A great listen below on Vincent Jackson’s chat with the media after practice today, via Sports Talk Florida.

Jackson talks about how he counsels Mike Williams to come to work daily with a “workpail” and “having a beginner’s mentality.” He also calls Greg Schiano the best he’s ever seen when it comes to breaking down the game for players.

One of the most underpaid receivers in the NFL says his financial status is about ready to change.

Mike Williams told TampaBay.com today that a new contract with the Bucs is imminent. “All I can say about it is that it’s very close,’’ Williams said.

This is great news, as Williams is in the final year of his rookie contract and the Bucs absolutely can’t afford to risk losing him. Hopefully, Williams agent won’t hold things up, as it sounds like Williams likes what the Bucs are offering.

It’ll be interesting to see how much the Bucs front-load a new deal for Williams and what kind of cash he commands ($6 million annually?). Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik has about $18 million to play with under the 2013 salary cap.

Joe likes the cocky edge to the Bucs’ highly-touted rookie

Rookie Bucs cornerback Johnthan Banks has a cocky streak. Joe’s got no problem with that, and it will be awesome if the dude can back it up like he did as a stud cornerback in college.

Banks was asked about adjusting to the speed of the NFL after practice today, and Banks cranked out a gem with a straight face.

“I played in the SEC. … Speed ain’t really no different,” Banks said.

Well, what can Joe say? The Bucs open 2013 against the Jets on opening day, and they probably wouldn’t fare well in the SEC, so perhaps Banks has a point.

The Bucs have yet to release when Training Camp 2013 opens, much less the times of practices much less what days will be single-practice days and what days will be the dreaded two-a-days.

What we do know is that per NFL rules, the Bucs could open training camp July 24, said Bucs coach Greg Schiano today in his post-practice presser with the local pen and mic club.

Schiano said teams are allowed to open training camp two weeks prior to the first preseason game. The first preseason game for the Bucs is a home date with the Baltimore Crows Aug. 8. Two weeks prior would be a tentative date for the opening of training camp being July 24.

The second day of training camp is when teams hold their first training camp practice. If the above information is accurate, that would mean the first practice(s) would be held July 25.

Again, Joe stresses that these dates are tentative and speculative.

Of course, Joe realizes most Bucs fans don’t care when training camp begins. But Joe does know there is an enthusiastic gaggle of Bucs fans who take vacation days so they can watch practices.

So for those rabid few, you way want to begin to formulate a plan to attend practice July 25.

Also, Schiano noted that per NFL rules, he could have rookies report as early as July 5. He conceded he’s not quite that crazy.

As Joe’s astute and savvy readers heard Joe tell his good friend, “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig yesterday on WDAE-AM 620 (you can listen to the audio here), it’s not a good thing if a football team doesn’t know who its strongside linebacker will be in early June.

That is the case with the Bucs. If one had to handicap it (and Joe is not a handicapper, but a lover), it appears to be a two-horse race between Dekoda Watson and Jonathan Casillas for the starting gig.

And if Joe can speculate further, judging by watching the first-team defensive unit work, and listening to Bucs coach Greg Schiano yesterday in his normal post-practice press conference, the job is Watson’s to lose.

This afternoon, Watson took a break from sweating after practice to talk to Joe and others about how he plans to lock down the starting SAM linebacker slot after years of stellar special teams play.

“I just want to take advantage of the opportunities and make sure I don’t get a big head,” Watson said. Just take care of the little things. Make sure I build and continue to build each day from here out.

“I just need to be a student of the game and keep my compusure. Be confident in everything I do. Coaches can [assign tasks] however they want. Whatever they want me to do I can do it. For the most part you have to make sure you contribute each and every way you can. Just make sure you make the most of your opportunity.”

Watson admits he has matured as a player since he was selected in the seventh round of the 2010 draft.

