Bucs fans have watched undrafted rookie cornerback Leonard Johnson make everyone collectively say, ‘Aqib who?’

Johnson’s three interceptions and a touchdown in the past three games have turned heads, but Joe was most excited by the Johnson scouting report delivered by Bucs icon Ronde Barber last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network.

Barber explained why he believes Johnson is special. And he interestingly said he believes team’s are salivating over facing the Bucs young secondary.

“I know a lot of teams see these young guys [in the Bucs secondary] and they just want to keep taking shots at them. You know, ‘Go at 29,’ or whoever’s the youngest most inexperienced guy you want to take shots at him,” Barber said. “I don’t know if that’s necessarily true, but it sure feels that way.

“But every time they’ve done it this year Leonard’s kind of stood up to the challenge. You know, not only getting these couple of interceptions, a bunch of pass breakups, some key tackles, and that’s what I like about him; he’s shown the willingness to do it all. Put his face on somebody, running backs, tight ends, whoever it is coming around the corners. That’s the little stuff that I’m seeing out of him that can only make him a good player. I mean, I wish I was that confident when I was a rookie in the league. I obviously didn’t get the opportunity to play when I was a rookie, but I definitely don’t think I’d be playing with as much confidence as he is right now. And that’s awesome.”

That’s very high praise from Barber. Yeah, Joe knows Johnson screwed up in the opening seconds of the Chargers game, but if Barber believes he’s got all the elements of a strong cornerback, then that’s good enough for Joe.

In football, like in baseball, stats can be deceiving. One such stat in football is tackle assists. Shoot, even Joe could get an assist just by piling on top of a mound of players on the ground.

Now getting a solo tackle, which often means getting a tackle in the open field, is another ball of wax. Those tackles are very much legitimate and take a great deal of skill and effort to rack up.

That’s why Joe is of the mind Lavonte David should be a Pro Bowl linebacker this year. If one is to monitor just solo tackles, not total tackles, David, the Bucs rookie outside linebacker, has the second-most solo tackles in the NFL. He is one behind James Laurinaitis of the Rams; Laurinaitis has 68, David 67.

(Cool trivia: Of the eight linebackers listed with the five-most solo tackles, four are from the Big Ten, none from the SEC. GASP!)

David is just one of many examples of how this Bucs franchise has turned around under Greg Schiano and how Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik actually knows how to draft players. Dominik only needed a coach to develop talent.

OK Bucs fans, Joe’s hoping you are somewhat awake and have had your requisite morning caffeine. Please put down all liquid containers before you read the next sentence.

Adam Schein gave Bucs coach Greg Schiano a virtual wet kiss on NFL.com yesterday.

In a laudatory piece by the popular sports radio personality, Schiano stops just short of calling the Bucs a model franchise in the NFL and suggests that because of the success of Schiano, NFL front offices are already scouring the college ranks, hunting for the next Schiano to turn around their program.

The Bucs are back. Tampa Bay has scored 28 points or more in five consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. The Buccaneers punished the San Diego Chargers last Sunday on offense, defense and special teams en route to their fifth win of the season. The 5-4 Bucs are dangerous and very much in the mix for an NFC wild-card berth.

Schiano’s fingerprints are all over the turnaround.

Last year, the Bucs quit on Raheem Morris in embarrassing fashion, and the overwhelmed former “coach” couldn’t stop the bleeding. The 2012 version of the Bucs, meanwhile, is the NFL’s most improved squad on offense (the team’s points-per-game average jumped from 17.9 in 2011 to a whopping 28.9) and defense (opponents averaged an unacceptable 30.9 per game in 2011; that number is now down to 23.2, or about a touchdown’s worth).

While all of this is great, it still rankles Joe to remember how the Bucs gave away games to the Giants and Saints, and they had a win against the Redskins in their grasps.

The Bucs could have very easily been 8-1 and tied for first place in the NFC South. Damnit.

But still, Joe is counting his blessings. Look, the Bucs should beat Carolina this weekend and that means the Bucs will be 6-4 entering Thanksgiving Weekend. No one, not even the most drunken of fans in a bar, would have predicted that before the season.

Does all the credit go to Schiano for the turnaround? No, but you are damned straight most of it should.

It was no surprise this afternoon when the Bucs released word that starting strong side linebacker Quincy Black was placed on injured reserve, meaning his season is finished.

A nasty head-nick collision Sunday left Black hospitalized with nerve issues in his left arm, “complications,” as Greg Schiano called them.

Is this a big loss for the Bucs? Joe doesn’t suspect the team will miss a beat, though Black surely was playing better than he did last season.

