Priority No. 1 for the leader of the New Schiano Order is ball security. Greg Schiano likes to say the whole game is about “the ball,” and he’s said that penalties and all ball-security issues fall in his executive lap immeidately following games and practices.

The Bucs worked tirelessly on protecting the football during practices and training camp. Those with the ball have to “bite” it. And there is no slacking allowed at any time. Returners must catch with proper form, high and tight.

Today, this all comes into the spotlight, with what will be a sloppy home-0pener under rainy skies on Dale Mabry Highway.

Players rave about their preparation under the New Schiano Order. Joe will believe that if the Panthers out-fumble the Bucs.

Veteran sports anchor Dave Wirth gives his take on the Bucs preparations for the Panthers in this exclusive breakdown for JoeBucsFan.com readers from Joe’s proud media partner WTSP-TV Channel 10.

Just what kind of defense will the Bucs come out with tomorrow? Will the Bucs blitz a lot, will they play it safe? No one knows for sure but there is one thing for sure, it seems ESPN’s Pat Yasinskas is certain about one thing:

Tomorrow’s battle between the Panthers and the Bucs will be won by how the victor’s defense plays. That’s what he explained in an ESPN NFC South chat.

Eric (Chapel Hill, NC)

How do you think the Tampa V. Carolina game play will be oriented? A battle of defenses or offense or mix of both. What is going to be the deciding factor in your opinion on who comes out on top?

Pat Yasinskas

Think the key is Tampa Bay’s defense. Lot of unknowns on that side of the ball. Can they slow Carolina’s offense?

Well, for the Bucs, it is all about how to stop — or contain — Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. Many Bucs players told Joe that stopping Newton is the key to stopping the Panthers rushing attack.

The Panthers have many offensive weapons. It will be interesting to see just what Greg Schiano concocts to shut the stinking Panthers down.

“We just had bad luck, Olie. A mental midget could see that.”

Those who analyzed Bucs’ preseason games couldn’t come up with much. Why? Because the Bucs didn’t reveal much. No team does.

But one thing appared to be clarified.

In three starts by the first-team Bucs, there were no slow starts. None. The heinous preparation and motivation of the Raheem Morris era that led to an endless stream of first-half failures vanished.

Somehow, the New Schiano Order found a way to have the team ready from the opening whistle. Imagine.

Frankly, Joe is extremely eager to see the Bucs make it four in a row tomorrow in the home-opener against Carolina. There’s absolutely no reason the Bucs should come out flat and lifeless.

Joe will be furious if they can’t play come out playing physical football after sitting on a 10-game losing streak for eight months, and with a new taskmaster coach up their ass.

Got tickets for Sunday’s Bucs-Panthers game? Joe’s friends at Tilted Kilt in Clearwater are going to get you there — in style.

Bucs fans can start their opening-day tailgate at Tilted Kilt and then get on a chauffeured luxury bus at 3 p.m. to Raymond James Stadium for the 4:25 p.m kickoff against Carolina. Then the luxury bus will return you right after the game to Tilted Kilt, where you can keep the party going into the night.

And best of all, a seat on the luxury bus costs only $3.95 roundtrip per person!!

That’s a huge savings! Crap, parking at the stadium would cost you $15 to $25.

Parking is safe, easy and convenient at Tilted Kilt. And you can bring Tilted Kilt food on the bus, and your own adult beverages. … Joe’s friends at Paradise Worldwide Transportation are doing the driving, which means it will be top-shelf service.

Buy your seat now below. After purchase, you’ll get an instant receipt and parking/pickup specifics emailed to you.

For what it’s worth, various local media types have gone on the record with their 2012 predctions for the men in pewter and red.

Wily Tampa Tribune veteran eye-RAH Kaufman hit the 98.7 FM airwaves today and told Rock Riley he sees this edition of the Bucs as a 6-10 team. Kaufman is down on the Bucs defense but believes there are “no excuses” for the Tampa Bay offense. Kaufman believes Josh Freeman is under pressure given the weapons around him and the 40 starts under his belt.

