In what’s probably the last interesting word about the Kellen Winslow trade, Josh Freeman weighed in on the deal during an interview on WDAE-AM 620 this morning.

Freeman sounded a bit melancholy about the loss of his tight end.

“Kellen, while we were together, man, he was a dear friend,” Freeman said.” A guy that I learned a lot about being a pro, preparation, pushing yourself, trying to be great. I have nothing but tremendous respect for Kellen. It’s part of the business. Things don’t always work out perfect in this league. But I’m still friends with Kellen, still a great guy.”

Freeman went on to say he didn’t buy into that theory that he felt pressured by Winslow to throw to Winslow.

“It’s a deal where sometimes when things aren’t going great, you try to get the ball to your playmakers,” Freeman said. “You know, sometimes that doesn’t work out. [It was] definitely a learning experience.”

Dallas Clark talked about his unfamiliar new role last night on NFL Radio

As Greg Schiano drills discipline and details into the Buccaneers at a frantic pace, it’s almost necessary to have accomplished veterans around to be seen buying in and giving their all so the weaker-minded Bucs are less likely fall out of step.

Speaking last night on SiriusXM NFL Radio, new Bucs tight end Dallas Clark said he thoroughly investigated the New Schiano Order before signing with Tampa Bay. And the opportunity to be one of Schiano’s hard-working lieutenants and lead the young Bucs was an opportunity he craved.

“That’s the part that I recognize and something I haven’t been a part of,” Clark said. “My whole career I’ve been part of a veteran-based team. It kind of excited me to be that leader and that role player on a team, a team that is full of young talent that can flat play ball. It’s been exciting to get out here in practices and learning the system and getting to know these guys. It’s a lot of fun. It’s an exciting and energetic environment.”

Clark went on to call Greg Schiano “a special coach,” and interestingly he described Josh Freeman as “good,” referring to his play, but said Freeman “is a great leader of this team.”

The choice of words got Joe thinking how great it is to have Vincent Jackson and Clark, two guys who have played years with exceptional quarterbacks and will no doubt hold Freeman to extraordinarily high standards.

Joe knows there are lots of big dudes in the NFL, but Joe really had to marvel for a moment standing alongside Bucs guard Carl Nicks after practice Tuesday. All Joe could think about was that Nicks is a human armoire.

For those unfamiliar, Nicks lists at 6-5, 343 pounds. And the All-Pro guard is eager to fire up the running game. FoxSportsFlorida.com scribe Dave Scheiber took notes when Nicks was talking running backs Tuesday and penned a feature story. Interestingly, Nicks voiced his opinion that LeGarrette Blount is taking his game to a new level.

His impressions so far of the ballcarriers? “They’re talented, and they all bring something different,” he said. “Blount, he’s going to run you over, and he may hurdle you. And he’s big. The rookies, they’re all fast, hungry and they all work really hard, so that’s really good.”

Nicks says he generally keeps his distance from rookies in camp, so he hasn’t given Martin any advice in particular. “I try to stay away from them until cuts are made,” he said. “I don’t want to get too close and then they leave or go to another team, so I just pretty much stay away from the rookies and let them do their thing. But he works really hard. He works like he’s a free-agent guy, and that’s a good thing. He had Blount stepping his game up, and that’s good.”

Now Joe was alongside Nicks when he made these comments and Nicks’ tone was one of a guy that doesn’t take rookies too seriously until they prove something on the field. So Joe’s not going to speculate that Nicks thinks Blount will be the Bucs’ bellcow back.  

Joe’s just fired up to see the competition between Doug Martin and Blount. It’s going to be a very meaningful preseason for those two.

The only possible certainty about the NFC South is its uncertainty. With the exception of the Saints, teams in this division bounce up and down like the features of a Bucs cheerleader during a midfield routine.

This is why Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network and NFL.com seems to think the idea of a playoff run in the first year of the New Schiano Order isn’t completely far-fetched, so he wrote recently.

If there was ever a time for a young team in the NFC South to strike, this might be it. And given that the Bucs remain only one season removed from what seemed to be very legitimate progress, I’ll give them as good of a shot as any to take advantage of the Saints’ nasty situation ahead.

Tampa has the quarterback and the skill players to excel on offense. If the defense can hold its own against Carolina and Atlanta, the Bucs should be fully capable of getting their squad back on its previous track toward success. It might take a wild-card berth — since I’ll peg the Falcons as the division’s early favorite — but that’s nonetheless a scenario that could most certainly play out.

