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During the NFL draft, Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said the door was still open for veteran cornerback Ronde Barber to return for another season.

But how wide is that door really open?

As Barber has been pondering whether to retire or play another season, the Buccaneers have been filling up their defensive backfield with talent.

Barber moved to free safety after playing his entire career at cornerback. But the starting free safety job no longer is available.

The Bucs filled that spot by signing free agent Dashon Goldson. Barber’s not really suited to play strong safety and the Bucs are set there with Mark Barron, last year’s first-round pick.

If Barber is going to return and wants to play safety, he’d be a third safety at best. Putting Barber in that role would be less than ideal for the Bucs because teams generally require their third safety to play special teams.

The other scenario for Barber to return would be for him to move back to cornerback. But the Bucs no longer have a big need there after trading for Darrelle Revis and drafting Johnthan Banks.

Revis, Eric Wright and Banks figure to be the top three cornerbacks.

The Bucs have been wise in repeatedly saying they want Barber back. That avoids the kind of public relations nightmare they endured when they unceremoniously released Derrick Brooks. But the Bucs also have been wise in going ahead and stocking up their secondary.

Maybe Barber still will return in some sort of ceremonial role. Having a guy like Barber in your locker room is a good thing because he sets a good example with his work ethic.

But, if Barber decides not to return to the Bucs, the team has set itself up nicely to move on without him.

TAMPA, Fla. -- When your pass defense (almost all by itself) sinks an entire season, there’s only one thing to do. You go overboard to fix it.

That’s the approach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers followed Friday night as they drafted Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks in the second round (43^rd overall). That comes a little less than a week after the Bucs pulled off a huge trade to get cornerback Darrelle Revis, not very long after they restructured Eric Wright's contract to keep the cornerback around and only a little more than a month after the they signed free-agent safety Dashon Goldson.

Call it double dipping or triple dipping or whatever you want. The bottom line is, at least on paper, the Bucs have a much better secondary than they did last season. As dramatic as their approach is, it really isn’t that surprising.

General manager Mark Dominik has shown a tendency to lock in on one area and hit it several times over in the past. In 2009, Dominik used draft picks on wide receivers Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams. In 2010, the position of choice was defensive tackle with the Bucs taking Gerald McCoy and Brian Price with their first two draft picks.

In 2011, the Bucs used their first two picks on defensive ends Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers. This time around, the Bucs got Goldson and Revis in advance and followed that by doubling down on Banks, the winner of last season’s Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back.

“We’ve increased our size, physicality and ball skills,” Dominik said.

The days of relying on the likes of journeyman E.J. Biggers and undrafted free agent Leonard Johnson to go against NFC South receivers like Roddy White, Julio Jones, Steve Smith and Marques Colston are over over.

With Revis, the Bucs might have the best cornerback on the planet, if his surgically repaired knee is fully healthy. In Wright, the Bucs have a reclamation project. He was signed to a big free-agent contract last offseason, but served a four-game suspension last season and wasn’t that great when he did play. But Wright took a massive cut in pay and the Bucs still believe he can be a factor.

In Banks, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, the Bucs have added a big physical cornerback. Banks’ draft stock tumbled because he ran a slow time in the 40-yard dash at the combine, but the Bucs don’t think that’s indicative of his real quickness.

“You never felt that because he has such good length and ball skills,’’ Dominik said. “We felt like when you watch the tape, it’s not the same as he ran at the combine.”

Dominik and coach Greg Schiano weren’t ready to say exactly how they plan to use their cornerbacks.

“That all comes as part of the competition,” Schiano said. “You let it play out.”

But it’s not too hard to see how this is going to play out. Revis is automatically a starter. It really doesn’t matter if Banks or Wright is the other starter. When the Bucs go to the nickel package, which will be often, Banks is a natural on the outside and Wright is best suited to move inside and line up on slot receivers.

Speaking of sorting things out, it still remains to be seen what happens with veteran safety/cornerback Ronde Barber. Back at the start of the offseason, it looked like the Bucs needed Barber to return for another season.

But the free safety spot he played last season is now occupied by Goldson. The top three cornerbacks are now set. Will Barber come back as a third safety or a fourth cornerback? Dominik said Friday night the Bucs still would like Barber to return, but it remains unclear what role he would have.

“When Ronde reaches out, we’ll have a conversation and we’ll talk through that,” Dominik said.

