Joe’s feeling real rosy coming out of the first dance of the New Schiano Order last night in Miami, but there was plenty of ugliness to go around, as well.

On defense, Joe was definitely down on Myron Lewis’ performance. He got beat multiple times, and didn’t look strong or to be playing fast. Dolphins receiver Roberto Wallace muscled him to the ground with the ball in his hands and scampered for a long gain. Lewis was impressive in practice over the past week, but in Joe’s mind, last night Lewis lost the ground he had gained.

Grimm was a surprise starter at safety alongside Ronde Barber, and he, too, had a tackle broken on him and didn’t flash any of his trademark physical play with the first team. At least Grimm was much better positionally than Lewis, and Larry Asante. Without the benefit of coach’s film, Joe’s quite certain Asante’s angles on the football were rather Sabbyesque.

The right side of the Bucs’ bookend Pro Bowl guards talked to Joe after the preseason opening victory in Miami last night.

JoeBucsFan.com: Watching from up high in the stadium, it looked like nobody was within two steps of Josh Freeman, how do you think the O-line pass blocked?

Davin Joseph: We did a good job up front protecting the quarterback. Remember ,of course we still got to improve. There’s still a lot of stuff for us to work on technique-wise, recognizing different fronts so we can do that consistently. But so far so good.

Joe: That opening drive running four times after 1st-and-goal, was that music to your ears?

Joseph: Oh, yeah. Exactly. I like it like that. That confidence in the line and the tight ends and the backs to get it in. They put it on our backs and we got it done.

Joe: At 3rd-and-goal and 4th-and-goal, the wide receivers were out. What’s with that all-power set?

Joseph: That’s something we work on of course in practice. The offensive coordinator said run it; we ran it. It worked for us two times in the goal line situation. We’ve done it in the past. But now we’re simplifying the entire plan and focusing on what we’re good at. That’s what made us so efficient this time.

Joe: A few years ago you told Joe how much you loved blocking for Cadillac Williams because he was an inspriational figure. Does it really matter to O-linemen who carries the ball?

Joseph: Oh, yeah. It always matters who has the ball. But you earn that respect and that love for a player through their performance and through practicing their hard work. We have really special backs this year in LeGarrette and Doug. They’ve really been working so hard and you want to see them do well. Just like we were in love with a guy like Cadillac, you know, it’s easy to fall in love with LeGarrette because he’s working so hard, along with Doug. You want to see them have success.

Blount went over the top for the Bucs’ opening score

Joe chatted with LeGarrette Blount after the Bucs took care of business in Miami last night. Here are Blount’s comments:

On the opening touchdown drive:  Everything went really well that whole drive. Everything was blocked the way we planned it. You gotta have pride, and you gotta have the will and feel like no one can stop you [running] four times in a row. That’s the will that our guys have.

On the Bucs rushing four times inside the 10 yard line: That’s the way we’re going to be. That’s definitely what we’re going to do. We’re going to run the football inside. That was definitely a statement that I guess is going to be known around the league.

On Doug Martin: “We can definitely be the best duo in the league,” Blount said of himself and Martin. “With the schemes that we’re running and with the offensive line that we have. You know, with the blocking, you know, with the complement he is to me and the complement I am to him, we definitely have the potential to be the best backfield in the league without a doubt.”

On changes to his running and body: I feel faster. I feel a lot quicker. I feel a lot lighter on my feet. … It definitely lets teams know you’re not one-dimensional. It makes you be able to do certain things in other areas. We’re going to be good. I’m definitely going to be the same type of back I’ve been in the league, though. It’s just the drills that Coach [Earnest] Byner has us doing. You know, the lifting and the running throughout practice as our conditioning. That’s what does it all. This is as strong as I’ve felt in my career.

Josh Freeman weighs in on red zone strategy

One thing cool about the Bucs of not-so-old was with Mike Alstott and a beat-down defense, the Bucs simply dictated how the game would be played.

That’s exactly what Greg Schiano wants the Bucs to return to: smashmouth, in-your-face offense and a smothering defense.

In the first test of the New Schiano Order, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman gave the exam a passing grade.

