Derrick Brooks already has said Lavonte David is a better linebacker than he was after his first season. “Far ahead” of me is how Brooks described it.

Ronde Barber also has compared David’s football mind and instincts to those of Brooks.

“I look at Lavonte David and I see a young Derrick Brooks, not necessarily how he plays, but just like his instincts and just his knack for football,” Barber said in November. “That was one thing Derrick really had, just kind of a knack for the game. Lavonte’s absolutely shown that in the first part of his career. ”

David’s football brain also pushes the Bucs’ offense intensely, Josh Freeman explained recently on WDAE-AM 620.

Freeman’s point was that David is constantly picking up things during practice plays that the Bucs offense is working to hide, and then David calls defensive adjustments to counter the tip-offs he gets from the offense. Freeman said David is so gifted in this area that Freeman will sometimes watch practice film and can’t pick up on what David is seeing.

Ronde Barber was a master at all that, Freeman said, but the quarterback’s implication was that David takes it a step further.

Joe wonders how much better David can get. Will he get better? The season David had in 2012 was astounding.

Bryan Cox told Joe becoming a superstar means raising the level of those around you, something to look for from David this season.

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Now this is starting to get good.

Intern-scoping Tiki Barber, former Giants disgruntled running back and fallen media mogul, who is also the twin brother of Bucs icon Ronde Barber, has had just about enough of Warren Sapp mocking Barber’s former teammate, Michael Strahan.

Last week, Sapp, just weeks away from being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, resumed his war of words with Strahan, belittling the former Giants hero claiming Strahan couldn’t hold Simeon Rice’s jock.

Barber, in turn, isn’t going to take it anymore and came out swinging at Sapp, reports Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

“Warren’s an idiot,” Barber said on Monday while attending the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic at Oheka Castle in Huntington. “He just wants to say things to be idiotic. I played with Stray for my whole career. He is the greatest of the great. He is a great teammate, he kept things light, but on game day he was as serious as a heart attack and it showed in his play.

“Warren doesn’t know, never played with him,” Barber said. “I don’t put any credence in his opinion.”

No, Sapp never played with Strahan, but Tiki never played with Rice either. Rice may not be better than Strahan, but Joe doesn’t think Rice’s NFL work should be trivialized.

If anything, Rice’s body of work is rather underplayed.

Joe wonders what Chucky thinks of this?

Hopefully, with Dave Wannstedt on board, the Bucs’ special teams turn in the right direction.

Joe found it a bit curious in the offseason that Bucs coach Greg Schiano would reach out to his buddy and former boss, Dave Wannstedt, to become the Bucs’ new special teams coach.

It isn’t that the hiring of Wannstedt surprised Joe, but it was the position he was assigned.

When Joe spoke with Schiano at the NFL Combine in frigid Indianapolis this winter, Joe asked if Wannstedt would perform other duties other than special teams coach. It seemed a waste to let a guy with his significant experience be stuck with special teams.

No, Schiano told Joe, special teams is critical and Wannstedt would have his hands full.

While looking at the Bucs’ special teams from last season, Jeff Briscoe of Yahoo! Sports pulled back the onion skins and found a woefully underachieving lot, including from guys signed to fat contracts.

Despite expectations, Koenen and Barth disappointingly posted average numbers in 2012, as Tampa Bay finished in the middle of the pack in the categories of punting distance, kickoff return average, and field goal conversion rate. With hefty contracts enjoyed by its kickers, fans rightfully expect better in these measurements.

However, Tampa Bay fared even worse on its own returns. Averaging only 20.3 yards per kickoff, the Bucs posted the NFL’s third smallest kickoff return average in 2012. The club’s punt returns were only slightly better, with a 9.0 average that ranked 19th of 32 teams. Even more discouraging, no touchdowns were produced by the return game and only one attempt exceeded 40 yards.

Briscoe also points to two special teams holes Wannstedt must fill. The first is Ronde Barber, who was a warrior on special teams. The second is a return game of some sort. Since “Run Micheal run” Spurlock left the Bucs, the team has not had a consistently decent return man.

In fact, the revolving door of unreliable return men on both kickoffs and punts pretty much must end if the team hopes to turn around its special teams fortunes.

One would think a star cornerback, who before fully recovering from ACL surgery signs a Powerball-like contract with a new team, would feel a tinge of pressure to perform to his utmost.

Well, that may be, but so far, there is no pressure like playing in Gotham City says Robin New York City says Darrelle Revis. The pressure with the Bucs just doesn’t compare to playing for the Jets, Revis told the Aliquippa Times in a story hidden behind an evil paywall but documented by NFL.com.