The Barber situation will play out. If he returns, he’ll be in some sort of backup role.

The Bucs are set with Revis, Banks and Wright at cornerback. They’re set with Goldson and Mark Barron, last year’s first-round pick, at safety.

Over the past six weeks, the Bucs have gone to great extremes to make sure they no longer have the league’s worst secondary.

Although they don’t currently have a first-round pick after trading it as part of the Darrelle Revis deal, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still will hold their draft party at Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night.

According to the team, Revis, Dashon Goldson, Mark Barron, Doug Martin, Lavonte David, Josh Freeman, Gerald McCoy and Adrian Clayborn will attend. The team also says there will be an “on-field presentation’’ at 7 p.m. Other festivities also are planned.

But I wouldn’t be surprised if the biggest event comes very late in the night. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Buccaneers trade back into the latter stages of the first round.

One thing we’ve learned about general manager Mark Dominik is he’s a creature of habit. He drafted receivers Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn in the same year and took defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Brian Price in the same draft.

Dominik set a precedent for trading into the first round last year. After taking Barron with the seventh overall pick, he traded back into the first round to get Martin.

It could happen again. The Bucs currently have seven picks. If you look at the trade value chart, they could package their second-round pick (No. 43) and third-round pick (No. 73) and get to somewhere in the bottom five or six picks in the first round.

Dominik acknowledged Monday that he at least has thought about scenarios where he would consider getting back into the first round.

One other thing to keep in mind: When Dominik drafted Martin last year, he explained that part of the reason he made the deal was because players that are drafted in the first round can be given five-year deals, while anyone after the first round can’t get anything more than a four-year deal.

That’s important to Dominik.

That’s why I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes a trade to get back into the first round.

We conclude our pre-draft rankings of position-group needs with the defensive backs.

Remember, the earlier the ranking, the greater the need.

Carolina Panthers: General manager Dave Gettleman has assembled a group of guys that could be decent second or third cornerbacks. But the Panthers still could be in the market for a true No. 1 cornerback. They also need to upgrade at safety.

New Orleans Saints: The pass defense was a mess last year. That’s why the Saints signed cornerback Keenan Lewis as a free agent. They’re hoping Jabari Greer can bounce back from a rough season, but they may want to upgrade from Patrick Robinson as the nickel back. The Saints also could look for a safety to challenge Roman Harper.

Atlanta Falcons: The only reason I have the Falcons third in this area is because everything is relative. The Panthers and the Saints have desperate needs in the secondary. The Falcons, who have Pro Bowl safeties in Thomas DeCoud and William Moore, aren’t desperate but they do have a significant need at cornerback. They need one more starting-caliber cornerback to go with Asante Samuel and Robert McClain.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A couple days ago, the Bucs would have topped this list. But the trade for cornerback Darrelle Revis changed everything. Tampa Bay suddenly has a pretty solid secondary with Revis joining Eric Wright and safeties Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron. But it still is possible Tampa Bay could draft a cornerback fairly early because they’re unsettled at nickel back.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Giving up a 2013 first-round draft pick (and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2014 that could become a third-round pick) and handing $16 million per year to one guy generally is the type of move reserved for a team that thinks it’s on the cusp of a Super Bowl.

Add just one more piece and you’re over the hump and on your way to winning it all, the thinking goes.

Despite the hefty price tag, Tampa Bay’s trade with the New York Jets for Darrelle Revis on Sunday doesn’t quite fit the profile of an “all-in" move. One player, even if he’s the best cornerback on the planet, doesn’t suddenly take a 7-9 team and put it in the Super Bowl.

Other things have to happen -- like quarterback Josh Freeman becoming more consistent, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and a young defensive line continuing to progress and running back Doug Martin avoiding a sophomore slump.

But Revis instantly makes the Bucs better, and he’s going to bring star power to a team that hasn’t been relevant on a national scale or won a playoff game in quite some time. The last two times the Bucs made national headlines were when they fired coach Jon Gruden and when they released Derrick Brooks.

This time, they’ll dominate the news cycle with an incoming player. That’s significant for a team that has struggled for several years to sell out Raymond James Stadium. Say what you want about Tampa Bay’s ownership, but I think the Glazer family had a heavy hand in this deal. Attendance issues are very much on their minds and they just brought star power to a fan base that needs something to get excited about.

