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.

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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.

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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.

Now Joe has no medical degree, and Joe didn’t stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but Joe knows enough to sniff out a somewhat fishy medical diagnosis.

So when Gerald McCoy told SiriusXM NFL Radio today that tight back muscles led to his two torn biceps in consecutive seasons, Joe was left feeling suspicious.

“What we found out, you know, I got examined more, they looked over my body a little bit more and they found a lot of tight muscles in my back,” McCoy said. “There was a lot of restricted movement … which led to the problem in my arms, stemming down all the way down to my bicep tendon, which was insane, crazy how your muscles are attached.”

Joe couldn’t find a Bucs official that would confirm that a mysteriously tight back led to McCoy landing on injured reserve twice. Frankly, this sounds to Joe more like a chatty, busty massage therapist using her feminine wiles to convince McCoy to buy more offseason rub downs, or perhaps an aggressive physical therapist trying to get in McCoy’s head and score some more expensive stretching sesssions.

Regardless, if McCoy’s feeling like his now loose back is going to keep him healthy, Joe’s happy to go with it.

Go get’em, Gerald.

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So what’s different in Greg Schiano’s defense for Gerald McCoy?

There’s a ton different overall defensively, explained Ronde Barber on Sirius NFL Radio today, but McCoy made it clear on NFL Radio he’s just going to be his old disruptive self playing the way he has been. McCoy also told Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski the same thing in an interview for 98.7 FM. “I just do me,” McCoy said of his role in the New Schiano Order.

Below is The Commish’s full interview from Saturday night.

Bucs icon Ronde Barber took to the SiriusXM NFL Radio airwaves this afternoon and touched on many topics with hosts Alex Marvez and former NFL personnel guru Bill Polian. Some interesting highlights are below, including Mark Barron’s brain, a bold prediction for Aqib Talib, Xs and Os on the new Bucs defense, and life under the New Schiano Order.

*Barber didn’t discount the challenges of moving to safety. “It’s a whole new world for me,” Barber said. He said he’s learning the “new footwoork” taking his time and learning that “plays are going to come to me” versus what happens at cornerback. The last line of defense concept is one Barber is balancing versus his first instincts. 

*Forget about Mark Barron’s physical presence for a minute, Barron’s brain has impressed Barber. And it’s not easy to impress one of the sharpest guys in the NFL with your intelligence. “Smart guy too, man,” Barber said of Barron. “Coach Schiano’s defense is not easy to pick up. Lot of terminology for the safeties. [Barron’s] picked it up.”

*Asked about “revolutionary” changes on the Bucs defense, Barber said “for Bucs Fans it is [revolutionary]. If you’re watching us, it’ll look a whole lot different.”  … Barber says to look for a lot of Cover 4s and a lot of pressure and more aggression. 

*Barber agreed that rule changes to make the game safer hurt the Cover 2 defense, which relied on safeties to separate the ball from the ball carrier.

*Barber hesitated to reveal much of the New Schiano Order defense. “How can I say this without giving away our defense?” Barber asked rhetorically. “We’re trying to be more aggressive on the outside with the corners. Back in the day corners funneled everything inside. Now they’re just as active, just as invovled … big dfference for us this season.

*Lots of love for Aqib Talib. “Aqib makes me look like I’m unathletic,” Barber said. “If he doesn’t have a breakout year where eveyrbody is talking about him, I’ll be shocked.” … Barber also praised Talib off the field.

*Asked about Eric Wright, Barber didn’t have much specific to say when compared to his love for Talib.

*Barber likes the New Schiano Order because it reminds him of the Father Dungy days. “I grade everyone against Dungy,” Barber said. “He’s as close to Tony and the way he runs his program as anyone.” Barber explained that Dungy and Schiano share having every moment of practice planned out. Barber laughed and said it translated into his longest days at work. Barber said Schiano has talked to him about his days coming to watch the Bucs’ old training camps at [University of Tampa] and working to remake that atmosphere and order.

Joe had a chance to chat with all-around good guy Bucs receiver Mike Williams after practice this morning. Williams talked about the talent among the Bucs receivers, how receivers coach P.J. Fleck motivates him, and why that nasty Grady Wilson-like shrubbery on his face likely isn’t going to get shredded any time soon.

JoeBucsFan: From the times spent out here at training camp, it seems the passing game is so much more improved. Is the Bucs passing unit really that much better?

Mike Williams: When you add Vincent Jackson and Dallas Clark on the field, you can spread the field now. And you add (Mossis) Madu as a compliment coming out of the backfield, it feels good to spread the field and [have the defense] pick the poison.

Joe: Tiquan Underwood is having an amazing camp. He makes plays out here every day. Clearly he is giving guys perceived to be on the bubble motivation and competition, but can Underwood’s play elevate the play of receivers believed to be ahead of him on the depth chart like you?

Williams: Oh, yeah. You go out there and see Tiquan making a lot of plays, that means everyone can make plays. That is our mindset. We [the receivers] are one. We go by P.J. Fleck’s rules. We cannot be stopped. Fleck has that attitude and he keeps us pumped up.

Joe: What’s up with the beard?

Williams: It’s something new. I didn’t have it last year and I am kind of superstitious. We didn’t win last year. I will shave it when we win the Super Bowl.

No dancing around the leadership question for the leader of the New Schiano Order.  

Asked on Sirius XM NFL Radio today, “Who has emerged as leaders?” Schiano didn’t hesitate.

Schiano first named Davin Joseph citing “he works so hard.” Vincent Jackson got a nod for being “incredible,” for his work ethic and mentoring, and Dallas Clark for being a “consummate pro.”

“He brings a professionalism and a maturity to our team,” said Schiano of Clark, struggling for the right words “to describe his impact.”

Interestingly, Schiano said “Josh Freeman is slowly becoming that guy.” And among defensive players, Schiano only mentioned Barber as a leader.

So there’s what’s in Schiano’s head when it comes to leadership.

Pressed on SiriusXM NFL Radio to talk about some of the challenges presented by the new labor agreement, Greg Schiano seemed to have one detail really eating at him today.

Players, when not in an official team practice, can’t be on team fields unless they’re working solo.

“Not more than one player can run on the football field in their time off,” Schiano said. “They have to go to a high school [to work together].”

Schiano then stated that when players do work out off site, they cannot take advantage of team trainers, “some of the best trainers in the world,” suggesting forcing players off site for voluntary workouts could be dangerous.

Mike Williams, Josh Freeman, Vincent Jackson and other Bucs were seen on the football field at Plant High School working out days before training camp. Of course, this is rather ridiculous when One Buc Palace is a short drive away.

Likely the only way this rule changes is after a player gets hurt on some second-rate turf because he couldn’t play catch at a team facility.

Schiano didn’t talk much more about the challenging CBA, other than to say he gets that players need time off and he thought rules were fair and fine when he was coaching in the NFL back in the late 1990s.

Schiano also joked, “If I were the guys making the rules, I don’t know if the players would be real happy.”