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One unsung accomplishment in Bucs history was Tampa Bay’s No. 1 ranked pass defense in 2007. Yes, under defensive backs coach Raheem Morris, the Bucs’ secondary was the best in the NFL — and sent nobody to the Pro Bowl.

Jermaine Phillips, rookie Tanard Jackson, Phillip Buchanon and Ronde Barber were the main men, as once-great cornerback Brian Kelly got old and faded away.

And, the Bucs accomplished this with a pass rush led by Stylez White, Gaines Adams and Jovan Haye, not exactly a scary crew.

Joe points this out to illustrate how much talent the Bucs have now at defense line and defensive back, versus six seasons ago. The current Bucs are loaded at those positions by comparison.

Obviously, the Bucs must stay healthy, but a lot falls on Greg Schiano and his New Schiano Order defense, one defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan made very clear is crafted by Schiano.

Electronic media czar and longtime Tampa Bay sports personality JP Peterson grabs hold of the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves today from 9 a.m. to noon.

Of course, JP will talk all things Rays, Bucs and whatever else is moving him from the sports world.

Those chained to a computer (or too hungover to find a radio) can listen live via 620WDAE.com.

The fire of words that Bucs great and soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp lit recently by claiming Simeon Rice has more street cred to get into Canton than former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan was rekindled when intern-loving Tiki Barber appeared with Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski on WHFS-FM 98.7 last week.

Barber was quoted calling Sapp “an idiot” for his remarks. And while Barber did not deny he said that about Sapp, he claims his words were “blown out of proportion” by the same fourth estate in which he is trying to make a living.

“Look, I have nothing disparaging to say about Warren Sapp,” Barber said. “But here’s what I have to say: He has had a vendetta against Michael Strahan and I don’t even know why he has had a vendetta against Michael Strahan. Maybe because he can because he is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Michael wasn’t. I understand what he was trying to do and get Simeon Rice some credit for what Simeon was as a player and he was a fantastic player rushing the quarterback from the defensive end, but don’t do it at the expense of ‘Stra,’ who is my boy. He’s always had my back.

“They are different players so the comparison never made sense. To put it simply, Strahan was a complete player. He played on the weak side, he played on the strong side, he had to stop the run. Simeon was more of a single-dimensional guy where he would come off the edge and he was better than anyone at it with his speed and his length and his ability to get low and underneath tackles to go after the quarterback but he was not a guy counted on to stop the run. That’s not knocking him as a player, that was a fact and the numbers will show you that in career tackles. So when you try to compare them, you can’t. There was no malice in foresight in calling Sapp ‘an idiot.’ It was blown out of proportion.”

Well, once you say certain words to a reporter on the record, there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. Barber said what he said. If he needs to apologize, and Sapp demands one (doubtful), that’s between those two.

While Barber has a good point that Strahan was a more complete player, exactly who the hell looks at tackles on running backs when choosing a defensive end for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Did anyone mention how many tackles Reggie White had or Deacon Jones or Bruce Smith? Hell, no! Defensive ends bound for Canton are largely if not solely judged on how many times they put quarterbacks on the ground.

And in that regard, Joe believes Rice was Strahan’s equal if not superior.

It is June 29, less than a month before the Bucs hold their first training camp practice. There’s a long way to go.

But the football thinktank at WalterFootball.com already has put out its detailed team previews and they are not kind to the Bucs. In short, the Water Football crowd is no fan of Josh Freeman and is of the opinion that Freeman will continue to regress and, therefore, the Bucs will regress to a 5-11 season this year.

Josh Freeman will almost certainly be the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers this season, but he probably won’t be holding that title much longer. The organization, particularly head coach Greg Schiano, has lost faith in him. There’s a reason they spent a third-round pick on Mike Glennon. Unless Freeman rebounds with a strong 2013 campaign, he’ll be allowed to walk as a free agent next spring.

Freeman was on fire at the beginning of this past season. He held a 18-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his first nine games. However, things quickly fell apart after that. He had just two scores compared to 10 turnovers (nine picks, one lost fumble) in his final three contests. Throughout all of December, Freeman maintained a YPA of 6.3 or worse in all but one game. It’s amazing how much Freeman managed to regress in just a couple of months. If this were only a 1-year thing, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but Freeman’s accuracy has been pretty brutal ever since getting separated from former offensive coordinator Greg Olson.

2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis: The Buccaneers will continue to be the worst team in the NFC South as long as they’re the only franchise in the division that doesn’t have its quarterback situation figured out. Josh Freeman has just one more chance to turn things around, but things aren’t very optimistic in that regard.

