Mark Dominik is not concerned that competition at QB will rattle Josh Freeman

Joe’s wondered on these pages many times how Josh Freeman would react to a backup quarterback giving him real competition in practice and how Freeman might respond to fans clamoring for his backup during a game.

Joe’s always believed that had a good chance of negatively affecting Freeman.

The boos rained down on No. 5 from the Bucs faithful multiple times last season, and surely Freeman heard them, too. But those jeers are different when they’ve got a name attached, as in third-round pick Mike Glennon.

Touring local radio airwaves this morning, rockstar general manager Mark Dominik was asked by Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski 0f 98.7 FM whether he thought Freeman might be flummoxed by a backup distraction. Dominik says he’s not concerned.

Pawlowski: Fans in Tampa Bay love the backup quarterback. They have dating all the way back to the 1980s. Are you concerned that this might be a distraction for Josh Freeman?

Mark Dominik: No I’m not. I’m not worried about that. Josh is going into his fifth year. He’s played a lot of football. That’s not the way I look at it. I’m not concerned. And quite frankly, if he can’t handle it, that’s disappointing. You know, he’s a professional. And every position there’s a lot of competition. Coach has talked about that at the end of the season, how we’re going to try to increase the competition across the board at every position. Every player on this team knows that. And so I’m not concerned about that. And I do know. I remember Casey Weldon.

Now Joe, too, knows Freeman handles himself professionally and already has reached out to Glennon, as Joe brought out yesterday.

However, Joe’s still keeping a watchful eye. A strong preseason from Glennon will develop a faction of the fan base ready to pounce of Freeman at every mistake and demand the start of the Glennon era. Right or wrong, that would be new territory for No. 5.

Luke Stocker has been transforming behind the scenes

There’s an error on the Bucccaneers website where it says Luke Stocker is 6-6, 253 pounds.

In fact, the Bucs’ third-year tight end has rocked up to 275 pounds this offseason with “real weight and strength,” so said rockstar general manager Mark Dominik to host Justin Pawlowski on 98.7 FM this morning.

Dominik confirmed the Bucs are content at tight end with Stocker and newcomer Tom Crabtree, who Dominik referred to as a do-it-all guy.

Interestingly, Dominik, who once insisted that the Bucs offense is not the Giants offense, went on to note that the Giants have won a couple of Super Bowls recently without household names at TE.

Joe was giddy to hear news of Stocker’s gains in the weight room. There’s no question in Joe’s mind that the Bucs want to run the ball behind their beastly offensive line in the worst way. Having two emerging blocking tight ends rotating in should only help.

The famous $9.95 roundtrip chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field is back for its third season!

Get your seat on the No Excuses Tour chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field, courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation, Lee Roy Selmon’s and Joe, departing from Selmon’s locations in Carrollwood and near International Plaza.

You get to ride in style — with beer and food in hand — and get dropped off right at the gate!!

Click on through to buy a seat and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com.

Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More than 900 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board!

Pat Welter of TBO.com showcases the festivities of the Bucs announcing Warren Sapp will enter the Ring of Honor in this Tampa Tribune video.

Free agent pickup Kevin Ogletree likely will be given every shot to win the open competition at slot receiver.

The signing of Dashon Goldson, the trade for Darrelle Revis, the drafting of Johnthan Banks all the drew cheers from Bucs fans, but Joe hears murmurs of grumbling from Bucs fans dissatisfied with the Bucs receivers.

Oh, sure they love Vincent Jackson and are fond of Mike Williams, but these same fans wanted something more dynamic from a slot receiver.

Per information Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune has, the job is virtually Kevin Ogletree’s unless he plays himself out of a job, Cummings writes in a TBO.com Bucs Q&A.

Q. Who do you see getting the nod at Slot WR day one?

– Ashton Clayton, Jacksonville

A. I think the Bucs are going to give Kevin Ogletree every chance to win that job. The Bucs know what Tiquan Underwood can do, and they’re fine with that, but I think they’d like to get a little more out of the position. My guess is that Ogletree gets the chance to prove he can provide more.

– Woody Cummings

Sure, the Bucs would like see Ogletree grab the job and thrive, but there are other receivers. Yes, there’s Underwood and also free agent wide receiver Steve Smith from the Giants.

In other words, there is lots of competition for this gig, and that the way Greg Schiano likes it.

Throughout the weekend, Joe will bring snippets of the many, many, many stories Bucs great Warren Sapp shared Thursday with the Bucs pen and mic club about his career.