But this move isn’t purely about selling tickets. It’s about football, and general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano were as much on board as the Glazers.

Schiano needs a shutdown corner to improve a pass defense that was the worst in the league last season. When signing guys like safety Dashon Goldson, guard Carl Nicks and Vincent Jackson over the past year, Dominik frequently has cited “rare’’ and “unique’’ opportunities to get Pro Bowl players in their prime.

The fact that Revis was even available makes him even more rare and unique than Goldson, Nicks and Jackson.

Assuming Revis is fully recovered from a knee injury, he, Goldson and safety Mark Barron, a first-round pick from last year, suddenly make the secondary look like a strength.

Yeah, the Bucs are gambling a bit on their future by giving up the draft picks, but they’re not mortgaging it. The Bucs had been sitting there with $33 million in cap room, just waiting for this deal to go down. They’ve got the cap room in future years to give Revis a lengthy extension, something no other team in the NFL was willing to do. Let's be honest: If the Bucs held onto the No. 13 overall pick in this year's draft, they weren't going to get a cornerback anywhere as good as Revis.

This trade doesn’t come with the long-term implications the trades the Bucs made for Gruden (two first-round picks and two second-round picks) and receiver Keyshawn Johnson (two first-round picks) carried.

Dominik and, to a lesser degree Schiano, are stepping out on a bit of a limb here. But even if they hadn’t made this deal, Dominik already was on a bit of a hot seat heading into his fifth year as general manager. Schiano is heading into his second season as the head coach, but patience no longer is a virtue in the modern NFL.

It’s a lost art. Teams need to win or else coaches and general managers will go quickly. Patience is especially thin in Tampa Bay because the Bucs haven’t made the playoffs since the 2007 season.

Adding Revis might not put the Bucs into the Super Bowl this season. But it might be enough to put them into the playoffs. Talk of a Super Bowl might come a year or two down the road.

Just making the playoffs would be a huge stride for this franchise. Just making the playoffs and selling out most of the home games would make the Revis deal worthwhile.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Almost a year after first expressing interest in safety Dashon Goldson, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally got him.

The Bucs and Goldson agreed to terms on a five-year deal worth $41.25 million on Wednesday afternoon. In the press conference to announce the deal, general manager Mark Dominik admitted that the Bucs contemplated a move to get Goldson when he was carrying the franchise tag with San Francisco last year. Dominik said those talks came before last year’s draft, but a deal didn’t transpire.

This time around, the Bucs didn’t have to deal with the franchise tag and they went all out in their pursuit of the two-time Pro Bowl safety. As soon as free agency opened Tuesday afternoon, Goldson was on a flight to Tampa. He spent Tuesday night and most of the day Wednesday meeting with team officials.

“We always try to find unique and rare opportunities when you can add a player like this to your football team,’’ Dominik said.

In signing Goldson, the Bucs followed a similar path to what they did last year when they spent big on guard Carl Nicks and receiver Vincent Jackson at the start of free agency. When acquiring those two, Dominik talked about how rarely the opportunity comes to get a Pro Bowl caliber player in his prime.

Goldson, 28, fits that profile. He played a key role in San Francisco getting to two straight NFC Championship Games and last season’s Super Bowl. But the 49ers weren’t able to keep him because they already had so much salary-cap space committed to their defense.

“This guy is what we want on the Bucs,’’ coach Greg Schiano said.

In other words, Goldson is a tough, hard-nosed football player. His arrival should go a long way in fixing a pass defense that ranked No. 32 in the league last season. In his six-year career, Goldson has 14 interceptions with 443 tackles and five forced fumbles.

Goldson, who went to the University of Washington, said the final pitch in Tampa Bay’s recruiting effort might have come from linebacker Mason Foster, who also played for the Huskies. Goldson said he ran into Foster as he toured the weight room Wednesday and got positive reviews about Schiano and the type of team he’s trying to build.

“The energy around this building comes off as nothing but positive,’’ Goldson said.

With Goldson, the Bucs now have a lot invested at safety. Goldson will start opposite Mark Barron, last year’s first-round pick, and Schiano said the two safeties are interchangeable. Veteran Ronde Barber started at free safety last year. The Bucs have told Barber they want him back for another season, likely as a third safety or nickel cornerback.

