She’ll always remain in our hearts and dreams, even if we never see her at a Bucs game again.

The Bucs latest moves to fire Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen means we’ll all likely have to say another goodbye.

And that sad farewell is to the lovely Carmella Garcia, wife of Jeff Garcia, who surely is not returning to the Bucs in 2009, unless he’s willing accept being a backup quarterback. It’s possible – he did just that in Philly – but it’s best that Joe just start to forget about Carmella.

We’ll miss you.

Raheem Morris will replace Jon Gruden. The hot young prospect has never been a pro coordinator. Mark Dominik is the Bucs new GM. He's another in-house hire.

Steve Duemig, of WDAE-AM, The Sports Animal, was first to report that Raheem Morris, just 32 years old, has been named the Bucs head coach. Mark Dominik a 13-year Bucs personnel executive is the new general manager.

Only weeks ago, Morris was named Monte Kiffin’s replacement at defensive coordinator. And Dominik was a leading candidate for the Chiefs’ general manager position.

Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas, of ESPN.com has confirmed the report.

Are the Bucs cutting payroll and going with the inexpensive young talent? Or are these guys the real deal?

Joe is excited.

Kudos to the Sports Animal for their fantastic coverage

Major props to 620 AM, The Sports Animal, for its outstanding coverage of the Bucs firing of Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen. They have stayed with live coverage hours after the announcement, which came about 6 p.m.

Joel Glazer spoke to the Sports Animal moments ago. 

“We made this decision after careful thought. …Carefully thought out. At the end of every season we sit down and evaluate every season.  … It was very emotional. It was an emotional end to the season. … We look at where we are and where we want to go. … This is the most dificult decision any franchise will make.

“You can’t point to one thing or three things or one play. …We owe it to our fans to make a decision in the bets interest of the Buccaneers.

“We have a plan on how we’ll go forward, and it will unfold in the coming days.”

"We whacked him. And it felt good. He let down the family."

Boy the Glazers are fascinating. They let Bruce Allen trot out in front of the Tampa Bay media last week and spend an hour twisting the truth and spinning a bunch of laughable answers to direct questions.

The Glazers must have had quite a laugh at that display. That was comically cruel, while they clearly were working the angles behind the scenes and preparing to fire the dynamic duo.

 It was almost poetic justice for Allen and Gruden, who worked the phones secretly courting Brett Favre last summer after Jeff Garcia had saved their jobs.

Know this, Bucs fans. The Glazers have a plan here. And we’ll all learn about it very soon – when they’re good and ready.

For now, we’ll speculate 10 reasons the Glazers fired Chucky.

1. Monte Kiffin ripped Chucky to shreds in his exit intervew
2. Glazers bet $2 million on the under in the last Carolina game
3. Al Davis laughed at the Glazers after the Oakland loss
4. Season ticket reps couldn’t get Tony Dungy to buy tickets
5. Joel Glazer’s new open-door policy saw 45 players lined up
6. Bryan Glazer signs Dexter Jackson’s paycheck
7. Joey Galloway was on the Glazer’s fantasy team
8. Cheerleaders quit citing nothing left to cheer about
9. The season ticket waiting list was down to 26.
10. Jerramy Stevens moved next door to Joel Glazer

"Am I hearing this right, man? Jimminy Christmas!"

 Jon Gruden Fired

Bruce Allen Fired

Check back soon for much more …

Had the Bucs somehow beaten the lowly Raiders in the last game of the season, thus qualifying for the NFC playoffs, the Bucs might have found themselves playing the Giants in the New Jersey Swamplands last week.

This video, shot last week at the Eagles-Giants game, shows just what fun Bucs fans would have missed had they traveled to New Jersey.

There’s nothing like tailgating in freezing weather between a dumpster and a row of porta-potties in the midst of drunken Giants fans.

Ah, East Rutherford.

America's worst defensive coordinator has a new job - Bucs linebackers coach

The hard-working Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas of ESPN.com is reporting Joe Barry, commander-in-chief of the NFL’s worst defense in 2009, is returning to Tampa Bay to become Bucs linebackers coach.

It seems Barry’s pleading for a job has come to an end.

Joe has no personal beef with Barry, and surely if he wasn’t a capable coach during his last tenure here, Monte Kiffin would have sent him packing. But it just doesn’t sit well with Joe to have anyone associated with the 0-16 Lions join the Bucs organization in ’09, let alone Detroit’s defensive coordinator.

