“Don’t worry, Cam. Mike Shula will fix it. “

Joe must confess. Joe remains in a state of stunned disbelief that Mike Shula, a man who tortured Bucs fans alongside Shula cheerleader Tony Dungy for four seasons, again has an offensive coordinator job in the NFL. Joe can’t believe Carolina tagged stale Shula as the guy to take Cam Newton to a new level.

For those who claim the NFL is not doing enough to interview and consider minority coaches for coordinator jobs, Shula being named OC in Carolina should be exhibit A in their case.

So it was with that fascination/disbelief surrounding the Shula hire — and Joe’s interest in all things NFC South — that Joe chose to listen to Newton’s interview on WFAN-AM out of New York with host Mike Francesa last week.

Newton didn’t mention Shula once (interesting), but he did question the Panthers effort, which really caught Joe’s ear.

“Consistency is the word that I feel like I could have been a little bit better at. And maybe I’m critiquing myself to perfection, but that’s what you have to do when you’re trying to be great,” Newton said. “So, you know, as I’m going back and watching the film of different things and different games, and I just feel as if, you know, if the whole team had the aspect or the mental thought of, ‘Just a little bit more,’ we would have won a couple of more games.”

So Newton reviewed the season and figured out the entire Panthers team didn’t give all they had. This left Joe encouraged by the state of the Bucs versus the state of the biggest division rival.

Don’t blame Joe for this. The esteemed Dallas Morning News has been pushing Cowboys fans to reveal how they feel about Tony Romo versus other quarterbacks around the NFL. Sunday was Josh Freeman’s turn, and the results wouldn’t surprise former Cowboys architect Gil Brandt, who’s no fan of Freeman.

The question posed to Cowboys fans was, “Would you rather have Tony Romo or Josh Freeman as your team’s QB? Of the 13 QBs head-to-head against Romo in this survey, Freeman had 10 other QBs land more votes.

Freeman got 26.36 percent of the vote as of this morning, a tiny bit better than Matt Schaub and Jay Cutler fared.

Of course, this doesn’t mean squat. But perception of Freeman across the NFL does factor into his value when/if the Bucs decide to re-sign him.

Who would Joe choose if he needed a QB for, say, only one game? Romo’s career record, 55-38, makes that an easy answer.

Joe’s previously speculated that the Bucs might target multiple second-tier, starter-caliber cornerbacks when the free agency dinner bell rings in March, rather than go after a big fish, such as Brent Grimes.

Watching the Super Bowl yesterday, Joe wondered whether Ravens starting cornerback Cary Williams might be one of those guys.

Williams, 28, has been a two-year starter in Baltimore, working his way up the ranks after getting drafted in the seventh round by the Titans in 2008.

He’ll be an unrestricted free agent, and clearly the guy can play. And, to use the overused expression, “he knows what it looks like” when it comes to winning, physical football and high standards.

The Baltimore Sun has written a lot about how the Ravens are in salary cap hell, worsened yesterday by Joe Flacco’s performance. Baltimore likely will have to use the “exclusive” franchise tag to get Flacco back for 2013, a move that would cost them more than $20 million, so reported ProFootballTalk.com last week.

Williams was suspended for two games in 2010 for a secretive family matter when he was with the Titans, and the football world saw his fighting temper against the Niners yesterday. But Joe wouldn’t mind seeing the Bucs have a little more edge to them, assuming Bucs’ research on Williams doesn’t reveal a bad guy.

Regardless, Joe’s confident Eric Wright will be cut soon and the Bucs will be shopping for proven upgrades. Williams, a Florida native, definitely is a name to watch.

Joe’s been making important technical changes around here that will be finished late tonight. Yeah! There might be a brief outage in the wee hours, but Joe is not planning on it.

Just a heads up. Joe doesn’t want anyone to think he finally hooked up with Rachel Watson and left town in ecstasy.

Much like Super Bowl champion Ray Rice, Doug Martin proved last season that he’s a true bell cow running back. And Martin doesn’t cough up the ball like Rice.

Beastly Bucs guard Davin Joseph saw Martin do it all from the sidelines, but Joseph wants two backs to carry the load, so he told Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620 last week.

“When he’s such a gamechanger like that, you just got to get the ball in his hands,” Joseph said of Martin. “In my opinion, I think we really need a complement back, but he’s a guy that he don’t have to really run the ball as much. He can also catch the ball out of the backfield, run the screen game really good. And he can just be an all-purpose kind of back that can really change the game for us. “

This was very interesting to Joe because last summer Joseph said LeGarrette Blount was his favorite running back. Perhaps Joseph wants to see more of Blount? Or perhaps Joseph is envisioning a new running back in the mix? That was unclear.