“All day, all day,” Freeman said about how the Bucs wanted to impose their will on the Dolphins. “Coach has talked about how great teams run the ball in the red zone. We definitely did that. It’s good to see us go for it on fourth down and put it on the offensive line and see them and LeGarrette [Blount] get the job done.”

This is the type of team Schiano wants. It’s the type of team Bucs fans have pined for after years of Chucky-and-duck offense and that steaming pile of hot mess from last season.

Poor Preston Parker, in addition to his stock dropping from a fumble and a needless dead-ball penalty, things then got worse after the game.

The leader of the New Schiano Order called him out at his news conference.

“The one that sticks out to me is the early one, you know, the personal foul [on Parker,]” Schiano said. “We don’t do that. That’s not Buccaneer football. We had a quick talk, Preston and I, and he understands. You’ve got to put your own personal preferences behind the good of the team. Did a guy shove his hand up into his face? Sure he did. But that’s part of the game. You’ve got to walk away. And Preston knows that. That’s not a problem. I think there were a lot of other opportunities for guys to do that. But to that point nobody did. They walked away, which is important.”

Parker’s going to get to show a lot about his toughness as he tries to shake this night off.

Roy Miller shares his postgame thoughts

Every game looks different at the stadium. Some things just don’t translate well on television, and vice versa.

For Joe, sitting at whatever the Dolphins’ stadium is called these days, Roy Miller really looked exceptionally quick off the ball and moving laterally. What a surprise! He looked like a different player.

Miller burst in and pursued and tackled RB Daniel Thomas for a three-yard loss on the Dolphins second play of second quarter. Unfortunately, it was called back for a Wallace Gilberry offsides. But it was a heck of a play for Miller.

“I feel like this scheme allows me to play fast,” Miller said after the game. “I’m just excited that everybody is playing fast. It’s kind of early to make any conclusions. I just think we have to work and keep grinding to become consistent.”

What was different in leading up to this preseason game compared to past years, Roy?

“We’re so prepared for the game,” Miller said. “We go out there and everything just comes together. It’s exciting to be a part of it. It’s different from last year. It’s great to see everything come together on the field after the work we’ve put in.”

No, the Bucs’ pass rush didn’t scare anyone, but overall Miller looked strong and quick. He’s certainly already has surprised Joe, who expected little from Miller this season.

Last year if one took a shot for every first down a Bucs opponent had, one would be prone on the living room floor, comatose by halftime.

Yes, it’s preseason. Yes, it’s a glorified practice. Yes, it was against the Dolphins, who appear to be a miserable squad.

But how refreshing was it for a change that the Bucs defense pitched a shutout with the first and second team?

Gerald McCoy and Adrian Clayborn were all smiles after the game in the locker room — why wouldn’t they be? But behind the smiles lurked no false sense of security.

Work still needs to be done.

“It was good to put ourselves in a good situation to put [good play] on film,” Adrian Clayborn said. “It felt good to be able to contain someone, sure. But it’s just a beginning. It’s just a start.

“We are just trying to get better and play smart football and that’s what we put on tape today.”

Play smart football? What a novel concept!

Like Clayborn, GMC wasn’t about to go dancing after Friday’s performance.

“It was great, but honestly, we weren’t going out there to try to prove anything,” GMC said. “We put a lot of work into it back to the spring and this was the first chance to showcase it. I think we did a fairly decent job.

“We still have a long way to go. This is our first go-around, and for our first go-around I think we did fairly well.”

Since it was the Bucs first go-around, there were mistakes made. GMC nor Clayborn wanted to talk specifically about those mistakes but GMC said the errors were nothing to panic over.

“There are a number of different things [the Bucs could do better], but it is not anything that cannot be fixed. Just little stuff. Adjustments.”

“Now that’s being your best self, Olie.”

The hallmark of the Raheem Morris regime was slow starts.

Even when the Bucs were winning games in 2010, more often than not they were comebacks after sluggish first quarters and porous first-halves for the defense.

There were no solutions for what the previous staff seemed to think was bad luck. Of course, it wasn’t just lousy luck.

But it seems Greg Schianos has found a way to avoid the opening-whistle blues.

The Dolphins under a brand new coach — at home — didn’t bring the same juice as the Bucs tonight to start the game.

Joe’s going to consider the fast start alone as a victory.

