The third day of Bucs training camp is complete and so too is the video report from the proprietor of WhatTheBuc.net and fill-in host on WQYK-AM 1010 Derek ‘Old School’ Fournier.

Haven’t heard enough about Bucs rookie wide receiver Arrelious Benn thus far in training camp? “Old School” explains why.

By any measure, Bucs middle linebacker Barrett Ruud is a nice guy. But his contract situation with the Bucs has tested his normally cool demeanor.

In recent days, Ruud, never known to cooperate with the pen and mic club, has shunned reporters if not had a tepid response, saying, in so many words, he has nothing to say.

Cornered today after practice, Ruud let loose. Questioned about his reaction to Donald Penn getting his payday after sitting out offseason drills, a ploy Ruud tried last year which failed to move Team Glazer and/or general manager Mark Dominik, Ruud minced no words, Twitters Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune on the TBO Bucs Twitter feed.

Barrett Ruud on the Penn deal – “I’m happy for Donald but as for me, I feel how you would feel if it happened to you.”

Later, Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune got Ruud to open up a bit more and he was no less angered.

“Obviously, I’m very disappointed,” Ruud said. “I’m not real happy about it. I’m very happy for Donald. Very happy for Gerald (McCoy). Very happy for all the guys who signed the last couple of years, but definitely it’s pretty frustrating on my end.”

Whoa! Ruud is certainly peeved! While Joe feels for the guy, Joe hopes he can turn this rage into the best season he’s had on the field.

Like he wrote yesterday on Twitter, Joe hates being repetitive, but rookie defensive tackle Brian Price is a freaking beast.

His early stellar play in camp continued Monday morning as Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, posting on the TBO Bucs training camp update feed, documented.

So far, DT Roy Miller is having a good camp. The only problem with that is that fellow DT Brian Price is having a great camp. Price beat a double team to make a stop behind the line during a running game drill earlier today.

This is not a knock on any other Bucs rookie. But Price is not playing like a rookie, he’s playing like a man possessed. He’s lightning quick off the ball and has running back-like speed to peel off the line and chase down ballcarriers. Oh, and he’s strong as a Clydesdale.

The way this guy is playing Joe’s isn’t sure just how the Bucs are going to keep Price off the field.

As the Bucs are about to begin their third day of training camp, The Mad Twitterer and Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times look back at yesterday’s practice.

In particular, the duo discuss tight-lipped Barrett Ruud. By all appearances, Ruud is peeved that offensive tackle Donald Penn got his payday and Ruud didn’t.

Gerald McCoy is just one example of a changing roster for the Bucs.

Joe came across an interesting column that was recently typed by the Tampa Bay area’s sports voice of reason, Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune.

There were many elements of the column that Joe could cite, but the general gist of the column is that changes for the Bucs are good and needed for the team to improve.

In short, Henderson believes that, short of wins this season, a roster overhaul will demonstrate positive progression for the Bucs.

Times are changing. Faces are changing. Now the Bucs need to show that things have changed sufficiently from last year. That includes solid growth by Freeman as a starting quarterback and dramatically improved play on the defensive line.

Would six wins be a positive enough result for now? Seven? Eight?

That judgment belongs to the people who buy the tickets. If they decide the Bucs are building something sustainable and competitive, a team the city can once again embrace, they might start coming back to Ray-Jay.

Henderson also writes what Joe and most reasoned fans should expect this year: Growing pains. Bunches of them. As great as defensive tackle Brian Price has looked for the Bucs in practice, he’s still a rookie and the Bucs are banking on a lot of rookies to succeed this season.

That’s a dangerous expectation for any team wanting more W’s at the end of the year than L’s. But it very likely will mean good things down the road.

Don’t like Peter King? Think he’s full of it?

Not Joe. In Joe’s eyes there are few better (if any) NFL writers than Peter King. The longtime Sports Illustrated columnist — who periodically sends Joe a direct message via Twitter and has had very nice things to say about Joe — invites any and all Bucs fans who don’t like him to hound him today.

King will be at One Buc Palace this morning when the Bucs begin their third day of training camp and egged on his haters this morning in his must-read Monday Morning Quarterback.