Projection: 5-11 (4th in NFC South)

Joe can’t see the Bucs going backwards that badly, but if they do, it will probably be because Freeman has completely imploded. Now Joe is on record being cautious of the Bucs playing in the postseason. It’s not because Joe doesn’t think the Bucs are improved — they are — but because the NFC is as top-heavy as Joe has seen it in maybe 25 years.

On paper, it appears the best chance the Bucs have of a playoff berth is to win the division. Joe’s not ready to go there yet.

But if the Walter Football people are convinced Freeman and the Bucs will take that much of a step backward, it’s a good bet Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano will be quarterback shopping in February.

For whatever reason, one bad fit for the New Schiano Order last season was defensive backs coach Ron Cooper, who was quick to leave after the season for the South Florida Bulls

Cooper was a newcomer to the pro ranks and, well, his secondary was dreadful. Greg Schiano even seemed obligated to step in and get hands on with the unit in a big way late in the season.

Joe can’t thoroughly hang Cooper, who was stuck with the fearsome foursome for part of the season, “E.J. Leonard, Danny and LeQuan.”

Hopefully, the Bucs updated their coaching ranks with the addition of Tony Oden, who has spent years with the Saints and Jaguars. Eric Wright typed up a blog posting recently that implied Oden’s experience already is making a positive impact.

One other change that was made to the secondary was the addition of a new defensive backs coach, Tony Oden. The organization and the coaches bringing in somebody like Tony with a lot of NFL experience is going to help us on the back end.

He’s somebody that I respect a lot. I’m like a sponge, trying to learn as much possible, and Tony’s a guy that I can learn a lot from. I’m looking forward to working with him this season, and continuing to try to perfect my craft. Tony has a lot of knowledge about the game and how to deal with NFL players. He asks a lot out of us, but I think the guys are responding well.

Position coaches matter. The Bucs have learned that lesson over the years in a big way.

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Via the Bucs’ Facebook page, the team has released and produced a promotional video to remind fans that tickets for the home season opener are on sale. This is a cool video and thanks to the embed codes on the video, Joe assumes the Bucs would like websites to get the word out about ticket sales.

After dirtbags thieved loads of football equipment from a youth club in east Tampa recently, the Buccaneers stepped up this week to hand over $15,000 to replace the kids’ football equipment, jerseys, etc.

It’s noteworthy, but it’s not noteworthy, because Team Glazer has the Buccaneers do this kind of stuff all the time.

After $100,000 was coughed up to build a fancy community field in Clearwater this spring, Joe asked Bryan Glazer about what sort of impact this community work has had on him personally over the past 18 years. Glazer said the words of appreciation he receives are inspiring.

“What’s meaningful to me is when I get a letter, or someone stops me on the street, or someone walks up to me and says, ‘Thank you for doing this. Thank you for doing that,'” Glazer said. “And it’s for [as little as] a teddy bear for the hospital, or a football field, or a thousand things in between. The people who take the time to do that, to come up to or write that letter, that is tremendous to me.”

Below is a TBO.com video that tells the story of the Bucs’ most recent gift, and the clinic they ran for the kids who were victimized. (Joe’s glad to see that Michael Smith was activated.)

Many Bucs players are invaluable to the team’s success this season. Joe can think of Gerald McCoy, Doug Martin and Vincent Jackson, just off the top of his head.

But Matt Williamson thinks differently. The BSPN football guru believes the most important Bucs player is a guy who has yet to take a snap for the team, and it’s not a lock that he will be able to take a snap when the Bucs play the Jets in Gotham City.

That would be cornerback Darrelle Revis.

The Buccaneers’ pass defense was far too generous in 2012. The pass rush was a problem, and that area still very much concerns me. But the cover men also were huge liabilities. That should not be the case anymore. Not only did Tampa Bay bring in the best cover man of this generation in Revis, but it also signed Dashon Goldson to pair with last year’s first-round pick, Mark Barron, at safety and drafted Johnthan Banks, who should compete for a starting spot opposite Revis. But it is Revis the Bucs need to count on. As he showed so many times with the Jets, Revis is capable of eliminating an opponent’s best receiver by himself, which essentially would allow the Buccaneers to play 10 versus 10 against the opposing offense. The ripple effect would allow Tampa Bay to blitz with more regularity, which clearly helps its suspect pass rush. That is, of course, if Revis is healthy. Hopefully for Tampa Bay’s sake, it doesn’t have to find out how indispensable Revis is before he even gets the chance to contribute.

Williamson makes a good point about Revis, if only because the Bucs are constructing their 2013 defense around Revis. With him healthy, the Bucs can shade their safeties to help out either rookie Johnthan Banks or veteran Eric Wright. Without Revis, Banks/Wright will be left to sink or swim on their own.