Oh, well. Joe is confident Raheem knows best.

San Diego scribes report L.T. is expected join the list of free agent running backs in 2009

Joe stays up late yearning for a free invite to the always-wild Maxim Super Bowl party, as well as a stud running back to team with Earnest Graham.

As for the backfield fantasy, Brandon Jacobs is the choice, if the Giants let him walk. But now LaDainian Tomlinson is sure to be on the market, says San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Tim Sullivan.

Since Tomlinson represents an $8.8 million cap hit for 2009, and since the Chargers could clear $6.725 million of that by deleting his salary, LT might as well be auditioning for the role of Maria Von Trapp.

Thus what would have seemed unthinkable less than a year ago now appears almost inevitable: that the Chargers will dump Tomlinson rather than continuing to pay him. Despite all of his accomplishments, and the career records still within his reach, LT is now dogged by the dangerous perception that he has reached the point of diminishing returns.

Joe thinks Tomlinson still has a Pro Bowl or two left in him. (Ahh, the dreaming is getting interesting.) Regardless, the Bucs need to improve greatly at running back, if they are being honest about their faith in the young offensive line.

Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas, who covers the NFC South for ESPN.com, reports the Bucs will be one of the most aggressive teams in free agency.

Joe’s not going to bet a nickel on that. But the Bucs are sure to go after at least one big name, after throwing big money at Antonio Bryant and Jermaine Phillips. And, while many might cringe and disagree, Joe believes Jeff Garcia will be offered some cash as well for 2009.

Tampa Bay has $40.4 million to throw around this year, reports Yasinskas. Compare that to New Orleans, which is over the cap, and Carolina and Atlanta, which are about $10 million and $20 million under, respectively.

Yasinskas also writes that Joey Galloway will “almost certainly be released,” providing the Bucs even more cap space. But Joe wouldn’t bet on that either. Galloway and Chucky could easily rekindle their old love affair in 2009, as Joe commented after Galloway’s final radio show on WDAE-AM. If Galloway comes to camp healthy, Chucky might just give him quite a hug.

All-time good guy and provider of houses to working single moms, Bucs running back Warrick Dunn is a finalist for the 2008 Bart Starr Award. The award honors one NFL player annually for exemplary character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community.

Dunn is a finalist along with Drew Brees and Kurt Warner.

The winner of the Bart Starr Award will be announced during the 22nd annual NFL-sanctioned Super Bowl Breakfast, hosted by Athletes in Action on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 8 a.m. at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-866-448-7849.

The 2009 program features NFL athletes and coaches, including  Tony Dungy, NFL Hall of Famers Bart Starr and Anthony Munoz, and Bucs legend Derrick Brooks. Former San Francisco 49er Brent Jones is emcee.

Both Brooks and John Lynch are past winners of the honor. Learn more about the Super Bowl breakfast at SuperBowlBreakfast.com.

Joe is scheduled as a guest this morning on The Ron Diaz and Ian Beckles Show heard locally in the Tampa Bay area on WDAE-AM 620, The Sports Animal. Expect Joe to be on the air with Ron and Ian about 10 a.m.

Joe likely will discuss the Bill Parcells-Antonio Bryant tampering issue along with the “Fuzzy Math” of the Bucs, among other topics.

JoeBucsFan.com readers who can’t be near a radio or live outside the signal’s reach can listen to Ron and Ian via streaming audio on the station Web site.

Thanks for listening.

Dolphins executive Bill Parcells knows all too well what tampering is and may have done it again.

About a month ago, Joe read an article by Sean Jensen of Yahoo! Sports on the resurrection of Bucs wide receiver Antonio Bryant. In that article, a quote from Bryant jumped off of Joe’s computer monitor.

Bryant says he has spoken to [Bill} Parcells “on several occasions” and that the current Dolphins executive vice president “sends messages to me through other coaches.”

Among the messages: “Keep it up,” Bryant says.

(Parcells declined interview requests for this story, a Dolphins spokesman said last week.)

Joe quickly became curious as to why Parcells, otherwise known as “The Tuna,” would need a third-party, specifically third-party coaches, to talk to Bryant? Why not pick up the phone himself?

Second, what messages was Tuna sending to Bryant, his former player in Dallas?

Then it hit Joe: Bryant is a free agent after the season. Was Tuna, who has a history of being fingered for tampering, trying to lay the groundwork for Bryant to come to Miami for the 2009 season? It’s not like Tuna had never been accused of tampering in connection with the Bucs before.

