Tampa Bay’s only voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, JoeBucsFan.com columnist eye-RAH! Kaufman, has been talking to Brent Grimes and others around the Bucs locker room about Mr. Grimes. 

The result is today’s column. Enjoy!

BY IRA KAUFMAN

All’s quiet in Miko World.

If you’re a Bucs fan, that’s the best news of all. That means the Buccaneers haven’t self-destructed through six games, a scary scenario that might have prompted the wife of Tampa Bay cornerback Brent Grimes to rip the organization.

That doesn’t mean Miko hasn’t weighed in on various topics. Her prolific Twitter account has been active, whether she is blasting Colts owner Jim Irsay for releasing veteran corner Antonio Cromartie or refuting a Miami Herald report that she and her husband owe almost $200,000 to the IRS.

But as far as Miko and the franchise are concerned, we’ve heard crickets.

That’s because at the age of 33, when most NFL defensive backs are meeting with financial advisors to plan their impending retirement, Brent Grimes is playing winning football.

Signed as a free agent from Miami in March, Grimes is tied for fourth in the NFL with nine pass breakups, including seven in the past three games.

He has also turned in the biggest defensive play of the young season, intercepting Derek Anderson’s fourth-quarter pass intended for Greg Olsen in the end zone.

“And don’t forget, he made a tackle at the 1-yard line on the play before the interception to keep Carolina from scoring a touchdown,” said Bucs defensive tackle Clinton McDonald. “When we signed Brent, I knew he was a good corner, but I didn’t know much about the man. He’s a heck of a guy, someone you can talk to and relate to.”

Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes

Grimes didn’t excite Buc fans with his play in the preseason. And when the games began to count, he struggled along with his defensive teammates during a 1-3 getaway.

But after his star turn in Charlotte, Grimes followed up with another strong effort at San Francisco, showing his new teammates he is not resting on a reputation forged by four Pro Bowl selections.

“He’s a great corner, and he’s different,” says Mike Evans. “I’ve never seen a guy like him that can get up like that so high and so quickly. He’s super athletic. It’s crazy. The guy is so quick and he knows so much about the position. We see him make plays like the Carolina game every day in practice.”

At 5-foot-10, Grimes has played big since signing with the Falcons as a free agent in 2006. Bucs defensive coordinator Mike Smith was head coach in Atlanta when Grimes emerged as an elite corner.

When Grimes became available on the free-agent market, Tampa Bay moved quickly in an effort to fortify a porous secondary. Now Grimes is starting opposite first-round draft pick Vernon Hargreaves and Buc opponents are completing only 58 percent of their pass attempts — a marked improvement from last year’s soft coverage.

“His presence has been huge for a lot of us young guys,” says second-year pro Jude Adjei-Barimah. “Brent is real insightful and he calms us down on the field. He also has a very aggressive mentality when it comes to taking the ball away. That attitude has become contagious around here.”

The Raiders, 4-0 on the road, will provide a stern test for Tampa Bay’s improving defense. Quarterback Derek Carr has dangerous targets in Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, and Oakland boasts the No. 5 scoring attack in the league, averaging 26.4 points.

“Those two receivers are great players, with a big catch radius and a quarterback that gets the ball to them, so they present a problem,” Grimes said. “We’re in a good spot right now. We could be in a better spot, but we’re on a streak and trying to get a home win. We want to give our fans something to cheer about.”