When Monte Kiffin ran the Bucs defense, what was termed a “Cover-2” by the way the safeties played, the Bucs defense was so suffocating for so long the type of defense became known as the “Tampa-2” because no team excelled at it for as long and as well as the Bucs.

However, writing an excerpt for Cheerios-loving Peter King in his must-read “Monday Morning Quarterback” on SI.com, NFL scribe Alex Marvez notes that information he has culled from former NFL general manager Bill Polian and from longtime Bucs safety Ronde Barber, the Tampa-2 is going the way of the Dodo bird thanks to NFL rules changes geared toward player safety.

The cover-two defense as we know it could be on the road to becoming obsolete. Polian got into a fascinating exchange with Tampa Bay free safety Ronde Barber about this topic. Barber is entering his 15th NFL season playing in the acclaimed “Tampa-2,” a scheme predicated upon the strong safety disrupting receivers who are funneled toward the middle of the field by cornerbacks playing zone coverage on the outside. Many of the bone-jarring safety hits once allowed are now banned as the NFL has instituted rules to better protect pass catchers. That has Polian, whose Colts used that system from 2002 through 2011 after Tony Dungy was hired as head coach, questioning whether it can be used effectively in today’s NFL. Said Barber: “Our theory was all these guys got to the ball and intimidation was a physical act. It was, ‘Get guys to run through zones. We’ll shoot our guns and separate them from the ball.’ The rules will definitely affect it … I know we don’t play cover-two now the way we used to.”

This is sort of sad to Joe as it is an end of an era, but this is not surprising. Barber has hinted that under former defensive coordinator/head coach Raheem Morris that the Bucs were not playing a Tampa-2, but instead what Barber referred to as a “Tampa-2.2.”

Clearly the Bucs were not playing a Tampa-2 during the heinous Jim Bates Experiment.

The NFL evolves. Quickly in fact. About the only defense that has lasted through the years — decades to be accurate — has been the 44 defense which was developed by Tom Landry when he was the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants in the 1950s.

The New Schiano Order may be a cold slap in the face to some Bucs players (it sure was to Kellen Winslow), but the amount of detail new Bucs coach Greg Schiano puts into drills is so detailed, it is as if the Bucs are being taught the game of football from scratch.

This news of the New Schiano Order led Chris Brown, proprietor of the outstanding SmartFootball.com, to browse through his files and he came up with a gem of a transcription of Schiano.

Apparently, as a Rutgers coach, Schiano spoke at a coaching clinic about recovering fumbles, and his minute attention to detail was on full display when he explained what he tells his players who are in a scrum for a loose ball to expect when opponents get a little too handsy in a desperate attempt to get the loose pigskin.

“We also have our players perform the recover drill. In this drill, we stress three aspects: covering the points by surrounding the football; covering the ball in a fetal position so none of the brown part of the football shows; and, when they recover a fumble, we also ask our players to close their eyes, close their mouths, and squeeze their buttock cheeks.

“What happens at the bottom of the pile on a fumble? One thing that may occur is that the opponents may stick a finger in the eye of the man with the ball. What do you do when someone sticks a finger in your eye? In all likelihood, you may take one hand off the ball. The second thing the opponents do is fishhook you with a finger in your mouth, and then rip your mouth with that finger. Again, this action may lead you to take one hand off the ball.

“Another thing the opponents might do is to grab you in the testicular area. At this point, you may have no hands on the football, which is why we tell our players who recover a fumble to close their eyes and mouths, and to squeeze their butt cheeks.”

Now Joe has noticed the Bucs running drills on recovering the football but Joe has not noticed — nor was Joe looking — to see what certain players are doing with their free hands in a pileup.

Joe can just imagine what goes on in a pileup for a loose ball in the NFL, but it’s not something one really wants to see or dwell on.

But if curiosity has the best of you, in the link Joe provided above, Brown has graphic video of a game between Nebraska and Texas A&M of the acts of a desperate defender, trying to gain possession of a fumble.

Joe is not trying to read too much into a first half of a first preseason game, but damn, how cool was it to see the Bucs actually run the damned football? Run it in the red zone? Scoring a touchdown?

That was just what the Bucs hope to do each week, Mike Williams told Joe after the win over the Dolphins to open the preseason schedule.

“That first drive, 13 plays, that’s good, “Williams said. “That what we wanted to do. We overcame penalties and to do that [and score], it felt good.”

Joe reminded Williams of the previous season where a drive would come to a screeching halt after a penalty. Williams smiled at Joe and said, “I kind of forgot last year.”

Referring to another nasty Bucs habit of last year, Williams added, “It is always great when you score seven instead of three.”

