The Bucs finished Day 7 of training camp 2013 on a high note. First, quarterback Josh Freeman had his best day of training camp by far. That made three straight days where Freeman visibly improved over his first week of lousy accuracy.

Bucs coach Greg Schiano also announced that the groin injury that Adrian Clayborn suffered the previous day was not as bad as feared. Some players that took time to speak with reporters were offensive guard Davin Joseph, safety Dashon Goldson, linebacker Dekoda Watson, safety Mark Barron, running back Mike James, backup quarterback Mike Glennon and of course, Schiano’s daily post-practice press conference.

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

Tom Crabtree, and his 18 career catches, very well may be the Bucs’ No. 1 tight end when the opening kickoff is booted in 38 days.

Crabtree spent three seasons (plus practice squad time) in Green Bay and sports a Super Bowl ring. Despite time inside a championship program, Crabtree said today he’s impressed by the detail-oriented nature of the New Schiano Order and by how he’s learning new nuances of football.

“Man, [Greg Schiano] really leaves no stone unturned. That’s for sure. He really stresses being a smarter football player,” Crabtree said. “That’ll make us a better team. It’s been cool to learn a bunch of little things here and there that I might not have thought about or might not have known, for sure. So it’s been an adjustment but it’s all positive.”

Crabtree’s a straight shooter and Joe doesn’t think Crabtree’s just stroking the regime here. (You can catch the full audio of this exclusive Crabtree interview in the WDAE-AM 620 audio feed below)

During the little bit Darrelle Revis was on the practice field “defending” Vincent Jackson last week, Joe could just tell how badly Revis wanted to go full-tilt.

Whenever Jackson came off the line, even though it was a walkthrough, Revis would do something physical to him, whether it was jousting for position with his hands or just flat out stiff-arming Jackson, you could just feel how badly Revis wanted to drill someone.

Revis, sadly, isn’t the only one.

So too does Davin Joseph want to pancake a defender. The Bucs’ Pro Bowl right guard has been out of action longer than Revis; Joseph also blew out his knee — in preseason last summer. Revis blew out his knee in Week 3 of the season.

Like Revis, Joseph is under a specific, personal rehab program where he is being eased back into action.

“I am still itching to get started with a full practice but I have to be patient,” Joseph said. “It’s a process to be ready for Week 1. You want to compete and get better but you also want to help the other guys get better also. Building that chemistry on the line is important.

“I trust and believe in the coaches that this process will be the best for me. [Feel like could do more] but I don’t know if that is in my best benefit. That’s why I listen to the coaches and the trainers and stick to the plan. Whatever they say I will do. I don’t think I will miss the whole training camp.”

While working out on the sidelines, Joseph has seen his offense go through the drills and is impressed, especially with Thursday’s Josh Freeman Show.

“It looks to be scary good but we still have to put in the work,” Joseph said of potential firepower of the offense. “On paper we look really, really, really good. But we have to put in the work. So, that’s why we are to work hard and compete with one another to get each other better.”

Tampa Bay electronic sports media czar J.P. Peterson is joined by Tom Krasniqi to discuss Day 7 of Bucs training camp 2013 in this WDAE-AM 620 video. Much more on the Bucs can be found on Peterson’s website TampaBaySportsCentral.com.

Forget about his play in the NFL, which has been stellar. One reason the Bucs signed Dashon “Hawk” Goldson is that he rubs off on teammates. In a good way.

Yes, the Bucs secondary last year reminded Joe of a barnyard in July. Yes, the Bucs got Darrelle Revis but Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik wanted a guy, not just Revis, who would be open to taking younger defensive backs under his wing. Dominik wanted them shown the ropes of how to be not just a Buccaneer Man, but a solid professional, much in the same way Vincent Jackson does for Mike Williams.

Hawk Goldson was that man, and Goldson has never shied away from helping his fellow teammates and was proud of being looked upon as a mentor when he spoke to the Tampa Bay pen and mic club after practice Thursday.

“I take that leadership role very seriously,” Goldson said. “I know I am here to help the younger guys out and definitely to win football games around here. With Revis down, I have to step up and play a bigger role. I come out here as a leader with experience.

“I am sure [Revis] has more insight into the corner position than I do. At the same time, we have played in some big games and we have done well in this league [to earn street cred] to be vocal and helping the young guys out.

