The Bucs’ $1 million-per-game cornerback, Darrelle Revis, says the Bucs did, in fact, gain an edge against the Patriots by practicing with them in Foxborough this summer. The question is whether the Bucs can take advantage.

Revis painted a picture of the Bucs gathering intelligence and now it’s up to the New Schiano Order to make the most of it.

“I think what we all got is we got to see what they do, you know, it’s almost like you’re in the bushes with a camera watching their practice,” Revis said on WDAE-AM 620 last night. “It’s almost like it’s just cheating. You get to see their formations. You get to see how Tom [Brady] runs the offense. You know, our offense gets to see their defense and vice versa. So it’s almost like an open book test in school. You’ve got the answers right there. You just gotta figure out a great game plan to go up there and beat those guys.”

Joe appreciated this take from Revis. Of course, it can be a huge edge to practice with a team and observe them for days. Downplaying would be silly.

However, there also is a superstar head coach on the other side, Bill Belicheat. And he knows all about cameras and hiding in bushes.

The Bucs have the talent to beat the Patriots, and on paper the Bucs match up pretty will with this banged up edition of the Pats. Joe suspects coaching, game plan and discipline will have huge roles on Sunday.

Much has been made of the relationship between Bucs commander Greg Schiano and franchise quarterback Josh Freeman. It’s even taken over talk across NFL circles; not just locally.

Super Bowl-winning quarterback Phil Simms recently dropped in on the “Booger and Rich Show” heard locally on WHFS-FM 98.7, and joked how the alleged rift between Schiano and Freeman is all the rage nationally.

When discussing Freeman, Simms strongly hinted that criticism of Freeman is in large part the Kansas State product’s own doing.

“I will just say this: you don’t see it too often from a starting quarterback is late to any team function or misses a team function. The quarterback is held to higher standard — you know that — and I think that is the right thing to do. Quarterbacks are the second-most powerful guy in every organization. The head coach and the quarterback have to be on the same page. They have to be the two hardest workers in the organization and if they are not, you know what, you are going to have problems.

“I always say this: If Josh Freeman goes out there and prepares and works hard on the practice field every day and he leads, you know what? Greg Schiano is going to be his best friend. I had kids that played football and if they were not starting I always told them the same thing, ‘Make the coach play you. Make him. Go out there and keep practicing hard. They will notice.’ I would say the same thing to Josh Freeman. ‘Don’t worry about all of this fighting. Do your job. Lead the team! Be a great example to everybody else.’ That’s how it works. That’s how it works. There is only one way out of it. If you think there is another team out there for you, get that out of your head. This league moves fast. There is no guarantee there is another starting job for you somewhere else. There are quarterbacks that come into this league every year. Two, three, four or five that are the so-called franchise guys. My advice is, make it work there in Tampa.”

Simms, in a roundabout way, said that if Freeman thinks he is playing for a hardass coach in Schiano, he has no idea what a hardass coach is, referring to his coach with the Giants, Bill Parcells. Simms then began to recount his days with Parcells saying that each and every practice Parcells rode him and was all over his case, largely only because he was the quarterback.

Joe wrote the following before and will write it again. Freeman’s future lies in Freeman’s hands, it is that simple.

Also, speaking of simple, winning cures all ills. If the Bucs go on a winning streak, all of this drama will be backburner material.

Ahmad Black, earning $555,000 this season per RotoWorld.com, is no fan of being a little lighter in the wallet after the NFL slapped him with a $21,000 fine for his clearly dirty hit on Jimmy Graham on Sunday. That’s much harder on Black than the $100,000 Dashon Goldson, an $8 million-a-year man, was penalized by Roger Goodell. (Frankly, Joe can’t relate to all those zeros.)

Black said what he had to say about playing within the rules and much more in the Bucs’ locker room today, including referencing his checkbook. (Audio via Joe’s partners at 620wdae.com.)

Joe talks about the “kick in the gut” of the Saints loss and a whole lot more during this weekly podcast with Ronnie Lane, the smooth-voiced dude of the Buccaneers Radio Network.

There is great news out of One Buc Palace. The Bucs had a fantastic week of practice to date, so said numerous players. Even commander Greg Schiano said the Bucs have put the Saints game behind them and have shown up with their lunch pails.

But most important, Josh Freeman says the offense has been feeling the vibe and is at its 2013 peak.

“This has been the sharpest that we’ve been in practice, so I look forward to seeing us transfer that to the game on Sunday,” Freeman said, via TBO.com.

Ok. So maybe, just maybe, the Bucs offense needed the first two games to wake up after being allowed to snooze through preseason. Davin Joseph and Darrelle Revis finally have their legs under them. Doug Martin is in a groove. Carl Nicks and Tom Crabtree might be back. Kevin Ogletree can only get better.