Barber is pondering his future and Dominik and Schiano said they’ll figure out his exact role if and when the time comes.

But, on Wednesday, all the emphasis was on Goldson.

“I definitely see potential here,’’ Goldson said. “This is the correct fit. I really and truly believe that.’’

Safety Dashon Goldson is visiting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as we speak. If things go well, I’m thinking there’s a good chance the Bucs and Goldson could have a deal by the end of the day.

So let’s start getting to know Goldson.

You can read his Insider scouting report on our Free-Agent Tracker (his grades are outstanding).

Now let’s run through some stuff from ESPN Stats & Information. The two-time Pro Bowl selection has nine interceptions over the past two seasons. That’s the third most by any safety. Goldson, who carried the franchise tag last year, was part of a San Francisco defense that helped the 49ers get to last season’s Super Bowl.

We all know that the Buccaneers were the league’s worst pass defense last season. But acquiring Goldson could go a long way in changing that.

With Goldson playing a large role, the 49ers didn’t give up very many deep balls the past two seasons. The 49ers ranked among the top five defenses in the league in completion percentage, yards per attempt and interceptions on passes of at least 15 yards downfield over the past two seasons. On throws of that distance, Goldson produced six interceptions over the past two seasons.

This guy has the ability to be a center fielder, which would allow Mark Barron to be more of a true strong safety as he enters his second NFL season.

The waves appear to be picking up in Tampa Bay.

The Buccaneers could be making a free-agent splash for the second straight year. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that San Francisco safety Dashon Goldson’s first visit will be to the Bucs.

That’s a pretty significant fact because Goldson is one of the top players on the market and he wouldn’t be making the trip if the Bucs weren’t a serious contender. They have over $32 million in salary-cap space and a need to overhaul a pass defense that ranked No. 32 last season.

I’m sure the Bucs will put the full-court press on Goldson and I’d be surprised if he gets out of One Buccaneer Place without signing a contract. The Bucs made a similar early splash last year when they quickly signed receiver Vincent Jackson, guard Carl Nicks and cornerback Eric Wright.

Goldson likely won’t be the only big-name player visiting the Bucs. They reportedly have been in contact with the agents for several free-agent cornerbacks and have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Darrelle Revis in a possible trade.

If Goldson lands with the Bucs, he’d be paired with second-year pro Mark Barron. Adding Goldson wouldn’t necessarily mean the end for Ronde Barber. The Bucs have said they want Barber back.

With Goldson in the mix, Barber’s role likely would be as a third safety and a nickel cornerback.

While seemingly every NFL team is denying interest in New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, there is one team that should be going after him.

I say put Revis Island on Davis Islands.

That’s the tandem of islands in the shadows of downtown Tampa and just down the road from Raymond James Stadium. It’s on those islands that New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter built a mansion, and he could use some company.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also could use a shutdown corner.

Revis and the Bucs would be a perfect match on every level. Other teams are citing the cost of a trade and the salary cap as reasons why they don’t want the guy that might be the best cornerback of his generation. But none of those excuses work for the Bucs.

In fact, the things that work against those other teams work for the Bucs.

Let’s start with the price of getting Revis and keeping him for the long term. It will probably take a couple of draft picks to pry Revis from the Jets. The Bucs have some flexibility there because they have an extra fourth-round pick this year. Even if the Bucs had to give up this year’s first-round pick (No. 13 overall) as part of the package, so what?

They’re not going to find a better cornerback than Revis in the middle of the first round.

Then, there’s also the realistic fear that trading for Revis would only be a one-year solution because he’s heading into the final season of his contract. But the Bucs are in a unique spot there. They’re more than $32 million under this year’s salary cap and they have plenty of cap room in upcoming years.

They could trade for Revis, immediately sign him to a huge extension and still have plenty of cap room to work with now and in the future.

But the Bucs have more than just the means to get Revis. They have a glaring need.

Did you happen to catch Tampa Bay’s secondary last season?

The Bucs were so bad they allowed more passing yards than the New Orleans Saints, which is saying a lot. The Bucs were so bad that they had the league’s top-ranked run defense but still managed to finish No. 31 in total defense.

In the process, they traded away their top cornerback, Aqib Talib, mainly because he was a perpetual headache. Eric Wright, the free agent they signed to a big contract last year, didn’t really work out. He ended up getting suspended for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. That suspension voided his guaranteed base salary for this year and the Bucs may end up releasing Wright.

