The Bucs’ first OTA practice of the year had some very early fireworks, as rookie defensive tackle Akeem Spence got into a fight with Jeremy Zuttah that left the fourth-round pick jerseyless this morning.

It took a while to break up the pile up, as flags flew from the practice referees on the sun-drenched fields of One Buc Palace.

Spence told Joe after practice that it was his first snap of practice and he didn’t have a good grasp on how hard to explode off the ball — newsflash, there’s not supposed to be contact during these practices — and it seemed Jeremy Zuttah let the rookie know quickly what it’s like in the big leagues.

It took a while to resolve, Spence said, because “I’m never going to back down.”

“Hopefully [Zuttah] respects me for that because I want to be a part of the team,” Spence said. “It’s just me not knowing the speed. … Now I know I need to throttle it down a little bit but at the same time get my work.

“I’m not going to back down from nobody so I mean I had to let that be known here on the first day here. So, hey, there it is.”

Joe couldn’t pick a winner in the scrum, though it seems the Bucs have a rookie that will play hard until and unless somebody tells him to dial it back.

Greg Schiano takes great pride in being an obsessed-with-details guy. So one must wonder why the head coach recently chose to chat with a Chicago-based national sportswriter about the possibility of rookie Mike Glennon winning the Bucs’ starting quarterback job just hours before the first 2013, full-squad practice this morning.

For a commander of Schiano’s intellect, surely his comments were a calculated media move — and Joe can only speculate it was done to light a raging fire under the buttocks of Josh Freeman.

The only problem is the notion of Glennon starting “if he wins the job” (Schiano’s words) is utter nonsense. Freeman knows it and thinking fans know it, too.

Glennon has zero chance of winning the QB job out of the preseason, and barring injury to Freeman he’ll only get to start if, in Schiano’s mind, Freeman has lost the job during the regular season and the organization wants to move on from No. 5.

Freeman will earn $8.4 million, plus incentives, this season. There’s absolutely zero chance he’s riding the bench out of training camp unless Schiano has completely lost his mind.

So why did Schiano invite a writer to spread baloney about Glennon winning the job?

It’s a great question and one the head coach surely would chalk up to craving competition at all positions and simply expressing his philosophy on team sports. That’s nice, but it’s misleading. Freeman has as much chance of starting the season on the bench as DaQuan Bowers or Adrian Clayborn.

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Maligned Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton has had a more productive NFL career thus far than Josh Freeman.

In recent months, Joe has heard former NFL coach and player personnel man Pat Kirwan, who co-hosts “Movin’ the Chains” with Tim Ryan on SiriusXM NFL Radio, harp a few times on Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton.

In Kirwan’s eyes, Dalton still has a lot to prove and is not an established NFL quarterback. Kirwan believes this year is a do-or-die season for Dalton as a starter and the Bengals likely will go quarterback shopping after this season if Dalton does not improve.

Why does Kirwan believe this? Kirwan specifically cites Dalton’s record as a starter against teams with winning records, a paltry 3-12.

Why does Joe write this? Because Kirwan is a firm supporter of Josh Freeman, yet Freeman’s record against teams with winning records isn’t much better than Dalton’s.

In three and a half years, roughly, as a starting quarterback, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Freeman’s record against opponents with a winning record is 6-15.

If one was to nitpick, two of those wins came in the final week of a season after the opponent (New Orleans in 2010 and Atlanta last season) had already secured their postseason positions.

Ironically Sunday morning, Evan Silva, the superb NFL analyst for both NBC Sports and Rotoworld.com, was Twitteringlike a man who just slugged down an Americano Grande about Freeman and Silva linked both Dalton and Freeman.

@evansilva: Buccaneers playing serious mind games with Freeman. Response will be critical to his career. Seems mentally fragile based on on-field play. … 2 most deceiving QB stat lines in 2012 were Josh Freeman & Andy Dalton. Neither played remotely that well. In fairness, Free has big issues.

Before Joe’s readers starting furiously typing that Joe is a Freeman hater, slow down! As Joe has written several times before, the absolute best chance for the Bucs to make the playoffs is for Freeman to not just start (ahead of rookie Mike Glennon), but to play well.

To Joe, it is very telling that Freeman struggles more often than not against good teams. Yes, yes, players should struggle against good teams. But upper echelon players rise to the occasion and don’t wilt under the pressure of, or vanish in the face of, a tough opponent.

No, Dalton’s numbers are not good at all against winning teams. But to his credit, Dalton has done more in his two seasons than Freeman has in four: Dalton has led his team to the playoffs twice.