Stephen Holder, of the Tampa Bay Times, dropped an 8-8 vibe on the Bucs, also during an interview yesterday on 98.7 FM. And the ruler of the PewterReport.com universe, Scott Reynolds, went through the exercise of projecting a result of every 2012 Bucs game and came up with a 7-9 record.

What might be soothing to Bucs fans is that the so-called experts are rarely accurate. That includes Joe, who laid out his 6-10 take yesterday.

You know Joe can’t wait for some real freakin’ Bucs football when he starts the day off with a couple of posts about payroll. Let’s see some football already!!

When the Bucs plucked Dezmon Briscoe from the Bengals practice squad a couple of years ago, Marvin Lewis cried like a baby because he thought the Bucs over paid Briscoe and broke unwritten NFL rules. Then last year we learned the Bucs were paying a practice-squad ransom to keep George Johnson, now a key member of the defense.

And it seems the Bucs are it again, making it rain on practice squad DE/LB Markus White, per NFL.com.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Markus White  is currently the NFL’s highest-paid player on a practice squad, earning $17,647 per week, or $300,000 over the season. White, a seventh-round draft pick in 2011 by the Washington Redskins, appeared in two games last season and each of the Redskins’ four preseason games this season.

Well, the Redskins sure had better depth than the Bucs, as evidenced by the final preseason game.

Now securing White, a former Florida State DE, won’t take the Bucs to the playoffs this season. But it’s interesting that the Bucs’ free-spending ways this season haven’t stopped the flow of cash to the practice squad.

Joe’s not big on payroll accounting. It’s boring. But it is somewhat interesting when it comes to the Bucs and the team’s return to becoming one of the big spenders in the NFL, as they were in the early part of the last decade.

The dust has settled on team rosters, and CBS Sports NFL writer Jason La Canfora has compiled the latest league salary data. He reports the Bucs have “committed” more than $130 million in payroll for 2012, which ranks them among the top-8 spenders in the league.

The Buccaneers and Cardinals also top $130 million in committed cash for this season, with owners in the Glazers and the Bidwills who have been viewed by many as chronic under-spenders most years (and, to their point, had the Bidwills been willing to spend near these levels a few years back, and done the right thing to keep Kurt Warner and give him a contract he couldn’t walk away from, the Cardinals would be in much better shape and wouldn’t have had to throw money at Kevin Kolb). Arizona’s situation was just like Detroit’s; one player, in this case, Larry Fitzgerald, held the key to their offseason with a cap-killer contract for 2012 that forced a renegotiation. Fitzgerald became the highest-paid receiver in league history, and Arizona’s payroll was on the rise a few years after the team was criticized for losing a host of key players in free agency.

Tampa Bay went on a Dan Snyder-esque binge that included Vincent Jackson, Carl Nicks and Eric Wright early in free agency, and cash was king with those contracts as well, with the Bucs putting up big money now in the deals but having protections against bloated cap hits down the road and without inflated salaries deep in the contracts.

You can’t buy a great team in the NFL, so this is all somewhat meaningless. But it’s good to hear the Bucs haven’t saddled themselves with long term contract burdens. Hopefully, the Bucs’ young players will perform and Tampa Bay will need every last nickel to re-sign them.

Joe gets asked all the time what he thinks about the Bucs’ prospects for the 2012 season. And Joe now has an answer to share. Preseason “calls” are almost obligitory for every fan, an annual tradition. They’re fun. They’re annoying. Here’s what Joe’s thinking:

Every Bucs fan wants to imagine Greg Schiano is the next Jim Harbaugh, but that can’t be expected.

Schiano is a first-year head coach, with a first-time offensive coordinator, and the Bucs have new systems on both sides of the ball.

Schiano also has to overcome a team whose core is stuck in a 10-game losing streak. That’s not always so easy to stomp out of a team’s collective mindset. The head coach also is hoping for huge seasons from two starting rookies on defense and he’s banking on guys defensively that are injury-prone and unproven. Also out of the gate, Davin Joseph is toast for the season.

Those are some damn difficult hurdles to overcome immediately in order to become a winning football team in 2012. Also working against the Bucs is the fact that Schiano isn’t walking into a heinous NFC West, like Harbaugh did last year. Schiano is jumping into a division that’s loaded with talent and successful teams in the Saints and Falcons, and one in Carolina that had an elite offense in 2011.