If the Bucs lose GMC, the team is in a world of hurt. Same goes for Martin. Losing Revis could be a return to the heinous pass defense of last season.

Yes, these are the dog days of summer for NFL fans. Fresh news is rare less than four weeks away from the Bucs having their first training camp practice on the morning of July 25.

So to kill the time, ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas has been counting down his top 25 players in the division, and the latest Bucs player to make the countdown is wide receiver Vincent Jackson at No. 16.

What he did in 2012: In his first season in Tampa Bay, Jackson caught 72 passes for 1,384 yards and eight touchdowns.

Why he’s No. 16 in 2013: Jackson should only get better in his second season in Tampa Bay. Jackson’s 19.2 yards per catch last season showed how he can stretch the field, and he opened the way for receiver Mike Williams and running back Doug Martin to have big seasons. That means defenses are going to have to devote more attention to Williams and Martin, and Jackson could end up with even more opportunities than he had last season. The key, however, will be quarterback Josh Freeman, who is headed into a year that is crucial for his future. But Jackson could end up being Freeman’s best friend. The thing Freeman does best is throw the ball downfield. Jackson already has shown he can get open on deep routes.

Joe agrees with Yasinskas in that Jackson should be better this year. Here’s why:

People talk about how Josh Freeman is going into his second season in Mike Sullivan’s complex offense and how he is much more comfortable in it. That right there means Jackson should have a better season.

Just as important, Freeman will also be in his second season playing with Jackson. The two were new to each other last year, just as both were new to Sullivan’s offense.

With greater familiarity, Joe can see how Jackson catches even more footballs for more yards and more touchdowns.

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Eric Wright fingers and weighs in on the leader of the 2013 Bucs defense. Thankfully, it’s not him.

These days it seems Eric Wright has swapped spa days and Adderrall popping for fatherhood and being a good teammate.

Good choices.

Wright took to his blog this week to talk about his latest feelings on life and the Bucs. Among his musings, Wright said All-Pro safety Dashon Goldson has emerged as the leader of the New Schiano Order defense.

Even though he’s new to the system, Dashon has a lot of playing experience and he’s really our leader on the back end, and of the defense in general. Communication is definitely something that’s needed on the back end, and he’s always out there talking and making sure everybody is on the same page. He’s going to fit great in his role as not only a good player for us, but as a leader.

He’s a friend that I work out with and spend a lot of time with, so I know his outlook on the game and his approach as far as how hard he works. To work side-by-side with somebody like that is definitely something I was looking forward to, and I was happy to finally be able to get that opportunity out there on the field with him.

For me, having a guy out there that I know personally, the communication level is extremely high. I know how to talk to him, and he knows how to talk to me. The chemistry and cohesiveness is there from the jump just because of our relationship. It was a great experience. I know he’s seen a lot in his career, I’ve seen a lot in my career, so we’re able to talk things out and feed off each other just from our general knowledge of the game.

Joe’s talked about the visible leadership moves of Goldson, such as working long after OTA practices with young members of the secondary and Darrelle Revis.

Wright’s take that Goldson is leader of the entire defense is something new. Wright may be biased, but maybe not.

Regardless, Joe would be pleased to see Goldson emerge in this role. At least he knows what it’s supposed to like, getting to the Super Bowl under a no-nonsense head coach.

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One neat thing Joe learned at minicamp earlier this month is that Bucs rookie cornerback Johnthan Banks is pretty confident in his ability.

Not cocky though, there’s a difference.

While Banks believes he can hang with opponents in the NFL, he’s quick to point out he has a lot to learn.

“I match-up pretty well with everybody, everybody out here,” said Banks, who could start if he plays well in training camp. “But I am still a rookie. I am still learning. I am taking my time and do it right and learn it the right way.”

So what has Banks learned in his short time in the NFL? Well, for one, he doesn’t have the Bucs’ defense down pat. And he’s learned there is no drop off in talent on the NFL level.

“The terminology for the defense, it is so different than college,” Banks said. “Everybody is so much better here. Plus, there is nobody in college that has a Vincent Jackson on one side and Mike Williams on the other. Everybody is good. You have to be prepared all the time.”

Joe believes this is a good mix of confidence and humility. Banks is certain he can play — and start — on the NFL level but also realizes that won’t happen without work.

The repeated shots fired by Warren Sapp at Michael Strahan, which are growing more powerful, are wearing on Tampa Bay Times columnist and notorious Joe basher Tom Jones.

Jones, who also co-hosts Sports Page on WDAE-AM 620, is disgusted by Sapp verbally trampling on the career of Strahan as Sapp tries to make a case that Simeon Rice was a better player.

