“I like being rumored to be everywhere. I mean that in the sense that I’m going to call and find out what it takes to get anywhere in this draft class. That’s just how I do it. So if I call and I check to the St. Louis Rams and say, ‘What is it going to take? What would you want to do if you want to move up?’ Or if I talk to the Cleveland Browns or the Minnesota Vikings, I just want to know what’s going on because I want to be able to value what trades are going for in the National Football League. We all have these point charts but sometimes they’re obsolete. What are things actually going for? So you have to stay involved in those. Now at the end of the day I’ll talk to [teams] and say, ‘hey, we’re not in on that.’ But I need to know going ahead. That I think is just the way you need to be prepared.” — Mark Dominik following the selection of Mark Barron. Dominik was asked about rumors he was looking to trade up.

Joe led with the above quote because it meshes with the contention today from popcorn-munching,coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports, that Dominik was looking to trade up to No. 3 overall. King’s source is the Vikings head honcho.

Talked to Minnesota GM Rick Spielman after round one. He told me there was another team — Tampa Bay — interested in moving to No. 3. And before the round began, Spielman was in talks about swapping picks with Cleveland at four and Tampa Bay at five.

Cleveland had two picks in the fourth round (100 and 118 overall), the second pick acquired from Atlanta in the Julio Jones deal last draft day. The Browns also had two picks in the fifth round (139 and 160 overall), the second one part of the Brady Quinn deal with Denver two years ago. And the Browns had three seventh-round picks (211, 245, 247 overall), the final two compensatory picks awarded by the league.

Was Spielman bluffing? Would Tampa Bay have made the move up? I’m not so sure. But after the Browns lost Robert Griffin III to Washington because the Redskins made a better “final” offer for the second overall pick in March, you can be sure Cleveland wasn’t going to get caught short again.

Joe doesn’t think this is much of an X-file. If the Bucs really wanted to trade up, they could have outbid Cleveland. King’s not claiming the Bucs were in a bidding war.

Good luck finding anyone who will say anything negative about new Bucs safety Mark Barron.

John Lynch is raving about him. Mike Mayock’s already calling him a perennial Pro Bowler, (if there is a Pro Bowl anymore).

Speaking on WDAE-AM 620 this morning, even former Bucs QB Shaun King, a college football color analyst for NBC Sports Network and noted Bucs critic (and lover), joined in the love. And Perhaps King offered the biggest endorsement of all.

King agreed that Barron does everything well and said he watched every snap of Barron the last two seasons.

“He’s never had a bad game,” King said.

Joe enjoys all the hype, but Joe’s a realist. Joe will be happy if Barron stays healthy, stuffs the run and becomes a top-10 safety.

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Greg Schiano says Doug Martin can pass block. From a coach known for developing NFL-ready players at Rutgers, this makes Joe feel great.

On running back prospects that block, Schiano said, “there’s not a lot of them in college football.”

Schiano went on to say he sees some Ray Rice in Martin. “I do. I see a guy that is an incredible competitor and runs hard and plays hard,” he said.

Interesting back forth below between WDAE-AM 620 host Bobby Fenton and Senior NFL writer Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports. Cole thinks the Bucs thoroughly blew it by taking a safety over a cornerback, especially one in Morris Claiborne that’s widely considered can’t miss.

Take a listen.

The man channel, that’s NFL Network for you Outhouse Network slaves, is going wild over the Bucs’ moves on Day 1 of the draft.

In this video, the usually mild mannered Charlie Casserly gets his cardiologist nervous explaining why he gives the Bucs an A+. Then Kurt Warner says if he really has to pick a draft winner outside of the Bucs, then he’ll go with Minnesota.

Tis the season of optimism as the Bucs win another draft under rockstar general manager Mark Dominik. If only they didn’t play the game on the field.

Plenty of teams will trade up in the NFL Draft, and you can join them!!

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One reason the Bucs traded up to the 31st overall pick to get Doug Martin late last night was to grab the most value for their coveted running.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik explained that the new labor agreement lets teams to sign first-round picks to five-year deals but second-rounders get four-year deals. That meant Martin came with added potential value.

Of course, that means nothing on the field, but that fifth year is a nice bonus if Martin pans out.

During Dominik’s post-Martin-pick news conference, he painted a picture of Martin as a complete back, including “short yardage” and “goal line.” Dominik said Martin graded “close” to Trent Richardson and no personnel executive around the NFL would call Martin a surprise pick in the first round.

The second of the Bucs first round picks last night, Boise State running back Doug Martin.

Now last night Joe was a little bit harsh on Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik for what Joe perceived to be a bungling of the opening hours of the draft.