Joe would love to see Josh Freeman prove otherwise, but right now he’s the fourth best quarterback in the NFC South and he likely doesn’t have a defense that can win him games.

Yes, Joe does believe in the New Schiano Order. Joe’s toes are on the line. Joe looks at the schedule and the task at hand and sees the Bucs winning two games in the first half and evolving into a more dangerous team that goes 4-4 in the second half. Add that up and Joe predicts a 6-10 season.

That written, Joe truly won’t be stunned if the Bucs surprise and do a little better. The Bucs have playmakers, assuming they stay healthy. Guys like Aqib Talib, Vincent Jackson, Josh Freeman and LeGarrette Blount have proven they can put a team on their backs for a game.

Joe’s rooting for the Bucs to go 16-0 like every other fan, but Joe’s expectations sit at 6-10.

You think you are excited for the 2012 NFL season to kick off? You should see the Bucs players at One Buc Palace. They have been bouncing around the Bucs locker room the past few days, and it’s not because there was country music blaring or because someone leaked a false rumor that Rachel Watson was prancing about the place.

No, there is a game to be played in a matter of hours. A real game. Against a real opponent. Joe got a chance to chat with one of the Bucs prized free agents, left guard Carl Nicks, to discuss how the Bucs almost feel like high school players again as they smell a new season about to start.

Nice to finally have a real game to play just a few hours away?

It feels real good. I’m tired of hitting these guys. Tired of looking at these guys. Going to be great to start the season, it’s going to be great. I’m looking forward to it.

How weird will it be for you that you are playing an NFC South division opponent, only you will be in a new uniform yourself?

I don’t think it’s going to be weird because I have been here a while When I first got here it was weird. But the months have seen like years so it doesn’t feel weird at all now.

Is the offense going to go as far as the offensive line will go?

I’m pretty well convinced that if we [offensive line] have a good game every week, we will win the game. It starts up front. I’m not putting any added pressure on the offensive line but we take pride in setting tempo and protecting Josh so it is all on us in a lot of ways. Short-yardage, goal line, pass protections, screens, every aspect that we are involved in.

You just said you didn’t want to put any added pressure on your linemates. But when Davin Joseph went down, did that put any added pressure on the left side of the line, on you and Donald Penn?

No. In this league, injuries happen all the time. Even though Davin is one of the best guards in the NFL, our team has such great depth, the next man hops up and that is how it is. Ted [Larsen] is more than capable.

As we wait for kickoff to the 2012 season, Super Bowl-winning coach Brian Billick and Taylor Jones looked deep inside the NFC South in this FoxSports.com video.

In his post-practice press conference today, the last he will have with the Tampa Bay pen and mic club prior to Sunday’s season opener against the stinking Panthers, Bucs coach Greg Schiano almost seemed playful. He was certainly in an upbeat mood.

When eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune asked Schiano if he knew what the first 15 plays offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan would call Sunday, Schiano looked at eye-RAH! and nodded his head, yes. When eye-RAH! decided to pry further asking Schiano if he would be kind enough to explain the plays, Schiano, with a twinkle in his eye, smiled and said, “No.”

But the first 15 plays, despite what Schiano said, aren’t exactly locked in.

“I want [Sullivan] to have a feel,” Schiano said. What he meant was, yes, the Bucs have 15 general plays already scripted, but what type of defense and what type of down and distance the play is will dictate exactly what Sullivan calls.

“That’s what I hired him for,” Schiano said in breaking down just how the first 15 plays are called. “I want him to do it by feel.”

Schiano noted that some coaches/offensive coaches are rigid with their first 15 plays and won’t deviate. Not Sullivan, per Schiano’s instructions.

“Some [coaches] read [the script] no matter what,” Schiano said. “We mix it up depending on who you are playing.”

The ballots have been cast by Buccaneers players, and 2012 team captains have been named.

In no particular order, they’re Josh Freeman and Vincent Jackson, Ronde Barber, Gerald McCoy, Adam Hayward and Andrew Economos — two representatives from each of the three phases of the team.

