Tiquan Underwood gives much of the credit to his successful training camp with the Bucs to receivers coach P.J. Fleck.

Previously, Joe wrote about how Mike Williams lauded his new receivers coach, excitable P.J. Fleck, and said because of Fleck’s influence, the Bucs receivers “are as one.”

Fleck, who Bucs fans at practices have noticed bounces all over the place, got another stamp of approval from Tiquan Underwood today.

Underwood, who is having a really good training camp thus far, told Joe about how Fleck is different than any position coach he has ever had, but it’s working for the Bucs.

“I am not used to a coach wearing cleats at practice,” Underwood said. Fleck is “getting after it, chasing you downfield. It is really different. It takes a bit to get used to but we thrive off of his energy as a group.”

Joe thought perhaps one reason for the receivers raving about Fleck is that Fleck will actually guard his receivers in drills, as if he was a member of the Bucs secondary. This, Joe reasoned, might give Fleck more or different insight into his receivers than a coach who normally just observes from the sidelines or monitors practice tape.

Underwood didn’t think this mattered much.

“When it comes to coaching, there are different methods, different styles, different philosophies,” Underwood said. “There is no right or wrong way. You coach whatever way you do best. For Coach Fleck, that is more upbeat where for Coach Sully [offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan], that is more laid back. So it is different styles, no right or wrong way and we are adapting to it. It’s working for us.”

Here are Joe’s thoughts and observations from the final Bucs practice open to the pen and mic club prior to Friday’s preseason game at Miami.

* Bulk of practice involved second- and third-teamers.

* Injured Aqib Talib (nagging hamstring) could be seen jogging on one of the far fields at One Buc Palace.

* Dallas Clark made a sweet catch from Dan Orlovsky in the back of the end zone. He had to turn back to grab the slightly underthrown pass.

* Tight end Danny Noble made a nice catch while double-teamed.

* Muscle Hamster made two nice plays in a row. First, he ran through the defense for a good gain, then caught the ball out of the backfield and ran left for what appeared to be another first down.

* Luke Stocker makes a big gain while on a crossing pattern while running left.

* After a bad snap from shotgun, Josh Freeman scoops up the ball and is still able to get the handoff to Mossis Madu.

* Tiquan Underwood has really been one of the standout receivers in training camp. But Wednesday Underwood showed he could block too. On a short pass to tight end Colin Franklin down the left sideline, Underwood raced in front of him, directing traffic.

* Orlovsky wasn’t able to get off a snap in time during a two-minute drill, which seemed to raise the blood pressure Greg Schiano. With whistle still in mouth, Schiano stared at Orlovsky for a moment before looking down and walking away, shaking his head.

* Tampa native and Florida International product Greg Ellingson made a sweet diving catch while surrounded by three defenders for a 20-yard gain.

* Keith Tandy uses hand-to-hand combat against a receiver to break up a would-be touchdown pass in the far left corner of the end zone.

* Armahd Lewis has a pass go just off his outstretched fingertips. It  was ruled a fumble, scooped up by Cody Grimm. This may be the first play Joe can remember Grimm making in quite sometime.

* With the blaring simulated crowd noise starting, Schiano takes to his bullhorn. “Listen up! Situation: 1:22, no timeouts. We need a touchdown!”

* Vincent Jackson splits the defense for a good gain.

* Good thing Josh Freeman was wearing a no-contact jersey. The defense in the two-minute drill displayed a strong pass rush, including Eric Wright on a couple of blitzes. On one blitz, Ronde Barber joined Wright in the backfield at roughly the same time as Gerald McCoy. On another play, Wright came flying in from the right side untouched and as he ran past Freeman, he raised his right arm in celebration of the would-be sack.

* Leonard Johnson gets away with a hold on an incomplete pass aimed for Mike Williams.

* An Amobi Okoye sighting! The Bucs defensive tackle got to Freeman on a bullrush to record a faux sack.

The leader of the New Schiano Order has sauteed and fried the Bucs in the summer sun, but now it’s time to freshen up for a game — finally.

