Greg Schiano updates Gerald McCoy’s injury

It looks like the Bucs dodged a bullet and Gerald McCoy was not seriously injured when he left the game with a hurt knee during the Bucs’ first defensive series.

Speaking after the game on the Buccaneers Radio Network, Greg Schiano said McCoy just needs some time off to get back on the field.

“I think Gerald’s going to be OK. I think he just needs a little rest,” Schiano said.

Like McCoy or not, this is damn good news.

In the heart of the punishing Bucs first-team defense tonight was veteran linebacker Adam Hayward.

Always a physical cat, Hayward played downhill. He led the first team with seven tackles. He showed quickness on a blitz and sacked Tom Brady as the Bucs jumped out to a 20-7 halftime lead.

Joe has to wonder if maybe, just maybe, Hayward won a starting job from Mason Foster, who was scratched last night with a hamstring injury.

Ronde Barber has talked about how much he appreciates the win-now urgency of the New Schiano Order. Perhaps Schiano is ready to make Hayward, 28, the first supposed backup to earn his way to a starting job?

Joe still has to review the film, but Hayward looked like he played a better game than Foster ever has.

When injuries hit the Bucs on the defensive line tonight, Michael Bennett took over.

If Joe was in a bar or at home watching the tape-delayed broadcast on WTSP-TV Channel 10, on his leather couch, Joe would be standing and applauding the play of the defensive line.

The front four jostled, mocked and stung Patriots quarterback Tom Brady all night.

 On the defense’s third play from scrimmage, Gerald McCoy went down with a borderline dirty low hit that appeared to take out his knee. Then Adrian Clayborn went down.

It didn’t matter. Michael Bennett stepped up and played like a monster.

But now, here come the injuries. It was heartwarming to see the Bucs defensive line play so well, but this is a unit that had about as much depth as wet toilet paper. Now it could be even thinner.

No word (yet) as to the extend of GMC and Clayborn’s injuries.

Good thing for Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik that there will be a glut of players hitting the open market in the coming day. And if so inclined, Dominik might be able to purloin a salary cap casualty for a mere seventh or sixth round pick.

It just might be time for Dominik to start shopping.

It appears the Bucs offensive line is not nearly as strong with the apparent loss of right guard Davin Joseph.

What was a strength for the Bucs is now a question mark.

With Davin Joseph leaving the game on a cart late in the first half, it means the All Pro guard is lost, perhaps for the season. Joe is not going to guess on injuries (remember how awful LeGarrette Blount’s injury looked last week?) but indications are Joseph has a major injury.

When Ted Larsen came in he did his best Jeremy Truebood imitation with back-to-back false starts. That’s just not having your head in the game.

Even before Joseph went down, the right side of the line wasn’t opening up much room for Doug Martin and later, Blount.

That, however, doesn’t mean Martin and Blount weren’t getting some runs in. Early in the game, Martin was tried time and again on the right side, only to be met by a blue wall. Vince Wolfork had his way. When Martin’s number was called to the left side, he gained ground, chunks of it in fact.

Now the right side of the line is a major concern. Good thing there will be a glut of players hitting the market in the coming days.

Remember, that’s how Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik picked up Donald Penn.

No Bucs fan could claim to be stunned or horrified when Gerald McCoy went down with an apparent knee injury early in tonight’s game.

McCoy has been so injury-prone, that it just couldn’t have been a shock.

But late in the second quarter when Davin Joseph was carted off with an apparent serious knee injury, well, Joe and Bucs fans everywhere had to take poise to ponder the serious impact this could have on the Bucs’ season.

Yeah, the Bucs had no problem in 2010 when Joseph was out and Derek Hardman came out of nowhere to fill in admirably and help lead LeGarrette Blount to a 1,000-yard season, but it’s just unrealistic to expect a reserve performance like that again. Joseph is a Pro Bowler and paid a king’s ransom for a reason.

Ted Larsen came in to fill-in for Joseph tonight. Larsen had told Joe last week that he was busting his butt to become “that sixth man,” after getting high praise from Greg Schiano last night.

There’s no official word on Joseph yet, but it seems like Larsen will have to be the fifth-man for a while.

Look, Joe has nothing against Preston Parker. But after tonight’s performance by the former Florida State star, Bucs fans may very well have witnessed him fumble return his last punt and maybe play himself off the roster.

Against Miami to open the preseason, Parker fumbled a punt return and got flagged for a personal foul, cardinal sins in the New Schiano Order.

