Cancel your newspaper subscriptions and start visiting CNN.com for fun. Perhaps take up knitting. Why enjoy and analyze Bucs coverage in the media? Adrian Clayborn says it’s worthless.

Clayborn lashed out via Twitter this afternoon, seemingly perturbed by how the Bucs have been treated and covered in the wake of their ugly 18-17 loss to the Jets and this week’s Josh Freeman Photogate.

@AJaClay – If I were bucs fans I wouldn’t pick up a newspaper or read the Internet because its all BS.

Joe appreciates Clayborn’s passion, but it’s misguided.

Clayborn should be directing his disgust at the Bucs’ 13 penalties, inept offense and allowing a rookie second-round-pick QB to rack up historic yardage and engineer a game-winning, Week 1 drive.

Would Clayborn like it if Bucs fans considered the Bucs’ effort “all BS” and stopped buying tickets?

Yes, the local and national media very much embraced “Overreaction Monday.” But the media hasn’t been tossing out “all BS.” The Bucs are very much in peril. Only a win will fix it.

In many ways, the Bucs, especially rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, have been waiting for Sunday’s Saints game for months.

Why? Well, the revamped Bucs secondary, one that cost Team Glazer a fortune, now gets to face one of the teams it was built to stop.

Mark Barron, in part, was brought here to cover elite tight ends like Saints stud Jimmy Graham. Dashon Goldson was brought here to bust skulls and scare receivers. And $1 million-per-game Darrelle Revis was purchased to shorten the field and give elite quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Matt Ryan something more to worry about.

It all comes together Sunday, and Mr. Brees agrees that it’s a very different Bucs secondary.

“Within a gameplan you have certain matchups that you’re trying to exploit, certain coverages or certain looks that you’re trying to get,” said Brees (via the Saints official website), who completed 26 of 35 passes for 357 yards and two touchdowns, with an interception, in the season opener.

“I would say there are times where, hey, maybe there’s a corner and you just know, he defends this certain route or this certain concept or this play very, very well. And so, all things equal, let’s go away from him. And so you definitely say there’s a Revis rule, as it pertains to some of those things – you want to avoid giving him those opportunities as much as you can.

“But then again, we’re going to execute our offense and there’s going to be times where we’re going at his side or going at him, and that is what it is. We’re not going to be careless about it.”

Joe loved hearing Brees mention that “Revis rule.” For Joe, the seconds can’t pass fast enough until Sunday’s kickoff.

Revis himself said on his radio show that the Bucs’ secondary must live up to the “No Fly Zone.” It will be embarrassing if they can’t. That “No Fly Zone” slogan is plastered on a massive billboard outside the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

Dashon Goldson won’t stop drilling opponents anytime soon. He told Joe that Wednesday, when Goldson said he was fined a “significant number” by the NFL for drilling Jets receiver Jeff Cumberland. Joe believes that should be a clean hit.

The amount of the fine got out today, and it was $30,000, so reported ProFootballTalk.com.

Joe really finds these fines laughable. That $30k is about .4 percent of Goldson’s annual salary. That’s the numerical equivalent of fining a typical Florida fifth-grade teacher $160 for a belting a kid in the head. But in reality, Goldson’s fine is meaningless cash to him, assuming he’s not in Warren Sapp debt..

If the NFL was really serious about deterring players, then it would have much bigger fines.

Joe’s glad the NFL isn’t fining guys enough to turn the league into true touch football. Hopefully, that won’t ever happen.

What streak, you ask?

Well, Adrian Clayborn is on a six-game run without a sack, dating back to his final two games of 2011, three last season before he got hurt, and last week against the Jets.

Yes, Joe’s shining a big negative spotlight because a streak like this can’t continue from a first-round pick at defensive end.

Clayborn plays hard and fast. He’s a very likeable guy, but he must produce, especially pass rushing alongside a Pro Bowl tackle. Clayborn would be the first to tell you. The rust on him should be completely shaken off after a full training camp and preseason, and opening day.

