Joe’s friend Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net resumes his daily video reports on the Bucs, today focusing on Day 2 of training camp.

Joe brings you more photos of Day 1 of Bucs training camp Friday, featuring the work of photographer Kyra Hallett. Enjoy.

Wide receiver Armahd Lewis sprints across the field.

Bucs coordinator of pro scouting and former linebacker Shelton Quarles watches the team intently.

Of course the Bucs cheerleaders were on hand, soaking in the sun and fun.

Doug Martin bolts around the right end.

Cheerleaders treated the fans while the Bucs took water breaks.

LeGarrette Blount bites the football.

Mark Barron, Jordan Nix and Mason Foster running in drills.

LeGarrette Blount meets the press. Hey, Joe’s in there somewhere.

The rookie and the graybeard. Safeties Mark Barron and Ronde Barber take a break.

Jeremy Zuttah follows LeGarrette Blount up a hole

Ronde Barber mobbed by the fans for an autograph.

Quincy Black was supposed to be a manbeast rushing off the edge last year for the Bucs in the famous Redskin package. But that never happened, and it appeared Dekoda Watson had far better pass rush skills. It seems Greg Schiano might feel the same way. Playing SAM outside linebacker in camp, Watson was working on pass rushing in 1-on-1 drills with the offensive line today.

JoeBucsFan.com: You’ve had a nice tipped pass and some other plays early in training camp. Have you had other good moments you want to speak to?

Dakoda Watson: I’m not going to read to deep into anything I’ve done this early positive or negative. You still got a whole lot of days to get better. I’m nowhere close to where I need to be, and we’re not close to where we need to be. I’m not going to sit here and dictate what’s a good day or anything like that. I just want to continue to play better.

Joe: You’re one of the most fit guys on the team, if not the fittest. There’s been a lot made of tougher training this year and fitness. Has it been harder on you at all, or is it a piece of cake given your conditioning level?

Watson: Nothing is a piece of cake. You work for it. I’m just blessed and fortunate to have the body fat that I have. Just hard work and things like that year-round here in Tampa. I’m not going to say it was easy. Conditioning is very much a mindset. I make sure I’m prepared. I stuck to my own regimen, just try to outwork everyone. Work. Work. Work. Eating right is the biggest thing. The center of being fit is nutrition. I live by that code.

Joe: Where are you with your game right now? And what do you feel is different this year?

Watson: For me, there’s just a lot more confidence this year. I know how to study better and smarter. There’s not much different. Not yet. The heat is still the same, and I still have the same work ethic. Just trying to learn the new plays and getting used to the new coaches and getting used to the whole new system and feeling comfortable and buying in. I’m getting more confident each day.

Former Bucs greats, like Batman Wood above, have been accessible at past FanFest events.

Usually held in June, the popular Bucs FanFest was canceled because of the asinine lockout in 2011, and it seemingly was not going to happen this year.

But, in fact, it will happen next Saturday at 4 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium prior to the Bucs night training camp practice, which is supposed to feature an intrasquad game.

FanFest has always been a pretty cool event, with lots of autograph opportunities with current players and loads of former Buccaneers. More information is expected from the Buccaneers soon.

Some quick thoughts on the happenings at One Buc Palace on Day 2 of training camp.

Today Vincent Jackson looks like one of those high school kids playing with his peers that you know is going to make the pros. He just comes off as a few notches better than his fellow receivers and those covering him on the other side of the ball. … And this is hopefully why the Bucs are paying him $55 million.

Despite plenty of cloud cover, practice is a little less intense today, more water breaks, more smiles from Greg Schiano and players alike. But Joe doesn’t want to give the impression there’s slacking going on. There was plenty of early-morning fundamentals work.

There’ll be an official update from the Bucs later today, but E.J. Biggers has a significant foot injury suffered yesterday that will sideline him for a while. Per WDAE-AM 620, Biggers and Arrelious Benn were injured colliding with each other.

Myron Lewis and Anthony Gaitor definitely will get their chances to shine.

Joe realizes many fans might crack a smile at the thought of Biggers getting cut, but the Bucs need the depth at the position. Biggers is not a bad reserve player.

Enjoy some atmosphere from training camp on Friday. JoeBucsFan.com photographer Kyra Hallett was on the scene.

LeGarrette Blount carries high and tight behind massive Demar Dotson.

Leaner, and hopefully meaner, Josh Freeman mingling with fans after practice

Yes, injured Donald Penn was working in the broiling heat with trainers. Penn looks as fit as he ever has in his Bucs tenure.

Wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck supervises a dive-for-a-ball drill. Nobody is on every detail like the high-energy Fleck.

Fleck often sneaks up on receivers and tries to rip the ball from them

Bryan Glazer was a presence on the practice field. “So Mark, who are we cutting today?”

And Glazer mingled among the common folks

“Toes on the line!”

Hopefully Freeman and Dallas Clark were discussing directions to the team hotel and not crossing routes

Bucs wide receiver hopeful Tiquan Underwood, who played for New England last season, stood out during Day 1 of training camp Friday. And he didn’t even have to take his helmet off to do it. Underwood caught two deep balls and seemed to be a tireless worker while others wilted in the heat.

Joe caught up to Underwood for a few questions.

JoeBucsFan.com: You were in Bill Belichick’s training camp last season. How does Greg Schiano’s compare?

Tiquan Underwood: Two great coaches. Very demanding, very strict. Similarities and differences. But they’re two tough camps, so I see why both coaches have had the success they’ve had. The toughness is for a reason. It’ll pay off in the long run.

Joe: You had a great standout day [Friday]. How do you feel about your play?

Underwood: I thought it was ok, some high points some low points. I’m just going to go out and try to get better and be more consistent. Take away some of those bad plays that I had.

Joe: Wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck is one of the wildest personalities on the field. What are your impressions of him?

Underwood: Very energetic and he loves his job, man. He’s very passionate. As receivers, we feed off of him. He gets us hyped, gets us ready for practice, and we’ve all grown to love it and embrace it.

Joe: Does he think he can still play? (Fleck spent 2004 & 2005 as a 49ers WR)

Underwood: Absolutely. He’s out here with his cleats running up and down the field challenging us all the time. He definitely can still play, I believe.

Channeling his inner Johnnie Cochrane after a question about a recently dismissed wide receiver on WDAE-AM 620 this morning, Greg Schiano talked about how a player must fit his coaching staff and the team way, “To me it’s all about a fit.”

Enjoy the solid interview below, with Schiano talking about “fighter” Gary Gibson and Amobi Okoye, his thoughts on how “discipline for discipline’s sake” is not the answer, and more.

Price still must pass a physical in Chicago

BSPN Chicago has penned a story about the Brian Price trade that includes three anonymous and allegedly neutral scouts saying the Bears scored very well in the deal.

The piece also quotes Adam Schefter saying the Bucs’ compensation was a seventh-rounder in 2013.

Three NFL scouts with other teams unanimously deemed the Price acquisition a strong personnel move for the Bears, who have a need for depth at defensive tackle and may have landed a potential starter. One scout considers Price to possess “Pro Bowl talent,” and another said he’d be “surprised” if Price doesn’t crack Chicago’s starting lineup “provided he’s healthy.”

“(It was a) very good move,” said one NFC personnel evaluator. “(He’s an) athletic guy that just needed a change of scenery.”

Price still must pass a physical, which still gives the Bears time to have buyer’s remorse. Joe wonders whether the Bucs would cut Price if the deal fell through, or bring him back to the team and put him on the PUP list and let him rehab in hopes of trading him later.

It’s much more likely they’d release him, but nothing is certain.

Dezmon Briscoe has moved on to a new home, where the core beliefs and things of that nature seemingly better suit his lifestyle.

Per the Washington Post, Bricoe was picked up by the Redskins today after getting cut by the Bucs yesterday.

Joe’s hardly surprised that Briscoe has a job. The kid is 22 years old and caught six touchdowns last season. And he should be real yungry in a new environment.

That Bucs-Redskins game in Tampa in late September keeps getting more and more intriguing.

Arrelious Benn, seemingly still trying to bounce back from a knee injury during his rookie season, suffered yet another setback today with a sprained knee and is expected to miss the next four weeks.

The creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, Mike Florio, has been tipped off by the always popular “league source” that Benn suffered a sprained MCL today.

The Buccaneers’ final preseason game takes place on August 29, so if he does miss four weeks he could return for the end of the preseason, although it’s possible that the Buccaneers will show caution and hold him out of live action until the start of the regular season.

A 2010 second-round draft pick out of Illinois, Benn started 14 games for the Buccaneers last season and caught 30 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns. The arrival of Vincent Jackson in free agency this offseason has likely bumped Benn out of the starting lineup and into the No. 3 receiver spot, and this injury won’t do anything to help Benn compete for playing time in the Bucs’ offense.

This bums Joe out tremendously. Benn was just starting to blow up as a rookie when he blew out his knee against Atlanta. Last year he was still trying to recover. Now this.

