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TAMPA, Fla. -- Kellen Winslow had been gone from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for all of about 12 hours. From the way coach Greg Schiano answered a question about why he traded away the tight end, you would think Winslow had been gone for 12 years.

“I’m going to hesitate to look back," Schiano said. “I’m going to focus on the guys that are here.’’

Read into it what you want, but I think it’s pretty obvious what’s going on here. Schiano’s cleaning house of guys that don’t fit the new style he’s bringing to the Buccaneers.

Winslow said Schiano told him he wasn’t happy the veteran tight end had spent most of his offseason in San Diego, rather than working with his teammates. Winslow got the message on Saturday night, after he had arrived in Tampa with plans to join the Bucs on Monday. But that was too late for Schiano, who also might have had some doubts about relying too heavily on a tight end that missed a lot of practices with a sore knee over the last three seasons, even though Winslow never missed a game with the Bucs.

Schiano is a Bill Belichick disciple. He believes players should practice, at least most of the time. Schiano also believes in doing things his own way.

Schiano made it clear when he took the job that every player on the roster was getting a fresh start. That was true in some ways, but some guys were starting off with a strike against them. Winslow was one. Tanard Jackson was another. Both had issues in the past. Schiano kept them around for a bit, but he parted ways with both of them at the first sign of trouble.

The Bucs weren’t happy with the approach Jackson was taking in the offseason as he attempted to come back from injury last year. The Bucs weren’t able to trade him, so they simply released him. I’m pretty sure there will be some more casualties along the way. Schiano has made it very clear guys have to toe his line, which is about 20 yards away from the blurry line Raheem Morris used to stand behind.

“There’s really not a message," Schiano said. "It is not one of those situations. The only message I want to address is we need to be the best football team we can be. Time is our enemy. We are running out of time. Teams in our division have a head start on us.''

Intentional or not, I think Schiano has sent a very clear message. It doesn’t matter if you’re cornerback Aqib Talib, who seems to be starting off with an 0-2 count and Stephen Strasburg on the mound, or a guy with a spotless background.

If you take one step over Schiano’s line, you’re going to be talked about as a former member of the Bucs.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t take long to unload Kellen Winslow, after telling the veteran tight end he was on the market for a trade.

The Bucs announced late Monday night that Winslow had been traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a seventh-round draft pick in 2013 (that can rise to a sixth-round pick if Winslow meets certain playing-time and statistical requirements in Seattle) and they quickly turned around and signed veteran Dallas Clark to replace him.

The move came after Winslow broke the news to Sirius XM NFL Radio on Monday morning that coach Greg Schiano had said the Bucs wanted to trade him. Winslow said Schiano expressed unhappiness that he wasn’t taking part in offseason workouts with his teammates.

Although the Bucs only got a late-round pick for Winslow, it’s a still victory that the Bucs were able to get anything for a player who probably would have been released if no one offered anything in trade. Schiano is in the process of cleaning up Tampa Bay’s locker room and Winslow follows safety Tanard Jackson, who previously was released, as another player that didn’t fit the team’s new personality.

Clark may be a better fit in the locker room and he and Winslow might be an even exchange on the field at this point in their careers. Winslow had 218 catches for 2,377 yards and five touchdowns in three seasons with the Bucs. Winslow never missed a game in that span, but missed lots of practice time.

Clark may be on the downside of his career, but he may be a better fit in Schiano’s system. Clark spent the past nine seasons with Indianapolis. He started 111 of 114 career games, while catching 427 passes for 4,887 yards and 46 touchdowns.

"Dallas Clark is a consummate pro and proven playmaker," Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said. "He will be another asset, on and off the field, for our team. In addition to Luke Stocker's continued improvement in his ability as an every-down tight end, we feel we have both talent and depth at the tight end position."

It has been a slow process, but Greg Schiano is obviously cleaning house in Tampa Bay.

