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	Getty Images, AP Photo
	The Buccaneers have signed their core offensive players -- Derrick Ward, Josh Freeman, and Kellen Winslow -- to lucrative long-term contracts.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

TAMPA, Fla. -– You can call the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a bad football team. Right now, there’s no evidence to the contrary.

Just don’t go calling them cheap.

I live in Tampa and I hear the accusations every day. The Bucs don’t care about winning and that’s why they’re not spending money, the theory goes.

That’s the problem with theories. All you need is an idea to throw around and it can catch on and spread, even if there’s absolutely nothing to back it up.

The Bucs have their flaws, sure, but being frugal isn’t one of them. Fact is, Malcolm Glazer and his sons who run the team are throwing money around.

Right now, they’re paying Jon Gruden, Bruce Allen and Jeff Jagodzinski $6 million to stay away from their football team. They’re operating out of the palatial One Buccaneer Place, which cost millions to build and I wouldn’t even want to guess what the daily light bill is.

But disgruntled fans are having a field day with the fact that the Buccaneers are roughly $30 million under the NFL’s salary cap. That’s a fact and it’s not disputed. It just needs some clarification.

Allen, the former general manager, came into salary-cap hell when he took over from Rich McKay. The best way to get out of that predicament is to not spend any money and, for four or five seasons, that’s what the Bucs did.

It became habit and unused cap money kept rolling over. The Glazers quietly could have pocketed that money, but they didn’t. They let it build and when new general manager Mark Dominik and coach Raheem Morris entered their first free-agency period in February, the Bucs were on an uneven playing field.

The rest of the league started with a cap floor of $123 million. Tampa Bay’s floor was about $150 million.

When free agency started, the Bucs didn’t stand still. They went out and signed Derrick Ward to the biggest contract for any free-agent running back. They traded for tight end Kellen Winslow and turned around and handed him a monstrous contract. They re-signed wide receiver Michael Clayton to a deal many thought was too big.

They made legitimate runs at Albert Haynesworth and Matt Cassel and not getting them might have been a blessing because those high-priced guys aren’t exactly lighting it up. But this isn’t about the virtues of caution.

There’s a wrong perception out there the Glazers are skimping on the Bucs to take care of their Manchester United soccer team. If they were so concerned about pinching pennies, why wouldn’t they have saved a few million and used their first-round pick on a defensive player instead of taking quarterback Josh Freeman as the franchise player for the next decade?

No, the Bucs aren’t being cheap because you really can’t do that in a day and age when there’s a cap floor. You want cheap? Go back to the early days of the Buccaneers when the NFL didn’t have a cap or a floor and owner Hugh Culverhouse wouldn’t pay anybody anything, so he could pocket his television money.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

The folks who control the chat schedule in Bristol just e-mailed to ask if we could push the NFC South chat back an hour because of some problems they've run into today. I've agreed to do that.

Officially, the NFC South chat is now scheduled for 2 p.m. ET Friday. Here's the link to get there.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

A quick reminder that the NFC South chat will be held Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Here's the link to get there.

Pat Yasinskas take a look at the Jets-Saints matchup and has some updates on the Buccaneers, Falcons and Panthers.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

We’ve got two NFC South representatives on the list of Forbes Magazine’s 400 Richest Americans for 2009.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer (and family) comes in at No. 139. The magazine says Glazer is worth $2.4 billion.

Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is tied for No. 317 with a $1.3 billion net worth. Interestingly, Edward DeBartolo Jr. is one of the people tied with Blank. DeBartolo formerly owned the San Francisco 49ers, lives in the Tampa Bay area and his name is frequently thrown out when people speculate about the Glazers selling the Buccaneers, even though there never has been any indication they’re on the market.

Look through the full list. You’ll see a bunch of other NFL owners.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

The weekly NFC South edition of Blogger’s Blitz is scheduled to air at approximately 9:45 p.m. Thursday on ESPNEWS. I use the word “approximately’’ because the schedule always is subject to change with television, but we should be somewhere close to 9:45.

I’ve got a list of the topics and can assure you the main focus will be on this weekend’s battle of the undefeated Saints and Jets in New Orleans.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

A look at the Atlanta Falcons in their bye week:

What they’ve accomplished: The Falcons didn’t need a bye this early because they were off to a good start. They got wins against Miami and Carolina before going on the road to New England and losing respectably. The Falcons have done a good job of picking up where they left off last year offensively. Quarterback Matt Ryan has shown no signs of a sophomore slump, he’s using new toy Tony Gonzalez often and the young defense has been better than expected.

What’s ahead: Despite the decent start, there still are plenty of questions about the defense, particularly the secondary, and opponents are going to keep testing this unit. It also is a bit of a concern that the Falcons weren’t able to run the ball more consistently in their first three games. Mike Smith and his staff are using the bye to patch up the defense and rest running back Michael Turner. The Falcons still have seven division games remaining, and road trips to San Francisco, Dallas and New York twice -- for the Giants and Jets -- aren’t easy.