“They have responded very well. I think these guys take to coaching, not just me but also the coaching staff and all the leaders at the same time. Not a lot of Prima donnas around here. That’s a good start.”

It isn’t just words coming out of Hawk’s mouth (beak?). Joe has seen in virtually every practice how Goldson is working after hours with Mark Barron, Leonard Johnson, Danny Gorrer and Rashaan Melvin. And the younger players simply rave about how they have learned from him.

Yeah, the Bucs dropped a lot of cash in Goldson’s lap. Those many large bills will not just be paid back on the field, but in ways unmeasurable.

There is but one issue that torments Josh Freeman and it could either make him rich enough to own a Caribbean island or Pearl Harbor his career:

Consistency.

When Freeman is on, he’s a top level quarterback. When he’s off and the “Evil Josh” appears, he is woeful.

Last week, the first week of Bucs training camp 2013, Freeman’s accuracy was lousy, including the Bucs’ night practice at the Stadium on Dale Mabry.

Monday, Joe started to notice a change. Freeman had improved from the previous week. Not perfect, but better. Wednesday, Joe didn’t notice Freeman when taking notes. Why? Because nothing negative caught Joe’s eye. A step better. That’s progress.

Today, Thursday, Freeman didn’t take a step ahead. Freeman, instead, jumped forward.

Granted, Joe has not witnessed each and every practice Freeman has participated in throughout his career. And Joe did not see the first few minutes of practice today (Joe was busy posting articles) when, in individual drills, Freeman’s back-shoulder throws were less than precise. But in the large bulk of practice Joe did watch, he has never seen Freeman throw so accurately.

Receivers down the sideline? Right between the numbers. Passes down the middle? Right on the belt buckle. Passes on routes cutting across the middle? Right on the receiver’s hands. Short passes, usually Freeman’s kryptonite, he was hitting running backs as if there were bulls-eyes painted on the front of their jerseys.

The “good Josh” Joe witnessed today was every bit the franchise quarterback the Bucs have hoped Freeman would blossom into some day. He was calm, cool, ran through his progressions, and was deadly accurate.

Joe is not sure if this is a three-practice trend or a peek into the near future. If Freeman can be this accurate on Sundays this fall, this Bucs offense can be scary good.

After the past three practices, those still believing Mike Glennon should start this season ought to be fitted for straightjackets.

Eight days ago, Greg Schiano said tight end Luke Stocker had “a little calf” injury to open training camp.

It’s still around, and preventing Stocker from practicing.

“It’s going a little slower than we initially thought,” Schiano said today. “Calves are a weird thing.”

As you can see from Joe’s practice notes in the post below, Nate Byham is getting a lot of work with the first team. Hear Schiano go into more detail on Stocker at the end of today’s news conference audio below, via 620wdae.com.

Here are some observations Joe had while watching Bucs practice No. 7 of training camp 2013. Joe has been to so many practices in so few days, he’s lost track of the day of week. But it is fun.

* Revis is in pads but may as well be in a Speedo as he is standing on sidelines with during position-specific drills.

* There are many areas of concern for the Bucs. Running back not among them. Doug Martin very sharp.

* Leonard Johnson with very sticky, physical coverage on Kevin Ogletree.

* Revis, Nicks, Joseph all on field at once. Albeit walk-throughs.

* Revis is “covering” VJax.

* VJax drops perfect pass from JF5 on a comeback.

* JF5 on a rollout hits Mike Williams in the hands on a crossing pattern. JF5 is absolutely on point today.

* Nate Byham with a catch along left sideline. Freeman has steadily improved each of last three practices. Really sharp thus far today.

* Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik sits for about 20 minutes in the bleachers with the proletariat Bucs fans.

* JF5 hits Mike Williams in the numbers along right sideline.

* JF5 threads needle between Dashon Goldson and Ahmad Black to VJax for touchdown in back of end zone.

* Mike Williams with diving catch from Mike Glennon. Later, Rashaan Melvin breaks up pass for Derek Hagan.

* Najee Goode tips pass for Zach Miller in end zone.

* Johnthan Banks misses easy pick.

* Freeman may be as accurate today as Joe has ever seen him. Mike Williams? He’s got a case of the dropsies today.

* Steven Means, playing RDE, flashing a little in backfield.

* Freeman bomb to Nate Byham along right sideline. “This Josh” needs to show up on Sundays. He is lights out accurate today.

* Freeman flushed left and hits tight end Tim Wright in the numbers.