Veteran tight end Kellen Winslow told Sirius NFL Radio on Monday morning that he has been told by the Buccaneers that his services no longer are required. Winslow said team officials said they will try to trade him.

That might be difficult now that the rest of the world knows Winslow is on his way out of Tampa Bay. But the Bucs appear more than ready to move on from the tight end that joined them in 2009. Adam Schefter reports the Bucs worked out veteran tight end Dallas Clark last week, and appear to be the favorites to sign him.

Although bothered by a sore knee that forced him to miss a lot of practice time last season, Winslow, 28, appeared in all 16 games and caught 75 passes. But age and Winslow’s knee probably weren’t the main reasons why the Bucs have decided to move on. Winslow said he was told by the team that one reason he won’t be back is because he hasn’t been taking part in voluntary offseason workouts.

That seems to matter a lot to Schiano, and it should. He’s trying to instill order in a team that had none last season. The Bucs previously released safety Tanard Jackson, and team officials said they weren’t happy with how Jackson was approaching the offseason. Schiano came in saying everyone was getting a fresh start. That was true, but, in the cases of Jackson and Winslow, the Bucs have shown there's no room to slip up.

The way the Bucs dealt with Jackson and are dealing with Winslow sends a clear message to the rest of the roster that Schiano is running a tighter ship.

Back in February, I speculated about the possibility of the Bucs moving on without Winslow. They don't necessarily need salary-cap room, but releasing him would instantly free up $4.8 million.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Before he was even asked a question about his first pick as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Greg Schiano was painting a portrait that probably still is invisible to most Tampa Bay fans.

Schiano had just stunned his fan base -- and probably the rest of the world -- by taking Alabama safety Mark Barron at No. 7. A safety at No. 7? This guy had better be the second coming of Ronnie Lott and Ed Reed put together or, at very least, John Lynch Jr. You don’t take a safety at No. 7, and say you gladly would have taken him at No. 5, unless you think he’s special. Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik definitely thought Barron was special.

“I think he fits into what we do defensively perfectly,’’ Schiano said. “You couldn’t draw it up any better.’’

That probably doesn’t excite you, especially if you wanted the Bucs to stay put at No. 5 and draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. And I know there was a contingent of Tampa Bay fans who thought Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly would be a perfect fit after the Bucs traded out of No. 5 and Claiborne went to Dallas at No. 6.

Either of those would have fit the profile of what we’ve come to expect from the Buccaneers, stretching back to Tony Dungy, running through the Jon Gruden era (with Monte Kiffin as the bridge) and right through the ugly final days of Raheem Morris.

But here’s the thing: Those days are over. This is Schiano’s team now.

Unless you’re a die-hard Rutgers fan, you don’t have any clue what a Schiano team looks like. Even if all your Knights are scarlet, you might see some changes as Schiano adjusts to the NFL. He’s not about to publicly share his X's and O's, but he certainly has implied this team is going to look a lot different in a lot of ways. Believe it or not, that might start at safety because Barron is going to be tied to Schiano forever, for better or worse.

“I think our safeties have to be more dynamic than in most schemes,’’ Schiano said.

At 6-foot-1 and 213 pounds, Barron is big enough to play in the box and make an impact on a run defense that needs improvement. With 12 career interceptions, Barron also has shown the ability to make plays in coverage.

“He needs to be able to do a lot of things, and he is capable of them,’’ Schiano said.

He’s going to have to cover wide receivers man to man, Schiano said. That’s a change from the days of Kiffin’s Cover 2, when safeties picked up wide receivers only after they got past the cornerbacks and Lynch often played the role of a linebacker. That may not be enough in an NFC South in which Drew Brees has thrown for 5,000 yards in a season and Cam Newton and Matt Ryan can put up big numbers. In case you haven’t noticed, that’s not just an NFC South trend. All around the league, teams are throwing the heck out of the ball.

“Safety has become an extremely important position now,’’ Dominik said.

More important than cornerback? Where the Bucs have Eric Wright, an aging Ronde Barber and a question mark in Aqib Talib?