Joe wasn’t the lone person who got a chance to speak with longtime successful NFL front office honcho Bill Polian when he visitied Bucs training camp while co-hosting a show with Alex Marvez heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio last week.

Even eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune got a chance to chat with Polian, who believes better days are ahead for Bucs fans, meaning, perhaps, fewer blackouts.

“This state has been hit as hard as any in the nation and the team’s been up-and-down,’’ Polian said. “They haven’t established an identity as compared to the old Bucs. But if they win, people will come back. This is a football town—and it always has been. You have to realize the economy is very tough and this is a relatively small market.’‘

Of course, winning cures all ills. But Joe believes Polian has a point: With Father Dungy, and later Chucky, the Bucs had an identity. It was a bruising defense. With Raheem Morris, the identity was more hapless than intimidating, some suggest worse: quitters.

This will not be the case under the New Schiano Order. Expect a return to a punishing run game and a smart, attacking defense.

The various sizes, colors and quaility of sport coats on hangers across the Bucs’ locker room Friday night made the place look more like a Men’s Warehouse clearance sale than a postgame hangout.

It was yet another new detail on display under the New Schiano Order. When you travel on the road, you look like you’re on a serious business trip. Coaches, players, everyone.

For years, Bucs icon Ronde Barber arguably was the sharpest dressed Buccaneer. And Barber now appreciates that he’ll have more company when it comes to off-field style and professionalism.

“Coach Schiano wants us to present ourselves in a first-class manner,” Barber said. “This is it. A lot of guys have done it already, but it’s nice to have solidarity across the team doing it.

“We’re coming to every away game dressing [professionally]. It’s to really come on a mission. So it’s more a business trip than anything else.”

As for home games, Barber said, “I haven’t heard our policy on that yet.”

Davin Joseph laughed when Joe asked him about the fancy threads. This kind of rule wasn’t in place under Raheem Morris.

“It’s a good change,” Joseph said. “It’s a positive change for the entire team. It’s every time we travel. Every time, all the time [we’re out],” Joseph said. “

Do you have to wear the shiny black shoes, Davin?

“No. You can pick your color. Nobody’s gone too extravagant yet, but I’m sure it’s to come,” Joseph said.

A veteran Buccaneer, who requested his name not be published, told Joe he suspects there will be more uniformity to the Bucs’ dress code when the final roster is in place: “It wouldn’t have been fair to tell guys struggling to get their first NFL paycheck to go out and buy a suit, but that’s probably going to change for the regular season.”

Warren Sapp gushes over the methods of the New Schiano Order

In this Man Channel video (aka NFL Network video), Bucs icon Warren Sapp and Kurt Warner debate the way Greg Schiano is running the Bucs with an iron hand.

But there really is no debate, both future Hall of Famers love the New Schiano Order approach. Sapp gets particularly animated in his support for the Schiano way.

“You can not walk into a football organization and live soft and fight hard,” Sapp says.

Sapp went on to say the lines for the Bucs players are “clearly drawn on the floor. So when they do throw you those bones, they really react to you like, ‘Fellas, hey we going to pull it back today. Oh, coach. Ok, coach with us right now.’ You have to set it stern and then pull it back. Because if you go in soft, it’s over.”

Listening to Sapp, Joe thought back to how the Bucs reacted as if they just won a playoff game after Donald Penn caught a punt during minicamp, a challenge from Greg Schiano. Penn’s reward was the Bucs ending practice early.

Joe wonders what will be the next “bone” Schiano will toss his team.

Cody Grimm had at least two misses last night

Bucs tackling was hardly perfect last night. Is it ever in a preseason game?

Per the analysis of the New Schiano Order, the Bucs had seven tackles for a loss in Miami — that’s darn good — and 12 missed tackles. The dozen is a too-high number and a decent chunk were on the first-team defense.

Three of them can be seen right here on one play, when Gerald McCoy, Cody Grimm and Ronde Barber couldn’t wrap up Reggie Bush.

Today, Greg Schiano talked about how now the Bucs can get back to their fundamental tackling drills, a staple of Schiano practices, and “connect the dots” to better apply their technique. In all, Schiano was not alarmed.

“We missed 12 tackles. So, you now, I’ve had games where we missed 18 to 20 tackles and you also had games where you missed four tackles. So 12’s kinda, eh, not good, not the worst,” Schiano said.

All that matters is whether the Bucs get the sloppy tackling corrected. If the tackling’s not sharp on opening day, then look for the Bucs to get gutted and gashed from the Panthers strong running and scrambling game. The game is still blocking and tackling at its core.