It didn’t get much better for Parker tonight. He again fumbled a punt return, and with the exception of one good catch, played sloppy.

With Michael Smith showing he can easily handle both kickoff and punt returns, barring injury, Joe would be surprised to see Parker waiting hovering under a punt come the regular season.

Provided he’s even in a Bucs uniform.

E.J. Wilson filled in admirably for McCoy as the Bucs’ defense shined

No matter who praises or moans about Gerald McCoy, they all all agree that McCoy has to stay healthy after his first two seasons were cut short by bicep tears.

Now McCoy is hurt again.

On the Bucs’ first defensive series against New England, McCoy was cut at the line of scrimmage with his knee planted and went to the ground. He left the game and apparently came back later for one play before his night was ended abruptly by the Bucs’ coaching staff.

Hopefully, McCoy doesn’t have an injury that will sideline him for opening day.

Amazingly, little known E.J. Wilson was a handful at defensive tackle in McCoy’s absence, while the Bucs’ defense knocked around Tom Brady and looked as dangerous as it has in years.

The Bucs came out and punched the Patriots in the mouth.

There’s no other way to put it.

They hit and rattled Tom Brady, even sacked him twice, and tagged him for a pick-6 by Mark Barron for a 14-0 lead, and the Bucs walked off at halftime with a 20-7 lead.

Yeah, preseason games mean squat, but the New Schiano Order just opened some eyes across Tampa Bay and around the country.

Joe’s proud to introduce Tilted Kilt to JoeBucsFan.com. Their great location at Drew Street and U.S. 19 in Clearwater is an awesome place to watch games and enjoy the scenery — indoors and outside. It’s definitely a favorite of Joe’s and open late. Click below to learn more.

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That’s a huge savings! Crap, parking at the stadium would cost you $15 to $25.

Parking is safe, easy and convenient at Tilted Kilt. And you can bring Tilted Kilt food on the bus, and your own adult beverages. … Joe’s friends at Paradise Worldwide Transportation are doing the driving, which means it will be top-shelf service.

Buy your seat now below. After purchase, you’ll get an instant receipt and parking/pickup specifics emailed to you within 24 hours.

OK ladies (non-NFL Network types) and gentlemen, get ready for the final Bucs home game of the preseason. Feel free to type away about the goings on during the game.

As always, do not paste any links of pirated game feeds in this thread, for face banishment to the gates of hell. However, you are welcome to e-mail links among yourselves.

Preseason Week 3

Patriots at Bucs

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.

TV: WTSP Channel 10. The game is blacked out in the Tampa and Orlando TV markets, but will be broadcast tape-delayed tonight at 11:35 p.m. on and noon Saturday. The game also will air on the NFL Network Sunday at 1 p.m. and Tuesday at 3 a.m. The game is also available at NFL.com and on Apple/Android tablets with a subscription to NFL Preseason Live, though blackout rules still apply.

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); SiriusXM Channel 128.

Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, expect thunderstorms early in the first half, but they should clear out quickly. The rest of the evening should be clear. Temperature at kickoff is expected to be 84 and drop to about 80 near game’s end.

Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs +7.

Outlook: Doug Martin gets the start at tailback, mostly because the Bucs will use LeGarrette Blount sparingly as not to aggravate his previously injured groin from last week. Martin will have the luxury of running behind what many expect to be the Bucs’ first-team offensive line now that Donald Penn is back at full strength. It will be important for the Bucs to put points on the board and eat the clock, much like they did at Miami two weeks ago. It would also be nice to see the passing attack look similar to what it displayed in training camp. The defense has an uphill battle against Tom Brady and the Patriots. What Joe will look for here is pressure, if any, the Bucs can put on Brady. The most important element of this game is staying injury free. Greg Schiano has said he would like to keep his starters in the game through much of the third quarter, depending on how many possessions the Patriots have.

Joe got some really cool insight into the Bucs offensive line when he had a chance to shoot the breeze with backup tackle Demar Dotson yesterday at One Buc Palace.

The first thing Joe will get out of the way is how Dotson views himself as an offensive lineman. He did a good job filling in for injured Donald Penn at left tackle through training camp and the first two preseason games. But just because he played well at tackle doesn’t mean he is versatile.

When Joe asked Dotson if, in a pinch given how he has proven to be effect as a backup tackle, could he fill a hole at guard, Dotson roared laughing and shrieked, “GUARD?! I don’t know about playing guard. I think you are going a bit too far now.”