Obviously, the Bucs think so. Dominik said the Bucs would have chosen Barron at No. 5 if they had stayed put. That means they would have chosen him over Claiborne, who was widely considered the best cornerback in this draft.

That’s a pretty strong statement from a team that has chosen only two defensive backs in the first round in its history and both of those were cornerbacks. There’s even a bit more pure football logic about this pick.

The Bucs had a big need at safety after releasing Tanard Jackson. They were left with Cody Grimm, a possible move to safety by Barber and not much else. Barron fills that need.

But I don’t think this pick was completely about X's and O's and pure football ability.

I think the selection of Barron was another sign that Schiano is going to do things much differently than in the past. Something obviously cooled the Bucs on Claiborne. Maybe it was that he reportedly had a low Wonderlic score or maybe it was something else.

Schiano said he and Dominik saw sparks the first time they watched film of Barron. By the time they interviewed him at the combine, there was a flame. As they talked about Barron, Schiano and Dominik both mentioned that he was a two-time captain for a team that won two national championships during his stint.

“He fits who we are and what we are,’’ Schiano said.

I get the impression Schiano cares a lot about what guys bring as players, but I’m getting an even stronger sense he cares about what they bring as people and how that can translate into winning. That’s sort of a new concept around here, at least since the Dungy days.

“He fits who we are and what we are,’’ Schiano said.

In other words, the Bucs think Barron can step right in and be a leader on a team that desperately lacked leadership and personality in the Morris days.

“Our coaches are excited to get their hands on him and mold him into a Buccaneer Man,’’ Dominik said.

We’ve heard the phrase “Buccaneer Man’’ a lot since Schiano took over. The problem is we have no idea what the new Buccaneer Man is supposed to be. But now we’re starting to get a bit of a portrait.

With Barron, there’s a face and maybe an outline of a body and a personality. Looks a little like a good athlete, a natural leader and a guy who was asking if there was a way to get his hands on a playbook Thursday night, even though he’s scheduled to fly to Tampa first thing Friday morning.

Maybe the Barron pick doesn’t look so bad -- or blank -- after all.

TAMPA, Fla. – A lot of people thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would end up with the best cornerback in the draft. Instead, they wound up with the best safety.

After trading down from No. 5 to No. 7, the Bucs drafted Alabama safety Mark Barron.

That may come as a surprise to those who expected Tampa Bay to come away with LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. But maybe the Bucs weren’t as sold on Claiborne as everyone thought.

They must have been sold on Barron. Not sure this will fly with fans, but Barron does fill a big need. The Bucs released safety Tanard Jackson recently. Aside from Cody Grimm, they have very little else at safety.

I’ll be back with much more analysis on this after we hear from coach Greg Schiano and general manager Mark Dominik and get Barron on a conference call.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been attempting to shop troubled cornerback Aqib Talib for a trade, Scott Reynolds reports.

On some levels, such a move makes sense. Talib is a talented cornerback and the Bucs would like to add some extra picks in this year’s draft. They currently have a pick in each round except for the fourth. Talib has had a series of off-field problems throughout his career and new coach Greg Schiano already has made it clear he won’t be as tolerant of problems as predecessor Raheem Morris. Schiano already released safety Tanard Jackson, who also had some off-field problems.

But there’s one big catch here that could make trading Talib difficult, maybe even impossible. Talib is facing a June trial on an assault charge in Texas. He could face prison time. Even if he’s cleared, Talib could face a suspension from the NFL.

It’s difficult to imagine any team being willing to give up a draft pick for a player that might not be available to play for part, or all, of this season.

Let's take a look at the Monday evening headlines from around the NFC South.

— The Tennessee Titans could be waiting until the last minute to make a move on New Orleans linebacker Jonathan Casillas, a restricted free agent. The Titans previously had Casillas in for a visit and now there is a report that they plan to talk to him again. Friday is the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. The Saints would have the opportunity to match any offer, but have very little salary-cap room to work with. If Casillas ends up elsewhere, the Saints would not receive any compensation. The Saints have added depth at linebacker this offseason, by signing free agents Curtis Lofton, David Hawthorne and Chris Chamberlain.

