Greg Schiano says there’s no news on filling the Bucs’ returner positions

Those seeking an update on the wide open Bucs kick returner/punt returner positions will have to wait for another day.

Joe asked Greg Schiano about that this afternoon and Schiano said there is no update.

“I don’t know yet. I wish I could give you insight on it,” Schiano said. ” I mean I know who the guys are, but we need, we need to keep working at it and see.”

All Joe can say at this point is that fans can bank on Jordan Shipley, LeQuan Lewis, Roscoe Parrish, Arrellious Benn, Preston Parker not coming back to work in Tampa this season. As for inactive list captain Michael Smith, he’s a hearty longshot to win the kick-returner gig.

And yes, Mike Williams is working on returning punts. Joe talked to Williams about that today and will share Williams’ thoughts tomorrow morning.

There was much angst last week when the Bucs reported for training camp and hulking left guard Carl Nicks was spotted with his injured toe “heavily bandaged.”

Bucs fans nearly freaked. Nicks barely made it to midseason last year as he played most of the time with an uglier than ugly turf toe until the pain was simply too much for him to bear.

Nicks has been limited in training camp thus far, largely on the orders of Bucs coach Greg Schiano, largely as a precautionary measure. Nicks is a veteran and an All-Pro, so Schiano and the coaching staff trust that Nicks knows how to get himself ready as he is eased back into workouts.

Last night after the Bucs’ night practice at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, Nicks said he will be in the starting lineup when the Bucs travel to the New Jersey Swamplands to face the Jets.

“Guaranteed,” Nicks said.

So there you have it: No need to fret about Nicks or his toe. Nicks will be ready to rock and roll come September.

The daily Buccaneers video blog from WDAE-AM 620 has been cranked up a big notch with the addition of TV veteran J.P. Peterson.

Peterson captured plenty of highlights from last night’s action, as well as an interview with Akeem Spence and more. Enjoy.

This week, former Bucs great Warren Sapp becomes a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He doesn’t live in the Tampa Bay area any longer but his heart is still with the Bucs.

He has a strong bond with current defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who often praises Sapp for being his personal tutor. It appears that Sapp has also developed a relationship with defensive end Da’Quan Bowers.

The Clemson product slipped deep into the second round falling from what may have been a top-five pick over fears of a severely injured knee. Injuries unrelated to this knee have kept Bowers off the field quite a bit for the Bucs.

Healthy this year, Bowers is starting the season anew, with Sapp’s help and a direct challenge from Sapp to start producing. Bowers, speaking after the Bucs’ practice last night, accepted Sapp’s words.

“I call him ‘Big Unc,’” Bowers said. “He’s a great mentor. You have to respect the guy. When he played so long and did the things he did. His view, it is fire. Getting me going and competition. Hey, I have to live up to it. That’s all. If he didn’t believe in me, he wouldn’t have said it at all.

“I never doubt myself. That’s one thing I will never do. I know what I am capable of. I know what I need to do to get where I need to be. It’s all about doing it. One thing I can say, I never planned on getting injured. You cannot control it. All you can do is bounce back and be stronger.”

Joe noticed when Sapp was at practice Thursday, there was a moment after practice where Sapp put his arm around Bowers and the two had a long chat. Joe can only assume the conversation centered around putting heat on the quarterback.

For the Bucs to improve defensively, the team simply must get to the quarterback more. It’s not even up for debate. Bowers is a critical cog in that goal. If Bowers can finally live up to his ability, he single-handedly could turn the Bucs pass rush from feeble to frightening.

Demar Dotson, one of the true Buccaneer nice guys, has one hell of a good attitude. Locked in a major position battle for right tackle with Gabe Carimi, a guy who has Donald Penn raving about his technique, Dotson remains dialed into the Raheem Morris mantra, “Be your best self.”

Asked by WDAE-AM 620/95.3 FM Bucs beat man Tom Krasniqi about the competition with Carimi, Dotson says he only feels like he’s competing with one man — himself.