This is a team that can’t afford to go into next year counting on Leonard Johnson and E.J. Biggers as anything more than role players. This is a team that needs a big-time cornerback and they don’t come any bigger than Revis.

He instantly would make the Bucs better and that would be a huge plus for a franchise that hasn’t been to the playoffs since the 2007 season. Put Revis with second-year safety Mark Barron and add another cornerback and a safety behind a front seven that has some talent, and Tampa Bay’s defense suddenly could become very good.

There were hints last season that the offense could be pretty good. Get a little more consistency out of quarterback Josh Freeman, let Revis bolster the defense, and Tampa Bay could be in the playoff hunt.

That brings us to another point. The Bucs need to win and they also need to excite a fan base that hasn’t had a lot to be excited about in recent years.

Winning can cure a lot of that, but so could an injection of charisma. Revis has charisma. He trademarked the “Revis Island’’ name and he has star power.

That’s something the Bucs desperately need as they try to put fans into a stadium that rarely has sold out in recent years.

The arrival of running back Doug Martin and wide receiver Vincent Jackson gave the Bucs some star power last year. But, still, Tampa Bay might be the rarest of NFL markets.

Hockey’s Steven Stamkos and baseball’s Evan Longoria might be more popular in Tampa Bay than any of the Bucs. Jeter might even be Tampa Bay’s most famous resident from the sports world and he plays his home games more than 1,000 miles away, not far from where Revis has spent his career.

But maybe it’s time for the Bucs to step up and take Revis out of New York. If they do, they can give themselves a true superstar, fill their stadium and, maybe, turn into a playoff team.

Todd McShay has the latest edition of his Insider mock draft up and he’s going heavily with defense for most of the NFC South.

At No. 13, McShay has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro. This seems to go hand in hand with the growing sentiment that veteran Ronde Barber won’t be back (either by his choice or the team’s choice). I’d like to see the Bucs get a cornerback in the first round, but there’s no one available with good value in this scenario. Drafting Vaccaro a year after drafting safety Mark Barron might be a little unusual, but it would put the Bucs in good shape at safety for the long term.

At No. 14, McShay has Carolina taking Missouri defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. If Richardson is indeed available at No. 14, I think this would be a great pick for Carolina. The defense improved last year and solidifying the middle of the line could turn the defense into an elite unit.

At No. 15, McShay has New Orleans taking Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree. He’s athletic and quick and that’s what the Saints need at linebacker.

The only NFC South team McShay doesn’t have going with a defensive player in the first round is Atlanta. He has the Falcons taking Stanford tight end Zach Ertz at No. 30. That makes plenty of sense if you believe Tony Gonzalez is going to retire. But I’m not convinced that’s going to happen. I’d rather see the Falcons go with a defensive end here and take Texas A&M’s Damontre Moore, LSU’s Sam Montgomery or SMU’s Margus Hunt.

There’s a lot of talk out there about who should be the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Andrew Luck? Robert Griffin III? Russell Wilson? Doug Martin?

You could go on for days with that one. But there's another, less-talked-about question out there.

Who should be the Defensive Rookie of the Year?

I say that one’s much clearer than the offensive award. Carolina middle linebacker Luke Kuechly is the best defensive rookie in the NFL.

Think about it for a second and see if you can come up with someone better than Kuechly, who has flown under the radar, mainly because Carolina’s season has left the Panthers largely ignored.

I look at players such as Seattle’s Bobby Wagner, Denver’s Derek Wolfe, Green Bay’s Casey Hayward, Minnesota’s Harrison Smith, Tampa Bay’s Lavonte David and Mark Barron, New England’s Chandler Jones, St. Louis’ Janoris Jenkins and Cincinnati’s Vontaze Burfict and nobody blows me away.

Kuechly does.

Amid the rubble that has been Carolina’s disappointing season, Kuechly has been a huge bright spot -- and he seems to be getting better as the season goes on. He had a career-high 16 tackles in Sunday’s victory against Atlanta.

His 130 tackles (we’re using press-box stats, not revised numbers from coaches) lead the league. Kuechly has a shot to be the first rookie since Patrick Willis in 2007 to lead the league in tackles and to at least challenge Willis’ record for tackles by a rookie (174).

