Josh Freeman made everything look easy yesterday. No, he wasn’t flashy. No, the Bucs never went over the top to their homerun hitter, something fans heard would be a big part of the offense. But Freeman was steady, smart and smooth.

Bucs fans heard all about how Freeman would be drilled on ball security and to take what the defense gives him. It’s not sexy, but Freeman did exactly that yesterday. He finished 16-for-24 with 138 yards and a touchdowns. There were no turnovers and he was a savvy, gutty scrambler. No selfish tight ends blubbered in his ear.

Fantasy football, modern NFL ways, and me-first players are not going to be influences in the New Schiano Order. And that’s going to be great for Freeman right now as he builds confidence in the new system and his new targets.

For Joe, Freeman’s beautiful touch throw in zone coverage to Dallas Clark, who tacked on a solid run for a 33 yard gain, let Joe know that Freeman’s arm still has the goods and he’s just playing within the system.

Aqib Talib blocked his very first punt as a football player yesterday in the Bucs win over the stinking Panthers. “This ain’t last year,” Talib declared.

When Joe approached Aqib Talib after yesterday’s win, Joe asked Talib to put into words how yesterday’s performance in a win over the stinking Panthers would have been simply impossible last year.

Talib was forthright, “This ain’t last year.”

Joe knows what Talib meant. This year, the team has had a purpose since the moment Greg Schiano signed his name to a contract to coach the Bucs. There will be hard work involved in striving for perfection. If you are not on board, get out. If you work hard, there will be rewards.

So the New Schiano Order was born. There will be attention to detail, every little seemingly insignificant element will be done correctly, or not done at all.

This attention to detail was evident when the Bucs did not commit one penalty in the first half. Not one!

(Meanwhile, by the time the Bucs cheerleaders left the field yesterday after their halftime performance, Joe learned Kellen Winslow was flagged twice for pushing off while spinning discs at a trendy Las Vegas poolside bar.)

Schiano “had a plan and he made sure we stuck to it regardless of how we felt, regardless of what we wanted to do,” Gerald McCoy said. “Coach never let us slip. Never, ever.

“I remember once in training camp, someone didn’t have their foot on the line and coach made us start practice all over again,” Gerald McCoy said. “The fans were yelling, ‘Yeah!’ But we were hating it. But when you go out there [Sunday] you see how it pays off.”

“This ain’t last year,” Talib repeated, after he admitted he had never blocked a punt at any level of football prior to Sunday.

No, it is not. It is a New Schiano Order. While it is easy to overreact after the first game of the season, it is a promising start for the Bucs.

Carl Nicks’ size 18 shoes are feeling a little snug this morning, as one of Nicks’ toes was nearly double the size of its opposite-foot counterpart last night after the Bucs-Panthers game. 

(Out of respect for Greg Schiano’s desire to keep injury specifics top secret, Joe will not reveal the location of the afflicted toe or provide any hints to its whereabouts.)

Nicks headed for an X-ray right after the game but everything seems OK aside from the massive swelling, Nicks told JoeBucsFan.com.

Nicks said he didn’t know how the injury occurred and he doesn’t expect to miss any playing time.

There’s no limit to the superlatives one can hurl at Ronde Barber. The Bucs icon is still out there doing great things at age 37.

Today was his day, honoring his 200th consecutive start. And Barber had a sack and an interception and was swarming away with the rest of the Bucs defense that contained the Panthers and amazingly held the Panthers to 10 yards rushing.

Barber liked the look of the defense. He said it reminded him of the glory days, which have been a distant memory around these parts.

“It felt like old times,” Barber said. “When we were a great defense back in the day, guys played so fast. You turned the film on and people would be saying to themselves, ‘It can’t possibly be this. This film is sped up. It can’t possibly be this fast.’ But that’s what it felt like out there [today].

“I mean [Carolina has] some very talented players. And we swarmed on them all day long, kept Cam in check. Obviously they had some breakout passes there at the end of the game. But when you can limit this team that completely dominated us on the ground last year to 10 yards, you can say we did something right.”

Greg Schiano talked about the importance of the “swarm” during the offseason. Joe was looking for it today, and it definitely was back. Derrick Brooks often has referred to the swarm as fighting for “every blade of grass” on defense.

Joe’s not about to compare this Bucs defense to the glory days’, but at least for tonight, it’s hard not to.