Of course, Joe knows the haters will blame this on Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik because he is not a deity and therefore does not have access to a crystal ball that tells him when players will get hurt in the NFL while they are still in college.

Feel free to pile on during this steamy summer night in three… two… one!

Some sights, sounds and magic from Day 1 of Bucs training camp is brought to those who could not attend in this Tampa Bay Times video.

Ten months removed from a gruesome-looking knee injury, Cody Grimm participated in offseason practices and was back on the field for Day 1 of training camp without limitations. Joe talked to him about his health, having Ronde Barber take his starting job and more.

JoeBucsFan.com: How do you feel?

Cody Grimm: I’m feelin’ good.

Joe: 110 percent good?

Grimm: Yeah, I mean I’m feeling a lot better than I was this time last year with my other injury. It really started feeling a lot better about two or three weeks ago, and it held up today. No complaints. I’m feeling great.

Joe: How would you tell a fan how today was different than Day 1 last year?

Grimm: It was different. It was a lot longer [practice]. The good thing was we got out here earlier than we used to. So that heat wasn’t so bad until the later part of practice.

Joe: The pace seemed slower than OTAs and minicamp. Those were more go, go, go. Is that just the weather considerations?

Grimm: It’s early. Everyone is still getting accustomed to where they’re going on the field and stuff like that. I’d say it’s going to be pretty cranked up here soon. (laughs). A couple of guys cramped up today. It was pretty hard today.

Joe: There’s been so much talked about Ronde Barber moving to safety, essentially taking your position. What’s your take on that and how has that changed your approach?

Grimm: I’m just trying to learn both [safety] positions and do whatever I can to help the team. Ronde’s playing good at it right now and whatever helps this team I’m cool with. Hopefully I can play really well in the preseason and get a competition going. But right now I’d say it’s Ronde’s spot. I’m good friends with Ronde. We haven’t really talked about it, but he helps me and I help him if I can if he has any questions, which he usually doesn’t. We’re just trying to be the best we can be as a team.

Joe: You came into the NFL projected as a special teams ace. Do you expect to play more special teams this year or any different roles there?

Grimm: I hope so. I’ve pretty much played every special teams. Last year I was off a couple. But I’ve always been on punt and punt block, and until they changed the kickoff rule I was on those. So I’m hoping I can be on all of them still. I mean I enjoy playing special teams. I always have. Hopefully I’ll be on them, but it’s Day 1, Week 1. There’s a lot that can happen.

Joe: What was the deal with the conditioning test? Was it that difficult and different for guys?

Grimm: I’d say it was a little harder of a conditioning test [compared to last year]. But I think everyone passed it today that didn’t pass it yesterday. So it’s doable. Everyone’s in good shape and that’s the main thing. They just wanted us to get in good shape before camp and limit injuries so everyone could be on the field as much as possible in camp so we can be the best team possible. Pretty straight-forward stuff.

After watching OTA days and minicamp, Joe was struck by how much slower the tempo was during training camp today. Things were definitely down a couple of notches.

Perhaps that’s because of the heat and the team is pacing itself? Perhaps some guys were tired after a second conditioning test this morning? Perhaps it was just a byproduct of “installations” and lots of coaching? Regardless, practice wasn’t at the likely unsustainable pace of the offseason.

Cody Grimm told Joe today’s opening practice was long and tough, guys cramped up and he’s sure it’s “going to be pretty cranked up here” real soon. Grimm said things might have moved slower as guys learn more about where to be on the field.  Dallas Clark also talked about the grind of “all install” over the first few practices.

*Tiquan Underwood was a standout. He beat Eric Wright easily on a completed, 50-yard bomb, and he also drew a holding penalty on Aqib Talib late in practice. Underwood caught other balls and just seems to be working extraordinarily hard and has the fitness to sustain it. Joe gets the sense he fits the cliche “doing everything asked of him.”

*Regarding Talib, he was seen stretching on the ground during practice. And at one point Greg Schiano talked to him while he was stretching and Talib went in the building with training staff but returned within 10 minutes or so. When Talib held Underwood, blatant and called by practice referees, clearly Talib was gassed.

*Joe’s ready for pads to come on and guys to hit each other. Enough already with underwear and helmets football. On one play, Doug Martin caught a ball in the flat and was one-on-one with a closing Ronde Barber. Martin appeared to beat Barber inside and the crowd cheered, but there’s no way to tell if Barber makes the play when there’s no hitting allowed. Also, Barber did flush him inside, which is his job if he’s not going to make the tackle. It was just a great example of how it’s impossible to tell who will/can make plays without pads on.

