The fun has started in New England, where the Bucs are practicing with the Patriots. Finally, the teams have squared off against each other after typical non-fun stuff at practice.

Veteran Tampa Tribune Bucs beat scribe Woody Cummings is there and Twittered news that will bring smiles to Bucs fans. A certain helmet-wielding, cabbie-slugging, Adderrall-popping, coach-cussing, referee-charging, pistol-friendly, granny-hassling cornerback got roasted.

@RCummingsTBO – Bucs WR Mike Williams also won a battle very handily with former Buc Aqib Talib, leaving him on the ground with a nice juke

Oh, the trash talk that must have ensued. Actually, Williams gives a lot of credit to Talib for his development as a receiver.

 Joe will bring you more reports out of Foxborough throughout the day.

How can Joe not have warm feelings about Bucs fullback hopeful Spencer Larsen? The guy simultaneously started at linebacker, fullback and special teams for the Broncos during a chunk of his 2008 rookie season. This guy loves contact.

And then he was the fullback getting his brains beat in as a blocking back in the Broncos’ run-every-down spread offense under Tim Tebow in 2011.

Larsen went on to score a free-agency signing bonus last year from Bill Belicheat before injuring his knee and subsequently getting cut by the Patriots.

The New Schiano Order snatched him up in July. Larsen has gotten plenty of work with Erik Lorig sidelined with a calf injury, and Joe thought Larsen looked pretty sharp Thursday against the Ravens. Larsen agreed.

“It went ok for the first preseason game. I got in there and was able to do some good things. It was positive feedback [from coaches,]” Larsen told Joe. “But there’s always little details to clean up. I don’t think there’s ever the perfect game out there.”

Larsen said he won his share of special teams honors in Denver, and it’s a role he cherishes. “I play all special teams. Especially at the position I play, that’s got to be a part of your game. There are some accolades there. Special teams are something you have to take pride in.”

Joe’s a fan of Lorig, who seems to improve every season. But Larsen, who says he’s 100 percent healthy, is an intriguing option, and one the New Schiano Order might lean toward if they believe Brian Leonard can also play fullback effectively.

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When the Bucs loaded up on safeties the past two offseasons, drafting Mark Barron in the first round in 2012 and signing Dashon Goldson in March, it didn’t do much for the job security of former starting safety Cody Grimm.

A strong special teams player, at times as a starter Grimm was terribly exposed, but when healthy he proved to be a force against the run. That was the problem with Grimm. He had a nasty injury bug and fought to not just stay healthy, but stay on the field.

With a logjam at safety — reserve Ahmad Black got considerable playing time last year — and a few minor brushes with the law in Virginia (very unbecoming of a Buccaneer Man), it didn’t do much for Grimm’s job security coming into this training camp.

Grimm began training camp working largely with the third team and got some second team reps. But of late, Grimm has had a few snaps with the first team defense and hasn’t been embarrassed.

His play in training camp has even got the attention of Bucs coach Greg Schiano, who noted how smart of a football player Grimm is and how he is an asset to special teams, but quickly qualifying his comments adding that there are good players who will not make the final 53-man roster.

Grimm took time to talk to Joe after the final practice of training camp yesterday to discuss his hopes of hanging on in Tampa.

“Obviously, I hope I make this team but all I can do is work hard,” Grimm said. “You can’t look that far ahead. So much stuff can happen. I could not be on this team or I could be starting if someone goes down. So you have to come in here every day and act like you are a starter. You cannot predict the future. “

Grimm makes a solid point. Due to a variety of factors, as a rookie, Grimm found himself in the starting lineup with the Bucs. No one can predict injuries or even, sadly, suspensions (like the antics of the Adderall Twins, Aqib Talib and Eric Wright).

Per Grimm, all he can do is give his best effort and make it difficult for the Bucs to wave him goodbye. “No, [no goals set from Schiano], we are all going to come out here and get our reps throughout the training camp and you have to take advantage of every rep you get.”

Grimm lauded new teammate Goldson for taking over the safety unit both on and off the field, but even Goldson needs help at times, and has turned to Grimm on occasion.

