Defensive tackle Clinton McDonald, and his shiny new Super Bowl ring, have made a huge impact already.

The explosion off the Tampa Bay defensive line from new nose tackle Clinton McDonald was evident to those watching practice yesterday, the first of the season in pads.

McDonald, however, is a quiet guy off the field, very reserved around media but an open book and intensely driven with teammates. [read more]

The typical day in training camp means arriving for work at 7 a.m. and leaving at 10 p.m. Players travel from the local Tampa training camp hotel by bus and stay together. It’s a grind.

A major change this season has players more awake and ready for practice, says Doug Martin. [read more]

The absence of guard Carl Nicks has the offensive line in a state of flux

The Bucs and left guard Carl Nicks parting ways Friday shocked few Bucs fans. And it shouldn’t have.

Nicks had played sparingly in the last two seasons, his only years with the Bucs, and rather than wearing a helmet, Nicks often was seen wearing a floppy hat watching OTAs and minicamp from the sidelines this spring.

The same folks who were surprised Nicks couldn’t make a go of it are the same people who are surprised it gets hot in Florida in July. [read more]

Who else but the bounty-loving Saints would hand out baseball bats in the locker room? That’s about as surprising as Josh Freeman oversleeping.

But those baseball bats are a memory of the Carl Nicks that Bucs fans saw little of after he signed a massive free agent contract in 2012. [read more]

Bucs GM Jason Licht told Tom Krasniqi and Ronnie Lane of WDAE-AM 620 that DE Da’Quan Bowers was in the best shape of his life.

Not quite a week ago, Bucs general manager Jason Licht made waves when he bluntly stated in a townhall meeting with Joe’s good friend “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig, live from the Tampa Clear Channel headquarters, that fourth-year and under-performing defensive end Da’Quan Bowers had to “prove” he wanted to be on the team.

It seemed clear that the gauntlet had been thrown down. Bowers had to either fish of cut bait, that Bowers’ Tampa Bay days had come to a T-intersection. [read more]

It was a fun day at One Buc Palace Sunday. The pads came out and this was the first time Joe saw someone get drilled since he watched the Super Bowl.

Long live football!

Mason Foster made a nice pick. Tommy Streeter showed up again. Jeff Demps roasted another linebacker. All kinds of cool things to watch. [read more]

Lovie Smith said it’s too early to panic about the Bucs guards

Joe understands many Bucs fans are still hungover after trying to drink away news that All-Pro guard Carl Nicks is done. The beers were swilled, but in the morning, Nicks was still gone and the ugly hangover was all too real.

Now, the Bucs are looking at guards Jamon Meredith, Oniel Cousins and Kadeem Edwards as starters on the front line. That bottle of Tums fans are eating is not just to kill that hangover. [read more]

Ah, it was the second day the Bucs had a full training camp practice, and Day 3 of training camp overall. It was also the first day in pads.

Wide receiver Tommy Streeter seems as though he came to play with a second strong day of making plays. Jeff Demps again left a linebacker eating his cinders for another touchdown. And Mason Foster had a pick that was, well, too easy. [read more]

MLB Mason Foster talks about offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford

When Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster heard Tampa Bay brought in former Cal head coach Jeff Tedford in as offensive coordinator, he figured it would be fun for coaches and bad news for guys like him.

Thus far in training camp, Tedford’s offense is everything Foster thought it would be and maybe more. [read more]

Joe confirmed today that “Muscle Hamster” Doug Martin is among the leaner Buccaneers.

Martin was always a workout warrior, a chiseled hamster of steel, but Lovie wanted every running back between 5 and 9 percent body fat when training camp begin. Martin explained that he just made it. [read more]

The Bucs’ two-time Pro Bowler is firing on all cylinders already.

Gerald McCoy gets plenty of love from fans and media. Deservedly so.

But Joe was really wowed by McCoy today. He looks to be in midseason form. But Joe wanted confirmation from an NFL veteran in the Tampa Bay trenches.

And Joe got it in a big way. [read more]

Jeff Demps was among those showing visible signs of heat-related struggles.

The pads came on!

What a fun day of practice at the swelter at One Buc Palace. Joe’s got all kinds of notes, including one Buccaneer (guess who?) falling on his face during a drill, losing the battle to a tackling dummy. [read more]

Charles Sims talks about stiff competition at running back.

Joe has never seen the Bucs backfield this stacked and loaded. Doug Martin, Bobby Rainey, Charles Sims, Mike James, Jeff Demps. And that’s just the tailbacks. Joe hasn’t even looked at the fullbacks. (Ok. Of course, Joe has.)

There are several teams out there that would love to just have one of those guys. It really is a stocked stable. [read more]

Just a reminder for Bucs fans, Joe is out sweating on this broiling Sunday afternoon watching the Bucs break out the pads for the first time.

No underwear football! [read more]

Lovie Smith seems to like CB Johnthan Banks.

There is little doubt Bucs coach Lovie Smith is a defensive guy. Some would suggest he’s particularly fond of — and tough on — defensive backs, since he was once a secondary coach.

So it was interesting to Joe how Lovie threw some love at second-year man Johnthan Banks, who seems to have the inside track at winning a starting cornerback gig opposite of Alterraun Verner. [read more]

High praise comes to rookie Austin Seferian-Jenkins

Perhaps the stupidest damn rule in the NFL prohibits drafted players from reporting to their new teams until the semester or quarter at their college is completed.

WTF? This is America! The Bucs were burned by that rule this year, as Austin Seferian-Jenkins, the second-round tight end out of Washington, couldn’t engage at One Buc Palace through 90 percent of the spring. [read more]

Yesterday was fun at One Buc Palace. No, it wasn’t just because there was no lightning. The Bucs got their first full practice in. (The day before, practice was abbreviated due to lightning.) [read more]

There is no cursing at One Buc Palace. Well, it’s at least not sanctioned by the Lovieball regime.

Chucky, Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano embraced old-school, foul-mouthed football. Lovie Smith is not interested. His former players will attest. [read more]

It’s the time of year to overanalyze anything that comes out of the mouth of the Bucs general manager and head coach. (Yeah, Joe does that all the time, but there’s more urgency now.)

And yesterday, while speaking on WDAE-AM 620, Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht made a couple of interesting revelations via what he said — and didn’t say. [read more]