Joe loves the final hours before opening day. The endless spinning and prognosticating by fans, pundits and the Bucs dies down, and all that matters is how the Bucs play Sunday and how the game unfolds. It’s known as real football, something fans haven’t seen in 7+ months. To celebrate the start of the season, Joe’s spitting out eight things he hated since the Super Bowl — in no particular order.

1) Media coverage of the asinine lockout: If Joe were interested in legal affairs, he’d watch TruTV, reruns of the O.J. trial and scour the Internet for swimsuit shots of Ashleigh Banfield circa 2000. But that’s not the case. However, for months Joe was all but forced to have heinous legal babble about the NFL labor talks jammed down his throat from all media angles. Yes, Mike Florio, of ProFootballTalk.com, did a masterful job boiling down the miserable nonsense, but it was still boring as all get out. Joe did his best here to create a safe haven for Bucs fans.

2) The Bucs constantly selling their plan: Joe’s not sure why Mark Dominik, Raheem Morris and even Bryan Glazer were out there  explaining/defending over and over again their plan to build the Bucs by focusing on the draft. Was any of that necessary in 2011? A form of Warren Sapp’s famous “next question” retort would have been much more appropriate and would have opened up a lot more time to talk about the stars on the Bucs. When you finish 10-6 with a young team after a masterful coaching job, there’s nothing to say other than, ‘We’re young. We’re 10-6. We’re on the rise, and that’s what every damn team in the NFL wants. We evaluate every opportunity possible to build the best team for our fans. Check the won-loss column. We’re on the right track. Next question.’

3) Aqib Talib coverage and commentary: With all the resources of the local mainstream media, and nothing much else to report about the Bucs, why was Joe the only one to have published the available public information about Talib’s case? Shameful journalism around these parts, considering this is the 21st century and every big outlet has the Web space available. Last Joe checked, the media should be interested in informing and educating the public. For those who shouted from the rooftops that the Bucs must ship Talib out of town or feel their wrath, and for those who reported the Bucs had decided to dump Talib months ago, your silence speaks volumes.

4) Gerald McCoy talking too much about being a leader and more: Derrick Brooks, speaking on the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 last week, offered a fabulous, detailed take on leadership on an NFL team. You can listen here. It was as close as the classy Brooks might come to saying, ‘Shutup, McCoy, until your play defines you as a leader.’ Joe knows McCoy’s heart is in the right place. He’s just got to figure out what to say and when — and how to make some plays.

5)  Fans in disbelief over 2011 blackouts: Joe knows there are still fans reading this that don’t believe Sunday’s Bucs-Lions game will be blacked out, along with other games this season. Are there that many fans with their heads in the sand? The Bucs were 8-5 last year entering the critical December Lions game at home when only 47,692 showed up at the C.I.T.S. That was a game with massive playoff implications. Did anyone in their right mind think another 15,000 or 20,000 fans would cough up the cash and show up eight months later?

6) Cadillac Williams’ departure: Joe still doesn’t get it. The Bucs didn’t get better swapping Kregg Lumpkin for Cadillac.

7) LeGarrette Blount’s low profie: Joe gets no vibe that Blount is considered a superstar around town or nationally. This is mind-boggling to Joe. Never in a million years could Joe have imagined that a punishing rookie runner, who also hurdles defenders, could come to the Bucs and crank out 1,000+ yards in 13 games with limited carries and not be revered all across the Bay area. The man was heaven sent. Blount’s not getting the love nationally, either, especially considering his name recognition from his famous “punch.” Joe’s got to think this guy has one horrendous agent.  

8) London decision: Joe gets the upside of the Bucs giving up a home game and running off to London to play the Bears in October, but there is no escaping that losing a true home-field advantage in that game could easily hurt the Bucs’ chances of scoring a critical victory. When your team finishes 10-6 and a sniff from the playoffs, that’s just not a cool move to make.

UPDATE: Thursday, 3:35 p.m.: The Blackout Tour is sold out. Those who are in will get a reminder email on Friday.

Every Bucs fan hopes opening day against Detroit is sold out Sunday. But the reality is that it will take a minor miracle for that to happen 72 hours before kickoff in order to get the game on local TV.

So Joe has revived the Blackout Tour for the home opener to give Bucs fans an opportunity to watch the game live on HD-TV outside the blackout zone in Fort Myers at Lee Roy Selmon’s, if they can’t swing getting to the game in Tampa.

Joe ran the Blackout Tour last season with his great partners at Paradise Worldwide Transportation. And this year the price has dropped and there will be stops in Tampa (Lee Roy Selmon’s near International Plaza) and at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg for the chauffeured luxury bus that will take fans fans to Fort Myers.

