There seems to be buzz beginning among Bucs fans who wonder aloud why the starters (sans, Da’Quan Bowers, if indeed he is a starter), are getting so few reps in preseason. Joe will address this in another post but there’s one Bucs Pro Bowler that is all but begging Bucs coach Greg Schiano for more reps, and it isn’t Darrelle Revis.

No, that player in question would be one Doug Martin, the Bucs’ stud running back.

Martin has logged just five plays through two preseason games. One reason is he had his bell rung — no official concussion — when he took a knee to the head early in the loss to the Patriots while blocking.

“Got a knee to the head, got a little dazed. I practiced today. I am fine. I definitely want to play (against Miami). Previous two games I only got five plays. I would like to get two or three quarters in,” Martin said today.

Joe wonders if this limited action for so many starters is smart or not. Of course, Schiano said it is all part of a precise, well-thought out plan. Everything is going as expected, Schiano said today.

Usually, the third preseason game is when the starters play most. It will be interesting to see just how many plays both the offensive and defensive first teams of the Bucs will log in Miami Saturday.

To hear more of Martin, click the arrow below. Audio courtesy of Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620.

The Bucs’ $1 million-a-game man, Darrelle Revis, explained for the 427th time that his status is day-to-day and he doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring, so Revis told media today at One Buc Palace.

Revis practiced more intensely today — he called it a huge step — and says he’s completely confident in his knee. So Bucs fans can and should remain hopeful. Revis went on to say he worked full speed against Vincent Jackson and that football is a simle game, “like an alley fight.” (Listen to the entire Revis audio below, via WDAE-AM 620)

Joe knows there is no subject Bucs fans want to pounce on more than Josh Freeman (and the secondary subject pushed by the Mike Glennon Mob, replacing Freeman with an untested rookie third-round pick).

There have been debates both pro and con about whether Freeman can finally turn the corner and be the elite quarterback Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik thought him to be when he traded up in the first round to grab the Kansas State product.

In what Joe believes is one of the most exhaustive studies of Freeman, good guy Doug Farrar of SI.com broke down film as well as consulted with noted quarterback gurus Greg Cosell of NFL Films and former NFL quarterback and film junkie Ron “Jaws” Jaworski. Farrar, like just about everyone else, has no idea if Freeman will be “Evil Josh” or “Good Josh” this season. That has been the nagging tag on Freeman his whole NFL career but one: inconsistency.

Farrar believes Freeman’s current problems lie in two areas: mechanics and Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan’s scheme.

Scheme and opportunity

Another comparison between Freeman and Flacco – former Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron preferred isolation routes for his receivers, leaving Flacco with a lower margin for error when things went wrong. When Cameron was fired on Dec. 10, Flacco had seven games in the regular season and postseason with new offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell, who brought more diverse concepts to the table. Flacco’s stat line in seven games under Caldwell: 122 completions in 210 attempts for 1,737 yards, 15 touchdowns, and one interception. That includes a postseason with 11 touchdowns and no interceptions, something that only Joe Montana (1989) has done in a single stretch.

Tampa Bay’s offense frequently uses the ISO concept as well, and though the Bucs have receivers who can execute physical wins over cornerbacks in Jackson and Williams, it still leaves Freeman with fewer escape routes than he would have in a more varied offense.

Joe strongly encourages Bucs fans to click the link above and read this article. It is both very fair and very enlightening.

To be fair about how Freeman seems to play much better when rolling out or freelancing, Joe had noticed in training camp several designed roll out plays that the Bucs were practicing, so perhaps Bucs commander Greg Schiano and Sullivan saw on tape what Farrar also noticed. Joe will state again for all the world to read: The absolute best chance the Bucs have at a playoff berth this winter is with Freeman starting. He has already proven he can win double-digit games but has also proven that he hasn’t led his teams to the playoffs.

Freeman, through and through, is a confusing lad to figure out.

Kevin Ogletree is seen regularly as the Bucs’ No. 3 receiver, so Joe’s just going to call him that from now on until somebody important tells Joe differently.

