But the agent, Hadley Engelhard, said the timeline has been pushed back, with the Bucs asking for time to get through the couple of busy months that lie ahead.

“I met with Mark and it was a very productive meeting,” Engelhard said. “We are progressing toward a new contract for Mike, but they’ve asked us to be patient to let them get through free agency and the draft. We’ve agreed to be a little less aggressive and give them some time. The target date right now would be some time in May.”

The financial aspects of the conversation don’t appear to have advanced too far, but Engelhard expressed significant willingness from both sides to reach a deal.

“Mike really likes Tampa, and they like Mike,” he said. “He’s definitely outplayed his fourth-round compensation, and they want him to be a part of the future.”

The attorney representing Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Da’Quan Bowers against a gun possession charge in New York City said Bowers will be exonerated.

“After a full and fair investigation of the facts and circumstances regarding this registered firearm Mr. Bowers will be fully exonerated,” attorney Dennis Coppin wrote in an email to The Tribune on Tuesday.

Bowers, the Bucs’ second-round pick in the 2011 draft out of Clemson, was arrested Monday and charged with possession of a loaded handgun at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Bowers was arrested at an airport check-in counter after he alerted authorities to the presence of a loaded .40 caliber firearm in his carry-on bag, according to Queens District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Meris Campbell.

Bowers was arraigned late Monday and released after he posted a $10,000 bond. He is scheduled to be back in court on April 11, Coppin said.

Bowers was arrested on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree, a Class C felony that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3.5 years in prison and a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, Campbell said.

“He alerted the authorities to his weapon because he was getting ready to go on the flight, but it’s illegal to carry a handgun in New York City,” Campbell said.

By Morgan Smith – PatriotsGab.com

Free agency rumor today is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will “eye” WR Wes Welker hard. Welker to the Bucs is a strong, legit possibility considering the Bucs have plenty of room in the cap space to offer Welker the kind of contract he wants. Buccaneers have 30.1 million in cap space available to them to play with.

Tampa Bay was big players in free agency last year, signing Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks, and Dallas Clark. “That has actually opened a lot of cap room for us going into 2013 — a tremendous amount,” Bucs general manager Mark Dominik said. “We’ve got a chance to be heavily involved in free agency again.”

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By Matt Jergensen

As they prepare for the 2013 season over the next few months, here’s a look at some of the key dates to keep in mind:

(Note: Some of the dates for team activities like minicamp and training camp have yet to be announced).

Feb. 18: Teams Can Begin Applying Franchise Tag
Teams can begin applying the franchise tag next week. Most teams don’t use the one-year tender right away, and instead try to work out long-term deals with key players before applying the tag.

Feb. 20-26: National Scouting Combine – Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
The combine in Indianapolis is a chance for executives across the NFL to get a look at the incoming crop of talent. College football’s top prospects will be tested, questioned and examined in a pivotal week for each team’s scouting department.

March 1: College Pro Days Begin
Outside of the national scouting combine, college pro days give NFL scouts a chance to get a closer look at incoming prospects. The college pro days begin March 1 and last throughout the month. NFL.com has a full listing of all the currently scheduled pro days.

March 4: Deadline To Apply Franchise Tender
If the Ravens haven’t worked out a long-term deal with quarterback Joe Flacco by this point, they will have to apply the one-year franchise tender to the Super Bowl MVP.

March 9-11: Teams Allowed To Begin Free Agent Contract Negotiations
This is a new addition to the league calendar, as it will allow teams and unrestricted free agents to begin contract talks before the official start of the league season. The three-day window was added this season in an effort to prevent tampering between teams and agents before the official start of the league year.

March 12 (Prior to 4 p.m.): Teams Must Get Under Salary Cap, Exercise Restricted Free Agent Options
By the time the new season opens, NFL clubs need to exercise the options on all of their restricted free agents. The list of restricted free agents for the Ravens includes tight ends Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson who could garner a high tender offer. As part of the new league season, all 32 teams must also be under the $121 million salary cap.  

March 12 (After 4 p.m.): Free Agency Opens
Unrestricted free agents are able to sign with new teams starting immediately at 4 p.m. With the three days in advance to negotiate player contracts, there could likely be a flurry of players who sign with new teams as soon as the league year opens.

March 17-20: Annual League Meetings – Phoenix, Arizona
Owners and league officials will meet to discuss a variety of NFL issues, including possible rules changes.

