Peter Schrager, Alex Marvez and Jill Arrington (remember her?) debate who was the steal of the 2012 draft. A certain player that Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik picked made the discussion. Find out who in this FoxSports.com video.

There was a candid moment for Greg Schiano today at his afternoon news conference. The leader of the New Schiano Order was asked whether he thought his team was tired, and the head coach opened up,

“I don’t think they’re a tired football team,” Schiano said. “I think the number of reps we do are very, very selective. You know, I don’t know if there’s an NFL team that’s doing less. Maybe I got to examine that?

“I do think we utilize walk-through and jog-through as a substitute for live repetitions to try to save their legs. Some of the things we do, you know, on Fridays, where we’re running with hats on, not even helmets so that no one will get physical. You know I think we’ve made every attempt to keep our guys fresh because I do know that is the key when you have talented guys over a long period of time that are, you know, some of them are older. So I don’t feel that. But, you know, when you lose, and you don’t have that emotion because you’ve lost and you’ve lost, that makes people emotionally tired. And when you’re winning, as we were for five weeks straight, it emotionally energizes you. So I don’t think it’s a physical thing. I think that’s been really scrutinized.”

Schiano went on to praise his captains for valuable feedback on the team’s physical/emotional condition, and Schiano said he’s typically “erred” on the side of not pushing players hard as the season has pressed on.

Clearly, like any obsessed, detail guy, Schiano is struggling to figure out what he could have done better to avoid the Bucs’ freefall. Remember, it was Schiano who said, “I know what to do” immediately after the New Orleans blowout, yet the Bucs didn’t respond against the Rams on Sunday.

The Bucs must look like winners this final Sunday in Atlanta. Joe really wants to see Schiano overcome the demons that have infected the Bucs. There’s just no way to put a positive spin on a six-game losing streak on top of a five-game winning streak.

Below is the broadcast map of where the Bucs-Dixie Chicks game Sunday can be seen on a local, over-the-air FOX affiliate. Map courtesy of the506.com.

Team Glazer appears to be positioning for a shopping spree

Per a fancy, fresh accounting report on ESPN.com, Team Glazer has shelled out eight-figure checks to Carl Nicks and Vincent Jackson now, in order to free up a load of salary cap space for the 2013 season.

The details are a bit boring, but the bottom line is exciting for those who love when the NFL free agency bell rings in March.

That leaves the Bucs in good cap shape for next season. They now have $98 million committed toward a cap that’s expected to be slightly more than $120 million. But the Bucs can still increase their space. They can carry over remaining 2012 cap space to 2013. Even with the accelerations on Jackson and Nicks, the Bucs still are about $8.5 million under the 2012 cap.

Keep in mind, the ESPN figures include Eric Wright’s massive contract, which the Bucs reportedly can void after this season because Wright violated the NFL substance abuse policy.

And the cap figure includes Quincy Black’s big contract. Black could be cut or reach an injury settlement if he can’t get healthy.

It would not surprise Joe if the Bucs are the back-to-back big spenders in NFL free agency. The New Glazer Order means business.

Today is the Bucs last full practice of the season. Tomorrow the Bucs may have a walk-through and then it’s time to play the Dixie Chicks.

But just because it is the final real practice of 2012 doesn’t mean Bucs coach Greg Schiano is going soft on the Pewter Pirates. In fact, per many Twitter reports, Schiano unloaded on his defense for lacking attention to detail this morning.

@RCummingsTBO: Bucs HC Greg Schiano was hot today: “Do your job,” he screamed. “I know it’s a novel concept. We’re last in the (expletive) league – last!”

Joe’s guessing that a pass defense drill was what set off Schiano.

Joe likes this for several reasons. One is that Schiano is clearly ashamed and embarrassed that his pass defense in his first season in the NFL is dead last and perhaps NFL-worst as in 93 years worst. Joe’s glad to see this irritates Schiano as much as it does Joe.

Schiano, from start to finish, has not tolerated half-@ss performance from his players. Joe vividly remembers Schiano’s first practice in the first rookie minicamp where, in the first couple of minutes of practice, lashed out at the rookies for “half-@ssing it.”

Joe senses there’s going to be a second purge of players in the coming months.

It seems Greg Schiano is distressed by the looming national headlines on Sunday night, “BUCS BREAK BREAK NFL SINGLE-SEASON RECORD FOR MOST PASSING YARDS ALLOWED.”

That will ring true, if Tampa Bay allows 252 yards to the Falcons on Sunday.