Greg Schiano said he liked what he saw at today’s practice, even if it wasn’t pretty. “We looked heavy-legged, but the thing I liked about it. They busted their butt,” Schiano said. “It’s ok to be there [with great fatigue] now.

As for the Bucs worrying about holding back their playbook on Friday in Miami for the preseason opener, Schiano shrugged that off. “I wanna run our stuff,” he said, explaining that the Bucs’ identity will be clear.

No suprise to learn that the Bucs’ haven’t worked on a “game plan” for the preseason opener, Schiano said, but they’ll now “shrink it down” starting tomorrow so players are efficient and ready for Friday.

Asked about Donald Penn’s condition, Schiano paused and explained that Penn’s healing calf injury could be a blessing. “It’s really given him an opportunity to get himself into pretty good shape,” Schiano said.

Greg Schiano being liked by the Rams as a head coach candidate was an interesting nugget in this WDAE-AM 620 interview today with popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, beer-chugging Peter King of Sports Illustrated and NBC Sports fame. … Those that prefer to read King’s thoughts on the Bucs can click here for Joe’s interview with King last week.

Since the Bucs installed Gerald McCoy as the “face of the franchise,” McCoy hasn’t had much of a veteran presence around him to lean on and learn from, unless you count noted bust Ryan Sims hanging around for part of 2010.

Joe was a big fan of former defensive line coach Keith Millard, but a coach isn’t a teammate.

Things are different now with 30-year-old Gary Gibson in the house. The former Rutgers/Schiano DT battled his way to the NFL via NFL Europe and spent the past five seasons with Carolina and St. Louis.

Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week, McCoy went out of his way to mention Gibson’s influence.

“He’s real smart. He’s helping me out because he’s vet. He sees a lot coming before it happens. He’s helping me recognize,” McCoy said of Gibson.

This has been some offseason for McCoy. His back has loosened up. He’s learned tackling technique. He’s healthy. And he gets to hone his craft every day working against the human armoire, Carl Nicks. Per McCoy, Donald Penn routinely tells him, ‘You’re playing in the Pro Bowl every day.’

Everything is pointing to a great season for McCoy. Now he just has to deliver.

Rick Stroud and Stephen Holder discuss the current state of the Bucs as the team prepares for its first preseason game Friday in this Tampa Bay Times video.

If the Bucs had any unit last year that needed help most, it was the linebackers. Most defenses have what is called “second levels,” which is code for linebackers.

Not the Bucs. Once running backs got past the first level, it was off to the races.

Geno Hayes was way too much of a freelancer, Mason Foster was a rookie without any offseason training who played out of position and Quincy Black was, well, Quincy Black.

If there was a linebacker corps last season in the NFL worse than the Bucs, Joe is all ears. But with a new defensive-minded coach, new assistants stressing fundamentals and a new, flashy addition, the linebacker play for the Bucs could be a stark contrast from last year, thanks to rookie Lavonte David.

Though he has yet to play against a different colored jersey, David, who is lighting fast, is already getting raves from Bucs coaches, mostly becuase he has overcome every obstacle the Bucs have thrown at him thus far, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan has thrown the new playbook at David. He also has given him more repetitions than most defenders. In addition to his duties in the base defense, David has gotten looks at middle linebacker in nickel passing situations with the second unit.

“He’s doing good,” Sheridan said. “Like all the rookies, at some point in camp, it starts to mount up mentally. But he’s plowing through it. The nice thing is he’s getting a ton of reps with the ones (starters) and the twos, so he’s getting coached off film because he’s in there a lot. I’m sure guys wish they were getting the kind of reps we’re affording him.

“What he brings is he’s real instinctive, so even if he technically screws up, he’s got great recovery.”

This is nothing but good news to Joe. Not only is David versatile, he’s also smart. While playing for Nebraska, David was a true sideline-to-sideline type of player; a ballhawk.

He’s exactly what the Bucs needed: an athletic, smart, versatile linebacker.

At some point Greg Schiano sat down with his brain trust and crafted the Bucs’ first depth chart for Friday’s opening preseason game.