That’s the critical element for the Bucs: the defense. There is no way of sugarcoating it. The Bucs defense was an abomination last year. When healthy, can the Bucs defense really make that much improvement? Time will tell.

One thing certain is that the Saints are a mess, though a talented mess. If Drew Brees decides to sit out while amping up the volume on his contract hassle with the team, that’s one less team the Bucs will have to worry about leapfrogging to get a wild card.

Darren Woodson breaks down how he feels the NFC South will shake out this season in this BSPN video.

Tampa Bay Times columnist Gary Shelton was granted some together time with Greg Schiano recently and has penned his reaction for TampaBay.com.

As has been touched on previously, Schiano doesn’t invest time thinking about the won-loss column.

Ah, but can the Bucs have a winning season? A playoff season?

“I don’t get into answering those kinds of questions,” Schiano said. “The two guys I learned the most from are Coach Joe Paterno and Coach (John) Wooden. I worked for Paterno for six years, and the word ‘win’ was mentioned … you could count it on both hands. The focus wasn’t ‘winning.’ The focus was doing the best we can.

“People say, ‘Now you’re getting into coaches’ speak. You’re trying to avoid the question.’ But Coach Wooden was the same. Winning wasn’t talked about. It was all the things that added up to winning. It was the process, the process, the process.”

Joe hopes Schiano can stick to the Wooden-Paterno way, which included rarely having to talk about losing, either.

It’s time to enjoy life and make its special moments more memorable.

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Much has been speculated over the years as to the relationship between Father Dungy and Team Glazer following Dungy’s less-than-loving ouster from the Bucs.

What’s true or not is unclear, but Joe found it telling that Father Dungy was in attendance at One Buc Palace yesterday for the news conference introducing Paul Gruber as the next inductee into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor.

Father Dungy was so comfortable, in fact, he took time for an interview with Bucs video mogul Scott Smith, now posted on Buccaneers.com. Definitely check it out. Dungy offers some good takes on Gruber, and it seems that Dungy is excited to return to Raymond James Stadium when the Buccaneers honor Gruber and the 1997 Bucs team in October.

Joe is pleased to know if there were any bad feelings between Dungy and Team Glazer, apparently they are ancient history.

Joe also hopes Greg Schiano had a chance to forge a relationship with Dungy and schedule a meeting, if they haven’t already met. Surely Schiano should want to pick Dungy’s brain when it comes to building a program and selecting and developing a coaching staff.

It seems some, for reasons unknown, are unnerved by the New Schiano Order.

Already cricket-watching, scone-loathing Peter King of Sports Illustrated has mocked new Bucs coach Greg Schiano for his thermostat ways and pasta preferences. But not all are on board with King’s scoffing of Schiano.

It seems noted columnist Dan Pompei — who Joe briefly worked with, seemingly in another life — has a different view of Schiano. Pompei, via National Football Post, believes there is method to Schiano’s madness.

Schiano has been the subject of some attention over the last couple weeks. He traded away tight end Kellen Winslow, the Bucs’ most productive receiver a year ago, and then my friend Peter King reported Schiano monitors the temperature in Bucs meeting rooms.

Screw loose? Hardly. Schiano has reasons for doing everything he does, and he is one impressive coach. I don’t say this about many coaches, but I will be surprised if he isn’t very successful in the NFL.

So I asked Schiano what he was looking for in “Buccaneer men.” He said, “Guys you can trust. Guys who believe in what we’re doing. Guys who are accountable to each other–things that are becoming more rare every day in our world.”

Look, Joe believes this attention to Schiano’s attention to detail is a bit silly. First, who among us would not complain to a waiter if we were not served the specific pasta we ordered? Mocking Schiano for allegedly sending a staffer to complain about a pasta order gone wrong nearly smacks Joe of hypocrisy.

Joe seems to remember how Tom Coughlin penalizes players for not arriving to meetings and practices five minutes early.

How has rigid detail worked for Coughlin?

Hopefully news of Brian Price now training in California is nothing more than a way for him to get fit and be close to his family after the tragic, accidental death of his sister recently. 

Beat writer Stephen Holder, of the Tampa Bay Times, brings word that Price is missing some OTA days working with a renowned left coast trainer with approval from the Bucs. And Greg Schiano didn’t close the door on Price having trouble related to his unique pelvis and hamstring injuries.

“It may be related to that,” Schiano said. “I don’t think it’s that specifically, but he’s had some issues. Hopefully that will work itself out.”

