Greg Schiano is 17+ months into his regime and he’s still teaching Buccaneer Man 101 to his team.

Perhaps the country club ways of the Raheem Morris era remain a pesky stain on the team fabric? Or perhaps Schiano has so many details to impart he hasn’t gotten to everything yet?

Regardless, Schiano is still “changing culture,” so he said on NFL Network last night. Here is the exchange:

Andrew Siciliano: How much of your job was changing culture?

Greg Schiano: A lot of it was changing culture, for sure. I mean anytime there’s change, there’s usually a change for a reason. And when they hire you, you have to do it your way. You have to do it within your personality, your beliefs. And that’s what we did. And, you know, I think what happened over time guys started to understand better what we’re all about. I feel really good right now.

Siciliano: How long did it take?

Schiano: I think it’s still happening. I think we’re well down the path now. But I think it is still happening. Initially, that first couple of months, you know, the guys had to figure out who we were. Then we get into training camp and they really started to understand it. I think they found as they learned more about us, they saw that, you know, it wasn’t all (pauses) it did let up as soon as they understood what we were looking for. This spring was great. Guys were awesome. They performed at a high level and we were ready to work. We let’em have their time by themselves, and that’s working out well.

It’s interesting that Schiano acknowledged that “it did let up,” referring to the tough, if not maniacal, discipline and rules of the New Schiano Order. This spring, many Buccaneers laughed off the suggestion that Schiano would ease up a bit this season in that area.

As for Schiano still “changing culture,” Joe sure hopes that process is over by opening day. He shouldn’t need more time.

The Bucs have invested massive amounts of Team Glazer cash into their veteran, star-studded offensive line, and y0u better believe Greg Schiano wants to see them stay healthy, blow open holes for a bruising ground attack, and give Josh Freeman eons on time in play-action.

That was the plan last season, but injuries killed it.

Tonight on NFL Network, Schiano gave a seven-minute interview and was perhaps most upbeat and dialed in when the subject of the Bucs offensive line came up. Schiano said how much his staff entered 2012 relying on the unit but never saw it materialize after Davin Joseph and Carl Nicks were lost to injury.

This season, the O-line must dominate, Schiano said. “That’s really got to be, it has to be big strength of ours because we have some good skill, but, as you know more than anybody, you need to give them time to operate.”

Schiano went on to rave about former Bears 2011 first-round pick Gabe Carimi, the tackle out of Wisconsin who has been banged up through his first two seasons.

Schiano said he’s seen enough to believe the Bucs might have pulled an offseason steal of a deal.

“You know we only had [Carimi] for a couple of days there at the end of [spring practices] but boy, I’m excited,” Schiano said. “Gabe did some really good things in the three days he practiced with us. Just visiting with him, he’s kinda on the same page. So we’re excited by the addition there.”

Damn, it would be amazing if Carimi proves worthy of his draft status and the rest of the Bucs’ offensive line stays healthy. Doug Martin could have 250 carries by midseason, which likely would mean a lot of Ws for the New Schiano Order.

There are big offensive linemen, and then there’s the human armoire, Bucs guard Carl Nicks, an All-World manbeast with the Saints before rockstar general manager Mark Dominik signed him to a fat deal a year ago.

Joe can only think of Andre The Giant when looking for one who compares to Nicks’ almost inhuman stature.

Nicks was superb for Tampa Bay while battling a heinous toe injury that cut his 2012 season short and sent him under a surgeon’s knife.

Though Nicks had been honored by his peers previously, Nicks did not appear on the recent Top-100 feature on NFL Network, a ranking of players based on fellow players’ votes. However, Nicks showed up this afternoon on a new ProFootballTalk.com Top-100 list voted on by 50+ NFL media types, including two Tampa-area locals, former Buccaneers Anthony Becht and Shaun King, one of three quarterbacks to lead the Bucs to the NFC title game.

Nos. 76 – 100 were released today.