“That is the thing about the safety room, [Goldson] teaches us some stuff but he is new to the system and we teach him some stuff, [defensive] looks and things like that. It is kind of crazy.”

While he’s still very much on the Bucs roster, Grimm has been enjoying Goldson’s taste in pizzas he springs for.

“They are loaded,” Grimm laughed. “He gets everything [on them] and everyone eats a good bit.”

Longtime NFL personnel guru Scott Pioli has joined the NBC Sports Network crew and was at One Buc Palace yesterday to examine all things Bucs. In this video, Pioli gives his view of the Josh Freeman-Greg Schiano relationship and a potential Freeman free agency.

“Carl, if it makes your toe feel better, I’ll allow half-inch-in-diameter rigatoni during Wednesday lunches, and I’ll approve a cream sauce.”

It’s a conversation Bucs fans across the Bay area are having this morning; the unsettling state of Carl Nick’s surgically-repaired yet painful toe could take him from Pro Bowler to benchwarmer.

Yes, the Myron Lewis euphoria has worn off. Today on The Sports Page, on WDAE-AM 620, hosts Tom Jones and Ronnie Lane debate the issue and woven into the discussion is audio of Nicks talking about his injury in solemn tones. Lane sums up the fear well at the end, “What are we payin’ for playa?” (Click below to listen.)

The past 10 days or so of the Bucs training camp, Vincent Jackson sure seemed like a man playing with boys. Sure, it helped that Freeman found his accuracy and on occasions, was throwing the pigskin as if Drew Brees himself was wearing the No. 5 of pewter and red.

Of course, cynics could argue Jackson was mostly going up against NFL neophytes in Bucs practices. Darrelle Revis, outside of walk-throughs, did not guard Jackson as Revis has not been cleared for full drills, yet. So Jackson was going up against a pair of rookies (Johnthan Banks and Rashaan Melvin) and second-year man Leonard Johnson.

The way Doug Kyed of NESN describes Jackson’s work against the Patriots’ secondary, the Bucs All-Pro wideout is in regular season form.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound receiver may make the Patriots’ secondary look foolish at times, but it’s good practice for bigger, more physical receivers the team will have to face during the season. The ball was thrown Jackson’s way 13 times during Tuesday’s practice, and Patriots’ defensive backs only “beat” Jackson three times.

Kyle Arrington beat Jackson once during one-on-ones, while Jackson beat Devin McCourty and Arrington in later reps. Steve Gregory picked off Josh Freeman on a throw intended for Jackson in 11-on-11s. Justin Green also got the better of Jackson on one rep. The rest of the time, Jackson was beating guys like Arrington and Aqib Talib. Talib appreciated the practice, though.

“That’s good work man, leading into the season,” Talib said. “One week you get DeSean Jackson, change up the look you get V-Jack, Young Mike [Williams]. Man, it’s definitely good practice.”

Just by what Joe has seen with hsi own eyes (even with binoculars) and what Joe has read from both local and Boston papers/websites/sports networks, the Bucs, led by Jackson, could be scary good on offense this season.

As always, the catalyst will be No. 5.

The Bucs will practice with the Patriots in New England today under cloudy skies. The temperature will be in the upper 60s.

Taking the Bucs to cool weather is not the only way that Greg Schiano is going easy on his team.

Practicing against the Patriots for two days means lessened risk to his players, Schiano told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Saturday.

“You cut your risk in half, because you’re not hitting each other. So, you know, it’s a lot of good,” Schiano said. “And quite frankly, I don’t mind getting up there and out of this heat a little bit. I mean, I like it. But in training camp to get them feeling a little bit better about their bodies, hopefully that’ll happen as well.”

Of course, Schiano makes sense here. But it’s interesting to Joe that Bill Belicheat and Schiano, guys who are viewed as tough guy, taskmaster coaches, are into the joint practice thing that cuts players reps in a big way. The Patriots and Eagles practiced with each other last week before their preseason game.

Perhaps the biggest benefit to squaring off against New England in practice is Josh Freeman getting different defensive looks. The Patriots defense is very different from the one Freeman sees daily. If these next two days lead to Freeman building more confidence, then the Bucs will have really benefited. On that note, Joe hopes Aqib Talib is matched up against Vincent Jackson.

