.

Joe missed the interview, but the beat writers at the Times-Picayune were all over it.

Now Joe must confess. There is some disagreement among the leadership ranks of JoeBucsFan.com. Not enough to start throwing around unopened bottles of Caybrew or tearing up Carmella posters, but it’s a disagreement nonetheless.

This “Joe” wants Brooks to wear a uniform in 2009, no matter the NFL team. Brooks knows his body and his mind enough to know he can contribute. Hell, he should still be on the Bucs!

At the very least, Brooks has earned a level of respect to where fans should support his decision. If he wants to play on third down and be a backup, then Joe will cheer him on.

There is no dishonor in dying on your shield. 

Rookie defensive tackle Roy Miller was a key part of the Bucs' run-stuffing revival, says Justin Pawlowski of 620 WDAE-AM, The Sports Animal.

Curb that enthusiasm, Leftwich lovers.

“If you’re excited over Byron Leftwich over just a few series, the true Byron Leftwich will definitely stand up,” says 620 WDAE-AM personality and NFL Draft guru Justin Pawlowski.

In this exclusive audio for JoeBucsFan.com, Pawlowski breaks down positive and negative standouts from Saturday night’s game in Tennessee, including the play of his man crush  quarterback Josh Johnson.

Pawlowski also smacks Joe for misrepresnting his stance on Luke McCown, clarifying that the ideal situation is for Luke McCown to have a great season and have trade value after 2009.

It’s can’t miss audio for Bucs fans. Enjoy!

No doubt Raheem The Dream and his Chucky-like work ethic poured over game film into the wee hours on Sunday.

He talked to the Bucs media staff about what he saw. There was high praise for the linebacker corps, though he called Jermaine Phillips “very average.”

“The linebackers, I was excited about them, to be honest with you,” said Morris. “You’re talking about exciting play from Quincy Black. Flip was decent for his first time out in the box – very average but decent. He shot his gun a couple times. We looked very fast, very explosive. The only thing we’ve got to clean up is some of the flat throws. Some of those were toughs, some of the bootlegs when we’re playing quarters and you’re trying to read that thing. Some of those things are tough, some of them are schematic differences in the defense that show up.

“But talking about playing fast, hitting, hustling, physical and tough play, like we’ve talking about all season? We got that. They played fast and they hit. I was excited to see the young guys go. Geno Hayes is another one that played well. Hayward, Quincy, Niko and Rod when they were in there…take away that one missed tackle by Hayward and he played pretty good.”

Morris also went on to praise the Bucs’ tackling.

“For the first preseason game? I don’t know if I’ve seen this team tackle that well in the first preseason game,” said Morris. “Maybe that has something to do with the camp; that wasn’t the first time we tackled. For a preseason game, I was ecstatic with the way we tackled. The tackling, the hustling, the physical play…that was there.”

Joe’s just giddy that the Bucs defense didn’t display any glaring weaknesses other than a largely non-existent Gaines Adams, first-team pass rush.