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There was so much talk last season about the New Schiano Order “changing the culture” and plucking Buccaneer “weeds in the roses.” It was nauseating chatter but necessary after the “country club” work ethic under Raheem Morris.

Well, it seems that the New Schiano Order changes were very evident during this week’s OTA practices, so explained Gerald McCoy in this Buccaneers.com video after a team training session this week.

“Having a year under our belts and just knowing what to expect has helped out a lot. You know, guys are not complaining anymore,” McCoy said. “They know how things go around here. And it’s just ritual. It’s not routine anymore. We call it, ‘ritual.’ So it’s ritual to work the way we work now, and everybody’s enjoying it.”

McCoy went on to praised the tempo of practice versus this time last year, as well as the conditioning level of the team.

Whether the improved attitude and work ethic translates into wins is unknown — hey, Raheem won 10 in 2010 — but it surely can’t hurt.

With the possible exception of the Cardinals or (in recent years) the Raiders, few NFL teams look to regress in the offseason. How much a team improves, only the regular season determines that.

In typing a list of the most improved teams in the NFL, Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune submitted a piece to NationalFootballPost.com saying the Bucs are the most improved team in the NFC South.

They lost a couple of solid defensive linemen in Michael Bennett and Roy Miller. But the Bucs won’t need as much pass rush with the improvements they made in the secondary. They added one of the best safeties in the league in Dashon Goldson, the best cornerback in the league in Darrelle Revis and one of the best cornerbacks in the draft in Johnthan Banks. Derek Landri also was signed to give the Bucs some interior pass rush and offset the free agent losses. On the other side of the ball, the Bucs made Josh Freeman’s seat a little hotter, and the depth at the quarterback position better, by drafting Mike Glennon.

Joe respects the hell out of Pompei, Joe’s known him for about two decades. He’s a class act, stand-up guy. But Joe’s going to quibble with a few of his elements.

Yes, Joe believes Pompei is correct. The Bucs should be the most improved team. Whether that turns into a playoff berth in the rugged NFC is a different matter.

Joe isn’t sure the Bucs will miss Roy Miller, only because they believe rookie Akeem Spence can fill the void and a sleeper at that positions is Derek Landri.

If the pass rushers the Bucs drafted pan out, William Gholston and Steven Means, fans will quickly forget about Michael Bennett.

Fishing for Bucs-related news and nuggets, Joe listened to a recent podcast of a Brent Grimes interview out of Miami today.

Grimes, the former Falcons cornerback now with the Dolphins, was rumored to have been on the Bucs’ free-agent radar this offseason. So Joe thought Grimes might spill some info. on that, but he didn’t.

However, Grimes did touch on how valuable it can be for a cornerback to cover stud receivers in practice, which got Joe thinking about how Darrelle Revis never had a polished Pro Bowler manbeast like Vincent Jackson to work against during his six season with the Jets.

Santonio Holmes, Jerricho Cotchery, Laveranues Coles, post-lockup Plaxico Burress? None of those guys matched the talent, size and versatility of Jackson when Revis was their teammate.

If Revis is cleared to practice in Bucs training camp — a big “if” — then he should be treated to a new and educational experience. He and Jackson should be able to push each other to new heights.

Lost in the recent frenzy surrounding Greg Schiano talking about Mike Glennon winning the starting quarterback job was Schiano paying Freeman quite a compliment.

Schiano, via Yahoo! Sports, said Freeman’s ability to keep his eyes downfield is unmatched in Schiano’s decades of football study.

From the standpoint of dealing with pressure, Schiano thinks Glennon knows what he is, and he knows how to deal with what he is. “Some guys can feel the rush and keep their eyes downfield; other guys feel the rush and start looking at the rush,” Schiano said. “Once you start looking at the rush, you are done. You scramble, you get sacked. He has the ability, and Josh [Freeman] has the ultimate ability to keep the eyes downfield. I’ve never seen a guy who is as good at keeping his eyes down the field as Josh. Josh has more mobility.

