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.

The sizzling Rays are back home next weekend, which means it’s time to have more fun going to Rays games and save money.

Get your butt on the No Excuses Tour chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field, courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation and Lee Roy Selmon’s.

You get to ride in style — with beer and food in hand — and get dropped off right at the gate!!

Click on through to grab a seat, and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com.

Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More than 750 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board!

Another great video churned out today on Buccaneers.com that doesn’t say much but offers a glimpse inside Greg Schiano’s world. Click the link to take a look.

Joe knows many fans will enjoy seeing Schiano give Quincy Black a tackling lesson. “Wrap and roll. Sweep the ankle.”

Also, the video offers a look into what appears to be Schiano’s office. For those Bucs-obsessed like Joe, it’s interesting to note Schiano doesn’t seem to have any photos around, there’s a big Rutgers logo on a notebook in the bookcase, and the coach — surprisingly — seems to have a messy desk. C’mon, Coach. “Details. Details.”

Some local slime stole thousands of dollars in football gear from a couple of Tampa youth football programs, and today the Bucs will cough up cash to help the many kids that would have been out of luck this summer without helmets and more.

The money will be presented by various Buccaneers this afternoon, per TBO.com.

Bucs players and cheerleaders will present checks for $7,500 to the Carrollwood Cardinals and $3,500 to the Highland Pines Cougars. …At 3 p.m. today, Bucs players Connor Barth and Adam Heyward will join cheerleaders at the Jackson Heights Youth Education Town Center in Tampa to present the donation to the Highland Pines Cougars. At 4 p.m., Dallas Clark, Gerald McCoy, Dekoda Watson and cheerleaders will present a check to the Carrollwood Cardinals.

Here’s the sad story of the theft in this Ch. 8 video below.

The Bucs have Brian Price, Gerald McCoy, Amobi Okoye, Gary Gibson, Frank Okam and Roy Miller on the roster.

More than likely the Bucs only will keep four of the defensive tackles. Five is a possibility given the fragility of Brian Price and Gerald McCoy.

So who goes?

Well, Pat Kirwan of NFL Radio, the former NFL scout, assistant coach and personnel executive, has many times said on the air recently that Miller is high on his list of players that will be targeted by other teams as September approaches.

In Kirwan’s mind, Miller has little chance now of landing a roster spot with the Bucs, barring an injury to someone else, and he’s got tremendous upside that could see the Bucs deal him for a late-round pick or have other teams pounce on Miller when he’s cut.

Of course, Bucs fans know Miller hasn’t done much, or been the player the team hoped it got in the third round of the 2009 draft. However, Miller was asked to fatten up in Jim Bates’ scheme, which didn’t work for him and other D-linemen. Then he did have an MCL tear last preseason that likely lingered for much of 2011. Also, former Bucs DE Steve White has shown Miller a little love in his regular breakdowns of Bucs defensive line play. So maybe Miller is primed to improve this season.

It’ll be interesting to see how Miller performs in his new longshot role, seemingly behind the more accomplished Okoye, and Gibson, Schiano’s old pal from Rutgers.

Joe would be very pleased to see rockstar general manager Mark Dominik score a sixth-round pick for Miller as final cuts loom in September.

For Joe, there are certain mysteries in the world that will forever go unanswered. One is why did Adolph Hitler declare war on the United States? Talking about biting off more than you can chew.

The other is why former Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson was so allergic to the run, even when you have a proven running back in the backfield and your young quarterback is struggling.

Well, those days are gone and Joe won’t have to wring his hands weekly over the Bucs not running the ball. Not with a run-first mentality from the New Schiano Order. Not with Doug Martin as a first round pick and not with studly offensive guard Carl Nicks now on the Bucs roster.

Nicks recently spoke about how good the Bucs running attack can be this season as he told Dave Schreiber of FoxSportFlorida.com.

“We have the personnel, we’ve got the beef and we’ve got the running backs for sure.”

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.”

Damn, this gets Joe’s mouth watering for September. Joe can tell you one thing he saw in the Bucs OTAs and it was like a blast from the past.

