Word circulated via social media yesterday that the Bucs had cut down to two quarterbacks, releasing Rudy Carpenter and Jonathan Crompton. The official team cut list will be released this evening.

But it seems the Bucs want Carpenter back — for the practice squad, so Twittered Bucs beat writer Anwar Richardson today.

@TBO_Buccaneers Anwar: #Bucs backup QB Rudy Carpenter has officially been released by Tampa Bay. Was offered a practice squad roster.

Joe imagines Carpenter would jump at the Bucs’ practice squad offer while still sniffing around hard for a real job. Any practice squad player essentially is a free agent.

Regardless, Micheal Spurlock is your No. 3 quarterback. Let’s pray he never sees the field.

Joe’ spent most of the morning feeling somber about what happened to Lee Roy Selmon. It really punched Joe in the gut and made him take pause.

For now, anyway, the Bucs don’t seem so important.

But as Joe starts thinking Bucs football again, Joe can’t get out of his head how little work Mason Foster has had and how much he’ll have to perform come Sept. 11. Think about it for a minute. No OTAs. No minicamp. Less hitting in training camp because of new NFL rules. Also, Foster only played 10 snaps in Kansas City and he got the night off against the Redskins on Thursday. In between, he played roughly one game combined against New England and Miami.

Dave Moore talked this week about teams coming after Bucs linebackers. How could they not? Quincy Black, himself, who Joe has never been sold on, also is new in his third-down mike linebacker role.

Plenty of teams have had success with a rookie in the middle of the defense. Jonathan Vilma, with two subpar linebackers around him, walked into the Jets as a rookie in 2004, under Herm Edwards’ Tampa 2 defense, and was a force. Of course, Vilma was a first-round pick and is having a borderline Hall of Fame caliber career.

Yeah, everyone knew Foster was a rookie taking over for Barrett Ruud. That’s old news. But now the reality of it all is staring Joe — and Matt Stafford — in the face. And it doesn’t feel good. Joe will be patient with the growing pains. Joe just hopes they don’t cost the Bucs a win or two.

Joe’s inside sources over at Ed Morse Cadillac Tampa, Port Richey Auto Plaza and Brandon Auto Mall have alerted him to incredible news.

Today through Labor Day each of these fine Ed Morse dealerships is offering its lowest lease prices of the year!! And that’s not just a line of baloney. These fantastic prices really won’t last. And Joe’s hearing that each location is going far, far above and beyond to meet customers’ budgets. … You get the picture.

This is no joke. If you’re looking for a car, truck or SUV, visit Ed Morse locations online or in person today. Or at least call to get the ball rolling. Click the links above or the image below to start shopping. You won’t be disappointed.

Update: 10:01 p.m. As part of an historic screwup, the St. Pete Times has withdrawn its report that Selmon passed away. Joe apologizes to those who were mis-led here.

Update: 7:35 p.m. The St. Pete Times reports that Selmon has died.

Joe’s media partners at WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 are reporting that Bucs legend Lee Roy Selmon had a stroke.

There’s really not much to say. This is a very sad moment.

Joe’s had a chance to talk to Selmon a couple of times, and Joe’s not sure there’s a more genuine guy with top-flight values.

Selmon sounded great on radio while on a bit of a media tour just this week. Unfortunately, he was in the public eye shooting down a false report that claimed he was part of a lawsuit against the NFL by former players. Joe can only imagine how being misrepresented so publicly must have weighed on a man of Selmon’s integrity.

Selmon is in Joe’s prayers.

Today we’ve learned that helping organize lockout practice and flying to Nebraska to watch film with Barrett Ruud doesn’t mean a hill of beans.

Tyrone McKenzie, who did those things this offseason, was cut today, so Twittered Bucs beat writer Anwar Richardson of TBO.com.

@TBO_Buccaneers: Anwar: #Bucs have released LB Tyrone McKenzie #NFL

Considering McKenzie won internal team honors for special teams last season, this comes as a surprise. Apparently, the Bucs see in McKenzie what Bill Belicheat did.