Joe’s feeling real rosy coming out of the first dance of the New Schiano Order last night in Miami, but there was plenty of ugliness to go around, as well.

On defense, Joe was definitely down on Myron Lewis’ performance. He got beat multiple times, and didn’t look strong or to be playing fast. Dolphins receiver Roberto Wallace muscled him to the ground with the ball in his hands and scampered for a long gain. Lewis was impressive in practice over the past week, but in Joe’s mind, last night Lewis lost the ground he had gained.

Grimm was a surprise starter at safety alongside Ronde Barber, and he, too, had a tackle broken on him and didn’t flash any of his trademark physical play with the first team. At least Grimm was much better positionally than Lewis, and Larry Asante. Without the benefit of coach’s film, Joe’s quite certain Asante’s angles on the football were rather Sabbyesque.

The right side of the Bucs’ bookend Pro Bowl guards talked to Joe after the preseason opening victory in Miami last night.

JoeBucsFan.com: Watching from up high in the stadium, it looked like nobody was within two steps of Josh Freeman, how do you think the O-line pass blocked?

Davin Joseph: We did a good job up front protecting the quarterback. Remember ,of course we still got to improve. There’s still a lot of stuff for us to work on technique-wise, recognizing different fronts so we can do that consistently. But so far so good.

Joe: That opening drive running four times after 1st-and-goal, was that music to your ears?

Joseph: Oh, yeah. Exactly. I like it like that. That confidence in the line and the tight ends and the backs to get it in. They put it on our backs and we got it done.

Joe: At 3rd-and-goal and 4th-and-goal, the wide receivers were out. What’s with that all-power set?

Joseph: That’s something we work on of course in practice. The offensive coordinator said run it; we ran it. It worked for us two times in the goal line situation. We’ve done it in the past. But now we’re simplifying the entire plan and focusing on what we’re good at. That’s what made us so efficient this time.

Joe: A few years ago you told Joe how much you loved blocking for Cadillac Williams because he was an inspriational figure. Does it really matter to O-linemen who carries the ball?

Joseph: Oh, yeah. It always matters who has the ball. But you earn that respect and that love for a player through their performance and through practicing their hard work. We have really special backs this year in LeGarrette and Doug. They’ve really been working so hard and you want to see them do well. Just like we were in love with a guy like Cadillac, you know, it’s easy to fall in love with LeGarrette because he’s working so hard, along with Doug. You want to see them have success.

Blount went over the top for the Bucs’ opening score

Joe chatted with LeGarrette Blount after the Bucs took care of business in Miami last night. Here are Blount’s comments:

On the opening touchdown drive:  Everything went really well that whole drive. Everything was blocked the way we planned it. You gotta have pride, and you gotta have the will and feel like no one can stop you [running] four times in a row. That’s the will that our guys have.

On the Bucs rushing four times inside the 10 yard line: That’s the way we’re going to be. That’s definitely what we’re going to do. We’re going to run the football inside. That was definitely a statement that I guess is going to be known around the league.

On Doug Martin: “We can definitely be the best duo in the league,” Blount said of himself and Martin. “With the schemes that we’re running and with the offensive line that we have. You know, with the blocking, you know, with the complement he is to me and the complement I am to him, we definitely have the potential to be the best backfield in the league without a doubt.”

On changes to his running and body: I feel faster. I feel a lot quicker. I feel a lot lighter on my feet. … It definitely lets teams know you’re not one-dimensional. It makes you be able to do certain things in other areas. We’re going to be good. I’m definitely going to be the same type of back I’ve been in the league, though. It’s just the drills that Coach [Earnest] Byner has us doing. You know, the lifting and the running throughout practice as our conditioning. That’s what does it all. This is as strong as I’ve felt in my career.

Josh Freeman weighs in on red zone strategy

One thing cool about the Bucs of not-so-old was with Mike Alstott and a beat-down defense, the Bucs simply dictated how the game would be played.

That’s exactly what Greg Schiano wants the Bucs to return to: smashmouth, in-your-face offense and a smothering defense.

In the first test of the New Schiano Order, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman gave the exam a passing grade.

“All day, all day,” Freeman said about how the Bucs wanted to impose their will on the Dolphins. “Coach has talked about how great teams run the ball in the red zone. We definitely did that. It’s good to see us go for it on fourth down and put it on the offensive line and see them and LeGarrette [Blount] get the job done.”

This is the type of team Schiano wants. It’s the type of team Bucs fans have pined for after years of Chucky-and-duck offense and that steaming pile of hot mess from last season.

Poor Preston Parker, in addition to his stock dropping from a fumble and a needless dead-ball penalty, things then got worse after the game.