“I started being a better student in the film room,” Watson said. “Physically, shoot, just continue to lift weights. I’m doing [the off-field homework and working out] so much better now. I am doing a lot better on the mental part of [the game].”

Naturally, Watson has been trying to somehow crack the starting lineup the past three years. Before this season, he was viewed as a versatile linebacker, who could play inside or outside, strong or weak. Now he is just focused on strongside and Watson admits the focus is helping.

“It is very important,” Watson said.

More action than usual on the fields of One Buc Palace today. The Bucs ran a lot of plays for an offseason workout. Joe took in practice, thankfully in the shade, and shares various observations below from this underwear, no-contact football event.

*”Lets go, let’s go, let’s go!” Practice starts with a bit more spirit today.

*Freeman with two overthrows back-to-back to Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams in a QB-rolling-left drill.

*David Douglas makes a sliding catch of a Dan Orlovsky pass over the middle

*Williams goes low to scoop up a Freeman pass over the middle.

*There’s a lotta hollering going on, especially when the first string offense plays the first string defense.

*”Three wide, three wide! Nice tempo, men. Nice tempo!” Schiano bellows.

*Dekoda Watson is getting a lot of work with the first unit at SAM linebacker. VERY early indications are that the position is Watson’s to lose, though Jonathan Casillas is pushing Watson.

*A Freeman pass to Williams on a slant inside goes right through Williams’ hands.

*Eric Wright is now working with the first team defense.

*The coaches all but drool over Dashon Goldson but that quickly ends on one play where Goldson blasts Chris Owusu and is roundly and loudly scolded by coaches. This is supposed to be a non-contact practice after all.

*From shotgun, Freeman throws a perfect pass over the middle to Vincent Jackson.

*Bad drop by receiver hopeful Carlton Mitchell.

*Mike Glennon throws behind wide receiver Jerry Johnson. Soon after Glennon is picked by Johnthan Banks, who showed off his length on the overthrow to Zach Miller.

*Drop by WR Chris Owusu, who’s been having a strong offseason, on a short Freeman pass in tight coverage with Banks covering.

* “Third and 16, third and 16!”

*Jackson beats Anthony Gaitor for a diving catch down the left side for a first down.

*Right defensive end Aaron Morgan drops into the right flat for pass coverage, bats down a Freeman pass and nearly picks it off.

*Leonard Johnson dives for, and doesn’t quite reach, an errant Freeman pass to the right side.

*Brian Leonard catching a check down on 3rd and 16. Lots of work with the first team for Leonard.

*DE Steven Means had a two-hand bat down of a Mike Glennon pass.

*Another tipped Freeman pass.

*Tight end Nate Byham had a good catch and displayed good ball security in front of safety Sean Baker over the middle.

*Mr. Glennon, you cannot fumble good snaps in the NFL if you want playing time.

*Doug Martin hauls in a pass from Freeman over the middle for a touchdown in a goal line offense.

*Douglas is wide open on the left side for a short touchdown. Later, he just misses a diving catch near the backline for what would have been a touchdown from Glennon.

*Here comes the crowd noise…

*On a slant pass across the middle from Freeman, the pass is way behind Williams.

*Jackson drops a pass over the middle where he was wide open.

*Eric Page with a nasty case of alligator arms on a pass over the middle in traffic from Glennon.

*Freeman throws too low to Jheranie Boyd on the left side of the end zone to avoid Goldson pick.

Experience makes a hard-working player more versatile.

And for Mike Williams, that means he might be seen working the middle of the field a bit more this season.

“I can play in the slot now,” Williams told Joe and other reporters after practice today at One Buc Palace.

Williams went on to talk about how much better the returning receivers are in Year 2 of Mike Sullivan’s offense. “We know the offense. We go in there knowing where we break off, knowing what defender we got to, knowing what zone to read. It’s just basically a knowing now, instead of just going out there and reacting to things,” Williams said.

Joe loves hearing all confidence across the New Schiano Order, especially on offense. No excuses/learning curves in 2013.