Update: 12:57 p.m. — Richardson, as well as Sirius NFL Radio, is reporting sackless Kyle Moore has been released. CBS Sports Radio also says DT John McCargot is gone, too.  Moore is no surprise, considering Adrian Clayborn, Da’Quan Bowers, Tim Crowder and Michael Bennett were locks at DE. Moore appeared to be coming on but his time has passed.  

Joe literally had to do a double-take when he heard the news. It is so stunning — yet true — all Bucs fans must tune in to listen, if not attempt to call.

For the few Bucs diehards who did not notice, the glorious college football season began last night, granted with a bunch of drek games. Tonight there is a decent game, potentially, and of course Saturday will be a full day-long slate of football with a pair of solid games scheduled for primetime.

It is truly the first Football Friday of this five-month long holiday season known as football season. Naturally, Joe’s good friend “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620 has a dynamite Friday show lined up, as he will have every Friday through the Super Bowl, highlighted each week by an hour-long visit from the great Chris Landry at 5 p.m.

"The Big Dog" Steve Duemig

But today, Landry, and perhaps “The Big Dog” himself, will be overshadowed.

Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer will be a guest of “The Big Dog’s” at 4;30 p.m., and plans to field calls from Bucs fans.

Joe doesn’t know where this will end. The usually reserved Glazer rarely makes public appearances. But just in the past few months, he has spoken to the “The Big Dog” live on the air, the first Joe heard Glazer do such a thing. He also was part of an owners’ roundtable with Stu Sternberg and Jeff Vinik that aired live on WDAE. And last week he appeared live on the Buccaneers Radio Network and on the Bucs television broadcast of the Dolphins-Bucs game, seen via another of Joe’s treasured media partners, WTSP-TV Channel 10.

Now Glazer will take calls from fans. What next? Joe half-expects to learn that Glazer will buy a round of cocktails for patrons next Friday night at The Venue.

For those chained to a computer, Glazer’s appearance can be heard via WDAE’s audio stream on the station’s website.

Click on through below to learn about The Blackout Tour. Not many seats left. Joe knows most people operate at the last minute, but that’s not going to fly for opening day.

When Joe makes a Bucs season prediction like this, he tries to answer as if a team of armed terrorists are before him demanding the correct answer with a knife to his throat.

In other words, Joe takes it seriously. So here goes:

The Bucs’ brass, from Bryan Glazer to Mark Dominik to Raheem Morris, is quick to compare the Bucs’ current construction of a “lasting contender” to the Father Dungy era. Even old school Bucs from that time like John Lynch and Warren Sapp have bought in — that the current plan replicates that of the glory years.

Well, history says that after the 1997 season, Year 2 of the Dungy era when those young Bucs went 10-6 and made the playoffs, the Bucs took a step back to 8-8 and a third-place finish in 1998. And that was with a slew of potential Hall of Famers on the roster and a smothering defense that came off allowing the fewest points in the NFC in ’97.

So what can be expected of the 2011 Bucs, likely the youngest team in the NFL once rosters are finalized soon?

While Joe will cheer and hope for a perfect Bucs season, Joe sees big question marks at linebacker, a team with a ton to prove in its rush defense and pass rush, questionable depth at the skill positions, plus two teams in the division that likely are still better than Tampa Bay. 

Thankfully, Josh Freeman is no Trent Dilfer, and Greg Olson is no Mike Shula, which means a hell of a lot. And the Bucs have plenty of playmakers, from Freeman, LeGarrette Blount, Kellen Winslow and Mike Williams, to Aqib Talib and Ronde Barber. But the Bucs don’t feel at all like a team ready to hit the next level up from the high standard of 10-6 set last year, much like their young counterparts in 1998, who needed one more year to win the division.

Coaching will be a big X-factor. Raheem worked miracles last year with an injury-ravaged roster and rookies and scrap-heap players. Joe doesn’t underestimate the ability of Raheem’s staff and leadership, especially with the addition of Keith Millard. Raheem deserved Coach of the Yearfor 2010, but the jury’s still out on his effectiveness as a defensive coordinator.

It’s painful to think of the Bucs taking a step back from 10-6 last year. But Joe suspects that’s where they’re headed.

