Darrelle Revis is a massive upgrade from anything the Bucs had at cornerback last season. (Ain’t that an understatement.)

Dashon Goldon also is a significant upgrade to Ronde Barber at safety.

And, per Greg Schiano, Mark Barron and Leonard Johnson are “better” players in 2013, so Schiano said this week.

“They’re better, yeah, considerably,” Schiano said of the secondary. “They got some great leadership and examples back there, too. So I think there’s a little kind of chemistry back there with that crew.”

That’s great to hear, and one would hope that “better” secondary is on display against the Saints on Sunday. It has to be, otherwise the Bucs will be 0-2.

In the Bucs-Saints game in Tampa last season, Eric Wright led the way with seven tackles and two passes defensed. But in New Orleans, the Bucs got creamed with only Anthony Gaitor as the only cornerback to register a pass defensed on the stat sheet.

Now if Schiano would just pass on the damn three-man rush against Drew Brees, then the Bucs could give Brees some fits.

Joe provides his weekly map, courtesy of the506.com, of where one can view the Saints-Bucs game in the comfort of their living room (sans DirecTV). Fans living in the yellow-shaded areas will receive the Saints-Bucs game on an over-the-air FOX affilate.

The table is set for the Bucs’ high-priced manbeasts

On paper, the Bucs should be able to manhandle the Saints in the trenches Sunday when Josh Freeman has the ball, even if the human armoire, Carl Nicks, doesn’t return at guard.

The Saints are that banged up at on their defensive line, per Katherine Terrell of Nola.com, and the Bucs’ O-line is supposed to be that good.

Whether the Saints’ defense can continue to exert that effort remains to be seen. The injury report hasn’t stopped growing, forcing New Orleans to re-sign outside linebacker Jay Richardson, who hasn’t played a regular-season snap since 2010.

The Saints will likely be starting rookie nose tackle John Jenkins in place of Brodrick Bunkley, who is out with a calf injury. The Saints were already facing paper-thin ranks at defensive line after injuries to Glenn Foster (ankle, questionable) and Tyrunn Walker, who’s out with a knee injury.

Things didn’t get better when Akiem Hicks (knee injury, questionable) and Tom Johnson (foot, questionable) popped up on the final injury report Friday.

With such attrition, the theory of easing young players into the game has stopped almost before it began. The Saints will likely rotate heavily between players, and between three and four down linemen fronts to compensate.

This, along with the return of Erik Lorig, bodes well for the Bucs establishing their running game, something they couldn’t do against the Jets. The Bucs’ odds of winning climb dramatically if Doug Martin can perform like the Pro Bowl talent he is.

Matt Millen had a lousy record leading the Lions’ front office, but he was one hell of a linebacker in his day, two All-Pro honors and four Super Bowl rings. So Joe thoroughly respects Millen’s assessment of linebacker play.

In this NFL Network video, Millen shines a positive spotlight on Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster in a film breakdown. It’s some nice national love for Foster, who’s still just 24 years old.

Millen likes Foster’s patience, and calls him tough, reliable and durable.

Foster had two sacks and a forced fumble against the Jets. He got off to a great start last season, as well, and Greg Schiano raved about Foster’s progress this offseason. A consistent season — Foster tailed off in the second half last year — could very well have Foster eating pineapple in February. He has that kind of ability.

Darrelle Revis told cool stories during his inaugural Darrelle Revis Show on WDAE-AM 620 last night, and one was about his first NFL game.

Revis explained how he was stunned to learn he’d be covering Randy Moss in the Jets’ 2007 opener against the Patriots. ‘Who me? I’m the rookie cornerback here,’ was what Revis said his response was to the news. Jets head coach and defensive guru Eric Mangini didn’t want to ease Revis into anything.

Moss, en route to a historic season, lit up the Jets for nine catches for 183 yards and a touchdown.

Those rookie memories, Revis said, are a big part of why he takes such an active role tutoring young Bucs cornerbacks on film study and the nuances of man-to-man coverage.

Revis said he believes it’s necessary “payback” to the veterans that helped him, and part of his love for the game.