* Even Mike Glennon throwing a bit better.

* Freeman over middle to VJax wide open and Freeman puts ball right in his breadbasket.

* Freeman has ball batted away by Steven Means and ball falls into hands of Doug Martin, who takes ball up left sideline for big gain.

* Freeman with a beautiful pass to Derek Hagan just off his hands down the right sideline but pass interference on Rashaan Melvin.

* Two-minute-drill time.

* Terrible snap from shotgun to JF5 and Means nearly has fumble recovery.

* Another JF5 bullet down the right sideline. Right. On. The. Numbers.

* MW19 on a comeback from JF5 right sideline. Not sure if Freeman has thrown a bad pass all morning.

* Don’t know if Josh Freeman has had a better training camp practice. Today, he looks every bit the franchise QB the Bucs have always hoped for.

* Running out of words to describe JF5’s accuracy today. If he plays like this on Sundays, Bucs offense could be downright scary.

* Another perfect pass. Joe had to shake his head a few times. JF5 is Brees-like today.

* Fake crowd noise!

* False start Gabe Carimi.

* Mike Glennon channels his inner Brett Favre by running right to avoid Means and throwing across the field to Nate Byham. You won’t often get away with that when the live bullets are flying, son.

* Glennon to Chris Owusu who runs about 30 yards down right sideline for TD.

* Glennon to Williams’ back shoulder in traffic for big gain

The buzz around fourth-round rookie nosetackle Akeem Spence continues to grow.

Yesterday, Joe brought you feedback on Spence’s development  from Jeremy Zuttah, Ted Larsen and Greg Schiano. Today, Schiano said Spence is more versatile than his college tape showed

“He is definitely a better pass rusher than I thought he was [on film],” Schiano said.

The leader of the New Schiano Order went on to say Spence is learning quickly under defensive line coaches Bryan Cox and Randy Melvin, a couple of guys with Super Bowl rings.

If, a big if, Spence can rush the passer, that will surely change the projected look of the Bucs’ defensive line. Last year, nosetackle Roy Miller was a lock to leave the field on passing downs, in favor of DaQuan Bowers, Michael Bennett and others rushing inside.

Chucky has never been known much for his local charitable endeavors, but Chucky still lives in Tampa and gets involved in the community.

Last night at Original Hooters on Gulf To Bay Boulevard, a proud sponsor of these here pages, Chucky, leader of his Fired Football Coaches Association, presented surprise gifts to three local high schools, as Ch. 10 sports anchor Dave Wirth documented.

There, he presented a check for $5,000 to each school… Leto HS in Hillsborough County, Gibbs HS in Pinellas County, and Gulf HS in Pasco.

With limited county funding, these 3 programs.. which are not among the bigger programs in the area… are struggling to survive.

“We made a big start tonight,” Gruden told 10 News.   “I think reality, awareness, getting your emotions involved is the best way to do it… People just need to know that these kids need help big-time… That’s all we’re trying to do, is give back… And get people to realize about reality, where high school football is.”

After getting the boot from Team Glazer, Chucky began coaching high school ball at Carrollwood Day School in Tampa. It seems his commitment to local youth ball is growing.

Peyton Hillis sure looks the part of beastly, bruising — and fast — running back on the practice fields of One Buc Palace.

Whether he can recapture his 2010 glory is unknown. But Hillis still has his smooth Arkansas accent and was happy to use it to give Joe a scouting report of Doug Martin.

“Great guy. Very hungry and dedicated and very disciplined,” Hillis said of Martin. “We have a great running backs coach, you know, that helps. I think [Martin] is very professional in all that he does. And that’s good.”

Hillis said he’s not thinking about anything more than one practice at a time and making the Bucs’ roster. He’s still working as both a fullback and a running back.

Joe thinks Hilllis’ odds of making the Bucs are quite small, especially since he doesn’t play special teams. However, if Michael Smith can’t land the kick returner role and rookie Mike James doesn’t stand out — he hasn’t to date — then Hillis could find himself employed come September.

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Bucs rookie corner Rashaan Melvin may be the hidden gem of training camp.

In every NFL training camp, there is a player that often flies under the radar of fans but excites the organization. For the Bucs, that may just be cornerback Rashaan Melvin.

A product of Northern Illinois, Melvin wasn’t invited to the combine and wasn’t drafted, despite his often-drool-inducing measurable, 6-2, 190 with a long reach.