Joe’s drinking cold beer. Joe’s as fired up as the next Bucs fan by the Bucs playing a near perfect game, but Joe can’t ignore a play-call today that had Joe reaching for his trusty pack of Tums.

Leading 10-0 in the second quarter, the Bucs had fluidly moved the chains on a long drive from their 8 yard line to about 10 inches from the Panthers goal line.

It was third down.

And rather than let Josh Freeman run a sneak behind Carl Nicks, or stamp their new physical identity for the home fans with a different running play, the Bucs opted to pass the ball. Nobody was open in the end zone and Josh Freeman dumped the ball off to Erik Lorig, who was tackled for a loss.

Joe was furious. That was not the Bucs who came out in the preseason opener and ran four times on 1st-and-goal for a score. Joe didn’t think the Bucs should have gone for it on fourth down. Don’t be mistaken. But the pass call on 3rd-and-a-foot was not good. Not for this team.

Yeah, Mike Sullivan’s a genius if it works, and he called a good game, but Joe didn’t like that one call.

Veteran columnist Gary Shelton offers his thoughts on the Bucs spanking the stinking Panthers Sunday in this Tampa Bay Times video.

After the game, Aqib Talib praised the crowd and pleaded for more tickets to be sold.

The opening-day crowd of 51,533 was about 250 up on last year’s first game. Hey, it’s something.

And one would think that the bad weather around the Bay area didn’t help potential walk-up sales.

At least those in attendance this season were treated to good football, and a good overall game. And they were loud.

“The crowd was definitely good, into it, man,” Aqib Talib said. “If we can get those tickets sold, please fans, it would be so much better. We’re going to give them a show, man. Come out and check us out. We need them just as bad as they need us. The definitely helped so much.”

Joe doubts blackouts will go away anytime soon. But if somehow the Bucs can rip off wins in New York and/or Dallas, those with cash across Tampa Bay might just be inspired to see what the New Schiano Order is all about.

… and Lavonte David had a surprising leadership role.

The rookies came to play today, and damned if they didn’t play.

Muscle Hamster grounded and pounded the stinking Panthers all day, and got tough yards to seal the win late in the game.

Lavonte David played some fast, physical defense and the icing on his cae was that he was calling defensive plays. Given the fact the Bucs held Carolina to 10 yards rushing, Joe would suggest that’s not too shabby work by the rook.

Then there was Mark Barron. While he got schooled once by Steve Smith, Barron made two splash plays that seemed to set the tone for the Bucs. The first was when he nearly beheaded Smith along the right sidelines. Just totally blew the guy up.

Then there was how Greg Olsen seemingly had beaten Barron for a big pass and Barron reacted perfectly and recovered like a lightning bolt to break up the pass.

“I was just doing my job,” Barron said with a straight face. “I dropped back, and read the quarterback’s eyes and made a play which is what they brought me here for. It was just me doing my job.”

In his postgame comments, ageless Ronde Barber compared Barron to, cryptically, John Lynch, saying Barron’s physical play reminded him of a former teammate that made his bones as a bone-crushing safety.

Barron, rather than talk about himself, was eager to talk about his teammates after limiting the stinking Panthers to an unthinkable 10 yards rushing.

“That is very impressive in my opinion,” Barron said. “A great team like that? Just me not being in the NFL and just watching them on TV and coming into the league, I knew they were a great rushing team. For us to accomplish that, I am glad I was able to do my part.”

The man wearing the olive 1970s-throwback-looking suit patrolling the Bucs locker room after the game, complete with a matching beret, had a giant unlit cigar in his mouth and was pointing and various Bucs defensive linemen and giving them props.

That would be Bucs defensive front-7 coach Bryan Cox.

It wasn’t your typical NFL assistant coach look, but it worked. Of course, Joe had to ask Cox if it was an authentic Cuban in his mouth. And Cox said it most definitely was.

There’s a lot of respect for Cox in the Bucs locker room. And Joe had much respect for that cigar. Joe suspects Cox is enjoying it right now.

Last year Joe was no less than sickened by what was referred to as football the Bucs played during their heinous 10-game losing streak.

Stunning lack of preparation. No emotion. Pathetic fundamentals. Dismal execution. An offensive gameplan seemingly devised by someone who had been at Hooters all afternoon. An ole’ defense.

This is all history now, thanks in large part to the Bucs handing the stinking Panthers their collective hats with a smelly deposit inside.

Jeremy Trueblood is one who battled through the horror of last season and, while he couldn’t shut down the smile on his face, he’s trying to put Sunday’s win in perspective.