One of the coolest cats on the Bucs roster is guard Davin Joseph. With his menacing dreads and his big size, he is not the kind of dude you would want to face in a dark alley.

Joseph, however, is the direct opposite of his intimidating look. Polite, kind, intelligent, Joseph is always willing to talk to Joe and it’s hard for Joseph to wipe that seemingly perpetual smile off of his face.

Joseph, like Revis, has been limited in training camp practices, often relegated to the Tour de Schiano, a row of stationary bikes near the practice fields. Also like Revis, Joseph is chomping at the bit to drill a defensive tackle, but he’s on a specific rehab plan.

“I understand why we’re doing what we are doing, I understand that,” Joseph said. “Football is football. It’s not safe, and it’s a very physical sport. I take the advice of the trainers and the strength and conditioning staff about my plan as far as easing back into football and getting used to everything. Right now, I feel like we’re in the right place. With the other guys, they look really good, so I’m pretty confident that we’ll be ready whenever it counts.”

That may change for Joseph after the Bucs return from New England. If all goes well, Joseph’s rehab could be accelerated.

“I think we got to revise at the end of this week and see how we’re doing from there,” Joseph said. “Going off the last five days or so, there’s a high chance that I’ll get back to working real soon.”

Not many players would be agitated about missing preseason but Joseph is one of them. He noted that preseason is vital for a team to gel and for players to improve, and he realizes he has missed out.

“I value preseason,” Joseph said. “I think I need it, so we’ll see. We’ll see. Knock off some the rust, get used to having the adrenaline flowing, also going at the game pace and hitting somebody other than our team, and all that stuff. I think I need it, but like I said, I think we’ll revisit that at the end of the week.”

Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620 have loads of audio of various Bucs players following the final practice of training camp 2013. Among the players are guard Carl Nicks, guard Davin Joseph, linebacker Jonathan Casillas, cornerback Leonard Johnson and safety Cody Grimm.

And of course, there is Bucs coach Greg Schiano in his daily press conference.

All audio from Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620.

Greg Schiano said he’s seen “a ton” of development in Mike Glennon and plenty of credit goes to No. 5.

Here’s one that will have the Mike Glennon Mob pouring champagne.

The leader of the New Schiano Order hopped on NBC Sports Network this evening and raved about his up-and-coming rookie QB, all while praising Josh Freeman for his role in Glennon’s maturation. And Greg Schiano even evoked the word “competition,” a motto the Mob lives by.

“I’ve seen a ton, a ton of development [in Mike Glennon]. And the best part of this whole deal, Josh Freeman is one of the guys that’s helping him most to develop,” Schiano said. “You know that’s the kind of, I think the kind of thing we got going right now is that there’s guys helping each other out. I mean we all know the reality of this league. It’s pure competition and its purest sense. But it’s been pretty cool to watch.”

Yes, Joe knows Freeman is the No. 1 quarterback.

It’s not only great news to hear such a strong evaluation of Glennon, it’s also early insight into how long or short of a leash the regime might have for Freeman, if he falters significantly this season.

Tampa Bay electronic media czar J.P. Peterson was out with his video camera at Bucs practice today producing the day’s news for the 620wdae.com video blog. (Peterson also lives at TampaBaySportsCentral.com.) Fans will see Davin Joseph and Carl Nicks moving well, as well as interviews and quality walking by Darrelle Revis.

While Joe will allow that he could be reading too far between the lines on this, Joe was surprised to learn today that Davin Joseph is not making the trip with the Bucs to New England, where they’ll practice with the Patriots tomorrow and Wednesday, and then play a preseason game on Friday.

Greg Schiano said Joseph will stay behind in Tampa for “strengthening,” presumably of his surgically-repaired knee. What, they don’t have weight rooms and trainers in New England? Surely the Bucs will have medical and conditioning staff with them.

Schiano also said a key part of the New England trip is about building “chemistry.” And since Schiano has stated numerous times that Joseph is a high-ranking leader of the Buccaneers, Joe finds it a little odd that Joseph, one of last year’s captains, isn’t traveling with the club on a bonding getaway.