Early in training camp Greg Schiano said he’s extraordinarily hands on when it comes to studying turnovers and penalties. That’s the first thing he examines.

Consdering this, it’s pretty darn safe to say Preston Parker’s stock dropped faster than Joe’s jaw would fall if Rachel Watson invited him for a romantic hot tub.

On the Bucs’ opening drive tonight, Preston Parker had a 15-yard, dead-ball penalty.

Later in the first half, Parker badly muffed a punt that led to a turnover.

Throw in that Tiquan Underwood shined like he has all preseason, and Parker had a brutal night. He could find himself on the proverbial bubble by daybreak.

Yeah, it’s preseason, but Joe sure appreciates the Bucs’ attitude on their opening drive tonight in Miami.

Let’s work backwards for a minute. At 3rd-and-goal from the Dolphins’ 2 yard line, the Bucs took off their wide receivers and used the opportunity to impose their will on Miami. The next play was a two-yard, LeGarrette Blount run behind Carl Nicks, and the next was a Blount high dive into the end zone.

And this display of man-on-man combat was on the heels of Blount runs on first-and-goal and second-and-goal. 

Blount finished the drive with 30 yards on seven carries — a catch — and a touchdown. Doug Martin had a well-excuted draw on 3rd-and-2.

Freeman, who was not pressured by any shape of form, never threw deep, used Luke Stocker and Zack Pianalto, and Mike Williams flashed his YAC (yards-after-catch) ability for an 18-yard gain.

The leader of the New Schiano Order said the Bucs will be who they are tonight. And Joe loved the no-BS approach on offense.

One reason the Bucs drafted scatback Michael Smith was a chance to give an anemic offense a change-of-pace guy who can also return kicks, sort of the Bucs’ version of Darren Sproles.

Well, the way Michael Smith played tonight, it had to open some eyes from Bucs coaches and management. Smith used his lightning quick wheels to break through a small hole up the middle on a kickoff for a 34-yard gain. Then, Smith damned near took one to the house on a 74-yard return.

Now Smith didn’t show a whole lot at running back, but part of that perhaps was the future beer truck drivers and bouncers who were blocking for him. Imagine what Smith might do behind the Bucs’ first string offensive line?

With Preston Parker putting the ball on the ground, later getting a stupid personal foul penalty, and the way receiver Tiquan Underwood played and how explosive Smith was on returns, Parker may just play himself out of a gig.

And Smith would be the beneficiary.

Tiquan Underwood’s theft of an interception for a reception was one play that jumped out for Joe this evening.

If Joe’s memory serves, it hasn’t been since the latter stages of the Chucky era when the Bucs put up two touchdowns in the opening quarter.

While Joe isn’t counting preseason games, the same trend held true tonight.

But what Joe had to do is to do a double-take at the scoreboard at SunLife Stadium in Miami Gardens. The Dolphins had a big, fat goose egg for a score in the first half.

Joe cannot remember the last time a Bucs team held its opponent scoreless in the first half.

Sure, Joe knows: It’s a preseason game. And the Dolphins looked positively miserable, sans Ryan Tannehill.

Imagine the difference a new coaching staff makes. Rather than figuring out what player to hang out with at a trendy south Tampa hotspot, or to choose which rap artist to entertain players with at practice, new Bucs coach Greg Schiano has the Bucs paying attention to the details, the football details.

Given the fact the Bucs were able to overcome a rash of offsides penalties and a stupid personal foul penalty by Preston Parker, the Bucs’ defense still pitched a shutout and the offense put together two, clock-eating long drives for touchdowns.

Yes, it is early, very early. But thus far, Joe is liking what he is seeing.

Even LeGarrette Blount seemed to like how good practices are resulting in a good game.

“Everything that we’ve practiced is coming to life,” Blount said. “We’ve been well-prepared for it and we’ve executed everything to almost perfection. We scored on our first two drives, and that’s what you always plan to do. We came out to put points on the board, and the offense is just clicking.”

Joe first came to learn of Lavonte David when he watched Cornhuskers games. (Yeah, Joe likes to watch Big Ten football, guilty as charged). It seemed every play when Nebraska was on defense, Joe either heard David’s name called or saw him near the ball.