In so many words, Dotson said between laughs, it may be a dark day if he is pressed into playing guard for the Bucs.

Now Dotson added something interesting. He boasted how tonight will be the first time in a game situation that the Bucs will have their projected starting offensive line together as a unit, Jeremy Trueblood, Davin Joseph, Jeremy Zuttah, Carl Nicks and Penn.

“Right now we have a better cohesion with Donald Penn coming back so we will have all five starters out there,” Dotson said. “So this will be the first time playing together. If they play well, that will be big.”

Joe also asked Dotson about any difficulties going from the left side of the line to the right side of the line, or vice-versa. Though he admitted there is a slight difference, he largely dismissed it saying others try to complicate things too much and that blocking assignments are basically the same on either side of the ball.

One-of-a-kind Bucs and NFL beat writer eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune joined Tom Krasniqi for an entertaining interview on WDAE-AM 620 this afternoon.

Kaufman tells the story of getting private time with Bill Belicheat in order to obtain ammunition to help get Warren Sapp in the Hall of Fame after this season. Kaufman will present Sapp for induction. Also, Kaufman talks about Belicheat’s girlfriend and why he thinks Bucs fans should expect greatness from the Tampa Bay offense in 2012. “Let’s raise expectations here in Tampa.” Click below for the audio.

The Bucs have built themselves a win-now offense.

The bulk of their huge 2012 payroll is tied up on offense, with a ton of cash and talent tied up in the offensive line. Plus the Bucs have a win-now receiver in Vincent Jackson and his eight-figure annual salary, and a strong No. 2 in Mike Williams.

The Bucs also have win-now talent in the backfield with LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin. And Dallas Clark was a win-now aquisition.

But do the Bucs have a win-now quarterback?

That’s the key question for the 2012 season. From 2010 to 2011, Josh Freeman’s performance went from great to bad. He needs to be at least good this season to keep Bucs fans from calling for his head.

ESPN blogger Pat Yasinskas believes Freeman’s job security is likely on the line come September, so Yasinskas wrote in a live chat today.

RedZoneJones: If Freeman plays sub-par do the Bucs cut bait?

Pat Yasinskas  (1:31 PM): Obviously, a very critical year for him. If he has a good year, then he probably gets a nice contract extension. If not, they probably start considering alternatives.

The pressure on Freeman surely is magnified by being in the NFC South with Cam Newton, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees. If Freeman is better yet not great this season and remains a lesser quarterback than his division peers, then where do the Bucs go from there?

Though the abilities of Mike Sullivan are a mystery, Freeman has everything in place for him to have a successful season. The Bucs’ running game should set him up in deep passing game and keep him in 3rd-and-manageable situations often.

It’s not a true “make-or-break” season for Freeman, but it’s damn close to it.

Bucs offensive tackle Jeremy Trueblood is an enigma of sorts. An effective if not at times a crushing run blocker, Trueblood sometime struggles with pass protection.

Then there are those silly penalties he gets in rashes. One of those dumb penalties rose up last Friday against Tennessee when he was flagged for a false start.

Simply put, that’s just not having your head in the game.

It’s those penalties that could get Trueblood in hot water with Greg Schiano, so writes Stephen Holder in a Tampa Bay Times Bucs chat.

Comment From Frank: When you read between the lines, do you think Penn and Trueblood are on thin ice with Coach Schiano? He has made comments and moves in camp that make me think he would like upgrades at both spots at some point, maybe even this year. Your thoughts?

Stephen F. Holder: I don’t think Penn is in danger as long as he does what he needs to do. He’s a good player — when he’s disciplined with his weight. Anyone who says his weight is not a factor in the way he played last season is blind. But he’s great shape right now. All I can say about Trueblood is that Schiano is big on disciplined play. And making false starts is not disciplined. I don’t think he’ll have a high tolerance from that from anyone

Trueblood had a poor game against Tennessee; let’s not sugarcoat things here. It’s bad enough if a right tackle is turnstiled time and again during a game. Throw in a few flags, and what’s the point of even being on the field?

If Trueblood can just stop the silly penalties, it will go a long way to staying in the starting lineup.

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Always well informed NFL Films guru Greg Cosell joined the Gary And The Commish show on WHFS-FM 98.7  and answered a load of questions on all things Bucs yesterday.

Most interesting to Joe was Cosell’s positive review of Mark Barron in pass coverage against Titans TE Jared Cook.

Barron was drafted, in part, to match up against the super stud tight ends in the NFC South. It’s a fun listen. Enjoy.