Not bad for a guy who freely admits he’s still getting used to his new job.

“The theme of what I’ve learned from the older guys since I’ve been here is that it’s a job now and you have to treat it like one," Kuechly said in a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon. “You’re not in college anymore. You don’t leave practice and go back to the dorm and hang with your buds. You put in a full day here and you go home and rest. You have to take care of yourself mentally and physically because, at this level, you have to stay on top of everything."

“

He's always around the ball somehow, some way. When he gets a little bit more wisdom, it's going to be amazing what he's going to do.

” -- Steve Smith, on Luke Kuechly

The main thing Kuechly has been staying on top of has been whomever has the ball. He leads the league with three games recording at least 15 tackles. No other player has more than one such game. Go back and watch any Carolina game and Kuechly always seems to be around the ball.

“The guy he reminds me of -- that's had this much success so quickly -- would be Dan Morgan," veteran receiver Steve Smith said. “Very smart. He's always around the ball somehow, some way. When he gets a little bit more wisdom, it's going to be amazing what he's going to do."

I like Smith’s comparison of Kuechly to Morgan a lot. That’s mainly because that’s the first thing I thought of when I first watched Kuechly go through a workout and interviewed him at IMG Academy as he was preparing for the scouting combine last February.

After the interview, I talked to IMG Academy director of football operations Chris Weinke, who came in the same 2001 Carolina draft class as Morgan and Smith. When I mentioned the comparison, Weinke nodded in agreement and said, “They’re both all about football."

Carolina fans might not like the comparison of Kuechly to Morgan, but it’s meant as a huge compliment. Morgan is a bit of a tragic figure because persistent injuries prevented his career from truly blossoming and cut it way too short. But when he was on the field, Morgan was as good as any linebacker.

I look at Kuechly and I see what Morgan could have been.

Apparently, so does Smith.

“He just makes plays," Smith said. “He's a young guy that came in, didn't come in entitled, real eager to learn."

Much like Morgan, Kuechly has a low-key personality. He is quiet and exceedingly polite -- until you put him in pads and have people run at him. That’s when Kuechly tackles anything that moves.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Kuechly led the nation in tackles in two of his three seasons at Boston College and finished second in the other season. That’s why the Panthers used the ninth overall pick in the draft on him.

The Panthers opened the season with Jon Beason in the middle and Kuechly on the weak side. That lasted four games before Beason went down with an injury and Kuechly shifted to the middle, the position he played in college, and took over the role of the leader of the defense.

Carolina’s defense has drawn a lot of criticism this season. But there has been a noticeable difference since Kuechly moved to the middle. In the first four games, the Panthers allowed an average of 393.8 yards. In the past nine games, the average has dropped to 328.9 yards, which ranks eighth in the league during that span.

“You see his leadership,’’ coach Ron Rivera said. “You see his maturity as far as leading the defense. You see how he rallies his teammates, how he handles his teammates. How his teammates work with him, how he works with them.’’

If it continues, you could see a Defensive Rookie of the Year in Carolina.

During Friday’s NFC South chat, I got a couple of persistent questions from Tampa Bay fans.

One had to do with why the Bucs traded away their best cornerback (Aqib Talib) in the middle of the season. I’ve answered that multiple times and I’ll do it in a nutshell here. Although talented, Talib was probably the most prone to trouble the Bucs since the great Tyji Armstrong in the 1990s. Talib’s contract was scheduled to expire after the season and there was no way he was going to be on a team coached by Greg Schiano next year. The Bucs had a fourth-round draft pick dangled in front of them by New England and they wisely grabbed it. Talib still had one game remaining on his four-game suspension and as a repeat violator of the NFL’s personal-conduct policy, he was one mistake away from being banned for an entire season or permanently.

Talib’s departure and Tampa Bay’s lack of quality depth at cornerback also has brought up another question that got a lot of play right after the draft and it’s surfacing again: Why didn’t the Bucs draft cornerback Morris Claiborne?

Seriously, there are people out there questioning Tampa Bay’s draft, which might have been the best in the NFL this year?

Let’s think about this a little before we go into more depth on the cornerback situation. If the Bucs had drafted Claiborne, they wouldn’t have strong safety Mark Barron. More importantly, they also wouldn’t have running back Doug Martin and linebacker Lavonte David, who are at least being mentioned as candidates for the Offensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Think back to the draft. When it started, the Bucs were holding the No. 5 overall pick. When they were on the clock (and Claiborne still was on the board), they traded down to No. 7 and they added a fourth-round pick, which may turn out to be one of the great draft moves ever if Martin, David and Barron continue to produce like they have.