And like the NFC South during Freeman’s career, the AFC North is annually dominated by two teams often battling for a Super Bowl, Pittsburgh and Baltimore.

Today is the first OTA practice of 2013 for the Bucs. And yes, Joe will have loads of content from this morning’s practice.

Today is the day for Freeman to begin playing on Dalton’s level. The level of a playoff quarterback.

For Freeman, that trek begins this morning.

Joe sees that the story linked below has gone viral on the interwebs today after good guy Dan Pompei of the Chicago Tribune got a hold of Greg Schiano, who said rookie QB Mike Glennon could start for the Bucs this year.

But Schiano qualified his statement saying, “If he’s needed.”

Translation? Glennon starts if Freeman gets hurt or is Trent Dilfer-like miserable beyond words, which no one really expects, as Pompei wrote for National Football Post.

Schiano, who also recruited Flacco years ago, sees the comparisons. “Their body types are similar,” he said. “Joe is probably a little more mobile. Both are kind of deadpan guys, not screamers. They are kind of flat line that way, but in a good way. Intense competitors, both of them. Glennon has a heck of a lot of playing and production to do before he can compare to Joe in that way, but coming out of college there are some similarities.”

What will matter for Glennon moving forward isn’t how he compares to Flacco. It’s how he compares to Freeman. No one expects Glennon to beat out Freeman this year. But it’s not out of the question.

Schiano said he believes Glennon “can play quickly” if he is needed. “But our situation will be only if he’s needed,” he said. “Or if he wins the job. Look, I’m not against that. We have a starting quarterback. It’s not like we’re looking to find a starter. But competition is competition. Mike Glennon is a fierce competitor. I knew that when he was coming out of high school. Now being able to work with him a little, you can see it on the practice field.”

It’s the final paragraph (the third-last paragraph of the story) of the quote above that has many abuzz on the interwebs. Even Pompei knows that Freeman will be the starter this year, barring injury or a complete and total meltdown by Freeman.

Look, the absolute best chance for the Bucs to have a winning season much less a playoff appearance is for Freeman to shine. He has all the toys he needs. It is now in his lap; no more excuses, no more pointing to bloated stats. Win games. Now. Period.

If the Bucs rely on Glennon this season, it’s a very good bet the Bucs are in a world of trouble.

Legendary NBA analyst Hubie Brown loves to say, “You can’t teach height.”

And that philosophy is part of what has the Bucs all jacked up about the potential of fourth-round pick William Gholston.

The big defensive end is listed at 6-7, 285 pounds, and Bucs rockstar general manager Mark Dominik thinks his college success rushing inside could translate well to the pro game, even if it doesn’t equal sacks. Dominik explained on a recent NFL.com podcast.

“Coach Schiano is a great head coach for a guy like Gholston,” Dominik said. “I think the versatility of him, too, is what’s going to make him become a better player and have a chance to be dressed and start playing more and more early in his career. I feel like he can certainly play left end. He can give you some snaps at right end, but he also did a good job at moving inside. And I think a big guy like that, that can be inside, can disrupt the passing game whether you’re sacking your quarterback or just getting your hands up and making the quarterback moving his launching point, even a half and inch to an inch ends up being a foot down the field. And so I think Gholston has a chance to do really do a lot of different things. And that’s what makes him attractive, and that’s why we’re excited we drafted him.”

Sure, Gholston’s got potential, but in a league that worships pass rushers, there’s not a huge likelihood of a great one slipping to the fourth-round out of a big program like Michigan State.

Gholston seems like a project a project-type investment that is more likely to pay dividends in 2014 and beyond.

Joe would love Gerald McCoy and the Bucs in the playoffs, but even with an improved secondary, there is much work to do for a playoff berth given how strong the NFC should be this fall.

With the revamped Bucs defensive backfield, the Bucs should have their strongest team since the flirtation with the playoffs in 2010, and quite possibly the Bucs could have their best team since Chucky roamed the sidelines and cursed at everyone.

Some national football types are smitten.

Saturday, beat writer eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune noted some think the Bucs are a playoff team because of a suddenly stacked roster, so he said on “The End Zone,” co-hosted by Howard Balzer and Zig Fracassi, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

eye-RAH! Kaufman: There are a lot of Bucs fans down here thinking that this is a playoff team. And you know what? I’m not so sure they are wrong right now.

Howard Balzer: Well the thing was Ira, last year, at whatever point of the season it was, they were in position to at least be there in the playoff hunt and then, I think, they lost five in a row and the bottom just fell out and then [Josh] Freeman had a couple of bad games, a couple of four-interception games and all of a sudden the season ended badly. Obviously, they showed something there that first half of the season to get themselves into that [playoff hunt] and now they just have to be able to finish and be consistent the whole season.