Black signed a five-year, $29 million contract before the 2011 campaign, and his future years are no longer guaranteed. Though likely they would be guaranteed if Black’s latest injury ends his career. It’ll be worth keeping any eye on that potential financial situation, as it relates to the Bucs’ ability and desire to spend next season.

Probably not since all-around good guy and fan favorite Earnest Graham played fullback have the Bucs really had a decent, honest-to-goodness fullback.

When Joe talks about a fullback, he means one that can run for a few hard-to-get yards, a fullback who can deliver a bone-bruising block, a fullback who is also a weapon in the passing game.

The past few games have shown that yes, the Bucs indeed have a fullback. His name is Erik Lorig.

Originally drafted by Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik as a defensive end out of Stanford, Lorig has blossomed as one of the top fullbacks in the NFC, specifically catching the ball, so documents Buccaneers.com’s Captain’s Blog.

Lorig’s receiving numbers – nine catches for 63 yards and a touchdown – aren’t overwhelming, but they are pretty close to the best totals by any fullback in the conference. Only Carolina’s Mike Tolbert has more, and Tolbert is the one player on the NFC fullback ballot who is more involved as a primary ballcarrier in his team’s offense. (That, by the way, is no knock on Tolbert or his qualifications as a fullback.)

Lorig even has better passing numbers than one of the better fullbacks in football, Green Bay’s John Kuhn, who Packers fans swoon over like Joe does Rachel Watson.

Think about the toys No. 5 has to play with: Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, Dallas Clark, Doug Martin, Tiquan Underwood and now, Lorig.

No wonder Josh Freeman is racking up yards better than Joe is polishing off beers. With five talented pass-catchers on the field at any one time, good luck to opposing defenses in trying to cover all five at once.

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Joe feels compelled to give it up for Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (plus Joe needs more practice spelling his name). The Bucs’ starting right end stepped up huge with the sack seen above.

Down only a touchdown, Philip Rivers and the Chargers got the ball back with 3:53 remaining in the game, and on first down Te’o-Nesheim beat the Chargers left tackle clean to the inside and swallowed up Rivers for a 10-yard sack. Jimminy Christmas! That was something out of Simeon Rice’s book 10 years ago, with the home crowd sent into an absolute frenzy. (Here’s the game link).

It’s no concidence that on the next play Rivers threw the game-sealing pick to LeQuan Lewis.

Te’o-Nesheim has two sacks since filling in for Adrian Clayborn — two more than sackless Kyle Moore — and it’s clear he won’t bow to the arrival of DaQuan Bowers.

Te’o-Nesheim won’t be confused with a Pro Bowler anytime soon, but he’s been a very sound reserve, a fine snatch from the Eagles practice squad by rockstar general manager Mark Dominik less than one year ago.

This morning, Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman dropped a phone call into “The Opening Drive,” to chat X’s and O’s with co-hosts Bob Papa and Amani Toomer, heard exclusively on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

In discussing the Bucs offense, it is easy to understand how the Bucs — and Joe still cannot believe he’s about to type the following sentence — are the new offensive standard in the NFL.

In short, Freeman and Bucs offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan, who Freeman calls “Sully,” hit it off like two peas in a pod. Once Freeman and the rest of the Bucs offense got on the same page as Sullivan, it was just a matter of time before the offense, stocked with talented skill position players, took off.

“First time I sat down and talked to Sully, at the time, I couldn’t even talk about football,” Freeman said. “We talked about life, we talked about our families and certain beliefs. I walked away just jazzed. I was excited. Coach Sullivan is high energy, he is a great teacher, believes in doing things the right way. He believes in hard work. Nothing changes.

“He is very passionate about the offense, very passionate about his offensive packages. There are a lot of elements to the offense that nobody other than him have experience running. He did an excellent great job of breaking it down and getting people to understand what we are trying to accomplish with each play. It’s really been awesome playing for Sully.”

And to think just a scant few weeks ago, a sizable portion of Bucs fans were clamoring for the Bucs to draft West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith in the first round of next year’s draft. At the time, Joe explained how patience is a virtue and often it takes time for a new offense to click with a team.

Joe was mocked for taking such a stance. Well, sometimes, patience is truly a virtue as the Bucs have melded into sort of a Gulf Coast version of Air Coryell.

Now Joe’s a fan of wiseguy superinsider Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru at ProFootballTalk.com, and a NFL analyst for NBC Sports, but Florio really went overboard with his latest jab at the Bucs and their fans.

In his latest and popular Power Rankings, Florio ranks the Bucs among the upper half of the NFL but can’t resist a shot team attendance.