March 23-24: Regional Combine – Under Armour Performance Center, Owings Mills
This event is for college graduates and former NFL players in the area who were not invited to the national scouting combine.

April 25-26: NFL Draft – New York City
The first round of the NFL Draft will take place Thursday night, followed by the second and third rounds Friday, and rounds 4-7 on Saturday.  The Ravens have the 32nd overall pick in the draft.

Aug. 4: Preseason Begins
The preseason will begin with the annual Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The two teams have yet to be announced.

Sept 5: Regular Season Begins
The opener will be played in Baltimore with the champion Ravens taken on an opponent TBD.

Atlanta Falcons

UFAs — OL Sam Baker (5), RB Mike Cox (5), TE Tony Gonzalez (16), CB Brent Grimes (5), S Chris Hope (11), OL Todd McClure (14), QB Luke McCown (9), S William Moore (4), CB Christopher Owens (4), LB Mike Peterson (14), OL Garrett Reynolds (4), DE Lawrence Sidbury (4), OL Will Svitek (7), DT Vance Walker (4).

RFAs — TE Michael Palmer (3), RB Antone Smith (3).

Carolina Panthers

UFAs — QB Derek Anderson (8), DE Antwan Applewhite (5), TE Gary Barnidge (5), DT Dwan Edwards (9), TE Ben Hartsock (9), S Sherrod Martin (4), CB Captain Munnerlyn (4), WR Louis Murphy (4), LB Jason Phillips (4), OL Mike Pollak (5), LB Jordan Senn (5).

RFAs — DT Andrew Neblett (3), S Nate Ness (3).

New Orleans Saints

UFAs — OL Jermon Bushrod (6), LB Jonathan Casillas (4), QB Chase Daniel (4), DT Sedrick Ellis (5), WR Devery Henderson (9), LB Ramon Humber (4), CB Elbert Mack (5), DE Turk McBride (6), OL William Robinson (4), WR Courtney Roby (7), LB Scott Shanle (10).

RFAs — OL Brian De La Puente (3), OL Justin Drescher (3), DE Junior Galette (3), RB Chris Ivory (3).

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

UFAs — S Ronde Barber (16), DE Michael Bennett (4), CB E.J. Biggers (4), TE Dallas Clark (10), OL Andrew Economos (7), CB Brandon McDonald (6), DT Roy Miller (4), WR Roscoe Parrish (8), WR Sammie Stroughter (4), OL Jeremy Trueblood (7).

RFAs — RB LeGarrette Blount (3), LB Jacob Cutrera (3), DE Daneil Te’o-Nesheim (3).

photo credit: Football Schedule via photopin cc

There’s still plenty of time for talk; if unsigned, Miller, 25, won’t hit the open market until March 12, when the free-agent signing period begins.

But the apparent lack of interest is somewhat surprising. The Bucs lauded Miller’s play during the season. Coach Greg Schiano had Miller play the so-called “tilted nose”, aligning him at angle rather than head up on an offensive lineman. And Miller thrived in the role for which Schiano said Miller is “custom built.”

“He’s a heck of a run-stopper,” Schiano added.

Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan in December spoke to the impact of Miller’s play on McCoy, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2012.

“I think how Roy has played and how physical he is in the run game has given a chance for. . . Gerald to get a single block, get off and make plays,” Sheridan said. “I think Roy has had a very good year. He’s been very disruptive. He’s a guy a lot of times you need to put two blockers on or else he’s got a chance to really knock the center back and get in the backfield.”

Athleticism

+ 320 lbs athlete who runs and moves extremely well for his size
+ Built like a boulder, solid and possesses great natural strength both in the lower half and upper body
+ Extremely quick and agile for DT, can change direction, extremely light on his feet
+ Lateral mobility is great for his size, able to change direction and redirect like a linebacker
+ Generates great explosion and power off the snap, with good burst and pad leverage
+ Quicker than fast, exhibits short area explosion and burst, both with his get off and ability to shoot his hands
+ Can accelerate through gaps and to the ball easily, often beats OL to gaps and gets into backfield
+ Outstanding strength, lower half strength makes him extremely tough to move off the line with one blocker
+ Star’s power/quickness combination is rare, not many naturally gifted athletes like him
+ Position versatile, stout and strong enough to play in a two gap system and on the nose tackle
+ Quick and fast enough to be a 4-3 DT, in which he can penetrate push the pocket and twist/stunt
+ Can also play in a 3-4 system on the end, in which he sets the edge, ties up blockers
- Could stand to shed some body fat without sacrificing strength
- Conditioning could be a factor in NFL, where speed of play is quicker and playing field is level strength wise

Star Lotulelei possesses a combination of size, power, quickness and strength that is truly elite. Lineman this big that move as well as Star are few and far between.