You can click through above to read the entire piece.

Again, one can only hope Price skipping practices is not a giant red flag as it relates to his health.

About 10 days ago, Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan took to the SiriusXM NFL Radio airwaves and talked about how Josh Freeman likely could benefit from improved mechanics.

Greg Schiano was asked about that yesterday and didn’t offer much in the way of specifics on Freeman, but did say “sometimes you can see indecision in a guy’s feet.”

Schiano went on to say Freeman has started from scratch in his approach and the suggestion was that attention to the details will lead him back to his 2010 form.

Joe doesn’t doubt former Bucs quarterback Jeff Carlon’s contention that Freeman has easily recognizable flaws in his mechanics. Joe hopes those are addressed and fixed. However, even if they’re not, Joe has to figure that the New Schiano Order’s detailed approach, a big-time runing game, and the addition of an accomplished route runner and talent like Vincent Jackson, should cure a lot of Freeman’s ills.

It’s a blast to go to one of the official Rays watch parties at Hooters, and there’s one tonight at Hooters at 2250 Tyrone Square in St. Petersburg.

Why watch the Rays at home when you can take advantage of the great beer and food specials at Hooters? Plus there are amazing Rays giveaways all night long — gear, tickets, all kinds of stuff.

Nobody can top the great viewing at Hooters. (Yes, Joe’s talking about the multitude of cutting edge TV sets). Visit OriginalHooters.com now to find the location near you.

In case you missed it, Joe wrote up a look into how wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck works with the Bucs’ wideouts yesterday.

Joe tried to put into words the energy that Fleck puts into his craft. But that’s tough to do, since Fleck is so intense.

While researching Fleck, Joe encountered the video below of what claims to be Fleck dancing a 49ers event when he was a receiver for San Francisco. Though Joe can’t confirm, it sure looks like Fleck and he did wear No. 10 for the Niners.  Joe means no disrespect with this video. Joe hopes it will give fans a visual sense of how much energy and attention to detail Fleck brings to coaching.

Former Bucs left tackle Paul Gruber (1988-1999) will be introduced as a Ring of Honor inductee later this morning at One Buc Palace, so Joe was curious what Gruber’s seven-seasons Bucs teammate, Ian Beckles, would have to say about Gruber during the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 this morning.

Beckles described Gruber as “quiet to a fault” and a “homebody” who regularly attended church, never joked around, never cursed, rarely hung out with teammates and took many pages of notes in team meetings. Beckles also said Gruber was a man of routine — “for 7 years he had the same thing for lunch” — and was in the weight room year round.

Beckles said his daughter was a friend of Gruber’s daughter and Beckles often was dropping off his kid at Gruber’s house, where he’d see Gruber toiling in the yard doing his own lawn work during football season. (This really stood out for Joe. How NFL players, All-Pros no less, are breaking their backs doing yard work.)

On the field, Beckles said Gruber was “a finesse player” with incredible feet. And Beckles said he didn’t truly realize how great Gruber was until Beckles moved on to play for the Eagles and had to play with lesser tackles.

Joe’s definitely curious to see how new lunch-pail Bucs defensive tackle Gary Gibson performs. It’s hard not to root for a guy like Gibson who has clawed his way to a long NFL career. The guy showed up to a horrendous Rutgers program in 2000, got a new coach named Greg Schiano in 2001, and then found himself in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in 2005. The next year he was out of the league and made his way to NFL Europe to win a 2007 World Bowl with Hamburg before landing with the Panthers.

Gibson, 30, played in every game for the Rams the past two seasons and now stands as the elder statesmen on the Bucs’ defensive line, fighting for a job alongside Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Amobi Okoye, Roy Miller and Frank Okam.

Joe, along with some other media types, got a chance to talk briefly to Gibson at One Buc Palace on Tuesday.

JoeBucsFan.com: Talk about how you came to the Bucs and how your relationship with Coach Schiano played a role.

Gary Gibson: Being in free agency we were talking to a few teams. And after the draft, Coach Schiano had reached out to me and we’d been talking to him a little bit. It was really good to reunite with the old staff. I know these guys. And I know the program and what he’s all about, and it’s something I want to be a part of.

Q: Has [Schiano] changed at all since you were at Rutgers?

Gibson: Not even a little. He’s the same guy back from 2001 when he first got to Rutgers.

Q: Is the “program” any different?

Gibson: It’s literally, I mean it’s evolved a little bit into some other things, but the message has always been the same.

Q: You’ve been around the NFL for a while, can that system work here in this league?