Realistic outcome: The Saints have taken early control of this division and New Orleans’ remaining schedule is more friendly than Atlanta’s. But the Falcons still have two games with the Saints and that can determine a lot. The running game will have to return to last year’s form and the young defense has to continue to get better for the Falcons to have a chance to win the NFC South. But they seem to have the nucleus in place to at least challenge for a wild-card berth.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

A look at the Carolina Panthers in their bye week:

What they’ve accomplished: Not very much. They’re 0-3 and everyone from coach John Fox to quarterback Jake Delhomme is on the hot seat. The Panthers spent all offseason talking about how they had 21 of 22 starters back from a playoff team. They haven’t looked anything like last year’s team. Linebacker Thomas Davis has been a bright spot, but that’s it. Delhomme got off to a horrible start, the offense has been non-functional and new defensive coordinator Ron Meeks hasn’t brought any improvement.

What’s ahead: On talent alone, it’s hard to write this team off after just three losses. And a rebound seems very possible with home games against Washington and Buffalo and a road trip to Tampa Bay after the bye. The Panthers are using their bye to try to get their defense healthy, and they finally added a wide-body defensive tackle in Hollis Thomas. Delhomme has been better the past two games than in the opener, so it’s not impossible for this team to suddenly catch its footing.

Realistic outcome: As easy as the next three games may look, don’t get too carried away with hopes for recovery because the Panthers have dug a deep hole. There’s not much margin for error and there’s little reason from what we’ve seen so far to think the Panthers can even get back to where a margin for error would matter. The offense can’t move the ball on the ground and the defense can’t stop anybody. Those are the two things a Fox team is supposed to be able to do with ease. If this continues, this won’t be Fox’s team much longer.

Other 3-0 teams: Giants | Vikings | Saints | Jets | Ravens | Colts | Broncos

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

Are the Saints for real? The NFL Blog Network breaks down each of the seven teams that started the season 3-0.

	Luc Leclerc/US Presswire
	Pierre Thomas rushed for 126 yards and two scores in the Saints' Week 3 win over Buffalo.

What they’ve accomplished: The 3-0 start is probably better than any realistic expectation in the preseason. The Saints were supposed to be without starting defensive ends Will Smith and Charles Grant for the first four games, but the NFL decided on the eve of the season to at least postpone their suspensions. Although Smith and Grant have been painted as underachievers in the past, they’re playing well as part of a rebuilt New Orleans defense. That’s been a key in the fast start as the Saints have had road wins against Buffalo and Philadelphia. The defense has gotten better each game and the Buffalo win showed the Saints don’t always need to rely on their offense. There also has been a little luck involved with the Saints facing Matthew Stafford and Kevin Kolb in their first career starts. But this team is in line for a little luck after going through a bunch of injuries and a brutal schedule that featured an international game last year.

What’s ahead: Sunday’s game with the Jets suddenly has become a showdown of undefeated teams, and the Superdome should be rocking with enthusiasm. The remaining schedule does include teams like the Giants and Patriots, but it also includes two games with Tampa Bay and Carolina and single games with St. Louis and Washington. The Saints have a bye next week and that will help running backs Mike Bell and Pierre Thomas rest up and that’s a positive. It’s been nothing but positives for this team so far. At worst, the Saints will go through the first quarter of the schedule at 3-1.

Realistic outcome: The Saints already have created separation with the rest of the NFC South, and Atlanta remains the only realistic challenger. With Marques Colston and Jeremy Shockey healthy, the New Orleans offense is even better than last year and Drew Brees is having a an MVP type of season. The defense already is solid under new coordinator Gregg Williams and it should only get better in time. The Saints finally have balance throughout the team and that should pay off with a playoff berth. This team might be able to go deep into the playoffs if it continues to click on both sides of the ball.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

We’re re-visiting history here, but I think this is worth noting because it shows how close the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came to getting Brett Favre in 2008.

There’s been a lot of discrepancy and former Tampa Bay general manager Bruce Allen repeatedly tried to downplay reports Favre was close to joining the Bucs. But, for the record, former Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden, now an analyst for "Monday Night Football," said he was under the impression that Favre to Tampa was a done deal.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas

It’s coming about two months too late, but the Panthers finally have added the wide body they’ve been missing since Maake Kemoeatu went down with an injury on the first day of training camp.

Charles Chandler reports the Panthers have signed veteran defensive tackle Hollis Thomas and have release Ra’Shon Harris. At 340 pounds, Thomas gives the Panthers the run-stuffing presence they’ve been missing since Kemoeatu went down.

Thomas is nearing the end of his career and won’t be able to play every down, but he’s about 40 pounds heavier than the rest of Carolina’s defensive tackles. The Panthers should have found someone of Thomas’ size as soon as Kemoeatu was injured. Instead, they’ve been starting Nick Hayden and Damione Lewis at defensive tackle and that’s left them susceptible to the run.

Posted by ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas

A reminder that our weekly NFC South chat will be held Friday at 1 p.m. ET. Here's the link to get there.