76 Tony Romo, quarterback, Cowboys
77 Doug Martin, running back, Buccaneers
78 Frank Gore, running back, 49ers
79 Carl Nicks, guard, Buccaneers
80 Maurice Jones-Drew, running back, Jaguars
81 Vernon Davis, tight end, 49ers
82 Evan Mathis, guard, Eagles
83 Alfred Morris, running back, Redskins
84 Joe Haden, cornerback, Browns
85 C.J. Spiller, running back, Bills
86 Calais Campbell, defensive end, Cardinals
87 Matthew Stafford, quarterback, Lions
88 Antonio Cromartie, cornerback, Jets
89 Jason Peters, offensive tackle, Eagles
90 Jordan Gross, offensive tackle, Panthers
91 Mike Pouncey, center, Dolphins
92 Mike Wallace, receiver, Dolphins
93 Reggie Wayne, receiver, Colts
94 Ed Reed, safety, Ravens
95 Henry Melton, defensive tackle, Bears
96 Lance Briggs, linebacker, Bears
97 Steve Smith, receiver, Panthers
98 Antoine Winfield, cornerback, Seahawks
99 Max Unger, center, Seahawks
100 Matt Forte, running back, Bears

Joe’s glad Nicks was remembered. He deserves the accolade. And if he comes back to the Bucs healthy (Nicks did not participate in offseason practices), then Joe’s confident the Bucs will run the football more than most fans envision. And why not?

As for the rest of this list, Joe’s getting the feeling that the Bucs might not get a lot of love from the assembled media if Doug Martin is only ranked 77th. We’ll see. The next 25 are released July 8.

One name that Joe found interesting was Antoine Winfield. The former Vikings cornerback was a free agent for a month before signing with Seattle in April. That’s an awfully long time for someone ranked that highly to be NFL homeless. Apparently, the Bucs saw no use for Winfield’s stature and experience, preferring to rely on a rookie and Eric Wright.

A major question mark this season is Greg Schiano’s ability to take the necessary steps to become an NFL winner and a guy who can outcoach Saints hitman head coach Sean Payton and Falcons chief Mike Smith.

Smith’s stunning 56-24 regular-season record represents one of the standout coaching jobs in NFL history. Payton is a stud, as well, with a 62-34 regular-season mark and a Super Bowl ring with New Orleans.

If Schiano can’t outcoach those guys, then what are the Bucs’ chances of Super Bowl glory in the coming years? Slim.

An encouraging thing about Schiano is his obsession with details and not being outworked. Those are traits of a champion, but Schiano needs to prove he can win. Being a winner is the ultimate intangible in any sport, and it’s not like Schiano’s Big East record at Rutgers inspires loads of confidence in his ability to go deep in the NFL postseason dance.

This spring, Dave Wannstedt, the new Bucs special teams coach and part of Schiano’s large assembly of experienced coaches and advisors, said Schiano has been a relentless detail man since Wannstedt hired him to coach Bears defensive backs in 1996.

“[Schiano] was in charge of our third-down package on defense working with the secondary. And when it was time to talk third-down defense, it was the most detail. He did not have a “T” not crossed and an “I” not dotted,” Wannstedt said. “It was his first year coming from Penn State, obviously, first year in the NFL And it didn’t take him long before the players realized, ‘this guy knows what he’s doing. He’s not going to put you in a situation where you’re going to be surprised by anything.’ There was no question that, you know, that he was going to be successful.”

Joe’s optimistic Schiano can reach the level of his successful NFC South comrades, given his commitment to details and a tight ship. But Joe’s most uplifted by the New Schiano Order adapting in the 2012 season finale to shock a stout Falcons team and avoid closing last season with a six-game losing streak.

That was real hope, tangible hope that Schiano can be a champion.

No amount of Scope can rid the bitter taste in Joe’s mouth when he remembers the sadistic Bucs pass defense last year.

Scores of new flatscreens were bought throughout the Tampa Bay area last fall after Bucs fans threw remotes and beer bottles at their TV screens as the Bucs secondary was roasted worse than Georgia peanuts time and time again.

At times, the Bucs would have been better off playing with three folding chairs in a nickel formation. At least a receiver potentially could have tripped over a folding chair.

The hidden culprit in that unholy mess was a virtual non-existent pass rush, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Stroud documents how Bucs coach Greg Schiano plans to build a defensive front that has been void of anyone registering double-digit sacks since Simeon Rice in 2005.

In particular, Stroud points to the major gamble Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik has taken banking on largely untested Da’Quan Bowers to fill the void left by departed sack leader Michael Bennett.

As a rookie, he was limited while the Bucs waited for his knee, injured while at Clemson, to gain strength. Last season it was the Achilles torn in May. If Bowers can stay out of the trainer’s room, he can make an impact with his natural pass rush skills. He has added significant upper-body strength while getting into better shape. The problem is Bowers has never been counted on as an every-down player. He must learn to cope with nagging injuries and be more stout against the run.

“He has not played any consistent amount,” coach Greg Schiano said. “So if he wants to become anything more than just a situational pass rusher, he’s got to grind through it. He’s got to go through the pain of being an every-down player.”