“It’s toughness in some respects. You keep your eyes downfield, feel the rush closing in, you know you are going to get hit.”

Joe brings this up today because an NFL Films highlight reel posted on NFL.com gives a rare look at Freeman’s eyes in the pocket under a heavy rush against the Chargers last season. You can see it here starting at :33 of the video.

It’s impressive stuff, as Freeman is getting hit and a rush has caved in around him.

Now Joe knows a QB keeping his eyes down the field and hanging in the pocket doesn’t make him great, but they did help Freeman post stunning deep-passing numbers and landed Vincent Jackson in Hawaii.

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Joe doesn’t normally do power rankings, but he will take an exception today. Why? In the words of Bucs coach Greg Schiano, “It’s May. You have to write about something. There has to be some news.”

In his post-draft, pre-training camp power rankings, prickly Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com offers his take of all 32 NFL teams and he ranks the Bucs at No. 20.

Getting Darrelle Revis was a bold move. But why do I think the quarterback-coach situation could unnerve this team?

Prisco is one of those national writers absolutely convinced Schiano loathes Josh Freeman and can’t wait to hold the door for Freeman to exit One Buc Palace for good.

Naturally, Prisco cites no source on the record and it doesn’t seem to matter to him that Schiano and Freeman have adamantly stated (numerous times) on the record they get along quite well.

As long as these stories keep popping up, Joe is obligated to respond. It’s very simple about Freeman. His future is in his hands: Play well or guide the Bucs to the playoffs and he will, at worst, be franchised by Bucs general manager Mark Dominik. Or Freeman will hit the NFL lottery and be re-signed for multiple years, or if Freeman wilts, he will walk.

It really is that simple. No controversy whatsoever.

Clayborn is sporting a changed look this season

Before the Bucs drafted Adrian Clayborn, Joe was big on the Iowa product. In his rookie year, Clayborn proved to be a monster, just ask Matty Ice, who likely wakes up on cold mornings still feeling Clayborn’s power the way Clayborn planted him into the turf of the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway, forcing a fumble.

After a blown knee in his sophomore year, Clayborn is already working agility drills and said he appreciates his NFL status even more, so documents Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune.

“I think the main difference between this year and last year for me is that I’m a little more appreciative of the game of football now and what I have,” Clayborn said after Monday’s first offseason practice session.

“I don’t want to ever take that for granted, because I realize now that all it takes is one play and you could be out. One play and it could all be over for you, so, you know, knock on wood.”

Now Joe noticed Clayborn’s changed physique immediately Monday. Joe asked Clayborn if he dropped weight and Clayborn said he had, but not enough to reach his goal of a playing weight. That sure could have fooled Joe as svelte as Clayborn looked.

Basically, Clayborn has been working out like a madman since his knee injury and his upper body looks totally different, much more build up of the shoulders and arms it appears.

Clayborn is a good dude. A quiet guy, but a good dude and he’s the kind of guy Joe pulls for. If he keeps his body in shape like it is now, Joe will be very interested to see how his shift in body composition will change or enhance his play at right defensive end.

Now when Greg Schiano said after the end of last season that he wanted competition at quarterback, he wasn’t lying. Schiano wants competition at all positions. The cliché “a rising tide lifts all boats” applies.

In Schiano’s mind, better competition — read: depth — makes for a better team. Guys on the second string want to play and by busting their tail, they put the fear of God in the minds of the suddenly-motivated starters. It’s a snowball effect.

Alan Dell doesn’t totally buy it. The Bradenton Herald columnist believes both Schiano’s words and actions are a signal to Freeman that he better be renting.

Even if Freeman has a great year next season and the Glazers throw a ton of money at him, there is no guarantee he’s Schiano’s guy.

They are friends and both said they talk about many things, including life off the field. That’s warm and fuzzy, but it has nothing to do with whether Schiano believes he is the best guy to lead his offense.

This is a fickle love affair that is a few interceptions away from imploding.

Dell sort of hits the nail on the head with a curveball not necessarily meant for the nail.