So Joe reached out to a contact he has in the NFL front offices in New York recently to try to obtain the official NFL definition for tampering. Here’s what Joe learned:

Per the NFL’s Anti-Tampering Policy, the league defines tampering as:

The term tampering, as used within the National Football League, refers to any interference by a member club with the employer-employee relationship of another club or any attempt by a club to impermissibly induce a person to seek employment with that club or with the NFL.

Now granted, Joe is going on what Bryant told Jensen. If Bryant is to be believed, and if he was not yanking Jensen’s chain, there has been multiple times a third party of Tuna’s has contacted Bryant this past season. That’s not very kosher in the NFL’s eyes. Again, verbatim from the NFL tampering policy document:

Example of Tampering.

The following chain of events is enumerated here as one example of a violation of the policy against tampering with another club’s players:

1. A club’s representative, or a third-party intermediary of that club (Club A), is involved in a private meeting or conversation with a player (or his representative) who is under contract to, or whose negotiating rights are held by, another club (Club B); and

2. The League obtains substantiation that after or during the above contact with the player, Club A has stated, publicly or privately, its interest in obtaining his services (see “Public/Private Statements” below); and

3. Contract problems or other disputes subsequently arise between the player and Club B (for example, the player’s failure to report on time to Club B).

Well, news leaked out recently that the Bucs are in the midst of negotiations to resign Bryant. And if they bog down, the Bucs may slap Bryant with the franchise tag. With all the cap space the Bucs have, why use the franchise tag unless there may be a snag in negotiations and have contract negotiations stalled possibly because Tuna may be waving a carrot in front of Bryant’s face?

Though Joe is not a lawyer, and doesn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express, it seems that, again, if Bryant is honest, Tuna could still be hit with tampering charges for employing a third-party to speak to Bryant. Once again, Joe quotes the NFL Tampering Policy:

In circumstances like those of the example above, tampering will be found even in the absence of a demonstrated cause-and-effect relationship between the player’s contract problems and his prior involvement with the other club. In other words, a club will not be able to defend a tampering charge in these circumstances by asserting that its private contact with a player (or the player’s representative) did not involve any expression of interest in the player or was not related in any way to the player’s subsequent contract problem with his club.

It appears that, provided Bryant wasn’t feeding Jensen a line of fertilizer, if the Glazer Boys or Bruce Almighty wanted to, they could go forward with tampering charges against Tuna.

Given Tuna’s history of tampering, Joe believes the Bucs should press forward with this issue.

A Bucs spokesman says the NFL stats policy is particularly unfair to Barrett Ruud

Ronde Barber had 100 tackles this season. It says so right on Barber’s Pro Bowl press release issued by the team and in the stats at Buccaneers.com. So it must be true, right?

Maybe not.

Tackles, while widely quoted as a player stat by the media, are considered an unofficial stat in the NFL. That means the NFL doesn’t care if the numbers recorded are accurate. And Roger Goodell is not concerned that these numbers are used by millions of fans, plus coaches and players, to cast an allegedly intelligent vote for the Pro Bowl.

League stats posted on NFL.com show Barber with 75 tackles (67 solo and 8 assists). But the Bucs Web site shows 100 tackles (70 solo and 30 assists).

Similar discrepancies exist for every Bucs player Joe researched: Gaines Adams, Aqib Talib, Tanard Jackson, Barrett Ruud, Kevin Carter, Jovan Haye, Derrick Brooks and Phillip Buchanon.

All of them have significantly more solo and assisted tackles on the Bucs site versus on NFL.com.

How could this be? Especially in the category of solo tackles. There can only be so many tackles in one game. Right?

Joe asked Bucs spokesman Jeff Kamis to explain.

Kamis said the official line is that recording tackles during live action is very difficult and Bucs coaches review game films and provide new stats to the media relations department the day after a game. The Bucs then present those stats to the media and on the team Web site.

But NFL.com only uses the stats initially recorded at the game from the press box, Kamis said, and the league has no interest in recording revised, accurate stats from its teams.

“You look at Barrett Ruud who has 178 tackles, and NFL.com has him for 130 or so,” Kamis said. “It’s unfair to Ruud. The NFL.com stats are misleading.”

Kamis said the NFL is acutely aware of the inaccuracies.