On what it was like his first few weeks in Tampa Bay:

“Barren. Real bad time. You have to understand, I am leaving Miami where I just lost five games in four years and I get to a place that has had 11 consecutive double-digit-loss seasons and it was a lie that sent me there. Trust me, there was not a good taste in my mouth. My brother is in the back like, ‘Yeah, we are going to Tampa!” And I’m like, ‘You mother… ‘

“I walk in there with Sam Wyche and his three ring circus and we go five-dash-two and then promptly go two-dash-seven. It was some bad football being played here.

“We slowly went about the process with Tony Dungy building something special. It didn’t matter we had a little wood shed. It was our wood shed.”

If Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman senses someone breathing on his back or pressure from the Bucs drafting a quarterback in the third round, he sure isn’t acting like it.

New Bucs quarterback Mike Glennon met the Tampa Bay pen and mic club today, and the North Carolina State product noted — and praised — Freeman for not only getting in touch with him in the hours after Glennon was drafted, but the two talked and Freeman couldn’t have been more of a consummate teammate and professional, so Glennon said.

“I texted both Josh and Dan [Orlovsky] after the draft and Josh was nice enough to reach out and actually call me,” Glennon said. “It was great to hear from him. He said he was excited to have me here and that the quarterbacks are a tight group and he looks forward to me joining the family.

“It was really encouraging talking to him.”

Joe sincerely thinks this is fantastic. One thing that concerned Joe was Freeman potentially turning frosty or reacting poorly to the pressure of a QB that could ice him out.

It appears Freeman took the opposite approach. A professional approach. A class teammate approach.

Bravo, Josh.

OK, Joe is at One Buc Palace right now for both the Warren Sapp Show, and in a little bit, Joe will get to talk to some of the new draft picks as the rookies ready themselves for rookie minicamp which begins Friday.

So Joe spoke with Bucs officials in the know and the page where jerseys are on sale with a Darrelle Revis No. 24 and a Mark Barron No. 23 is absolutely and totally unofficial. A suit Joe spoke with has no idea why or how those numbers were picked as no decisions have been made.

If Revis was to get No. 24, per NFL protocol, he would have to purchase the number from Barron as Barron has seniority.

The same front office official Joe spoke with said the team would like to find out what Revis’ number will be tomorrow, but that date is more a goal than a deadline.

There is so much to write about today with the announcement that Warren Sapp will be the next man in the Bucs Ring of Honor, and will have his No. 99 retired, Joe doesn’t know where to start, or end.

Sapp held court with the Bucs pen and mic club for about an hour after the ceremony and, my goodness, Joe cannot understand how Sapp hasn’t hosted Saturday Night Live. The guy’s personality is bigger than life.

Anyway, Sapp spoke about the oddities of numbers, his numbers and those of his treasured teammate and friend, Derrick Brooks.

“Anybody that knows me knows or follows me on Twitter knows about 11:11,” Sapp said. “It’s a good luck thing from when I was a kid. Whenever it’s 11:11 you are supposed to make a wish.”

And growing up in the orange groves of central Florida, Sapp wanted to get out. And if his wish really came true he’d play in the NFL.

He got more than his wish.

Sapp pointed out how he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Feb. 2. “Oh-two, oh-two,” Sapp said. The date: 02/02.

Then, the icing on the cake, his number, 99, will be retired on Nov. 11. For those counting at home, that would be 11:11. Sapp’s wish upon a dream.

And it gets better.

“Ninety-nine and fifty-five, he’s right behind me,” Sapp said.

That would be double-nickel, Derrick Brooks, who was absent from today’s festivities despite loads of Sapp‘s former teammates and coaches in the house.

“He better be studying tape of the Tampa Bay Storm,” Sapp said, shaking his head.

The Bucs’ Nov. 11 game on Monday Night Football will be Warren Sapp Night.

Team Glazer, specifically Bryan Glazer, added a bonus to Warren Sapp entering into the Buccaneers the Ring of Honor, as the Bucs made Sapp’s induction official today at One Buc Palace.

First, it will be Warren Sapp Night on Monday Night Football, when the Bucs host the Dolphins. But Team Glazer also will officially retire No. 99.

It’s been pretty clear that was on the horizon, as nobody has worn that number since Sapp left football, much like no Buccaneer has worn the hallowed No. 55.

As for the Monday night festivities, that should be a hell of a night. Sapp’s energy and the alcohol lubrication that comes with a night game should make it feel like the ol’ days on Dale Mabry. Also, the Monday game frees up both Tony Dungy and Jon Gruden to attend.