Joe can’t quibble with what Revis said, only because the Bucs and the Jets are two wholly different set of circumstances.

For one, Revis doesn’t have the help surrounding him like he will have with the Bucs. He didn’t have a pair of linebackers in front of him like Lavonte David or even underrated Mason Foster. And he sure as heck didn’t have a pair of safeties playing next to him like Batman Dashon Goldson and Mark Barron.

The money question doesn’t sit well with Josh Freeman

Josh Freeman is set to earn $8.43 million plus incentives in 2013, the final year of his rookie contract that was written to pay him up to $36 million. The 25-year-old has no money problems.

Since the closing days of last season, Freeman has been asked repeatedly what his feelings are about the Bucs not giving him a contract extension, and Joe has recognized that Freeman seems more and more disappointed in the question.

It’s as if Freeman wants to answer like this, “What the hell kind of human being would I be if I was caught up in money when I’ve already hit the lottery, and God and my personal life are way more important than more cash I might never spend.”

Of course, Freeman doesn’t say that, but he appears to be getting closer to doing just that.

Take how Freeman responded to the inevitable contract question from WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 sportscaster Dave Wirth last week.

Wirth: Your future is unclear contractually. Do you think about that? Does it bother you?

Josh Freeman: No. Not at all.

Wirth: Really?

Freeman: No. My relationship with Mark Dominik is great. You know, my agent’s awesome. My dad. And you know, it’s weird. Where, I mean, where, where are your values? You know. My family’s awesome. I got great friends. You know, great teammates. Do I want to be a Buccaneer the rest of my life? Heck yeah I do. But, I mean if I can focus on just me and focus on what I have to do from a football standpoint, not worry about the whirlwind, the talks, whatever is going on, if I can focus on me, you know, everything’s going to work itself out regardless.

Freeman went on to say on WDAE-AM 620 the following day that he’d be “content” and at peace if “I just give it the best I got” this season but finishes unwanted by the Bucs or “every other team in the NFL.”

It’s fantastic that Freeman has his personal values in order, though Joe admits Freeman’s public expression of them to this level is rare in a young NFL player, let alone a hungry 25-year-old who’s the face of the franchise.

But Joe’s not hung up on Freeman’s words. They’re worthless. From everything Joe has seen and heard, Freeman has a Grade A work ethic and is thoroughly devoted to football. So what if Freeman is at peace with leaving the game after this season if he’s unwanted?

Joe appreciates Freeman’s honesty and values. Joe remembers that Chucky, whose crafted image was that of the ultimate football-crazed young NFL coach, turned out to be a guy who had no problem walking away from the sidelines.

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Former up-and-coming Cowboys wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, who the Bucs snagged in free agency this offseason, has all the skills he needs to be a very productive piece of the Bucs’ puzzle.

Bucs wide receivers coach John Garrett made that crystal clear to the Buccaneers.com staff.

Garrett coached Ogletree in Dallas and describes Ogletree as a polished and diverse threat.

“He is proven, coming out of college when he came with us at Dallas, to really be able to run routes and win versus 1-on-1,” Garrette said. “And over his career at Dallas he has proven that on the field, and that was an attractive thing here with the Buccaneers, is to get a guy who has proven route-runner ability and has beaten some of the top corners in the league. So he was a good addition … and he can really run.”

Now Joe is not trying to pain Ogletree as a superstar. His “breakout” 2012 season for Dallas was 32 catches and four touchdowns, and the team didn’t re-sign him. But there is a lot of optimism in Bucs camp for him.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik said Ogletree shined during the Bucs’ offseason workouts. Ogletree also is a happy camper. He told Joe he followed his favorite coach (Garrett) and the big arm of Josh Freeman to Tampa.

Joe’s also seen the burst in Ogletree during practice.

Regardless, competition for the Bucs’ Nos. 3-5 receiver positions is fierce with the recent addition of Derek Hagan.

From worst to first. Those are magical words in sports rarely experienced.

But the Bucs have seen their share of worst-to-first magic. The Bucs won the NFC Central division in 1979, and NFC South titles in 2005 and 2007, after last place finishes. And the New Schiano Order’s No. 1 ranked run defense last season was a complete about face from Raheem Morris’ league-worst run defense in 2011.

In a breakdown of units that could be the NFL’s best in 2013, NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling believes the Bucs’ secondary could be the NFL’s best, a complete 180 from the historic mess of last season.