Joe’s calling a 9-7 record for 2011. Maybe that’s good enough for the playoffs. It often is. The Bucs finish the season in Atlanta, in what should be an extraordinarily meaningful game.

Bucs wide receiver Ed Gant was one of those annual preseason wonders, a guy who has splash plays in training camp before throngs of overheated patrons and quickly becomes a fan favorite despite doing little in games.

In recent years, that man was Kareem Huggins, for example.

While fans clamored for Gant, the wide receiver position is deep for the Bucs. Gant, who prior to Thursday night had done little against teams with a different color jersey, changed all that against the Redskins.

Gant blew up last night, looked like a star, as much as one can look like a star playing against guys who will drive beer trucks and work as bouncers next weekend.

Gant was so special last night, Bucs fans were pretty much universal on Twitter: Preston Parker should be concerned. Prior to the game, Parker was seen as a bubble player and Gant pretty much an afterthought, perhaps a practice squad candidate.

Those positions flipped in a matter of hours.

But former Bucs linebacker Ryan Nece is not of the mind that Parker should be updating his resume. Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network postgame show, along with co-host and Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski, Nece believed another Bucs receiver is now in danger of losing his job thanks to Gant blowing up.

That would be “Run Micheal Run” Spurlock.

Spurlock has made clutch plays for the Bucs as a receiver, but he is mostly known as a return man first, so Nece believes, a kickoff returner specifically. With the new rules this season having kickoffs from the 35-yard line, kickoff returners have pretty much been neutered, and this is why Nece believes Spurlock is the odd receiver out.

“Now with kickoffs this preseason, five of every six are touchbacks, so how valuable are kickoff returners now?” Nece asked.

Gant’s play “hurts Michael Spurlock,” Nece said.

It’s an interesting theory. If Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik values Spurlock more as a kickoff return man than a receiver, the NFL may very well have phased Spurlock out of a gig with the Bucs.

Joe was pleased to see Elbert Mack really come to play tonight and cap off a strong preseason. His final line had nine tackles and two passes defensed.

Mack signed a restricted free agent tender after the asinine lockout, so the Bucs were going to pay him for 2011 regardless, but Joe isn’t seeing Mack getting cut anytime soon because of his play.

As for Myron Lewis, this guy just can’t stay healthy. He left tonigh’ts game early with an ankle injury. Yeah, he had a couple of decent games at the end of 2010, but he missed a ton of time last season and more this year.

Cruel as it may be, staying healthy is part of the game, and Lewis can’t do it.

If any Bucs fans stayed up through the fourth quarter of the telecast on WTSP-TV Channel 10, they all but heard Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik pretty much rule out the Bucs keeping three quarterbacks on the active roster.

That didn’t stop Josh Freeman from lobbying for Carpenter to remain with the Bucs.

“First of all, Rudy is a great person,” Freeman said. “In the quarterback room, we all love Rudy. As far as a [being a] quarterback [goes], Rudy is a competitor. These coaches do a great job of bringing in guys that have a passion for winning the games and [who] play well. You saw it last week: Rudy goes out and wins the game. Rudy is a tough guy, a smart guy and we just love having him around.”

Given a chance to pimp himself on the Bucs radio network after the game, Carpenter declined, only speaking of team first.

“I think in games like this you just have to come out and battle and some good things will happen and some bad things will happen and you just hope you put your team in position to win,” Carpenter said.

Doubtful to be agent-driven speculation since it’s an injury matter, St. Pete Times beat writer Rick Stroud is reporting that Bucs rookie tight end Luke Stocker has a fractured hip.

Stroud took to the 1040 AM airwives this evening to explain on Primetime.

“I’ve been told by some folks over there, [Stocker] has kind of a small fracture in his hip,” Stroud said before tonight’s Bucs-Redskins game. “I think it’s healed to the extent it’s not going to be any worse” through the season.

If Stroud’s diagnosis is true, then it could make things interesting for the Bucs’ forthcoming roster decisions. Do you only keep three tight ends when one has chronic knee issues (Kellen Winslow) and another is playing through a fractured hip?