“He’s being an A-Hole,” Jones said of Sapp this week.

“Show some class. You’re going into the Hall of Fame. Everybody’s celebrating your career. Why run people down along the way?” said Jones, who added the everybody knows Sapp is being “small.”

Joe might agree with Jones here, but for Joe there’s an awful lot of gray area, as Sapp is a national analyst on NFL Network. Sapp, like Jones, is paid handsomely for his candid opinions and to keep himself relevant, classy or not. (You can catch Jones’ full discussion of the subject below.)

It’s quiet at One Buc Palace. Many football operations’ staff have gone fishing, trying to charge their batteries for the long, long, long haul ahead.

Still, with the “Gone Fishing” sign posted, that doesn’t mean others are resting.

In an interesting breakdown of what the roster may look like when training camp practices begin July 25, an article on Buccaneers.com (intrepid Scott Smith?) details why the roster is still fluid until that time.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently putting the finishing touches on the 90-man roster they will take to training camp in late July. You may have caught some recent tweaks to that roster, such as the additions of Derek Hagan and Michael Adams. In those cases, the receiver position kept the same numbers (the waiver paired with Hagan’s signing was rookie wideout Jheranie Boyd) while the cornerback crew got a slight bump at the expense of the offensive line (rookie guard Jeremy Lewis).

There could be another move or two before the start of camp on July 25. All players, coaches and football operations folks will be taking some vacation time between now and training camp, but the NFL waiver wire never shuts down. The Bucs will surely keep an eye on that wire, and they may choose to massage the numbers at one position or another before camp starts.

Still, we have a pretty good working camp roster at this point, so it’s instructive to look at how those 90 spots break down by position. You’ll find those numbers in the table below along with, for comparison’s sake, the breakdown from the first day of training camp in 2012, Head Coach Greg Schiano’s first season at the helm. The last column in the table below shows how the 53 spots broke down by position when the Bucs opened the regular season a year ago, which helps demonstrate which spots will be most competitive in camp.

Look, there is little question to Joe that the 88th or 89th or 90th guy on the training camp roster won’t be starting when the Bucs open against the Jets in the New Jersey Swamplands. That’s highly unlikely, and Joe will take such a bet any day, any time.

But who knows, maybe the last guy signed (in July) makes the practice squad, or at best plays special teams for the Bucs.

The fact the Bucs are not settled on a roster is actually a good thing, not something to loathe.

While many Bucs fans were pacing their bedrooms in the middle of the night, bottle of antacid in hand and worried about the horrid Bucs secondary from the previous year, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik was doing something about it, unbeknownst to the public.

One remedy was signing punishing free agent safety Dashon Goldson. In this countdown of the top 25 players in the NFC South, ESPN NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas lists Goldson at No. 18, before the man has played a snap in the division.

What he did in 2012: In helping the San Francisco 49ers reach the Super Bowl, Goldson had 69 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble.

Why he’s No. 18 in 2013: Signing Goldson was the first big move the Bucs made in the offseason because they believe he can help fix a pass defense that ranked No. 32 in the league in 2012. Last season, the Bucs used Ronde Barber at free safety. Barber did a decent job, but often played in the box and that forced strong safety Mark Barron to end up in coverage more than the team wanted. Goldson is more of a natural center fielder and his presence should free up Barron from deep coverage duties and allow him to take more advantage of his physical style of play. Goldson also is known as a leader and he’s been on some teams that have won big. The Bucs are hoping Goldson’s ability and experience can help improve the entire defense.

Joe believes Yasinskas nailed it in his last point: Leadership. Joe has seen with his own eyes how the younger members of the Bucs’ secondary are following Goldson around like ducklings would their mother. He works with the young guys sometimes 30 minutes after practice. Not that he’s told to do it, but he knows the work necessary to hone your craft and build a winner.

Goldson has lived the life of playing on a putrid team that transformed itself into a Super Bowl team. Just judging by his leadership skills, Goldson’s salary is already beginning to pay off, and it’s not yet July.

Bucs rookie defensive end William Gholston, an athletic freak at 6-6, 281 pounds, talks in this video about his love of football and how he believes study is the key.

The latest power rankings on NFL.com rank the Bucs at No. 20 but, more troubling, 12th among NFC teams.

News flash: there are only 16 teams in the conference. Six make the playoffs.

Analyst Elliot Harrison was the evaluator. And it’s no surprise he was focused on whether Josh Freeman can make the leap from talented to winner.

Freeman does have a load of pressure on him, but in many ways he doesn’t. No. 5 has a stout running game, a phenomenal offensive line, two true stud receivers, and a comfort level within his offense. A quarterback couldn’t ask for much more.

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