Last year, Quincy Black was a captain, but apparently his peers now prefer McCoy. It’s a great indicator of how much McCoy means to the roster and the success of the Bucs.

Yes, the Bucs are thin on the offensive line since right guard Davin Joseph went down with a knee injury.

And of course, with all the injuries and cuts to the defensive line, it isn’t exactly a deep unit either.

Enter cornerbacks. E.J. Biggers is a big question mark as he has been limited in practice this week, still trying to bounce back from a foot injury he suffered colliding with Arrelious Benn on the first day of training camp.

Now add Anthony Gaitor to the list. Gaitor has been nursing a gimpy hamstring and has also been limited in practice this week. He was spotted jogging on the practice field of One Buc Palace this morning and coach Greg Schiano gave a less-than-enthusiastic report on Gaitor’s status for Sunday’s game when Schiano grimaced and said, “50/50, probably.”

That puts rookie Leonard Johnson in a prime position to play Sunday, especially if Eric Wright or Aqib Talib need a break from the brutal Florida summer afternoon.

John Lynch isn’t sold on Ronde Barber the safety.

One great mystery of the 2012 Bucs lies up the gut of the secondary.

Will Mark Barron prove worthy of his draft status?

Can Ronde Barber transition successfully to safety at 37 years old?

Bucs icon John Lynch is bullish on Barron. Lynch thinks he’s the real deal. Barber? Well, Lynch isn’t sold on Barber the safety. Speaking on the Ron and Ian Show yesterday on WDAE-AM 620, Lynch said, “I would not move Ronde outta there,” referencing Barber leaving his cornerback slot.

Joe thinks Barber will do some great things at safety, just on his sheer football smarts and experience. But Joe has to agree that Barber’s seemless transition is not a given. Barber himself has downplayed any talk that it’s an easy move. Joe’s most concerned about Barber taking more of a pounding in run support.

Regardless, Barber’s presence is a big key to Barron’s development. That can’t discounted.

Slur-hurling Trey Wingo, Mark Schlereth, Jason Taylor and Bill Polian break down the Bucs game against the Panthers Sunday in this BSPN video.

Courtesy of the good people of the506.com, Joe brings you the TV coverage map for the late game on FOX Sunday, which is the window the Panthers-Bucs game will be broadcast. In the purple-shaded areas, residents will be able to watch the game via their local FOX affiliate.

“I’m talking about you, Free. Your time is now.”

Earlier this week defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan heaped a pile of pressure on Gerald McCoy, emphatically saying McCoy will be a “dynamic playmaker.”

Now, offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan is proudly spouting that Josh Freeman “has improved in each and every phase” of the game, so Sullivan said yesterday at One Buc Palace.

Joe loves how the coaches aren’t dancing around setting high expectations for key players.

Fans know that Freeman, who we’ve learned has now improved in every phase, also has been given loads of new weapons in Dallas Clark, Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin, plus a Carl Nicks upgrade on his line.

Freeman has to, absolutely has to improve quickly. Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik even said this week that Freeman’s aware “he has two years left on his contract.”

The pressure is on, No. 5.

Are Buccaneers afraid of the Panthers? Afraid of the IRS? Afraid of what those girls running around Blue Martini might be carrying?

Nope. Lots of Bucs tremble at the thought of letting down the leader of the New Schiano Order. Roy Miller explained to beat writer Rick Stroud in a piece published by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

“I don’t think any team, any player could frighten us more than messing up for (Greg) Schiano,” defensive tackle Roy Miller said of the Bucs’ head coach. “I think we all want to do exactly what he tells us to do. People are more scared of him than anything. That’s a good thing.”

Well, it’s clear that order is in full swing on the Bucs, and there’s a wave of healthy fear rumbling through the locker room at One Buc Palace right now. Whether it will equal wins or not is a mystery.

Speaking on WDAE-AM 620 yesterday, Derrick Brooks talked about how much he loves Greg Schiano’s commitment to his ways. Brooks’ only concern was what might happen to the Bucs if players defect from the current buy-in after some losses. Schiano won’t change, Brooks said, but the roster might have to.

