Yesterday, a man from Iowa who went by the handle “Hollywood” called to talk Bucs on “The Blitz,” co-hosted by former Super Bowl quarterback Rich Gannon and popular sports radio personality Adam Schein, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

“Hollywood” explained how he felt Greg Schiano was a breath of fresh air for Bucs fans and scolded Gannon and Schein for softballing questions to jettisoned Bucs coach Raheem Morris in Morris’ weekly appearances with the duo last season.

“Hollywood” added how “sick” he was of what he deemed Morris’ excuses for losing when Gannon cut him off to defend Morris.

Rich Gannon: It was hard for Raheem Morris to come on here each week, team losing 10 in a row, it was hard. You feel bad for the coach. He has to address his team. He has to address the local media. He has to address the national media on our show each week about what went wrong. After five or six in a row, it’s not only tough on the coach; it’s tough for the guys on the other end of the microphone. It’s tough trying to find something positive during that interview.

Adam Schein: In eight years, the two toughest spots we’ve had on this show, “The Blitz,” where a team was absolutely spiraling, was Raheem Morris and Dom Capers in his last year in Houston, the last year he was there, but particularly Raheem because the team quit on him, the team just did not play hard for the man. He always talked about how he liked the tempo in practice and we love Raheem, but he didn’t have any answers.

Gannon: It is hard on these men, they are family men. This is their profession and the losing pained these men. Then you feel bad because you have to ask him tough questions and then you ask Raheem if the team quit on him and he says, ‘No, no.” But you know deep down in his heart he knew that. He watched the same tape everybody else did. There is no way he felt that way. That team clearly quit on him last year. There was a lack of leadership. You talk about what they have to do forward, the biggest challenge this season for Greg Schiano is to implement a new system and to find and develop leadership on both sides of the ball for Tampa Bay.

This is why Joe applauded the dismissal of oft-suspended Tanard Jackson. Not only could the guy not be trusted, it was time for Schiano to weed out the bad influences and take control of a team that not only woefully lacked discipline, but took advantage of their head coach far, far too often.

Joe believes those days are coming to a screeching halt beginning this morning at practice, if the law wasn’t already laid down.

Now here’s a roundabout way of saying Bucs left tackle Donald Penn is indirectly swaying not only who the Bucs will draft next week, but how Minnesota may draft.

Yeah, Joe knows this is a bit crazy on face value, but bear with him.

One reason, so says Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, that the Vikings will/should draft USC tackle Matt Kalil with the third overall pick is that a left tackle can only be found in the draft “unless he falls out of the sky after the Vikings cut him.”

That’s exactly what has happened here, twice.

Yeah, last year the Vikings cut Bryant McKinnie, who was a fixture on the Vikings’ left side of the offensive line for a decade.

But not only did the Vikings cut McKinnie, they also put Donald Penn on their practice squad before he was snatched by Bucs soon-to-be rock star general Mark Dominik in 2006. It was Dominik who had scouted Penn heavily in college and twisted the arm of then-Bucs general manager Bruce Almighty to pick up Penn.

Since, Penn has been mostly dominating right-side pass rushers.

So, yeah, the only way one can get a left tackle not from the draft is if the Vikings cut him. Just ask the Bucs (and Ravens).

So now, less than two weeks from the draft, the fact the Vikings no longer have Penn on the roster, will likely influence who lands at the Bucs with the fifth overall pick.

Popcorn-munching,coffee-slurping, fried chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, beer-chugging Peter King got heavy into the uncertainty near the top of the 2012 draft today in his must-read Monday Morning Quarterback column on SI.com.

To summarize, King believes the Vikings will take Matt Kalil, though he doesn’t completely rule out them taking Morris Claiborne at No. 3, and King also claims his sources tell him the Browns are deciding between Justin Blackmon and Ryan Tannehill at No. 4.

That’s where it gets interesting for Bucs fans.