In one play, the Bucs ran what surely appeared like the old Packers sweep made famous by Vince Lombardi. LeGarrette Blount took a handoff, ran left, and following the leading charge of pulling guard Davin Joseph, Jeremy Zuttah, Carl Nicks and Donald Penn, galloped down the left sideline.

Even though the Bucs were in underwear and there was no hitting on defense it was a beautiful sight and Joe got excited in a sensual sort of way at what might be this fall.

Bucs fans seem split as to who the Bucs should count as their No. 1 running back, LeGarrette Blount, who was slandered and thrown under the bus by the previous Bucs offensive coaching staff, or 2012 first round pick Doug Martin. “The Professor,” John Clayton, hopes to solve this riddle in this BSPN video.

The leader of the New Schiano Order carved out time from his daily 1440 recently to hang out with Tampa Tribune sports columnist/humorist Martin Fennelly. The result was Fennelly penning a very long column today with his various observations.

Below Joe has excerpted part of the segment on trust, one of Schiano’s core beliefs.

Trust – it’s the biggest thing.

“That to me is the hardest thing as a head coach and a staff to try to build with our players,” he said. “You may not like what we say but you’re going to get the truth. No shenanigans. We’re not going to say something, then do something else.

“Do they trust me yet? Not yet, not completely. I think, step by step, it’s like putting money in a bank account, it grows. The balance grows.”

The Bucs head coach says he gets it, the whole publicity thing, the media thing, the ticket-selling thing. We might get to know him, or might not, but if we do it will take a long time – and it will take trust. Translation: You might never see a Greg Schiano Bucs team on HBO’s “Hard Knocks.”

“As far as the private part, I think the relationship between player and coach, it either grows or it gets ripped apart,” Schiano said. “If you have a relationship and all of a sudden the most intimate parts of that relationship become public, that makes it very hard for that relationship to grow. That’s why I’m very protective of relationships within the building.

“I understand, more than probably most coaches, that we’re entertainment. That’s what we are. I get that. Yet, as coach, that’s not where my focus is. My focus is to provide a vision, teach them the fundamentals and make sure we play with great effort. But at the end of the day, that’s not what the fans see, they see the entertainment part. That’s why I think if a player wants to be open about human interest stories, I think they’re great. That is what fans hook onto.”

Joe found the last sentence above very interesting, and Joe has to disagree with the coach. Joe’s of the mind that fans in 2012 are not craving human interest stories that don’t involve cheerleaders; they’re yearning to soak up as much real football as possible — from changes in drills to nuances of schemes to what a player’s read was on a particular play. Especially with the millions of fans trying to gain an edge in fantasy football.

There’s a reason BSPN and NFL Network are offering more and more film breakdown looks every season. And Joe knows how popular former Bucs defensive end Steve White’s Xs and Os analysis has been over the years.

Regardless, Joe hopes Schaino makes great strides in all phases, from trust to all the other stuff referenced in Fennelly’s column, during this week’s mandatory minicamp. After Thursday’s practice, his team will disappear until training camp opens in late July.

You remember Mossis Madu. He’s the speedy guy many Bucs fans yearned for last season after enduring far too much of Kregg Lumpkin.

Madu is a bit of a forgotten man since the Bucs drafted Doug Martin in the first-round and Utah State speedster Michael Smith in the seventh round during April’s NFL Draft. But Josh Freeman hasn’t counted out Madu. In fact, Freeman said Madu has been a standout during OTA practices, so he told Tampa Bay Times beat writer Stephen Holder yesterday.

“And one guy, Mossis Madu, that guy is shredding it right now. He is doing an awesome job. Our backfield is going to be great. I’m excited,” Freeman said.

It should be an interesting battle between Madu and Smith. Madu had eight carries for 25 yards last season against Carolina in December and drew hefty praise for that performance from former Buccaneer and current radio analyst Dave Moore. He also quietly caught 10 balls on the season.

Joe’s unsure of Madu’s abilities on special teams, which likely would be key to him beating out Smith for a roster spot.

Beer-guzzling, Jim-Bates-stalking, multimedia good guy Rock Riley takes command of the WDAE-AM 620 air chair this morning from 9 a.m. to noon. What a way to start your Sunday!