Former Bucs Pro Bowl wide receiver Mark Carrier still keeps up with the Bucs from afar, specifically in North Carolina as he works for the Stinking Panthers.

Carrier appeared with Tom Krasniqi on WDAE-AM 620 earlier this week and talked Bucs, specifically the Bucs draft. He likes the Bucs’ offseason moves.

“Actually I think they did a really good job starting off with [Darrelle] Revis. That’s the best pick in the draft. And then you get a corner who can learn under Revis and make sure Revis is totally healed up,” Carrier said.

“A lot of people thought highly of the quarterback [Mike Glennon] from North Carolina State, so hopefully he gives Josh that competition that gets him going.

“I just thought they did a really good job of addressing needs and adding stability. They covered the safety positions quite a bit in free agency and now they have guys on the [defensive] line they can add to the rotation. The NFC South is a passing division and you have to bring pressure on those quarterbacks to do anything that can disrupt the timing.”

To hear the entire interview, please click the button below.

Many NFL types in the fourth estate are trying to grade the Bucs’ draft and include star cornerback Darrelle Revis as the Bucs’ first-round pick, since it cost a first- and a third-round pick (2014) to land him.

Jason Cole is among that group. He appeared Wednesday on “The Fabulous Sports Babe Show” to explain why Revis may be the Bucs’ best draft pick in years.

“If he is healthy, he is a star, a big time star player,” Cole said of Revis. “Ask yourself: Would you rather have Sheldon Richardson or would you rather have Darrelle Revis?

“I took the No. 13 overall pick the past 25 years and No. 80 overall pick [third round] and only three guys of those 50 players are even or better than Revis: John Abraham, Keith Jackson and the only guy who was clearly better was Tony Gonzalez. I like my odds, I will take Darrelle Revis.”

This is why, if Revis proves healthy, the trade was a robbery of the highest order by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

Joe was unaware the No. 13 pick was that vapid the past two decades. Good research by Cole; good stuff.

As for the drafting of quarterback Mike Glennon, Cole said, “He doesn’t make my toes tingle.”

Now this isn’t official but it’s damn close.

Since the Bucs acquired cornerback Darrelle Revis, it seems Bucs fans wanted to know what number he would wear more than Joe wanted a spare key to Rachel Watson‘s back door.

It appears that Revis may have been able to purchase jersey No. 24 from safety Mark Barron.

No, the rosters have not changed (as of 1:30 a.m. Thursday) on Buccaneers.com. But on the same site, the Bucs are taking orders for Revis No. 24 jerseys.

At the same time, if you click on “Mark Barron” to purchase his jersey, it is adorned with No. 23.

Who was No. 23? That would be feared Bucs cornerback and fan favorite Myron Lewis.

Now whoever built this page is covering themselves. There is a disclaimer next to the Revis jersey, “NOTICE: Player number has yet to be determined. Jersey will ship once player number is officially assigned.” This same disclaimer is not found on the same page as the No. 23 Barron jersey.

Interestingly, in NFL protocol, whoever has seniority with a number decides if he wants to keep a number or sell it. Lewis has seniority over Barron, who has seniority over Revis, which is why Revis would have had to buy his No. 24 from Barron.

There are no Lewis jerseys for sale; they must be customized jerseys.

Now did Lewis sell his jersey number to Barron, or is there a transaction about to be announced? If Revis does have No. 24 and Barron No. 23, it does seem strange neither one of them (nor Lewis) has written anything about this on Twitter.

Joe will be at One Buc Palace later today to get to the bottom of this riddle.

Who needs beastly defensive tackle Star Lotoulelei, who was added to the Panthers’ strong front-7 with the 14th overall pick in the draft?

Who needs Sharrif Floyd or Sheldon Richardson?

The Bucs got their favorite defensive tackle in the fourth round, so says Akeem Spence, who just happens to be that guy. Spence told the Chicago Tribune the Bucs advised him he was their top-dog, defensive-tackle target.

“It’s a sigh of relief,” he said. “They told me I was their favorite d tackle. I believed it. They actually came through.”

Spence left Illinois with a year of eligibility remaining but was a three-year starter. What excited him most about being selected by the Buccaneers is the short drive for his family from Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Man, that story from Spence really reinforces Greg Schiano calling Spence “tailor-made” for the nose tackle position.

Joe’s eager to see what Spence can do. It’s clear the Bucs think he can come in and be an anchor on the NFL’s top-ranked run defense. Those are high expectations.

