The perception that the Bucs are cheap may be right or wrong. Joe tends to lean toward the latter.

What local naysayers say about the football spending habits of the Bucs’ hierarchy is not limited to the Tampa Bay area.

Speaking on “The Blitz” heard exclusively on Sirius NFL Radio earlier this afternoon, co-hosts Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com and former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon all but blasted the Bucs for their perceived thrifty ways.

Talk of the weekend rumors that the Bucs and Rams would swap first round draft picks in a trade that would give the Bucs the overall first pick in the draft were mocked by Marvez and Gannon.

“Oh my gosh, that would mean [the Bucs] would have to open up the pocketbook and spend money on a player?” Marvez gushed in mock horror. “That’s ridiculous. They are not going to spend an extra $10 million on a player.”

Gannon — a Chucky acolyte who has been known to spend time at Chucky’s bunker at the Ice Palace — blurted “No way!”

To end the discussion, Marvez summed up his feelings that many Bucs fans echoed this past awful season.

“That shows you how far that franchise has fallen.”