The Bucs likely need manbeast defensive performances from their key defensive players on Sunday to force turnovers and rattle and stifle Drew Brees. Clayborn is one of those guys. That’s what they’ll have to do to win.

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Publicly, Greg Schiano remains on the fence about whether manbeast All-Pro guard Carl Nicks will play Sunday.

Jimminy Christmas! Play the man!

Nicks told media he was healthy. He said he was MRSA free and that his surgically-repaired foot was as good as it will get.

Nicks said all he had to do is get into football shape.

So play the man. It’s Week 2. How else is Nicks going to get into shape? If he can’t go the whole game, then a half is better than nothing.

The season is very much on the line.

As Schiano said today, “Carl’s a dominant player and we need to get him back.”

Here’s Schiano’s full news conference today, via WDAE-AM 620.

There are fewer better wordsmiths/humorists around, inside or outside the Tampa Bay area, than Martin Fennelly of The Tampa Tribune.

Joe’s not even going to try to set up Fennelly’s latest piece because Joe will do him an injustice. Fennelly has some damning information for Josh Freeman fans, brilliantly pieced together in an entertaining read, which is Fennelly’s forte.

Six days into the 2013 season and we’ve got an Apocalypse Now bullet train flying down the tracks, already filled with The Case of the Missed Team Photo and, more ludicrous, The Case of the Missing Votes — the story roundly refuted by all in pewter: that the head coach, the grand tabulator, rigged the returns to keep No. 5 from being elected a captain by his teammates.

Freeman’s brainless act (or was it?) of oversleeping that photo shoot (that’s a leader?) as his Toes On The Line boss waited, is a window to a disconnect that won’t change, even if Freeman rallies against New Orleans.

I think the Bucs’ narrative, dictated by Schiano, is set if this season falls apart: Freeman takes the fall. And Freeman will leave, happily, I think, free of Schiano as much as Schiano is free of him.

In short, Fennelly is confident last week’s team photo won’t be the last Bucs team photo Freeman misses.

Fennelly truly sums up both the ridiculousness of Photogate and Bucs commander Greg Schiano allegedly pulling a Dick Daley, while blending the seriousness of the Bucs having essentially lost — or are in the process of losing — their franchise quarterback, all in one column.

Joe cannot recommend you clicking the above line enough.

One Buccaneer theorizes that Josh Freeman will emerge from the endless scrutiny of his play, and Photogate, as a better quarterback.

Mike Williams always has Freeman’s back, and yesterday was no exception. Williams told The Tampa Tribune that media and fan darts and spears tossed at Freeman will make No. 5 stronger.

“People don’t know what they’re talking about,’’ Williams said, referring to Freeman’s skeptics. “That’s my quarterback and he’s going to be my quarterback as long as I’m here. Sometimes, people look at things and think it’s one person’s fault, but it’s a lot of things. I’m going to let them keep on criticizing Josh. I think it’s only going to make him better.’’

So there you have it. Pile on Josh. You’ll be doing him a favor.

Joe (seriously) believes Freeman insulates himself very well from the media madness. He’s always been that way, though that doesn’t mean Freeman isn’t aware of what’s said and written about him — and the boos that rained down on him during home games last season.

Freeman largely ignoring criticism comes in large part from Raheem Morris, who was very vocal about instructing his players not to read a word of the newspapers and more. Freeman seems to have taken that message to heart.

Veteran sportscaster Dave Wirth, of WTSP-TV, Ch. 10, captures the essence of what the Bucs need to do Sunday; look a hell of a lot better. Enjoy this exclusive Saints-Bucs preview video.

The run-stuffing Bucs will meet a Saints team Sunday that’s having big trouble running the ball.

Hopefully, that doesn’t mean Drew Brees will spread out the Bucs and look for whoever Leonard Johnson is covering.

Regardless, the Bucs will at least need to stuff the run and keep the Saints one dimensional, though the Saints couldn’t run last Sunday but still beat the Falcons, so detailed the Times -Picayune.