I think if you’d like to come and heckle me at one of my remaining stops, bring it on. My schedule:

• Today: Tampa Bay (but leaving early for NBC “Football Night in America” meeting in New York)

There you go Bucs fans. Head over to One Buc Palace and mock Peter King. You may also badger FoxSports.com’s Jay Glazer who will also be there and was rubbing elbows with Bucs players last night at International Plaza.

So today was the first day Joe laid eyes on coveted first round draft pick Gerald McCoy.

Joe’s observation: Hey, he’s a rookie.

At times, GMC flashed why he was one of the highest rated defensive tackles in the draft. Most of the time though, GMC looked like a rookie.

He always went against the Bucs first team offense, often butting heads with seasoned veterans Jeff Faine and Davin Joseph. Often, the veterans got the best of the rookie.

In the times GMC got a step or two on his offensive linemen teammates, GMC quickly learned he wasn’t playing against Colorado any longer.

In one play where GMC got a step on his foe to his right, in this case Xavier Fulton, Fulton quickly pushed GMC to the ground. So even though he got past Fulton the play was hardly over.

Another time GMC used a nice swim move to get a step behind Faine. But Faine quickly regrouped and blew up GMC, taking him out of the play.

That’s the not-so-good. Now the good.

On a bubble screen to Mike Williams, GMC read the play like a book, slid through the would-be blockers and then GMC and Williams danced as the rookie receiver tried to juke and duck his way past GMC. It didn’t work.

In fact, the way GMC shifted his feet, countering Williams’ every move, it looked like a leopard who had cornered his prey.

Then GMC made a play that was every bit the kind of a play one might expect from a third overall pick. It appeared GMC pulled a Warren Sapp ghost move on Joseph as he got around the All Pro guard to GMC’s left. Once he got a step on Joseph, GMC kicked in the afterburners and rocketed past Joseph to make a play.

While GMC wasn’t lighting things up like his fellow rookie defensive tackle Brian Price was, GMC showed flashes of why he was rated so highly.

Last year Bucs middle linebacker Barrett Ruud held out of offseason workouts, much like offensive tackle Donald Penn did this year, in an effort to get a new contract with the Bucs.

It didn’t work.

So Ruud, whose contract is up after the season, was likely as surprised as anyone when Penn was re-upped to a new, significant deal.

As a result, it appears Ruud is peeved. He wouldn’t talk to reporters yesterday after the first day of training and he pulled the same stunt today, so reports Stephen Holder of the St. Petersburg Times.

Always-accessible LB Barrett Ruud blew off reporters for a second straight day today as the Bucs completed their single practice this afternoon.

Ruud has been requested by media who wish to ask his reaction to the Bucs’ decision to sign LT Donald Penn to a long-term contract, but Ruud continues to decline those requests. Today, he ran off the field, responding to me and another reporter by simply saying, “I don’t got anything today, guys.”

Asked if Ruud was upset about his lack of a contract extension — he is playing on a one-year restricted free agent tender for $3.168 million — coach Raheem Morris said, “You guys know Barrett. We’re not going to manufacture drama.” Morris said Ruud has been professional about the matter and hasn’t shown any lack of effort on the field.

Whatever the hell is eating at Ruud, Joe certainly hopes he puts it behind him by the time the regular season begins. Last thing the Bucs need is for a starting middle linebacker to be so hacked off his head is elsewhere than the game at hand.

Aside from the way Bucs rookie defensive tackle Brian Price has toyed with his offensive teammates, the biggest surprise to Joe thus far in training camp has been the fan reaction to blocking icon Michael Clayton.

The fans love him!

If anyone remembers last summer the way the fans roared virtually every time Cadillac Williams touched the ball, it’s not that far removed from the crowd reaction to Clayton this summer.

Based on phone calls to local sports radio stations, and various comments on a host of sites including Joe’s, by far the most vitriol thrown at a Bucs player is towards Clayton.

So when Joe began hearing fans applaud Clayton’s catches yesterday, and then heard fans go wild at Clayton’s every move today, it really threw Joe for a loss.

Clayton was adorned with so much praise today, that at one point he acknowledged the fans’ applause by looking at the bleachers and pumping his fist in the air. After practice, he jumped into the bleachers and sat among the fans, basking in their warmth while signing autographs.

Now Joe has written several times how nice of a guy Clayton is, he just wears his emotions on his sleeve, which gets him in hot water at times.