In retrospect, it appears Dominik, rather than being played, played the first round just right.

Many Bucs fans were outraged Dominik didn’t win a bidding war with Cleveland to trade up for the third spot and draft Alabama running back Trent Richardson. Joe is not in this camp.

A few hours after the draft, if one is to take Dominik at his word, the Bucs had no interest in Richardson much less going Mike Ditka and trading a fistful of precious draft picks to move up.

“We had no interest in trading up,” Dominik said in his first press conference last night. To Joe this implies, “No interest in Richardson.”

With rumors rampant that Dominik and the Bucs were exploring trading up, this baited Cleveland into panicking and paying a way over-the-top price for a running back.

Now Joe thought Dominik was played by the Rams and Jerry Jones when — on face value — it appeared Dominik totally undersold a draft pick to the Jags, moving down two spots for only a fourth round pick. Then he could still get stud LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, only to see Rams, picking at No. 6, quickly trade the pick to a salivating Jones who quickly swooped in and grabbed Claiborne.

Joe was angry with how this shook out, not so much bummed that the Bucs drafted Alabama safety Mark Barron, but thinking what easily could have been with Claiborne.

Joe had a back-and-forth with an insider at One Buc Palace late last night and said source swore on a stack of Bibles that Barron indeed was the Bucs No. 1 target.

Joe started putting the pieces of the puzzle together and it makes sense.

Yesterday on WDAE-AM 620, Joe’s good friend “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig, interviewed Bucs defensive end Adrian Clayborn who told Duemig before the draft got underway that Schiano’s No. 1 task with the defense, above all else, is to stop the run since the Bucs were so horrid at this last year.

If there is a knock on Claiborne, it would be that he’s not a crushing tackler. Barron is.

Also, Dominik knew for weeks about the status of his cornerbacks (who knows what Aqib Talib’s future entails?) but safety was a bigger hole with no Tanard Jackson and Cody Grimm yet to show he can survive a year on the field much less if he can return from a second consecutive season-ending leg injury.

And that fourth round pick Joe thought Dominik was taken by? Well, without that pick, the Bucs aren’t able to swoop in and startle the Giants, grabbing the second-best running back in the draft at the end of the first round, Doug Martin.

So in restrospect, rather than being played, Dominik was a player last night.

Respected NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock seemingly can’t contain his enthusiasm for the Bucs’ bounty in the first round of the draft last night.

Click here to see the video from NFL.com. “I think Tampa’s going to be a good football team!” Mayock shouts.

Joe’s going to roll with that thought right now. It feels great.

Joe thinks the Bucs will be pretty good, too. But so should be Carolina — Luke Kuechly alongside Jon Beason? Ugh. — Atlanta and New Orleans.

Joe wants to warmly thank the Bucs fans that packed Pete and Shorty’s in Pinellas Park last night for Joe’s draft party.

Damn, it was fun.

Bucs fans filled the bar and grill so much, Joe learned the staff called the owner in to help tend bar it was so busy.

Fans came to enjoy the draft and listen to Joe’s good friend and draft guru Justin Pawlowski do a live radio show on WQYK-AM 1010 where he frequently took questions from fans in attendance.

Former Bucs Steve White and Cosey Coleman provided analysis of the draft pick by pick. Also, Bucs fans were treated to the lovely Hooters Calendar girls as well. How much better could it get? Cold beer, good grub, constant football chatter with a couple of ex-Bucs, draft talk with Justin, and Hooters Calendar. That’s one helluva night.

(And no, Joe was not able to lure any ladies into the stretch limo from Paradise Worldwide Transportation waiting outside. That was for one of Joe’s readers — the limo, not the girls).

Joe wants to thank everyone that came out and to the sponsors of the evening: Pete and Shorty’s, Bud Light, the WQYK crew led by Justin, and a heartfelt thanks as well to Coleman and White, part of the Volunteer Army.

Don’t forget the draft party resumes at Pete & Shorty’s on Saturday!

Joe appreciates that Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan helped Eli Manning in New York and was a solid wide receivers coach there. However, the guy has never called plays in the NFL and that scares the hell out of Joe.

Perhaps Joe is still in shock by what Greg Olson delivered last year. (How Olson found NFL employment so fast Joe will never understand).

Anyway, in Joe’s mind the Bucs now have a complete offense ready to play at a playoff level in 2012.

There’s big time talent at quarterback and in the backfield. Joe’s a Luke Stocker fan and Kellen Winslow still has a year left in his knees. The offensive line should be tremendous. And the Bucs now have a true vertical threat making eight figures a year, plus Mike Williams in the right role and more talent in Arrelious Benn and Preston Parker.

