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 900 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board!

NFL Draft smokescreens are everywhere, and today some puffs bellowed across the 98.7 FM local airwaves, as Ohio State safety Orhian Johnson talked about his recent invitation-only workout and grilling at One Buc Palace late last week.

Johnson, once a quarterback at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport, told host Drew Felios that he believes he’s a great fit for the Bucs and could be a key contributor at nickel cornerback.

Johnson is a unique prospect. He was only a backup safety last season at OSU but has superior measurables. He’s 6-3, 215, and runs a 4.5, 40-yard dash with great leaping ability. He totaled six interceptions during his Buckeyes career.

Johnson said today that he’s been advised he could go as high as the fourth round.

It’s interesting that the Bucs would even invest so much pre-draft energy into a safety prospect with Mark Barron and Dashon Goldson locked up for years, and Ahmad Black and last year’s sixth-round pick, Keith Tandy, on the roster.

 Perhaps it was the Bucs that put the nickel-cornerback bug in Johnson’s head?

An unknown reporter for TBO.com claims the way Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik structures contracts could be a hazard for bringing Darrelle Revis to Tampa Bay.

To many, it seems that Darrelle Revis to the Bucs is a lock, just a matter of time before a press conference is held with Revis holding up a Bucs jersey at One Buc Palace (just what number would he wear?).

But hold up, says an unknown reporter for TBO.com. The way Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik structures contracts could very well turn off Revis.

Unlike many general managers, Dominik piles all of the guaranteed payouts into the first two years of his contracts because it alleviates long-term salary cap issues and allows the Bucs to quickly get out from under a deal gone bad.

Therein lies the rub for the player.

Though he’ll receive a relatively fat payout up front, any player looking for long-term financial stability and job security isn’t likely to get it from the Bucs. Eventually, that could hinder Tampa Bay’s ability to complete a trade for New York Jets CB Darrelle Revis.

Now to be fair, as the unknown reporter typed, Revis is represented by the same agent who represents Vincent Jackson. So clearly this guy knows how Dominik works.

Also, Joe has learned doing some digging that all the sudden leaks various reporters were getting last Monday about Revis and the Bucs? Those were plants from Revis’ people, who Joe is also told, are hyperventilating night and day for the Jets to trade Revis to the Bucs.

Joe got a good laugh Friday when he learned the hot rumor out there had the Bucs and Jets talking about sending butt-fumbling quarterback Mark Sanchez to the Bucs in a package deal with cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Well, not even the thick-skinned Gotham media can swallow this, though Joe got a phone call from an NBC employee very late Friday night swearing that the great Mike Florio, the messenger of the rumor, was talking to a very credible source.

It seems Brian Costello of the New York Post is aghast anyone would suggest this move.

It is hard to imagine any scenario where the Buccaneers would want Sanchez because of his price tag ($8.25 million base salary). Tampa also has leverage because they are the only team seriously interested in trading for Revis. If they are willing to put the right draft pick combination together, it seems like this deal will get done. They would not have to sweeten the deal by taking Sanchez off the Jets’ hands.

No, Joe doesn’t believe Sanchez is coming to the Bucs, for all the reaons Costello pointed out, and more.

Yes, Joe knows Bucs coach Greg Schiano wanted competition for quarterback Josh Freeman. Joe isn’t sure Sanchez is the competition Schiano had in mind.

Joe knows many Bucs fans are jumping up and down at home wanting Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis so badly the neighbors are calling in the guys in a van with white gloves to control things.

Now Joe read an item in a recent BSPN NFC South blog that makes a helluva lot of sense to Joe: Wait until the trading deadline.

stone (tampa): why not hold off on revis and trade up for milliner this year, then attempt a trade for revis later in the season for next years pics after we have seen revis in action still knowing the jets dont want to resign him, that is if we would even need revis at that point?

Pat Yasinskas: That’s something I think Bucs should at least consider. No guarantee Milliner is going to be anywhere near as good as a healthy Revis. But Revis may not be the same guy he was before. Cost of getting Milliner also would be less — both in draft picks and salary.

Joe can’t believe he didn’t think of that before. The risk to trading for Revis now is that there isn’t one person walking the face of the earth that can state if Revis can cut, backpedal, stop-and-start on a dime like he used to. Doctors can tell if he knee is structurally sound, but now how it will react on an NFL field?

Look, as Joe has written before, the Bucs are not going to hoist a Vince Lombardi Trophy just because Revis is on the roster. Wait to make sure he is still the Revis of old.

Of course, if he is, the price likely jumps up. And of course, the Jets are salivating over the Bucs’ No. 13 pick this month.

With all the draft chatter and Darrelle Revis buzz flying around, it’s easy to forget the Bucs have other important things going on, such as reporting back to work Monday.

Yes, the 2013 offseason training and conditioning program launches in two days. And the anniversary of the Toes On The Line legend is near.

Greg Schiano has implied that he will slightly loosen the tight leash he has on all aspects of Buccaneer life — in select areas. However, Joe’s not about to bet on that. In fact, Joe wouldn’t be shocked if Schiano, in total, kicked his controlling ways up a notch, especially early in the 2013 grind.