The cost is only $22.95 per person, which includes roundtrip transportation and a FREE draft beer and a FREE plate of wings at Lee Roy Selmon’s in Fort Myers, plus free soft drinks on the bus.

Yes, you can bring your own alcohol on the bus.

Joe is pleased to offer this stunning deal. The Blackout Tour was a blast last year and is a fun, affordable way to catch the game. Visit BlackoutTour.com to grab your seat and get all the details. The luxury bus will sell out and another bus will NOT be added.

Rockstar Bucs general manager Mark Dominik enlightened NFL fans across the country today via a long chat on ProFootballTalk Live with Mike Florio.

There were interesting nuggets but nothing too revealing from Dominik. You can hear the entire interview here.

Answering a question about available salary cap space, Dominik said “in time” the Bucs will sit down “with a couple of our players and talk about a contract extension.”

Also, Dominik said “you’ll see a little bit more of a committee approach” at running back in 2011, explaining that LeGarrette Blount was impressive in a third down role during preseason but Earnest Graham and Kregg Lumpkin will their share of action.

Joe’s not seeing Lumpkin getting many carries, but perhaps that’s just wishful thinking.

Sunday’s hyped showdown between Aqib Talib and some guy named Megatron sure will be fun to watch. Joe expects the Lions will show Talib no respect and come right after him.

Esteemed NFL writer eye-RAH! Kaufman, of The Tampa Tribune, says the edge goes to Megatron, so he told Dan Sileo on WDAE-AM 620 today. Kaufman had a chat with Talib yesterday.

{“Talib] wanted to play against the Skins last week. I think he realized he needed to be in football shape. …Raheem shut him down, Kaufman said. “Talib said he’s 98.5 percent healthy — ‘98.5, baby.’ I don’t think that’s good enough for Sunday.”

If Joe had to lay money, he’d bet against Talib as well. Joe’s focus is on stopping the run. The Bucs can’t let Lions running back Maurice Morris (or any other RB)  run wild on them like he did in December.

Nothing like an arrogant, foolish Yankee to underestimate what a tropical climate is all about, and what it takes to throw on football pads with a 100 degree heat index.

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz scoffs at the notion he should care about game conditions when preparing for the Bucs or any other opponent. It seems Schwartz’s undergarments got all bunched up when asked about dealing with the heat and humidity in Tampa by a Detriot Free Press reporter.

Rather than crank up the heat and practice indoors Monday, the Lions spent the morning working outside on their back practice field in crisp, low-60-degree weather.

“That’s foolishness,” Schwartz said when asked about practicing inside the climate-controlled facility. “We don’t pipe in crowd noise, and we don’t open up the doors and make it cold, and we don’t try to smoke the team out. It’s just a bunch of foolishness.”

Looking at Schwartz’s bio, he doesn’t seem to have spent any work time in Florida. This is a nice edge for the Bucs. Let the Lions keep running around this week in the Michigan autumn and think the heat won’t be so bad.

What a shrewd head coach.

"It's only a matter of time, little guy."

Joe polled his readers the other day to see if they thought the Bucs were a playoff team in 2011. Only 47 percent were believers of the more than 1,000 responses. This surprised Joe somewhat. Joe thought the total would come in about 55 or 60 percent among the rabid Bucs lovers on this site.

Reading and listening to various media takes about the Bucs, it’s nearly universal that the pundits don’t believe the Bucs will improve where it counts most this season.

Another man in that group is eye-RAH! Kaufman, NFL writer at The Tampa Tribune.

“I think they might take a bit of a step back this season,” Kaufman said on the The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on 1040 AM yesterday. The Bucs “snugly fit into that third [place] spot” in the NFC South.

Joe believes fans and media are looking for more of those “signature wins” talked about ad nauseum last year. Beating Atlanta at home this month will go a long way toward changing perception.

Joe is not like his old man. Joe’s old man heavily plays the stock market.

Joe was brought up to love newspapers. Before Joe’s old man even touched his breakfast each morning, he was poring over his Wall Street Journal. Only until after he had devoured the Wall Street Journal did Joe’s old man grab the sports section of the local papers (the news section was left for after-dinner reading).

In sort of a harbinger of the 21st century, though Joe’s old man was a sports addict like Joe, he told Joe the reason he didn’t read the sports section first is because he had watched the games the previous evening and already knew what happened.

At any rate, if Joe played the stock market as much as his old man, Joe would be homeless. The stock market isn’t Joe’s wheelhouse if you get the drift.