With Rice in his prime, the Ravens went out and invested a third-round pick in RB Bernard Pierce last season and gave him 108 carries during the 2012 regular season, plus a big load in the playoffs. Might the Bucs follow the same model, given their apparent lack of confidence in Michael Smith and Blount?

Joe can’t argue with Joseph’s take. Martin can’t be pounded forever, and a complementary back, if successful, will present additional problems for a defense.

Joe thinks Blount could be that guy. But if the Bucs opt for a different backup in 2013, they’re still going to have to give the guy carries to make it work.

It seems even before free agency starts and the combine hits, Bucs rock general manager Mark Dominik has been busy. If the way one former Bucs player who wears Super Bowl bling is seeing Dominik work, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman should be very concerned.

Yes, we all know Bucs coach Greg Schiano said Freeman, who battles with inconsistency, needs competition. Whether that means a potential starting quarterback will be brought in to push Freeman or that’s an upgrade as a backup quarterback, that remains to be seen.

But it’s the unspoken about is what has former Bucs defensive tackle Booger McFarland raising an eyebrow. Just recently, Vincent Jackson had his contract reworked, largely to free up some spending cash. Now, fellow receiver Mike Williams looks like he will have his contract reworked.

These moves, McFarland said on the show he co-hosts with Rich Herrera on WHFS-FM 98.7, are strongly coded messages that it is time for Freeman to fish or cut bait, so he said in his daily “Five at Five” segment.

“Well, Mike Williams, is up for a contract, so say the Buccaneers, they will give Mike Williams a new contract. Won’t be what Vincent Jackson has, maybe half that. If you are Josh Freeman siting across the locker room, there is a receiver – two receivers – who depend on you to get them the ball and they are both getting new deals. Not sure how you feel Josh Freeman but I know how I feel. I tell you what, I feel that you better play better or that feeling you feel now, you will feel that somewhere else.”

At least on face value, this sort of makes sense. Normally the Bucs were talking about how they had to have cash stowed away under the salary cap to make room for Josh Freeman’s contract, which will be/would be hefty.

Joe doesn’t hear that much talk about Freeman contract of late. Just guessing and this is nothing more than a hunch, but this coming season not only will answer where Freeman will be living in the near future, but also just how rich of a young man Freeman will become.

Bucs Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin was trying to relax amid the chaos of Super Bowl week in New Orleans, but the NFL and others were putting Martin to work on radio row where Martin dropped Friday by to talk to Joe’s good friend, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620.

Duemig asked Martin how he was able to manage going through the dreaded rookie wall last year and Martin, as he said several times during the season, he had yet to hit that wall. But he also told Duemig not to dismiss the wall. Whiile he wasn’t affected, it does exist and can flatten other rookies.

“It is such a long season for rookies,” Martin said. “You have to train for the Senior Bowl and then the combine and after that pro days and then fly all around for the [private] visits [and workouts with individual NFL teams] and it is stressful on your body.

“And then you have to play a whole season of NFL football.”

When the Bucs hired Greg Schiano as head coach and subsequently drafted Martin, the Boise State product said he started doing research on how Schiano uses running backs and found he likes to have one guy carry the water.

Having an advance understanding of what to expect helped him psychologically get ready for the NFL season, Martin said. “I kind of expected it. I was ready for it mentally.”

To hear the entire interview, click on the little button below.

Earlier this year when the Bucs honored the lone Super Bowl-winning team, Joe had a chance to talk to safety Dwight Smith, who very easily could have been Super Bowl MVP when he had two pick sixes, a 44-yard and a 50-yard interception return. Joe decided to hold the interview until today, Super Bowl Sunday, as well back as the greatest Bucs team of all time, 10 years removed. Though his NFL career is over, Smith still lives in the Tampa Bay area.

Dwight Smith: It’s been good. The coolest thing about it is getting to see guys who you haven’t seen in a long time. That is the coolest part.

JoeBucsFan: If the NFL wasn’t in such a hurry to crown an MVP, not to take away from [the good] Dexter Jackson, but you could have gotten some hardware. Two pick-sixes? That’s hard to overlook.

Smith: Well, the last interception came so late, I always tell people if my second interception came when Derrick’s came, well you know, who knows who would have held that trophy? But I was happy for Dexter all the same.