Joe believes Stroud hit a bulls-eye. Look, Bowers is a great guy and has loads of talent. The problem is — and Bowers will admit this — he needs to stay on the field. He has yet to play a full season due to various ailments. It seems even Schiano is pushing Bowers to play through the bumps and bruises (though no one can play through a blown Achilles).

If Bowers cannot play a full season or is unable to record, say, eight sacks, then the dice rolled in letting Bennett walk, even though he is damaged goods, likely will be a gamble lost for 2013.

It’s July and this is the month, with just over three weeks until the Bucs hold their first training camp practice, in which football fans are bombed with projections, predictions and why certain scribes think teams will stink and others will soar.

The numbers crunchers at Rotoworld.com are not exactly pulling a curvy Rachel Watson and leading cheers for the Bucs. The culprit for the Bucs’ demise, so types Patrick Daugherty, is that he believes Josh Freeman is a low-rung, signalcaller in the NFL.

Slow Closer: Josh Freeman

Coach Greg Schiano is holding Freeman’s feet to the fire this offseason, routinely putting him on blast while passing up multiple opportunities to guarantee him the starting job. Perhaps it’s because Freeman fell apart down the stretch in 2012, tossing 10 interceptions to only six touchdowns over Tampa’s final five games. Freeman averaged just 6.23 yards per attempt over his final 209 passes, which would have been the worst in the league if extrapolated over the entire season. That means Freeman must “prove it” in 2013, both to Schiano and fantasy owners.

Well, first off, the only fantasy Joe gives a damn about is the aforementioned buxom Ms. Watson showing up at Joe’s front door, shivering from a Florida summer downpour looking for warmth and comforting.

Let Joe repeat this again: There is no quarterback controversy. Freeman is the Bucs’ starter. Period. If fans want to debate Freeman’s merits or drawbacks, that’s a different animal. The braintrust at One Buc Palace unanimously calls Freeman the starting quarterback on opening day. Period. There is no debating this issue, short of Freeman getting injured.

Now does Freeman need to improve? Darn right he does. As Joe has also written, when the Bucs needed Freeman the most last year down the stretch, when a playoff berth was still in reach, Freeman vanished. That simply cannot happen again if Freeman expects to be franchised or re-signed by the Bucs. His 6-15 career record against winning teams doesn’t cut it in the NFL.

No. 5 has all the toys any NFL quarterback could ask for. Now it’s time to utilize those weapons. With a second season under Mike Sullivan and a second season with Vincent Jackson and Doug Martin, there is no reason not to expect Freeman to improve.

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If one is to just go by numbers on a sheet of paper, the Bucs may have had the steal of the 2013 draft already, and training camp has yet to start.

The Bucs, during OTAs this spring, all but anointed rookie fourth round pick Akeem Spence as a starting tilted nose tackle alongside Gerald McCoy. It seems the Walter Football crowd agrees with this assessment. Charlie Campbell typed a piece on who he expects to be booms and busts for the Bucs this season, and Campbell has tagged Spence as a boom pick.

Solid Starter: Akeem Spence, DT, Illinois – Round 4

I wasn’t a fan of Spence as a prospect, but the Bucs like him so much that they are practically forcing him into the starting lineup as a rookie. Tampa Bay let veteran nose tackle Roy Miller leave in free agency, so the team had a hole for a run-stuffer next to Gerald McCoy.

Spence was hit and miss in his final season. He didn’t play well against Wisconsin, but did well versus Penn State. Spence has some speed and explosiveness, but needs to improve his overall game and become more consistent. THe junior totaled 72 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, one sack and one forced fumble in 2012. He played better in 2011, but the sophomore had defensive end Whitney Mercilus commanding a lot of attention as Mercilus led the nation in sacks. Spence totaled 69 tackles with 5.5 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and one forced fumble in 2011.

Tampa Bay has a serious lack of depth on the defensive line, leaving Spence with only pedestrian veterans Gary Gibson and Derek Landri as starting competition. Spence (6-1, 305) will probably end up starting as a rookie and if he plays well, he could be a long-term starter next to McCoy.

Well, if one is to expect Spence to be the next Warren Sapp, then, yes, they will be sorely disappointed and consider Spence a bust. That’s not what the Bucs want from Spence, and that’s not what Spence is.

Spence is oxen strong. Bucs coach Greg Schiano even remarked how Spence may be the strongest guy in the NFL right now. What Spence is supposed to do is take on blocks and, preferably, tie up two blockers in order to set GMC free to raise hell in the backfield and bruise quarterbacks.