“Winning feels a lot to better than losing but we have a long way to go,” Trueblood told Joe. “Each is a one-game season and we have 15 to go.”

The was a game that got offenslive linemen geeked. Carl Nicks was once seen jumping up and down like he cashed a winning lottery ticket on a physical YAC by Vincent Jackson.

“It’s a fun way to close out a game,” Trueblood said. “I’m sure the left side of the line takes pride in that. It was pretty awesome.”

Joe is confident Bucs fans took a lot of pride with that type of win as well.

A dominant day for Gerald McCoy, who gave some credit to his wise new sidekick.

Even a novice football fan watching the Bucs-Panthers game today could tell that Gerald McCoy was a major force on the football field.

McCoy was disruptive. He had his hands on Cam Newton. He sacked Cam Newton. He was a force in the run defense. He didn’t get hurt.

What’s the difference in McCoy? Well, one of them is Gary Gibson in the Bucs locker room and playing alongside McCoy. After the game, McCoy took a moment to credit the veteran newcomer for McCoy’s performance.

“Gary, he’s a vet. He’s very smart. He teaches me little things, little things I need to focus on, little things I need to see, little things he sees that I can do that he knows I can do and need to go execute. And it helped me out a lot today,” McCoy said.

Gibson wasn’t seen much this preseason but got plenty of snaps today and was disruptive himself. Gibson told Joe he’s healthy now and always eager to teach young guys like McCoy.

“Just being an older guy in the league, you know, as you’re playing, you get like little vet moves and little things you see before they happen to make you play faster,” Gibson said. “You know we got a lot of young guys. I’m more than happy to help Gerald; he’s a great player. I’m just being the old vet in the D-line room. Just being knowledgable and sharing.”

Joe’s still speechless at the D-line play today. Somebody give Gibson a raise.

The human armoire, Carl Nicks, the manbeast manning left guard for the Bucs, looked pretty good today.

And he had a good time.

It’s been a while since Nicks has played on a team that pounded the rock like the Bucs did. The Saints didn’t roll like that.

“I love it, man,” Nicks said. “I love running the ball and falling on top of guys and guys falling on me, and just seeing their faces just tired and just wearing them out. I love it.”

Nicks even got to mash in the passing game. On the drive that eventually gave the Bucs a 13-0 lead, Vincent Jackson made a catch in traffic in Panthers territory, then the Panthers swarmed and Jackson was driving his legs to nowhere. Nicks took care of that and moved the pile at least a few yards.

“Oh, man. I seen the whites in Jackson’s eyes as he was straining, so I was like, ‘I can’t let him go out like that’ and there was like eight of those guys over there.”

So was this the All-Pro Carl Nicks Bucs fans saw today? Joe asked Nicks to grade himself.

Nicks said, “B-“.

Joe’s looking forward to Nicks’ A-game.

Joe’s not much of a gambling guy, but Joe thought he had a sure winner before the game.

Regular readers of Joe’s site know said curator was outraged over how former Bucs offensive coordinator Greg Olson couldn’t figure out how to use then-starting running back LeGarrette Blount, or for that matter, any of his weapons on the staff.

Shoot, playing the pass-happy Lions to open the season, Blount, coming off a five-yard per carry average, was handed the ball five times in last season’s opener — FIVE!!! Joe thought then, and still thinks now, that was criminally negligent.

So Joe “made a bet,” that Blount — as a backup no less — would get at least five carries because he now had coaches that had a clue how to use talent.

Alas, Blount had but three carries and one pass reception (GASP!) before he left the game with what appeared to be a cramp and never returned.

(Curiously, Blount was the first Bucs player off the field, and was the first Bucs player to leave the stadium, sprinting out of the locker room, exiting the stadium before the Tampa Bay pen and mic were allowed access.)

Joe would have lost said bet. Happily because it appears the team has a coaching staff that actually prepares for games.

Can you imagine?

If any Bucs fans would have run into Joe at a local watering hole and bragged the Bucs would hold any NFL team to 10 yards rushing, Joe would have responded by asking them to share their beers with him.

If a Bucs fan would have bragged the Bucs defense would hold Cam Newton, DeAngelo Williams and the Carolina Panthers to 10 yards rushing for the game, Joe is sure a cop would have Baker Act’ed said fan.

But it’s true! The Bucs held the Panthers to right at double digits, and Newton himself had but four yards rushing. Even more startling was that Ronde Barber confessed after the game that rookie Lavonte David was making the play calls.