So when the Bucs drafted the sideline-to-sideline linebacker in the second round this spring, Joe was geeked. Finally, a playmaker at linebacker.

Well, even though it was a preseason game and it was against the dreadful Dolphins, David seems to have lived up to the hype.

Dude was everywhere, making plays. His interception of a tipped pass showed how he is a ballhawk and he simply crushed a Dolphin return man on a punt. With the rain starting to come down and most players appearing to run gingerly, David flew down the field as if he was in an Olympic sprint of some sort, enabling him to make the crushing open field tackle.

Joe is just geeked. It seems this drought of getting little to no plays made by linebackers is coming to an end.

After a 10-game losing streak, a win feels good, even if it is meaningless and came against a hardly good Miami team.

Bucs 20, Dolphins 7

The offensive execution was sharp. Tackling, penalties, secondary and special teams play weren’t strong, but overall the first-team Bucs looked pretty damn good.

Joe is in Miami and will have so much more through the night and weekend.

Yes boys and girls, football is back and Joe resumes his open forum for games so Bucs fans can get into sword fights over their Pewter Pirates.

Now behave!

Oh, and linking to illegal, pirated feeds will get you banned. You are welcome to e-mail links to yourselves but posting them here will be your last post.

Have fun!

Bucs icon Derrick Brooks took in a Bucs practice this week and walked away impressed and he even chuckled at the extreme discipline he saw, so Brooks explained during an interview on The Dan Sileo Show yesterday on WQAM-AM in Miami.

As for tonight’s game, Brooks expects to see a tempo that Bucs fans weren’t used to last season. And like many other former players, Brooks admitted that the team quit on Raheem Morris.

“From what I’ve seen in practice up close and personal you know I expect to the team in the first game out to come out with a little different tempo than you saw last them in Tampa,” Brooks said. “I felt the team that ended the season last year was a team that basically quit on its head coach, for whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter at this point. 

“I do know Coach Schiano has come in and brought a more disciplined regimen. …You can see that in the practice, Brooks said of Schiano holding players accountable. “There’s no wasted movement in a Buccaneer practice in 2012, (laughs) whether it’s drinking water, going from drill to drill, being coached, team drills, very little wasted movement if any at all. How well they play to this new approach, only time will tell. But I think this type of discipline. this type of approach was really what was necessary for a talented football team.”

Joe would like to see that tempo tonight, as well. Surely there won’t be any no-huddle to make Dallas Clark feel at home, but Joe hopes/prays there some attitude and urgency in everything the Bucs do.

Joe’s proud to introduce Tilted Kilt to JoeBucsFan.com. Their great location at Drew Street and U.S. 19 in Clearwater is an awesome place to watch games and enjoy the scenery — indoors and outside. It’s definitely a favorite of Joe’s and open late. Click below to learn more.

Preseason Week 1
Bucs at Dolphins
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
TV: WTSP Channel 10. The game will air tape-delayed on NFL Network Sunday at 7:30 a.m. and Monday at 1 p.m. The game is also available at NFL.com and on Apple/Android tablets with a subscription to NFL Preseason Live.
Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network (in Tampa WFUS-FM, 103.5 and WDAE-AM, 620); SiriusXM Channel 113.
Weather: Per AccuWeather.com, it will be a wet one. Thunderstorms are expected at kickoff and near the end of the game but the second and third quarters should be dry. Temperature at kickoff is expected to be 80 degrees dropping only slightly to 78 at the end of the game.
Odds: Per Sportsbook.com, Bucs +3
Outlook: Finally, there is some football, albeit a preseason game.

As Joe talked about on “The Tim Brando Show” yesterday seen on CBS Sports Network, there are major question marks on the defense that fans can get some answers to tonight. The Bucs defense was no less than horrid last year and of the four new starters on defense, two are rookies and one (Ronde Barber) has never played safety before. That’s a big red flag for Joe.
(Trivia: Do you know that the top four safeties on the Bucs current depth chart have a grand total of zero NFL starts at their position?)
Gerald McCoy must stay healthy, Mason Foster, who showed flashes last year, must improve. Quincy Black… well, he’s Quincy Black.
Joe’s of the opinion the offense will be just fine. It’s the defense where answers are needed.