“I don’t look at it as a competition with Gabe; I look at it is a competition within myself,” Dotson said. ” Because if I’m not on my game, anybody can take my job. Gabe can take it. A third-string guy can take it. So it’s nothing against Gabe. I don’t come out here and say, ‘I gotta work harder than Gabe today.  You know, It’s me saying, ‘I gotta work hard within myself. I gotta be my best.’ And if Gabe’s the better guy, then he’s the better guy. But I’m going to work as good as I can work within me and keep grinding every day.”

Right now, Dotson has been working with the first team, which can only help him get an edge, but keep an eye on whether he and Carimi’s reps going forward change going forward. (You can catch the entire Dotson interview below from Joe’s partners at WDAE.)

Joe knows many Bucs fans are fed up with Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman. Yes, Freeman puts up fantasy football numbers with 4,000 yards passing last year (just like immortals such as Marc Bulger, Scott Mitchell, Jay Schroeder, Steve Beuerlein, Elvis Grbac, Jon Kitna and Bill Kenney). It’s his 6-15 record against teams with winning marks and his roller coaster ways that have driven many Bucs fans to flail their arms in exasperation.

To these fans, Freeman is akin to dating a beautiful girl who suffers from manic depression and is off the Zoloft. You just can’t guess what the next hour will bring.

But Freeman shows enough top-shelf ability, along with it being his second season in a complex offense, where it would be moronic to bench him. Especially for a rookie quarterback who (once again) confesses he is not ready, as documented by eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune.

Rookie QB Mike Glennon says he’s still a long way away from learning the offense. You wouldn’t have known it from watching him run the 2-minute drill during Saturday’s night practice.

Against a unit of mostly second-team defenders, Glennon drove the Bucs into position for a game-tying field goal during a mock 2-minute drill, only to see K Lawrence Tynes miss a 42-yard attempt.

“I wouldn’t say I have much of it down,” Glennon said of the offense. “I’m understanding more and more of it every day. It’s still going to be awhile, so the preseason games will be a huge help.”

Look, if Freeman doesn’t prove himself this year and the Bucs ownership, front office and coaching staff all concur it’s time to turn the page, then it will be turned. Joe’s going to guess Freeman would have to go all JaMarcus Russell for the Bucs to wave goodbye.

This fallacy that Glennon is going to beat out Freeman for the starting job this season is lunacy at its finest. It’s akin to believing curvy Rachel Watson has lured Joe into her lair for some heavy-panting wrestling between the sheets.

Here are observations by Joe from the Bucs night practice at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

* People who think Mike Glennon will beat out Josh Freeman need to put the bong down.

* MYRON! Tiquan Underwood roasts Nine Lives Myron Lewis for 70-yard touchdown to the right.

* Brian Leonard with a 35-yard touchdown run to the left.

* Michael Smith weaves and dodges his way to the left for a nice gain.

* Freeman with all sorts of time throws deep to the right for Vincent Jackson but broken up by a skying Leonard Johnson

* About a seven-yard gain to the left for Brian Leonard

* Freeman threads needle to the right to Williams, Leonard Johnson on coverage. First down.

* Mike Williams goes up for a ball in the crowd but cannot hang on.

* Freeman deep to Vincent Jackson who was open but way underthrown and Johnthan Banks nearly got the pick.

* Benn’d-Around to Mike Williams who wanted to throw but was run out of bounds.

* Captain of the Inactive List Michael Smith with a nice catch down the right sideline.

* Gotta hunch your Bucs starting tight end is Tom Crabtree.

* Donald Penn blasted Adrian Clayborn so physically Clayborn’s helmet was knocked off.

* Derek Hagan gets past Mike Adams for a catch.

* Danny Noble catches a pass over Leonard Johnson.

* Johnthan Banks has been guarding Vincent Jackson and the rookie from Mississippi State has not been embarrassed.

* Danny Noble just worked over Cody Grimm for a catch.

* Noble tried a down-an-out on Mark Barron, getting a few steps on him but Barron quickly closed the gap and breaks up pass.

* First Gerald McCoy and now Lavonte David getting massive penetration on run drills.

* During a quarterback skills drill, the Bucs had a golf cart crossing the field with a big red target in the bed of the cart. Once, Freeman missed the target but drilled the driver of the cart. A short time later, Freeman one-hopped the ball to the golf cart which elicited audible boos from the estimated crowd of 33,000 fans.

