Former Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow was an incredible talent. He also had an incredible ego.

Always demanding the ball, pouting when he wasn’t targeted, even if the Bucs scored a touchdown, it was all about K2 when he was here. Practice? Nah, gotta spin some discs poolside in Vegas, man.

So the Bucs sign Vincent Jackson and jettisoned K2, the Bucs’ passing offense — for fantasy football types — blew up like never before.

So, unlike K2, who is still unemployed and quit on the Patriots — yeah, Winslow couldn’t be bothered by winning because he would have had to have played for a hardarse, not a enabler — and went on a famous “toes on the line” screed, Vincent Jackson lauds Bucs coach Greg Schiano and wants to be his best recruiter, so he told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

“I couldn’t be more impressed with Schiano and his staff, the way they were able to come in here in one year, coming from the collegiate level to dealing with professionals,” Jackson said. “I know (Schiano) has some background in the NFL. But as a head coach, to take the reins the way he did, get his message across, get guys to buy in the way he did under totally different circumstances from years prior, he did an excellent job with that. He’s a lot of fun to play for. He’s a competitive guy, and he’s going to make sure you’re as well prepared as you can possibly be.

“I would tell (free agents) it’s a top-notch organization; it’s a top-notch structure. We have a great coaching staff here. They’ve built a system and a feeling of family and continuity, not only with the team itself, but I think they’ve done a great job in the community as well.”

Now this is what Joe calls a class act. It appears, thanks in part to Jackson reworking his contract, that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will have some monopoly money to play with in order to entice free agents to Tampa Bay (a cornerback or two?).

With a guy like Jackson, and Joe is sure Gerald McCoy as well, talking up the Bucs in Hawaii among the game’s elite, this cannot be a bad thing.

Meanwhile, Joe guesses while taking a break from watching football on this Championship Sunday, K2 is grumbling at his dog for not getting him the ball.

“C’mon, Free. It’s force it to Winslow in coverage, then Blount up the middle, then the Benn’d around. I’m telling you. We’re going to start fast this week.”

A couple of former subpar Bucs offensive coordinators found jobs yesterday leading NFL offenses.

Joe is almost speechless.

Run-up-the-gut-for-three-yards Mike Shula has been tasked with destroying enhancing Cam Newton’s development, replacing departed offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. This is great news for Bucs fans!

Also, the sadist behind the dreadful and infamous Benn’d Around play, Greg Olson, will take Chucky’s old playbook to Oakland. Joe wonders how far Olson threw Raheem Morris under the bus during the interview process when asked what happened during the 2011 season in Tampa.

Joe commends the salesmanship of Shula and Olson.

There has been some movement among Bucs coaches, some guessed at, some real. This is not uncommon within the NFL.

But for some Bucs fans, this is cause for alarm. That was one subject explored during a recent ESPN NFC South chat.

redzone jones (NY)

I feel its a little strange that 4 coaches have left the Bucs after 1 season of being on the staff. 2 got hired to Head Coaches but why would a 7-9 team get poached? Cooper left to be the same position somewhere else. Thoughts?

Pat Yasinskas

Two guys with some college background got head coaching jobs in college. On Cooper, somebody had to take the fall for the horrible pass defense, so i don’t think that one was poaching. On the D-line coach, I don’t know.

Well, let’s think about this a moment: P.J. Fleck, who Bucs receivers loved and who guided the group to the best results in Bucs history, got offered a head coaching gig at 32 years old. How is this a bad thing? Why would anyone try to pin this as a negative on the Bucs much less Greg Schiano? Geez. Is a guy not allowed to seek career advancement?

As for Ron Turner, Joe only wished he could have bought him a farewell beer from a local craft brewery. Turner’s resume is less than spectacular and Joe isn’t shedding tears that he got a head coaching gig in South Florida. Look, “this Joe” is from the cornfields of Illinois but one would have to be brain damaged to prefer a gig in Champaign than Miami.

And yes, the Bucs are not changing defensive line coaches.

So in Joe’s eyes, thus far, only one transaction among coaches has been made from the pen of Schiano, and to suggest a guy in charge of a unit that nearly set an NFL record for most yards allowed should have been granted job security, Joe believes said person has been ordering too many double-Captains.

There is no conspiracy here.

The Bucs hired decorated NFL wide receivers coach John McNulty, the former Rutgers offensive coordinator, to be their quarterbacks coach today. He was a receivers coach for years under Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville and under Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona, where Larry Fitzgerald loved him so much he flew him to a Pro Bowl. McNulty also worked for Bill Parcells.

But Joe can’t say he likes this hire.