Is it a red flag on Joseph’s health? Joe sure hopes not, but it’s hard to imagine otherwise. The other three Bucs studs coming off major injuries and surgery, Carl Nicks, Darrelle Revis and Adrian Clayborn, are all heading north.

Bucs training camp for 2013 is over. Here’s what Joe witnessed in a rather nondescript, pads-free practice.

* Steamy day for practice.

* Has Joe Twittered before how accurate Josh Freeman has been the past week or so?

* JF5 is having another Brees-like practice. Sick accuracy. Won’t be redundant this morning on that subject.

* VJax on a bomb, catches over-the-shoulder pass for TD down right sideline.

* Darrelle Revis now participating in red-zone practice. Live, not walkthroughs. Granted, Bucs are not in pads today.

* After a beautiful JF5 pass in a two-minute drill, Schiano got all fired up and ran with the offense down the field.

* (Promised not to be redundant.)

* Fake crowd noise!

* Bucs moving ball like clockwork.

* Pressure on JF5, WRs covered, JF5 throws ball away sailing it way up into the bleachers as kids scramble for cover, then scramble to retrieve the ball.

* Jonathan Casillas picks Mike Glennon over the middle.

* And with that, Bucs training camp 2013 has concluded. Thank you this time for your time so until next time, so long from the practice fields and temporary bleachers of One Buc Palace.

A couple of clean punt returns and a kick return Thursday night have made wide receiver Eric Page the lead dog in the Bucs’ race to find their next Clifton Smith.

Joe asked Schiano whether the returner situation has cleared up at all, and Schiano identified Page this morning.

“I’m not sure it’s cleared up yet. Page is probably the leader right now. We’ll see,” Schiano said. “[Michael] Smith did some good things. You know, Chris Owusu put it on the ground. That doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road. Right. We’ll have our missteps. We’ll just keeping working through it.”

Did you mean Page is the leader for both jobs, coach?

“The punt [job] really,” Schiano said. “The kickoff, I got a lot of guys out there who can do kickoff returns. I don’t mean to minimize the job. But it comes end-over-end. There’s a lot of time. It’s going to hit you when you catch it. The other one, it’s a spiral sometimes, it’s a knuckleball other times, it’s an flip-flop kick other times. And people are going to hit you a lot of times the minute you touch it. It’s a totally different skill set. So kick returner, we’ll figure that out. It’s the punt returner that I have my antennae up on.”

Still just 21 years old, Page was an undrafted player rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and Schiano admitted they were chasing last offseason but lost out to the Broncos, where Page blew out his ACL in training champ. He’s a year and a week out of surgery.

Hopefully, punt returner will be a much more critical position for the Bucs. That should be the case if the Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and the pass rush come to play.

The emergence of Page again reminds Joe that the Bucs keptseven receivers on the 53-man roster out of the 2010 training camp. Joe could see the Bucs leaning that way, especially if Page keeps thriving at punt returner and injuries to Kevin Ogletree and Chris Owusu linger.

In his final season at the University of Toledo (2011), Page returned 18 punts with one touchdown and an average return of 10.9 yards.

Joe has a small piece of advice for Page: Don’t fumble.

When Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune spied Bucs guard Carl Nicks walking into One Buc Palace on reporting day to start training camp with his injured toe “heavily bandaged,” it sent up red flags and had Bucs fans scrambling to the liquor cabinet.

Well, it seems Bucs fans had good reason to drink. And the following news likely will have Bucs fans doing shots this afternoon, and not in a celebratory mode.

Carl Nicks is hurt. His toe, as Bucs coach Greg Schiano suggested early in training camp, is not completely healed and Nicks will have to fight through the injury all season, provided he can make it through the whole season.

In fact, Nicks told Joe and the assembled Tampa Bay pen and mic club that this injury will be with him for the rest of his days.

“I will have to deal with it my whole life,” Nicks said. “Honestly, it is not 100 percent, yet. I plan on playing some this next preseason game and obviously, the third one. We will see how it goes.”