Expecting Spence to get double-digit sacks, well, that just won’t happen.

OK, it’s a light, lazy Sunday evening where Joe is celebrating a sweet Rays series win. Thus, Joe thought he would bring something light and bright, a feel-good to Bucs fans.

This week, NFL rookies took part in the NFL rookie symposium where they were taught about how to save cash and how to stay out of trouble, yada, yada, yada. Joe is a bit skeptical how much these programs actually work. Year after year there are countless stories about former and current NFL players going broke and/or having brushes with the law. Joe will save that argument for another day. Today, something cool.

The NFL brought the rookies to nearby Canton, Ohio, to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There, in a display to honor former Bucs cornerback (man, this sounds weird) Ronde Barber, Bucs rookie Johnthan Banks found Barber’s display and took a moment to pause for a cool picture (seen in this post above) of Bucs past, present and future intersecting all at once.

If Banks can be three-quarters the player Barber was, then the Bucs truly will have hit a home run with their second round pick this year.

All the best to Banks as we are now just 25 days away from the Bucs’ first training camp practice.

We are getting there, folks.

Tampa Bay Times columnist and WDAE-AM 620 Sports Page co-host Tom Jones finds it very troublesome for the Bucs that Josh Freeman was not named to the NFL Network annual Top-100 list of current players, as voted by NFL players themselves.

Jones said over the WDAE airwaves Friday that it’s “disappointing” Freeman isn’t among the top tier of players on his team or among the upper third or so of quarterbacks in the NFL. Co-host Rick Stroud thinks Jones is out of line, as you’ll hear in the heated discussion below.

Joe, however, largely agrees with Jones for a simple reason that was not mentioned on the radio: Freeman was voted the 83rd best player in the NFL after the 2010 season. That means Freeman’s peers acknowledge his regression since leading the Bucs to a 10-6 record and only tossing six picks in 2010. Whether you’re a Freeman lover or not, that’s “disappointing.” (You can catch the entire Sports Page audio below.)

Click the chicken wing below for your nearest Original Hooters location. It’s a great place to spot Joe hard at work on a Sunday afternoon.

One unsung accomplishment in Bucs history was Tampa Bay’s No. 1 ranked pass defense in 2007. Yes, under defensive backs coach Raheem Morris, the Bucs’ secondary was the best in the NFL — and sent nobody to the Pro Bowl.

Jermaine Phillips, rookie Tanard Jackson, Phillip Buchanon and Ronde Barber were the main men, as once-great cornerback Brian Kelly got old and faded away.

And, the Bucs accomplished this with a pass rush led by Stylez White, Gaines Adams and Jovan Haye, not exactly a scary crew.

Joe points this out to illustrate how much talent the Bucs have now at defense line and defensive back, versus six seasons ago. The current Bucs are loaded at those positions by comparison.

Obviously, the Bucs must stay healthy, but a lot falls on Greg Schiano and his New Schiano Order defense, one defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan made very clear is crafted by Schiano.

Electronic media czar and longtime Tampa Bay sports personality JP Peterson grabs hold of the WDAE-AM 620 airwaves today from 9 a.m. to noon.

Of course, JP will talk all things Rays, Bucs and whatever else is moving him from the sports world.

Those chained to a computer (or too hungover to find a radio) can listen live via 620WDAE.com.

The fire of words that Bucs great and soon-to-be Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Sapp lit recently by claiming Simeon Rice has more street cred to get into Canton than former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan was rekindled when intern-loving Tiki Barber appeared with Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski on WHFS-FM 98.7 last week.

Barber was quoted calling Sapp “an idiot” for his remarks. And while Barber did not deny he said that about Sapp, he claims his words were “blown out of proportion” by the same fourth estate in which he is trying to make a living.

“Look, I have nothing disparaging to say about Warren Sapp,” Barber said. “But here’s what I have to say: He has had a vendetta against Michael Strahan and I don’t even know why he has had a vendetta against Michael Strahan. Maybe because he can because he is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Michael wasn’t. I understand what he was trying to do and get Simeon Rice some credit for what Simeon was as a player and he was a fantastic player rushing the quarterback from the defensive end, but don’t do it at the expense of ‘Stra,’ who is my boy. He’s always had my back.