But the leader of the New Schiano Order, a man proudly obsessed with details, then stepped to the media podium today and suggested that nobody should take the depth chart too seriously. Rick Stroud, of the Tampa Bay Times, took notes.

“We released a depth chart, strictly because it’s league mandated, I guess, so we did it,” Schiano said. “I wouldn’t read too much into it right now. We haven’t played anybody, we haven’t been able to play one live snap, other than the young kids (Saturday). But just for us, we’ll be spending a lot of time together these next couple months I think. The way that I’ve handled, and the way that I will handle the depth chart is, every move that we make is whatever gives us the best chance to win. Whatever is best for the Bucs. I can’t say that about this depth chart for sure because I don’t know yet.

“But moving forward, if there are up and down moves, that’s why we do them. There’s not any other message or any other reason we’re doing it.’

Jimminy Christmas! Joe’s not about to believe for a second that every last name on Schiano’s depth chart wasn’t calculated and that each name placement isn’t revealing. That surely would be out of Schiano’s character and not jibe with Schiano’s core beliefs.

Sorry, Coach. Joe’s “going to read too much into it” right now until Friday’s kickoff. If “up and down moves” are important, then where guys sit right now is meaningful.

There’s a reason Arrelious Benn is listed as the first reserve to Vincent Jackson. There’s a reason Cody Grimm is third string behind Larry Asante. It’s worth noting that Preston Parker is listed as the lead punt and kickoff returner, or that E.J. Biggers is ahead of Myron Lewis. And, of course, as Joe wrote about earlier, LeGarrette Blount sits ahead of Doug Martin.

Joe looks forward to the next depth chart in seven days. Joe plans to happily read to much into that, too.

Today was supposed to be the last practice open for Bucs fans to come out to training camp and catch their Pewter Pirates free.

Well, the Bucs have decided to add another open practice, so the news came across the Bucs official Twitter feed today.

@TBBuccaneers: The open practice on Aug. 14 will be at One Buccaneer Place and will start at 8:45 a.m., gates open at 7:30. Read more: http://tinyurl.com/c4s3e8c

Joe will lay cash, however, that next week’s weather won’t be as temperate as it was out there this morning.

A lot has changed for Roy Miller in the span of a few months, and that’s not a bad thing for the fourth-year defensive tackle from Texas.

Miller has had a topsy-turvy professional career. First he was ordered to put massive amount of weight on to fit into the heinous Jim Bates Experiment, then asked to drop it the following year, and in his third season, he was hurt most of the year.

Miller, who seemed to be a dead man walking the way Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik was collecting defensive tackles in the offseason, has been reborn and is now listed atop the depth chart with the first-team defense.

Miller’s health, or to be clear, his healthy body, seems to have been the difference. That is what he claimed over and over today after practice today at One Buc Palace.

“The difference between now and before, No. 1 thing is I’m healthy,” Miller said. “And the scheme has changed, too. We’re more of an attack team now. It’s hard to see it, but without actually seeing we’re more of an attack-oriented scheme and I’m excited about that. That’s what I did two years ago and I had a pretty good year. So I’m looking forward to getting back to that.”

The style of play that front seven assistant coach Bryan Cox employs is better suited to Miller’s skill set, so he claims.

“I can play more aggressively and like I said, I’m healthy, so I’m ready, I’m excited,” Miller said. “Last year was a little different, especially with the offseason, and then I got hurt, and so I’m just looking forward to being consistent out here.”

Joe got a chance to chat briefly with Bucs reserve offensive lineman Demar Dotson after practice today. The sign of a reserve playing well is when he fills in for an injured starter, and there isn’t much of a noticeable drop off. That’s exactly what Dotson has done in training camp as Donald Penn recovers from a minor leg injury.

Dotson talked about how he is sick of practice already; how he has benefited from playing next to Carl Nicks, and how Jermon Bushrod has indirectly helped him.

Looking forward to Friday’s game at Miami?

We have been beating up on each other all camp. We are tired; we are hurting; we are mad; frustration is setting in. We are looking forward to seeing another color jersey so we can go at it.

What are you looking to accomplish?

Just getting better. Going up against Cameron Wake, a Pro Bowler, defensive end, doing my job and winning the battle.