Clayton, thus far, has looked like the Bucs’ most reliable wide receiver. He’s catching everything thrown his way. Sadly, is Clayton’s solid training camp thus far a repeat of past years? Clayton often has good training camps, but other than his rookie year, rarely did that play carry over past the first game of the season.

The way Clayton is playing in training camp this summer, he’s either a lock to make the team or get traded. If he sticks with the Bucs, can that strong play in practice in August stick with him in September and beyond?

Joe’s good friend Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net has another solid video on the day’s happenings at One Buc Palace as the second day of training camp came to a close.

The way Bucs rookie defensive tackle Brian Price is playing early in training camp, he will introduce himself to opposing NFL quarterbacks this season in a very rude manner.

OK, it’s Aug. 1 and Joe’s not trying to get too hyped up. Joe’s trying to temper his excitement.

Earlier today, Joe’s good friend Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune Twittered how no Bucs player is impressing like running back Kareem Huggins.

Joe respectfully disagrees. Brian Price is lighting things up.

The Bucs rookie defensive tackle, drafted in the second round, quite possibly is having the best camp of any Bucs player. Folks, this guy is a friggin’ beast!

While Joe didn’t see Price get a sack today, Price is tearing up the Bucs offensive line, the first string no less. Every play, and Joe means every play, Price is getting pressure on the quarterback and disrupting plays. The dude is lighting quick off the ball and with his brute strength is able to fight through double-teams even.

In one particular play, against the Bucs first string offense, Price fought through a double-team and flushed quarterback Josh Freeman out of the pocket to his right where he threw an incomplete pass in the flat.

This is exactly what the Bucs sorely lacked last year. Sometimes pressure is equally important as a sack because it blows a play up and that is exactly what Price was doing all day today.

Another cool thing about Price is how, when the ball (run or pass) gets past the line of scrimmage, how Price peels off the line and hauls ass downfield. In one play, Joe cannot remember who the receiver was, Price pulled off the line when Freeman let go of a pass to the right sideline, and Price damned near got to the sideline as quick as the ball. Had it been a complete pass, it’s very likely Price would have caught the receiver from behind. Surely the receiver heard Price’s footsteps.

At one point against the second-string offense, Price just lit up would-be blockers and chased Josh Johnson for his life. It was during this play Joe heard a fan scream while Price was wreaking havoc, “Look at him… look at  him… LOOK AT HIM!”

After two practices, Price is easily the best defensive lineman.

Yes, it’s early and this could all change tomorrow. But the way Price is playing, if he continues, Joe doesn’t know how the Bucs are going to be able to keep this guy off the field.

In short, if Bucs fans are looking to go to BucGear.com to buy a new jersey, after the first weekend of training camp, No. 92 should be on top of your shopping list.

It seems Drew Brees had nothing better to do with his offseason than help counsel a young quarterback in his division.

That QB would be Josh Freeman.

Either Brees is a sweetheart of a guy, has no respect for the Buccaneers, or Greg Olson has very seedy photos of Brees from their days together in college football.

Per Dan Pompei, of Nationalfootballpost.com, Olson got Brees to mentor Freeman for several days this summer.

Bucs second-year quarterback Josh Freeman had help from an unlikely source this offseason — Drew Brees of the division-rival Saints. Freeman spent a week in San Diego picking Brees’ mind and working out together. Usually, division rivals don’t try to help one another, but this was a little different because Freeman’s offensive coordinator in Tampa, Greg Olson, also was Brees’ quarterbacks coach at Purdue. Olson set up the get together. Olson also told me he used the offseason to emphasize several points with Freeman: he has to take care of the ball better, he needs to make better decisions, he should play with more balance, and he has to strive for more consistency with his drops. Olson said he likes what he’s seen from Freeman so far.

Joe’s happy for Freeman, and Joe’s happy that Brees doesn’t give a crap that he’s helping the franchise player on a division rival.

If Joe were a Saints fan, he’d be having an absolute fit right now.

Imagine new Falcons minority owner Warrick Dunn getting Ronde Barber to help out some young Atlanta cornerback. Crazy stuff.

Poised. Cool. Humble.

Gerald McCoy didn’t sound like a rookie in front of the microphone when he greeted the media yesterday evening with the ink barely dry on his massive contract.

Joe recommends you watch the video at Buccaneers.com.