If Freeman has an All-Pro year, tosses 30 touchdowns with scant interceptions and the Bucs make it to the postseason if not win January games, does anyone really believe Freeman won’t suddenly be Schiano’s guy?

And if Freeman has a monster year, does anyone really believe Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik will let Freeman walk? He’d franchise him before he’d let him sign with another team.

What all of this means is, very simply, Freeman’s future is up to Freeman. Nothing more and nothing less.

Joe has zero issues with Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher. But why do some hold him to a different standard than Ronde Barber?

Joe has gone on record that Ronde Barber will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame someday He probably won’t be a first-ballot Hall of Famer ,as it is extremely difficult for a defensive back not named “Ronnie Lott” to get in as a slam dunk.

Only a maximum of five “modern day” players can be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame annually. And Joe likes it like that.

It should be difficult for a player to get in the Hall because that truly means it is a club of the elite of the elites, unlike in baseball, which has devolved into the Hall of Pretty Good. Or worse, the basketball Hall of Fame, which pretty much lets anyone in the door.

One of the uneducated gripes about Ronde Barber has been that he is a system cornerback. Joe will get into that in a momen,t but for some reason, there are actually employed people who think a Cover-2 player is somewhat unworthy.

Joe wonders where those people are today? A truly great middle linebacker, Brian Urlacher, announced his retirement today. For the better part of his career, Urlacher played in a Cover-2 defense.

Still, Joe has yet to hear or read one person wave off Urlacher’s credentials as a “system player,” despite playing in the same system as Barber did his entire career.

Why the double-standard? If it’s good enough for Urlacher, why not Barber? If playing Cover-2 weakens Barber’s career numbers, then why isn’t Urlacher’s career likewise trivialized?

Yes, Urlacher will be in the Hall of Fame, too. Rather than some snob potentially mocking Urlacher as a “system player,” it would be much smarter for Urlacher’s detractors to point to a way-over-the-hill Jerome Bettis, who in his last home game freight trained Urlacher for a game-clinching touchdown in the snow and mud of Heinz Field.

Bucs offensive line coach Bob Bostad offered some rare public commenary

It’s darn rare to hear from — and see — Bucs offensive line coach Bob Bostad, who put in a heroic effort last season as the Bucs’ O-line did its share of circus juggling but still had a dominant running back and strong pass protection.

Buccaneers.com video captured Bostad yesterday chatting about his unit. (Click the link to watch.)

Interestingly, Bostad offered heavy praise of Demar Dotson, saying the Bucs’ right tackle has “catapulted” off his work last season.

This is encouraging, considering Dotson was the weak link on the line and the Bucs have yet to put solid competition alongside him.

Jeremy Zuttah and Donald Penn also received Bostad’s love in the video.

Greg Schiano said rookie defensive tackle Akeem Spence is “tailor-made” for the Bucs’ tilted nose tackle position.

Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik also commented on how Spence could be a “Day 1” starter.

But now, in Joe’s mind, the high hopes for Spence have hit a new level. Spence himself said Monday that he’s “expected to start.”

JoeBucsFan.com: Can you talk about the little things on coaching that you’ve picked up since you’ve been here that maybe opened your eyes a little bit?

Akeem Spence: I mean it’s real mental, because once coach says it to you once, I mean that’s all he’s going to tell you. And then you get in a meeting room and you’ve just got to bring it straight to walk-throughs and, you know, you can’t mess up. Like me, like I’m a guy I’m expected to start, so I’ve got to have it so I can be able to run with the [first team.] Because I know Gerald McCoy ain’t going to mess up. Bowers ain’t going to mess up. So I can’t mess up. So I got to be on top of my game. That’s the biggest thing, man.

Now Joe appreciates the Bucs laying high expectations on the fourth-round pick out of Illinois and seeing how he responds to the pressure and demands.

But Joe’s always nervous about the possibility of young players being gifted starting jobs. Kyle Moore, Sabby Piscitelli, and other ghosts of Bucs past come to mind.