* (Non-Bucs thought: Would the internet lock up if Johnny Football was caught doing quarters with Amanda Bynes?)

* Gene Deckerhoff just uttered the phrase “wide right.” Thought that phrase was an obscenity for him?

* Cool. Bucs have random fans running agility drills through cones and tackling dummies.

Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net offers his thoughts on the Bucs’ night practice at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

The leader of the New Schiano Order picked a personal highlight for tonight’s practice when pressed by media at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

“Our quarterbacks, the balls were popping off their arm, popping off their hand,” Schiano said. “There were some good seam routes where the ball got there in a hurry, and there’s no substitute for that.”

Schiano also praised his QBs for their work in the two-minute offense.

Joe will have more from tonight’s practice. Stay tuned.

It was Johnthan Banks’ first time with pads on this season, the first time taking the field on the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway. First time before thousands of Bucs fans on a steamy day turned comfortable evening.

That wasn’t all. Bucs coach Greg Schiano decided to throw Banks, a second-round draft pick rookie, to the wolves right away. With cornerback Darrelle Revis still on the sidelines, Schiano put Banks up against mostly Vincent Jackson and periodically Mike Williams.

The Mississippi State product didn’t embarrass himself. More often than not he made a play and more importantly, kept Jackson from making one.

In a sense, it may have been a morsel of what Bucs fans can expect from Banks, who discussed the evening with Joe while stadium fireworks were poppping in the background.

“It was a good learning experience to get out here in front of the fans and play in a big stadium and scrimmage against those guys. I was going up against VJax and Mike [Williams], some of the best receivers in the league. I was just out there challenging myself to see where I am at,” Banks said. “I think I did well but I still have a lot to learn and to get better. I just need to keep playing my role on this team and hopefully get us a championship.”

“It felt good to get out there and get physical for the first time. Now I feel like a pro football player.

“The [atmosphere] was great, Buc Nation. The stadium wasn’t even filled but it was loud. It was great. I love it here, I love these fans and I think they love me. It’s great. Just need to start playing some football.”

Banks looked smooth before an estimated crowd of 33,000 Bucs fans. Again, he never got lit up. For a rookie going against a Pro Bowler and a guy on the cusp of the Pro Bowl his first time on the turf of the Stadium on Dale Maybe Highway, that’s damned good in Joe’s eyes.

Hopefully when/if he starts Week One against the Jets, Banks can continue to hold his own against the likes of Braylon Edwards.

Great news for couch-potato Bucs fans.

Tonight Bucs owner Bryan Glazer talked about ticket sales and potential TV blackouts and said there will be “a lot more games on TV than there were last year.”

Glazer said ticket sales, enthusiasm for the 2013 Buccaneers, and an improving local economy, are playing a role. He also said the NFL’s 85 percent rule — teams must sell 85 percent of non-premium seats to avoid a local TV blackout — will help the Bucs more this season.

Not only did Bryan Glazer praise Mark Dominik, he said he expects Greg Schiano to deliver “improvement across the board.”

Asked to characterize the job rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has done since taking over the Bucs in 2009, Bryan Glazer said tonight that Dominik is worthy of praise.

“It’s never easy to make the transition from one team to the next and Mark has done a very good job,” Glazer said this evening at the Bucs’ night practice.

Glazer went on to laud what he said is one of Dominik’s “greatest strengths,” close work with Greg Schiano, including “moving on” from players that weren’t “Buccaneer Men.”

He also said he expects Schiano’s second season to produce “improvement across the board.”

“Improvement from players, growth from players and improvement across the board from the whole football team,” Glazer explained.

Yes, Schiano has been delivered the groceries — and the pressure to win now.

No positions on the Bucs are more up in the air than those of punt returner and kick returner. They’re a true unknown.

Joe even had a chat with special teams coach Dave Wannstedt about this week, and Joe can assure readers there is no horse leading those races.