Joe: Earlier, Monte Kiffin had said that in the NFC Championship against the Eagles, when Ronde Barber had his pick-six to seal the game, his biggest problem was getting the defense calmed down to get back on the field because the Bucs had to kick off right away. What was that feeling like for you when Barber crossed the goal line and ended the game, sending you to the Super Bowl?

Smith: It is always tough when you score a defensive touchdown to get back in transition to play defense again. But when you had veteran leadership like we had, they made us snap back into focus. It was good.

Joe: Looking back, how special was that defense?

Smith: NFL Network has us ranked No. 8. So when you think of all the defenses that played in this league forever, and they have us ranked No. 8? I will take that.

Joe: The way your defense played in that Super Bowl, it was like a snowball rolling down the hill. When you look back on it, was the play in that defense in that game, against that offense the Raiders had something really special?

Smith: The thing was, we had a few dips. New Orleans beat us twice that year. But the veteran leadership kept us focused, we were steady as a rock and we came up with the phrase, “Pound the Rock.” And we pounded that rock.

Last night, Hall of Fame elected Warren Sapp appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio to discuss his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame just minutes earlier.

Sapp, as one can imagine, was giddy, boasting how his daughter Mercedes would be his presenter in Canton this ,summer.

But then, Sapp grew reflective if not wistful. He admitted to co-hosts Howard Balzer (a voting member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame) and Gil Brandt, that he doubted whether he was going to be elected yesterday because of his often rude, hostile attitude towards reporters, and he wondered if his act would, in turn, bite him.

In sort of a regretful tone, Sapp explained his often incorrigible ways with many reporters.

“In 13 years in the locker room I never once shook a reporter’s hand,” Sapp said. “I figured you were going to get your information either way so I didn’t have to be your friend.

“Oh, I was ornery, no doubt about it.”

Also last night, Jamie Dukes of the NFL Network lashed out at Pro Football Hall of Fame voters claiming there was a grudge between Charles Haley and former NFL beat writers. In many respects Hailey was the precursor to Sapp where media relations were concerned, in some cases worse.

Joe has only one question for Dukes: If reporters truly hold a grudge, how did Sapp get in on his first trip to the plate?

Lavonte David had the second-most solo tackles in the NFL last season, and the most by a rookie. Plus, he made his team’s defensive calls from Day 1, and he was among the best in the NFL at tackles for a loss while being a force on the league’s No. 1 run defense.

David also managed a couple of sacks and a pick and played on all three downs.

So Joe was stunned to see David squeak into fifth place in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting unveiled last night. Deserving Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly won the award. However, David finished behind Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, Packers cornerback Casey Hayward and Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins, respectively.

For Joe, it was a travesty that the Associated Press team of writer voters gave Wagner 11 votes to David’s two.

Unlike David, Wagner did not make his team’s defensive calls all season, and he was off the field in passing situations for a chunk of the year. And Wagner didn’t have David’s solo tackle numbers. Wagner was a stud rookie, but it’s nothing more than ignorance that would have led a writer to vote for Wagner over David.

Joe suspects the horrendous Bucs’ pass defense numbers, combined with Seattle being a winning team, led to David losing the perception game among national writers who hardly studying rookies intricately. Regardless, that doesn’t take away from David getting disrespected.

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Immediately following being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame tonight, Warren Sapp sat down with his 2013 class to react on NFL Network.

Here’s the video:

Sapp gave specific love to Ronde Barber, Dwight Smith (who would have pegged Smith?), Derrick Brooks and John Lynch. And Sapp was very humble for the most part. But he did relay a story about how Marshall Faulk told him the Hall of Fame is heaven, so Sapp asked rhetorically tonight, “Where my wings at? Let me fly!”

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“I didn’t even need no free sack.”

Big No. 99 beat out Michael Strahan, Charles Haley and other big names to become a first-ballot Hall of Famer this evening.

Below are the modern-era selections for 2013:

Larry Allen
Cris Carter
Jonathan Ogden
Bill Parcells
Warren Sapp

This is the ultimate honor and a tribute not only to Warren Sapp, but to the dominant Bucs defense of the Tampa Bay glory years.

Joe knows Sapp deserves the honor, but Joe was a bit worried about how Sapp’s time in Oakland would have affected his evaluation by Hall voters. Some look at accomplishments; some are more dialed in on body of work, and Sapp’s time in Oakland wasn’t pretty on various levels.

Derrick Brooks and Tony Dungy are first-time eligible Hall of Fame candidates next year, and John Lynch, semifinalist this year, will be back under consideration.

Now it will be interesting to see who Sapp chooses to present him at Hall of Fame ceremonies in Canton this summer. Joe bets Father Dungy will get the call.