So it was interesting to Joe to read of the stock watch listed by ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas. In his monitoring of the NFC South stock market, he is bearish of Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib, listing him among the top “falling” stocks, essentially advising investors to divest of Talib.

Aqib Talib, cornerback, Buccaneers. We’re starting his stock low because he had a turbulent offseason and he’s going to be under the microscope. This guy can’t afford a wrong move on or off the field. He’s got to stay focused on football and get his career on a good path.

Well, Joe will agree that Talib cannot afford another off-field incident, specifically an incident that involves another brush with the law. On the field, Talib should be coming into his own. He’s a talented cornerback and with just a modicum of improvement, could be a Pro Bowl player.

This one surprised Joe. It appears Preston Parker has taken over as top punt and kick returner ahead of Micheal Spurlock.

Stephen Holder, of the St. Pete Times, delivers the news.

Receiver Preston Parker has replaced Micheal Spurlock as the top kick and punt returner, making Spurlock more likely to be among the team’s inactive players on Sunday.

Spurlock did not return punts and kicks during the preseason. Joe asked Spurlock about it, and he told Joe a couple of weeks ago that was done to get other guys work and not a knock on him.

Joe’s not sure he’s on board with Holder’s assertion that Spurlock is likely to be inactive on Sunday, considering Spurlock is such a sure-handed receiver (17 catches for 250 yards in 2010) and returner, and the emergency third quarterback. Considering the Bucs likely will remain cautious with Arrelious Benn, Joe would hardly be surprised if all six receivers on the roster are active.

"It's time to be your best self, Olie."

Earnest Graham has won the starting third-down spot, so Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson said during a news conference today.

Olson said Graham taking on that role is not a big loss at fullback, if at all where Erik Lorig will start.

“We like the develoment of [Erik] Lorig. He provides a bigger body and more explosiveness,” Olson said. “Earnest was only playing fullback eight to 10 snaps per game.”

Olson went on to say Graham’s new role is no knock on Kregg Lumpkin or LeGarrette Blount. Olson emphasized that Blount is still a very young player.

For Joe, Graham can get the job done protecting Freeman — priority No. 1 — and Joe sees no reason why he can’t come close to duplicating Cadillac Williams’ stats as a third-down back. Though Joe would much rather see Cadillac running the draw play, which often was effective for the Bucs last year.

On the newly signed undrafted rookie tight end, Zack Pianalto, Olson said the Bucs “liked his size, athleticism and size” coming out of North Carolina and liked what their contacts with the Buffalo Bills had to say about him. Olson said the rookie is mature enough to be thrown into the fire.

While stats are for losers, Olson mentioned the Bucs were a top-10 team in explosive plays last season. Joe’s not sure how that is defined. But Joe knows the offensive line better start opening holes for Blount if that mark is to be duplicated.

Months ago Kellen Winslow talked on the Real Man Channel, NFL Network, about how he thought a no-huddle offense was the next evolution for Josh Freeman and the Bucs.

For Joe, Winslow’s quick answer didn’t sound like something out of left field.

After Winslow explained to Eisen that Josh Freeman could be talked about among the all-time great quarterbacks, Eisen asked Winslow what’s next for No. 5.

Winslow was quick with an answer. “I think the no-huddle system is next for [Freeman]. Calling plays at the line, not huddling up so much,” he said. “There’s only so many coverages you can run when you run no-huddle offense.”

The Bucs didn’t show any no huddle or much of any up-tempo in the preseason, so Joe asked Winslow about this after the Bucs-Dolphins preseason game. Winslow replied, “It’s preseason. You’ll see a lot more to the offense this year,” before saying goodbye to Joe.

What that meant is unclear. But a no-huddle and a faster pace to the Bucs offense is something Joe will look for on Sunday. The Lions, one of the oldest teams in the NFL, will no doubt be suffocating from extreme heat that they’re unaccustomed to in the second half. What a great time for the Bucs to roll out the no-huddle.

Frankly, as slow as the Bucs start games under Raheem Morris, Joe wouldn’t mind seeing the Bucs come out of the gate pushing the tempo.

It’s always informative and entertaining when Tampa Tribune NFL writer eye-RAH! Kaufman takes to the sports radio airwaves, and today was no exception when Kaufman shared Lee Roy Selmon stories on The Fabulous Sports Babe Show on 1040 AM.

Kaufman talked about how Selmon was a “frequent visitor” to practice in recent years and his impact was reflected today by current Buccaneers.