Rock will serve up all kinds of Bucs chatter — Joe will join him about 10 a.m. — and plenty of talk about the red hot Rays and more. So don’t forget to tune in as you stumble around this morning dreaming of the Bucs being a contender under the New Schiano Order.

Those chained to a computer can listen live at 620wdae.com.

In case you’ve been wondering how Raheem Morris is faring in Washington, three-time Pro Bowl cornerback D’Angelo Hall has weighed in on his new position coach.

Hall likes the vibe, so he told John Keim, of CBSSports.com.

New secondary coach Raheem Morris already has impacted his players in their short time together. Morris, Tampa Bay’s former coach, replaced Bob Slowik, who was moved to linebackers coach. CB DeAngelo Hall said Morris’ techniques and suggestions have helped the corners as well as the nickel corners.”I love coach Slow,” Hall said, “but Slow say it as a football coach. Raheem sees it as a player.”

It’s interesting that Raheem’s one-of-the-guys routine is inspiring a veteran entering his 10th season. Perhaps Raheem is a better fit for a team that isn’t so yungry. He is, after all, one of the shiny apples on the Jon Gruden coaching tree.

Joe has no doubt Raheem will make a positive impact on the Redskins’ secondary. Does that mean he’s a good head coach? No. Though he’s sure to get another shot in the coming years.

It didn’t shock Joe at all that the Bucs let go of center Jeff Faine this offseason. Though he was able to show up for games in 2011, the two previous seasons he struggled to stay in the lineup due to injuries.

Faine, who pulled a pretty hefty salary, wasn’t getting any younger (who the hell is?). Add up his age and his contract and his health, it was a logical move and even former Bucs defensive end Steve White smelled the transaction coming a year ago.

Despite the moves to wave goodbye to Faine and to sign bruising guard Carl Nicks, there are some doubters as to how Jeremy Zuttah, who was moved from left guard to center, can play the position.

New Bucs coach Greg Schiano, who Zuttah played for at Rutgers, has offered nothing but accolades about Zuttah, yet the Zuttah doubters still creep up from time to time, like in a recent ESPN NFC South chat.

Maen (Orlando): Hey Pat, two questions: I am hearing a lot of talk about how Jeremy Zutah may be a flexible OL but not a even a decent Center. Any truth to that?Are the Bucs looking to make any free agency pick ups, especially at DE?

Pat Yasinskas: I’ve seen some websites (including ours) where the scout types are skeptical of Zuttah. I don’t claim to be a scout. But Bucs obviously are high on him and think he can be starting center. They paid him like one and cleared the opening for him. Schiano had him in college and knows him pretty well.

Well, Joe’s not a scout either and Joe’s comfortable with Zuttah at center.

Bucs fans all like to remember the near-playoff 2010 season. One reason why is that last season was akin to (Joe imagines) watching a Rosie O’Donnell sex tape it was so revolting.

People may forget that Faine went down with a season-ending injury and Zuttah took over at center, and the Bucs’ offensive line significantly improved in the latter half of the season, partially because Zuttah was snapping the ball.

Until proven otherwise, Joe is not losing any sleep with Zuttah as the starting center.

Mike Williams caught 65 balls in 2010 and another 65 balls in 2011, and he played in every game during both seasons. This is inconsistent?

ESPN NFC South blogger/beat writer Pat Yasinskas thinks so, so he advised during a live chat yesterday.

Alex (IA) [via mobile] : What can Bucs fans expect from the wide receivers besides Vincent Jackson? He’s a solid number 1, but do we really think that Mike Williams can get back on track after last year?

Pat Yasinskas: I really don’t know what to expect after Jackson. But I think there’s a bunch of young guys there and all of them have some talent, but haven’t been real consistent. I think whoever steps up and is consistent in training camp and preseason will earn playing time.

Joe’s written how about the perception by many in the media, and subsequently the belief of many Bucs fans, is that Mike Williams isn’t a top quality NFL receiver. This routinely flabbergasts Joe. Go back and look in NFL history, and it’s not so easy to find guys that have caught 130 balls over their first two seasons like Williams has.

Vincent Jackson caught 30 balls over his first two years. Steve Smith snared 64. Roddy White pucked 59 during his first two campaigns. Keyshawn Johnson had 134. The big name receiver in Williams’ draft class, Dez Bryant, has 108.