“They are different players so the comparison never made sense. To put it simply, Strahan was a complete player. He played on the weak side, he played on the strong side, he had to stop the run. Simeon was more of a single-dimensional guy where he would come off the edge and he was better than anyone at it with his speed and his length and his ability to get low and underneath tackles to go after the quarterback but he was not a guy counted on to stop the run. That’s not knocking him as a player, that was a fact and the numbers will show you that in career tackles. So when you try to compare them, you can’t. There was no malice in foresight in calling Sapp ‘an idiot.’ It was blown out of proportion.”

Well, once you say certain words to a reporter on the record, there is no putting the genie back in the bottle. Barber said what he said. If he needs to apologize, and Sapp demands one (doubtful), that’s between those two.

While Barber has a good point that Strahan was a more complete player, exactly who the hell looks at tackles on running backs when choosing a defensive end for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

Did anyone mention how many tackles Reggie White had or Deacon Jones or Bruce Smith? Hell, no! Defensive ends bound for Canton are largely if not solely judged on how many times they put quarterbacks on the ground.

And in that regard, Joe believes Rice was Strahan’s equal if not superior.

It is June 29, less than a month before the Bucs hold their first training camp practice. There’s a long way to go.

But the football thinktank at WalterFootball.com already has put out its detailed team previews and they are not kind to the Bucs. In short, the Water Football crowd is no fan of Josh Freeman and is of the opinion that Freeman will continue to regress and, therefore, the Bucs will regress to a 5-11 season this year.

Josh Freeman will almost certainly be the starting quarterback for the Buccaneers this season, but he probably won’t be holding that title much longer. The organization, particularly head coach Greg Schiano, has lost faith in him. There’s a reason they spent a third-round pick on Mike Glennon. Unless Freeman rebounds with a strong 2013 campaign, he’ll be allowed to walk as a free agent next spring.

Freeman was on fire at the beginning of this past season. He held a 18-to-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio in his first nine games. However, things quickly fell apart after that. He had just two scores compared to 10 turnovers (nine picks, one lost fumble) in his final three contests. Throughout all of December, Freeman maintained a YPA of 6.3 or worse in all but one game. It’s amazing how much Freeman managed to regress in just a couple of months. If this were only a 1-year thing, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but Freeman’s accuracy has been pretty brutal ever since getting separated from former offensive coordinator Greg Olson.

2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Analysis: The Buccaneers will continue to be the worst team in the NFC South as long as they’re the only franchise in the division that doesn’t have its quarterback situation figured out. Josh Freeman has just one more chance to turn things around, but things aren’t very optimistic in that regard.

Projection: 5-11 (4th in NFC South)

Joe can’t see the Bucs going backwards that badly, but if they do, it will probably be because Freeman has completely imploded. Now Joe is on record being cautious of the Bucs playing in the postseason. It’s not because Joe doesn’t think the Bucs are improved — they are — but because the NFC is as top-heavy as Joe has seen it in maybe 25 years.

On paper, it appears the best chance the Bucs have of a playoff berth is to win the division. Joe’s not ready to go there yet.

But if the Walter Football people are convinced Freeman and the Bucs will take that much of a step backward, it’s a good bet Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik and coach Greg Schiano will be quarterback shopping in February.

For whatever reason, one bad fit for the New Schiano Order last season was defensive backs coach Ron Cooper, who was quick to leave after the season for the South Florida Bulls

Cooper was a newcomer to the pro ranks and, well, his secondary was dreadful. Greg Schiano even seemed obligated to step in and get hands on with the unit in a big way late in the season.

Joe can’t thoroughly hang Cooper, who was stuck with the fearsome foursome for part of the season, “E.J. Leonard, Danny and LeQuan.”

Hopefully, the Bucs updated their coaching ranks with the addition of Tony Oden, who has spent years with the Saints and Jaguars. Eric Wright typed up a blog posting recently that implied Oden’s experience already is making a positive impact.

One other change that was made to the secondary was the addition of a new defensive backs coach, Tony Oden. The organization and the coaches bringing in somebody like Tony with a lot of NFL experience is going to help us on the back end.

He’s somebody that I respect a lot. I’m like a sponge, trying to learn as much possible, and Tony’s a guy that I can learn a lot from. I’m looking forward to working with him this season, and continuing to try to perfect my craft. Tony has a lot of knowledge about the game and how to deal with NFL players. He asks a lot out of us, but I think the guys are responding well.

Position coaches matter. The Bucs have learned that lesson over the years in a big way.

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Via the Bucs’ Facebook page, the team has released and produced a promotional video to remind fans that tickets for the home season opener are on sale. This is a cool video and thanks to the embed codes on the video, Joe assumes the Bucs would like websites to get the word out about ticket sales.