*Joe saw some good things in pass coverage out of Jacob Cutrera (tipped pass) and Dakoda Watson. And some not so good things in pass coverage from Myron Lewis.

Joe will have more thoughts and interviews through the day and into tonight.

Joe’s good friend Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net resumes his daily video reports on the Bucs now that training camp has kicked off.

Yeah, Donald Penn is out for at least a couple of weeks with a calf strain, yesterday’s bad news. But that doesn’t mean Penn is shoveling finger sandwiches while his teammates went through a 2 hour and 40 minute practice this morning at One Buc Palace.

A rather svelte-looking Penn, wearing a black t-shirt at times (not the best idea Donald), was stretching and running on the field with Bucs training staff through practice. He walked off the field with a mild limp.

Joe didn’t see it personally, but a few people came up to Joe at training camp today to say they saw Josh Freeman throwing up on the practice field. 

Freeman did take a break during practice and later returned to all drills. Greg Schiano confirmed after practice that Freeman was “nauseous.” Extreme hard work was Schiano’s initial diagnosis.

No. 5 had some standout throws, one in particular a 50-yard bomb in stride to Tiquan Underwood who beat Eric Wright cleanly by a few yards for the touchdown.

The Bucs aren’t in pads yet — and there was no pass rush on that play — but even Schiano admitted the “nice flashy bomb” gets him “excited” like any other fan.

Joe hopes Freeman either had some bad scrambled eggs, or is just getting used to managing his newly toned physique.

Long before today’s opening training camp practice at One Buc Palace, those who did not pass the required fitness test under the New Schiano Order — and were physically able, attempted to repeat required full-field sprints.

And they passed, Greg Schiano confirmed.

That’s very interesting to Joe. You couldn’t pass yesterday but you got it done today? That tells Joe the guys that most if not all failed initially because they were missing the will to finish.

As Schiano said after practice today, “The track team is done.”

This morning, Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik appeared on “The Sports Page,” co-hosted by Rick Stroud and Tom Krasniqi heard on WDAE-AM 620, which was broadcast live from One Buc Palace.

Obviously, Dominik talked training camp and what players Bucs fans who attend the practices should keep an eye out for. But Dominik also discussed the Brian Price trade yesterday.

“Everything we do as an organization we take time to make long-term decisions for this football team. It is all a book when you put it all together. Yesterday you could say [the conditioning tests] was a combine but a combine is not why you draft a player. We made some decisions yesterday based on this football team not just on the short term but the long term, what is best for this football team.”

Dominik went on to say how he feels for what Price is going through personally and how he has had to battle a major freak injury, but at the end of the day, Dominik said he had to look out for the Bucs first and Price second.

The full interview with Dominik can be heard by clicking below.

In the small hours of this morning, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times posted a blog item that Brian Price, after failing to run a specific number of sprints for conditioning yesterday, was shipped off to the Bears.

The Bucs former second-round pick from UCLA weighed in at 303 pounds Thursday, nearly 30 pounds lighter than he arrived at One Buc Place a year earlier. All that was left to do was complete the mandatory conditioning test administered by coach Greg Schiano, which consisted of 16, 110-yard sprints with a 45 second rest period between intervals, and he could begin to breathe a little easier.

But after finishing only four sprints, Price heard and felt a sickening pop, which was extremely painful. Trainers rushed to his side and later determined that Price most likely tore some scar tissue and would be good to go in a few days.

Apparently, Schiano had seen enough.

Now this is a great piece of information. Solid work by Stroud. Seriously, it’s a delicious nugget. But Joe wonders if the timing was pure coincidence?

Brag Biggs of the Chicago Tribune Twittered yesterday that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik had been trying to unload Price for some time, but Dominik’s asking price was too high.

@BradBiggs: Personnel man for other team tells me Bucs were trying to move Price for some time & were originally seeking mid-round pick. Found no takers

Well now, the plot thickens.

Look, Joe has no idea if Price being able to finish his sprints was the last straw for the Bucs or not. Still, unearthing this juicy tidbit was solid work by Stroud, who had to get up about three hours later for his radio gig at WDAE-AM 620.

The first practice of training camp is just about to end and already there is an injury, but Joe is not sure if it is severe.

Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib walked off the practice fields at One Buc Palace this steamy morning with what appears to be a leg injury of some sort.

Of course, details are slim and Joe hopes the Bucs may shed some light on the injury when Greg Schiano meets the pen and mic club after this morning’s practice.

The good news is that Talib walked off the field with a leg injury.

UPDATE: Talib later returned to practice. Joe hopes to have further information on Talib’s condition later.