Spence has veterans Derek Landri and Gary Gibson to fight with for playing time. Joe hopes the best player wins, and whoever does start at nose tackle better be ready to fill the shoes of Roy Miller. No, Miller was no Pro Bowler or pass rusher, but he was an anchor on the No. 1 run defense in the NFL and could have been re-signed inexpensively.

Bucs safety Mark Barron positively decleated Robert Griffin III last year.

Despite starting for a team that finished south of a .500 record and experiencing some ups and downs in his rookie season, Bucs safety Mark Barron considers himself a lucky guy.

Last year, amid the whirlwind of the NFL combine, pro day, draft, rookie minicamp and then training camp, Barron sort of found normalcy with the guy who he lined up next to on Sundays, future Hall of Famer Ronde Barber.

Barber is gone, but he has been replaced by Pro Bowler Dashon Goldson. Oh, yeah, there’s also the best-in-the-business cornerback (when healthy), Darrelle Revis.

Barron confessed after the first practice of OTAs Monday that he’s been fortunate as he works to become “a veteran.”

“Somewhat, yes, but there are still some things I want to improve on,” Barron said. “I am a lot more comfortable, I will say that. I have to get a feel for my new teammates and do the best that we can do.”

That would be Goldson and Revis, but Barber is still on Barron’s mind.

“Just like with Ronde as far as learning things from him, I like learning and studying the game,” Barron said. “I picked up [tips] from him and now there are two more players I can pick up from. I feel like I am in great situation learning from three great players.

“I can learn a lot from both of these guys.”

If Barron can progress, along with the additions of Johnthan Banks, Goldson and Revis, damn, Joe can’t help but think the Bucs could very well have the best secondary in the NFL, worst to first.

Part Two of “Project Revis,” a series of NFL Network video reports with exclusive behind the scenes access at One Buc Palace, continued to document Bucs cornerback Darrelle Revis rehabilitate from a knee injury.

Revis is seen here doing agility drills on the Bucs’ practice fields with tackling dummies to hone his footwork.

Bucs director of sports medicine and performance Todd Toriscelli noted that most athletes he works with have four gears from zero to full sprint. But Revis, he said, is so fast he has five gears. Toriscelli tells NFL Network’s Andrea Kremer that Revis is running and working in third gear at this point in his rehab.

Yes, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman continues to make news, even in the nondescript periods of OTAs.

Yesterday, NFL.com began a daily series of top quarterbacks under 25 and, as Gregg Rosenthal writes, Freeman is No. 10 in what Joe feels is a pretty thorough, and fair examination (the link has several Freeman videos).

Too often the Buccaneers dialed up the right play, got the coverage they were hoping for and the play wasn’t made. Routine throws were missed. Red zone tosses often didn’t give the receiver a chance. Freeman’s accuracy came and went, and I didn’t see Freeman anticipate or go to his second read enough.

Occasionally, Freeman didn’t see the open man, but it’s been more common to see him just a beat late on a throw like on the play below. Often, the timing was just off. Freeman sometimes would think a receiver was going to sit down on a route, but a miscommunication happened.

Freeman’s first-round talent has shown up in his four NFL seasons. He owns every tool you look for in a quarterback; he just hasn’t shown the ability to do it consistently. He’s shown enough that there’s hope Freeman can be a top-10 NFL quarterback for a team that regularly contends for the playoffs and Super Bowl. He has that type of skill set.

Now, maybe the last time for a few days, Joe will touch upon Schiano’s recent comments to NationalFootballPost.com about Mike Glennon potentially starting.

Schiano said something Monday, in his animated if not entertaining press conference after the first practice of OTAs, that maybe he is too much of a straight shooter with national reporters and, with a twinkle in his eyes, said, “Josh knows how I feel… and so does Mike Glennon. … It’s May. We have to write about something. There needs to be news.”

Bravo, coach. Bravo!

Greg Schiano craves competition, but his competition isn’t always competition. Sometimes Schiano wants competition at a position even though there’s already a winner, though he still considers that competing.

Schiano says competition is one of his core beliefs, but the definition is somewhat fuzzy, even though he’s explained his stance about eight times this year.