Joe started hearing whispers from Bucs suits that Melvin was a guy Joe should monitor. The whispers grew louder as training camp approached. At a position of need which has already seen a fair degree of upheaval on the Bucs’ roster, Melvin may also be part of that come September, though it’s still a long way to go before the final 53 man roster is chosen.

Melvin seems to believe his less than high profile image has been good for his development.

“At the end of the day I still have to play ball,” Melvin said. “Not everybody gets invited to the combine and I used that to get extra, extra ready for my Pro Day, and I think it worked out the best for me.”

Melvin came into camp with an attitude that coaches love.

“My expectations was to come in and learn,” Melvin said. “Obviously Darrelle Revis was here. The cornerback staff was here already. Come in and learn what they have and learn. It has worked out for me for the better.”

What Melvin said he has learned from Revis is “press technique. He is a man-cover guy. Just being patient at the line and being consistent and understand the release.”

He also remarked how being a professional player allows him more time to study the game.

In what may be a display of confidence from Bucs coaches, Melvin has played a fair share of snaps with the first- and second-team defenses, facing the first-team and second-team offenses.

“That really has allowed me to showcase my talent,” Melvin said.

As far as any peculiar rules Bucs coach Greg Schiano may have, Melvin just smiled.

“I don’t think [any] of the rules are strange.”

There is no question the Bucs needed and wanted to upgrade their defensive pass rush. The Bucs are so intent on getting heat on quarterbacks, former front-seven coach Bryan Cox, arguably the Bucs’ best defensive assistant, was given a new title and new assignment: He solely and only works on pass rush drills and coaching.

By letting last year’s sack leader Michael Bennett walk away, the Bucs have put a lot of faith (and pressure) on Da’Quan Bowers, who has been nagged by injuries since he was drafted in 2011.

It was a controversial move and reading into a piece on now-injured Adrian Clayborn typed by Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, it seems Bucs coaches are not doing backflips over Bowers’ practices after the first week of training camp.

In at least one case up front, the Bucs still aren’t sure if their No. 1 guy is worthy. That’s at left end, where third-year pro Da’Quan Bowers has replaced Bennett. The Bucs think Bowers is ready to make an impact as an edge rusher and run stopper, but his play through the first week of training camp has not necessarily been up to their standards.

“He’s played at a high level (in the past), but he’s done it as a situational pass rusher,” Schiano said. “Now, he has to learn how to play down after down and still be a situational pass rusher.

“Situational pass rusher is not a bad deal. You go out there, and 95 percent of the time they throw the ball. So, you don’t have to worry about stopping the run. You don’t have to do the dirty work. When you get to where you’re a first- and second-down player as well as a pass rusher, well, then your world really gets harder. So, we’ll see.”

This is the biggest question on the defensive side of the ball outside of Darrelle Revis’ knee. Can Bowers live up to his talent? It seems, per Cummings’ article, a bit of doubt has crept into the minds of coaches.

Look, Joe knows there is a long, long road to go before the Bucs play the Jets to open the season in New Jersey. One bad week of practice does not a season make.

But the Bucs, namely Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik, put a lot of eggs into Bowers’ basket, rather than signing someone like John Abraham, who was dangling on the line all summer for the Bucs (or any team) to sign.

It was, and is, a gamble. A very big and perhaps a very costly gamble.

Davin Joseph has often offered telling commentary about Josh Freeman, like in March, for example, when Joseph strongly implied that Freeman gets too caught up in media commentary and statistical data.

So Joe always listens with a keen ear to captain Joseph’s assessments of No. 5. Yesterday, Joseph told the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620 that Freeman’s mind appears to be in the right place.

“Just the way he showed up to training camp impressed me a lot,” Joseph said of Freeman. He just had that look like he was ready. He had the look like, you know, he really wants to be here. You can tell the guys who are really ready for training camp, and the guys who are just kinda are here. He really looked ready when he showed up.”

Well, Joe hopes “that look” rivals whatever Freeman looked like this time three years ago.

Also of note, Joseph flat out said he believes Demar Dotson will be the best right tackle in the NFL this season.

“He has some crazy ability,” Joseph said of Dotson. “He’s a guy, I think he seriously has the potential to be the best right tackle in the league. With his work ethic, his focus, the way he comes to work every day, I think he’ll be that this year.”

Dotson has been the running with the first team in perhaps every snap in training camp. Gabe Carimi looks healthy, as well as dominant with the second team and against second-teamers.