5. Jeff Fisher loves Trent Richardson, and the impact of the Rams ending up with the Alabama running back would be huge. First, the Rams would presumably either trade or release Steve Jackson if this happens. I don’t see them paying Jackson $7 million in 2012 to share the job with a player certain to eclipse him soon. And that big number takes some logical teams (Steelers, Giants) out of the running for Jackson. Now, I view this scenario as unlikely anyway, because the Rams simply have to get receiver help for Sam Bradford. But if Justin Blackmon is gone here and Richardson’s still there, he’s logical for the Rams. Of course, Cleveland likes Richardson a lot, and rookie Tampa coach Greg Schiano does too, so I don’t see Richardson making it to six.

That’s intriguing to Joe. Suppose Trent Richardson is there at No. 5 when the Bucs are on the clock. Might the Rams (at No. 6) get nervous and call rockstar general manager Mark Dominik with a trade-up offer so Jeff Fisher can snag Richardson?

If so, Joe could see the Rams offering the Bucs their No. 6 pick and Stephen Jackson (as King above says he would be traded to make room for Richardson) for the Bucs’ No. 5 pick.

That would be pretty a wild offer. The Bucs could then pair Jackson with LeGarrette Blount for a truly lethal, versatile running game and still grab Morris Claiborne at No. 6. 

The Bucs have the salary cap room for Jackson. And it’s awfully fun to imagine that backfield.

Have more fun going to Rays games and save money.

So get your butt on the No Excuses Tour chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field, courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation and Lee Roy Selmon’s. You get to ride in style — with beer and food in hand — and get dropped off right at the gate.

Click on through to grab a seat for April Rays games, and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com. Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More than 650 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board!

Ronde Barber, not one to exaggerate, offered insight into the value of Gerald McCoy.

Painting vivid pictures on the 1010 AM radio airwaves with J.P. Peterson on Friday, Bucs icon Ronde Barber offered an image of his teammates hanging their heads when Gerald McCoy had his 2011 season ended in Week 9, on the heels of McCoy missing 2+ games with an ankle injury.

“Put it this way, when he got hurt last year we knew we were going to struggle. We knew right away,” Barber said. “We knew right away that, man, we don’t have a guy that can do that.”

Barber shared his excitement about McCoy’s talent level along with that of other Bucs defensive linemen. Barber also made it clear that after the Bucs’ 10-6 season in 2010, he thought he’d play two more years and be retiring “with multiple conference championships.” And it’s that remaining talent and new additions that led him to return in 2012.

“I know that front four we have there, they’re young, so it’s hard to say they’re great players, but they’re going to be great. I mean Gerald, man, Gerald’s had two great preseasons and followed it up by being hurt. So again, it’s not realized, we don’t know how good he can be. You see it in practice,” Barber said.

Barber went on to praise Brian Price, called Clayborn “a stud,” and said DaQuan Bowers “played his butt off at the end of last year.”

“It’s there,” Barber said of Bowers’ ability.

Before you buy anything you must visit Joe’s friends at Ed Morse Cadillac Tampa. Click through below to find them — and shop — online. Joe can attest to their stunning service and value. Let them impress you.

Joe’s got a lot of respect of longtime NFL reporter and analyst Howard Balzer, who joined Bobby Fenton this morning on WDAE-AM 620.

Like Joe, Balzer is hardly sold on the alleged given that the Vikings will select offensive tackle Matt Kalil with the third overall pick, if they can’t trade down.

“Have you seen their cornerbacks?” Balzer asked rhetorically.

The more Joe listens to SiriusXM NFL Radio, the more Joe also thinks the Vikings might not take Kalil as many think. Bill Polian loves to talk about how every OT struggles in his first year, no matter how great.

Sure, the Vikings could use a stud left tackle prospect, but they also need another playmaker on defense — for their defensive head coach, a former cornerback himself, who’s trying to save his job.

Joe might just weep if the Bucs can’t draft Morris Claiborne.

How important of a player is Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy? Well, Joe will get into that a bit deeper later today.

But the Bucs record with GMC in the lineup speaks volumes. When GMC lines up on Sundays, the Bucs are 11-8. When he is not in uniform, the Bucs are a ghastly 3-10.