The Saints had only 78 yards on 29 carries against the Falcons, averaging 2.7 yards per attempt. New Orleans also was stuffed on a fourth-and-inches near midfield by Atlanta. Not exactly a good argument for Payton to remain steadfast in his commitment. Evans said the results have to change for Payton to maintain confidence in the ground game going into Week 2 at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

“When your number is called, you want to step up to the plate and get it done,” Evans said. “We kind of didn’t do that. We didn’t rush for 100 (yards) like our game plan was, even though our number was called numerous times. There’s always plays you wish you had back Week 1.”

Payton split the carries evenly against Atlanta.

Pierre Thomas was by far the most successful of the three running backs with nine carries for 43 yards (4.8 yards per carry). Thomas’ longest run, however, went for only 11 yards.

Darren Sproles only picked up 22 yards on eight carries, but made up for his sluggish rushing totals with six receptions for 88 yards. Meanwhile, Mark Ingram struggled the most with only 11 yards on nine carries.

However you look at it, the Bucs will need turnovers and big plays on defense to win this game. Joe wants to see the Bucs’ true defensive superstars — Gerald McCoy, Darrelle Revis, Dashon Goldson and Lavonte David — and first-round talents Adrian Clayborn and Mark Barron step up. That’s why they’re getting paid.

In this CBS Sports video, Will Brinson is joined by prickly Pete Prisco and Pat Kirwan to break down the Saints-Bucs game. Needless to say, embattled Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman is a hot topic of discussion.

All offseason, aside from the constant chatter about embattled Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman, the main topic that made Bucs fans sweat was pass rush, or lack thereof.

The Debacle in the Meadowlands didn’t do much to soothe Bucs fans’ fears that Bucs defensive linemen can breathe on opposing quarterbacks.

Granted, it was just Week One and the next day was “Overreaction Monday,” where Bucs fans were lined up to jump off the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, or are still prone on their couches, their minds numb and ears ringing from chugging Bushmills in a desperate effort to wipe the Jets loss from their memory cards.

If one is to average how many sacks the defensive front will get this year based on the results against the Jets, it comes out to 16, which is downright sinful for a team that actually has legitimate desires to make a playoff run this fall.

Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan, though, was not on suicide watch after the Debacle in the Meadowlands. In fact, in his weekly press conference yesterday, he admitted he is fine with the production (or lack thereof) from his defensive line.

“If you look at the plays that we did get the sacks [on], I thought we were creating pressure with our down guys [defensive linemen],” Sheridan said. “They may have been chewing up the protection and allowing some of the second-level guys to come clean. Maybe our numbers didn’t show it, but I thought we had a very aggressive, up-the-field push on the pocket last week. Those guys did a good job. They can do better, but [they did a good job].”

Good job? Well, Joe won’t touch that. Maybe the defensive line did do a good job with the constant cute stunts the Bucs run.

Joe touched on this when he appeared on the air with his good friend, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, this week. Joe wishes he would have documented one second-half play. The Bucs called a stunt where tackle Gerald McCoy looped so far to his left, he completely took himself out of the play. GMC could have been sitting on the bench and been just as productive.

Joe must wonder; if a stunt completely takes your best defensive lineman out of a play, perhaps said stunt may not be so wise and the theory of using these tactics should be revisited.

The perception of the Bucs’ 18-17 choked-away loss Sunday was that the bungling Bucs lost to a horrific Jets football team, a game that should have been an easy Bucs win.

But then the Jets marched out to New England last night and completely stymied Tom Brady, who, like Josh Freeman days earlier, threw for less than a 50 percent completion rate. The Patriots won 13-10, thanks, in part, to two Aqib Talib interceptions.

So perhaps the Jets are far nastier than expected? New York had 15 first downs to New England’s nine.

Yes, the scoreboard is all that matters. But Joe can say he feels somewhat uplifted by the Patriots’ struggles and the Jets being competitive. The Bucs head to New England after Sunday’s meeting with Drew Brees.

Not so long ago, Super Bowl-winning coach Brian Billick was firmly in the corner of now embattled Bucs franchise quarterback Josh Freeman. At one Super Bowl media day, Billick raved to Joe about what a quarterback Freeman is.