Adding that fourth-round pick set off a series of events that landed Martin and David in Tampa Bay. The Bucs had a second-round pick, No. 36 overall, but they feared Martin wouldn’t last that long. They packaged picks and jumped back into the first round and got Martin.

Then, the Bucs used the acquired fourth-round pick and their third-round pick (No. 68 overall) to move back into the second round and get David at No. 58.

The Bucs got three guys that have been starters since Day One. They should only continue to get better and should be core players for the next five years or so.

You’d prefer Claiborne over that?

Yeah, I know Tampa Bay’s immediate cornerback situation isn’t great. Eric Wright has been banged up and there was a FOX Sports report that he could be facing a suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

That’s forced the Bucs to play E.J. Biggers and Leonard Johnson lots more than they probably wanted to play them. Rip on Biggers and Johnson all you want, but let’s take a look at how what they’ve done compares to what Claiborne has done in Dallas.

Johnson has three interceptions and Biggers has one. Claiborne has one interception. According to Stats Inc., teams have completed 61.5 percent of their passes on which Claiborne has been targeted. The same survey says teams have completed 47.1 percent of their passes against Biggers and 44.8 percent of their passes against Johnson. Claiborne also is ninth in the league in touchdown passes allowed with four.

Oh, by the way, did you happen to catch Claiborne’s recent outing against Philadelphia? He was flagged five times, including one penalty that negated an interception by a teammate.

Yeah, Biggers and Johnson aren’t going to the Pro Bowl and the Bucs are likely to continue to struggle with pass coverage the rest of this season. But you can’t solve all your problems at once.

The Bucs elected not to draft a cornerback early this year and the word is Schiano wasn’t sold on Claiborne’s tackling ability, which is kind of an important item for a coach like Schiano. But the Bucs walked out of the draft with solid starters, maybe potential stars, in Barron, Martin and David.

They can address cornerback in next year’s draft or free-agency period.

Steve Spurrier has suggested Alabama might be good enough to defeat an NFL team.

I'm not sure whether Spurrier was serious, but as Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll pointed out, the notion is ridiculous (unless, perhaps, Spurrier had the 2002-03 Washington Redskins in mind).

"Alabama's got a great team and Nick [Saban] is a fantastic coach," Carroll said, "but when you match up the interior lines against regular NFL teams on either side of the ball, it wouldn't even be close."

Athletic prodigies occasionally flourish in the professional ranks. LeBron James was 18 years old when he had 25 points, six rebounds, nine assists and four steals in his NBA debut.

In the NFL, rules prohibit players from participating until they're at least three years removed from high school. It's generally thought athletes aren't ready for the physical pounding until they're older. Rookies face adjustment periods. Even the best ones can appear lost during the first days of training camp.

The majority of players on Alabama's roster will likely never play in the NFL. It is absurd, then, to think those players would defeat a roster filled with players who are, by definition, good enough to play in the league.

For fun, I've put together a chart showing 2012 NFL draft choices from Alabama. There were eight, including four first-rounders. Injuries have sidelined three of them. Four others have played quite a bit. Another pick, fullback/tight end Brad Smelley, is on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad.

We'll have to wait and see if Alabama produces 22 rookie starters, three full-time specialists and some core special-teams players for NFL teams in 2013. Kind of thinking not.

More than ever, I’m struggling to figure out why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have such a tough time at the box office.

That’s due to this report by Roy Cummings that says the Bucs still are 9,000 seats short of being able to sell out the Sept. 9 home opener with Carolina and prevent another in a long line of games that couldn’t be shown live on local television.

I’ve sympathized with fans the past two seasons as the Bucs have had only two sellouts at home. I live in Tampa and frequently ask people I meet why they don’t go to games regularly or even occasionally. The answers vary, but some or pretty common.

I’ve heard complaints about the economy, the product on the field, a curious and strong dislike for ownership and ambivalence from people that originally are from elsewhere and care more about the team they grew up following. I understand the logic, to some degree, but I really thought things would change this year.