As for Williams in the slot, Joe’s glad to hear he’s broadened his knowledge. That might cost the Bucs more when Williams’ contract is up after this season. Whether Williams gets much slot work remains to be seen, but Joe would like to see more slant passes thrown his way.

While professing to be a big fan of Josh Freeman, former Bucs quarterback Shaun King wonders how well Freeman can adjust to yet another new quarterbacks coach.

The former quarterback so many Bucs fans hate on — for reasons Joe doesn’t totally understand — Shaun King, one of three Bucs quarterbacks to lead the team to an NFC Championship game, appeared on the “Ron and Ian Show” Tuesday on WDAE-AM 620, and unlike many Bucs fans, professed his admiration for Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

“I’m a big Josh Freeman fan,” King said. “I think once you get past the elite group of quarterbacks in the NFL, Josh is in that next group, and I think Josh will surprise a lot of people this year.”

If Freeman has a hiccup this season, King believes it could be the result of yet another new quarterbacks coach Freeman will have to adapt to.

“There has to be a trust factor there with your position coach,” King said. “You have to trust a guy that is coaching you. You have to feel like you can be honest with him. When they are in the coaches meetings, you have to trust that he will be fair about how you thought about something or how you feel moving forward about certain parts of the system. That is something that Josh is going to have to build.

“It is unfortunate that he has to make that change [to another new quarterbacks coach]. I think Ron Turner helped Josh fundamentally [last season] and I don’t think [Bucs quarterback coach John] McNulty is a quarterback coach. I think he is more of a wide receivers coach and a coach that [Bucs coach Greg] Schiano wanted on staff, and that was the only opening for quarterbacks [coach]. I don’t know how much he is going to do for Josh. I know he has worked with quarterbacks in the past but at heart, he is a wide receivers coach.”

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Joe’s intrigued by what’s developing in the Bucs’ backfield.

Erik Lorig has talked about his growing versatility. Joe also believes the Bucs are going to use Doug Martin more on third down this season. (And why wouldn’t they?) And now Joe’s caught buzz about Greg Schiano’s hand-picked addition to the backfield, free agent Brian Leonard, 29, the former Rutgers great who joined the Bucs after the last four seasons with the playoff-bound Bengals.

“Brian, obviously, has some real good pass-catching ability, has real natural hands, has a good feel for the run game. Brian’s also been playing a little fullback, too,” said running backs coach Earnest Byner. “So he’s actually kind of, you know, you say a tweener type of guy, a tweener type of back who can help us in all three phases.”

Schiano said yesterday that Martin will see very limited action in preseason, so there will be loads of carries to go around in August. Joe’s eager to see if Leonard gets his share as the feature back, along with Mike James and Michael Smith.

As Joe typed this, Leonard was working with the first-team offense at minicamp practice today at One Buc Palace, catching an eight-yard checkdown of a Josh Freeman pass. Yes, that’s worthy of a smile, as the secondary had Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson well covered.

Second-year safety Keith Tandy is just like Joe in a way. Like Joe, Tandy has heard Bucs coach Greg Schiano talk about how he is going to pull back, be more observant and sort of take a more CEO approach to his second season as an NFL head coach.

That doesn’t mean Tandy believes Schiano, a former secondary coach, will take a secondary approach to hands-on coaching this year.

“That is what he is saying but we will see when [training] camp starts up,” Tandy laughed.

Tandy has noticed a big change in the secondary. Last year’s defensive backfield was woeful at best, coming just a handful of yards away from setting a putrid NFL record for most yards allowed through the air. By adding star Darrelle Revis, All-Pro safety Dashon Goldson and another year of experience for Mark Barron and Leonard Johnson, along with the drafting of rookie cornerback Johnthan Banks, Tandy notices a big change in spirit.

“There’s a lot more competition back there,” Tandy said. “But guys are also a lot more comfortable. They are playing faster. And that has made everyone elevate their game and it will make our defense better.”