Per today’s late-morning Twittering of Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud from Bucs practice, Schiano has had enough of the Bucs’ dreadful pass defense and wants his players to know how ugly it is.  

@NFLStroud – Bucs coach Greg Schiano at practice to his defense “Do your job! I know it’s a novel concept. We’re last in the (expletive) league! Last!”

Joe can only imagine how angry Schiano would be if he had to buy a ticket to watch the Bucs secondary, versus earning a couple hundred grand a game to call it his own.

“No, Dallas, if you want out, just go that way and jump on I-75 North.”

Why isn’t Dallas Clark in love with returning to the Bucs?

By all accounts, Clark is a model teammate, and he’s been getting a lot more balls thrown his way over the past two months. But good guy Joe Smith, of the Tampa Bay Times, asked Clark about returning to the Bucs next season and got the answer Joe gets when he asks cheerleaders to a New Year’s Eve hot tub.

“We’ll see what the options are,” Clark said. “But that’s the offseason. Right now, we’re focused on finishing the season on a positive note.”

Smith described Clark as wanting to keep playing but “noncommittal” on his desire to be a Buccaneer Man after Sunday’s season finale.

This surprises Joe. Clark seemingly has a pretty sweet gig here and coaches like him. What’s making him hesitant?

Put Matt Ryan among the game’s elite quarterbacks, says the leader of the New Schiano Order. It’s all about Ryan’s “commandership.”

Speaking to Atlanta reporters Wednesday, Greg Schiano described what makes a star QB.

“I think he’s in the elite status,” Schiano said of Matt Ryan. “I think he’s at that level. The kind of field command he has and the way he directs the operation. A lot of guys have big arms and there are a lot of guys that are mobile and all that, but it’s the way they lead, the commandership they have over their offense makes them elite.”

Does Schiano believe Josh Freeman can develop that kind of “commandership?”

If Joe could strap down Schiano and inject him with truth syrum, Joe surely would ask the head coach the following, “Have you lost confidence in Freeman?”

The answer would be very telling, regardless of Schiano’s take.

Gerald McCoy surely is the Bucs’ comeback player of the year, but sidekick defensive tackle Roy Miller can’t be far behind. Miller wasn’t on injured reserve last season, thoiugh he often seemed to on a different team.

This season, however, Miller is one of the anchors in the NFL’s best run defense. And Miller plays primarily on first and second downs.

“He is a heck of a run stopper and plays the position, you know we call the tilt nose in our defense, he plays it very well. And he’s really custom-built to play it,” Schiano said yesterday. “I mean his traits really fit the position.”

Miller, 25, is an unrestricted free agent after the season, and these takes from Schiano must have brought smiles to Miller and his agent.

Schiano couldn’t have offered a stronger endorsement to re-sign Miller. But a head coach’s desires don’t always matter.

Raheem Morris openly and similarly cheered the importance of Barrett Ruud and Cadillac Williams at the end of 2010, and Raheem wanted them back in 2011. Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik did not grant his wishes.

One reason Doug Martin hasn’t run as well in recent weeks is the line isn’t blasting open holes like it once was.

The Bucs have been a little Jekyll and Hyde this year on offense (against the pass on defense, trust Joe, they have been all Hyde).

When the Bucs were dominating teams, the Muscle Hamster, Doug Martin, was on his wheel. That hasn’t happened in a while.

This has come to the attention of some Bucs fans who sounded off on a TBO Bucs Q&A asking why the Bucs don’t pound the rock any longer.

Q: We beat the Chiefs, the Vikings, the Raiders and the Panthers, so where are the game plans and plays we used to do that? Yes, our defense stinks but we won games before because we could move the ball and score points. Why don’t we stop just flinging it long on a wish, and use the kind of game planning and play calling to move the chains, and use all our skill players to score, instead of the mess I see for the last two weeks?

— Brian Everhart, Winter Haven

A: I believe you may be on to something here. In two of the last three losses the Bucs have been more or less forced out of their game plan by a lopsided score. However, I believe they need to be a little more patient and stick with the run a little more. It’s the foundation of everything they do offensively and they’ve proved that when they run the ball they create the opportunity for successful big plays downfield.

— Woody Cummings

There’s a couple of things at work. First, the offensive line, where offensive line coach Bob Bostad has done a marvelous job with all the injuries and chaos, is beginning to show that it is a depleted group. Opponents have figured out that the Bucs can’t block the run that well. Jamon Meredith gets blown off the ball too much on running plays, Demar Dotson is a fine pass blocker but struggles on the run and Ted Larsen is Ted Larsen.