Kaufman: No question. Greg Schiano had his share, guys, of growing pains in Year 1 after 11 years in the college circuit at Rutgers. They were missing two Pro Bowl guards. They have nine players guys – nine! – on this roster that have made the Pro Bowl. Now, one of them is [wide receiver] Steve Smith from the Giants and he is probably not going to make an impact this year but the others, Carl Nicks, David Joseph, Vincent Jackson, Doug Martin, Gerald McCoy, [Dashon] Goldson, [Darrelle] Revis. There is talent here guys.

There is talent but Joe’s not talking playoffs. Not yet. Why? Just look at the NFC landscape.

The conference is as top-heavy and loaded as Joe can remember in this century. Only six teams qualify for the playoffs; four division winners and two wild cards.

San Francisco, Green Bay, Seattle, New York, Atlanta, Minnesota, Washington and New Orleans are teams Joe believes will be the strongest in the conference. Yes, the Bucs beat Minnesota last year, but it was the Vikings, not the Bucs, who played in January.

Then throw in a few teams with enough talent to challenge for a playoff spot, like Chicago, Dallas and Detroit (which has dangerous weapons), and it’s easy to see how the Bucs could be vastly improved but watching playoff games on the couch.

On paper, the Bucs sure are improved. But to expect a playoff berth, Joe isn’t going there. That’s too much of a leap to predict with the NFC so packed with strong teams.

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Some think Joe is fueling the drama/controversy/perceived competition surrounding Josh Freeman and rookie Mike Glennon.

Actually, Joe is doing what he always does, delivering what Joe finds interesting. And what Glennon may or may not have to offer once the pads come on in July is interesting, especially since rockstar general manager Mark Dominik confirmed that Glennon will have a huge workload come August.

Glennon joined Movin’ The Chains on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday and was asked to explain where he needs work by co-host Tim Ryan.

“Right now, I mean obviously, it’s about learning this new system,” Glennon said. “That’s the No. 1 thing on my mind right now is to learn our system and what we’re trying to accomplish as an offense. And then once I’m able to do that, when it comes to the football side of execution, I think I just need to continue to get more accurate, to be more consistent, and then finally develop more foot speed and my overall athletic ability.”

It was interesting to Joe that Glennon mentioned improving his athleticism. Glennon is no young rookie; he’ll turn 24 during this season. Of course, he can improve his physical ability, but Joe’s not sure how much is realistic unless Glennon was in a situation at North Carolina State where he wasn’t focusing on it.

Regardless, Glennon is not the athlete Freeman is. It feels like ancient history, but there was a time (2010) when Freeman was the league’s No. 2 rusher at QB and a guy who could win a game with his body.

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Various national and local media keep pushing a line of thinking that Greg Schiano and Josh Freeman have a lukewarm relationship.

Joe, however, has heard from multiple sources that Schiano and Freeman are actually tight and respect each other very much.

Freeman addressed his relationship with the Bucs head coach yesterday on the WDAE-AM 620  “Sports Page” show.

“Actually, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Coach Schiano’s office [this offseason], talking with him around the facility,” Freeman said. “Just, you know, getting to know him better, talking about aspirations, what we’re trying to do with this team, you know, the direction.  I actually feel like my relationship with coach Schiano is probably the best of any coach. I got to know him extremely well.

.

“Like with anybody, the more you get to know them, the more you find out what they’re about, their morals, just what they stand for. And you know Coach Schiano is all about doing things the right way. It’s been an awesome relationship.”

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Does Joe really have to be graphic about the Bucs’ horrifying pass defense last year? The second-worst in NFL history?

For Joe, watching that pass defense was like re-experiencing the nuns that taught him in grade school: a period of Joe’s life he tries to purge from his memory, often with the help of Joe’s good friend, Mr. Alcohol.

So when Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik went on SiriusXM NFL Radio recently and spoke openly about upgrading the secondary, he wasn’t joking. It’s possible the Bucs have gone from the worst secondary to potentially the best.

For this reason, Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News gives the Bucs an “A” grade for their offseason transactions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Grade: A

Best addition: S Dashon Goldson

So the Bucs finally did trade for Revis, but given the concern about his knee, the secondary move that deserves more love is the signing of Goldson away from the 49ers. He does everything at safety and is the perfect complement to another hard hitter in run support, Mark Barron. The Bucs aggressively addressed their huge secondary need with a home run.

On paper, it sure looks like the Bucs did a complete 180 with the secondary, including the drafting of Johnthan Banks in the second round.