Josh Freeman could have used a QB coach who is a true quarterbacks guru, preferably one who played the position and who could really go deep on Freeman with his mechanics. In other words, the best QB coach — or team of QB coaches — on the market.

McNulty was a defensive back at Penn State in the 1980s. He volunteered to be Arizona’s QB coach last season, and Arizona’s quarterbacks situation was ugly.

Isn’t it allegedly all about No. 5?

And if competition is supposedly coming for Freeman, perhaps from a rookie, Joe really thinks the Bucs have shortchanged themselves with this hire.

Joe sincerely hopes the Bucs plan to hire a QB mechanics maven as a consultant to work with McNulty and Freeman during the offseason.

“Randy, if you can mold Gerald McCoy into a Pro Bowler, you are my man.”

Despite a PewterReport.com report this week that claimed the Bucs had parted ways with defensive line coach Randy Melvin, the Bucs plan on retaining him at his same position.

Both Joe, confirming independently through a trusted Bucs front office source, and Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, are reporting Melvin has not been fired.

In fact, Melvin, unless he seeks employment elsewhere, will be coaching the Bucs defensive line in 2013.

Additionally, there are several reports that confirm longtime Schiano confidant John McNulty has been hired to replace the void left by Ron Turner as the Bucs quarterback coach, a move that had been speculated.

The Bucs’ sack total from the defensive line this year was, again, miserable, and pretty much has been since Simeon Rice left the Bucs. That’s five years the Bucs have searched for a pass rusher that makes quarterbacks buy Pampers?

Draft pick after draft pick and the Bucs still don’t have a scary pass rush. The subpar 2012 season again cost the Bucs a defensive line coach for lack of sack production.

In 2010, Adrian Clayborn seemed showed talent and had splashes where he reminded Bucs fans of Rice, especially when he planted Matty Ice into the turf of the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

The defense suffered a blow when Clayborn blew out a knee early this season. But it appears Clayborn has a clean bill of health to continue his rehab, so he Twittered this morning.

@AJaClay: Bout to see my doc…hopefully I get some good news and I can start running.

(An hour later… )

@AJaClay: Knee is good!

And that means the Bucs are good!

Hopefully, with a reinvigorated Clayborn, Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy and a return of Michael Bennett and a healthy Da’Quan Bowers, the Bucs will be able to make quarterbacks have untimely accidents on the field, which used to happen when Warren Sapp and Rice danced and pranced.

Making a Pro Bowl and a playing a full season is just one hurdle for Gerald McCoy, says Derrick Brooks

It seems Bucs icon Derrick Brooks is taking a measured approach to the emergence of Gerald McCoy as a recognized superstar.

Speaking on WDAE-AM 620 this week, Brooks was told some fans still think McCoy is a bust and was asked for his take on the Bucs’ big-money, Pro Bowl defensive tackle. Brooks did not play cheerleader and was not horrified by the inference that McCoy could be a bust.

Brooks said McCoy earned the Pro Bowl berth, but it’s just a small part of the big picture.

“I was happy for him to finish a season,” Brooks said of McCoy. “I think that was the No. 1 goal, was to finish a season healthy and let’s see what happens.Now, you’ve set this [Pro Bowl year] as a standard that he has to build on. I mean, you could look at the other D-tackle up in Detroit [Ndamukong Suh], did he have the same impact this year that he did last year? No. And it could because of the defense as a whole. It could be because of him. Who knows.

“But I will say [McCoy] got through the first hurdle of finishing the season healthy. And now it’s something to build on. To determine if he’s, you know, a bust at this point, it’s something that we can’t determine and will continue to build on.”

Sure McCoy has more to achieve, but Joe’s a bit surprised there aren’t more warm and fuzzy feelings for McCoy. At 24 years old, he’s proven he’s not a bust and the prime of his career lies ahead.

Plus, his teammates voted him captain, he’s outspoken to media (which means he communicates with fans) and he’s been a pillar in the community. This morning, McCoy is speaking at a Tampa elementary school and helping distribute eyeglasses to needy kids. Yesterday, he did the same thing.

Yeah, a Hall of Fame career would be nice, but Bucs fans and observers should be able to appreciate McCoy’s impact.

If Quincy Black’s medical status doesn’t change by April, the Bucs may have to reassess linebacker needs for the draft.

One Bucs bright spot to celebrate this past season was the transformation of the rush defense and the front seven.

Just by adding a second round draft pick who appears to be a major NFL star in the making, Lavonte David, Bucs linebackers went from wretched to remarkable all in the span of 16 games.