Schiano must find a way to raise expectation levels, and Joe suspects Schiano only trusts one way to do that.

The creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio, discusses the possibility of Tim Tebow winding up on the Bucs roster in this NBCSports.com video.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

The only reason Joe is posting this is Joe knows it will make many of his readers’ Saturday, despite the fact Joe thinks the following is absurd and the source of the information is, well, dubious.

ESPN draftnik Todd McShay claims if he were Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, he would pick West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin at No. 13.

That is, if the Jets don’t procure the No. 13 pick.

“I’m told they love Rhodes and they love [West Virginia receiver] Tavon Austin,’’ McShay said. “If both of those guys are on the board and they don’t get Revis, I don’t know which they’d go with.’’

So, which way would McShay go?

“I would take Tavon,’’ McShay said. “I have Rhodes in the second round, so I’m the wrong guy to ask. I’d much rather get Tavon, who is a playmaker. This draft is deep in cornerbacks. They can come back in the second round and get a good starting cornerback.’’

This is why Joe doesn’t respect mock drafts from McShay and others. This tells Joe that McShay hasn’t studied the Bucs roster nor their offense or hole-filled defense.

So the Bucs are going to draft (and pay) for a No. 13 pick and have him sit on the bench? That’s what would happen. The Bucs don’t employ a three-wide set most of the time. So to justify drafting Austin, he would have to play before Vincent Jackson and/or Mike Williams.

Yeah, right.

Sure, Sullivan could go three wides, but that means the Bucs would abandon being a run-first offense. This just in: the Bucs have a pretty talented running back in Doug Martin, who they are paying first round cash.

Oh, and do you really trust Josh Freeman to run a three-wide set? Joe’s not convinced Bucs coach Greg Schiano does.

Austin may very well be the next Jerry Rice for all Joe knows, but he does not fit in with the Bucs. Unless you are going to scrap the current offense or get rid of Jackson, Williams or Martin.

Troubled Bucs cornerback Eric Wright took to his blog today to explain what happened behind the scenes when the Bucs threatened to void his pact and he filed a grievance and ended up signing with the Bucs at a very reduced rate.

Wright is emphatic that all he wanted to do was stay in Tampa Bay. His mission was accomplished with, he said, a promise from Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano:

The Bucs won’t trade Wright.

While we were restructuring, I got a chance to talk to Coach Schiano and Mark Dominik, and I frankly asked if a restructure would mean me possibly getting traded. They told me that would not happen. They told me that they wanted me. Telling me they want me to be there and they’re not thinking about trading me, that meant a lot to me. They opened the door for the restructure to happen, so I obviously was ready to take the pay cut to stay and prove myself.

I’m glad that we are where we are now. Everything is settled, and everybody is on the same page and looking forward to this next season. The business side of it is done now, so it’s all about football. It’s all about playing. It’s all about winning.

As far as that goes, we have a great young team. We’re finally putting things together to show the rest of the league that we’re contenders. I think there’s the potential for us to take a big step this year. We’re coming back with the same core guys, and we all know what to expect and what coach expects out of us now. I think everybody is eager to get back into it, get into mini-camp, training camp and offseason workouts, and work toward a common goal.

If nothing else, this is a pretty savvy move by Wright, as he has to know the Bucs were bummed about last year in a big way, and fans even more so.

Joe knows for a fact the Bucs were disappointed with Wright when, he chose to stay in California rather than earn a $250,000 bonus to work out in the offseason in Tampa. That didn’t go over so well at One Buc Palace.

If you read Wright’s entire post, it doesn’t appear he will repeat that move.

Might the Bucs beef up their D-line artillery with Tank Carradine?

What exactly is the Bucs’ philosophy at defensive end entering the draft?

All Bucs fans know is that — for now — the New Schiano Order has cleared the way for third-year ends Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers to prove themselves coming off injuries.

Are two rather unproven ends with tremendous potential, and unspectacular backups, enough to fix the Bucs’ pass rush?

No chance, says draft guru Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski. The Commish dives into premium pass rushers in the latest can’t-miss episode of JoeBucsFanTV.

Click below, grab a beer, and enjoy the next three minutes.

Until something happens with the Bucs and Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, or until either team says trade talks are dead, all sorts of wild analysis and conjecture will be  thrown against a wall, often ginned up by Revis’ agents.

This next one makes very little sense, but then again, Joe is still stunned the Bucs let starting defensive tackle Roy Miller go after many Bucs suits and coaches spent months telling Joe what an important cog Miller was.

How does the thought of Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez in a Bucs uniform sit with you?

That’s the latest rumor coming from the fingers of the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, the great Mike Florio. Florio has been digging (and Joe has been the recipient of a few e-mails and phone calls) for Revis news and learned Sanchez has been part of the discussions, so his sources claim.

Yes, Sanchez. He has a guaranteed base salary of $8.25 million for 2013. If he didn’t, Sanchez would have been cut by now. If the Jets could unload that obligation, they’d surely jump at the chance.