Gibson: I think his system can work anywhere. You know, you work hard and you get what you put into it.

Q: What’s the best thing about working for Coach Schiano?

Gibson: Just knowing that you’re going to come to work and it’s going to be a grind every day and you know he’s going to get the most out of you.

Q: Not a lot of wasted time.

Gibson: No. And that’s a great thing especially with the new program they have with the new CBA and all that. There’s no time for wasting time, so it actually makes for a good regimen.

Q: What kind of potential do you see with the Bucs defensive line? 

I mean I think we’ve got young great talent. Their best years are definitely ahead of them. And I think that about myself, too. … There’s a ton of competition between all the guys and that’s going to breed good play.

Q. The Bucs don’t have a lot of veterans with your background. What kind of leadership message can you pass on? 

I don’t know about passing on. I think everybody works here. My whole thing, just for my career, I just work blindly and just let the results take care of themselves. That’s how I’ve been through my entire life.

Joe’s loyal readers know he’s footballholic. During football season, it’s nothing for Joe to inhale 27 hours of football in a week.

One reason Joe was so enamoured with Lavonte David coming out of Nebraska was that Joe watched quite a few Nebraska games on drunken, beer-swilling fall Saturdays.

Anyone who has watched Nebraska in recent years knows that Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini is nothing if not intense. He once seemed about to body slam quarterback Taylor Martinez on the sidelines for some unknown infraction (a move that was so over the top by Pelini, he got called to the principal’s office and was dressed down by Tom Osborne and ordered to chill out.)

David, a coveted linebacker that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik traded up to acquire in the second round, suggested Tuesday that one reason he thinks he is having a smooth transition to the NFL is that Bucs coach Greg Schiano and Pelini are like-minded.

“They are similar,” David said. “They expect the very best from you. They are detailed. Both are similar but both are competitive and both are encouraging.”

David worked out yesterday with the first team defense as the weakside linebacker, but after practice David tried to downplay the significance, saying he was previously practicing with the second team and that he has been floating around to other linebacker positions.

“Trying to learn all [linebacker] positions,” David said. “Every defense I have played is aggressive but the difference is the play calls. You just have to execute. It’s an advantage for me to know all [the linebacker] positions in case my name is called.”

Joe just has a hunch that if David makes the starting lineup this September, you won’t see Schiano poking his index finger in David’s chest very often.

There are many theories why Raheem Morris and his coaching staff lost the Bucs last season.

What’s completely true or not is often up for debate. However, Joe found his conversation with E.J. Biggers today very telling when it comes to what led the Bucs to the heinous 10-game losing streak they currently are riding.

Unprompted by Joe, Biggers painted a picture of not knowing everything he needed to know under former secondary coach Jimmy Lake. Biggers even went so far to imply he didn’t always know where he needed to be.

JoeBucsFan.com: Do you feel like you’re getting better in this new system?

E.J. Biggers: Oh, of course. Of course. Learning each and every aspect of the defense, I mean every position in the secondary, you know, where D-linemen [go], everybody everything, It works itself out. Just being here each and every day and learning is going to help me.

Joe: What specifically has helped you?

Biggers: Just knowing, like I said, knowing everything on the defense right now, knowing where the defensive line are. I mean a lot last year, I don’t know if I knew everything like that. But like I said this year, everybody knows everything. Like I said, that helps you as a secondary guy because like I said you’re the last line of defense so you have to know that. You have to know where you have to be.

Well, that about says it all. Joe will raise a cold one tonight to the New Schiano Order.

The inspirational Eric LeGrand was at One Buc Palace today to talk to reporters and address his teammates.

Joe heard many players’ comments about how LeGrand moved them, but Joe found it most interesting to hear LeGrand’s impression of his fellow Buccaneers while he delivered a speech before them, as LeGrand explained to the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, on WDAE-AM 620 this afternoon.

LeGrand said he’s addressed numerous teams and groups since his paralyzing injury while playing for Rutgers, including talking to New York Jets players. But today’s “you-could-hear-a-pin drop” audience of his teammates was something special, he said.

LeGrand said he was talking and looking in players’ eyes to see their reactions and recalled to Duemig that he noticed Dallas Clark engaged and “smiling,” as well as a “teary-eyed” LeGarrette Blount.

There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said about LeGrand’s inspirational story. However, and Joe will remind you again, remember to catch a fantastic documentary on LeGrand debuting on Bright House Sports Network on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Rock Riley spent days with LeGrand and crafted the two-part documentary (or Rockumentary, as Joe calls it). Joe got the chance to see a top secret copy of the whole thing, and it is simply riveting and inspirational.