How has playing next to Carl Nicks helped you?

He helps a lot, he’s a Pro Bowl guard. He teaches me a lot. He teaches me what he is doing in New Orleans and what he learned from [Jermon Bushrod] another Pro Bowl left tackle in New Orleans. He teaches me a lot. He teaches me how to set and play in the game. He has been huge for me, there’s no doubt about it.

Has Nicks showed you his nastiness yet?

Oh, that’s a habit I have myself. You can’t make a man be nasty. You either have it or you don’t. Oh, I’ve got it.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: RSS

The flimsy depth along the Bucs defensive line has given Joe restless nights sleep recently. Unfortunately, Rachel Watson never shows up to soothe him.

Brian Price is in Chicago. Gary Gibson has been all kinds of banged up and is very limited. Amobi Okoye is coming off surgery. DaQuan Bowers is playing more guitar than football. Roy Miller is being counted on big time.

So needless to say Joe was pleased to see Michael Bennett return to practice Saturday night after missing time with an ailment the Bucs didn’t detail. “Dizzy” was about has much information that was released.

Today, Greg Schiano commented after practice on Bennett, saying he left an impression. “I thought Bennett looked good. He looked fresh,” Schiano said, explaining that Bennett’s live legs stand out playing with peers who have been grinding every day.

That’s real good news. Bennett’s absence had Joe wondering if the Bucs had Andre Carter on speed dial.

For those who want to get to know Bennett a little better, here’s an interview below he did the other night with Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski on 98.7 FM.

Here are some of Joe’s observations from the final practice of 2012 Bucs training camp open to fans.

*For the final practice open to the fans, Joe was shocked by the sparse crowd. Stands were barely a quarter full, if that. Pleasant day too. Overcast, nice breeze, almost felt like October. Guess the fans are jonesing for a game (even preseason) just as much as the players are.

* Dan Orlovsky’s favorite color must be green (no, he’s not Irish; check last name). The Bucs quarterbacks wear green jerseys this year to keep defenders off them. During 11-on-11 drills with crowd noise piped in, had Orlovsky not been wearing that green jersey, he would have been creamed by a blitzing Ahmad Black, who has had a very nice camp thus far.

* Joe swears he cannot recall a play made by safety Cody Grimm. The third-year safety, coming off a second season-ending injury in as many years, is now listed fifth on the depth chart. Given the previous speculation, and how limited he has played with the first team, it’s easy to see why Grimm is on the bubble.

* Tuesday was easily Eric Wright’s best practice. It almost seemed as if the Bucs offensive coaches were trying to test him with so many passes thrown his way. Most of the time, Wright passed the test. One play down the right sideline Wright blanketed Vincent Jackson about as well as a cornerback can defend a receiver, breaking up the Josh Freeman offering.

* First, Preston Parker split the middle on a kickoff return to take it to the house, then Michael Smith raced up the left sideline for another kickoff return score. Then it became quickly apparent to Joe that the kickoff team wasn’t putting forth much of a fight. The drill was more for the return team than the kickoff team.

* E.J. Wilson jumped offsides and from roughly 40 yards away, Joe could hear Greg Schiano railing about the penalty.

* In what was a pretty cool defensive ploy, the Bucs had three players lined up either on Demar Dotson or to his left, the outside corner. The initial message was clear: we are blitzing and you cannot handle three players, Mr. Dotson. The players lining up were Dekoda Watson, Ronde Barber and Adrian Clayborn. But at the snap, Clayborn stunted to the left almost like a trap block on Carl Nicks and Watson tried to shoot the gap between Nicks and Dotson. But Nicks and Dotson were able to hold off the three (Watson got caught in the wash) long enough for Freeman to get off a pass.

If Greg Schiano is to be believed, the energy from the Bucs’ defense will rival that of the glory days when, as Derrick Brooks likes to say, nobody conceded a blade of grass.

There will be no loafing under the New Schiano Order. (And hopefully fans won’t feel like a pinched loaf after watching Bucs games.)