It’s unclear whether Sanchez would compete for the starting job in Tampa. On one hand, he hasn’t done enough in recent years to justify the opportunity. On the other hand, coach Greg Schiano doesn’t seem to be sold on quarterback Josh Freeman, who was taken 12 spots behind Sanchez in the 2009 draft.

Sanchez thrived in New York during a couple of Schiano’s seasons at Rutgers. Schiano possibly thinks he could coax better performances out of the man who took the Jets to back-to-back AFC title games to start his career. In Tampa, his offensive coordinator would be Mike Sullivan, who helped Eli Manning to a couple of Super Bowl wins.

This is from way out in left field. Greg Schiano hates distractions. Could you imagine every time Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman throws a pass in the dirt two yards in front of a running back how Schiano will be asked about bringing in Sanchez?

Can you imagine Freeman looking over his shoulder after just about every pass?

Further, can you fathom the Bucs paying a guy $8 million to sit on the bench?

Tim Tebow coming to the Bucs made at least a little bit of sense. Sanchez doesn’t.

The draft can’t come soon enough for Joe.

No cornerback for the Bucs in the early rounds of the draft?

Daniel Jeremiah, sort of a B-list draft guru for NFL Network, is predicting just that (full video here). (Man, that sure would help pitchfork and torch sales across the Bay area.)

Jeremiah is no fool, though; he does come with credentials. The former Ravens, Browns and Eagles scout also was a starting college quarterback.

Jeremiah theorizes that the left with cornerback Xavier Rhodes on the board with the No. 13 overall pick, the Bucs would pass on overvaluing Rhodes there and would nab Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert. In the second round, per Jeremiah, the Bucs would then move to LB Arthur Brown out of Kansas State before snagging Illinois defensive end Michael Buchanon.

Now Joe can hardly buy the selection of Brown. The Bucs already have Lavonte David. Unless Greg Schiano, a former linebacker himself, becomes obsessed with Brown and envisions him as some sort of undersized strong side linebacker to add to enhance his many run blitzes, it wouldn’t happen.

Eifert is a long shot selection, and it surely wouldn’t shock Joe if the Bucs looked for DE depth in the third round, but only after selecting at least one cornerback.

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 900 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board! Check out the BayNews9 video on the tour below.

Joe is not sure how this got started or where it began and really doesn’t care: Some people believe there is an April 18 deadline for the Jets and Bucs to make a deal for cornerback Darrelle Revis.

Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune claims that April 18 deadline is hogwash.

It’s possible, though unlikely, that the Jets might have set such an internal deadline, but they haven’t told the Bucs about it if they have and the Bucs have no reason to set such a deadline themselves.

Granted, there is a need on the Bucs part to do a complete examination of Darrelle Revis’ reconstructed knee and to agree on the parameters of a contract with him before finalizing any trade, but they don’t need a week to do that.

The Bucs could complete a thorough examination of Revis and work out the basics of a contract in less than 24 hours, so the only real deadline that exists in this matter continues to be Draft Day, which is April 25.

And Joe isn’t even convinced the trade must occur before the Bucs’ number is called at the NFL draft for pick No. 13, unless of course the Bucs are swapping the No. 13 pick.

This trade can easily be made after the draft. If the Bucs draft corner at No. 13, Joe’s pretty sure that player would be part of a post-draft Revis trade.

With news yesterday of Da’Quan Bowers having his charges reduced for packing heat at LaGuardia, Joe’s confident you can scratch off the Bucs drafting a defensive end at No. 13.

Veteran ESPN NFL reporter/analyst Sal Paolantonio is outraged by the thought of the Bucs parting with a first-round pick for Darrelle Revis.

In Paolantonio’s mind, the Jets are negotiating against themselves. “Take the deal off the table and make the Jets come back begging,” Paolantonio said multiple times yesterday while talking to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, of WDAE-AM 620.

Interestingly, Paolantonio, who typically covers the Jets, Giants and Eagles beats, explains why Revis is “the most respected” player in the Jets locker room and is a very charitable person across the New York City and Pittsburgh areas. He also compares Greg Schiano to Vince Lombardi and other coaching legends.

Catch the entire interview below.

Father Dungy talked about Darrelle Revis’ potential value to the Bucs yesterday, but it was clear that Dungy wouldn’t make a massive investment in Revis if he were running the Bucs.

Speaking on WDAE-AM 620, Dungy explained his pass defense philosophy.

“I always looked at it the other way. I thought that best way to play, within the rules now and how things are set up, is to get a great rush,” Dungy said. “It’s tough to cover, no matter who you are, but if you can rush and pressure and force off-target throws, I always felt that was the best pass defense.”

Dungy went on to say the Bucs need to let their young defensive ends prove themselves.

“You have to give guys a chance to come on,” Dungy said, recalling Warren Sapp coming off the field on third down during the Sam Wyche era.

Interestingly, Dungy said he was at One Buc Palace chatting with Greg Schiano on Wednesday, and Dungy praised Schiano’s team-building philosophy.

You can catch the entire interview below.