So, if the guys up front can’t open holes on a consistent basis for Martin, then there’s a reason he isn’t slicing through defenses like he once was.

Bucs team advisor (?) and Greg Schiano confidant Butch Davis, despite previous reports, apparently was about to take the opening at Florida International University, per reports from FoxSports.com insider Alex Marvez.

Problem is, Davis is still being paid by North Carolina and to take the FIU gig, he would need permission from North Carolina in order to collect two paychecks. Apparently, per Marvez, that’s not happening from the Chapel Hill crowd.

The dispute centers on almost $1.8 million that Davis is owed from the settlement he signed upon his dismissal as UNC’s head coach in July 2011. The source said that UNC doesn’t want to pay the money if Davis accepts another coaching position, which is a stumbling block that also complicated his hiring earlier this year by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

FIU is set to sign Davis to a multiyear contract averaging roughly $500,000 a season, the source said.

If Davis leaves, that will be the second of Greg Schiano’s coaches staff who has committed to leave before the 2012 season ends.

The only reason Davis took a gig with the Bucs is the Bucs promised he would not coach, just be an advisor order to get around his contract with North Carolina.

Joe suspects whether Davis leaves or not, other coaches will leave as well soon — involuntarily.

Did the New Schiano Order not know how to manage the season to have its team ready for December?

It’s a question Joe’s pondering today after Tampa Bay Times Bucs beat writer Rick Stroud participated in a Q & A on the Falcons’ official website and said he thinks the Bucs looked gassed.

“Overall, the Bucs look like a tired football team and Freeman is pressing. It’s a bad recipe,” Stroud said.

Frankly, Joe sees no reason why the Bucs should be physically fatigued. NFL teams practiced far longer, harder and more physically not too many years ago and had no problem competing hard in December.

But the Bucs do appear to have lost their mental edge, led by No. 5 and others.

Is it flowering “weeds?” Is it motivational techniques? Is it character?

During the offseason, Greg Schiano needs to do some hard self-scouting to figure out why his team lost the key intangibles that lead to Ws.

Ron Cooper may have been a quality college coach, but his Bucs secondary is on the cusp of being the absolute worst unit in the storied annals of the NFL.

Imagine at your job, a co-worker had performed the past year worse than any employee in the history of your company’s existence?

Imagine a company salesman who made zero sales for the calendar year… none!

How long would these guys be employed? More to the point, how quickly would these non-performing workers be unemployed?

This is the crossroads that Bucs defensive backs coach Ron Cooper faces. His unit, the Bucs secondary, is on the cusp of a horrendous milestone that any self-respecting human being would be so ashamed of, he wouldn’t let his supervisor make the call to make changes.

Joe will let the typed words of eye-RAH! Kaufman set the stage.

@IKaufmanTBO: If the Falcons throw for 252 yards or more Sunday, the 2012 Bucs will have surrendered the most passing yards in the NFL’s 93-year history

Joe is already catching flack on Twitter from myopic Bucs fans claiming Cooper didn’t have anything to work with, which at best is a smokescreen excuse. Cooper’s unit is on the verge of setting a 93-year record for futility. NINTY-THREE YEARS!!!

Aside from that, how was Cooper’s unit doing when he had the Adderall Twins, Aqib Talib (who, still, too many Bucs fans in some mind-numbing, twisted sense of surrealism, think is the second coming of Lester Hayes) and Eric Wright? How does 510 yards grab you, which is what Eli Manning blowtorched Cooper’s secondary for, in a franchise record-setting day for the Big Blue quarterback.

Joe also heard Cooper was a solid secondary coach at LSU. He sure was. Hell, Rachel Watson would be one of the best secondary coaches in college if she could recruit the likes of Patrick Peterson, Tyrann D. Mathieu and Morris Claiborne.

Joe and Shaun King, one of only three quarterbacks in Tampa Bay history to lead the franchise to an NFC title game, got into a back-and-forth about Cooper a few days ago and King tried to use the kneejerk excuse that Cooper didn’t have anything to work with once the Adderall Twins were gone.

Joe’s comeback to King was, “what was Bob Bostad’s excuse then?” The Bucs’ offensive line coach lost far, far more than Cooper, three starters down including two Pro Bowl players, and a fourth starter moved to another position, yet Bostad made chicken salad out of chicken s(p)it, a truly remarkable job and the mark of a guy who can coach up players.