Among other things, McCoy was asked whether he was a changed man now that he’s got $35 million or so guaranteed, ‘Do you stay motivated the same way now that the money is there?’

“Even more. The money, it’s there. But like I tell my family, ‘The money is for you guys.’ I worked hard to take care of my family. My goal is to be the best football player I can be. I want to be in the Hall of Fame. I want to be Pro Bowl. I want to be known as one of the best ever,” McCoy said. “That’s what I want to do. And by doing that, the money will come, and I will share it with your family. You know, the money is the money. I’m not saying it’s not great. You know, nobody’s going to say it’s not great. But I’m a football player. And that’s what I want to do.”

McCoy also confirmed his June practice session with Warren Sapp back, a major happening that was only reported by JoeBucsFan.com and inexplicably kept quiet by the Bucs.

“Everything [Sapp] showed he me, I just went and worked on it. Worked on it, and worked on it and I’m going to try and perfect,” McCoy said. “He showed me a lot of minor things. He said he can’t show me in one summer. …He says it’s going to take time.”

We stuck to “basics.” And Sapp advised ” you gotta go out there with no fear and you gotta go out there with a plan.”

Joe’s quite impressed by McCoy. But that’s all meaningless in about eight weeks, if he looks overmatched.

JoeBucsFan.com photo by Kyra Hallett

It’s another day of hard labor for Joe at the steamy, sweaty confines of Bucs training camp this afternoon. 

Everybody’s sweating out there! Today’s lone practice session starts around 2:30 p.m.

If you’ve been living under a rock and just joining JoeBucsFan.com today, scroll down and read the absolute boatload of training camp news, notes and photos you’ve missed. There’s quite a bit.

Nobody could have been happier than Josh Freeman yesterday after news of Penn's deal. JoeBucsFan.com photo by Kyra Hallett

Woody Cummings, of the Tampa Tribune, tells the story of Donald Penn’s signing and the weight clause that landed in the contract.

Cummings doesn’t miss a step, including Penn explaining how he put his foot down on getting that long term deal done  now, even if he had to give some things up.

So much for no leverage. Penn apparently had so much leverage that he had a long term deal already on the table from Team Glazer, despite the looming lockout.

“So I told (Arceneaux), do whatever it takes to get me in there, because I’ve never missed a camp before. That’s not the kind of guy I am, so let’s get it done. Let’s make some sacrifices if we need to, but let’s get it done.”

One sacrifice Penn will have to make might come at the dinner table. His contract includes a clause that calls for him to be weighed six times a year and to keep his weight between 330 and 335 pounds.

Penn said he doesn’t believe his weight gain a year ago was as big an issue as the Bucs and the media made it out to be, but he already has taken steps to make sure it doesn’t surface as a problem again.

Joe finds it very intriguing Penn spoke of making concessions to get into camp.

Joe wonders if Barrett Ruud ever even sniffed a long-term offer?

JoeBucsFan.com photo by Kyra Hallett

Joe knows many Bucs fans think Kareem Huggins could be a sleeper, that lightning quick change-of-pace back that could add an exciting dimension to the Bucs offense.

Of course, it’s all just speculation, since Huggins only has a handful of impressive preseason NFL carries on his resume and was Division 1-AA standout in 2007.

On Saturday, Huggins looked sharp, unlike Clifton Smith who put the ball on the ground. Joe expects Huggins to carry the load for the Bucs in the second half of every preseason game. Maybe he’ll show enough to stay off the practice squad?

Working hard for his media partners at the Buccaneers flagship radio station, WDAE-AM 620 and BucsCountry.com, Joe caught up with new Bucs linebacker Jon Alston after Saturday’s evening practice. The fifth-year veteran, who was a special teams standout in Oakland, shared some thoughts on the 2010 Buccaneers.

Joe: At 27 years old, you’re a real veteran on this team. What’s it like coming into this kind of young club, how are you adjusting, and how does that translate to practice?

Jon Alston: I don’t know if the young team has anything to do with it. I was just thinking to myself, personally, how much I enjoy being here. [On Saturday,] I caught myself taking a moment and seeing how well we practice here despite the heat and compared to other places I’ve been. I’ve been in the league a while, and the energy is great.

Joe: What’s your role on this team going to be? You came in with a repuation as a special teams ace, and the Bucs have built a very strong special teams unit.