Look man, life is too short to get needlessly stuck in traffic going to a Bucs game. Why waste such precious beer-drinking, brats-eating minutes when you can avoid serious traffic hassles?

Tampa Bay’s princess of traffic, Holley Sinn of WTSP-TV Channel 10, has important traffic information for fans headed to the Saints-Bucs game, including road closures near the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, new exits for the stadium off I-275, and easy alternate routes. Enjoy’s Holley’s exclusive opening-day video below.

You can catch Holley daily with important Tampa Bay area traffic updates weekday mornings on WTSP-TV Channel 10, as well as on the station’s website, WTSP.com, and on Twitter, @10NewsTraffic.

In an effort to stop Drew Brees, the Bucs cannot ignore Saints running backs like Pierre Thomas.

With future Hall of Famer quarterback Drew Brees and his high-flying Saints offense coming to town Sunday, it seems simple to stop the Saints, in theory.

Stop Brees and you have cut the head off of the snake.

It may not be so simple. As Bucs commander Greg Schiano said yesterday, nobody stops Brees. It’s not just that it appears that Saints coach Sean Payton is trying to get the Saints ground game going, as documented by Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

The Saints had only 78 yards on 29 carries against the Falcons, averaging 2.7 yards per attempt. New Orleans also was stuffed on a fourth-and-inches near midfield by Atlanta. Not exactly a good argument for Payton to remain steadfast in his commitment. Evans said the results have to change for Payton to maintain confidence in the ground game going into Week 2 at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

“When your number is called, you want to step up to the plate and get it done,” Evans said. “We kind of didn’t do that. We didn’t rush for 100 (yards) like our game plan was, even though our number was called numerous times. There’s always plays you wish you had back Week 1.”

Everyone knows that the Bucs are good against the run. Joe has a hunch, maybe inaccurately, that perhaps the Bucs may shake a little more to the pass defense this time because Brees and company are so lethal.

But if the Saints are able to effectively get off a big run here or there, it really could throw the Bucs defense off, almost like a pick-your-poison deal.

Below, Saints running back Pierre Thomas, who has been a headache for the Bucs in the pass, discusses trying to get the Saints running game on track.

Cancel your newspaper subscriptions and start visiting CNN.com for fun. Perhaps take up knitting. Why enjoy and analyze Bucs coverage in the media? Adrian Clayborn says it’s worthless.

Clayborn lashed out via Twitter this afternoon, seemingly perturbed by how the Bucs have been treated and covered in the wake of their ugly 18-17 loss to the Jets and this week’s Josh Freeman Photogate.

@AJaClay – If I were bucs fans I wouldn’t pick up a newspaper or read the Internet because its all BS.

Joe appreciates Clayborn’s passion, but it’s misguided.

Clayborn should be directing his disgust at the Bucs’ 13 penalties, inept offense and allowing a rookie second-round-pick QB to rack up historic yardage and engineer a game-winning, Week 1 drive.

Would Clayborn like it if Bucs fans considered the Bucs’ effort “all BS” and stopped buying tickets?

Yes, the local and national media very much embraced “Overreaction Monday.” But the media hasn’t been tossing out “all BS.” The Bucs are very much in peril. Only a win will fix it.

In many ways, the Bucs, especially rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, have been waiting for Sunday’s Saints game for months.

Why? Well, the revamped Bucs secondary, one that cost Team Glazer a fortune, now gets to face one of the teams it was built to stop.

Mark Barron, in part, was brought here to cover elite tight ends like Saints stud Jimmy Graham. Dashon Goldson was brought here to bust skulls and scare receivers. And $1 million-per-game Darrelle Revis was purchased to shorten the field and give elite quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Matt Ryan something more to worry about.

It all comes together Sunday, and Mr. Brees agrees that it’s a very different Bucs secondary.

“Within a gameplan you have certain matchups that you’re trying to exploit, certain coverages or certain looks that you’re trying to get,” said Brees (via the Saints official website), who completed 26 of 35 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, in the season opener.

“I would say there are times where, hey, maybe there’s a corner and you just know, he defends this certain route or this certain concept or this play very, very well. And so, all things equal, let’s go away from him. And so you definitely say there’s a Revis rule, as it pertains to some of those things – you want to avoid giving him those opportunities as much as you can.