The free-agent pickup from the Cowboys dropped a third-down pass — a first-down throw — from Josh Freeman on Friday that killed one of the Bucs’ two drives with the first-team offense.

(Joe can’t believe the idiocy heard on sports radio today speculating that Josh Freeman might not have executed that play well. It hit Ogletree square in the hands!)

However, Ogletree rebounded to make great catches and look like the spark/upgrade the Bucs are seeking at the position. Today, Joe asked Ogletree to grade his game against New England.

“I think what comes up right away is the first opportunity I got on third down. And I just didn’t get my hands together and, you know, that play sticks out,” Ogletree said. “But I think for the most part, [I] was really good with assignments, you know, in the right spots, just kind of getting in that nice rhythm with Josh [Freeman] as well as Mike [Glennon]. So it was, you know, a good preseason game.”

Ogletree is an X-factor in the Bucs season. The guy clearly has legitimate playmaking ability and has gotten a load of reps through the preseason.

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Mike Glennon’s confidence is growing. Joe can hear it in his voice.

Of course, that’s all part of the plan — for the Bucs to develop Glennon into the best No. 2 quarterback in football and the best he can be.

For months, Joe has been asked frequently whether Glennon is executing the entire Bucs offense or just what he can handle.

Before the Bucs’ preseason opener, Glennon told Joe he was still in a learning curve with the offense and he expected Mike Sullivan to call a game tailoired to his comfort level. Today, Glennon was far more confident and very upbeat about his advancement.

“Are there any plays that you’re not running?” Joe asked.

“No, I think it’s pretty open. I’ve been able to pick up everything pretty well,” Glennon said. “I think that’s more a question for the offensive coordinator, though.”

Glennon’s apparent development is great news for Bucs fans, whether you’re a member of the Mike Glennon Mob or a Josh Freeman fantatic, or just a non-lunatic Bucs fan.

Here’s the need-to-know from One Buc Palace today:

* Carl Nicks has a setback. (See Joe’s full story).

* Davin Joseph participated in all but two practice periods today, a significant step up for him.

* Doug Martin, following his traumatic brain injury Friday, practiced today but was not involved in any contact.

* Danny Gorrer did not practice (groin)

* Michael Smith has a lingering toe injury out of the Pats-Bucs game.

* Tiquan Underwood was not limited in practice.

The ugly Carl Nicks toe heard ’round the Bucs locker room cost Nicks about half a season last year, sent him under the knife, and left him with a lifetime injury.

But things have gotten worse for Nicks.

Revealed today at One Buc Palace, Nicks has an infected blister that’s “not your common injury,” Greg Schiano told media.

The blister, per Schiano, is on the side of the Nicks’ foot.

“We gotta let the medicine run its course,” Schiano said of Nicks’ future.

Joe chatted with Davin Joseph today about the importance of preseason action, and Joseph gets a chuckle out of how fans put so much stock into it.

Hopefully, Nicks’ latest injury is something to laugh off. Bucs fans will find out soon.

A couple of first-team offensive and defensive series against the Patriots is too small of a sample size to get a good read on the Bucs, says former Bucs tight end and 11-year NFL veteran Anthony Becht, but Becht saw enough to give the Bucs poor grades in two areas: enthusiasm and execution.

Becht, who’s also part of the Buccaneers Radio Network, broke it down on WDAE-AM 620 this morning.

“I guess you’re a little disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm and execution coming out. I mean you’re only getting a series or two as a starter,” Becht said. “It is the second preseason game. You kinda want to put something together and show that you’re having some improvement moving forward. We don’t have all our starters in there, yet that’s not an excuse.”

Joe can’t disagree. You can’t take three sacks in two series like the Bucs did. That is an “enthusiasm” issue on somebody’s part.

Becht went on to talk about how Kevin Ogletree’s third-down, drive-killing drop was a significant downer when first-team reps were limited. Becht also expressed concern about the Bucs’ protection breakdowns, and he offered praise for the running of Mike James and Peyton Hillis. Becht also shared that he was a teammate of Brian Leonard in St. Louis and how Leonard is a true four-down player. (You can hear the full audio below.)