Can anyone — anyone! — cite a player under the guidance of Cooper who actually improved as the season went on, anyone? Aside from maybe Leonard Johnson, Joe can’t name any corner who improved. That right there is a coaching fail because a decent coach can at least get a couple of players to marginally elevate their game. That’s what competent coaches do. You know, actually coach?

Now Joe has had some readers Twitter him suggesting Bucs defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan is culpable as well for this true sieve of a secondary. That’s a fair point, but Joe’ points a finger at the guy personally, directly responsible for perhaps an NFL historic worst unit.

Joe’s not a “fire him” kinda guy. Ninety-five times out of 100 that is a kneejerk reaction. But when a coach’s unit is responsible for setting a 93-year worst record — repeat that a few times, 93-year worst! — how in the world can he be brought back with any degree of credibility from Bucs head coach Greg Schiano?

At least Raheem Morris had the sack to sack former defensive coordinator Jim Bates after the heinous Jim Bates Experience was circling the drain only halfway through one season.

Setting a 93-year record for worst pass defense, or even coming close to it, is simply unacceptable under any circumstance, nor should it be tolerated.

Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King repeated his early-season take that Josh Freeman needs to consult with a sports pyschologist.

Don’t expect Josh Freeman to ever be a player who will “captivate an organization” or “will his team to win,” says former Bucs QB Shaun King. “I think it’s always going to be physical with him; I don’t ever think it’s going to be mental.”

King, one of three quarterbacks to lead Tampa Bay to the NFC Championship game, went head to head with Ian Beckles on all things Bucs and NFL this morning on WDAE-AM 620. King also reiterated his take from early this season that Josh Freeman is in desperate need of a sports psychologist and cited that Drew Brees told King he used one with great success. (Joe wonders if Freeman already has sought counseling?)

King also praised Gerald McCoy’s Pro Bowl nod but explains why he believes a lot of McCoy’s votes were personality- and not performance-driven.

And King dives into Tim Tebow conversation and compares Tebow to Albert Haynesworth. Enjoy. Joe did.

Not only will the Falcons go full-throttle at the Bucs with all available personnel on Sunday, says head coach Mike Smith, Atlanta won’t skimp in its gameplan.

“We’re going to do whatever we have to to win this ballgame, in terms of our gameplanning. We think it’s very important to us to complete our 14th mission successfully,” Smith said of scoring their 14th victory of the season.

“To say that we’re going to be vanilla in the last ballgame. No. We’re going to do everything in our power.”

While Smith might be full of baloney and only take the first half seriously, Joe hopes the Bucs get the Falcons’ best, or at least close to it, and score a “W.”

The Bucs need the confidence, and besting Luke McCown and the rest of the Falcons second stringers won’t be too satisfying.

The Bennett brothers will get to debate new eight-figure, free-agent contracts around the Easter dinner table this spring. That is certain.

The Bucs’ Michael Bennett, 27, is a versatile, effective defensive end. Those guys get paid big-time in free agency. Giants tight end and brother Martellus Bennett, 25, has had a career year this season with 54 catches for 611 yards. With his stunning size and athleticism, (6-6, 265) someone will make it rain on him, too.

Interestingly, Martellus was talking/dreaming yesterday about playing alongside Micheal — at the Meadowlands, per NJ.com.

Another wild-card factor? His older brother, Michael Bennett, a defensive end with the Buccaneers, will also be a free agent this offseason. They played together growing up and at Texas A&M, and would like to do so on this level, too.

“So it’s just one of those things, you never know what is going to happen,” Bennett said. “I would love to stay here, maybe even get him to come out here. But if not, we’re both looking to play together, at least for a couple years in the NFL like we did in college. I’ll try to get him to come here first, or whatever happens with him.”

This is very interesting to Joe. Why not make the opposite happen, and get Martellus Bennett to come to Tampa?

His experience and success in the Giants offense would make it a near seamless transition to what the Bucs and Mike Sullivan are operating. Plus, he’s a more versatile talent than Dallas Clark. Giants GM Jerry Reese even called him a stud blocker, via ESPN. 

“I think he’s going to really help our run game, because he’s a tremendous blocker. We think he could be a good receiver, but what he gives us as a receiver is going to be a bonus. We think he can really help us get our run game going, because he’s the blocking tight end that we haven’t had. Jake [Ballard] was an okay blocker, Bear [Pascoe] has been an okay blocker. But Martellus could be a dominating blocker, and that’s what we haven’t had, really for a while. We haven’t had a dominating guy since, like, Howard Cross.”

Martellus Bennett also fits the young-free-agent mold that rockstar general manager Mark Dominik prefers.