It couldn’t get much worse. The moribund pass defense was among the key elements why the Bucs, who were in prime position to make a run at the postseason, floundered in the final weeks of 2012.

Just having Goldson to bounce ideas off of and talk to has helped a great deal, Tandy noted.

“He is telling us about his [game] experiences in San Francisco and playing on a great defense out there. From playing so long and the things he has seen, what works and what doesn’t work against certain offensive concepts,” Tandy said. “The main thing [Goldson] adds is talking out there on the field, communication. When you communicate, even if the person in front of you knows what you are doing, you reinforce it and guys play even faster then.”

Joe has now seen more than a few times how Goldson and Revis have worked with the younger defensive backs after practice for 20 to 30 minutes, going over fundamentals, ball tip drills and ball-handling drills. Coaches didn’t order this; it is just a trait that both Revis and Goldson have, a commitment to excellence. This ethic has certainly rubbed off on the younger defensive backs.

This can only help the Bucs’ secondary. It certainly couldn’t hurt.

Joe wrote yesterday about how Greg Schiano has taken a slightly more hands-off approach in Year 2 of his regime. Sure, the head coach will regulate room temperature and many other details, but he’s lets his coaches coach and craves their input and feedback.

And that big New Schiano Order staff doesn’t kiss Schiano’s ass, so says Dave Wannstedt.

“He doesn’t have a staff of yes men. He doesn’t have a staff of guys that have never been here,” Wannstedt said Monday. “Between Butch [Davis] myself, Sully [Mike Sullivan], Bill [Sheridan], you know he’s got some guys that got Super Bowl rings.”

Add Jimmy Raye, Sr., the Bucs’ senior offensive advisor, to Wannstedt’s list, along with hard-nosed experienced offensive line coach Bob Bostad and pass rush specialist Bryan Cox.

“Brian says it how it is. That’s the type of player he was. That’s the type of coach he is now,” said Wannstedt, who was the notoriously Volatile Cox’s head coach with the Bears.

Of course, all that matters is where the Bucs’ rank in the won-loss column, but it seems they are set in the coaching department. Schiano has a big experienced staff, possibly the biggest in the NFL. He takes their input. And he had a year to weed out those that couldn’t cut it.

Last year had to be frustrating for running back Michael Smith. Drafted in the seventh round, Smith, lighting fast, was thought to be a darkhorse scatback backing up Doug Martin and a lethal kick return man.

Instead, after the first game, Smith became captain of the inactive list. He never wore a helmet for another game.

Joe got a chance to chat with Smith, who clearly hopes to take the field in more than one game, so he said after the first practice of mandatory minicamp yesterday.

“You take it how you see it,” Smith said of being wed to the inactive list. “I look at it as an opportunity to stay in the NFL. I just listened to the coaches. They told me what I need to do, what I need to work on. My opportunity didn’t come last year. Hopefully it will come this year. I just have to keep working hard.”

Smith thinks that being in the second year of the New Schiano Order can only help his quest to get on the playing field.

“I understand the offense better. I understand the schemes,” Smith said. “That will help out.”

A new season brings new goals. Last year, Smith’s initial goal was to make the team. He did. Now there are different goals (aside from staying off the inactive list), especially with a new running back in the mix, Mike James.

“I take nothing for granted,” Smith said. “I still have to make the team. At the same time, my confidence is a lot better, I know what [coaches] expect and show them what I’ve got, not thinking about plays when I show hesitation.”

When Joe asked Smith about returning kicks, he beamed like an old lady from Pasco County who just won Powerball.

“Yes, he has talked to me about that,” Smith said of special teams coach Dave Wannstedt, who Smith loves playing for. “Experience. I go up there and try to pick his brain about this, this and this. If I ask him about something, he always has an answer to help me, whether it is setting up blocks or returning the ball. Just like [running backs coach Ernest Byner].