For this reason in particular, Joe is intrigued to see how the Bucs defend the pass come September.

He could fly, and backflip, with the best in the NFL. Yes, of course Joe remembers speedy Horace Copeland, who caught 115 balls with the Bucs from 1993-1997.

“Hi-C” has been a regular at FanFest in past years, and he’s still working hard on various charitable community projects. FOX-13 caught up with Copeland about a free football camp he’s having today in Spring Hill. All the info. is here.

Joe is amused by the frenzy surrounding the infancy of the Bucs’ quarterback competition/controversy. Rookie Mike Glennon is a third-round pick in a quarterback-hungry league who has yet to perform in a real practice.

Plenty of observers, however, think he could be on the field quickly.

Twice during his ESPN.com live chat today, NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas wrote that Bucs fans should expect to see Glennon if Josh Freeman gets off to a rough start in 2013.

Joe knows all this blubbering about Freeman comes down to what kind of standards/expectations Greg Schiano has set for Freeman.

If Schiano expects consistency and greatness from Freeman, then history says there’s a solid shot he’ll be let down. Perhaps all Schiano wants is no mistakes as he pounds Doug Martin and moves the chains, playing the kind of football he talked about craving this time last year.

As for Glennon, Joe really hopes not to see him outside of preseason. That likely would mean the Bucs are in trouble, though again it comes back to Schiano’s expectations for Freeman.

Joe could envision a scenario where even if the Bucs are winning, Schiano gives Glennon a start to replace a struggling Freeman, assuming Schiano liked what he saw from Glennon’s big preseason workload. He can always go back to Freeman if it doesn’t work out. Schiano had no problem shuffling QBs at Rutgers, so there’s no reason to think he wouldn’t consider it at the NFL level.

You know what impressed Joe most about last season? It was how Doug Martin, after a modest start, turned the corner and became a Pro Bowler despite running behind a line riddled with injuries.

Some believe Martin not only will be better this season, but he could very well have a record-breaking campaign.

The pride of Northwestern, Scott Smith, writing for “The Captain’s Blog” on Buccaneers.com, thinks Martin could have a 15-touchdown year.

The problem with choosing a specific statistical first-time achievement for a Buccaneer player is that there aren’t too many obvious milestones left, especially after Freeman’s 4,000-yard campaign last year. Doug Martin rather noisily chased 2,000 yards from scrimmage last year, and while that would have made him just the third rookie to hit that mark it wouldn’t have been a first time for the Bucs. James Wilder had 2,229 during his amazing 1984 season. 100 catches, 1,500 rushing yards, 25 touchdown passes, 200 tackles, 15 sacks, 10 interceptions – they’ve all been done.

We could go with 30 touchdown passes or 20 sacks or the next even number up on some of those lists, but we’ve chosen the 15-touchdown campaign – scoring 15 TDs, that is, not throwing them – for one good reason. The Buccaneers are the only team in the NFL who has never had a player hit that milestone. James Wilder’s 13 touchdowns in 1984 remains the franchise’s single-season record.

Obviously, Doug Martin would be the leading candidate. He had 12 touchdowns as a rookie, which is a pretty impressive opening salvo. If one assumes a little more development in his (already outstanding) game, and in the Bucs’ offense as a whole, it’s not hard to envision a jump of three more scores. Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams might have a shot, as well.

So let’s say this does happen, that Martin reaches such a milestone. That gives Joe good vibes. If a running back sets records, that generally means his team isn’t throwing the ball that much. Often, lousy teams rack up a lot of passing yards because they are playing from behind.

If Martin is scoring that many touchdowns, it tells Joe the Bucs are winning the time-of-possession game, which often translates into victories.

Lots of fun in this video of Bucs rookie defensive tackle and fourth-round pick Akeem Spence.

Among many topics, Spence explains why he can’t impress ladies with a Jamaican accent even though he’s from Jamaica. Plus, Spence gets into why the Bucs “fell in love with me,” taking double-teams away from Gerald McCoy, Ron Zook, and why he’s determined to be the strongest Buccaneer.

And Joe always enjoys a guy sitting down for an introduction to Buccaneers fans everywhere sporting a “Don’t Sweat My Swag” t-shirt.

The New Schiano Order said it wanted competition for Josh Freeman and now it’s got a guy that isn’t taking a backup mindset.

Rookie third-round pick Mike Glennon talks a good game and isn’t viewing himself as a backup quarterback, so he explained on Movin’ The Chains on SiriusXM Radio yesterday. Co-host Pat Kirwan went fishing for Glennon’s mindset and came away impressed.