Few NFL front office types have had the success that Bill Polian enjoyed in the past four decades. Polian built the Buffalo Bills from a moribund franchise into a team that went to four consecutive Super Bowls. He later built the Carolina Panthers from scratch and later, did another rebuilding job with the Indianapolis Colts, turning that team into a Super Bowl winner.

These days, Polian is as skilled as an NFL analyst on SiriusXM NFL Radio as he was in an NFL team’s front office. This week, Joe had the pleasure to speak with Polian about the Bucs for a few short moments as he and Alex Marvez broadcast live from One Buc Palace.

JoeBucsFan: Greg Schiano coming from college, you are Mark Dominik, what are your concerns?

Bill Polian: Well, first of all I wouldn’t have had any concerns because he had previous NFL experience. What you are looking for as a general manager is a template. “This is what I want from my head coach.” You always would like a guy who has been a head coach before. There is no job description that prepares you for it. There is no job, in professional or college football where you have to make the decisions and have to do all the things a head coach has to do. So you would like a guy who has had experience before. When you are in the National Football League you want someone who has had experience in the National Football League because it is unique, the relationship with players, the way you have to coach them and the way you actually have to play the game from a strategic standpoint. The college game is a system. The professional game is a players game, a matchup game. So when you draw up the template, you say, well, I would like to have a guy who has head coaching experience. I’d like a guy who has built a program before and I’d like a guy who has experience in the National Football League. Greg Schiano has all of that, so he is the ideal candidate.

Joe: Schiano is doing a lot of basic drills, fundamental drills, drills where you might expect to see in a high school practice, not necessarily at an NFL training camp. What does that suggest to you? Does that mean the players were that ill-disciplined that they have to go back to Square-1 and rebuild a foundation?

Polian: No. What it suggests is he is doing everything right. Success at every level of football is built on fundamentals. Vince Lombardi, who is arguably the greatest coach of all time, was a guy who said success is built on fundamentals. If you are going to be a good football team you are going to have to be a good fundamental football team and that is what Greg is doing. It belongs in the National Football League.

Joe: Your perception of the Bucs? You had stated earlier where you thought the Bucs defensive line was their best unit. Coming from Joe, it seemed — without the trained eye that you have — it was the wide receivers that was the Bucs’ best unit. What is the defensive front doing that impresses you so?

Polian: I think they have a lot of talent there. They have guys who can get up the field and get after the passer. They have depth there. They have Amobi Okoye who was a first round draft pick there. When you have a guy like that who is fighting for a job on your football team, that is a pretty good sign. Defense is based on the front. If you can rush the passer I this league and get up the field and disrupt, you have a chance to be a very good football team and I think, having played against them last year and seeing them now upfront, they are a very good group. That’s not to say the receivers isn’t either. They are very good. But I think the defensive line’s importance in the National Football League cannot be overstated and this is a good group.

Joe: Joe gets a lot of flak for writing this, but there were games where Gerald McCoy was simply disruptive. He was in the backfield often, but didn’t have many sacks or tackles to speak of. Joe is of the opinion that disruption is so important because offense is all about timing. If you get in the backfield, that messes up an offense’s timing and all of a sudden, you then have a busted play.

Polian: That’s exactly correct, I couldn’t have said it any better. The most important person you can find for a defensive front is a guy who can rush the passer. That’s the hardest person to find, other than a winning quarterback. So, bottom line, [GMC] has that ability, he just has to stay healthy. You would hope that he would and you hope that those two injuries are just freak injuries. I’ve only seen one player in 35 years in the NFL that had two bicep tears and that was Bob Sanders. These are freak injuries. I asked him on the air today, and he said he is fine and everything is good. Let’s hope that is the case. That position is critical in the National Football League and if you have that, you have a chance of being successful.

Joe is en route to Miami tonight for this historic preseason Bucs game, the on-field debut of the New Schiano Order.

For those unfamiliar with Joe’s postgame coverage, Joe gets after it in a huge, fast and furious way.

You’ll want to stick with Joe into the wee hours and all weekend long for the freshest takes, quotes and more. And don’t worry about Joe, the good folks at Paradise Worldwide Transportation are taking Joe to and from the game in style, so Joe’s icy cold postgame liquids will not be a danger on the road.