His power at the line of scrimmage to take on and eat up blocks will make other linemen around him better. He is near impossible to block one on one and has to be assigned multiple blockers at a time. His strength and quickness allows him to beat blocks and make plays in the run game consistently.

He should be able to play multiple positions in most different schemes from NT to 4-3 DT. His ability to push the pocket has created havoc for opposing rushing offenses. While he isn’t much of a natural pass rusher he does exhibit the natural tools to become better once he learns some try pass rush technique and moves.

As long as he can learn how to not take plays off and work on his motor Star could be a “star” in the NFL. He hasn’t been as productive as Haloti Ngata was at the college level, but he possesses the natural ability and skill set to turn into that type of player int he NFL. He will be highly sought after by probably every team picking in the top ten.

He won’t make it out of the top ten and probably will be picked in the top five of the 2013 NFL Draft.

For the NFL, he is an ideal fit as a 3-4 Nose or 4-3 Tackle. He is scheme-friendly, so his value will be high to most every team in the league. With his combination of freakish size and surprising athletic ability, regardless of his motor inconsistencies, he will be an extremely high pick because there simply are not these kinds of body types available all over college football.

Many will try to compare him to Haloti Ngata, the former Oregon and current Baltimore Ravens’ defensive lineman, but he does not have the track record of dominance Ngata displayed with the Ducks. Still, Star is a rare breed, can wreck the middle of an offense and should go on to have a lengthy professional career. – Phil Savage

Lotulelei is one of the more dynamic and game changing defensive players in this draft. Despite only starting for one season, he has the making of a top pick in the 2013 Draft.

Lotulelei was not highly recruited coming out of high school and started off at Snow College in 2009. He finished with 52 tackles,14 tackles for a loss and three sacks. In 2010, his first season in Utah, he was a backup up until the final three games, when he finally had the chance to start. Last season was his first real shot to show what he could do and he didn’t disappoint.

While the box score never showed it, Lotulelei is the person that every offensive coordinator game planned for. He only finished with 1.5 sacks, but altered play calls and plugged up running lanes. – Jeremy Cabler

Wannstedt, who was fired last month as Buffalo’s defensive coordinator, agreed to terms on a deal to be the Bucs special teams coordinator, according to an NFL source with knowledge of the transaction.

The Bucs have not officially announced the hiring of Wannstedt or the fate of 2012 special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky.

Wannstedt would be at least the second former NFL head coach on Schiano’s staff, joining former Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis, who is a special assistant to Schiano.

Wannstedt coached the Bears from 1993-98. in 1999, he ran the Miami Dolphins defense and then served as Miami’s head coach from 2000-2004, building a 42-31 regular-season record.

Wannstedt was fired after a 1-8 start in 2004 and returned to the college ranks a year later at the University of Pittsburgh, where he faced Schiano and Big East rival Rutgers until 2010. Wannstedt returned to the NFL as an assistant head coach and linebackers coach with the Bills in 2011 and became the defensive coordinator in 2012.

The Bucs have not officially announced the hiring.

Oden replaces Ron Cooper, who left the Bucs earlier in the offseason to become an assistant head coach and secondary coach with the University of South Florida.

If Josh Freeman is going to stay the Bucs QB for the long term, he’s going to have to earn it. The St.Pete Times reports that the Bucs are not set to give the QB a contract extension.

The Bucs will not discuss extending Josh Freeman’s contract this off-season which means his rookie deal will expire after 2013. If he plays great, the Bucs will use their franchise tag on Freeman and try to sign him to a long-term deal. The exclusive rights franchise tender for a quarterback would likely be more than $17 million for one year.

The Bucs’ don’t want a situation like the Jets have with QB Mark Sanchez; they’d like to cut ties but have guaranteed him $8.25 million next season.

Bucs coach Greg Schiano likes a lot of things about Freeman’s game — he did set franchise records for passing yards and touchdowns — but plans to add a quarterback to compete next season either in the draft or free agency.