This will be darn interesting to watch when the free agency bell rings in March.

Let’s face it, the BSPN “Accuscore” data got real boring once the stunning Jenny Dell stopped presenting the information. Dell was so hot, Joe never really remembered the statistical babble she reported. But Accuscore lives on, and its current Bucs video below is a real sad head-shaker.

Bucs fans — and there are thousands of them — who want Josh Freeman jettisoned from the team after melting down the past month rather than leading the Bucs to the playoffs, Joe has unsettling news for you.

Per Bucs beat writer Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, Freeman will be re-signed by the Bucs and will be your Bucs quarterback for the foreseeable future. Cummings explained while appearing with co-hosts Booger McFarland and Mike Pepper Monday on WHFS-FM 98.7.

Booger McFarland: When you look at this team as far as Josh Freeman is concerned, is there a sentiment of support not just in the locker room but from the staff since the staff did not draft Josh Freeman or are there questions starting to creep in about if we have the guy because we all know Coach Schiano is going to be judged by wins and losses and ultimately, that will lie in the hand of Josh Freeman?

Woody Cummings: I don’t think there is any question that this organization is completely 100 percent behind Josh Freeman. It is why — I know it has become a hot topic and is driving the train with talk radio right now, should they trade him, should they sign someone to push him and all that stuff – you know what guys? In a lot of ways, I really think it is almost a conversation that doesn’t have to be had. I don’t think that conversation is being had in this organization in this building. I think that conversation about Josh Freeman in this building is, “What has he done wrong the past couple of weeks that he wasn’t doing five weeks ago, three weeks ago, six weeks ago?” They are trying to figure out what is wrong. Going forward, he is this team’s quarterback. There is no doubt about it. He will not be traded. He will be re-signed at some point. They might be thinking about pushing that to next year or maybe franchising him next year when the contract does expire; they’ve got those options. If anything, Freeman has cost himself the opportunity to sign a nice lucrative contract in the offseason, although that could change too. I promise you the organization at this point is not looking to replace him. They are looking to make him better and I think that is what they should do because, my personal belief is this kid – and I do mean “kid,” he is only 24-years old and I understand he has a good collection of games in the league now and four or five years as a starter, it is about time to figure things out. He also had three offensive coordinators, one of which lasted all of 28 days and that messes with a kid too, and he is playing behind a makeshift offensive line and young players around him without a lot of depth at the wide receiver spot after the first two guys. The tight end situation probably needs to be upgraded a little bit as well. It’s up to the coaches to make things better. He has the ability. I don’t think there is anybody out there who can look at Josh Freeman objectively and say he doesn’t have the work ethic or the talent or the skills or even the smarts to play this game at a high level. To me, the difference is becoming consistent and playing inconsistent. It is up to the coaches to refine those skills. Make sure he comes out every Sunday playing the same way and at a high level. I think it is on the coaches to get that done.

If it has already been decided among the brass at One Buc Palace that Freeman truly is here to stay, let Joe repeat this again: Now is the time to re-sign Josh Freeman. He has zero leverage right now. But of course, why would he buckle and sign now rather than wait a year?

If the Bucs are hellbent on keeping Freeman, make the contract incentive-laden. If various team goals are met (you know, playoffs, fewer interceptions?) Freeman is then awarded a handsome sum in bonuses.

Just remember that the longer Freeman struggles, cash that would have gone to him likely goes to keep Michael Bennett at One Buc Palace.

Joe often remarks how Bucs fans must have someone to hate. Whether it is Sabby the Goat or Myron Lewis, Barrett Ruud or Quincy Black, Raheem Morris or Jim Bates, Bucs fans seemingly are not happy if they cannot scream about a player/coach to perfect strangers in a bar or at producers fielding phone calls at a sports radio station.

For two years, Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was roasted by many fans, and in connection, so too was Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik.

“He can’t draft, look at McCoy,” Dominik’s detractors would bellow to no one in particular.

Never mind that GMC was always hurt; hardly no fault of any general manager. But, lo and behold, the first season GMC is healthy, despite being constantly double- and triple-teamed after Adrian Clayborn went down with an injury, GMC made the Pro Bowl yesterday.

Isn’t it interesting that the Bucs had the worst run defense last year, and with virtually the same cast of characters (with the addition of another Dominik pick, Lavonte David), the defense, with coaching for a change, becomes of the best run-stopping crews in the NFL? All within one season!

Perhaps the Dominik haters should find another target now that GMC is cemented as one of the NFL’s elite?