Now, Billick seems to have lost faith in the Bucs’ signal-caller.

Whether it’s the recent drama that has encircled Freeman, or his 6-15 record against winning teams or his 4-12 road record in his last 16 games or his 5-12 record in the month of December, Billick, writing for NFL.com, believes Freeman is one of a small group of quarterbacks that could very likely have new a residential addresses next summer.

In Tampa, it’s an even tougher case. Josh Freeman is the centerpiece of the franchise, though he came on board before coach Greg Schiano arrived. The fifth-year quarterback was voted a team captain in each of the past three seasons, but his teammates did not give him that designation this time around. And last Sunday, Freeman looked underwhelming in Tampa Bay’s crushing loss to the Jets.

There’s growing concern over Freeman’s long-term viability in Tampa Bay; with a few more games like Sunday’s clunker, some will start calling for rookie Mike Glennon. Schiano held Freeman accountable in his Monday press conference, saying that “we missed open guys” and “you’re going to have to be able to throw the football effectively, consistently, accurately.” Now, Schiano called out other elements of the team’s play, too, including in pass protection, but in sum, he did not sound like a coach who was full of confidence in his quarterback.

Freeman is different than Gabbert in that he has shown, in previous seasons, both the leadership skills and physical ability to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. Freeman bears a lot of similarities to Buffalo Bills rookie EJ Manuel — both have all the tools (size, arm, intelligence) to be successful in the league. Freeman set the bar high in 2010 — throwing 25 touchdown passes to just six interceptions — but he has not been able to maintain that, tossing 44 touchdown passes to 40 interceptions since then. There’s more pressure this season, because the team isn’t just determining if Freeman is right for this year — the Bucs must decide if he’s right for the next four or five years. Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands was a bumpy start to that process.

The following crossed Joe’s mind when he heard Schiano admit that Freeman has missed team functions other than the recent team photo (as have other players; Davin Joseph admitted to tardiness at other events), but wasn’t specific: If players do silly things, Schiano is not going to lie to cover up someone’s misdeeds. Now Schiano isn’t going to issue a press release every time a player messes up or begin a press conference announcing a player’s misstep.

But if Schiano is asked about a player, how he behaved, Schiano isn’t going to cover for him, either.

How refreshing that a coach actually treats adults like adults. Don’t goof up, and you won’t be talked about publicly in a negative light.

Yes, it was a busy day over at One Buc Palace and Joe was there along with his good friends at WDAE-AM 620, grabbing audio of players for your dining and dancing pleasure.

Among the players interviewed were kick returner Jeff Demps, linebacker Lavonte David, guard Davin Joseph, offensive lineman Gabe Carimi, offensive tackle Demar Dotson. cornerback Darrelle Revis, defensive end Da’Quan Bowers, long snapper and organizer of players-only meetings, Andrew Economos.

Also, defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan has his weekly press conference and Greg Schiano was grilled.

As always, audio courtesy of WDAE-AM 620.

The $1 million-a-game man, Darrelle Revis, is still getting himself into shape.

Revis played well Sunday against the Jets, but he’s not all the way back from his surgically repaired knee.

The Darrelle Revis Show hit the airwaves tonight on WDAE-AM 620, and Revis was asked by a fan caller whether he was back to 100 percent. Revis didn’t pretend he was the old Revis.

“In due time, I’ll get stronger with my wind and my legs,” Revis said.

Revis played a large percentage of plays in New Jersey but he’s not yet himself, citing a light summer load. “I didn’t go through training camp,” Revis said.

None of this surprises Joe. Revis is, in fact, human. But what’s troubling is the Bucs’ depth at cornerback.

They don’t have any.

Leonard Johnson and Johnthan Banks are the only other healthy cornerbacks — literally. Rashaan Melvin missed opening day with a bum hamstring, and Michael Adams had knee surgery this week.

Without a roster move, Joe suspects safeties Ahmad Black and Keith Tandy will get some work at cornerback against the Saints, a troubling thought against Drew Brees.