This is as incredible a win as Joe can remember in a while. It was old school Bucs. The offense sputtered and needed the defense to hold on, and the Bucs defense did just that.

An impressive win indeed.

That’s five in a row now if you count the preseason. The Bucs came out and played good football and jumped out to a lead.

Whaddya know, a play in the backfield by Mason Foster to get the defense out of the game followed by forcing a Carolina punt and a 13-play Bucs scoring drive with no penalties.

It wasn’t a coincidence that Raheem Morris could accomplish no such feat. And it’s not luck that the New Schiano Order has its team firing out of the opening whistle. That doesn’t mean the Bucs will win a pile of games, but it’s a damn good start.

The streak is over!!!

The heinous 10-game losing streak, the stain of the Raheem Morris era, is forever in the past.

The Bucs came out and slugged the Panthers in the mouth. That Rutgers defense looks pretty damn stout in the NFL. The Bucs’ run defense was historic — only SIX yards rushing allowed —  a pass rush emerged, and the Bucs registered two interceptions. Mark Barron looked like the real deal. The Bucs swarmed to the football.

Josh Freeman made no mistakes and did just enough. Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin were there when the Bucs needed them most. The Bucs protected the football, and the special teams were tight. There were a few questionable playcalls on offense, but nobody cares when you get the victory.

A win feels damn good.

Stick with Joe through the night for all kinds of analysis, locker room quotes and more.

OK guys, welcome to Week One of the 2012 NFL season. Have fun. As always, no links of pirated Bucs video feeds but you may e-mail links among yourselves. Happy football season, everyone!

Joe highly recommends you head to Tilted Kilt Clearwater for all your football watching this weekend. The Kilt girls are fantastic, and the food and atmosphere — inside and out — is one of Joe’s favorites. Their “Big Arse Burgers” are amazing!

Tilted Kilt is easy to get to at the corner of U.S. 19 and Drew Street, and they’ve also got super specials and a great layout. Click through above or below to check out their website. Tilted Kilt is open late!!

Week 1
Panthers at Bucs
Kickoff: 4:25 p.m.
TV: Blacked out locally. Outside the Tampa/Orlando TV markets, the game will be broadcast on DirecTV Channel 715. The game will be available in its entirely on NFL.com at midnight tonight, and on NFL Sunday Ticket’s “Short Cut” format where the game is condensed to an hour.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); SiriusXM Channel 94.
Weather: Per Weather.com, this should be a messy one. It’s been raining all morning and the forecast is for 100 percent chance of rain at kickoff, with rain chances tailing off to 50 percent at 5 p.m. and through the game. Temperatures hover around 82 degrees.
Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs +2.5
Outlook: Finally, football. Real football. NFL football. Yes, it is proof of a higher authority.

Joe really doesn’t know what to think about this game. As Carolina coach Ron Rivera noted this week, he really doesn’t know what to plan against because this is Bucs coach Greg Schiano’s first as an NFL head coach.  By preparing for everything, hopefully, Carolina will be ill-prepared for what Schiano brings.

The key, clearly is to contain Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. If the Bucs can do that, perhaps it will make the Panthers one-dimensional.

Joe can pretty much bet that running back Doug Martin will be used almost exclusively on the left side of the line. The right side of the line for the Bucs is dicey as Ted Larsen will try to lock down the right guard position in absence of Davin Joseph.

If the Bucs can control the football on the less-than ideal Panthers defense, and harass Newton, the Bucs have a puncher’s chance of a win.

Dubbed the “wild child,” by Raheem Morris way back in 2008, Bucs fans have been patiently waiting for Aqib Talib to get his act together on and off the field since he joined Chucky’s Bucs that season.

Talib has never met his Pro Bowl potential.  He’s been plagued by hamstring woes and an ugly hip injury, plus he’s clubbed teammates and slugged cabbies, lashed out at media and been dragged down by felony criminal allegations and civil suits.

But a new Talib is on the scene now. He’s got no dark cloud of trouble over his head. He’s thoroughly committed, say coaches and Ronde Barber. He’s healthy. And he’s in a contract year.

It’s showtime for Talib. There are no more excuses. If there are, Joe doesn’t want to hear them. He’s 26 years old in the prime of his career. A great season from Talib will make the Bucs a dangerous defense, assuming they’re no longer a sieve against the run. Talib has to step up or else the Bucs surely will be drafting another cornerback in April.