But the Saints didn’t necessarily sign those players to take the place of Casillas. There has been speculation that middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma could face a suspension for his role in the Saints’ bounty program. It now has been reported that Vilma is bracing for a suspension that could last anywhere from two to eight games. The league has said at least 22 players took part in the bounty program over the course of three seasons. The NFL is expected to announce disciplinary action for players before the draft.

I know there are a lot of New Orleans fans that feel the Saints already have received too severe a punishment with coach Sean Payton, general manager Mickey Loomis and assistant head coach Joe Vitt each drawing suspensions. But here’s one significant reason why NFL commissioner Roger Goodell came down so hard. There is a growing number of lawsuits that claim the NFL hasn’t done enough to protect players from concussions. The latest lawsuit specifically mentions the Saints’ bounty program. If Goodell didn’t act harshly, lawyers could use that against the NFL.

— Check out this Insider post that says there’s a growing buzz that Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly could end up being a top-10 pick. I’ve been saying for a few weeks now to keep an eye on him when Carolina picks at No. 9.

— The Panthers made only slight tweaks to their jersey when Reebok took over as the NFL’s uniform manufacturer. But the asking price for a standard jersey has jumped from $85 to $100.

— Roy Cummings writes that Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith could be a target for the Buccaneers, perhaps with their second-round pick. The Bucs need to add some safety depth after releasing Tanard Jackson. Some project Smith as an outside linebacker. The Bucs also need help there. Plus, if you know anything about the Bucs, you know that general manager Mark Dominik really likes drafting guys who were captains in college. Smith was a two-time captain at Notre Dame.

There hasn’t been a great deal of positive news out of the NFC South for the last month or so. Let’s break tradition and start our Friday evening roundup off with something bright and cheery.

If you’ve ever spent much time around the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you probably know or have heard of Jill Hobbs. That’s largely because she’s been with the team forever -- almost. Hobbs, currently the team’s director of player benefits and alumni programs manager, will celebrate the 35^th anniversary of her hiring on Sunday. The Buccaneers started the celebration Friday by calling all staff members together for a meeting. Then, the Bucs surprised Hobbs, who has worked in a variety of capacities throughout the years, with a celebration and some very nice gifts.

• Updating a story we mentioned previously, it’s now official -- New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson has agreed to buy the New Orleans Hornets from the NBA. The league took ownership of the team in 2010. Ironically, the announcement of the deal comes on the same day the Hornets host the Utah Jazz, the same franchise that left New Orleans in 1979.
• Carolina quarterback Cam Newton is in the final four of the Madden 13 Cover Vote. Newton said he’s not worried about the so-called “Madden Curse’’ that has seen some players featured on the cover suffer injuries or have bad seasons. Newton said being on the cover is "what you make it."
• Take a look at this Insider post that features three underrated prospects that could be available early in the second round. The Buccaneers have a pick early in the second round and this list features a linebacker and running back -- two positions the Bucs could be considering at that time.
• No surprise here. Safety Tanard Jackson, who was released by the Bucs earlier this week, will join the Washington Redskins. Former Tampa Bay coach Raheem Morris is the defensive backs coach in Washington.
• Another player released by Tampa Bay this offseason is getting interest from the Tennessee Titans. That's center Jeff Faine.
• Jeff Duncan reports the deal linebacker David Hawthorne signed with the Saints is very salary-cap friendly. That’s not surprising. Despite having limited cap room, general manager Mickey Loomis has done a nice job of overhauling the linebacker corps. He also has signed Curtis Lofton and Chris Chamberlain to cap-friendly deals.
• For those tracking pre-draft visits, Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe recently visited with the Carolina Panthers.

The best thing about living in much of the South is that you can leave the door open in December and January. The flip side is, you never know who’s going to walk in.