Even when outside linebacker Quincy Black, who was having his best NFL season by far, went down with a scary upper body nerve injury, the Bucs’ rush defense didn’t fall back much.

So it struck Joe to read a missive in the TBO Bucs Q&A stump for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik to draft and/or add a linebacker via free agency.

Q: Don’t you think the Bucs need LB help either in free agency or the draft?

– Michael Stanley, Columbus, Miss.

A: I do indeed. I believe they could use a little depth there at least. May even need to start looking for a new SLB. We’re still not sure how Quincy Black is after suffering that neck stinger.

– Woody Cummings

Need help at linebacker? No.

Could the Bucs use help at linebacker? Yes, of course.

The last time Joe heard Bucs coach Greg Schiano speak of Black, there was no assurance that Black would be 100 percent by the time training camp rolls around in roughly six months — yes, six months to training camp. Black is seeking all sorts of feedback from medical specialists across the country, if not beyond borders. The fact the Bucs and Black have even gone international in seeking advice about Black’s injury tells Joe this is a very serious injury Black suffered.

So if Black remains a question mark to return by the time the draft rolls around, then sure, Joe can live with drafting a linebacker, say in the third round.

As the Bucs stand approaching late January, Joe isn’t ready to anoint linebacker as a priority need for the 2013 season.

It seems like only yesterday that Bucs fans were wondering why Chucky was so stubbornly resistant to ever putting his quarterback in the shotgun formation. Now the ol’ ball coach is crediting it for having rookie QBs NFL ready.

Below is a rare piece of a Chucky interview where he gets into some Xs and Os and doesn’t claim to love anyone. Chucky seems to accept young-and-ready QBs as a legitimate phenomenon in the NFL with no sign of stopping. Joe wonders how this could affect the perceived value of Josh Freeman going forward.

Joe’s glad to see he’s not the only one breathing a huge sigh of relief because Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan didn’t land as a head coach Chicago, in what what have been a devastating setback to Josh Freeman and the offense.

Vincent Jackson expressed similar sentiment, documented by Buccaneers video mogul Scott Smith, and explained that continuity alone should help the Bucs as they try to squeeze the most out of every last minute of practice time, which is restricted by the player-owner labor agreement.

“I think it’s huge,” said Jackson of Sullivan’s return.  “To get that year under your belt is huge, and if we had gotten a new guy here we could have had a different system and we would have had to pretty much start from scratch like we did last year.  So having this confidence – you know, we kind of know what to expect from him and the coaching staff knows what to expect from us – it’s definitely going to give us a head start this offseason.”

The Bucs didn’t achieve their postseason goals, but they did set new franchise single-season records for points scored, yards gained and passing yards gained.  Obviously, the arrival of Jackson (and rookie RB Doug Martin) had a lot to do with that, and Jackson thinks the Bucs can top themselves again in 2013, thanks to that much-appreciated continuity.

“I think there is a huge chance that we will be a lot better just because the fact that, again, you feel all different kinds of struggle when [you] get a new coordinator or [you] get a new head coach and everything is kind of fresh,” he said. “Even though we put in lots of work and I felt we were playing at a high level and we felt very comfortable with the system, you know, well early on in the season there were still things we could improve on and we could have been more consistent with. I expect us to definitely to have a head start on that. This offseason we won’t have to spend as much time installing, you know. Some of the veteran guys will know what is expected of them and know all of the calls and formations.  We’re all in this league racing against the clock, with the union and all the hours we are only allowed to do in the offseason and during the season, that’s what we’re all competing against.  It’s preparation. So for us to have that knowledge under our belt, it’s definitely going to help us.”

Smith has more excellent nuggets from Jackson, which you can find by clicking above.

Joe finds it interesting that Jackson talked about how the Bucs could have been more consistent and tighter early in the season, versus later in the year during the December collapse. It was a similar sentiment that former wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck told Joe last week, when Fleck said alleged miscommunication between Freeman and receivers was more a function of defenses catching up to the Bucs than anything else.

Regardless, Joe, along with Jackson, is confident that Year 2 of the Sullivan offense should translate to stellar and consistent production given the Bucs’ talent. There really are no more excuses.

Is a court date creeping up on you?

Click on through below to learn more about criminal defense attorney and Tampa DUI lawyer Brett Metcalf, or call Metcalf Law today to schedule a free consultation.

In his most scathing indictment to date of the current Bucs brass, former Bucs quarterback and current NBC Sports Network analyst Shaun King says “the Bucs are just wasting time” because of the lack of skills and smarts of Greg Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik.

One of only three QBs to lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game, King says the firing of defensive backs coach Ron Cooper and defensive line coach Randy Melvin, is further evidence of the ineptitude of the regime.