Joe imagines that Daniel Hardy will get the nod at No. 3 tight end. Beyond that, it’s just another interesting element to the final roster decisions.

Joe didn’t make enough of a fuss over Brian Price playing against Miami last week and flashing his trademark burst and coming out of the game healthy.

What a warrior this guy is to return from his horrific hamstring/pelvis surgery.

And there he was tonight getting the start and a pile of snaps against the Washington Redskins’ first-team offensive line. Price was disruptive and it seems he’ll be able to contribute legitimately this season.

Mark Dominik even took to the Ch. 10 airwaves to praise Price for playing about 30 snaps tonight and impressing.

Talk about competition at nose tackle.

Redskins 29, Bucs 24

If you care about the result of this rather meaningless game, it was a tough late loss for the Bucs after a big comeback.

That written, who cares?

Joe will have more on the events of the night later and tomorrow.

Unless Joe missed something, and Joe was looking closely, it seems that Frank Okam and Jeremy Zuttah got the night off.

Hmm, perhaps they’re starters now, since the starters didn’t play?

Okam as a starter is no surprise. He’s the healthiest nose tackle, and he’s been impressive. But has Zuttah gotten the nod over Ted Larsen, who was lousy the last two weeks and has a minor ankle injury?

 The Zuttah-Larsen question should be answered by Monday.

Feel free to comment throughout the game as the Redskins host the Bucs in the District.

Caution: Do not post, or try to post the URLs of any pirated Bucs video feeds of the game. Not even using spaces. Any and all persons who violate this rule will be subject to immediate banishment without warning. You may email URLs between yourselves but they are not to be posted on this site. They are illegal feeds and Joe does not need the hassle of getting a knock on his door from FBI agents in the middle of the night.

Thank you.

Preseason Game 4
Bucs at Redskins
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
TV: WTSP-TV Channel 10 in the Tampa Bay area. The game will be rebroadcast Saturday at 10 a.m. on NFL Network.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); Sirius Channel 882.
Weather: Per Accuweather.com, a pleasant summer night by both Washington and Tampa Bay standards. The game will start off in the low 80s with low humidity and by the end of the game, will be 73. A soft breeze will decrease as the night wears on and the game is expected to be played under clear skies.
Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs +7.5.
Outlook: Though few starters are expected to play, it will be a chance for tweeners to maybe win a starting job or for bubble guys to secure a spot on the 53-man roster, which NFL teams need to meet by Saturday afternoon. … Joe is of the mind that cornerback Anthony Gaitor has made the team but who is the odd man out? If Gaitor is in, to Joe, that means Elbert Mack may just be on his last legs unless he has a major splash tonight. Also, Ahmad Black might want to have a helluva game. He has been limited in training camp with a sprained ankle. If he cannot shine tonight, his best chance of making his hometown team will be on the practice squad. Also, could Jeremy Zuttah unseat Ted Larsen at left guard? Joe believes Frank Okam could seal a starting job at defensive tackle if he has yet another solid game, assuuming he play. Joe is of the mind that Preston Parker and Kregg Lumpkin are on thin ice. There is a glut of talent at wide receiver and unless Parker shines as a return man, he may be an odd man out. If Lumpkin doesn’t so something, he is in danger of losing a roster spot to someone that Bucs rock star general manager plucks off the scrap heap in a couple of days.

Joe already brought word that Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib will not play tonight against the Redskins; he has not suited up all season due to a nasty hamstring.

Talib is not alone. Seems that defensive tackle Roy Miller, who has a minor tear in his knee, will also sit out tonight, so Miller Twittered earlier today.

@MillTicket_90: no im not playing today, the knee is healthy, and yes i will play next week, to answer all texts i likely received today

It seems with Miller, the Bucs are holding him back as a precautionary measure because of his knee. Smart move.

But since Miller has played so sparingly because of his injury, has that locked up a starting gig for big Frank Okam, who has had a wonderful training camp and preseason? Remember, Brian Price is still gimpy, too, and Gerald McCoy missed the first preseason game with a bum shoulder.

With Okam fully healthy, if he has a decent game tonight — if he even plays tonight — Joe would not be surprised if he starts against Detroit on opening day.