That’s been demonstrated repeatedly throughout most of the decade the NFC South has been in existence. Worst to first isn’t just a hokey slogan in this division. It’s been a reality.

Not counting the inaugural season (because there was no defending champion or reigning last-place team in a division that didn’t exist before 2002), there have been six NFC South teams that finished fourth in the division one season and ended up winning it the following year. The trend started with the Carolina Panthers and their miraculous run to the Super Bowl in the 2003 season.

The Atlanta Falcons pulled off worst to first in 2004. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did it twice -- in 2005 and 2007. So did the New Orleans Saints. They did it in 2006 and again in 2009, the season after which they won their only Super Bowl.

But the worst-to-first trend has stopped since then. The Saints and Falcons have stayed consistently good and managed only to flip back and forth between first and second place.

This could be the season in which things get back to normal. Let’s be clear that I’m not ready to write off the Saints, as long as they have Drew Brees at quarterback, or an Atlanta roster that’s loaded with talent and has the potential to click at any moment.

But you look at what has happened in New Orleans and what hasn’t happened in Atlanta this offseason and you have to wonder if it’s at least possible that new Tampa Bay coach Greg Schiano is about to pull off a miracle on Dale Mabry Highway or if Carolina linebacker Thomas Davis knew what he was talking about when he said the Panthers are headed for the Super Bowl.

The Saints’ bounty program has left them without coach Sean Payton for the entire season and they have little chance of pulling anything off in the draft because they don’t have a pick until the third round. They lost some free agents, like Carl Nicks and Tracy Porter. Plus, there’s the very real possibility that multiple players could face suspensions for their roles in the bounty program. Maybe adversity becomes a rallying cry for the Saints and they stay atop the division. Or maybe the bottom falls out of what was a great three-year run.

If that happens, the Falcons would seem the logical choice to step up. They did go 10-6 last season, although you could say they underachieved slightly throughout the regular season and tremendously in their playoff loss to the New York Giants. And what have the Falcons done to improve their roster this offseason?

Ladies and gentlemen, I present linebacker Lofa Tatupu and guard Vince Manuwai, two guys who didn’t play in the NFL last season.

Yeah, I know how the Falcons like to point to their roster continuity and changes at offensive and defensive coordinator as reasons they’ll be better this season. Those are valid points. But, still, the way last season ended, you have to at least wonder if the Falcons have already started their downhill slide.

Then, you look at the Buccaneers and Panthers and you see two teams that almost have to be on the rise. In the case of the Bucs, that’s mainly because they can’t go any lower.

Tampa Bay ended last season on a 10-game losing streak. Raheem Morris left for London at 4-2 last October, looking like the NFL’s next great coach. That guy hasn’t been seen since. But Schiano is in his office now and he seems to be saying and doing all the right things. He got rid of safety Tanard Jackson and coaxed safety Ronde Barber into coming back for one more year. Plus, Schiano has one luxury Morris didn’t last year -- a free-agent class.

A year after punter Michael Koenen was their big addition in free agency, the Bucs went out and made one of the league’s biggest splashes. They signed receiver Vincent Jackson, Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright.

Mix those guys in with some young talent (Josh Freeman, Gerald McCoy, Adrian Clayborn and some others), let Schiano restore a little order in the locker room and on the practice fields and worst to first at least seems like a possibility.

But, even if the Saints and Falcons slip, the Panthers could be ahead of the Bucs. They only won six games last season, but it might have been the most positive six-win season in NFL history. With Ron Rivera taking over for John Fox, the Panthers suddenly realized the NFL became a passing league a few years ago and started playing catch-up. They used the No. 1 overall draft pick on Cam Newton and suddenly had one of the NFL’s most prolific offenses.

The problem was the Panthers couldn’t do the one thing they always did under Fox -- play defense. That was largely because defensive tackle Ron Edwards was lost to injury in training camp and linebackers Jon Beason and Davis quickly followed. All three are expected back and that instantly should give Carolina a better defense. It only needs to be a little better, because Newton and that offense are going to score enough points for the Panthers to stay in the game with anyone.