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“Tom, you missed the post-lunch, hand-washing inspection for all receivers. Palms up now, son.”

Bucs fans got a look at tight end Tom Crabtree lined up as a fullback at least twice with the first team against the Patriots on Saturday.

Yes, last year’s starting fullback, Erik Lorig, is battling a calf injury. Yes, versatile No. 2 RB/FB Brian Leonard sat out the game after a great preseason-opening performance against the Ravens. But Crabtree appeared to be more than just a full-in. The Operation Crabtree formation appeared to be more something the Bucs legitimately are toying with.

Of course, it could a classic preseason smokescreen, something to distract the brains of defensive coordinators on the Bucs’ schedule.

Joe will try to gather intelligence on this development at practice this morning at One Buc Palace.

Joe just knows he’s going to get flamed for this being some suck-up maneuver. Whatever. Joe just thinks the following is way cool.

Joe’s friend Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net, who runs a large and rabid Bucs fan club, hosted a kickoff party at a chicken wing joint in Tampa on Saturday. Derek, via e-mail, invited Joe. Though Joe is in the middle of moving (damn, you just never realize what a pain in the arse that is until you are in the middle of a move), Joe took a few minutes off to go have a couple of beers and BS with Derek and other Bucs faithful.

Well, Joe was shocked. Joe pulled up and the place was absolutely packed. Joe had to park in an alley a few blocks away. As Joe walked up to the place, none other than Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik is there chatting it up with busty former Bucs cheerleader Lauren. A bit later, Joe noticed Derek and lauded him for luring Dominik to his kickoff bash. “No,” Derek told Joe, Dominik was not invited (but very much welcome). Dominik showed up unannounced.

Seriously.

Derek, who expected a crowd, had hired Hillsborough County deputies for security. Derek offered Dominik police muscle in case some drunk got a little too handsy and Dominik waved off the suggestion. Meanwhile, Dominik easily mingled through the crowd, trying to say something kind to each and ever Bucs fan.

“I had to come out here,” Dominik said. “These fans are just great. I love their passion.”

Joe thinks it’s way cool for an NFL general manager to randomly show up at a fan party, and press the flesh and thank Bucs fans personally.

Go ahead and ask yourselves how many NFL general managers would do this? The answer: Not very many.

Football season is around the corner, folks.

As you prepare for another ugly Monday morning trudging to work, here’s a bit of bright news to help you forget the pet stain that was the Bucs loss to the Pats in both teams’ second preseason game.

It’s also back to work for Bucs star cornerback Darrelle Revis. Bucs commander Greg Schiano told Albert Breer of NFL.com that Revis is expected to participate in normal team drills beginning this morning at One Buc Palace.

“We’ll get him into the general practice population now, and get him doing some team stuff, just get him playing a little bit more,” Schiano said. “He did a little 7-on-7 last week in the red area, we’ll give him some more, and just take it, add a little bit, see how he is the next day and add a little bit more.”

Schiano added: “If he just keeps going, says, ‘Yeah, I wanna do this,’ then we won’t have to think about it as much. And if he doesn’t play, that doesn’t mean he isn’t feeling good. You just sit back and, like I said from the beginning, I don’t need to see him play in the preseason. I know what he’s capable of. He just needs to get to where he’s confident and feels like, ‘I can go out and play.’ “

Want more good news, Bucs fans? Schiano told Breer he has yet to rule out Revis playing against the Dolphins in WhateverTheHellNameOfThatStadiumIs in South Florida on Saturday.

So it seems the training wheels are about to come off. The bubblewrap is being removed. Joe knows Revis has been itching badly to hit someone. It appears that’s about to happen.

It’s easy to tell fans to calm down and not take preseason games so seriously. But given that the NFL charges full price for preseason games after depriving fans of football for six months, it feels almost unfair to expect the common folk and media to shrug off what they see in August.

Edgy Brandenton Herald columnist Alan Dell examined what’s real and what’s not in the Bucs’ preseason, as part of his latest effort today.