 14. Buccaneers:  If this team played in a Super Bowl hosted at Raymond James Stadium, the game still may not sell out.

C’mon, Mike. Are we still going there?

First, the Bucs sold out two night games last year, so the premise isn’t even accurate. And Florio knows ticket sales are a leaguewide issue, hardly just a Tampa thing. Team Glazer not gobbling up tickets, like they used to in order to get games televised, is the only reason the Bucs’ attendance shortcomings stand out.

Joe’s had his fill of Tampa Bay bashing for this year.

New Bucs cornerback LeQuan Lewis, a hero Sunday with a late interception of Philip Rivers, couldn’t wait to leave the Bucs locker room following the game and text one of the guy’s he credits for getting him to the NFL. That would be Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Last year, thanks to the asinine lockout, was a horrible time to be an undrafted free agent, as Lewis was out of Arizona State.

“Larry Fitzgerald was one of the biggest impacts for me that offseason, and I keep in touch with him. I can’t wait to tell him I got one [interception] today,” Lewis said after the game.

Fitzgerald hosted workouts at Arizona State during the lockout for Cardinals teammates and various NFL buddies and invited Lewis to join. “To see how it is to be an NFL pro was incredibly valuable, to learn from him and experience it hands-on,” Lewis said. “It made a huge difference for me. I really thank him for all he did for me.”

Lewis also is darn serious about his custom-made, rubber wristbands engraved with motivational messages. When Joe went to chat with Lewis in the happy postgame locker room Sunday, Lewis advised Joe to wait because he needed time to carefully put on those wristbands first.

This was no joke. Those eight bands are years old and could break if Lewis isn’t careful.  They’re also well-traveled.

Now with his fifth team in 16 months, Lewis is grateful for what he calls a true team family in Tampa. Of all those teams, Lewis said, the Bucs are the only one he had no connection to before signing a contract yet it’s been the most welcoming team. He played for the Cowboys against the Bucs earlier this season before Dallas cut him. Then the Bucs signed him, cut him, and signed him to the practice squad before he was promoted before Sunday’s game.

Speaking on the Buccaneers Radio Network last night, Greg Schiano said the Bucs were “immediately” wowed by what Lewis put on film against the Bucs in Dallas.

“What an explosive player he was,” Schiano said. “He’s a talented guy. We just need to keep moving him forward in his football, you know, learning more and more. The way he works I’m sure he will.”

In his one sighting Sunday, LeGarrette Blount kept things high and tight near the goal line.

Maybe it’s raw fear of the head coach. Maybe it’s the constant drilling of fundamentals. But more likely both are why the Bucs aren’t coughing up the football very often.

Veteran scribe eye-RAH! Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune notes that the Bucs have a +11 turnover ratio this season, good for fourth best in the NFL behind the Patriots, Bears and Giants.

At this point, Joe is stunned when a Buccaneer not named Josh Freeman fumbles; that’s a good thing.

Newcomer cornerback LeQuan Lewis was the surprise Bucs kick returner Sunday, and he promptly fumbled his first return, then recovered it and finished with a lousy eight-yard return.

Lewis was called to the sidelines immediately by Greg Schiano and the two chatted for a long 45 seconds. Joe talked to Lewis about that chat, and Lewis assured Joe that Schiano was all about love and confidence, not U-Haul reservations and intimidation.

“Coach just wanted me to get rid of it. ‘Get rid of it,’ is what he kept saying and that I’d have a lot of other opportunities to do my job again so go out and do it,” Lewis said.

After the game, Dallas Clark said the Bucs’ turnover ratio has been extraordinary. “It makes all the difference,” Clark said.

This did not the meet the New Schiano Order edict to “bite the football” and “chin, chin chin.”

Deion Sanders was lovin’ all over Leonard Johnson’s high-steppin’ into the end zone from the 20 yard line on the NFL Network yesterday.

Greg Schiano? Not so much.

The leader of the New Schiano Order said this evening that celebrating is reserved for the end zone, so he advised on The Greg Schiano Show on WDAE-AM 620.

Now Schiano wasn’t all toes-on-the-line serious. He acknowledged that Johnson’s probably was overcome and overwhelmed with excitement knowing he was about to score a touchdown and fulfill a boyhood dream of doing so for his hometown Buccaneers.

The loss to the Bucs really got under the skin of Chargers coach Norv Turner. It didn’t help when he was asked if losing to the Bucs is acceptable in this San Diego Union-Tribune video.

“Hoo, hoo. Toes on the line everybody. Because I love you.”

Joe’s a huge fan of Greg Schiano’s maniacal “Family, 1, 2, 3” cheer.