Can the Panthers and/or the Bucs pass the Saints and Falcons?

We’ll see. It’s only April and the NFC South door looks to be wide open. Let’s see if it's still ajar -- or maybe even off the hinges -- in December.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Tanard Jackson to a one-year contract extension last October, a lot of eyebrows were raised.

The deal came soon after Jackson had returned from serving a suspension of more than a year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. The perception was the Bucs were rewarding a player that had let them down.

Even more eyebrows were raised Tuesday when the Bucs abruptly released Jackson, citing a failed physical. It’s easy to say the Bucs made a mistake in signing Jackson to the extension, but it’s not really accurate.

The Bucs structured Jackson’s contract so that their exposure to risk was minimal. He was scheduled to count $2.95 million against this year’s salary cap. But the Bucs are off the hook for his $2 million base salary. The Bucs also protected themselves by putting in weekly roster bonuses for every week that Jackson was on the 53-man roster. Those could have been worth as much as $800,000. The Bucs are off the hook for that entire amount.

The only salary-cap hit they’ll take is for the $200,000 roster bonus Jackson was paid for still being with the team on the first day of the league year in March.

Let's take a run through some NFC South headlines and a couple of programming notes.

• Ashley Fox brings up a good point in her column about how not having Bill Parcells step in as coach while Sean Payton is suspended will impact the New Orleans Saints. Signs are pointing toward assistant head coach Joe Vitt taking over in the short term. But Vitt is suspended for the first six games of the regular season. General manager Mickey Loomis is suspended for the first eight games of the season. If the Saints go with Vitt for now, they’ll likely elevate another assistant for the first six games. Payton, Loomis and Vitt aren’t allowed to have contact with the team during their suspensions. What happens if a major decision has to be made while all three are out? That’s anybody’s guess. Parcells could have been the simple solution for all that because he has experience as a coach and personnel guy, plus he and Payton share a lot of similar views. Parcells would have known what Payton wanted in most situations. Other coaches might have to guess.
• In this radio interview, former New Orleans safety Darren Sharper said he doesn’t think any suspensions or fines are warranted for players involved in the Saints’ bounty program. Sharper said he doesn’t believe there’s been enough proof shown that a bounty program existed.
• Louisiana-Lafayette tight end Ladarius Green appears to be on the draft radar of the Falcons and Buccaneers.
• Safety Tanard Jackson said he has no hard feelings toward the Buccaneers after he was released Tuesday.
• I’ll be joining the Doug Gottlieb Show on ESPN Radio at approximately 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. Prior to that, I’ll be chatting with Bill Rosinski on ESPN 730 (AM) in Charlotte at approximately 4:30 p.m.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Tanard Jackson on Tuesday, but I have little doubt he’ll end up with a new job very shortly.

Yes, Jackson’s had some off-field issues, and they might have factored in as Tampa Bay goes through a housecleaning with the arrival of new coach Greg Schiano. But Jackson has talent, and the rest of the NFL knows it.

Some teams might be scared off by the off-field issues, but some teams might be willing to take a shot on Jackson. As NFC East colleague Dan Graziano points out, the Washington Redskins might be at the top of that list.

Washington defensive backs coach Raheem Morris was Jackson’s head coach in Tampa Bay the past three seasons, and his secondary coach before that. The two have a strong relationship, and Morris has stood by Jackson in the past.

Jackson also has another strong tie to the Redskins. Washington general manager Bruce Allen was Tampa Bay’s general manager when Jackson was drafted.

TAMPA, Fla. – The few times he’s spoken publicly since taking over as coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Greg Schiano has emphasized that he’s giving all of his players a clean slate.

That’s all true, but it appears he also is sending a message to his players, they’re gone as soon as that slate gets messy.