Joe finds it all quite comical, but Schiano’s recent Mike Glennon-Josh Freeman competition chatter is flustering Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud and TampaBay.com columnist and notorious Joe basher Tom Jones. The two dive into the debate, as it relates to quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Josh Freeman, in the WDAE-AM 620 audio below.

Stroud claims Schiano’s mostly-retracted comments about Glennon competing for the starting QB job create a somewhat hostile media/fan environment for Freeman. “It amps up the crowd,” Stroud explains. (Hear all the takes below)

Joe’s more interested in why Schiano chose his words to national writer Dan Pompeii. As Joe’s written previously, it’s too hard for Joe to believe a smart, detail-obsessed guy like Schiano didn’t know the splash value of his comments.

When Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik signed free agent strongside linebacker Jonathan Casillas, there were various ways to look at the move.

Casillas could be just part of what Bucs coach Greg Schiano craves — competition. Or, Casillas could be the successor to Quincy Black.

Either way for Casillas, he’s ahead of where he has been in recent seasons, even if the Buccaneer Way is still a bit foreign too him. Last year ,Casillas was injured and unable to go to through OTAs with the Saints.

“It does help a lot,” Casillas told Joe just after OTA practice Monday. “It’s kind of a rare thing for me to be healthy at this time of the year. Good to be out there running around with the fellas and not so much the physical things but the mental things as well.”

Casillas was, in a way, a victim of circumstance. The Saints brought in overrated Rob Ryan as their new defensive coordinator, and Ryan is a 34 defense kinda guy. Casillas is a 43 outside linebacker kind of guy. So he was a man without a team when Ryan arrived in The Big Easy.

Currently, Casillas seems to just be happy competing on a practice field in May for a change.

It’s good man, good to get the juices flowing,” Casillas said. “It’s good to finally come out here and compete.”

Though Schiano’s practices are conducted with a sense of urgency, Casillas believed Sean Payton’s practices were even more so.

“It’s not as intense as Payton’s but the point is there, the purpose is there, the intent is there,” Casillas said. “We got after it really fast. The layout is something I have to get used to. Just out here trying to get my terminology down and learn this defense.”

It’s still way too early to determine who may have the inside track at replacing Black. That is what preseason is for. While he has the chance however, Casillas is trying to make an impression upon Bucs coaches.

“We have a great group of guys on both sides of the ball and the defensive guys are very fiery,” Casillas said. “We have a lot of guys with speed and power. We are all competitors, we are all competing. That linebackers room is very competitive.”

There’s a good possibility newcomer Tom Crabtree will be the Bucs’ starting tight end come September. After four quiet seasons in Green Bay, 27-year-old Crabtree was targeted by Tampa Bay in free agency and he’ll compete with Luke Stocker for the top job.

Joe and others set out to get to know Crabtree yesterday at the first full-squad practice of the year. Here are the highlights:

Beat reporter: Did the Bucs come after you strong? Did you sense it in free agency?

Tom Crabtree: Yeah, they were definitely the front runners, I guess. They showed a lot of interest and, you know, that meant a lot to me. It said a lot. So I took the chance. After a month being here, I’m happy to be here and excited about moving forward with it.

Beat reporter: You were with a good team, a Super Bowl team, but it looked like you were stuck. Talk about your situation in Green Bay.

Crabtree: You know, the way I kind of look it is maybe you do get stuck in a role a little bit. And as a competitor you want to kinda try and challenge yourself and see what you’re made of. Being here, like I said, being a part of this, it’s a new opportunity for me and as well for the team. There’s a lot of new faces here on this team. We all kinda have the same goal in mind. So if we can all put it together it will be that much more special.

Joe: Would it be fair to call you a blocking tight end? Do you feel that’s a strength of yours and can you talk about that?