“But then again, we’re going to execute our offense and there’s going to be times where we’re going at his side or going at him, and that is what it is. We’re not going to be careless about it.”

Joe loved hearing Brees mention that “Revis rule.” For Joe, the seconds can’t pass fast enough until Sunday’s kickoff.

Revis himself said on his radio show that the Bucs’ secondary must live up to the “No Fly Zone.” It will be embarrassing if they can’t. That “No Fly Zone” slogan is plastered on a massive billboard outside the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

Dashon Goldson won’t stop drilling opponents anytime soon. He told Joe that Wednesday, when Goldson said he was fined a “significant number” by the NFL for drilling Jets receiver Jeff Cumberland. Joe believes that should be a clean hit.

The amount of the fine got out today, and it was $30,000, so reported ProFootballTalk.com.

Joe really finds these fines laughable. That $30k is about .4 percent of Goldson’s annual salary. That’s the numerical equivalent of fining a typical Florida fifth-grade teacher $160 for a belting a kid in the head. But in reality, Goldson’s fine is meaningless cash to him, assuming he’s not in Warren Sapp debt..

If the NFL was really serious about deterring players, then it would have much bigger fines.

Joe’s glad the NFL isn’t fining guys enough to turn the league into true touch football. Hopefully, that won’t ever happen.

What streak, you ask?

Well, Adrian Clayborn is on a six-game run without a sack, dating back to his final two games of 2011, three last season before he got hurt, and last week against the Jets.

Yes, Joe’s shining a big negative spotlight because a streak like this can’t continue from a first-round pick at defensive end.

Clayborn plays hard and fast. He’s a very likeable guy, but he must produce, especially pass rushing alongside a Pro Bowl tackle. Clayborn would be the first to tell you. The rust on him should be completely shaken off after a full training camp and preseason, and opening day.

The Bucs likely need manbeast defensive performances from their key defensive players on Sunday to force turnovers and rattle and stifle Drew Brees. Clayborn is one of those guys. That’s what they’ll have to do to win.

Click on through above for more. The great folks at Ed Morse Auto Plaza deliver an extraordinary experience. And you won’t beat the prices. Joe bought his pre-owned Ford there 2 1/2 years ago and hasn’t needed one major repair.

Publicly, Greg Schiano remains on the fence about whether manbeast All-Pro guard Carl Nicks will play Sunday.

Jimminy Christmas! Play the man!

Nicks told media he was healthy. He said he was MRSA free and that his surgically-repaired foot was as good as it will get.

Nicks said all he had to do is get into football shape.

So play the man. It’s Week 2. How else is Nicks going to get into shape? If he can’t go the whole game, then a half is better than nothing.

The season is very much on the line.

As Schiano said today, “Carl’s a dominant player and we need to get him back.”

Here’s Schiano’s full news conference today, via WDAE-AM 620.

There are fewer better wordsmiths/humorists around, inside or outside the Tampa Bay area, than Martin Fennelly of The Tampa Tribune.

Joe’s not even going to try to set up Fennelly’s latest piece because Joe will do him an injustice. Fennelly has some damning information for Josh Freeman fans, brilliantly pieced together in an entertaining read, which is Fennelly’s forte.

Six days into the 2013 season and we’ve got an Apocalypse Now bullet train flying down the tracks, already filled with The Case of the Missed Team Photo and, more ludicrous, The Case of the Missing Votes — the story roundly refuted by all in pewter: that the head coach, the grand tabulator, rigged the returns to keep No. 5 from being elected a captain by his teammates.

Freeman’s brainless act (or was it?) of oversleeping that photo shoot (that’s a leader?) as his Toes On The Line boss waited, is a window to a disconnect that won’t change, even if Freeman rallies against New Orleans.

I think the Bucs’ narrative, dictated by Schiano, is set if this season falls apart: Freeman takes the fall. And Freeman will leave, happily, I think, free of Schiano as much as Schiano is free of him.

In short, Fennelly is confident last week’s team photo won’t be the last Bucs team photo Freeman misses.