The “Pantheon” design of the new Dixie Chicks dome. When finished, it will further damage Tampa’s chances of regaining a Super Bowl game.

Joe has written about this several times before, mostly because it deals with the Tampa Bay community, though not so much with the Bucs.

Yesterday, plans and models were released for the new Dixie Chicks stadium in Atlanta. There are two models, one of which is called “Pantheon,” which looks absolutely spectacular. The images and plans can be downloaded here.

There were some features involved in the new stadium that Joe has harped on as ones that need to happen at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

Joe knows there are several local fans who have been to Jags games. The stadium in Jacksonville itself is, well, meh. But the tailgating on concrete  (much of which under the shade of interstate overpasses), and not eating dust all day long along, with the option of tailgating at Jacksonville Landing and taking a boat to a game, and the “Bud Zone,” makes for a great way to take in a game; best in Florida.

The “Bud Zone” is a sports bar in the end zone of the stadium (is it still called “The Gator Bowl?) where fans can not only watch the game in air conditioning, but if the game gets out of hand or there are breaks in the game, fans can watch other games on the bar’s many TV sets.

Well, if the plans for the Dixie Chick stadium come true, that stadium will feature a “Fantasy Football Lounge,” which looks like a cross between the TV set up at Hooters combined with the trading floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. It. Is. Impressive.

Why the Tampa Sports Authority cannot construct a sports bar — and no, a kiosk on a wooden patio deck in the end zone does not count — at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, Joe cannot explain.

Other proposed features of the new Dixie Chicks stadium are seats just like modern movie theater seats, which will shake when there’s a big hi on the field, and something right up Joe’s alley, “the 100-Yard Bar,” a cocktail bar that runs the length of the field where patrons can see the whole field without leaving.

Artie Blank, who owns the Dixie Chicks, knows that more and more (as Joe has pointed out countless times) fans are choosing to stay home and watch games rather than head to the stadium, which sometimes lags far behind the at-home experience.

The new gizmos and bells and whistles at the new Dixie Chicks stadium are just an extension of the gaudy features at JerryWorld. Teams have to give fans a reason to come: the game alone doesn’t do it any longer.

Why is Joe writing about this? Well, once this Dixie Chicks stadium is built, look for it to join a regular rotation of Super Bowl sites including New Orleans, Arizona, Indianapolis, and big improvements are on the way in Charlotte.

Additionally, every time a new stadium is built, it gets a Super Bowl. That’s why New Jersey has one this winter (and we should all cross our fingers for a blizzard for the ages at that time). San Francisco and Minneapolis will have new stadiums soon, and if St. Louis wants to keep the Rams, they will have to undergo either a massive renovation to a building that is only three years older than the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, or build a brand new dome to keep the Rams. All these cities likely will get a Super Bowl before Tampa Bay.

Not to be forgotten, the Dolphins were told by the NFL that unless they upgrade Whatever-The-Hell-That-Stadium-Is-Named-These-Days, Miami will not get another Super Bowl. Steve Ross, owner of the ‘Phins, is trying to obtain financing as Joe types this.

Another Super Bowl in Tampa Bay? Sure looks like a long, long way off.

That could change, however. The Tampa Sports Authority better get with it for that to happen and upgrade the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, at least the upgrades that were included in the voter-approved referendum to build the stadium.

Otherwise, it may be a generation before another Super Bowl is held in Tampa.

Of course Warren Sapp has a strong opinion on not only why he belongs in the Bucs’ Ring of Honor but where his plaque/banner should hang.

Did you expect anything less?

Tampa Bay Times scribe Rick Stroud talked all things Ring of Honor with Sapp and unearthed No. 99’s special request.

“Selmon was the first member of the Bucs’ Ring of Honor at RJS and has been joined by former head coach John McKay, tight end Jimmie Giles and left tackle Paul Gruber.

All those names are adorned to the east side of the stadium. Sapp said he would love for his to be the first name on the west side of RJS.

“You’re going to get me to stir things up, but I’d love to be at the 50 yard and the first one the west side (of the stadium),” Sapp said. “That’s where my mom always sat. And the teams that come into play us will be staring right at it. They’ll be looking dead at it and they’ll know the Bucs are coming right at you.”

Joe wonders whether Team Glazer will honor Sapp’s wishes and award Sapp his own place on the west side of the Dale Mabry Bowl. It is a little selfish of Sapp to want to separate himself from the other Bucs greats.

And we know how Sapp abhors a me-first attitude, considering he recently described new Bucs stud cornerback Darrelle Revis as  “selfish” and “never been a team player.”