Crabtree: I look at myself as a pretty balanced guy. If people want to label me, that’s fine, as a blocking tight end. But I think more of that is just lack of opportunities in the pass game more than anything. I have all the confidence in myself as a receiver, as a receiving tight end. That just takes opportunities. Like I said, I feel like I’m a pretty balanced guy whether it’s in the run game or going out catching balls. I think I can do both.

Joe:  Being outside this organization and coming in, before you got here, what was your perception of Greg Schiano and this organization?

Crabtree: Honestly, I didn’t have much of a perception of other teams. I think when you’re in a certain spot you focus on you team and what’s going on with you guys and your opponent for that week or whatever. So I can’t really speak to having an opinion before I got here or anything.

Joe: You seem to be a real engaged guy with fans on Twitter. For a guy who was sort of in a small role on the field you had quite a following. Can you talk about your interest in engaging with them and how that came about?

Crabtree: It just gradually started a few years back on Twitter and all that. I originally got on there because it was a cool way for me to interact with the people I look up to — other athletes, musicians, and I have some friends and family on there, too. But then it kind of turned into this thing where I was like, ‘Man, I’ve got all these Packers fans following me and talking to me.’ So I just wanted to give back to them. I know myself, it’s cool when someone I look up to, you know, I get all nerded out when I talk to a musician or somebody. That’s kind of how I look at it.

Beat reporter: What are your feelings about this Bucs roster as you look around this field. Is there talent out here?

Crabtree: Man, I’ll tell you what. Being here for a month, some of the best, just gifted athletes I’ve been around. Some really talented guys. That’s not taking anything away from Green Bay. They’ve obviously had talented guys, as well. But coming here there’s been no dropoff as far as the athleticism and the talent of guys.

Beat reporter: How do you see your situation here going into training camp?

Crabtree: Make the team. That’s my goal. I’m not one to sit here and say, ‘Oh, I’m comin’ in, I want to be the starter. I want to come in and be the No. 2.’ Nothing like that. You know, if my role on this team is being on kick return, if my role on the team is catching a bunch of balls, whatever it is I just want to do that and find a way to help the team win. Make the roster

Joe: Can you describe your special teams role in Green Bay? Did you play a lot?

Crabtree: I played quite a bit and a little bit of everything, kick return, punt return all of it. I definitely have experience when it comes to special teams.

Rookie Akeem Spence learned a very quick NFL lesson Monday during the Bucs’ first practice of OTAs.

If anything, Greg Schiano loves physical football. Just his lineage suggests so.

But in OTA practices, teams can’t get physical. It’s a difficult balance. You have guys in helmets, practice jerseys and shorts going at it. They are not programmed to play powder puff football, much as NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell wishes that were so.

Guys are playing for their positions, their jobs, their careers, their livelihoods. This does not add up to practicing half-arsed.

So when Akeem Spence and Jeremy Zuttah went all WWE on Spence’s first snap of OTA practice, Schiano had to put a stop to that right away.

In other words, be physical, be smart, but don’t be too physical. Got it?

“It is critical that we hold each other up and move side by side so we can execute plays,” Schiano said. “But stay off the ground; keep our headgear and our shoulders out of it. Just use the hands and kind of work with each other so we can execute plays. I thought the guys did an excellent job of that. That is something that we have to do all spring to stay healthy and allow us to keep getting reps.

“It is very tough. Not only do we want to do it for safety, it’s mandated by the rules. You can lose OTA, you can get fined, there’s all sorts of stuff. We are very, very clear with it, we show examples. We try to get guys to understand.

“Now, when you put 22 guys going against each other, if it happens it gets corrected. [The Spence-Zuttah dustup] was a rookie mistake and it got adjusted and there was no issue.”

As for Spence, Schiano didn’t seem to upset. If anything, Schiano likes what Spence brings to the table.

“He is physically very, very developed, maybe one of the strongest guys in this league as a rookie,” Schiano said. “Just a strong guy.

In what looks to be a neat series of reports that began Monday night, Andrea Kremer of NFL Network has received exclusive access behind the scenes at One Buc Palace to document the rehabilitation of Bucs star cornerback Darrelle Revis (Joe still finds those words weird to type).