“Who does that after the first year if you hire correctly?” King asked rhetorically on WDAE-AM 620 today. “But the problem becomes the elite teachers in the National Football League aren’t going to come here.”

King repeated his takes that he didn’t like the Schiano hire, and that Dominik “is not good at his job,” and he said it’s a red flag that Schiano, a defensive guy, used a defense that needs an overhaul. “Those schemes and those philosophies they’re using on defense are flawed,” King said.

King, a St. Pete native, went on to express his deep, lifelong love for the Buccaneers and belief that Mike Sullivan will move on in the near future as a hot head coaching candidate, therefore the Bucs are “spinning their wheels.” (The entire audio can be accessed below.)

Bucs icon Derrick Brooks is not surprised the Bucs have taken a “no-hurry” approach to extending Josh Freeman’s contract, which expires after the 2013 season.

In fact, Brooks says Greg Schiano’s two-week-old statement of desiring competition for Freeman would be rendered meaningless if Freeman was re-signed.

“No need to rush anything, One, in terms of respecting the head coach’s position on this and creating competition, extending a contract at this time kind of eliminates that opportunity that a head coach wants to do when it comes to creating that environment at that position,” Brooks said.

Brooks makes a sound point. Looking to lock up Freeman now, even a team-friendly deal, would essentially make Schiano’s alleged desire for completion for Freeman a complete sham. Of course, Joe finds it to be somewhat of a sham now, considering there are no quality quarterbacks laying around that are going to challenge Freeman for a starting spot.

Plus, throw in the fact that Schiano and rockstar general manager Mark Dominik assessed Freeman off his heinous 2011 season and decided he didn’t need competition. All they talked about last year at this time was Freeman hitting the “reset button” to recreate his 2010 success. So for Joe, that’s not a sign Dominik and Schiano have the core belief of competition at all positions.

Brooks also made the point that Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Joe Flacco and Tom Brady played into the final years of their contracts, so there’s no reason to think the Bucs are slighting Freeman or doing anything unexpected.

The way Josh Freeman tossed footballs downfield to Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, Joe thought that, despite Freeman’s untimely December meltdown, Freeman would have decent numbers converting third downs.

After all, if Freeman set passing records for the Bucs franchise, it would stand to reason his third down conversion wasn’t too bad, no?

Apparently, no!

The thinktank crowd of ProFootballFocus.com decided to analyze their files to find the most clutch quarterbacks in 2012. Surprisingly, Freeman was in the bottom third in the NFL.

Freeman was ranked No. 24, just above Mark Sanchez and Brandon Weeden and just below Carson Palmer and Ryan Tannehill.

Clearly, if the Bucs are going to make the playoffs next season — a critical season for Freeman’s tenure as the Bucs’ starting quarterback — this is an area in which Freeman must rank among the top half of the NFL, not the bottom half.

Liquor sales reached an all-time record in the state of Ohio last year, and that trend should continue if the latest news out of Cleveland Browns camp gets serious.

Raheem Morris, the architect of the failed Tampa 2.0 defense, will interview soon for the Browns’ defensive coordinator position, per various reports out of Ohio and the Tampa Bay Times.

Apparently, new Browns head coach Rob Chudzynski has no interest in stopping the run.

Raheem coached the Redskins secondary in 2012. The unit ranked 30th in the NFL.

Joe thinks Raheem is a much better head coaching candidate than a potential defensive coordinator. He at least had stunning success as a head coach in 2010, when the Bucs were 10-6, started a bunch of rookies, and he was a deserving coach of the year candidate. But as a defensive coordinator, Raheem was dreadful on all fronts.

Joe wishes Raheem well.

This is an intriguing development.

Despite Roy Miller having a breakthrough season, Gerald McCoy making his first Pro Bowl, Michael Bennett solidifying himself as an upper tier defensive end, and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim exceeding all expectations, the Bucs have parted ways with defensive line coach Randy Melvin, per a report this evening by PewterReport.com head man Scott Reynolds.

Melvin earned a Super Bowl ring coaching under Bill Belicheat and coached for Greg Schiano at Rutgers, in addition to other stints in the NFL. Before he joined the Bucs, he was working in the CFL.

Joe has not received any comment or confirmation on the report from the Buccaneers.

“Front-7” coach Bryan Cox spent a lot of hands-on time with the Bucs defensive line. It seemed to Joe, from viewing locker room interaction, sideline chatter and practices, that Cox was closer with the D-linemen than the linebackers. Perhaps that has something to do with the Bucs making a change.

Joe will monitor this through the night and provide updates.