“For whatever reason, they’ve determined tackles aren’t going to be an official stat,” Kamis said. “It’s been a point of discussion since I’ve been in the league, about nine years.”

The Bucs are one of only a few NFL teams that publish revised stats for its defensive players – offensive stats are all official. The other teams just defer to NFL.com.

The fact Bucs coaches track tackles concerns Joe. Given Joe’s many years covering sports on all levels, coaches are wont to sometimes wildly exaggerate statistics for the benefit of their own players and many coaches have no real desire to be remotely accurate.

Joe is very curious whether Bucs officials and player agents use NFL.com stats or the bloated in-house numbers when it comes time to determine a player’s contractual value. Kamis didn’t have an answer avaiable at press time for that.

Regardless, the NFL is ridiculous for not making a statistic as basic as tackles an official stat. Who would get hurt if they did?

In general, Joe is not a stat guy. But if the NFL is going to put them out there as facts, then they should at least make every effort to get them right.

Doug Williams makes Antonio Bryant sound like a major head case

We all love the Antonio Bryant story. It’s pretty simple – bad seed wide receiver spends 2007 on his couch and turns into a superstar for the Bucs in 2008.

But if we can trust Bucs personnel executive Doug Williams, a Super Bowl winning QB, then the Antonio Bryant resurrection may have a few ugly chapters we’ve yet to read. 

Here’s Williams quote about Bryant from the St. Pete Times. It’s a story about Williams’ contract expiring soon, and he’s talking about his impact on the current roster.

Antonio Bryant and I talk all the time because he’s a guy who needs somebody — between (receivers coach) Richard Mann and myself, we’re the two people he’s going to talk to when things don’t go right.”

This quote disturbed Joe the minute he read it the other day.

What could Antonio Bryant possibly need? Chucky gave him a shot to return to the NFL. He gave him playing time. He showed him lots of love. He made him his No. 1 receiver. And the guy wowed the world on Monday Night Football, caught 83 balls and set himself for a massive payday this offseason. 

Is he that much of a head case that he needs two coaches to work on keeping his head together?

Joe knows Bryant is an emotional guy. You don’t see it much on TV, but Bryant flaps his arms and shows his emotion when Jeff Garcia doesn’t find him downfield. Bryant was the last guy to take off his uniform in the locker room following the Chargers loss. (He first sat on a chair with his head in his hands for about 20 minutes.) He was kneeling devastated on the field after the Bucs choked away the season to the Raiders.

And Bryant has his up moments. He’s probably the best interview on the Bucs – let’s hope he gets a radio show next season – and he’s got a good sense of humor.

But Doug Williams’ quote makes Joe wonder whether Bryant might be a real wack job. Therefore, Joe would like to see the Bucs put the franchise tag on Bryant. That will cost the Bucs more money up front than if they sign him to a long term deal – probably about $9 million for 2009. But that would give Bryant only a one-year contract and motivate him to control his behavior for another season.

Bryant might need major help in that area. Especially, to quote Williams, “when things don’t go right.”

Ronde Barber is one of Joe's favorite players. Despite this, Joe can't say with a straight face Barber deserved to be selected for the Pro Bowl

Before Joe has to take off running from the burning torches, he wants to be clear: Joe loves Ronde Barber.

Still, Joe just can’t look at the Bucs through Pewter and Red glasses. Well, at least not every day. While on the surface Joe was happy to learn Ronde Barber was named to his fifth Pro Bowl, Joe has to be honest.

Barber didn’t deserve it.

“Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to be on some great teams, and my selection to the Pro Bowl is further evidence of that,” Barber said. “It is a great honor to represent the Buccaneers and the NFC in Hawaii. Another Pro Bowl experience is one I really look forward to enjoying.”

Barber is one of Joe’s favorite players. And Barber has been kind to Joe when Joe interviewed him earlier in the preseason, which Joe appreciates very much. But even Barber, if pulled aside for a private chat, would likely admit he didn’t play to his usual stellar standards this past season.

Too many times Barber was fried on passes by opposing wide receivers and quarterbacks. Sure, Barber made some great plays this season but he was wildly inconsistent and, sadly, showed signs that Father Time might be catching up with him.

No shame in that. It happens to every athlete eventually.

Barber will always be one of Joe’s favorite Bucs defenders. But can he — or any Bucs fan — truthfully look in the mirror and state No. 20 was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL this season?

"I hate Ira Kaufman. And just when I thought my job was safe."