The leader of the New Schiano Order called him out at his news conference.

“The one that sticks out to me is the early one, you know, the personal foul [on Parker,]” Schiano said. “We don’t do that. That’s not Buccaneer football. We had a quick talk, Preston and I, and he understands. You’ve got to put your own personal preferences behind the good of the team. Did a guy shove his hand up into his face? Sure he did. But that’s part of the game. You’ve got to walk away. And Preston knows that. That’s not a problem. I think there were a lot of other opportunities for guys to do that. But to that point nobody did. They walked away, which is important.”

Parker’s going to get to show a lot about his toughness as he tries to shake this night off.

Roy Miller shares his postgame thoughts

Every game looks different at the stadium. Some things just don’t translate well on television, and vice versa.

For Joe, sitting at whatever the Dolphins’ stadium is called these days, Roy Miller really looked exceptionally quick off the ball and moving laterally. What a surprise! He looked like a different player.

Miller burst in and pursued and tackled RB Daniel Thomas for a three-yard loss on the Dolphins second play of second quarter. Unfortunately, it was called back for a Wallace Gilberry offsides. But it was a heck of a play for Miller.

“I feel like this scheme allows me to play fast,” Miller said after the game. “I’m just excited that everybody is playing fast. It’s kind of early to make any conclusions. I just think we have to work and keep grinding to become consistent.”

What was different in leading up to this preseason game compared to past years, Roy?

“We’re so prepared for the game,” Miller said. “We go out there and everything just comes together. It’s exciting to be a part of it. It’s different from last year. It’s great to see everything come together on the field after the work we’ve put in.”

No, the Bucs’ pass rush didn’t scare anyone, but overall Miller looked strong and quick. He’s certainly already has surprised Joe, who expected little from Miller this season.

Last year if one took a shot for every first down a Bucs opponent had, one would be prone on the living room floor, comatose by halftime.

Yes, it’s preseason. Yes, it’s a glorified practice. Yes, it was against the Dolphins, who appear to be a miserable squad.

But how refreshing was it for a change that the Bucs defense pitched a shutout with the first and second team?

Gerald McCoy and Adrian Clayborn were all smiles after the game in the locker room — why wouldn’t they be? But behind the smiles lurked no false sense of security.

Work still needs to be done.

“It was good to put ourselves in a good situation to put [good play] on film,” Adrian Clayborn said. “It felt good to be able to contain someone, sure. But it’s just a beginning. It’s just a start.

“We are just trying to get better and play smart football and that’s what we put on tape today.”

Play smart football? What a novel concept!

Like Clayborn, GMC wasn’t about to go dancing after Friday’s performance.

“It was great, but honestly, we weren’t going out there to try to prove anything,” GMC said. “We put a lot of work into it back to the spring and this was the first chance to showcase it. I think we did a fairly decent job.

“We still have a long way to go. This is our first go-around, and for our first go-around I think we did fairly well.”

Since it was the Bucs first go-around, there were mistakes made. GMC nor Clayborn wanted to talk specifically about those mistakes but GMC said the errors were nothing to panic over.

“There are a number of different things [the Bucs could do better], but it is not anything that cannot be fixed. Just little stuff. Adjustments.”

“Now that’s being your best self, Olie.”

The hallmark of the Raheem Morris regime was slow starts.

Even when the Bucs were winning games in 2010, more often than not they were comebacks after sluggish first quarters and porous first-halves for the defense.

There were no solutions for what the previous staff seemed to think was bad luck. Of course, it wasn’t just lousy luck.

But it seems Greg Schianos has found a way to avoid the opening-whistle blues.

The Dolphins under a brand new coach — at home — didn’t bring the same juice as the Bucs tonight to start the game.

Joe’s going to consider the fast start alone as a victory.

Early in training camp Greg Schiano said he’s extraordinarily hands on when it comes to studying turnovers and penalties. That’s the first thing he examines.

Consdering this, it’s pretty darn safe to say Preston Parker’s stock dropped faster than Joe’s jaw would fall if Rachel Watson invited him for a romantic hot tub.

On the Bucs’ opening drive tonight, Preston Parker had a 15-yard, dead-ball penalty.

Later in the first half, Parker badly muffed a punt that led to a turnover.

Throw in that Tiquan Underwood shined like he has all preseason, and Parker had a brutal night. He could find himself on the proverbial bubble by daybreak.

Yeah, it’s preseason, but Joe sure appreciates the Bucs’ attitude on their opening drive tonight in Miami.