Greg Schiano watched tape of the 2011 Bucs and saw unacceptable pursuit to the football. But so far, Schiano said, the swarm has returned to the Bucs’ defense.

Schiano was hit with tough questions by former Bucs guard Ian Beckles after practice today on WDAE-AM 620, and one was on why this Bucs defense will be better than the horrendous 2011 version.

“I think we’re smarwing the football considerably better than what I watched on tape in the last eight weeks [last season],” Schiano said. “Not that there weren’t guys that were swarming, but I’m talking collectively as a unit. We are very, very aware and cognizant of that. And we make them very, very aware of it to the point where when we don’t do it the right way, there’s consequence. And, you know, we study that every practice tape. That’s the first thing. We have separate people that go study that because I don’t think there’s any substitute in defensive football for swarm. And, you know, that’s everything I’ve ever learned about the game defensively. That’s got to be the No. 1 thing we preach.”

Joe enjoyed Schiano’s line about “separate people” whose job is to spot practice loafers. Joe wouldn’t mind a job like that.

Joe definitely recommends the entire interview below. Schiano gets peppered with Gerald McCoy questions and explains McCoy’s potential but says he wants to evaluate McCoy in a game.

Didn’t get enough of Joe’s interview with Peter King yesterday? Well, here’s more Bucs talk from the long-time NFL scribe in this Sports Illustrated video.

in

Joe will have more in his practice notes later, but the Bucs had some troubles catching the football today.

During an interview on the Ron and Ian Show on WDAE-AM 620 following practice, the leader of the New Schiano Order acknowledged the bad-hands day.

“I do think we had an issue today [with drops],” said Schiano, citing fatigue as the likely cause. “Circumstances can’t dictate our behavior.”

Ultimately, drops are ball security issues, something Schiano is obsessed with. They’re also drive-killers and in many ways are turnovers. Guys dropping balls on Friday night not named Vincent Jackson are going fall back on the depth chart.

Mossis Madu isn’t in this picture, but he’s clearly in the big picture.

Ink on paper never meant much in August, but for those obsessed with the Bucs’ running backs competition, LeGarrette Blount appears as the starting running back on the depth chart just released for Friday’s preseason opener in Miami.

Doug Martin is second. Mossis Madu is third.

Joe’s not naive enough to believe this means much, but it does mean something.

Interestingly, Madu is looking more and more promising. He’s spent his share of time with the first team during training camp, OTAs and minicamp, and Mike Williams gave him an intriguing shout yesterday.

“I’ve had a good camp, a couple of miscues, but I’m getting better each day,” Madu told JoeBucsFan.com yesterday. “Last year, I was happy with what I did in the passing game. I’m working a lot more now on chipping ends and all the fine details. I’m a natural fast learner, so I feel real comfortable with everything.”

Madu has been running on all special teams, mostly with the second units. So how about the real question, Mossis. Are you faster than rookie RB Michael Smith?

“No, no, man. That man’s real fast. I’m not lining up to race him,” Madu said.

However, it appears that right now Smith is chasing Madu.

We’ve already learned the Bucs will incorporate elements of the Run-and-Shoot into their new offense.

And now we find out that Mike Sullivan will give his receiving corps plenty of options and opportunities for dynamic plays.

Speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio yesterday, Dallas Clark talked about how this receivers-friendly system is a complete change from what he operated under in Indianapolis.

“Coach Schiano, I respect what he brings to the NFL. I think it’s something that doesn’t really exist right now. He’s the type of guy that brings in a lot of fresh ideas. I wanted to be a part of that,” Clark said.

“A lot of different options on different routes [in the Bucs’ offense]. It favors the receivers. You’re not just covered. Certain coverages you do this. certain coverages you do that. It’s exciting to know you’re not just running this route and I’m covered; I’m a dead player. … You can adjust your routes. There are a lot of options. …It’s a fun offense. I’m really enjoying it. I didn’t think I would enjoy anything other than [the Peyton Manning] type of offense.”

Clark also went on to joke about how he’ll miss how the Colts’ constant no-huddle under Peyton Manning and how it struck visible fear in the eyes of defenders. “Huddling, I didn’t know people did that.”