And Joe really enjoyed this afternoon’s deeper peek into Schiano’s family philosophy, as revealed by Doug Martin on The Jim Rome Show on WDAE-AM. 

“Forget about me. I love you,” Martin explained.

Yeah, Joe knows Schiano learned under renowned leaders like Joe Paterno and Butch Davis, but hearing this Joe wondered if Schiano also could have drawn inspiration from Barney the dinosaur?

The I-love-you philosophy sure worked for the purple dinosaur for two decades. Barney also pretty much advises kids to live a life by Greg Schiano’s credo, “a humble, unselfish attitude of sacrifice.”

Joe won’t dig any deeper into this theory.

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Bucs coach Greg Schiano isn’t always forthcoming with information. That’s why Woody Cummings digs up information.

The Bucs beat writer for The Tampa Tribune obtained news concerning Bucs linebacker Quincy Black, who was carted off on a board, his helmet heavily taped to the board in what appeared to be some sort of head or neck injury yesterday.

“He was feeling good, but the doctors still aren’t sure what the exact injury or extent of it is,” said Black’s agent, Marc Lillibridge. “It could be a pinched nerve or something. He was going to get more tests today.”

Cummings learned that, yes, Black has full use of his “extremities” and was released from the hospital last night, returning to the hospital today to continue a battery of tests to find out exactly what is wrong.

Today, in his new conference, Schiano claimed Black’s injury is serious in that he is having complications and ruled Black out for the Carolina game. Schiano added that he does not believe Black’s injury is career-threatening, sort of suggesting Black’s injury may be a nerve issue. Schiano added Black is having “complications” with his left arm, but did not elaborate.

Per Cummings, Lillibridge was moved when he learned Schiano visited Black in the hospital last night.

Next Sunday in Carolina could be an ideal time for Eric Wright to serve an allegedly looming four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Wright was limited in practice last week an Achilles injury, and after a strong start to yesterday’s game was yanked from the field after re-injuring it, Greg Schiano confirmed today at One Buc Palace.

Schiano offered no prognosis or prediction on Wright’s condition. Though Joe thinks it’s clear Wright had a setback.

Joe would say Wright would be missed, but who knows when it comes to the wildly unpredictable Bucs secondary.

Is it possible the dude on the right is wearing a custom made Daniel Te’o Nesheim jersey? Nahhh.

The leader of the New Schiano Order loves to talk about his “TFLs,” those tackles for loss that make Greg Schiano eek out a small grin week after week after week.

The Bucs are studs in that category and racked up another eight tackles for loss yesterday in the beat down of the Chargers.

Former Bucs tight end and current radio analyst Dave Moore says the Bucs’ “gambling style” drives the crazy fact that the Bucs are tops in the NFL against the run but get gouged in the secondary, where Tampa Bay checks in with the league’s most yards allowed through the air.

“That’s why the lead the league in tackles for a loss because they do take chances,” Moore said on WDAE-AM 620 today, referring to blitzes and the team having a run-stop-first mentality.

As for the seemingly easy turkey-carving performed by Antonio Gates and Philip Rivers yesterday, well, Moore said he’d have to review film again but it’s likely on Mason Foster more than the secondary.

“Mason Foster delayed on that fake run which gave Bates the ability to get behind him down the middle of the field,” Moore said.

Per Joe’s game notes, Foster biting a bit downhill and not doing the Barrett Ruud retreat (something Ruud did well) cost the Bucs at least twice. However, Joe will take the consequences of having Foster and the rest of the linebackers gambling downhill. The odds are in the Bucs’ favor if they continue to wreak havoc in the backfield and at the line of scrimmage on first and second downs.

It’s a refreshing change, and as long as the Bucs still show the ability to outscore teams, they should keep rolling.

Flashback to 2010, the young Bucs were cruising with a 7-4 record and the 9-1, division-rival Falcons were in Tampa for a December clash with a premier 4:15 p.m kickoff. This was a huge game in the playoff chase, got plenty of advance national attention, and attendance was 53,955.

Yet yesterday’s attendance of 54,813 against San Diego was better. And Joe can assure readers there were no significant numbers of Chargers fans in the house.

So what’s changed?

Is it love for the New Schiano Order? Is it cheaper tickets now available in many sections? Was it dislike of Raheem Morris? Was it the Bucs checking in that season with a paltry payroll? Was it something else?

Interestingly, the Bucs now have a chance to go to 6-4 next week and come home to face the Falcons, who likely will be 9-1. Their game likely will be a nearly identical scenario to the clash in 2010. But will it draw more fans and show tangible growth of the fan base?

Joe’s given up predicting this kind of thing. But it will be a number worth watching.