If Revis’ recovery from knee surgery goes half as smoothly as those of Adrian Peterson and Robert Griffin III, the Bucs will have the league’s premier lockdown cornerback to go with veteran Eric Wright and ball-hawking second-round draft pick Johnthan Banks. Pairing Goldson with the hard-hitting Mark Barron gives the Bucs a safety tandem with the potential to rival the Seattle Seahawks’ Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor as the NFL’s best. A pass defense that ranked dead last in 2012 could be one of the league’s stingiest in 2013.

But as SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Pat Kirwan has preached loudly of late, for the secondary to truly be the NFL’s best, the front line needs to get heat on the quarterback.

That is a great mystery for the Bucs this season.

It’s a no-brainer that this season is a big season for Josh Freeman in so many ways. Does he come back to the Bucs or does he leave? Does he sign a megamoney, Powerball-like contract, or is he franchised?

Not only do the Bucs’ playoff hopes rest on Freeman’s shoulders in a big way this season, so does his NFL future, as well as his financial future.

This doesn’t mean Freeman is not one of the better players in the NFC South. The sophists at BSPN sat down for a countdown of the top-25 players in the NFC South and Freeman clocked in at No. 23.

What he did in 2012: He completed 306 of 558 passes (54.8 percent) for a 4,065 yards with 27 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. The passing yards and touchdown passes established new franchise records. That might sound like a pretty solid season. But you have to take into account the fact Freeman slumped mightily during a five-game losing streak that took the Bucs out of playoff contention.

Why he’s No. 23 in 2013: This clearly is a make-or-break season for Freeman as he heads into a contract year. Is he truly the kind of franchise quarterback that can take a team deep into the playoffs? Or do the Bucs need to go in another direction? We’ll find out this season and the outcome is up to Freeman. The Bucs have surrounded him with good talent on offense and defense. I think this will be the year that Freeman takes a big step forward.

All true. Few quarterbacks are surrounded with as much talent as Freeman. He is in the second year of an offense that, based on what Freeman and Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan have said, he has a much better grasp on.

The speedbumps for Freeman having a productive season have all but been eliminated.

Alan Dell of the Bradenton Herald believes the Bucs should pay particular attention to Eric Wright in the free time before training camp starts.

Most college football coaches break down their calendar years into seasons. There are preseason practices, the regular season, bowl season, recruiting season and what former Florida State football icon Bobby Bowden used to call the “silly season.”

Silly season was the time between the end of the spring semester and the start of training camps, when players were most likely to get up close and personal with the long arm of the law.

This is not lost on Bradenton Herald columnist Alan Dell, who refers to July on the NFL calendar as “Handcuff Month.”

While Bucs coach Greg Schiano has purged his roster of malcontents and walking arrest warrants like helmet-wielding, cabbie-slugging, pill-popping, granny-hassling Aqib Talib, Dell believes the Bucs and Bucs fans should pay particular attention to embattled cornerback Eric Wright in the weeks before training camp begins.

Eric Wright is a case by himself. The defensive back, who has been dodging police blotters and law enforcement officials since his college days, had a DUI arrest last summer and a suspension for drug use.

He is the Bucs’ biggest embarrassment waiting to happen.

Perhaps. But Joe doesn’t believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik or Schiano are losing much sleep over Wright. He damned near played (popped?) himself off the roster last year and the Bucs brought him back under a very team-friendly contract.

If, as Dell predicts, Wright runs afoul of the law again, it won’t be much of a issue with the Bucs. Joe isn’t sure the Bucs think more of Wright than, say, hard-working, team-first good guy Leonard Johnson.

If Wright screws up, he will likely be gone.

The manbeast on the front line of the Bucs defense is a smaller manbeast these days.

Gerald McCoy told his hometown newspaper, The Oklahoman, that he’s chiseled his frame and shed what was presumably excess beef.

McCoy has spent the summer preparing for his fourth NFL season, dropping nearly 20 pounds.

“That’s a lot,” McCoy said of the weight he’s lost. “It’s just been diet and working. It’s taken a lot of focus and dedication.”

How un-Sapp-like of the man Bucs fans hope will become the next Warren Sapp.

It’s pretty darn rare for a defensive tackle to lose that much weight, especially coming off a Pro Bowl season like McCoy had. McCoy was hardly packing a lot of excess pounds.

Joe’s curious to learn more, and to see if McCoy puts back weight as the offseason and preseason progress.

Vincent Jackson says Greg Schiano is all about making sure his players are having fun. But Jackson also says Schiano’s tight discipline will not let up in Year 2 of the regime.