During Media Day, Joe talked to former South Florida coach and St. Petersburg native Jim Leavitt, who is now the 49ers linebackers coach. Joe can’t think of a better linebackers unit in the NFL than what Leavitt has to work with. Joe had crossed paths several times with Leavitt before when he coached USF, and Joe couldn’t believe how relaxed Leavitt seemed at Media Day. Leavitt talked about his linebackers, any possible promotions in the NFL that may comes his way, how he got the job in San Francisco after leaving USF under a dark cloud, and about his old Big East nemesis, Greg Schiano. Now, Leavitt is one win (tomorrow) away from wearing a Super Bowl ring the rest of his life.

JoeBucsFan: When you have linebackers like you do from Patrick Willis to NaVorro Bowman to Ahmad Brooks, it sort of makes your job a little easier, doesn’t it?

Jim Leavitt: Well, you know, these guys are blessed with talent. The thing that impresses me about them is not only are they talented, they are very humble and grounded and are a sponge at wanting to get better all the time. And they want to be great.

Joe: Patrick Willis always talks about how he is driven to be one of the game’s greats and Bowman is a Penn State guy, yeah, Linebacker U, but Joe Paterno groomed those guys to be humble.

Leavitt: They are very special that way. They are very, very close; they are just great, great guys.

Joe: Your players notwithstanding, you’ve had a lot of success with your unit since you took over when Jim Harbaugh hired you. Usually when a position coach has this much success, your unit may be the best in the NFL and now your team is in the Super Bowl, defensive coordinator jobs start opening up. Is that your next step? Have any teams inquired about hiring you as a defensive coordinator?

Leavitt: My thoughts are not anything like that. My thoughts are more – and I really mean this – my thoughts are not anything more than trying to play as good as we can in this game and try to win a Super Bowl and that is it. That is my total focus.

Joe: How much of a rush is this, to be on this stage, the biggest in all of football?

Leavitt: It is exciting. I have never been in this kind of venue [Super Bowl] and a lot of people don’t ever have a chance to coach in a Super Bowl game so the opportunity is really special.

Joe: Did you have a relationship with Jim Harbaugh previously?

Leavitt: I knew Jack [Harbaugh], he was the head coach of Western Kentucky when we played them four times so I knew him pretty well. I met Jim through some head coaches functions and got to know him there. He offered me the opportunity to coach with the 49ers and I had never been in the NFL. I really knew the 49ers were a special organization and knew [former 49ers owner and brother of current owner Denise York] Eddie DeBartolo from Tampa and I always followed the Niners, I really had, which is kind of ironic. So when [Harbaugh] afforded me the opportunity, I jumped at it.

Joe: Greg Schiano, obviously you know him well…

Leavitt: Oh, yeah.

Joe: … does it surprise you at all what he has done so far, pretty well coming from college and what seems like a turnaround with the Bucs and how well the Bucs rush defense played?

Leavitt: No, I think he is a good coach, a tremendous coach. He is organized and did a great job [at Rutgers] and will have great success with the Bucs, I really do.

Joe: When you went up against Schiano, what were some of the traits that his teams had that made playing Rutgers troublesome?

Leavitt: Just well-coached, organized, they played with great confidence and that came from him. Those are the main things.

“Hey, Monte, I just heard some of our freakin’ players think Schiano prepares harder than me. Jimminy Christmas! Whaddya think of that?”

The stories surrounding Jon Gruden’s coaching work ethic are stunning. The man set his alarm clock daily for 3:17 a.m. and didn’t stop grinding himself and his staff and team to prepare for games.

Davin Joseph played three seasons for Chucky, and Joe even remembers Joseph once saying it took him a full year to comprehend all aspects of Chucky’s famous bible-sized playbook.

So it really caught Joe’s ear to hear Joseph say Greg Schiano is the hardest working coach he’s ever experienced. Joseph spit out his take to “Booger and Rich” on 98.7 FM.

“His work ethic is like no other. He’s a grinder, man,” Joseph said. “He’s the kind of guy you want on your side. He’s the guy that works day in and day out and he loves what he does. We had a lot of guys on our team that aren’t a part of our team now that aren’t really in love with football like Coach Schiano is.”

Co-host Booger McFarland then joked that Schiano might love football “too much” and said something that might have been time off under “Gru,” aka Jon Gruden, isn’t time off anymore. Joseph, with Donald Penn alongside him, laughed and agreed that Schiano might be overboard but his attitude combined with the work ethic of the current roster is what will put the team over the top.