Smith broke out laughing noting how Wannstedt, 60, may be the most excitable if not vocal coach on the Bucs’ practice fields.

As far as Bucs coach Greg Schiano’s take on Smith, Schiano said Smith “is a kick returner” who will get plenty of preseason work while Martin rests to keep the Pro Bowl running back fresh.

After minicamp practice today at One Buc Palace, Joe joined the dean of Tampa Bay sports talk radio, Steve Duemig, of WDAE-AM 620, in studio to talk all things Bucs. “The Big Dog” was kind enough to give Joe a lot of time.

You can soak it all in below. Duemig also let the cat out of the bag; Joe will join Duemig every Wednesday at 5 p.m. starting in late July.

Who’s going to start at tight end for the Bucs? Luke Stocker surely is a favorite. Joe caught up with Stocker yesterday to ask him about his reworked body and more.

JoeBucsFan.com: Mark Dominik was impressed by you putting on 20 pounds this offseason. Why’d you do it and what did you do?

Stocker: Yeah, I bulked up. I got to the point where I was 275. And I felt like I was a little too heavy out here moving around, so I actually cut some weight. I’m about 268-267 right now, feeling real good, moving well, and probably in the best shape I’ve been since I’ve been here.

Joe: Is that something the team asked you to do?

Stocker: No. You know, it really wasn’t something I was consciously making an effort for. I knew I wanted to get in the weight room and bigger, stronger and faster. That’s kind of the result of it, just working hard in the offseason.

Joe: The competition at tight end this season, what do you make of it? What can you tell fans about that?

Stocker: You’ve got a bunch of guys here that have been in the league a few years, who just can’t wait to make the opportunity for themselves. Myself, Crabtree, Zach Miller, guys like that are really trying to establish themselves in the league and want to get an opportunity to start. The Bucs are putting the competition on the line for all three of us to push for that job. So it’s a good opportunity for all of us.

Joe: Where do you think your game has evolved most this offseason and in general?

Stocker: In the past two years I’ve been utilized as a blocker in the offense. And I think this offseason I really concentrated on being more of a passing threat and pass catcher. And I’ve really made some steps in that direction.

Joe: Is there something you did? Did you work out with any quarterbacks?

Stocker: Definitely. Me and Josh [Freeman] and Dan [Orlovsky], we all got together several times and caught passes just trying to build that chemistry and accumulate reps.

The leader of the New Schiano Order is acting more like a CEO these days, versus what he was doing last season at this time.

It’s been somewhat noticeable to Joe at offseason practices that Greg Schiano is a bit more subdued and is having fewer moments where he pulls players aside for 1-on-1 lessons or group counseling.

Today, Joe asked Schiano about what’s changed in his coaching, and Schiano said he’s taken a step back. Even though he loves the hands-on, Schiano said, he must stay focused on all phases and the execution of the team mission through his coaching staff.

“Probably a little less. Just because everything, the vision of the program, you know the guys have had it for a while so I can kind of observe more,” Schiano said. “It’s fun to coach for sure, get your hands in there. But when you’re coaching one guy, you’re not seeing everything else that’s going on. As a head coach, you need to be able to see the big picture. So, you know, it’s a delicate balance.”

Joe’s pleased to see a guy like Schiano, who’s known for being a headstrong micromanager, really embraces more of a CEO style of head coaching. Schiano’s got a massive coaching and advisory staff, complete with big names and guys with Super Bowl rings. It’s pretty clear he’s eager to rely on his people and let them do what they do best.

What an honor!

Joe will sit down with the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, to talk all things Bucs at 4 p.m. today. The Big Dog always has an entertaining show, which kicks off at 3.

You can also listen on 95.3 FM through much of the Tampa Bay area. Those chained to a computer can listen live via the station’s website.

Joe scribbled down some notes as the Bucs opened mandatory minicamp Tuesday with NASCAR driver Casey Kahne in attendance as a special guest.

*Mike Williams biting the football.