Blocking icon Michael Clayton, who drove local Tums sales to new heights during his reign of horror in Tampa, got behind the WHFS-FM microphone and interviewed Vincent Jackson last week. (No, Clayton didn’t drop the mic.)

Clayton seemed obsessed with learning about the alleged crazed discipline of the New Schiano Order, something he was familiar with while earning a Super Bowl ring under Giants head coach Tom Coughlin.

Clayton asked Jackson whether Greg Schiano was going to ease up on pushing Bucs veterans to their limits in training camp this season. Clayton said he had heard that might happen. Jackson quickly shot him down.

“There’s definitely been no lapse. There’s not going to be change in that. The Buccaneer Way is the Buccaneer Way, and there’s only one way to do it,” Jackson said. “So you can’t go from one year to the next year and expect, you know, to be a little different and for guys to understand that. You know what I mean; you’ve got to be consistent.”

Clayton also asked Jackson whether Schiano has abolished fun around One Buc Palace, and Jackson explained that Schiano is actually all about fun.

“Coach has a great sense of humor,” Jackson said. “He’s a players guy. He talks to our leaders. He brings veteran guys in. He wants the pulse of the team all the time. So trust me, we’re out there working hard in the humidity. But he definitely, he definitely makes sure we’re having a good time.”

Make no mistake. Clayton wasn’t bashing Schiano. In fact, Clayton explained that he was invited to address Schiano’s Rutgers team during the 2011 season when Clayton played for the Giants. Clayton said he got to know Greg Schiano and called him a man of “great character.” … Don’t worry. The blocking icon is officially retired.

Here’s the full 17-minute audio of Josh Freeman’s interview on WDAE-AM 620, the one that drew raised eyebrows from Tampa Bay Times writers Rick Stroud and Tom Jones, who co-host the Sports Page show on the Bucs’ flagship radio station.

Imagine a list of the best 38 edge pass rushers in the NFL not having a Buccaneer on it.

Well, that’s the situation over at NFL.com, where Around The League guru Gregg Rosenthal has isolated his beasts off the edge and there’s no pewter and red to be found (not even Michael Bennett).

There’s little faith among NFL analysts in Adrian Clayborn and Da’Quan Bowers. Joe gets it; Those guys are unproven. But the Bucs, in many ways, are hanging their playoff dreams on their unquestioned potential.

Joe hopes someone at One Buc Palace gets a copy of Rosenthal’s piece to Bowers and Clayborn. A little extra motivation never hurt.

Once again, SiriusXM NFL Radio’s Pat Kirwan beat his chest for the Bucs to sign former Dixie Chicks’ pass rushing specialist John Abraham, or forget about playoffs.

Former Bucs scout and proud resident of Naples, Pat Kirwan, really likes what Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has done in recent months with the Bucs.

Kirwan is a big fan of the Bucs‘ offense, likes the secondary, yet is skeptical of any candidate on the Bucs roster in contention for the SAM linebacker position.

What Kirwan really doesn’t like, and believes will be the Bucs’ Achilles Heel preventing them from a playoff berth, is a lack of an established pass-rushing defensive end.

Kirwan has harped about this in recent months but really hammered home his point this afternoon. In so many words, unless the Bucs are able to consistently put Matty Ice and Drew Brees on the ground, winning the NFC South (which what very well may be required to get to the playoffs this season) is a pipe dream, so he told his co-host of “Movin’ the Chains,” Tim Ryan, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Pat Kirwan: You can’t let those two guys throw the ball around the field and the answer isn’t, “Well, we’ve got a better secondary.” Trust me on that front. You. Had. 27. Sacks. Last. Year. Has anyone changed who is getting to the quarterback?

Tim Ryan: No, but [Adrian] Clayborn is healthy and he did have seven a couple of years ago and I do like him as a player. We’ll see what Da’Quan Bowers can do. Clearly they think his health will hold up.

Kirwan: I like those names, but I would like to see a real pass rusher on that field like John Abraham. Somebody I know will rush the passer. I will take a bet that Gerald McCoy has 12 sacks. You taking that bet?

Ryan: I don’t know if it is going to be 12 but I expect him to have double-digit sacks.

Kirwan: I think he is a very good player and I like everything he is doing. When you face the Saints and the Falcons and you sack the quarterback once every 38 passes, don’t count on four wins there. Please.

Kirwan has a point, Joe believes, in that you simply cannot let Brees and Matty Ice just sit back throwing without fear of hearing footsteps.

Two years ago when the Bucs beat the Dixie Chicks at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, Matty Ice was punished regularly by the Bucs’ pass rush, specifically Gerald McCoy and Adrian Clayborn.