Dell has his worries.

You can scream it’s only preseason and look who didn’t play, and you’re right.

But the Bucs defense was miserable, and Brady kept his offense vanilla with these teams facing each other early in the regular season.

It’s not time to hang anyone in effigy, and roses could bloom Saturday in Miami for Tampa Bay’s third preseason game, which coaches say is the only one that matters.

But some Bucs are running out of excuses.

Linebacker Mason Foster continues to look like one of the original three blind mice on pass defense. Ahmad Black lost his composure with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty, which makes you wonder if his past marijuana issue indicates a problem. Tight end Luke Stocker looked lost and confused, and Da’Quan Bowers is proving he is just a situational player, which doesn’t help a questionable defensive line.

This was not toes-on-the-line, Schiano-discipline-ripe football. It was chaos, and the first-team offense does not escape blame because Pro Bowl guards Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph did not play. They weren’t around for most of last season.

Click through above to read the whole column.

Look, Joe gets the preseason freakout. Joe is a half a notch down on the Bucs versus where Joe’s mindset was in mid-July. However, a lot of that is based on the how the Bucs have practiced and how positional issues have materialized, not the tiny sampling seen in preseason — against two powerhouse opponents.

Breathe easy, folks.

In modern NFL history, what NFL quarterbacks have been granted a sixth season as a starter — with the same team — without making the playoffs?

“Our fans are our stockholders. They’re what we play for — the people in our stadium and the ones that watch on TV. That’s what it’s all about: winning and how they feel about the team. If they don’t feel good about the team, then there’s something wrong. . . I think you all know the sense that’s out there. It was time for a change.” — Bucs owner Bryan Glazer following the firing of Chucky in 2009.

Remember when Team Glazer fired Chucky?

After consecutive 9-7 seasons (with less talent than the 2013 Buccaneers), Jon Gruden was ousted and Team Glazer publicly stated they made the change, in large part, because they knew fans wanted a different direction.

Team Glazer said they took the pulse of the fans, heard their desires for regime change and took them to heart.

So with that knowledge, Joe will assert that Josh Freeman has no shot of scoring another long term contract with the Bucs without having a majority of fans in his corner. Why would Team Glazer make Freeman the face of the franchise for about $20 million per season (what it surely will cost) if fans don’t approve?

Of course, if the Bucs make the playoffs this season, then Freeman’s future likely is a very easy call for Team Glazer. But history tells Joe that could be Freeman’s only chance.

What quarterbacks in NFL history have gotten a sixth consecutive season as a starter from a team without making the playoffs?

It’s a question Joe’s been studying for a while. Vinny Testeverde may be the only one in the modern era. The bumbling Bucs of the Hugh Culverhouse era gave Testeverde a six-year, $8.2 million rookie contract after he was drafted in 1986. And Vinny played out the deal in Tampa.

(Joe would love to hear if any readers can identify another QB that got a sixth season as a starter with one team without making the playoffs.)

Testaverde did not play in the win-now NFL. Freeman does. In Testaverde’s era, coaches took over teams to execute four- and five-year rebuilding plans. Nowadays, coaches are on the proverbial hot seat in their second season. Quarterbacks don’t get sixth seasons without winning.

Yes, every team situation is different. But as it becomes clearer that Freeman is the most polarizing figure on the Bucs (and as the Mike Glennon Mob grows), Joe feels it’s worth noting the off-the-field factors in Freeman’s way. To ignore them in the debate would be irresponsible.

Demar Dotson is the lead dog in the right tackle competition, Greg Schiano said today. Joe’s got highlights of his other day-after postgame takes.

Greg Schiano addressed media this afternoon at One Buc Palace and offered highlights and insights following film study of the Bucs’ Friday-night loss at New England.

Here are head coach notes and quotes:

* Pass “protection errors” hurt the Bucs’ first-team offense.

* Mechanical errors were an issue on defense. Apparently, the helmet “device” used to communicate plays was malfunctioning when Tom Brady was in the game. (How the hell does the billion-dollar NFL machine continue to have these issues?)