Start the celebration, couch potato Bucs fans. Sunday’s Bucs-Saints game will be on local TV.

It’s the first home-opener to be televised since 2009, back when Team Glazer was still gobbling up unsold tickets.

Joe’s happy for all the kids and other fans who don’t get to choose whether or not they go to a game.

Of course, Joe knows Bucs players are not about to spill the minutes of their recent players-only meeting that either happened before or after the Jets season opener.

Joe was in the locker room today discussing various subjects with a number of Bucs players and, as expected, the players were coached-up on how to respond to the expected questions about said meeting.

Gabe Carimi, for example, couldn’t remember the subject(s) bantered about in said meeting.

“I don’t know anything about that. I didn’t hear anything about that,” offensive lineman Gabe Carimi said of the players-only meeting on a discussion of Freeman not elected captain.

When asked if there was discussion of Freeman’s commitment to the team, Carimi said, “I haven’t heard anything.”

Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune took this subject a step further. He knows the player who called the players-only meeting and had this reaction on Twitter.

@RCummingsTBO: The Bucs players only meeting was called by LS Andrew Economos who said it was more of a pep rally than a gripe session. … The player who called the Bucs player only meeting last week says no concerns over captains vote was raised during the conclave … For those who may wonder why the LS [long-snapper] would call a players only meeting, he is the longest tenured Buccaneer

Freeman himself in his press conference stated he was in attendance at the meeting. Donald Penn had noted that as many as four players-only meetings are called a year and wondered aloud why people would think this was news in any way.

Among other topics addressed at the Josh Freeman media grilling this afternoon at One Buc Palace was a question to Freeman about whether he likes playing for Greg Schiano and whether he feels he can thrive under the New Schiano Order.

Freeman gave a heartfelt endorsement of Schiano, saying “it’s awesome” and “fun” playing for the head coach, and Freeman went on to say he likes how Schiano relates personally to him.

Freeman also reiterated that he spent a lot of 1-on-1 time with Schiano personally this season and offseason, something Freeman told media months ago.

Also, Freeman said he likes the “family” atmosphere Schiano fosters, as well as the little “sayings” and other rah-rah kind of stuff.

“It’s about camaraderie, brotherhood,” Freeman said.

(Here’s the complete Freeman audio below, courtesy of WDAE-AM 620.)

Joe saw this Q & A with Greg Schiano yesterday that the head coach did with the New Orleans media. Joe found it curious that Schiano didn’t answer directly about Freeman.

How has Josh Freeman performed in your eyes?

“I don’t think it is just Josh, I think it’s our whole offense.  We need to just need to be more consistent, get in a rhythm and perform up to our capabilities.  We have a lot of loose edges, frayed edges.  We have to get everything cleaned up.  And for whatever reason, it shouldn’t be, but it is and that’s life and we have to get it cleaned up and shine it up a little bit because we are not far off, but the part that we are off is critical.”

Click above for the entire Q & A.

Donald Penn strikes back

Donald Penn seems to want to pancake anyone who thinks a Bucs player-only meeting is, was, or will ever be a big deal.

This afternoon at One Buc Palace, Penn noted that the Bucs “have at least four players meetings a season.” It was a comment to add perspective to national and local media reports that it was a big deal that the Bucs had a players meeting before opening day last week. However, Bucs icon Derrick Brooks noted to Steve Duemig on WDAE-AM 620 this week yesterday that Week 1 seemed to be an odd time for a players meeting.

Tampa Tribune beat writer eye-RAH! Kaufman said on SiriusXM Radio today that a subject of the recent players meeting was the commitment of Josh Freeman.

“Josh, we had to re-heat your oatmeal to 97 degrees.”

Greg Schiano confirmed moments ago at One Buc Palace that Josh Freeman “overslept” for the team photo last week and has been tarday for other team activities.

Schiano was adamant the team dealt with Freeman internally and has completely moved on — old news.

Schiano also gave a Freeman a vote of “trust.”