You’ve all read THE PESSIMIST, who spews his Bucs-related anger like no other. But Joe also wants you to know THE OPTIMIST. 

THE OPTIMIST is Nick Houllis, a Bucs fan and an accomplished writer whose steadfast allegiance to the team goes back to the 1970s. Houllis is the founder, creator and guru of BucStop.com, a place Joe goes to get lost in time via Houllis’ stunning video collection.

THE OPTIMIST will shine that positive light in your eyes. Some will love it. Some won’t.

Things are looking up when you start cutting your Pro Bowl players.

Oh, make no mistake about it, Clifton Smith is damaged goods, and we can probably thank Carolina Panthers gunner Dante Wesley for that. His ridiculously early, incredibly tasteless hit probably stunted the career of one of our best kickoff returners ever.

Let’s put it in perspective: the guy who ends a 30-year drought for kickoff returns in Bucs history cannot even make the team the next year. We’re talking about Micheal Spurlock, of course.

Why? Because he is replaced by a high second-round draft pick from App State (should have been in the App store on iTunes for $2.99), and that’s the way it works in the NFL. But this second-round pick, Dexter Jackson, finds the Sunday League a lot harder than the Saturday one, and after half a season the Bucs decide that a guy on their practice squad who did pretty good in the preseason deserves a shot again, because it can’t get any worse than a guy who runs backwards.

Enter Clifton Smith, who simply returns a kickoff for a touchdown to spark the biggest comeback in franchise history, and starts another comeback over Detroit with a PUNT return for a touchdown. His two returns land him a role in the Pro Bowl.

That’s right, Pro Bowl; and around here, Pro Bowl players don’t just grow on trees. We only have three left; a replacement (Davin Joseph), the Browns’ former tight end, and a guy who’s been going to Hawaii since the 90’s.

Now not all of Smith’s problems stem from that hit in the Panthers game that was the first of his two concussions. He is also recovering from gout. But the bottom line is that there are other options on the team for a change. And that is a great sign when you can let go of a Pro Bowl player because you know there are guys on the roster just as capable of doing the job.

Sammy Stroughter, Micheal Spurlock, Preston Parker, all guys who emulated the main character in this story in one way or another.

Parker is like Smith, in that he impressed his way into the Bucs organization with great hustle and play. Same with Stroughter last year, a late round draft pick by the Bucs in 2009. Spurlock has returned, but he brings with him something he did not have before, the ability to play a roster position other than returner.

With the Bucs coming off a season in which their special teams actually outranked their offensive and defensive units, kick and punt returners will have an even larger role in the positioning of opening drives for the team. The Bucs ranked second in special teams in 2009, and their only fault – a last place finish in FG percentage – figures to improve greatly with a full year of Connor Barth.

How a full year without Clifton Smith goes, however, remains to be seen.