Well, it seems that the New Schiano Order changes were very evident during this week’s OTA practices, so explained Gerald McCoy in this Buccaneers.com video after a team training session this week.

“Having a year under our belts and just knowing what to expect has helped out a lot. You know, guys are not complaining anymore,” McCoy said. “They know how things go around here. And it’s just ritual. It’s not routine anymore. We call it, ‘ritual.’ So it’s ritual to work the way we work now, and everybody’s enjoying it.”

McCoy went on to praised the tempo of practice versus this time last year, as well as the conditioning level of the team.

Whether the improved attitude and work ethic translates into wins is unknown – hey, Raheem won 10 in 2010 – but it surely can’t hurt.

With the possible exception of the Cardinals or (in recent years) the Raiders, few NFL teams look to regress in the offseason. How much a team improves, only the regular season determines that.

In typing a list of the most improved teams in the NFL, Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune submitted a piece to NationalFootballPost.com saying the Bucs are the most improved team in the NFC South.

They lost a couple of solid defensive linemen in Michael Bennett and Roy Miller. But the Bucs won’t need as much pass rush with the improvements they made in the secondary. They added one of the best safeties in the league in Dashon Goldson, the best cornerback in the league in Darrelle Revis and one of the best cornerbacks in the draft in Johnthan Banks. Derek Landri also was signed to give the Bucs some interior pass rush and offset the free agent losses. On the other side of the ball, the Bucs made Josh Freeman’s seat a little hotter, and the depth at the quarterback position better, by drafting Mike Glennon.

Joe respects the hell out of Pompei, Joe’s known him for about two decades. He’s a class act, stand-up guy. But Joe’s going to quibble with a few of his elements.

Yes, Joe believes Pompei is correct. The Bucs should be the most improved team. Whether that turns into a playoff berth in the rugged NFC is a different matter.

Joe isn’t sure the Bucs will miss Roy Miller, only because they believe rookie Akeem Spence can fill the void and a sleeper at that positions is Derek Landri.

If the pass rushers the Bucs drafted pan out, William Gholston and Steven Means, fans will quickly forget about Michael Bennett.

Grimes, the former Falcons cornerback now with the Dolphins, was rumored to have been on the Bucs’ free-agent radar this offseason. So Joe thought Grimes might spill some info. on that, but he didn’t.

However, Grimes did touch on how valuable it can be for a cornerback to cover stud receivers in practice, which got Joe thinking about how Darrelle Revis never had a polished Pro Bowler manbeast like Vincent Jackson to work against during his six season with the Jets.

Santonio Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery, Laveranues Coles, post-lockup Plaxico Burress? None of those guys matched the talent, size and versatility of Jackson when Revis was their teammate.

If Revis is cleared to practice in Bucs training camp — a big “if” — then he should be treated to a new and educational experience. He and Jackson should be able to push each other to new heights.

Schiano, via Yahoo! Sports, said Freeman’s ability to keep his eyes downfield is unmatched in Schiano’s decades of football study.

From the standpoint of dealing with pressure, Schiano thinks Glennon knows what he is, and he knows how to deal with what he is. “Some guys can feel the rush and keep their eyes downfield; other guys feel the rush and start looking at the rush,” Schiano said. “Once you start looking at the rush, you are done. You scramble, you get sacked. He has the ability, and Josh [Freeman] has the ultimate ability to keep the eyes downfield. I’ve never seen a guy who is as good at keeping his eyes down the field as Josh. Josh has more mobility.

“It’s toughness in some respects. You keep your eyes downfield, feel the rush closing in, you know you are going to get hit.”

Joe brings this up today because an NFL Films highlight reel posted on NFL.com gives a rare look at Freeman’s eyes in the pocket under a heavy rush against the Chargers last season. You can see it here starting at :33 of the video.

It’s impressive stuff, as Freeman is getting hit and a rush has caved in around him.

Now Joe knows a QB keeping his eyes down the field and hanging in the pocket doesn’t make him great, but they did help Freeman post stunning deep-passing numbers and landed Vincent Jackson in Hawaii.

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Joe doesn’t normally do power rankings, but he will take an exception today. Why? In the words of Bucs coach Greg Schiano, “It’s May. You have to write about something. There has to be some news.”

In his post-draft, pre-training camp power rankings, prickly Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com offers his take of all 32 NFL teams and he ranks the Bucs at No. 20.

Getting Darrelle Revis was a bold move. But why do I think the quarterback-coach situation could unnerve this team?

Prisco is one of those national writers absolutely convinced Schiano loathes Josh Freeman and can’t wait to hold the door for Freeman to exit One Buc Palace for good.

Naturally, Prisco cites no source on the record and it doesn’t seem to matter to him that Schiano and Freeman have adamantly stated (numerous times) on the record they get along quite well.

As long as these stories keep popping up, Joe is obligated to respond. It’s very simple about Freeman. His future is in his hands: Play well or guide the Bucs to the playoffs and he will, at worst, be franchised by Bucs general manager Mark Dominik. Or Freeman will hit the NFL lottery and be re-signed for multiple years, or if Freeman wilts, he will walk.

It really is that simple. No controversy whatsoever.

Jimminy Christmas! This new Boston Herald story even claims Talib turned down a long-term deal from the Patriots in favor of the one-year, $5.5 million contract he’s got now.

Talib drew a gaggle of reporters this week at Patriots practice and the video is below. Talib can’t remember what month it is and talks about conditioning and contracts like only he can. Yes, Joe’s salivating at the thought of Talib covering Vincent Jackson when the Bucs head to New England in September.