* Regardless of Brady’s precision, defensively, “you don’t give yourself a chance when you don’t execute.”

* “Special teams was a plus.”

*  The Bucs were more physical” than in last week against the Ravens.

* Mike James and Peyton Hillis were given high marks, as was the blocking in front of them.

* “Demar Dotson’s having a very good camp. He’s our starting right tackle.” …”He’s performed very well. I think Demar’s going to be really solid.” Schiano went on to say Dotson is battling some sort of leg injury and Gabe Carimi is still learning the system.

* Kicker Derek Dimke has been impressive on various levels.

In baseball, there is a certain thing called a “pitch count.” That’s when a pitcher, no matter how well or how awful he is pitching, is pulled because a manager or management is too paranoid about overuse.

The football version of a pitch count is a snap count. Coaches will only let players play a certain number of snaps in preseason. Bucs coach Greg Schiano used this last night with several defenders, and it may have been a reason why Tom Brady and the Patriots ran through the Bucs’ defense like melted butter.

“We had snap counts on guys and we were pulling guys off the field,” Schiano said of the Patriots’ 17-play touchdown drive. “We were committed to sticking to the plan. We had a good work up here this week. We decided in the calmness of the meeting room that this is how many plays each guy is going to get. But whoever goes in the game has to make the stop and we didn’t.”

This is why Joe ties not to get worked up over preseason games. They are glorified practices. Rarely would you see so many backups in a regular season game on the first drive, and Pats quarterback Tom Brady used that to his full advantage.

Remember people, it is August. There is no need to climb the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, unless you are a member of the Mike Glennon Mob.

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Joe’s friend Tom Curran, of CSN New England, looks back in this video at the Bucs-Pats game. While the Patriots defense suffocated the Bucs’ first-team offense, Curran qualified the Pats’ defensive performance saying they took advantage because “there were some shaky moments with the Bucs’ offense.”

Michael Smith made a case for himself to lose his captaincy of the inactive list

It wasn’t all doom and gloom last night for the Bucs.

After a heinous display of special teams play last week against the Ravens — fumbled punt, blocked punt and more — the Bucs rebounded against the Patriots to actually look strong. Well done, Coach Wannstedt and friends.

Captain of the inactive list Michael Smith used his 4.3 speed and good blocking to rip off a 63-yard kick return to start the Bucs’ first possession. That was damn good, especially against the first-teamers. Will Smith win a roster spot because of it? Doubtful. But he’s surely earned more opportunities.

WR Eric Page did nothing to lose his role as top punt returner (one return for three yards.) With another solid night in Miami on Saturday, there’s no doubt Page will earn a roster spot. After all, the Bucs’ improved pass rush and secondary should generate a lot more punts, so the returner position has increased importance, right? Joe can dream.

Page also returned two kicks for 68 yards.

Derek Dimke hit a couple of field goals, and the coverage teams were sound.

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All-Pro guard Carl Nicks was supposed to play last night against the Patriots.

He didn’t.

Bucs fans were told that Nicks playing last night was all part of his step-by-step rehabilitation/readiness plan. But minds changed, so documented Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.

About 90 minutes before kickoff, the Bucs announced they decided to scratch Nicks from the lineup, saying he had put in enough good work during joint practices against the Pats to warrant sitting out.

The Bucs stressed the decision was not the result of any kind of setback for Nicks, who is still recovering from the plantar tissue tear in his left big toe that ended his 2012 season after seven games.

“It’s no big setback or anything,’’ Bucs coach Greg Schiano said. “We just feel like it’s better that we get him better for next week to play a considerable amount of time.

“He got some really good work up here during the week, so we feel like he’s gotten enough already for this time in his recovery and return. We feel good about that.’’

Joe’s not encouraged. Nicks was going to play around 10 plays or so last night. That’s peanuts, yet the Bucs held him out.

Like every other Bucs fans, Joe hopes the health fairy visits the Bucs and has Davin Joseph, Carl Nicks, Darrelle Revis and Adrian Clayborn ready to play a full game — at full strength — when the season kicks off in 22 days.