Monday, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik talked about the first time he thought about trading for Revis back in September 2012. Some really cool stuff in this report, along with Revis acknowledging the risk the Bucs have taken.

One thing Joe liked was Revis in a “not-in-Kansas-anymore” moment; while riding a stationary bike, Revis smiles and says, “This ain’t like New York. [It’s] sunny all day, every day.”

Outside of the heavyweight bout between Jeremy Zuttah and Akeem Spence, there wasn’t much excitement at the underwear football practice at One Buc Palace today. And there shouldn’t be.

Contact is not allowed, though players don’t always play by the rules, and much of it is drill work. But the 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 play can be a little revealing.

*Interesting to see DaQuan Bowers lining up inside in what appeared to be several pass rush situations. Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and Dekoda Watson were alongside him on the left end.

*Dave Wannstedt had a very vocal and animated presence as Bucs special teams coach early in practice. The loudest voice at practice? No, not Schiano, but Wannstedt, who was as intense as it can get working with special teams players. “Alright guys, listen to me,” he bellowed. How could they not? The priests over at nearby Jesuit High School were probably upset at Wannstedt’s volume.

*Both Josh Freeman and Mike Glennon looked pretty sharp, though Freeman did make a bad throw over the middle that was knocked down with two hands by Eric Wright.

*Wide receiver coach John Garrett continues to be very hands-on in drills and while teaching. Joe caught a time when Garrett essentially ran up to Tiquan Underwood and slapped him after a play, and the two then went over what appeared to be route details and technique. Garrett’s body language seemed to be saying, ‘I already taught you this.’ ALso interesting about Garrett, he was coaching up receivers on how to properly roll up on a fumble, and how to properly protect the ball once possession is gained.

*On the stone hands front, Vincent Jackson had a drop. Former Giants Pro Bowler Steve Smith, trying to snatch a roster spot, had a very bad drop of a Mike Glennon short pass.

“On the good hands front, 21-year-old wide receiver Eric Page, who was injured in training camp with the Denver Broncos last year, caught a lot of balls and appears very fluid. He’s 5-10, 180 pounds and was a legend at the University of Toledo.

*Punter Mike Koenen does a quality impression of veteran Bucs beat scribe eye-RAH! Kaufman.

*The defense played as if it was the final play of the Super Bowl in drills to start the session, which got Schiano all fired up. “Way to go defense, way to go. Way to get us started!”

*Though Joe may be mistaken, there sure seemed to be a lot of hollering to start the practice, more so than last year’s first OTA. There also seemed to be much more enthusiasm, almost like a college atmosphere. Of course, there wasn’t Sgt. Winslow around to drag everyone one down with his moping.

*How intense was practice in the early moments? Even the waterboys were busting their arse trying to keep up with all the players running around.

*In one drill, coaches had linebackers practice rolling up ballcarriers using a giant tackling dummy.

*With Darrelle Revis relegated to riding a stationary bike, Leonard Johnson was working with the first team defense.

*Good ol’ Doug Martin, still biting the football, still running the distance like a Buccaneer Man should.

Just as Bucs coach Greg Schiano was determined to knock off all the quarterback controversy talk this afternoon after the Bucs’ first OTA practice of the calendar year, so too was Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman determined to dismiss the notion that he and Schiano don’t get along.

As he was mobbed on the practice fields of One Buc Palace on his way to the locker room, Freeman noted that instead of clashing with Schiano, the two have developed a close bond.

“Me and coach have a great relationship,” Schiano said. “I go up there [to Schiano’s office] at least every week and sit down and talk about football, talk about the team, talk about life. I’ve gotten to know Coach Schiano real well. He is a guy I am proud to play for.”

Freeman also waved off talk that third-round pick Mike Glennon may unseat him as the Bucs starting signal-caller.

“You want the best possible option behind you,” Freeman said of Glennon. “Mike completely fits. Down the road if we are making a run and something happens to me, you want a guy who can come in and keep it going. I am excited about [having] Mike, glad to have him about. Ready to get this rolling.”