Bucs coach Greg Schiano has studied tape of GMC and has come out impressed with how GMC disrupts plays and penetrates, so Schiano told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

“I’m excited to coach Gerald,” he said. “He plays defensive tackle the way I like. He comes off the ball with a flat back, he’s a penetrating guy who can change direction. We’ve got to get him back healthy and keep him healthy. I think he can be a dominant force if we can just get some miles underneath him, some plays.”

There was a difference when GMC was playing last year, the record and the play of the defense reinforces this.

Still, not even the biggest cheerleader would deny that GMC has to stay on the field this season for the Bucs to rise out of the quagmire that was the grotesque 10-game losing steak to finish last season.

Mort, Helmet Hair and the most frustrating quarterback in Bucs history gather around a table and kick around what QBs might become 2012 superstars in this BSPN video. Josh Freeman is mentioned.

You’re either a fantasy football junkie (Joe’s idea of fantasy football is a postgame hot tub with Rachel Watson) or a serious NFL fan if you can name the Chiefs leading rusher in 2011.

That would be Jackie Battle.

Undrafted in 2007, Battle landed with the Chiefs in 2007 and finally saw significant action last year. He finished with 149 rushes for 597 yards.

Joe brings up Battle’s name because for Bucs defensive end Steve White has identified Battle as a free agent he likes to give the Bucs some desperately needed depth at running back. White spit out the name on WQYK-AM 1010 this morning.

Joe’s not about to pretend he knows much about Battle. However, Kregg Lumpkin began last season as a 27-year-old with three career carries. Battle, 28, at least has some real experience under his belt for a power rushing team like the Chiefs.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik likes big backs, so he’s said before. Battle’s listed at 6-2, 238 pounds and has had success in short yardage.

Definitely a name to keep an eye on.

High-energy former Bucs secondary coach and ex-Jets and Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards got all fired up talking about Morris Claiborne and his crappy Wonderlic score during an interview on WDAE-AM 620 last week.

Edwards essentially said the Wonderlic score is a non-issue for a cornerback, loads of NFL players have been great with single-digit scores, and everyone needs to remember the job description is football player.

“Understand who you are drafting. Understand how he has to be coached,” Edwards said. “And remember this, you’re not drafting to be the substitute teacher. You’re drafting this guy to be a football player. And Morris Claiborne is a heck of a football player. You can’t teach what Morris Claiborne has, as far as a coach. He has talent. He can cover people. He has instincts. Coaches can’t teach that. Coaches teach technique. Now if you want a substitute teacher, I’m sure you can go find and draft a substitute teacher if you’d like. You gotta figure out what kind of football player you want to draft.”

In general, Edwards raved about Claiborne and said he was on broadcasts of SEC games two years ago and has had an opportunity to study him.

Back in the Bucs’ heyday, Edwards said, the draft philosophy was never to draft a cornerback in the first round with the old Tampa-2 defense, but times have changed and nobody knows what Greg Schiano’s defense will really look like.

The legitimate football talent evaluators in the media are now lining up behind former Boise State running back Doug Martin as the clear second-best RB in the draft.

NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has been singing his praises, and former Redskins (when they were great) and Texans general manager Charlie Casserly was on WQYK-AM 1010 with Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski yesterday labeling Martin as his No. 2 back. But Casserly told The Commish he’s certain Martin will reach the second round.

Yes, the Bucs have the fourth pick of the second round.

Presumably, the teams picking before the Bucs in the second round — St. Louis, Indy and Minnesota — won’t touch a running back with those picks. The Rams and Colts are desperate for receivers, and the Vikings have Adrian Peterson and, potentially, could have Trent Richardson by then.

So there’s at least strong chance the Bucs could have a shot at Martin. At 5-9, 223 pounds, Martin is considered to be a complete player with excellent speed but not lightning quick.

Joe’s not sure how well he would complement LeGarrette Blount, but the Bucs need a lot more than a complement. They need a true 1A, versatile back that can carry the load if Blount goes down. They also need to snag a solid role-player back in free agency.