Let’s work backwards for a minute. At 3rd-and-goal from the Dolphins’ 2 yard line, the Bucs took off their wide receivers and used the opportunity to impose their will on Miami. The next play was a two-yard, LeGarrette Blount run behind Carl Nicks, and the next was a Blount high dive into the end zone.

And this display of man-on-man combat was on the heels of Blount runs on first-and-goal and second-and-goal. 

Blount finished the drive with 30 yards on seven carries — a catch — and a touchdown. Doug Martin had a well-excuted draw on 3rd-and-2.

Freeman, who was not pressured by any shape of form, never threw deep, used Luke Stocker and Zack Pianalto, and Mike Williams flashed his YAC (yards-after-catch) ability for an 18-yard gain.

The leader of the New Schiano Order said the Bucs will be who they are tonight. And Joe loved the no-BS approach on offense.

One reason the Bucs drafted scatback Michael Smith was a chance to give an anemic offense a change-of-pace guy who can also return kicks, sort of the Bucs’ version of Darren Sproles.

Well, the way Michael Smith played tonight, it had to open some eyes from Bucs coaches and management. Smith used his lightning quick wheels to break through a small hole up the middle on a kickoff for a 34-yard gain. Then, Smith damned near took one to the house on a 74-yard return.

Now Smith didn’t show a whole lot at running back, but part of that perhaps was the future beer truck drivers and bouncers who were blocking for him. Imagine what Smith might do behind the Bucs’ first string offensive line?

With Preston Parker putting the ball on the ground, later getting a stupid personal foul penalty, and the way receiver Tiquan Underwood played and how explosive Smith was on returns, Parker may just play himself out of a gig.

And Smith would be the beneficiary.

Tiquan Underwood’s theft of an interception for a reception was one play that jumped out for Joe this evening.

If Joe’s memory serves, it hasn’t been since the latter stages of the Chucky era when the Bucs put up two touchdowns in the opening quarter.

While Joe isn’t counting preseason games, the same trend held true tonight.

But what Joe had to do is to do a double-take at the scoreboard at SunLife Stadium in Miami Gardens. The Dolphins had a big, fat goose egg for a score in the first half.

Joe cannot remember the last time a Bucs team held its opponent scoreless in the first half.

Sure, Joe knows: It’s a preseason game. And the Dolphins looked positively miserable, sans Ryan Tannehill.

Imagine the difference a new coaching staff makes. Rather than figuring out what player to hang out with at a trendy south Tampa hotspot, or to choose which rap artist to entertain players with at practice, new Bucs coach Greg Schiano has the Bucs paying attention to the details, the football details.

Given the fact the Bucs were able to overcome a rash of offsides penalties and a stupid personal foul penalty by Preston Parker, the Bucs’ defense still pitched a shutout and the offense put together two, clock-eating long drives for touchdowns.

Yes, it is early, very early. But thus far, Joe is liking what he is seeing.

Even LeGarrette Blount seemed to like how good practices are resulting in a good game.

“Everything that we’ve practiced is coming to life,” Blount said. “We’ve been well-prepared for it and we’ve executed everything to almost perfection. We scored on our first two drives, and that’s what you always plan to do. We came out to put points on the board, and the offense is just clicking.”

Joe first came to learn of Lavonte David when he watched Cornhuskers games. (Yeah, Joe likes to watch Big Ten football, guilty as charged). It seemed every play when Nebraska was on defense, Joe either heard David’s name called or saw him near the ball.

So when the Bucs drafted the sideline-to-sideline linebacker in the second round this spring, Joe was geeked. Finally, a playmaker at linebacker.

Well, even though it was a preseason game and it was against the dreadful Dolphins, David seems to have lived up to the hype.

Dude was everywhere, making plays. His interception of a tipped pass showed how he is a ballhawk and he simply crushed a Dolphin return man on a punt. With the rain starting to come down and most players appearing to run gingerly, David flew down the field as if he was in an Olympic sprint of some sort, enabling him to make the crushing open field tackle.

Joe is just geeked. It seems this drought of getting little to no plays made by linebackers is coming to an end.

After a 10-game losing streak, a win feels good, even if it is meaningless and came against a hardly good Miami team.

Bucs 20, Dolphins 7

The offensive execution was sharp. Tackling, penalties, secondary and special teams play weren’t strong, but overall the first-team Bucs looked pretty damn good.

Joe is in Miami and will have so much more through the night and weekend.

Yes boys and girls, football is back and Joe resumes his open forum for games so Bucs fans can get into sword fights over their Pewter Pirates.

Now behave!

Oh, and linking to illegal, pirated feeds will get you banned. You are welcome to e-mail links to yourselves but posting them here will be your last post.

Have fun!