Esteemed Tampa Tribune NFL writer eye-RAH! Kaufman isn’t ready to wager that Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden will remain at One Buc Place much longer.

Speaking on ESPN 1040 AM today, Kaufman gave the dynamic duo a 25 percent chance of getting fired by the Glazers in a matter of days.

“I think the Glazers could be infatuated with [Mike] Shanahan. … I’ve got a gnawing suspicion that a change is still possible here,” Kaufman told the Fabulous Sports Babe, who will leave the station and afternoon drive partner Scot Brantley soon.

Yes, Kaufman is the guy who reported Brett Favre was coming to Tampa. But one screw up doesn’t destroy his credibility.

Kaufman has covered the NFL for years, and he is the lone representative from the Tampa Bay market on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Board of Selectors. Those are the seasoned buffet grazers who choose who gets a bust in Canton.

Joe nominates Shelton Quarles to coach the Bucs linebackers in '09

As an experienced sports and news reporter, Joe can confidently say news reporting has major drawbacks. No. 1 would be sitting through painfully boring and seemingly endless government meetings, which, if you’re not dozing, are more irritating than Red Sox fans at Tropicana Field.

Sometimes important things happen at these meetings. But mostly they resemble a Bruce Allen news conference — long on spin and short on substance.

Former Pro Bowl Bucs linebacker Shelton Quarles spends a lot of his time at these government meetings. He’s the chairman of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority. So he basically leads a team of politicians who talk about things they can’t afford.

What baffles Joe is how Quarles, 37, recently signed up again for the job, after Gov. Charlie Crist appointed him to the Authority in 2007.

Joe would like to see Quarles step aside from his post and do some really important work, namely coaching the Bucs linebackers in 2009.

Is there a more qualified candidate?

Gus Bradley, the most recent linebackers coach just bolted for the D-coordinator gig in Seattle. Reports say Joe Barry, former Bucs linebacker and coach and architect of the NFL’s worst defense in 2008, will follow Bradley to the Northwest.

Raheem Morris would benefit greatly from having a linebackers coach who knows the system, and someone who has the respect of the veterans.

Mr. Quarles, it’s time to lose the light rail drawings and get back to X’s and O’s. Joe is sure you could always attend the transportation meetings in your free time.

The hero worship for a good man who failed at his job in Tampa Bay by the local Dungryphiles is way over the top and, sadly, predictable.

Two things Joe knew would come true:

1) Someday, Father Dungy would retire.

2) The local Tampa Bay MSM would breathlessly fall over themselves in an effort to out do each other, acting as if Abraham Lincoln came back from the grave.

Joe couldn’t believe his eyes when last night, local TV newscasts led their broadcasts with Father Dungy retiring as if a head of state had passed. The gushing and near crying was just too much for Joe to stomach.

Sadly, Joe expected this whenever Father Dungy retired.

Look, Joe is the first person to admit Father Dungy was and is a nice guy, if not a great man. And Joe is confident Father Dungy was beyond nice to the local Bucs beat writers when he was here. But just because someone is kind does that mean the MSM has to stoop to such wild degrees of hero worship? Have we, as a society, sunk that low that just because someone is polite to others they should be raised upon pedestal?

Maybe Joe comes from a different world, but he can find dozens of nice guys just walking out of his office. That doesn’t mean there should be a state holiday for them.

Sadly, the Tampa Bay area is full of Dungyphiles. So unnerved are these people, they clutch to the fallacy that Jon Gruden won the Super Bowl “with Dungy’s players,” which is a patently false premise. Yet these same Dungyphiles cannot explain why Father Dungy couldn’t win a Super Bowl with his own players, much less get to a Super Bowl, much less build an offense that can score a measly touchdown in the NFC title game? Not one!

This Father Dungy fellatio also proves how far being nice to beat reporters can get a coach. Why suddenly, the fourth estate forgets that someone failed in the job!

To paraphrase Robert Plant (of all people), “Does anyone remember objectivity?”

Wait a minute, Father Dungy wasn’t a failure? Really? Joe doesn’t seem to recall the Bucs playing in a Super Bowl with Father Dungy around. Joe also seems to recall Father Dungy was fired by the Glazer Boys for just such a misdeed.