Fennelly truly sums up both the ridiculousness of Photogate and Bucs commander Greg Schiano allegedly pulling a Dick Daley, while blending the seriousness of the Bucs having essentially lost — or are in the process of losing — their franchise quarterback, all in one column.

Joe cannot recommend you clicking the above line enough.

One Buccaneer theorizes that Josh Freeman will emerge from the endless scrutiny of his play, and Photogate, as a better quarterback.

Mike Williams always has Freeman’s back, and yesterday was no exception. Williams told The Tampa Tribune that media and fan darts and spears tossed at Freeman will make No. 5 stronger.

“People don’t know what they’re talking about,’’ Williams said, referring to Freeman’s skeptics. “That’s my quarterback and he’s going to be my quarterback as long as I’m here. Sometimes, people look at things and think it’s one person’s fault, but it’s a lot of things. I’m going to let them keep on criticizing Josh. I think it’s only going to make him better.’’

So there you have it. Pile on Josh. You’ll be doing him a favor.

Joe (seriously) believes Freeman insulates himself very well from the media madness. He’s always been that way, though that doesn’t mean Freeman isn’t aware of what’s said and written about him — and the boos that rained down on him during home games last season.

Freeman largely ignoring criticism comes in large part from Raheem Morris, who was very vocal about instructing his players not to read a word of the newspapers and more. Freeman seems to have taken that message to heart.

Veteran sportscaster Dave Wirth, of WTSP-TV, Ch. 10, captures the essence of what the Bucs need to do Sunday; look a hell of a lot better. Enjoy this exclusive Saints-Bucs preview video.

The run-stuffing Bucs will meet a Saints team Sunday that’s having big trouble running the ball.

Hopefully, that doesn’t mean Drew Brees will spread out the Bucs and look for whoever Leonard Johnson is covering.

Regardless, the Bucs will at least need to stuff the run and keep the Saints one dimensional, though the Saints couldn’t run last Sunday but still beat the Falcons, so detailed the Times -Picayune.

The Saints had only 78 yards on 29 carries against the Falcons, averaging 2.7 yards per attempt. New Orleans also was stuffed on a fourth-and-inches near midfield by Atlanta. Not exactly a good argument for Payton to remain steadfast in his commitment. Evans said the results have to change for Payton to maintain confidence in the ground game going into Week 2 at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

“When your number is called, you want to step up to the plate and get it done,” Evans said. “We kind of didn’t do that. We didn’t rush for 100 (yards) like our game plan was, even though our number was called numerous times. There’s always plays you wish you had back Week 1.”

Payton split the carries evenly against Atlanta.

Pierre Thomas was by far the most successful of the three running backs with nine carries for 43 yards (4.8 yards per carry). Thomas’ longest run, however, went for only 11 yards.

Darren Sproles only picked up 22 yards on eight carries, but made up for his sluggish rushing totals with six receptions for 88 yards. Meanwhile, Mark Ingram struggled the most with only 11 yards on nine carries.

However you look at it, the Bucs will need turnovers and big plays on defense to win this game. Joe wants to see the Bucs’ true defensive superstars — Gerald McCoy, Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and Lavonte David — and first-round talents Adrian Clayborn and Mark Barron step up. That’s why they’re getting paid.

In this CBS Sports video, Will Brinson is joined by prickly Pete Prisco and Pat Kirwan to break down the Saints-Bucs game. Needless to say, embattled Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman is a hot topic of discussion.

All offseason, aside from the constant chatter about embattled Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman, the main topic that made Bucs fans sweat was pass rush, or lack thereof.

The Debacle in the Meadowlands didn’t do much to soothe Bucs fans’ fears that Bucs defensive linemen can breathe on opposing quarterbacks.

Granted, it was just Week One and the next day was “Overreaction Monday,” where Bucs fans were lined up to jump off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, or are still prone on their couches, their minds numb and ears ringing from chugging Bushmills in a desperate effort to wipe the Jets loss from their memory cards.

If one is to average how many sacks the defensive front will get this year based on the results against the Jets, it comes out to 16, which is downright sinful for a team that actually has legitimate desires to make a playoff run this fall.

Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, though, was not on suicide watch after the Debacle in the Meadowlands. In fact, in his weekly press conference yesterday, he admitted he is fine with the production (or lack thereof) from his defensive line.