Pat Kirwan: It’s easy for some [quarterbacks] that go to places where they might already be considered the starter. How do you establish yourself where you are? Do you take a backseat and kind of keep your ears and eyes open and your mouth closed? Do you try to take charge and get some receivers together outside the realm of club activities and do things throwing the ball?

Mike Glennon: First I just want to be a good teammate. I’m going to be a good teammate to all the guys, to the quarterbacks, to the line, to everybody. And earn the respect that way and kinda take everything in and listen to what they have to say. But at the same time, I don’t know if taking a backseat would be the right term because I’m a competitor and I’m going to do whatever I can to compete. So at the same time, though, I understand I’m a rookie and it’s a process, and I’m just going to worry about getting better each and every day and let things play out that way.

Joe knows every great backup quarterback must approach everything like he’s the starter. There’s really no other way to do it successfully.

So it’s great to hear Glennon already is dialed in to getting after every inch of his opportunity. He wouldn’t be competition for Freeman if he wasn’t thinking that way.

Respected NFL writer Doug Farrar, of Yahoo! Sports, made an appearance recently on WHBO-AM with Charlie Bernstein and talked all things Bucs.

Farrar, naturally, was asked about Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman. In so many words, he referred to Freeman as the Tony Romo of the Bucs.

Charlie Bernstein: What is your take on Josh Freeman?

Doug Farrar: [Pauses] [Deep sighs] You know, I think he is talented. I don’t’ think he has gotten the most out of his talent. He is kind of in that Tony Romo category where he is going to be really good at certain points and be eye-poppingly horrible at others. When it comes to the upper echelon of quarterbacks, that is just not how it is done. I guess frustration is one word for Greg Schiano, who is controlling, which all college coaches are.

And Freeman is a guy Mark Dominik drafted and I think part of it is Schiano wants his guy. He wants his own guy in there. A guy he can groom.

I think this year he will get the most out of Freeman [because it is his contract year and] he will either be the guy or he will walk.

Russell Wilson happens once in a decade so let’s slow down.

Joe found this to be interesting. The main hangup on Romo is that he cannot win big games, despite his talent. Isn’t that what Bucs fans are waiting for Freeman to do, win big games?

If the Bucs are going to make the playoffs this year, a dicey proposition given how top-heavy the NFC is, Freeman cannot be Romo. Freeman needs to be above the fray in big games this season.

Could the Bucs use an extremely versatile, durable defensive lineman, who’s also productive?

The answer seems like a no-brainer.

But for some reason the Bucs are passing on free agent Israel Idonije. who had 7 1/2 sacks with the Bears last season and hasn’t missed a game since 2006.

Super Bowl winning former general manager Charley Casserly, of NFL Network, also is flummoxed by Idonije’s NFL homelessness, as he explained in this NFL Network video.

“I watched the guy in five games last year. Every time you watch him this guy makes a play!” Casserly said of Idonije. “He can give you a nickel rush inside. He can still be a solid defensive end outside in a rotation. And every now and then he’ll give you a rush from the outside, a little mystery to me why this guy’s not on a roster. But as a rotating defensive lineman he can play all four positions in a rotational role. Good sign, I think.”

Idonije is 32 years old, and it’s unknown what kind of money he’s seeking.

Perhaps Idonije is no better than Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, but if Joe were the Bucs’ general manager, he’d want to give the guy a workout and an interview. What’s to lose? Idonije spent the past three years on Rod Marinelli’s defensive line in Chicago and was blossoming there.

This video contains a visual most Bucs fans might have thought impossible two years ago: LeGarrette Blount wearing Patriots gear.

Patriots media caught up with Blount for a 1-on-1, which includes Blount describing himself as “a tough-nosed, kinda old school player,” — hey, that sounds like a Buccaneer Man — as well as a great NFL Films look at his iconic Bucs touchdown in Green Bay.

Joe wishes the big fella well.

Yes, Joe wrote earlier today that there are all sorts of questions along the Bucs defensive line.

Sure, on paper, in a perfect world, the Bucs should put pressure on quarterbacks. Da’Quan Bowers is healthy, as is Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy. And Adrian Clayborn is returning from an ugly knee injury.

Of course, this depends on Bowers staying healthy, GMC staying healthy and Clayborn being able to bounce back from surgery.

This week on his Instagram account, Clayborn posted a picture that seems to suggest he is well on his way back. He posted the picture above with the caption, “Progress is real. #living”

It sure is comforting to see Clayborn doing agility drills at One Buc Palace. Now if he can play at 100 percent, it sure would help GMC out and draw traffic away from him.