Receivers usually need a little time to mature, especially if they’re not in a pass-happy offense and they’re playing with a young quarterback, and have to contend with Greg Olson as their offensive coordinator. 

Yasinskas went on in the chat to say he believes the No. 2 receiver gig on the Bucs is wide open.

It might very well be. But Joe knows Greg Schiano has said many times that he wants the best football players on the field. So Joe would be quite surprised if Mike Williams isn’t starting and playing nearly every snap. He is that good, even if his play dropped a notch last year along with the rest of the team.

Ronde Barber called the leader of the New Schiano Order “very demanding” on the Man Channel today and said many of his young teammates “became discouraged” last season and “it got a good friend of mine fired.”

The Bucs icon was candid and upbeat during the interview with Andrew Siciliano. You can watch and listen here.

Barber also brought to light a Greg Schiano refrain that his pounding the eardrums of Buccaneers.

“He has a saying, ‘the quicker we buy in, the quicker we win,’ and it feels like we’re doing that right now,” Barber said.

As Joe’s written before, it’s critical for the veteran Bucs like Barber to be completely sold on the New Schiano Order. There are two many “discouraged” young Bucs still around that need strong, positive role models. Joe suspects Schiano & company will only be dialing up the pressure from now through training came, so they can identify the true “Buccaneer Men.”

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.

The sizzling Rays are back home next weekend, which means it’s time to have more fun going to Rays games and save money.

Get your butt on the No Excuses Tour chauffeured luxury bus to Tropicana Field, courtesy of Paradise Worldwide Transportation and Lee Roy Selmon’s.

You get to ride in style — with beer and food in hand — and get dropped off right at the gate!!

Click on through to grab a seat, and get all the details at NoExcusesTour.com.

Don’t flush your gas and parking money down the toilet. More than 750 fans have enjoyed the Tour. Get on board!

Yeah, Joe’s a little excited about rookie cornerback Leonard Johnson’s chances with the Bucs. He’s widely regarded as the best cornerback who fell through the cracks of the 2012 draft.

Now many point to Johnson’s high-water mark in college of holding eventual No. 5 overall pick Justin Blackmon to under 100 yards receiving in Iowa State’s upset over then-undefeated Oklahoma State last year as a reason why Johnson is a good cornerback.

But Andy Benoit of the gridiron thinktank FootballOutsiders.com believes the Bucs selected Johnson for his run-stopping ability, not so much his pass defensive skills.

Cornerback Leonard Johnson of Iowa State was one of the best players in the draft pool to make it to free agency. Johnson is short, a half-step slow, and does not have top ball skills, but he loves contact and finds a way to cover bigger receivers. He could have a long career as a slot corner who excels in run support and when buzzing around in underneath zones.

This makes all the sense in the world to Joe, and frankly, Joe didn’t think of this angle.

Look, the Bucs last year stopped opposing rushing attacks about as well as one could stop the Hoover Dam with a shovel. Running backs ran through the Bucs defense like wild boars. It was nauseating to watch.

New Bucs coach Greg Schiano said his No. 1 priority was to improve the rush defense. So signing a free agent cornerback who loves contact and can stop the run adds up.

Warren Sapp explains his issues with Monte Kiffin and breaks down Trent Dilfer's Bucs days

Always a great interview, outspoken Bucs icon Warren Sapp checked for an in-depth interview on WDAE-AM 620 this morning and didn’t disappoint.

Check out the must-listen audio below. Among other topics, Sapp talked about his recent chat with Gerald McCoy and “guaranteed” a much improved McCoy in 2012. Sapp said McCoy will be “hitting with his horns” and not reaching, referring to McCoy’s technique. The Bucs icon added that he’ll be working hands-on with McCoy this offseasn and that it took him until his third season to feel he had a strong grasp his his position.

Sapp told a great story about his first interaction with Paul Gruber as a rookie. Also Sapp interestingly explained, in Xs and Os, why he has a problem with Monte Kiffin, and clarified his blast at Trent Dilfer that will be in his new book.

“Trent Dilfer’s name don’t come up when we talk about great quarterbacks. Trent Dilfer’s name don’t come up when we talk about good quarterbacks,” Sapp said.

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.