Clayborn is sporting a changed look this season

Before the Bucs drafted Adrian Clayborn, Joe was big on the Iowa product. In his rookie year, Clayborn proved to be a monster, just ask Matty Ice, who likely wakes up on cold mornings still feeling Clayborn’s power the way Clayborn planted him into the turf of the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, forcing a fumble.

After a blown knee in his sophomore year, Clayborn is already working agility drills and said he appreciates his NFL status even more, so documents Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.

“I think the main difference between this year and last year for me is that I’m a little more appreciative of the game of football now and what I have,” Clayborn said after Monday’s first offseason practice session.

“I don’t want to ever take that for granted, because I realize now that all it takes is one play and you could be out. One play and it could all be over for you, so, you know, knock on wood.”

Now Joe noticed Clayborn’s changed physique immediately Monday. Joe asked Clayborn if he dropped weight and Clayborn said he had, but not enough to reach his goal of a playing weight. That sure could have fooled Joe as svelte as Clayborn looked.

Basically, Clayborn has been working out like a madman since his knee injury and his upper body looks totally different, much more build up of the shoulders and arms it appears.

Clayborn is a good dude. A quiet guy, but a good dude and he’s the kind of guy Joe pulls for. If he keeps his body in shape like it is now, Joe will be very interested to see how his shift in body composition will change or enhance his play at right defensive end.

Start your day with the Morning Cup of Joe from HootersCalendar.com. And don’t forget to visit HootersCalendar.com for amazing videos, pictures and cool gifts. It’s Joe’s second favorite website.

Bucs news forthcoming.

If there is a more embarrassing arrest, Joe has not heard of it. [BrowardPalmBeach]

Dude was so drunk, he didn’t see the tree he slammed into. Thought his car just blew up while on the road. [Palm Beach Post]

Killer donkeys. [Daily News]

Man, Joe feels bad for Michael Crabtree, who seemed on the verge of breaking out. [PFT]

Did Merlot Joe set up Fernando Rodney to fail yesterday? [RaysIndex]

Now when Greg Schiano said after the end of last season that he wanted competition at quarterback, he wasn’t lying. Schiano wants competition at all positions. The cliché ”a rising tide lifts all boats” applies.

In Schiano’s mind, better competition — read: depth — makes for a better team. Guys on the second string want to play and by busting their tail, they put the fear of God in the minds of the suddenly-motivated starters. It’s a snowball effect.

Alan Dell doesn’t totally buy it. The Bradenton Herald columnist believes both Schiano’s words and actions are a signal to Freeman that he better be renting.

Even if Freeman has a great year next season and the Glazers throw a ton of money at him, there is no guarantee he’s Schiano’s guy.

They are friends and both said they talk about many things, including life off the field. That’s warm and fuzzy, but it has nothing to do with whether Schiano believes he is the best guy to lead his offense.

This is a fickle love affair that is a few interceptions away from imploding.

Dell sort of hits the nail on the head with a curveball not necessarily meant for the nail.

If Freeman has an All-Pro year, tosses 30 touchdowns with scant interceptions and the Bucs make it to the postseason if not win January games, does anyone really believe Freeman won’t suddenly be Schiano’s guy?

And if Freeman has a monster year, does anyone really believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will let Freeman walk? He’d franchise him before he’d let him sign with another team.

What all of this means is, very simply, Freeman’s future is up to Freeman. Nothing more and nothing less.

Joe has zero issues with Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. But why do some hold him to a different standard than Ronde Barber?

Joe has gone on record that Ronde Barber will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday He probably won’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer ,as it is extremely difficult for a defensive back not named “Ronnie Lott” to get in as a slam dunk.

Only a maximum of five “modern day” players can be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame annually. And Joe likes it like that.

It should be difficult for a player to get in the Hall because that truly means it is a club of the elite of the elites, unlike in baseball, which has devolved into the Hall of Pretty Good. Or worse, the basketball Hall of Fame, which pretty much lets anyone in the door.

One of the uneducated gripes about Ronde Barber has been that he is a system cornerback. Joe will get into that in a momen,t but for some reason, there are actually employed people who think a Cover-2 player is somewhat unworthy.

Joe wonders where those people are today? A truly great middle linebacker, Brian Urlacher, announced his retirement today. For the better part of his career, Urlacher played in a Cover-2 defense.

Still, Joe has yet to hear or read one person wave off Urlacher’s credentials as a “system player,” despite playing in the same system as Barber did his entire career.

Why the double-standard? If it’s good enough for Urlacher, why not Barber? If playing Cover-2 weakens Barber’s career numbers, then why isn’t Urlacher’s career likewise trivialized?

Yes, Urlacher will be in the Hall of Fame, too. Rather than some snob potentially mocking Urlacher as a “system player,” it would be much smarter for Urlacher’s detractors to point to a way-over-the-hill Jerome Bettis, who in his last home game freight trained Urlacher for a game-clinching touchdown in the snow and mud of Heinz Field.

Bucs offensive line coach Bob Bostad offered some rare public commenary

It’s darn rare to hear from — and see – Bucs offensive line coach Bob Bostad, who put in a heroic effort last season as the Bucs’ O-line did its share of circus juggling but still had a dominant running back and strong pass protection.

Buccaneers.com video captured Bostad yesterday chatting about his unit. (Click the link to watch.)

Interestingly, Bostad offered heavy praise of Demar Dotson, saying the Bucs’ right tackle has “catapulted” off his work last season.

This is encouraging, considering Dotson was the weak link on the line and the Bucs have yet to put solid competition alongside him.

Jeremy Zuttah and Donald Penn also received Bostad’s love in the video.