General manager Mark Dominik was vague when announcing Tuesday morning that safety Tanard Jackson was being released. Dominik said that Jackson, who was coming back from a shoulder injury, was released after failing a physical.

Dominik also emphasized that there were no indications that Jackson, who previously was suspended for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, had failed any new drug test or that any disciplinary action was coming from the NFL.

“What’s important to us as an organization is the growth of our football players,’’ Dominik said. “And how they handle on and off the field to become the best Buccaneer possible. That’s what we’re looking for.’’

I think it’s pretty easy to read between the lines on this one. Although the Bucs started their offseason program and Jackson had been attending, he hadn’t made a good early impression on Schiano. Injured players were allowed into One Buccaneer Place for rehabilitation throughout the offseason. I’m guessing Jackson wasn’t showing up regularly for that or wasn’t putting a great deal of effort into his rehabilitation.

This move seems to be a big departure from the philosophy of former coach Raheem Morris. The Bucs had numerous off-field issues, including problems with Jackson and cornerback Aqib Talib, but Morris always seemed willing to bring troubled players back.

Schiano seems to be following a one-strike policy and I don’t think the Jackson move will be the last. Talib has a trial on an assault charge in Texas in June. Talib could face prison time or a suspension by the NFL. Even if Talib is cleared, I think the message already has been sent by Schiano that there can’t be any more off-field problems.

Talent and athletic ability no longer are going to be enough to keep a payer on Tampa Bay’s roster. Jackson is proof of that. He easily was Tampa Bay’s best safety.

The Bucs have starter Cody Grimm returning from injury. They also have young safeties Larry Asante, Ahmad Black and Devin Holland. There also has been speculation that veteran cornerback Ronde Barber could move to safety.

But the Bucs almost certainly will look for more safety help in the draft or free agency.

Jackson had been scheduled to count $2.95 million against this year’s salary cap. By releasing Jackson, the Bucs will free up $2.75 million in salary cap space, but they do have to absorb a $200,000 roster bonus that was paid to Jackson on the first day of the league year in March.

TAMPA, Fla. -- We’ve got news breaking all around the NFC South on Tuesday morning.

I’m out at One Buccaneer Place, where Tampa Bay general manager Mark Domink just said the team is releasing safety Tanard Jackson. Dominik said Jackson, who was recovering from a shoulder injury, failed a physical. Jackson previously served a one-year suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, but Dominik emphasized he wasn’t aware of any new failed drug tests or discipline coming from the league office.

Elsewhere, Chris Mortensen reports that Bill Parcells is unlikely to step in as the coach of the New Orleans Saints. Adam Schefter reports Carolina’s Steve Smith has agreed to a three-year contract extension.

I’ll be back shortly with analysis of all three news developments.

The NFC South might not have a true standout safety, but it has plenty of durable ones.

Five division safeties participated in more than 90 percent of their team’s defensive plays in 2011. We’ll wrap up our series, which started last week, of playing time at every position with the safeties. Special thanks to NFC South Blog unofficial (and unpaid) intern Chris Walker from Saint Leo University for helping tabulate the results.

Carolina’s Sherrod Martin led all division safeties by participating in 96.8 percent of the defensive snaps. That percentage ranked No. 18 in the NFL as Martin was on the field for 990 of Carolina’s 1,023 defensive snaps.

Atlanta’s Thomas DeCoud (94.9 percent), Tampa Bay’s Sean Jones (93.8), New Orleans’ Roman Harper (93.2) and New Orleans’ Malcolm Jenkins (91.3) also were among the league leaders. Carolina’s Charles Godfrey wasn’t far behind them at 83.7 percent.

Here’s a look at some other NFC South safeties who got at least moderate playing time:

• William Moore, Falcons, 59.5
• Tanard Jackson, Buccaneers, 49.9
• James Sanders, Falcons, 45.2
• Corey Lynch, Buccaneers, 26
• Jordan Pugh, Panthers, 23.8
• Cody Grimm, Buccaneers, 16.7