Kaufman said Geno Hayes got choked up talking about Selmon in the locker room this afternoon. And Kaufman noted Aqib Talib was eager to talk about Selmon’s impact. Lastly, the Tribune scribe said Donald Penn shared a memory about how it impacted him early in his career when Selmon came up to him to tell him he’s been studying his play and praised his “great feet.” Surely, Selmon had studied his share of left tackles over the years.

Per Kaufman, the Bucs will pay tribute to Selmon before Sunday’s game, in addition to ceremonies commemorating Sept. 11.

Rest In Peace, Mr. Selmon.

As promised, Joe’s been monitoring TicketMaster.com as a public service to Bucs fans and, as of 12:45 p.m., all $35 tickets for Sunday’s home-opener are gone. Hundreds were released Sunday, but they’re history.

The cheapest seats available now, including service charge are $71.25. Those are upper deck seats with the majority the west side of the C.I.T.S. Various secondary market websites have tickets available for about $50.

Interestingly, the Bucs will have nearly all tickets sold on the east side, which will look great on television — for those far outside Tampa Bay TV market.

Team Glazer member Bryan Glazer graced the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves for an exclusive interview Friday with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig. The entire audio can be heard here. Joe suggests you listen.

Among the highlights, Glazer passionately opens up about his philosophy on free agency. In one exchange, Duemig asked Glazer if he’d be opposed to adding a big name free agent “to get over the top” if his personnel team recommended it.

“Not opposed to it but those situations are few and far between. Peter King wrote this week that over 60 percent of the free agents this year were signed on one year deals. Teams let players go for a reason,” Glazer said. “Generally, there’s only been one or two difference-makers in the last 10 years that have been really released by teams, just players that went to another team and lasted seven, eight, nine years. We’re not looking for one-year solutions. I don’t think anybody is.”

Joe completely understands the whole build-through-the-draft approach. But Joe never really gets all the justification by Glazer and various pundits when it comes to being philosophically opposed to free agents. Just pick the right free agent when you need one, and free agency is a wonderfuly glorious thing. It’s really that simple. And it’s always been that simple.

Interestingly, Mark Dominik, during an interview with Dan Sileo a couple of weeks ago, talked about how he’s not opposed to free agency and told fans that the Bucs “made a big splash” obtaining Kellen Winslow and “you can look at that as free agency.” It was a great take by Dominik. Trading, the way it is in the NFL, essentially is free agency — with a higher price tag. Trading for John Abraham and Tony Gonzalez sure has served the Falcons well.

Joe applauds Team Glazer for the enlightening public appearance. Joe thinks it can only help the franchise to hear Team Glazer speak genuinely and passionately like this.

A lot has changed in the past two years for the Bucs, and specifically Bucs fans. When the Bucs were stumbling over themselves to a three-win season, Bucs fans were no less than outraged, and Joe understood the venom.

Watching teams run up and down the field at will against the heinous Jim Bates Experience, Joe’s neck hurt so bad he had to seek the aid of a chiropractor.

Bucs fans were livid and the target of their ire was then rookie head coach Raheem Morris. The common rant was that Team Glazer was (allegedly) broke thanks to that damned English kickball team, and as a result, Morris was one of the few men the team could have afforded. Otherwise, unemployed Bill Cowher would have been hired as Bucs coach, so the naysayers said.

When Team Glazer came out and gave Morris a vote of confidence after the season, Joe was confident pitchforks at local Home Depots were out of stock.

After a few months, and Josh Freeman leading the Bucs to a near-playoff bid, losing a tiebreaker with the eventual Super Bowl champion Packers, fans have chilled out. So much so, that Morris is now perceived to be a fan favorite, so writes Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune.

Most fans were ready to close the book on Morris after the team finished 3-13. They wanted him to be fired after one season and replaced by former Steelers coach Bill Cowher.

So many people called for Morris’ to be fired, the Glazers, who rarely speak publicly, issued a news release stating they remained committed to Morris and the rebuilding plan in place.

Morris just laughed.

Joe loves the fact Bucs players are eating out of Morris’ hand. That’s great. Joe loves Morris’ energy and enthusiasm, too.

But let’s not forget we are not speaking of college or high school football here. The NFL is not a popularity contest. As former NFL coach Jerry Glanville once famously stated, “the NFL stands for ‘Not For Long.'” If the Bucs do not make the playoffs this year, that will make three playoff-less seasons for Morris.

That likely would mean Morris’ fourth season will be critical. Joe is not suggesting anything here, other than the fact the NFL is an unforgiving business.

Always remember and never forget that the previous two Bucs coaches were both very popular men, and Team Glazer had no qualms in removing them despite both coaches having far, far, far more pelts on the wall than Morris has.