The way the Bucs stacked up on pass rushers in the draft, Joe has a hunch that on passing downs, it is quite likely Akeem Spence, currently targeted to start at the tilted nose position, will come off the field and the Bucs will move Da’Quan Bowers inside and bring in Steven Means or William Gholston.

Yes, Joe’s in a comic book kind of mode today, thanks to Darrelle Revis going DC Comics at his camp in metro Pittsburgh recently.

One reason the Bucs obtained the stud cornerback was, of course, to upgrade an abysmal pass defense. A secondary reason is that Revis allows the Bucs to shade their coverage to help out the corner opposite of Revis, whether that be Eric Wright or rookie Johnthan Banks.

And the guy best suited to help out in coverage on the opposite of Revis is “Batman” Dashon Goldson, writes Matt Williamson of ESPN.

By doing so, the rest of the secondary obviously can manipulate coverage to better deal with other threatening weapons. That means Revis’ counterpart, most likely the disappointing Eric Wright or second-round pick Johnthan Banks, will often have safety help over the top. I would imagine Tampa Bay is hoping Banks grabs hold of that starting spot and doesn’t let go. Wright has been a liability since signing a big contract with the Buccaneers. Leonard Johnson also should factor in as a physical quality fourth corner, but he is speed-deficient. Tampa Bay also signed Dashon Goldson, giving them an excellent pairing of safeties along with last year’s first-round selection, Mark Barron. Barron is more of the strong safety type — and Goldson more of a free safety — but both can operate near the line of scrimmage or deep in coverage.

Joe’s going to go out on a limb and say that unless he really struggles in training camp and preseason, the job playing corner opposite of Revis will be Banks’.

Clearly, teams are going to target Banks (or Wright) so help will be needed. Who better than head-hunting hitter Goldson?

The Bucs’ very own version of Batman.

What else would the chant be at a Darrelle Revis football camp?

Check out the video below out of Pittsburgh. The Boy Wonder, self-proclaimed, is hosting a two-day camp for kids plus a charity hoops game in his hometown of Aliquippa.

After Josh Freeman’s interview on Ron and Ian on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday, several Bucs fans remarked to Joe, “That didn’t sound like Freeman.”

Most were referring to Freeman sounding extremely relaxed and uncharacteristically revealing.

Joe was somewhat surprised, too, mostly because Freeman usually doesn’t offer much detail and substance, but yesterday he dropped good nuggets. Joe documented Freeman’s respect for Dashon Goldson and Freeman’s scouting report and deep praise for Danny Noble, and Joe has more to come.

Tampa Bay Times Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud took the analysis a step further.

Stroud also co-hosts the Sports Page on WDAE-AM 620, where today he said Freeman “didn’t sound right to me” and Freeman was “rambling” at times. Co-host Tom Jones and Stroud also found Freeman’s comment about his personal life and contract curious. “I’ve got stuff weighing on my mind, but very little of it has to do with a contract year,” Freeman said.

Joe can’t go here, there, or wherever some might want to. It’s mid-June, and Freeman should be thoroughly relaxed and at ease. The guy’s a five-year veteran of hundreds of interviews and he should embrace showing a less guarded side of himself as a face of the franchise.

Below you can listen to a cut of Freeman plus the full Sports Page analysis.

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Joe was torn Wednesday when he learned the shocking news that James Gandolfini, far-better known as the boss of bosses, Tony Soprano, on the great HBO series “The Sopranos,” died of a heart attack in Italy.

The loss was more than felt by Bucs coach Greg Schiano, who got to know “T” via Rutgers. Gandolfini was a Rutgers graduate and strongly supported the Rutgers football program when Schiano took over. Schiano offered his condoleances via the Bucs’ official Twitter account.

“I am sad to hear of the passing of Jim Gandolfini,” Schiano said. “He was a great supporter of Rutgers Football long before it was fashionable to be so. His generosity in helping us lent relevance to our football program at a time when it was desperately needed. In addition to his acting acclaim, he will be remembered by all Rutgers people as a compassionate alum and a great New Jerseyian.”

Joe cannot remember a better drama on TV than “The Sopranos.” It was a strange mix of “The Godfather,” “Goodfellas,” “Leave it to Beaver,” and “The Three Stooges,” with Gandofini’s character a larger-than-life figure.

With the possible exception of “24” at its most paranoid, tech-geek, violent, peak, if there was a series better than “The Sopranos,” Joe has not seen it.

The bartenders, if not the dancers, at “The Bing” are wearing black armbands.