Because of that situation, the normally meaningless bottom-of-the-90-man-roster moves that happen during training camp got Joe’s attention this afternoon. Today the Bucs brought back undrafted free agent Mason Robinson, who was released in the spring. Robinson was a high school track star and had two major knee surgeries while he was a cornerback/returner at Rutgers (where else?), but he was healthy last season as a sixth-year senior.

Robinson’s returner stats do not look impressive, but you can’t count out anyone from Rutgers becoming a Buccaneer. Joe kept an eye on Robinson during spring practices, and the guy definitely has a lot of burst. Another obscure body to watch at tonight’s night practice.

Joe’s pals — and partners — at WTSP-TV, Ch. 10 captured all three interceptions during Friday’s training camp practice sessions in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work.

Enjoy the video below. And feel free to assign praise/blame. No. 21 is Bucs free agent cornerback hopeful Michael Adams, who has his eye on the starting nickel back job.

Only diehard Bucs fans would remember the guy who snatched two interceptions and recovered a fumble in the final preseason game against the Redskins last year.

Got his name without Googling? It’s Sean Baker. He was an undrafted rookie safety out of Ball State, and Baker proceeded to get cut when the Bucs pared down to their 53-man roster a few days later.

Joe talked to Baker about the emotions of having a monster game and then heading home unemployed.

“That’s how this game works,” said the mellow Baker. “I was just home working out staying in the best shape I could hoping for that call. Luckily, it came.”

Baker said he was a few weeks from serious job hunting, “hangin on,”when the Bucs put Cody Grimm on injured reserve and signed him to the practice squad for the final five weeks of the season. Practice squad guys earn about $5,000 a week.

Baker was offered a contract at the close of last season, a blessing from the Bucs that he was worthy of competing to be a Buccaneer Man. 

Good luck, Mr. Baker. 

Even without Darrelle Revis on the field most of the time, Bucs fans attending training camp practices can feel a different vibe with the Bucs’ secondary.

Torched worse than a Pittsburgh steel factory blast furnace last year, the Bucs’ secondary may go from near-historic NFL worst to best with the additions of Dashon Goldson, Johnthan Banks and Revis.

This is not lost on cornerback Danny Gorrer. Now that Adderall-popping, spa-vegging menace Eric Wright has been flushed off the roster (gee, NFL teams are desperate for cornerbacks and he’s walking the streets. Imagine.), and Banks learning the rookie ropes, Gorrer and other corners see there may be an opportunity to make the starting squad if they can elevate their games..

The one thing Gorrer has learned from Revis and Goldson is, well, to enjoy football.

“Bringing those guys [in] and their experience to the table, there’s bound to be a different vibe,” Gorrer said. “We’re just having fun. That’s what those guys bring to the table. Having fun.”

Gorrer noted it’s not just that projected starters Revis and Goldson have made the Bucs secondary, their presence makes other cornerbacks like himself or Leonard Johnson better..

“It definitely helps your game because you know what is on the other side of you,” Gorrer said. “You will get a few more balls [thrown at you] so you better have the confidence and that’s what everybody is starting to pick up in the secondary. You saw that [Friday] when a lot of DBs got their hands on the ball.”

Many Bucs fans are still buzzing over the first-day highlight of Mike Williams making a one-handed, diving catch of a Josh Freeman bullet down the middle. What may be lost in that was Gorrer defending Williams and seemingly having perfect coverage on him, but Freeman and Williams both made plays; the ball was placed in the only spot Williams had a chance of catching it.

“You have to forget about it,” Gorrer said with a smile. “You better have a short memory span if you are going to play corner. Even though I had good coverage, it was a good throw and catch. Hey, [Williams] got that money [new contract] for a reason. There is always the next play when you are playing my position. Hey, they get paid, too. It comes with the territory. It’s both good and bad.”

Many Bucs fans struggle to appreciate Josh Freeman, but typically it’s easy for Glory Days Buccaneers to show some love for No. 5

Why?

They remember the quarterbacks — and offenses — that kept those teams from Super Bowls.

“Where was Josh when I was young?” Warren Sapp wondered aloud this week.

Sapp said he dreamed of a team that could go up and down the field like the Bucs did last year. Playing significant time with significant leads, Sapp said, meant he would have “pinned these ears back” regularly.