Then there was that little thing that irks Joe to this day: Father Dungy couldn’t figure out how to build a competent offense to save his own job. He ran an early-20th Century offense and claimed all the time “this is how we did it in Pittsburgh.” Yet his own former teammate with the vaunted Steel Curtain Pittsburgh teams, Mel Blount, even disproved that notion during one of the fabulous NFL Network “America’s Game” documentaries, noting how Father Dungy’s former coach, Chuck Noll, changed the Steelers offense to pass often to take advantage of the “Mel Blount Rule.”

Look, Joe commends Father Dungy for his countless good deeds and for being an upstanding guy, if not a great man. This, however, doesn’t mean Father Dungy should be worshiped for his failure with the Bucs.

And yes, Father Dungy failed as a Bucs coach.

The public grieving done about Father Dungy — who hasn’t coached the Bucs in seven years and only was the Bucs coach for six years — is too much. Joe wonders why John Tortorella wasn’t eulogized in such a manner? Tortorella did far more with the Lightning.

For that matter Joe Maddon has done far more with the Rays.

Joe wonders if Maddon will be fawned over in such a manner when his days come to an end with the Rays?

This Father Dungy hero worship proves to Joe that legends aren’t necessarily created as a result of substance.

On what appears to Booger McFarland’s own Web site, the only message there makes his latest comeback intentions known, “Booger 92. Coming soon to a team near you.”

The former Bucs defensive lineman and first round pick confirmed his latest comeback attempt on The Steve Duemig Show, on 620 AM, WDAE, on Monday. Talking to Duemig about Tony Dungy’s retirement and all things NFL, Booger said he was looking to catch on with the right club for 2009.

McFarland, 31, tore a patella tendon in his knee – see Cadillac Williams – just prior to the 2007 season. He reportedly failed a physical with the Steelers in early 2008. The Saints also were interested. 

The Bucs might be interested in the big run-stuffer. Sure, he’s banged up. But, if healthy, he would come cheap, and he knows the system. That’s often the magic combination for Bruce Allen.

Now that it appears Favre won't be with the Jets next year, Joe expects the rumors of Favre playing for the Bucs will resume.

Since it appears Chucky has survived the hangman’s noose, one of the top stories leading into Bucs training camp last July may rear its head again.

Rumors of Brett Favre to the Buccaneers.

Favre, who last year played for the Jets, is back in his annual cat-and-mouse game of whether or not he will retire.

Though Favre technically belongs to the Jets, it’s not likely he will remain there. The Jets are hurting with the salary cap. Some reports suggest the Jets will be over $10 million above the cap next year.

Favre’s salary is $13 million a year and it doesn’t seem as if he endeared himself to his teammates in the New Jersey Swamplands.

This brings us to Chucky and the Bucs. Chucky has to know his job is on thin ice so forget about him turning the quarterback reigns over to someone like Luke McCown next year. Chucky is going to want a veteran quarterback to run the offense.

It’s doubtful Jeff Garcia will return. If Chucky places his job in the hands of Son of Bob he’s more mad than Joe ever imagined him to be.

Joe is confident the last thoughts on Chucky’s mind before he falls to sleep at night is to have Jake Plummer at quarterback. But Chucky has failed to get Grizzly Adams out of the mountains and down to Tampa, despite the fact Plummer is married to a former Broncos cheerleader.

So the next best option to satisfy Chucky would likely be Favre.

Don’t be surprised at all if Chucky is tempted (again) to dance the dance with Favre this July.

ESPN NFC South reporter Pat Yasinskas speculates that Julius Peppers wants out of Carolina. A Peppers relocation to Tampa could change the balance of power in the division.

First, it’s good to see that Pat “Vacation Man” Yasinskas is working during the playoffs.

On Friday, in his NFC South blog chat with readers, “Vacation Man” wrote that Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers would return to Carolina because the team wouldn’t let him get away. Now Yasinskas has changed his tune, after observing Peppers in the Panthers’ locker room following Saturday’s stunning loss to Arizona.

Immediately after a 33-13 home loss to Arizona, Peppers said he wants what’s best for him and the Panthers when asked about his contract situation. Peppers said pretty much the same thing Sunday morning after the team held its final meeting. Peppers said he didn’t want to “cripple” himself or the Panthers.

Keep a close eye on this one. There’s an assumption out there that Peppers, who has spent his career with the Panthers and went to college at North Carolina, automatically will return to the Panthers, one way or another.

Maybe — and I’m just think out loud here — that’s not the case. The Panthers have been trying to re-sign Peppers for about two years now and it still hasn’t happened. At this point, you have to at least wonder if he wants to be somewhere else. Peppers has been given numerous chances by the media (for several months now) to say he wants to stay in Carolina. He never has definitively done that.