There is hope for Sunday.

Dashon Goldson is racking up penalties and fines faster than Kevin Ogletree accumulates drops.

Bucs icon John Lynch, known for his violent play, has called Bucs games recently for FOX and will again on Sunday. Lynch has done intensive film study on the Bucs, and has come away believing that much of what the NFL wants Goldson to change is unrealistic.

“You look at the [Darren] Sproles hit [on Sunday]. You gotta guy who is 5-8, being generous, and he’s going to the ground. (laughs) So how much lower can you go? I think some of what the league is asking the guys to do is impossible,” Lynch said on the Ron and Ian show on WDAE-AM 620. “It’s a fine line for Dashon, because that’s what makes him a tremendous player. He controls that middle of the field. I think we’ve already seen it; receivers aren’t so sure about going across the middle against him and [Mark] Barron. But at the same point, they need [Golson] out there, and he’s not going to be out there if he continues to play the way he’s playing.”

Lynch hits the core of the problem for many of the flags referees are throwing at Goldson and other Buccaneers. There’s just no way to play manly, fast football and avoid illegal contact in many cases.

And there lies the problem. The Bucs are paying Goldson $8 million a year. They’re not paying him to play soft and alter his style. Goldson, himself, has a lot of money riding on his ability to maintain an intimidating presence and he knows his style helped lead to his superstar status.

Don’t look for Goldson to change anytime soon.

Wait a minute. You mean Tom Brady might smile at the thought of going after every cornerback not named Revis on Sunday? Well, that’s no surprise. The Bucs are quite thin and inexperienced after No. 24.

Pats beat men Doug Kyed and Nick Underhill dive into all things Bucs in this NESN.com video, including how the Pats might “exploit” Johnthan Banks and Leonard Johnson.

Yesterday, New Orleans Saints quarterback sounded off on Bucs safety Dashon Goldson as being a dirty player. This, just days after the Saints narrowly beat the Bucs at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway.

Brees was quoted as saying, “He (Goldson) certainly has no regards for rules in the middle; he’s going after guys’ heads. You can see it. … There are some instances where it’s pretty obvious a guy’s going after another guy’s head.”

This morally offended Dory LeBlanc of WDAE-AM 620. She began tapping on her laptop to all but call Brees a hypocrite for his comments on Goldson and the Bucs.

What makes the comments ironic and almost hypocritical is that Brees and the Saints have just been reunited with their head coach after Sean Payton served a one-year suspension for what is commonly referred to as “Bountygate.”

Goldson had the right to appeal his suspension, just as the four current and former Saints players did in the Bountygate scandal. The end result was that former NFL Commisioner Paul Tagliabue vacated the players’ suspension, finding that the coaches were primarily responsible for the bounty scheme.

Brees was outspoken throughout last year, defending his teammates and coaches, even taking the discussion to CBS News’ Person To Person.

Yeah, Joe thought it was rich that a guy who plays for a team that was busted for bounties, which is as dirty at it can get, is throwing rocks at glass houses calling other players headhunters when the NFL does not exactly agree after looking at video evidence.

Joe guesses if Goldson was paid extra cash to knock people out of a game, then Brees would have been good with that.

Below is video of Brees spouting off on Goldson and the Bucs. Video courtesy of NOLA.com.

Tampa Tribune humorist Martin Fennelly and Patrick Welter of TBO.com discuss the Bucs’ current situation and, of course, franchise quarterback Josh Freeman in this TBO.com video. In particular, topic of discussion is trying to solve the riddle that is Josh Freeman.

The thing that has Joe puzzled in the Bucs losing streak has been the undisciplined play for a coach who is all about discipline.

First, there was the Chinese fire drill of communication problems right off the bat in the first series of the regular season in New Jersey. But what has carried over from that game into the gut-punching loss to the Saints has been penalties.

During a Saints series where the Bucs played Santa Claus by extending the Saints’ possession three times due to penalties, the Bucs didn’t directly lose points. But damn, if the Bucs could have gotten off the field like they should have, maybe they could have had decent field position to kick a field goal or score a touchdown?

The “Numbers Never Lie” crowd at BSPN (the name is a fallacy because Joe learned in high school anyone can twist numbers to prove a point) has a stunning statistic about the Bucs that should have Bucs commander Greg Schiano in an uproar.

@ESPN_Numbers: Josh Freeman has only 1 more completion (24) than the number of penalties committed by the Buccaneers (23).

This is just about inexcusable. Yes, the Bucs defense is playing lights out football, but can the defense, and more importantly, the offense, use their heads and cut down on the penalties?