Alston: Primarily backing up Geno [Hayes], and trying to learn both [outside linebacker positions] and be ready for anything. Geno’s a great player. There’s a lot I can learn from him, and the way Quince and Barrett play and approach the game, I can learn a lot there, too. Special teams is going to make sure I’m on this team. That’s where I’ve excelled and we have a group here that can win football games. I’m really excited about playing for Coach Bisaccia. …The guys have so much respect for him. They believe.

Joe: What about Bisaccia stands out?

Alston: Definitely what we do on special teams stands out in the offseason preparation and approach. … We work hard. We go out and call it C.A.T. club. …It’s an acronym and I’ll leave it at that. …When other teams are just lifting and watching tape, we’re out there practiciing technique, things that make you better on gameday. That’s something that’s paid off here. Coach Bisaccia is consistent and he’s honest. That’s the great thing. He is so steady. There’s no panic now that the pads are on. We’re practicing in OTAs the way we’re practicing today. It’s consistent, thoroughly, and that’s special in this league.

Joe: Walking into this team in the spring and now, does it feel like a 3-13 team? Do you get a vibe that the team is climbing out of a hole?

Alston: I don’t feel that, to be honest with you. The guys are very excited about how they finished last year against some good opponents. And there’s a lot of confidence among the defense from the way things turned around late in the season. The atmosphere is, ‘Let’s build on that.’ …There’s no here we go again. It’s a race to 10 [wins] as Rah likes to say right now. …The guys are buying into that. For the first day of practice, I was impressed with the tempo.

Joe: You’re coming from the Raiders organization, where the fans are notoriously intense. What’s been your impression of Bucs fans at FanFest and now after the first day of practice?

Alston: Raiders fans are great. They really are. I do like how intimate it was at practice here. Having the fans so close and so involved and so loud at pracitice, it kicks you up a notch. I’m from the South, from Louisiana. There’s a different mentality in the south about the football. Some people around the country might take offense to that. I know the SEC, but I was a Pac-10 guy, and played professionally out there. It’s a different kind of excitement in the South for football. This kind of fan energy is new to me at a professional level. …It’s exciting. The fans are why we’re here, and it’s great to be reminded of that at the opening practice.

Not only is Team Glazer writing checks faster than Joe does on the first of the month, Team Glazer seems to be loving every minute of it.

What’s going on?

Brighthouse Network, the same outfit that shamefully denies its viewers NFL Network, turned out an impressive video from Bucs camp (no surprise they don’t offer embed codes) that includes footage of Joel and Bryan Glazer hugging Donald Penn. Great stuff.

There’s also plenty of shots of the svelte Penn in action.

Perhaps it is true that “money will never be an issue” when building the Bucs into a winner?

These are confusing times for Bucs fans.

The media throng gathered before a smiley Raheem The Dream this afternoon hit the head coach with a question about Donald Penn’s waistline.

After all, fat seemed to be a huge part of the ugly public negotiating tactics earlier this summer.

It was a pointed and appropriate query. The reporter essentially asked Raheem The Dream if he had concerns about Penn’s weight skyrocketing now that he has a fat new contract.

“You know I don’t, because I know the man’s character. You know, if he had weight gain, and when he did have weight gain, he’ll put it under control. And that’s what he’s been working on. That’s what he’s been doing this whole time,” Raheem The Dream said. “So, for me, it’s more about how much he cares about his teammates and how much he cares about actually playing. He’s got a big weight lifted off his chest. There’s two ways to look at that story. He’s got a weight lifted off his chest. His family’s secure. He knows he can be secure. He’s knows he’s going to be here. There’s no ‘what if’ anymore. He’s a Buccaneer. And hopefully, he’s a lifelong Buccaneer. So, you can look at that thing either way. You know, there’s different guys that get money, they turn it down and they do different things. But we don’t believe that or we wouldn’t have gave Donald Penn the kind of money that we gave him or the contract that we did give him.”

(Translation: Raheem The Dream says he’s not worried because Penn cares.) It almost sounded to Joe like Penn might not have a weight clause in his deal.

Joe couldn’t care less. Hopefully, Penn will keep it under 330 and go out and dominate.

Joe’s good friend Derek “Old School” Fournier, of WhatTheBuc.net, who also is a frequent fill-in host on CBS Sports radio in town, cut a video breaking down the first practice of Bucs training camp 2010.