Of course, the great folks at Paradise Worldwide Transportation are about much more than limos. Their premium service extends to corporate transportation, executive SUVs, party buses and more.

However, they do specialize in limousines for every special occasion. Need a Tampa wedding limo? Perhaps a couple of limos in Clearwater Beach? Trust Joe, these are you guys.

Click on through above to learn more. And call them! Their friendly local team is there for you 24/7. (That includes when you need a safe ride home from the Hard Rock with all your winnings.)

Sure, the Bucs’ linebacker play was atrocious last year, headlined by a rookie in the middle who didn’t have an offseason, one of the biggest free agent busts of the 2011 season, and a linebacker (Geno Hayes) who got benched for a while and is currently unemployed at 24 years old.

That’s why Bucs fans are quivering knowing the Bucs haven’t addressed the position in free agency and might not add a new LB until Day 2 of the NFL Draft.

So what does Ronde Barber think of all that?

“I think that shows they believe in our talent,” Barber said during an exclusive interview with J.P. Peterson of WQYK-AM 1010 yesterday. “They believe they can coach these guys up.”

Perhaps giving a glimpse into what will happen in 2012, Barber said, “I think Mason will be better in the middle.”

None of this suprises Joe. As a former linebacker, Greg Schiano might very much believe he, Bryan Cox, and the rest of his staff can realize the talents of Foster, Quincy Black, Adam Hayward and Dakoda Watson. As for Watson, Joe has heard credible rumblings that the organization is very eager to develop him.

Joe’s always amazed by people that work for the same company for a majority of their lives. Joe just can’t imagine.

The Bucs have one such employee, Jill Hobbs, who took a temporary gig with the Bucs processing season ticket orders on a manual cash register in 1976, per a story honoring her on Buccaneers.com.

The following spring, on April 15, 1977, Hobbs accepted a full-time position on the Buccaneers’ staff…and that means that, remarkably, this Sunday marks her 35th year with the team. 

In a surprise company ceremony this week, Team Glazer dropped a $35,000 check on Hobbs to commemorate her service. Click on through the story above. Joe thinks it’s pretty cool. Hobbs was the right hand for Rich McKay at one point in her career. The woman is a walking Bucs historian.

Perhaps Ronde Barber tipped the Bucs’ draft hand a bit this afternoon. Or perhaps not.

Surely it wouldn’t surprise anyone to learn the Bucs think highly of cornerback Morris Claiborne for their fifth-overall pick later this month. But it’s another thing to hear Barber talk about Claiborne’s recent visit to One Buc Palace and say “everybody’s high on him” and the Bucs probably will draft him.

Barber sat down for an exclusive interview with J.P. Peterson of WQYK-AM 1010 today.

Ronde Barber: When I was deciding to come back, I had plenty of meetings with Mark [Dominik], and phone conversations with Mark, they told me they were bringing a guy in [cornerback Eric Wright]. I was like, ‘That’s good. We need it.’

J.P. Peterson: You might bring in another [cornerback], Mo Claiborne.

Barber: We probably will.

Peterson: What do you think of him?

Barber: I don’t know. I haven’t watched any film of him. I don’t know how he plays or anything. He was actually in our [secondary] room. They did those little unofficial [predraft] visits or whatever. He’s a good kid. He looks good. He looks the part. Everybody’s high on him.

Not in the Trent Richardson camp, Joe will sleep that much more soundly tonight.

Apparently disinterested in serial loafer Sean Jones to bolster their secondary, the Redskins have latched on to troubled former Bucs cornerback Tanard Jackson to help them win a Super Bowl.

Jackson has signed with Washington, where he will attempt to be his best self again with Skins secondary coach Raheem Morris. The move was announced today.

The Bucs’ preseason and regular season games against the Skins just got more interesting.

Have more fun going to Rays games and save money.

So get your butt on the No Excuses Tour chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field, courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation and Lee Roy Selmon’s. You get to ride in style — with beer and food in hand — and get dropped off right at the gate.

Click on through to grab a seat for April Rays games, and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com. Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More than 650 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board!