Being popular with players and fans is a great thing. At the end of the day, popularity doesn’t mean squat without playoff appearances.

That’s just how the NFL rolls.

Popcorn-shoveling, oatmeal-guzzling Peter King, of Sports Illustrated fame, is back on the record again with his trademark season predictions.

Last year, he drew the wrath of nearly everyone associated with the Bucs by saying they’d win two games in 2010. Nostradamus he is not. In this SI.com video, King explains gives his impressions of the Bucs’ chances.

New Bucs tight end Zack Pianalto

The Bucs snagged an undrafted tight end and named their practice squad today in what could be the final roster moves before opening day.

First, the two guys booted from the roster are cornerback D.J. Johnson and defensive George Johnson. Tough break, fellas. Joe feels for you. The new TE is rookie Zack Pianalto, per Buccaneers.com.

The 6-4, 250-pound Pianalto is a rookie who signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in July out of the University of North Carolina.  In three preseason games this summer he caught six passes for 59 yards, with a long of 23.  The Bills originally retained Pianalto on their 53-man roster during Saturday’s cut-down, but then released him on Sunday, and the Buccaneers put in a successful claim.

You can see Pianalto make a big catch in the Bills’ final preseason game against the Lions in this video from NFL.com.  It’s late in the video, after some guy named Megatron catches a deep ball and Maurice Stovall scores the Lions’ opening touchdown.

Bucs seventh round pick in 2011, TE Daniel Hardy, will hang around on the practice squad. 

In addition, Tampa Bay formed its first practice squad of the 2011 season, signing eight players, all of whom were with the team in training camp.  Though the practice squad remains fluid throughout the season and could change at any time, the first iteration includes the following players: safety Ahmad Black, tackle Will Barker, quarterback Rudy Carpenter, tight end Collin Franklin, wide receiver Ed Gant, tight end Daniel Hardy, running back Mossis Madu and linebacker Derrell Smith.

No real new names there. And if Mark Dominik is finished, on paper that’s not much of a “second draft.” Though Joe would hardly wager that Dominik is through now and for the rest the season.

Before the Bucs had a chance to release the members of their practice squad as the team prepares for the season opener against Detroit, Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune had word that backup quarterback Rudy Carpenter and rookie safety Ahmad Black passed waivers and are back with the Bucs on the practice squad.

@RoyECummings: QB Rudy Carpenter is backl with the Bucs – as a member of their practice squad. Same for WR Ed Gant, TE Daniel Hardy and S Ahmad Black

Good to see Black, who was injured much of preseason, return to his hometown team to be given a second chance of sorts.

Joe knows Bucs fans will be happy that fan favorite Ed Gant is still in Tampa, and Joe was sort of impressed with the limited play he saw from Daniel Hardy, also a Bucs draft pick this spring.

As word spreads of Peyton Manning now listed as doubtful for opening day and not practicing this week, Bucs icon Ronde Barber can prepare for a new honor.

Barber would take over as the NFL’s king of longevity if Manning sits out. Barber has made 179 consecutive starts, second only to Manning. NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas took time to point this out today.

Barber has started every regular-season game since 1998. He holds a healthy lead over Washington linebacker London Fletcher, who is third with 163 consecutive starts.

What can one say about Barber? Consdering he plays on the defensive side of the ball and isn’t protected by Roger Goodell’s rules, Barber’s streak already is more impressive than Manning’s.

But the streak does illustrate a concept few Bucs fans want to consider: life without Barber. He can’t take the pounding forever. The odds of him being part of the lasting contender in 2012 are slim, and Myron Lewis being injury prone isn’t a comfort.

As for Manning, Joe wonders whether the Bucs would catch a major break and have Manning miss the Colts-at-Bucs Monday Night Football game at the C.I.T.S. on Oct. 3. Though it would be so much sweeter — and better for attendance — if the Bucs could beat the Colts with Manning under center.

Team Glazer took to the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves Friday for an exclusive sit down with host Steve Duemig and part of that chat was about ticket sales.

Bryan Glazer told fans to keep an eye on TicketMaster.com because the Bucs and Ticketmaster would be working to release a new round of $35 tickets for opening day. Well, Joe has been monitoring TicketMaster to see what would happen.

It seems that about 250 $35 tickets (including service charge) were released Sunday morning, and as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, about 40 remain in section 339. Unfortunately, there are still 2,000 or so end zone tickets available in the $105 class, per Tickemaster, and many in other price ranges.

Joe will continue monitoring the $35 ticket availability. And there’s always The Blackout Tour with free beer and wings if you can’t afford or physically handle attending opening day.