*Defensive backs practicing going low and swatting the ball away from would-be ballcarriers using dummies.

*Defensive linemen practicing wrapping up. Linebackers practicing pick returns.

*Running backs working on footwork high-stepping through dummies while keeping heads up looking at imaginary passes in the flat.

*Jheranie Boyd and Tiquan Underwood doing a nice job of hauling in passes from Mike Glennon.

*Jerry Johnson seems like the only receiver who cannot catch a pass from Glennon.

*Safeties coach Jeff Hafley can be heard yelling during drills to his players, “Angles, angles, angles!”

*A lot is being made of the fight for the No. 3 receiver between Kevin Ogletree and Underwood, but Joe suggests that Chris Owusu is very much in the mix, just by how he is flashing this spring.

*Boyd makes a helluva catch going low to dig up a Josh Freeman pass on a down-and-out to the right. Boyd didn’t break stride and pulled in the pass smooth as silk.

*Ogletree makes a nice stab of a Freeman pass in traffic.

*Vincent Jackson blows past the defense so badly that he has to come back to catch an underthrown Freeman pass down the right side, and still scores with ease.

*Doug Martin squirts through traffic on the left side and breaks through, all the while biting that football.

*Mismatch: Glennon and Owusu hook up on a beautiful pass over the middle to roast Myron Lewis for six points. Lewis was eating dirt in Owusu’s tracks.

*Either Luke Stocker ran a terrible route or Freeman terribly underthrew him as the ball hits the turf well in front of the Bucs tight end.

*Cornerback Deveron Carr flies in from the right side on a blitz forcing Freeman to unload the ball.

*Williams totally loses safety Sean Baker on a juke move for a catch on the left side.

*Seemingly steaming on the inside on a steamy morning, Darrelle Revis watches practice near a goal post.

*Wide receiver Terrium Crump with a good catch on a slant from Glennon. This shouldn’t be a surprise since Crump was one of Glennon’s targets at North Carolina State.

*Joe was unable to notice the receiver as he was screened by half the team but Glennon threaded the proverbial needle in triple coverage over the middle, throwing the ball high so his receiver could make a play. While this looked nice, Bucs coaches likely cringed. High passes over the middle in the NFL just beg to be picked off.

*And here comes the crowd noise…

*Nearly a coverage sack on Freeman as Ahmad Black was all over Stocker like stench on scat.

*The captain of the inactive list, Michael Smith, hauls in a screen pass from Freeman on the left side for a nice gain. Later, Freeman hits Williams perfectly on a slant pass.

*On each and every play, left defensive end Da’Quan Bowers gets his hands up and with his wingspan it almost looks like field goal uprights from the quarterback’s perspective.

*Freeman overthrows Mike James but there was very good coverage on James.

*Williams skies high for a touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone, barely beating a streaking Cody Grimm.

Rookie quarterback Mike Glennon may have earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in 4 1/2 years at North Carolina State, but he’s no prodigy when it comes to the Bucs playbook.

Glennon explained today that most if not all of the Bucs plays have been rolled out this offseason, but he’s not ready to take the field.

“Definitely not there. I have a general idea of what we’re trying to accomplish on every play. But I need to get in the playbook more and have a better understanding come camp,” Glennon told JoeBucsFan.com after today’s practice. “With time and with reps I’m sure that will come. I’m definitely a lot more comfortable than I was a month ago. I know the play calls. I know what’s going on. Now I just have to continue to improve every day.”

Now Joe doesn’t expect Glennon to be ready to start a football game today. Heck, it’s ok if Glennon isn’t ready on opening day. (Joe’s not among the wackos that expect Glennon to be the franchise savior.)

Joe’s only illustrating how much there is for a rookie to soak in, especially at QB, especially in a system that QB coach John McNulty told Joe took Mark Brunell and Eli Manning a few years to master.