The fact the Bucs offense is getting so many penalties, on top of that trainwreck performance in New Jersey, should send a blunt signal to Schiano that during next training camp and preseason his first-team offense needs a whole lot more work.

Jonathan Casillas and Derrick Brooks talk about chaos, discipline and uniting a team.

The media circus around the Bucs has been like one of those clown cars actually seen at the circus. In the Bucs’ case, instead of a clown, a new negative rumor, sometimes transparent BS, pops out seemingly every other day.

In the age of smart phones and social media, most Bucs players are hearing and seeing all the gossip quickly, either on their own or via friends, family and teammates tipping them off.

Bucs veteran linebacker Jonathan Casillas feels the impact of the media mayhem and said yesterday he believes it could be a good thing.

“I think it is going to bring the team closer,” Casillas said. “You gotta be in it together. The worse it gets on the outside, the more we got to get tighter. You know, I believe that. I think a lot of guys do believe that in this locker room. Our goal is to get 100 percent on board. You know, I’m not sure if it’s 100 percent yet, but that’s our goal. If we can get that done by Sunday, that’ll be great.”

Joe could get all negative here and ask, ‘What the hell does Casillas mean when he says the team isn’t 100 percent on board and it would be nice if they were by Sunday?” But Joe really didn’t get a negative vibe from Casillas and, frankly, so what if a few players are bitching and moaning about the New Schiano Order. No, that’s not a good sign, but there are plenty of great head coaches whose players questioned them and/or despised them at times.

Bucs icon Derrick Brooks made a great point yesterday afternoon during his “Tampa 2” show with Steve Duemig on WDAE-AM 620.

Brooks chuckled at fans and others who think a discipline-focused, toes-on-the-line coach is a problem. “The last two coaches I played for, it was that way, as well,” Brooks said. “This is nothing new.

“When Coach Dungy came in, he laid down his principles and you followed them. These were the marching orders. And I guess it’s the difference that I’m starting to see where the fans respond, is how [Schiano] went about doing it.

Brooks went on to say massive media exposure leaguewide has made it much harder for teams to keep their privacy and keep normal adjustments and discontent out of the spotlight.

Former Bucs QB Shaun King makes a plea to Mike Sullivan and Greg Schiano

Free Josh Freeman!

That was the message this morning from former Bucs quarterback Shaun King on WDAE-AM 620. King said the Saints-Bucs game film on Freeman doesn’t look so bad when you account for the “drops” and “slips” by his targets. One of three QBs to lead the Bucs to the NFC Championship game, King said the Bucs have to stop playing scared with Freeman.

“When you take the shackles off, there isn’t as many pressure situations as when they’re on,” King explained. “When you’re in that conservative gameplan, you’re always in 3rd-and-4 having to make a play. When they let you just play, and you go a little two-minute offense a little earlier in the game, and you throw the ball on first and second down a little more, you know it takes some of the pressure of those situations. I know he’s struggling a little bit, but I think you gotta let him. I don’t think you can try and win in spite of your quarterback. I think you just gotta let your quarterback play. If he can’t do it, he can’t do it.”

King, who works for NBC Sports, dives into the Xs and Os of the trust issues on the field with Freeman. “You’ve got to trust him if you want to win these games.” Enjoy the full King interview below.

Prickly Pete Prisco has the Bucs at No. 30 in his recent NFL power rankings. He details why in this CBS Sports video.

Early on The Gerald McCoy Show on WDAE-AM 620 last night, the man for which the show is named said he wasn’t going to say much about Dashon Goldson’s suspension.

“That’s a tough situation [Goldson] was in. But I’m not going to elaborate on it because it’s over with,” McCoy said. “He won [the appeal], and he’s playing this week.”

Then McCoy opened up a handful of minutes later.

“I don’t think we’re doing anything differently in practice,” McCoy said about what the Bucs are doing to eliminate their illegal hits. “They’ve just made us more aware of it, with what they show us on film and the penalties we have received from helmet-to-helmet hits. They’ve slowed them down. And we’ve went over them. And they’ve explained to us why this is a violation and how anytime that situation comes up they’re going to call it. Because their priority is to protect offensive players. And it’s just, I mean it’s just our game. It’s something we have to get used to. But we’re not doing anything different in practice.

“We’re not a dirty team and we’re not going to slow down. You know, we play on the edge and we’re going to continue to play on the edge. That’s just who we are.”

As Joe detailed extensively to The Big Dog, Steve Duemig of WDAE-AM 620, last night, what’s happening now with the Bucs defense is a dream come true for Greg Schiano. The Rutgers defense is working in the NFL. It’s intimidating. It’s leading the league in sacks. It’s not allowing a lot of points. Schiano is not going to mess with it. It’s working, and the fines aren’t his money. Schiano wants his team flying around and playing on the edge while trying to follow the rules.