Panthers all world quarterback Cam Newton is not shy of confidence. Given what he has done on football fields the past two seasons, both in the NFL and in college, no man could pull off those same feats if he didn’t have a bit of an air about him.

And while Newton is concerned about the Bucs, and the Bucs defense, he’s more concerned with how he and his fellow offensive mates perform on Sunday to open the 2012 season.

“It’s all about execution,” Newton said of the Panthers’ gameplan against the unknown, the Bucs new defense with a new coaching staff. “It is somewhat of a challenge, not just a whole new scheme but you wonder how they will attack us. That is our challenge.

“But we just have to execute the plays that are given to us.”

Newton was pressed a bit later, asked if maybe the Panthers will be walking into a lion’s lair, a revenge trap of sorts given how the Panthers manhandled the Bucs last season. Newton calmly dismissed that notion.

“It is not about what the opposing team does; it is about how we do, how we execute, how do we do the things we know what we are [capable of] doing,” Newton said. “It all comes down to accountability.”

Newton also dismissed distractions. While the Democratic National Convention has downtown Charlotte on lockdown, preventing the Panthers from getting about, the team decided to work out all week in Bradenton at the IMG Academies to escape the crush of security in Charlotte, and perhaps get a little acclimated to the hot and humid Florida weather as well.

For Newton, this week is no different than other weeks.

“No, it’s not a distraction,” Newton said. “There is no chaos. This is the NFL and you have to prepare in a different environment almost every week. It’s no different than traveling anywhere to prepare for another team.”

If Newton has any pause when it comes to the Bucs, it is when he is on the sidelines and Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman is directing the Bucs offense. Newton admitted to being a fan of Freeman’s.

“I respect everything Josh Freeman does,” Newton said. “He has a big arm, big talent. I’m pulling for him and I look for a great upcoming season [by Freeman]. I expect great things from him.”

As far if Newton plans to slash through the Bucs defense with his wheels, one could almost see the smile on Newton’s face as he said, “You will just have to watch the game and see.”

Cadillac Williams launched his career with 27 carries for 148 yards. Bucs fans could see that kind of load on Doug Martin against Carolina.

The leader of the New Schiano Order has set no limit on Doug Martin this weekend.

The rookie running back’s carries will be based on feel and urge, so Schiano said today. Schiano said he knows it’s a long season, but that’s not relevant Sunday and he’ll worry about that kind of stuff in future weeks.

“You get to play this game this Sunday. It’s a one game season, you know, as far as I’m concerned,” Schiano said. “And then we pick up the next one after that. So, you know, you do everything you can to be 1-0 after this one-game season.”

Frankly, Joe would love to see Martin get 25 carries and passes out of the backfield. And see LeGarrette Blount get his 20+ totes of the rock and be used diversely, as well.

If the Bucs are doing that, they’re going to stay out of trouble and beat Carolina. Schiano says he loves to run the football. Joe hopes that passion is evident.

Joe has been writing this for some time. The NFL has all but confessed it to be true.

In what Joe believes is a cultural change among American sports fans, more and more fans prefer the at-home experience (giant HDTVs in Sensurround, multiple replays at various camera angles, DVR rewind, multiple games via NFL Sunday Ticket, cheaper beer/food) than the in-game experience.

The evidence is all over the place but for Bucs fans, Joe has stumbled upon the smoking gun.

Rick Brown of the Lakeland Ledger has unearthed an item that documents NFL gear sales and it appears Tampa Bay area residents are among the best in the NFL at buying swag.

According to Fanatics.com, NFL fans in Tampa rank in the Top 10 in the NFL when it comes to buying NFL merchandise.

Tampa ranks ninth on the list of U.S. cities purchasing NFL gear. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re buying Buc gear but at least they’re NFL fans. According to the list, which data was compiled after the NFL Draft through the NFL preseason, Houston was the top city buying NFL swag, followed by Jacksonville (huh?), New York, Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego, Chicago, San Antonio, then Tampa and Phoenix.

For Joe, this should end the debate as to why the Bucs aren’t moving tickets despite all the perks offered by Team Glazer this weekend. More and more fans believe what SiriusXM Radio college football personality Bill King always says.

“If I go to a game I miss too much.”