Nicks has played sparsely in training camp in seven-on-seven drills and scrimmages because of his toe. Nicks noted what Schiano had said is correct; It’s something that he will have to play through in order to stay on the field for the Bucs this season.

“I have all the confidence in the world I will be back to playing,” Nicks said. “I will just have to deal with it my whole life. I would lie if I told you it didn’t affect me at all. It affects the way I walk, the way I stand around. I have to stand a certain kind of way. It is something I just have to deal with. I don’t want to get into taking painkillers and not knowing if it is hurting.”

Nicks’ injury was described last year as a “turf toe,” a malady that aflicts many a football player. But players, after much rehab, generally return and recover. Nicks noted, however, it may not just be turf toe.

“It’s been described as many different things,” Nicks said.

Nicks stated that the more he is on it, the more it hurts. He practiced roughly three-fourths of a practice recently and the toe was barking loudly at him. He also noted that the Bucs may ease up on Nicks’ practices in order for him and his toe to be as close to 100 percent as possible by gametime, not unlike what Raheem Morris did for Sgt. Winslow and his bad knees.

“It absolutely” hinders his stamina, Nicks offered.

Nicks is, obviously, frustrated about his toe. If he is healthy, Nicks said the Bucs’ offensive line could be dominating.

“Oh, it could be something special.”

Darrelle Revis was covering real-life receivers in 7-on-7 drills today, albeit in shorts and no hitting. But the good news on Revis was tempered by news of more wounded Buccaneers.

Kevin Ogletree got his “feet tangled up” and has an angle injury, per Greg Schiano. There was no word on the extent of it.

Schiano also revealed that Davin Joseph will not make the trip to New England to practice with the Patriots and play against the Pats on Friday night. Schiano said Joseph would stay in Tampa for scheduled “strengthening.”

Gerald McCoy rested a tweaked calf at practice today, but he will head to New England.

Chris Owusu (ankle) and Danny Gorrer, both injured against the Ravens on Thursday, will stay back in Tampa. Adrian Clayborn and Revis will head to New England.

Stick with Joe through the day for much more out of today’s practice at One Buc Palace.

Adam Schein of SiriusXM believes Bucs backup quarterback Mike Glennon could be a starter sometime this season.

Now before Joe gets rolling here, just because he likes a certain media personality doesn’t mean Joe believes everything he/she says. No one is perfect. The last guy alleged to have been a perfect man was nailed to a tree.

Joe is a big fan of popular sports radio personality Adam Schein. The New York-based footballholic, who can be heard weekdays on Mad Dog Radio, exclusively on SiriusXM, is all worked up about the coming football season as most red-blooded Americans are, and he offered a quick Bucs take Friday.

In short, this will get the Mike Glennon Mob panting; Schein firmly believes if Josh Freeman struggles, then he will be benched.

“I think Tampa has a deep and talented offense. Doug Martin is an absolute bolt, a legit feature back. The offensive line, if Carl Nicks is healthy, will be strong. Vincent Jackson is a star. They bring in Darrelle Revis – who knows if Revis is going to be healthy? But certainly if he is healthy that is an upgrade, no question about that. But Josh Freeman is the ‘Yeah, but… ‘ when it comes to the Buccaneers,” Schein said. “And don’t be surprised if Mike Glennon at some point outplays him and plays and/or starts for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I don’t think Greg Schiano is a fan of Josh Freeman at all. “

Joe does not believe this one iota. Again, Joe loves Schein, but this is just inaccurate. There is a perception out there, fueled in the offseason by unnamed sources via the fingers of prickly Pete Prisco of CBS Sports, that there is angst in the relationship between Schiano and Freeman. That simply is hogwash.

There is no way Freeman, short of him going Trent Dilfer, is benched. It is just not going to happen. Hell, if Freeman puts up Dilfer numbers and the Bucs make the playoffs, he returns next season as the starting quarterback.

The interesting element ot Schein’s take is that midway through the 2012 season, Schein said he trusted Christian Ponder more than Freeman. Sure enough, Freeman vanished in the second half of the season when the Bucs needed him the most, and Ponder, with two key wins over the playoff-bound Texans and the Packers, led the Vikings to the postseason.