But the Bucs are 9,000 seats short of selling out a regular-season opener against division-rival Carolina with quarterback Cam Newton, who comes with plenty of star power? That’s kind of amazing.

I don’t know that the economy has changed much from last year, but everything else has. The Glazer family, which owns the team, has been bashed in the past for not spending enough money. I don’t know if that label was ever really fair, but I think anyone who believes that now is way off base.

After going 4-12 last season, the Bucs sent coach Raheem Morris packing with several million dollars remaining on his contract. They hired Greg Schiano and are paying him millions. They also made a splurge in free agency, signing Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright to contracts that total more than $140 million. Throw in the contracts of top three draft picks Mark Barron, Doug Martin and Lavonte David and the tab is more like $160 million.

The Glazers clearly have opened their checkbook. They also have lowered ticket prices and jumped on the NFL’s offer to opt to use 85 percent of non-premium seating as the baseline for a sellout. The Bucs have tried selling half-season passes and have added payment plans.

They even have planned a special promotion for the Carolina game to honor defensive back Ronde Barber, who will make his 200th career start. The Bucs will give away something to commemorate Barber’s feat, plus they’re offering half off food and beverages and free parking in designated lots. I’ve also seen plenty of television commercials aimed at boosting ticket sales.

Sounds to me like the Bucs have done just about everything you could ask.

But it also sounds like that isn’t registering with their fans and that’s why it’s so puzzling.

I guess this is a sign that fans are taking a “show me’’ attitude. In other words, they want to see the Bucs do some winning before they really embrace the team. The only problem with that is, they won’t be able to see it because it’s looking like there’s a very real chance the Carolina game won’t be on local television.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The starting offense and defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played about as well as anyone could have hoped for in the first half of Friday night’s 30-28 preseason victory against the New England Patriots. But they also might have suffered a big loss.

With 1 minute, 5 seconds left in the second quarter and the Bucs leading 17-7, Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph went down with a right knee injury. Joseph was carted off the field.

Coach Greg Schiano said Joseph's injury "doesn't look good'' after the game. He said the team will get a full evaluation Saturday when more tests are performed.

If Joseph is lost for an extended period, it could have big consequences on a Tampa Bay offensive line that has the potential to be a big strength. The Bucs brought in All-Pro Carl Nicks and the hope is that he and Joseph could form the league’s best guard tandem. If the Bucs have to use Ted Larsen or Derek Hardman in Joseph’s place, there’s a big drop off.

Some other observations on the Bucs:

• In what may have been a sign of things to come, the Bucs started rookie Doug Martin at running back. LeGarrette Blount had started the first two preseason games. Blount sustained a minor injury in the last preseason game, but didn’t miss any practice time. I think this was a case of the Bucs wanting to get an extended look at Martin with the first-team offense because that might be where he’s at in the regular season. Martin had 13 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 12 yards. Blount carried seven times for 22 yards and didn’t get his first carry until the second quarter.

• Speaking of first-round picks, the Bucs had two of them score first-quarter touchdowns. Safety Mark Barron, the seventh overall pick in the draft, returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown near the end of the first quarter. Credit veteran defensive back Ronde Barber for deflecting the Tom Brady pass.

• Quarterback Josh Freeman's overall stats (10-of-19 for 102 yards) weren’t that spectacular. But the first drive of the night was extremely encouraging. Freeman seemed in rhythm with Vincent Jackson, who the Bucs added as a free agent to be their No. 1 receiver. On the opening drive, the Bucs drove 68 yards on eight plays and 49 of those yards came on three completions from Freeman to Jackson.

• Left tackle Donald Penn, who missed all of training camp with a calf injury, got the start and his first playing time of the preseason.

• Tampa Bay’s defensive line got some decent pressure on Brady. Defensive end Michael Bennett had an early sack and George Johnson batted down a Brady pass.

• Speaking of the pass rush, I think linebacker Adam Hayward is, at very least, earning himself some playing time as a situational pass-rusher. Hayward sacked Brady with a little more than six minutes left in the second quarter.

• Defensive end Adrian Clayborn and defensive tackle Gerald McCoy each suffered what Schiano said appeared to be minor injuries.

• Tampa Bay’s kickers had an excellent night. Connor Barth made a 56-yard field goal. Kai Forbath connected on attempts from 55 and 51 yards. The job belongs to Barth, but Forbath might be helping his chances of landing with another team.