David Joseph and the Bucs offensive line are getting a lot of love from national football experts.

There’s not a lot to wrap one’s arms around with the 2009 Bucs. Depending on who you listen to, the Bucs will either be a .500 team or will be on the clock for the first overall pick in the 2010 draft.

But one area where there is pretty much universal optimism is the Bucs offensive line. In recent days, a national football writer and one of the Bucs all-time greats waxed poetic about the Bucs front five.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has Bucs center Jeff Faine as the No. 4 center and Davin Joseph as the No. 5 tackle and Aaron Sears the No. 10 tackle in his position rankings.

[Faine is smart], heady center who added the glue to a young line that needed it. He’s not overpowering, but he gets by with his smarts.

[Joseph] emerged as a Pro Bowl player last year on one of the better lines in the league. Plays with a mean streak. [Sears doesn’t] get the attention Joseph gets, but he’s not far behind.

Sapp, who should know a thing or two about offensive lineman, waxed poetic about tackle Donald Penn as his No. 4 offensive lineman. In this NFL Network video, Sapp says of Penn, “Boy, can he block out the sun. He’s young. I like it when he’s young and feisty and don’t know no better.”

That’s good to see Sapp talk up Penn, whose footwork JoeBucsFan.com analyst Steve Campbell raved about last year.