One reason the Bucs and the Patriots held joint practices at One Buc Palace this week was a change of scenery of sorts, to keep the mind sharp and getting a chance to hit someone other than a teammate.

But there was a secondary reason Bucs coach Greg Schiano wanted to practice against the Patriots: for the young Bucs to get an idea of how a top NFL team goes about its daily business.

Mission accomplished, so Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib tells eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.

The Bucs ended their two days of joint practices with the Patriots with the sense it was time well spent.

“It was definitely beneficial to practice against the AFC champs,’’ Bucs CB Aqib Talib said. “They practice how they play. They play up-tempo and they practice up-tempo. It was good work for us to see where we are as a team.’’

Well, it’s one thing to see it, quite another to copy what the Patriots can do. Oh, and it will also help if the linebackers break their old habits.

Former Bucs quarterback and current NBC/FOX football analyst Shaun King believes Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman will need some time before he becomes familiar with Mike Sullivan’s offense.

Since the day the New Schiano Order dawned on One Buc Palace, Joe has sensed Bucs fans are giddy like they haven’t been since Chucky cursed on the sidelines.

New coach Greg Schiano brought a welcome blanket of structure to the team and, with a few new toys sprinkled in via both free agency and the draft, it seems expectations are high for the Bucs.

But perhaps they shouldn’t be this year? That’s the gist of what former Bucs quarterback Shaun King is trying to say.

King, one of only three quarterbacks to lead the Bucs to an NFC Championship game, appeared with WHFS-FM 98.7 host Rich Herrera to talk Bucs football and specifically, quarterback Josh Freeman.

King believes that those expecting Freeman to duplicate his 2010 numbers of 25 touchdowns and six interceptions might just be premature.

Rich Herrera: Take us through what a young quarterback has to learn when he is going from looking for his primary target to his secondary target and the money is sometimes in that third receiver.

Shaun King: You know, that generally never comes in the first year of an offense. I wouldn’t expect Josh, especially early in the year, to really be comfortable with the majority of what they are doing in getting to his third guy. That’s one of those things that becomes really muscle memory in the game, Rich. Usually what you do during practice spills over into the game. There are drills you can work on, exercises, where you can go through X-amount of plays and say, “If this isn’t there and that isn’t there, I have got to be able to get over here to this third option and do it in a timely manner.” That’s just part of growing especially with a new system. I keep saying that because I think people really need to temper their expectations offensively. This is Mike Sullivan’s first time calling plays. In doing that there are going to be some hiccups. Then you have a lot of new guys in this new system. I just want to see growth and improvement. I don’t have high expectations of the team overall this year but I want them to get better and to have an upward arch as the season goes along.

This all makes quite a bit of sense. It takes time to learn a new offense and as much of a gym rat as Freeman is, he may not be able to take in all of Mike Sullivan’s playbook. That’s understandable.

King went on to say that he expects the Bucs to try to lighten Freeman’s load and ease him along this season with plenty of handoffs to LeGarrette Blount and Doug Martin.

WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 sportscaster Dave Wirth, the cool guy on the Bucs sidelines during preseason broadcasts, breaks down what will be important in the Bucs-Patriots game on Friday night. The Bucs have to get their house in order, and that has nothing to do with the Patriots. Wirth explains in this exclusive video preview for JoeBucsFan.com readers below. 

Remember, the blacked out Bucs game airs on WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 at 11:35 p.m. Friday night, and again at noon on Saturday.

Training camp may have ended last week but with the joint practices with the Patriots this week, it’s almost an extended training camp.

Eric Wright, the Bucs’ new high-priced cornerback, has been slowed by a variety of ailments. When he has been healthy, Wright has shined and provided ample evidence of why Team Glazer backed up the Brinks truck to acquire him.

Wright waved off his bumps and bruises, saying it is to be expected this time of the year.

“Nobody is healthy in training camp, everybody is tired,’ Wright said. “That’s part of camp. Everybody is hurting during training camp so no one is healthy 100 percent. Every time I am out there, I try to play as hard as I can and get the defense down and handle my responsibilities.”

While the Bucs are trying to prepare for Week 1 of the regular season, part of that is getting your body prepared for the rigors of the regular season, Wright said.

“Part of camp is working toward that goal of [being healthy] and being ready and prepared for the first game,” Wright said. “I’m sure we will get some time to shake back a little bit and maybe get a little rest and a little active recovery to be ready for that first game.”