Joe’s just anxious to see the Bucs play Friday in Miami. Who knows what this thing is going to look like?

To add more mystery, Carl Nicks, also via NFL Radio, said the Bucs will be running on first, second and third down, and then went on to say “”I think our receiving game is going to shock a lot of people.”

The Bucs have the talent on offense to legimately be unpredictable and dangerous on every play. Hopefully, Sullivan has what it takes to turn that into a top-1o offense. For Joe, that’s one of the great mysteries of the 2012 season.

Bucs defensive operative/senior advisor Butch Davis, known for his defensive genius, and defensive line coaching during the Cowboys’ dynasty of the 1990s, was spotted by the watchful eye of FOXSports.com writer Pete Schrager recently.

Davis isn’t “coaching,” per his agreement with the Bucs, but he is scrutinizing the action. Schrager penned a strong piece on all things Bucs that included Davis and zeroed in on the impact of Bryan Cox. Here’s a snippet: 

A play after being bullied to the ground by free-agent acquisition Carl Nicks, McCoy responds to Cox’s pleas with a swift and powerful swim move on the former New Orleans Saints star. McCoy gets past the highest-paid offensive guard in all of football and angrily attacks a tackling dummy serving as an opposing quarterback.

Cox explodes.

“Thattaboy, Gerald! We do not stop until we get to that quarterback. We do not stop! See what happens when we don’t stop?!”

Cox, who once saluted Bills fans with two middle fingers before a game in Buffalo, then hurries over to McCoy and slaps him hard on his shoulder pads. “We do not stop, gentlemen!”

Cox is clearly the voice and face during this particular drill; the “hype man” for a brand-new coaching staff in Tampa Bay that’s gotten little to no hype at all this offseason.

But the former Miami Dolphins linebacker is far from the most recognizable name on the call sheet. Looming a few paces away, in a visor behind the defenseless tackling dummy, is Butch Davis — a onetime coach of the Miami Hurricanes and Cleveland Browns and, most recently, North Carolina Tar Heels. Davis, who has nearly four decades of coaching experience on his resume, is serving as an adviser in Tampa Bay this season.

Joe loves this whole concept of Davis gazing and glaring at the Bucs defense and reporting back to the leader of the New Schiano Order and conferring with coaches.

Joe can only imagine what goes through players’ heads when they have a miscue and Davis walks over and whispers in a coach’s ear.

Four years ago Joe hit the go button on this website and never turned back.

Today is Joe’s fourth birthday, as Joe embarks on his fifth season of publicly obsessing about all things Bucs on these here pages.

About two years before JoeBucsFan.com was born, Joe hatched a plan to cover the Buccaneers in a way that would entertain and interest Joe, nothing like anything that was out there in the traditional and stale media. A defunct site called JoeNetsFan.com was the inspiration for the name and the spirit. But Joe decided to bring a different angle, the whole third-person “Joe” thing.

For many months Joe was grinding and pounding on these pages writing passionately for almost nobody, only hundreds per day. Traffic grew while Joe endured endless personal attacks, the result of rattling the cages of Bucs fans, the Bucs organization, and Joe’s media brethren.

But Joe pressed on, confident that fans were buying into Joe’s unique brand of journalism, a hybrid news/commentary blog that continues to be like no other.

Thankfully, the fans kept coming, and yesterday JoeBucsFan.com enjoyed about 16,000 actual visits, a rather typical day.

Joe’s traffic continues to rise and has reached the point where Joe now is the No. 1 destination for legions of Bucs fans. In fact, multiple independent surveys of Internet traffic place Joe as the most popular Bucs-only site around.

It’s been a fun ride (Joe could write a book about all the bizarre sh*t he’s experienced), and Joe appreciates all his readers. While Joe has his share of wacky daily commenters, the typical reader around here only comes once a week or so, and Joe is thankful to all of you.

In the birthday spirit, Joe is seeking donations to help fund his obsessions with the Bucs, babes and beer. Thanks in advance for those who choose to give Joe a birthday gift. Your cash will help drive Joe to new heights, or new lows, depending on your perspective.