Greg Schiano seems rather blown away by the commitment of Darrelle Revis

The odds of Darrelle Revis being not just ready for opening day but ready to dominate seem to rise daily.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik said last week that Revis was expected in pads on Day 1 of training camp. This afternoon at One Buc Palace, Greg Schiano painted a picture of Revis going far above and beyond in his rehabilitation.

“There’s no substitute for the player,” Schiano said. “The player has to be willing to do it. You talk about putting in overtime. Darrelle’s putting in overtime — late afternoons, weekends, this guy, all he’s doing. None of that’s required. … This guy, his rehab is pretty aggressive.”

Joe’s been hesitant to expect a full recovery by Revis in time for training camp and in time to reveal the old, All-Pro Darrelle Revis on opening day. But now even Joe is getting a bit swept up in the hoopla.

While news of the Bucs grabbing former Bears 2011 first-round pick Gabe Carimi for a paltry sixth-round pick was met with virtual glee within the walls of One Buc Palace Monday, that was not the case among national pundits.

Take Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan, co-hosts of “Movin’ the Chains,” heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Kirwan, a former Bucs scout and Jets front office man, and Ryan, a former Bears defensive tackle, are not impressed with Carimi, a right tackle/right guard, in any way.

In fact, the duo had doubts Carimi will make the Bucs’ final roster cut of 53 come September.

Tim Ryan: When his technique breaks down he will break down physically. In his mind, he anticipated and projected he would be fine [coming off a knee injury his rookie year]. That certainly wasn’t the case. He will be fighting for a roster spot with the Buccaneers.

Pat Kirwan: He sure will be. Again this is the old – I am sure there are other teams, specifically Tampa Bay – that had a first-round grade on him coming out. They get the opportunity to take on a guy for a sixth-round pick, that’s not a problem for the. And they have the cap space. And they probably haven’t spent any money on him yet and they could probably release him at the end of camp if they want to and not be in the hole for anything. So, I get it. I know why they would do it. But there is a lesson to be learned here. He is not the first lineman to bounce around here. Can he beat out Demar Dotson?

Ryan: No.

Kirwan: No. Can he beat out…

Ryan: He can’t beat out anybody on that line.

Kirwan: Where is he as a swing player? Do you see him as an inside swing guy?

Ryan: Maybe that’s where his value is. I think he played better at guard but he has the ability to play the core positions.

Kirwan: I can see him making this team if he comes in there full of fire. If not, um, no harm no foul. You lose a sixth round pick. But to take a long summer peek at a guy, it’s probably worth it.

Like Kirwan said, Joe believes this is a no harm/no foul type of move by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

The elephant in the room here that neither Kirwan nor Ryan factored in Carimi’s new position coach happens to be Bob Bostad, the very same guy who developed Carimi into an Outland Trophy winner and a first-round pick.

If anyone can resuscitate Carimi’s football life, Joe believes it will be Bostad.

The Bucs’ opening day kick returner last season, running back Michael Smith, who captained the inactive list for the remainder of the 2013 season, is back in the mix at kick returner.

New Bucs special teams coach Dave Wannstedt reinforced yesterday that the punt returner and kick returner positions are “obviously wide open,” and he named new free agent wider receiver Eric Page, along with WRs Chris Owusu and David Douglas, as among those battling, and Wannstedt called out Smith, “as far as the kick return stuff.”

What’s a bit scary is that those four guys have seven games of NFL experienced combined — five belong to Owusu, who has yet to field a return in the NFL.

Just based on how the roster might shake out, Joe’s not liking Smith’s chances. It’s all but a sure thing that Tiquan Underwood and Kevin Ogletree will score the No. 3 and No. 4 receiver positions, which means the New Schiano Order wants that No. 5 receiver to be able to be a returner.

Joe also learned from running backs coach Ernest Byner yesterday that he’s impressed with the versatility of Erik Lorig and newcomer running back Brian Leonard. That can’t bode will for Smith in the numbers game.