It’s a complete win-now offense. It’s not the best offense in the NFL, but the Bucs have what it takes to be a top-10 offense, especially if they add a veteran versatile back to backup Doug Martin and LeGarrette Blount.

So that puts a ton of pressure squarely on Sullivan. The guy has no wiggle room to feel his way into calling plays and running an offensive staff. Sorry, but Joe’s cutting Sullivan no slack, not with this kind of talent. Hopefully he’s up to the challenge.

So Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik pulled off a steal late in the first round tonight landing Boise State running back Doug Martin. Below are highlights of Martin playing against an NFL-type defense against SEC East winner Georgia last season.

Wow!

The Bucs just traded back into the first round to score Denver’s 31st overall pick and grabbed Boise State running back Doug Martin. Joe is fired up! And the Bucs didn’t even get played. In fact, it seems like rockstar general manager Mark Dominik pulled off a coup, especially after seeing the Giants draft a running back with the 32nd pick and knowing the Rams were sniffing running backs ahead of the Bucs in the second round.

The Bucs moved up four slots by giving up the their second-rounder and only had to swap fourth-round picks with Denver. Maybe there was a method to the earlier trade-down madness, though Joe wouldn’t bet any cash on that.

Regardless, the Bucs got a powerful, versatile back, one they absolutely needed to be a pound-the-rock team under the new Schiano World Order.

Dominik spoke on WDAE-AM 620 after the selection and praised Martin for being a team captain at Boise State and a tremendous kid off the field. Interestingly, Dominik said Schiano has close relationships with the Boise State coaching staff and that was a factor in the pick.

“A three-down-type of back,” is how Dominik described Martin and said getting a second beast of a running back on the roster was a critical need.

Joe’s not big on drafting running backs so early, but the need was pressing and now dare Joe say the Bucs have no more holes on offense. On the defensive side of the ball, well, that’s another story.

Plenty of teams will trade up in the NFL Draft, and you can join them!!

Ed Morse Auto Plaza has truly stunning offers right now at the Suzuki, Buick, Mazda and GMC dealerships at 10133 U.S. 19 in Port Richey. The Buick Verano deal below is only one of the incredible offers.

Also, (and Joe will have more on this later) Joe has learned Ed Morse Auto Plaza is selling two brand NEW 2011 Suzukis at a stunningly inexpensive price AND throwing in FREE GAS for an entire year. Don’t hesitate to call manager Craig Blacklidge NOW and get the details. Joe can promise you these are truly unreal offers!

It is a New Schiano Order for the Bucs and new Bucs coach Greg Schiano spoke with the local pen and mic club to discuss the Bucs drafting Alabama safety Mark Barron.

“It is a great night. we spent a lot of time talking about a lot of prospects. My first night as an NFL [head] coach [in the draft], I cannot tell you how much I am impressed at what I saw and how this takes place.

“You couldn’t draw it up better. We spoke for hours and hours. The first video I saw of Mark Barron, I thought it was just a random guess of his first game. But he plays at the highest level at the best football conference in the land and dominated. He is fired up. He asked for a playbook and we told him, ‘You will get a playbook tomorrow.’

“He loves this game. Studies it. Loves it.

“Do you think he can cover? I know he can cover. He is big, physical punishing player but with range and can play man-to-man coverage.

“Our safeties have to be more dynamic, play in the box, play man-to-man against wide receivers, that is a challenging position. We drafted him to be our safety for a long time. Our safeties will do a lot of things.”

Bucs general manager Mark Dominik just appeared briefly on the Bucs radio network to discuss the circus that took place in the Bucs trading down, getting played for only a fourth round pick losing out on a stud cornerback.

Dominik put on a good face and claimed Alabama safety Mark Barron was in the Bucs crosshairs all along.

“When Dallas traded up, there was some nervousness in the room, but we got the guy we wanted,” Dominik said.

Bucs radio analyst Dave Moore loved the pick.

“He’s a big physical guy and you win championships through defensive football and he’s a big, physical guy who plays great run support and will fire up the defense. He’s a guy that likes to get fired up. “

Later at a press conference, Dominik spoke about tonight’s events.

“Character was one of the reasons,” Dominik said of picking Barron. “He has a lot of leadership intangibles. He was in mind at [No.] 5. We targeted him at No. 5.

“At five or at seven, our man was Mark Barron. I think you will see athletic, physical football player. He is a force. He is a smart player. He’s physical like John [Lynch]. He’s a great fit for this football team.

“We had no interest in trading up.”