Bucs icon and preseason game analyst John Lynch has spilled the beans: retired Bucs left tackle Paul Gruber is the next inductee into the Bucs Ring of Honor.

The Buccaneers are scheduled to make an official announcement tomorrow, but Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune talked to Lynch, who expressed his approval of the pick.

Gruber spent his entire 12-year career with the Bucs, playing left tackle for them from 1988 to 1999. He was a three-time All-Pro selection but spent most of his career playing in relative anonymity.

“He was a guy that really didn’t like being in the limelight very much, but it’s good now that he’s finally going to be in the limelight,” Lynch said. “I’m really happy for him. He really deserves this.”

Joe believes Gruber fully deserves the honor. However, Gruber getting in this year is interesting and surely makes it hard to predict where Team Glazer will go with the Ring next season. There are still deserving older Bucs like Doug Williams and Ricky Bell, plus Hardy Nickerson and all the glory-years Bucs. And Malcolm Glazer surely would be a deserving choice.

Congrats to Gruber, who suffered and thrived through so many years of orange woe before the Bucs made the playoffs in 1997, his 10th season.

Joe could watch Bucs receivers P.J. Fleck coach all day long. This guy would be a celebrity if the Bucs ever embraced Hard Knocks.

Fleck, a former 49ers receiver and Rutgers coach, is animated, energetic, loud, and he’s a hands-on guy, whether it’s repetitively covering receivers or getting in their faces. He works everyone hard — praise or hounding. And at 31 and fit, he sure looks like he can run with these guys.

Joe spent a lot of time watching Fleck work with receivers today at One Buc Palace, and here are some observations:

Preston Parker routinely was praised all day, except for a play during a drill late in practice that had Fleck covering Parker who dropped a tough pass. Parker jogged back to his teammates and Fleck got on him for not picking up the ball he dropped. He made Parker come back and pick it up off the turf.

Clearly to Joe, Fleck was working Mike Williams harder than the other guys. A lot of extra help and focus seemed to be on Williams, who was not happy when he dropped a roughly 10-yard  pass with Fleck covering him in drill that featured tight coverage.

Dezmon Briscoe got his share of Fleck love, but also found his wrath. “Don’t take the easy way out,” Fleck barked at Briscoe after his turn in a drill to break press coverage at the line of scrimmage.

Tiquan Underwood earned some praise, and Fleck was hard on Sammie Stroughter, who seemed to struggle in the press-coverage drill.

Ed [Gant] was a favorite target of Fleck. Gant had a bad drop and lost track of his feet on a 1-on-1 drill that saw him catch a pass in the flat. “Be aware of where you’re at. That was out of bounds. Chin. Chin. Chin,” Fleck screamed.

Gant repeatedly got the “chin,” referring to where to tuck the ball after the catch. And there was more grilling of Gant on post-catch details. At one point Fleck screamed at Gant “the fastest way to the end zone is that way,” pointing out how Gant should have made a sharper cut after a catch in a drill with no defense around. That was a moment that made Joe laugh, but it was a telling moment illustrating how Team Schiano is on every last detail.

Fleck didn’t have much for Vincent Jackson today, but that could be because the guy is so silky smooth in every thing he does, there’s nothing to say.

Update: The luxury bus is staying for the postgame concert on June 17. We’ve had many sellouts this season, so don’t wait too long.

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Joe was on the front lines today, watching intently as the Bucs participated in their latest OTA of the spring.

(Yes, despite the summer-like weather, it is still technically spring for a couple of weeks).

* Offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan gets hands-on and intense working with receivers.

* Bucs coach Greg Schiano personally conducts what appears to be a linebackers drill to practice coverage and stuffing holes. Upside down trash cans represented gaps.

* Rookie wide receiver Ahmad Lewis made a nice move on old veteran Ronde Barber by sprinting right at him forcing Barber to quickly backpedal. Then, Lewis cut hard to his right over the middle getting good separation.

* Vincent Jackson sliced through the secondary, all the while biting the football.

* Once again, Michael Smith gets practice time with the first team, once catching a swing pass to the left side, quickly racing through the defense.

* Schiano could be heard telling players as they ran between stations, “Run like you have the ball!”

* Schiano likes detail in running his offense. “Start at the 31-yard line and go to the building.”

* There was a Dezmon Briscoe sighting!