Joe knows the Mike Gennon Mob sits in their backyards with pin cushions and voodoo dolls and rabbits feet hoping and praying that Glennon is the starting quarterback soon. That crowd would love nothing more than to dance on Freeman’s grave.

Let it go guys. Joe has a better chance of waking up next to curvy Rachel Watson after a long evening of wrestling between the sheets.

Josh Freeman has not been among the most accurate quarterbacks during his four years in the NFL. Freeman ranked 33rd in the NFL last season in completion percentage among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts. During his glory season of 2010, Freeman ranked 19th.

The Bucs seemingly don’t believe that has anything to do with Freeman’s mechanics. In fact, new quarterback coach John McNulty made it very clear to Joe and other media that tweaking/teaching a veteran like Freeman mechanics is virtually worthless.

(Joe finds that to be a very short-sighted mindset and QB mechanics are not a detail that detail-obsessed regime should blow off).

McNulty said he’s focusing on Freeman’s advancement within in the offense so Freeman can be faster with his mind and feet and progress in that way.

The good news is that on Saturday Freeman explained to Zig Fracassi and Booger McFarland of SiriusXM NFL Radio why he should be “far more accurate” this season.

Freeman was asked what will make him better because he’s in Year 2 of the Mike Sullivan offense.

“Terminology overall. When you hear a play you hear it and you see the concept and the protection and you see it all kind of as one picture. Rather than, ‘Alright we’ve got this formation, we’ve got this concept over here, we’ve got this over here, we can work this versus this.'” Freeman said.

“And you just kind of see it [all at once]. And you can get there and shift the protection, drop back and throw the ball where you know you got to go with it. With that, your feet speed up. Your feet get exactly where they need to go, and [you’re] far more accurate.”

Joe has no doubt a second season under Sullivan will help Freeman improve. Clearly, his confidence is far ahead of where it was at this time last year. That can’t hurt. But how Freeman performs under extreme pressure is what’s under the most scrutiny. And much of how he responds is more about Freeman personally than anything else.

Led by receiver Vincent Jackson, the Bucs offense is playoff-ready, based on a calculation by NFL insider Pat Kirwan.

Last year as the Bucs’ pass defense created a spike in local pharmaceutical sales for Nexium, Joe was of the opinion that it was Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman’s Six Flags ways that doomed the Bucs in a push for the playoffs.

Pat Kirwan seems to take a different side. The former NFL assistant coach and front office man who, among his many gigs co-hosts one of the best football shows in the free world, “Movin’ the Chains,” with Tim Ryan heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, pumped out a take that would seem to suggest Freeman’s vanishing act in the latter part of the season had nothing to do with the Bucs watching the playoffs on their couches last January.

@PatKirwanCBS: The 12 teams in playoffs last yr averaged 27 touchdown passes from offense..can your favorite team do that this yr?

Well, the Bucs — and Freeman did just that. The Bucs had 27 touchdown passes, the average Kirwan cites for a playoff team.

If one is to believe in numbers — which never do tell the whole story — the Bucs should have been in the playoffs.

But if one is to subscribe to Kirwan’s theory, the Bucs offense is playoff-ready as Joe types this, which sort of reinforces what Keyshawn Johnson told the Tampa Bay pen and mic club Saturday when he popped into One Buc Palace.

Johnson talked about how drastically the NFL has changed and that in today’s game, defense is almost an afterthought. He mentioned how the Packers lost but one game in 2011, with an NFL-record worst pass defense. Keyshawn also mentioned that Bill Belicheat doesn’t care if teams score on him because with Tom Brady, the Patriots can score just as easily if not quickly.

Now is Freeman the next Brady or Aaron Rodgers? No. Not yet, but it will be interesting to see how much he has improved with a second year under offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan.

For those who dismiss this, Joe only points to Alex Smith. Nearly run out of football, Smith had nothing but a revolving door of offensive coordinators and head coaches until he found stability with Jim Harbaugh. And what happened? He was a special teams fumble from leading the 49ers to the Super Bowl.