“If you look at the plays that we did get the sacks [on], I thought we were creating pressure with our down guys [defensive linemen],” Sheridan said. “They may have been chewing up the protection and allowing some of the second-level guys to come clean. Maybe our numbers didn’t show it, but I thought we had a very aggressive, up-the-field push on the pocket last week. Those guys did a good job. They can do better, but [they did a good job].”

Good job? Well, Joe won’t touch that. Maybe the defensive line did do a good job with the constant cute stunts the Bucs run.

Joe touched on this when he appeared on the air with his good friend, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, this week. Joe wishes he would have documented one second-half play. The Bucs called a stunt where tackle Gerald McCoy looped so far to his left, he completely took himself out of the play. GMC could have been sitting on the bench and been just as productive.

Joe must wonder; if a stunt completely takes your best defensive lineman out of a play, perhaps said stunt may not be so wise and the theory of using these tactics should be revisited.

The perception of the Bucs’ 18-17 choked-away loss Sunday was that the bungling Bucs lost to a horrific Jets football team, a game that should have been an easy Bucs win.

But then the Jets marched out to New England last night and completely stymied Tom Brady, who, like Josh Freeman days earlier, threw for less than a 50 percent completion rate. The Patriots won 13-10, thanks, in part, to two Aqib Talib interceptions.

So perhaps the Jets are far nastier than expected? New York had 15 first downs to New England’s nine.

Yes, the scoreboard is all that matters. But Joe can say he feels somewhat uplifted by the Patriots’ struggles and the Jets being competitive. The Bucs head to New England after Sunday’s meeting with Drew Brees.

Not so long ago, Super Bowl-winning coach Brian Billick was firmly in the corner of now embattled Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman. At one Super Bowl media day, Billick raved to Joe about what a quarterback Freeman is.

Now, Billick seems to have lost faith in the Bucs’ signal-caller.

Whether it’s the recent drama that has encircled Freeman, or his 6-15 record against winning teams or his 4-12 road record in his last 16 games or his 5-12 record in the month of December, Billick, writing for NFL.com, believes Freeman is one of a small group of quarterbacks that could very likely have new a residential addresses next summer.

In Tampa, it’s an even tougher case. Josh Freeman is the centerpiece of the franchise, though he came on board before coach Greg Schiano arrived. The fifth-year quarterback was voted a team captain in each of the past three seasons, but his teammates did not give him that designation this time around. And last Sunday, Freeman looked underwhelming in Tampa Bay’s crushing loss to the Jets.

There’s growing concern over Freeman’s long-term viability in Tampa Bay; with a few more games like Sunday’s clunker, some will start calling for rookie Mike Glennon. Schiano held Freeman accountable in his Monday press conference, saying that “we missed open guys” and “you’re going to have to be able to throw the football effectively, consistently, accurately.” Now, Schiano called out other elements of the team’s play, too, including in pass protection, but in sum, he did not sound like a coach who was full of confidence in his quarterback.

Freeman is different than Gabbert in that he has shown, in previous seasons, both the leadership skills and physical ability to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. Freeman bears a lot of similarities to Buffalo Bills rookie EJ Manuel — both have all the tools (size, arm, intelligence) to be successful in the league. Freeman set the bar high in 2010 — throwing 25 touchdown passes to just six interceptions — but he has not been able to maintain that, tossing 44 touchdown passes to 40 interceptions since then. There’s more pressure this season, because the team isn’t just determining if Freeman is right for this year — the Bucs must decide if he’s right for the next four or five years. Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands was a bumpy start to that process.

The following crossed Joe’s mind when he heard Schiano admit that Freeman has missed team functions other than the recent team photo (as have other players; Davin Joseph admitted to tardiness at other events), but wasn’t specific: If players do silly things, Schiano is not going to lie to cover up someone’s misdeeds. Now Schiano isn’t going to issue a press release every time a player messes up or begin a press conference announcing a player’s misstep.

But if Schiano is asked about a player, how he behaved, Schiano isn’t going to cover for him, either.

How refreshing that a coach actually treats adults like adults. Don’t goof up, and you won’t be talked about publicly in a negative light.