Expect nothing to change other than, hopefully, eliminating the unquestionably dirty hits like the one delivered by Ahmad Black on Sunday.

FOX Sports analyst and Hall of Famer Howie Long looks at the hard hits of the Bucs’ defense in this video. Long explains why he’s a big fan of Greg Schiano.

Adam Schein

Joe always chuckles when he hears and reads locals whine about midday radio. Joe always tells them SiriusXM Radio has a wealth of strong options.

You can start with the King of All Media, Howard Stern, then Tim Brando (produced by Big Papi), then there is NFL Radio and, lastly, “Schein on Sports,” hosted by popular sports radio and TV personality Adam Schein, heard exclusively on “Mad Dog Radio.”

For Joe, Schein is a breath of fresh air. He brings a New York attitude to non-New York sports in a thoughtful way. It is so, so, so much better than the tripe like the Dull Patrick Show many outlets ambush and force feed to innocent listeners.

Schein comes across as a closet Bucs fan. He really likes Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik (who will occasionally pop up on his show) and believes Bucs commander Greg Schiano will turn the Bucs’ culture around. But there is one Bucs element that Schein does not like and that is franchise quarterback Josh Freeman.

It all began last year when Schein correctly stated that he trusted Christian Ponder more than Freeman, despite Freeman having more talent. Sure enough, Ponder led the Vikings with clutch performances at Texas and against Green Bay to vault the Vikings into the playoffs. Meanwhile, Freeman had his annual December swoon and vanished under pressure, leaving Bucs fans to once again watch other teams in the playoffs.

Ever since, Schein has become more and more disenchanted with Freeman and has subscribed to the Mike Glennon Mob. Well, Wednesday, Schein went all in jumping into the deep end of the pool, and is no doubt the member of the Mike Glennon Mob with the biggest megaphone.

Schein, in so many words, suggested if Schiano had any fortitude, he would have already shelved Freeman and started Glennon, blasting the under-performing Freeman.

“That team is absolutely in chaos. Josh Freeman wants a trade. They should have guts and just bench him because Schiano can’t stand him because he’s not a leader. He’s not responsible. He doesn’t get to practice on time. He missed the team photo. The whole report about rigging the captaincy. I mean, just go to Mike Glennon. What are you waiting for at this stage?

“And by the way, Josh Freeman can’t play. He’s completing less than 50 percent of his passes this year! I mean, if Josh Freeman is the answer, I’d love to know the question.”

Now hold up! Joe understands where Schein is coming from but let’s cool the heels a moment. The reason Schiano hasn’t benched Freeman is quite simple: Freeman gives the Bucs the best chance to win. Simple as that. And Freeman hasn’t played nearly as bad as the Mike Glennon Mob would have you believe this season.

Again, if recent history means anything, the Bucs saw their playoff hopes blow up in their faces eight days into the regular season. An 0-2 mark to start a regular season is a death knell to playoff hopes, though the Bucs still have a lightning bolt of a chance to get back in the playoff race. The odds, the schedule, and the strength of the NFC, all work against the Bucs.

But if the team does circle the drain and go, say, 0-6, Joe wouldn’t be shocked if Schiano inserted Glennon into the lineup because at that point, what’s the harm? The season would already be lost, so you may as well throw Glennon to the wolves and see what you have.

Former NFL executive Bill Polian explains the whys and hows of how Bucs safety Dashon Goldson dodged being suspended yesterday by the long arm of the NFL in this BSPN video.

Offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan spoke to the media for nine minutes Wednesday and Joe thought the meatiest take by Sullivan said was simple: “We’ve got too much talent.”

Amid a barrage of detailed questions, Sullivan made the talent comment to explain that the Bucs’ struggles on offense are inexcusable. He went on to say that even if the Bucs were undefeated, there would still be intense “frustration” because the team isn’t performing the way it should offensively.

Joe asked Sullivan to put aside stats and the team record and assess Josh Freeman’s performance, and Sullivan didn’t answer directly, saying there’s been good and bad from the offense and from Freeman and that No. 5 needs to avoid the “valleys.”

Joe agrees that the Bucs have too much talent to score one offensive touchdown, like they did against the Saints. That surely won’t cut it in New England.

Several Bucs players were available Wednesday in the open locker room to discuss the upcoming game with New England. Among those talking were linebacker Dekoda Watson, safety Dashon Goldson, guard Carl Nicks, wide receiver Mike Williams, linebacker Lavonte David and tackle Donald Penn.

Also were teleconference calls from Patriots coach Bill Belicheat and quarterback Tom Brady.

Lastly, the daily press conference from Greg Schiano.

All audio courtesy of Joe’s good friends at WDAE-AM 620.