To keep Peppers, it’s widely believed the Panthers will have to make him the league’s highest-paid defensive player (probably around $13 million a season). The Panthers also could place the franchise tag on Peppers (probably about $17 million for 2009).

As Joe wrote months ago, bringing Peppers to Tampa is not only a major upgrade from now free agent DE Kevin Carter, it changes the balance of power slightly in the NFC South.

The Bucs have the cash to pursue him. Do they have the desire?

Joe wants Brandon Jacobs to keep walking, about 1200 miles south to Tampa Bay

Joe stays up late agonizing about the Bucs future. Call it tradition.

Bucs fans know the pain of so many offseasons, especially watching the playoffs and seeing in living color how far the once-mighty Bucs have fallen. 

That said, there are reasons to be optimistic. Joe doesn’t buy the doomsday-is-near theories floated by some talk radio hosts and callers.

Bucs fans looking for excitement can start at the offensive line. They’re all young – senior starter Jeff Faine turns 28 in April – reasonably experienced, and have shown great promise. Even super reserve Jeremy Zuttah had a terrific rookie season in 2008, showing he can play multiple positions at a high level.

Every expert, including Bucs GM Bruce Allen, says the O-Line is a major strength and a true success of the Gruden-Allen era.

So here’s where Joe is going to make a not-so-flying leap. If we accept the Bucs’ strength is on the offensive line, then the team needs to make investing in a running back its top priority this offseason.

Sure, there are many other holes to fill. But without a stud running back to team with Earnest Graham and Warrick Dunn next season, the Bucs will be wasting their talent at offensive line.

Joe likes Earnest Graham. He’s a near-perfect back for Chucky’s offense, a nice combination of speed and power, and he can catch the ball. After breaking long runs in 2008, Joe believes Graham has enough speed to complement a bruising runner like the Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, who could hit the free agent market in February.

The Glazers should consider breaking the bank for Jacobs, if the Giants don’t make him their franchise player. Aside from the obvious, Jacobs’ arrival in Tampa would immediately improve the performance of the 2009 quarterback – whoever that may be – and legitimate play-action would return to the Bucs offense. It all but disappeared during the Bucs’ December collapse.

Just 26, maybe Jacobs would like the young faces of the Bucs’ young O-line. Of course, that would be Chucky’s sales pitch, “Hey, Brandon, man, you’re walking into what’s going to be the best offensive line in the NFC over the next four years.”

Jacobs has had knee problems and might welcome the chance to play on grass.

The versatile Graham also is a strong enough short-yardage runner who could be a great fit with potential free agent speedsters Darren Sproles or Derrick Ward, the Giants’ other 1,000-yard rusher. There are RB options in the NFL draft, of course, but Joe would rather see the Bucs address the backfield in free agency and use their first-round pick (No. 19) to attack another need.

Again, if the offensive line is ready to reach its great potential, then inject a league-tested super stud into the backfield alongside Graham and let them go to work.

 At the very least, the move is sure to generate the excitement the organization and fans desperately need.

Joe always likes to tip his cap to the “old-timer” Bucs fans, those who have been loving the team since Day 1, or at least since the early ’90s, before the Glazers ushered in the new era.

With that in mind, former Bucs starting LB Winston Moss, who played in Tampa alongside Eugene Marve (Robert Marve’s dad) in 1988, 1989 and 1990, is set to interview for the Raiders head coaching vacancy soon, according to various reports.

Moss, 43, has been a Packers coach since 2006, serving as assistant head coach this season.

He interviewed for the Rams’ vacancy recently, but was not considered a serious candidate as he was unprepared during the interview, reported the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel citing an unnamed source.

Bucs defensive coordinator Raheem Morris appears to be sticking around One Buc Palace at least another year.

Though the Bucs weren’t in the playoffs this past weekend — or the weekend prior for that matter — it appears the Bucs came out a winner nonetheless.

Adam Schefter of NFL.com is reporting the Broncos hired Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. Why should Bucs fans care? Bucs defensive coordinator and Monte Kiffin’s heir apparent Raheem Morris was a finalist for the job.

Now that the issue of possibly losing Morris this offseason has been put to rest, Morris now has his first hire upon him as Bucs linebackers coach Gus Bradley has taken the defensive coordinator position at Seattle. Thankfully, the new hire won’t be Joe Barry.