Joe suspects preseason game performance will play the biggest role in deciding that position battle.

Big year for Josh Freeman. Heard that before? In the first year of Mike Sullivan’s offense, Freeman struggled, let’s be honest.

Sure, he threw for franchise-record yards. Given the quarterbacks in Bucs history, is that really a laudable accomplishment? Yes, Freeman threw for over 4,000 yards last year, a feat also eclipsed by a veritable Who’s Who of quarterbacks, including such NFL luminaries as Don Majkowski, Scott Mitchell, Steve Beuerlein and Bill Kenney.

Joe’s all about wins. One can spin stats all they want but at the end of the day, it’s about wins.

Yes, Freeman is in the second year of the Mike Sullivan era. This means a great deal to Freeman. Stability, which Freeman has not had in his short career, breeds success. Look at what happened when Alex Smith finally had some stability with Jim Harbaugh. The man was a special teams fumble from a Super Bowl.

Even Freeman admits he’s well-advanced from last year when it comes to being able to talk turkey with Sullivan and knowing what the hell Sullivan is talking about, documents Tom Krasniqi of WDAE-AM 620.

Over the course of his career, Freeman has had three different offensive coordinators so continuity has been an issue. But Freeman is optimistic that with a year of offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan’s complex system under his belt, things should move more smoothly in year two. Overcoming the “language barrier” as Freeman put it has been instrumental in his development. Less thinking, more reacting.

The Bucs have placed a heavy emphasis on two-minute situations. On Wednesday, Freeman and the first team excelled. Down 21-17, the offense drove the ball downfield with Freeman hooking up with wideout Mike Williams twice on the drive. Freeman culminated the drive with a touchdown pass to WR Kevin Ogletree. “Most of the games last season came down to 7 points or less, two-minute drives,” Freeman said. “It’s something we want to work on every day.”

Freeman has struggled at times with accuracy during training camp. He attributes those struggles to the improved defense he faces each day. “It has made it a little more difficult at times,” Freeman said of the defense. “We just have to continue to run our stuff and persevere.”

If Freeman’s words are not enough for you, how about Vincent Jackson’s? Yesterday, Joe asked Jackson how players felt about being with Sullivan for a second season and Jackson told Joe that since all the players are speaking the same dialect, Sullivan has been able to add new wrinkles to the offense, sort of like a Spanish I student in high school advancing to Spanish II.

With a healthy offensive line and an advanced understanding of a complex offense, Joe really does expect Freeman to play better this season.

Of course, Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620 were with Joe at Bucs practice today and there is all sorts of audio Bucs fans will want to listen to.

Of course, there is Greg Schiano’s daily presser. Heralded undrafted free agent corner Rashaan Melvin talked about getting to the NFL to chase his dream. Vincent Jackson explained how much better the Bucs offense should be this season. Wide receiver Tiquan Underwood discusses the battle for the No. 3 receiver slot. And, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman talks more about the Bucs offense as well.

All audio courtesy of WDAE-AM 620.

It’s Joe’s new Wednesday evening tradition; Joe joined the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, at 5 p.m. to talk all things Bucs for an hour.

As you can imagine, Joe and The Big Dog hit on all kinds of Bucs subjects and took fan calls. Enjoy the podcasts below. (Ignore the very minor microphone glitch to start Part I.)

The czar of Tampa Bay sports electronic media, J.P. Peterson, discusses the news and happenings out of One Buc Palace today as the Bucs wrapped up Day 6 of training camp 2013 in this WDAE-AM 620 video.

Joe keeps an eye on Greg Schiano during practice quite often, and it’s always interesting to see Schiano’s reaction to a play when the first-team offense is against the first-team defense.

Who can/does/should Schiano root for?

Late in practice today during a two-minute drill, Josh Freeman completed a pass in the left corner to Kevin Ogletree at about the 10 yard line. Ogletree was 1-on-1 with rookie Johnthan Banks covering. Ogletree turned to Banks and gave him a nothing juke and cut past him inside for a touchdown.

Schiano was not sporting a happy face.

After practice, Schiano said “we overleveraged the route or the tackle, and Ogletree ducked inside.”

Perhaps that’s one of the “bad habits” of Banks that Schiano referenced yesterday.

Now’s the time for Banks to be a rookie. He’s got to learn through the preseason. The home-opener against Drew Brees is not the time.