Derek Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net goes deep on his takes breaking down Day Two of Bucs training camp 2013.

For some reason, CBS Sports national NFL writer Prickly Pete Prisco, got a wild hair up his ass all offseason about Josh Freeman and Greg Schiano.

Prisco was happy to Twitter and flap to anyone who would listen that Schiano and Freeman had a cancerous relationship, which simply was inaccurate.

Well, finally, Prisco came to town and got to explore his own rumor by chatting with Freeman and Schiano about it, and Prisco walked away penning  a new column that takes an about-face stance on No. 5 and the leader of the New Schiano Order. (Shocking!).

“We were close last year, but this offseason I spent a lot of time talking with him about a lot of stuff,” Freeman said. “About life. We’re really close.

“It’s kind of funny, but when the article came out we had a good chuckle about it during the offseason. You wrote the first article, and then there was a trickle affect. I didn’t even know the article was out. And I had friends telling me, ‘Don’t let your coach bully you.’ I didn’t even know what they were talking about. As far as I know, we’re great. I think Coach Schiano would let me know if he had a problem. We have a straightforward relationship.”

Schiano, sitting at a table in his office Thursday, seemed to chuckle some when I brought up his relationship with Freeman and the talk of tension. He focused on their time together this spring and summer getting to know each other a little better.

And what about the “fire in the belly” talk? Schiano said it’s not an issue, even if Freeman isn’t one of those in-your-face quarterbacks.

Like many Bucs fans, the views and approaches of national media types often drive Joe nuts.

Tampa Bay electronic sports media czar J.P. Peterson is joined by WDAE-AM 620’s Tom Krasniqi to break down Day Two of Bucs training camp 2013. The video can also be viewed at Peterson’s site, TampaBaySportsCentral.com.

Olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball box score-reading Peter King, of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame, is leading a new football website and it’s got a fresh feature on all things Vincent Jackson.

Columnist Jenny Vrentas got a top-10 list from Jackson, which includes, among other things, the sales pitch Jackson gave to Darrelle Revis before the big Bucs-Jets trade got him to Tampa Bay. And Jackson also shares his hoops dreams.

10. I think I might have been able to play pro basketball overseas, but I definitely wasn’t headed to the NBA. At 6-5 and with my skills, I wouldn’t stand out at that level. While playing basketball in college, I would guard power forwards 6-9 or taller. I enjoyed the challenge, and I believe hoops definitely helped my game as a receiver.

Well, Joe’s sure glad Jackson didn’t land with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

As for the pitch to Revis, Jackson said he shared how much “fun” life is under the New Schiano Order.

Interestingly, Revis, speaking to Warren Sapp yesterday, said the Bucs’ tackling circuit drills are “a beast.” After watching Revis at practice today, Joe can tell Revis is enjoying all the limited opportunities he gets to act like a beast. The man is simply foaming at the mouth to hit someone.

Greg Schiano and Ian Beckles are keeping an eye on Gerald McCoy’s strength and weight

If Joe played for the New Schiano Order, Joe would listen to his coaches. But Gerald McCoy didn’t — at least when it came to reporting to camp at the weight prescribed to him by the Bucs brass.

McCoy came in 10 pounds lighter. And McCoy wouldn’t tell media what he currently weighs. So is McCoy too skinny to fight off double teams and return to the Pro Bowl?

Greg Schiano explained why he isn’t worried, so he told The Sports Page on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday.

“Gerald McCoy has incredible flexion. You know the way he can twist his upper body yet continue up the field. Ten pounds less, I anticipate that being even better. But you gotta make sure he’s not getting rocked out of their on double teams,” Schiano said. “I trust that he knows what’s best. But I don’t think it will be hard for Gerald to put on a few pounds if he needs to.”

One man who is worried is former Bucs guard Ian Beckles (1990-1996). Size does matter, Beckles said, and McCoy coming in small is a red flag. Beckles made the case that centers, typically smaller than guards, are even 300-pounders now and McCoy could wear down in December if he doesn’t beef up.

You can hear Beckles’ full take below. Again, Joe’s not concerned, primarily because McCoy’s weight is only important in six weeks, and he has time to add quality beef.