Ric Flair’s biggest fan in the Bucs’ locker room, Bucs middle linebacker Mason Foster, chatted with reporters after practice yesterday and a top subject was another Bucs linebacker, Lavonte David.

Foster, who was David’s roommate last year as the two developed a strong bond, sang the praises of his comrade and how that extra year being around each other may make it painful for opposing running backs.

“You feel more familiar with the players around you and the calls,” Foster said of being with David and the second year under the New Schiano Order. That offseason leading into the second year is when “you get to polish things up.”

Then, Foster, who Joe thought was on the cusp of eating pineapple early last season, had good news for Bucs fans and a warning for opponents: David is even better than last year, if one can imagine.

David having a year of experience means “everything, man,” Foster said. “We are close as friends, close as teammates. We kind of feed off of each other after spending a year with each other. I think we understand when he’s going to take his shot and when I’m going to take my shot. It helps us make us make more plays.

“[David]” is a lot strong in the weight room, he’s talking a lot more, he is Lavonte 2.0. He is bigger and better.”

The photo above captured one of the great bang-your-freakin’-head-against-the-wall moments of last season. Dekoda Watson came in clean on a punt block but completely forgot his technique.

Watson missed the sure block against Dallas and was tagged with roughing the kicker. To make matters worse, bad experiment Jordan Shipley fumbled away the punt, and the Cowboys recovered and got the extra 15 yards from the penalty. It was an absolute killer in the Bucs’ six-point loss. Greg Schiano even called the play a 10-point swing.

But the Bucs rebounded to lead the NFL in blocked punts with three, a huge total by NFL standards. Two were by Watson, and one was from Aqib Talib, plus Ronde Barber had a deflected punt that didn’t count in the stats.

Joe brings this up because the New Schiano Order was on its punt-block details again today at practice. Beat man Tom Krasniqi, of WDAE-AM 620, had was observing the process.

New Bucs special teams coach Dave Wannstedt is the most vocal assistant coach out there.  At one point during practice, he was teaching the players on the proper technique of blocking a punt. Schiano also supervised the drill.  The Bucs are really placing an emphasis on good special teams play for 2013.

It’ll be interesting to see whether Schiano and his punt-blocking obsession can stay ahead of the rest of the NFL. The Bucs didn’t block a punt in their last seven games of 2012.

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Of course, like in most of the NFL world, talk at One Buc Palace today was largely dominated by the passing of a true NFL icon, the great Deacon Jones.

The Bucs have invested several draft picks on defensive linemen over the past few years. One seems on the cusp of something huge (Gerald McCoy), and another has shown flashes of doing something when not hurt (Da’Quan Bowers). To them, Jones was sort of a pied piper of defensive linemen.

Though neither met Jones, they both were well aware of what he meant to the NFL.

“I didn’t know him,” Bowers said. “Of course, I knew of him. You have to know your history. I never had the opportunity to meet him. It would have been an honor. He’s the reason we do what we do. Obviously, we all grew up watching him on NFL Films and I wanted to be just like him. Guys like that come around just once in a lifetime.”

“He was so aggressive. Here was a guy who invented the sack. What more can you say about that? About the time he invented the word ‘sack,’ he had about 160. That says enough. A player of that caliber? A legend. Truly, a legend.”

Yes, Jones invented the term “sack,” by which all defensive linemen are judged. But that’s not enough for the Bucs, Bowers explained. The team wants, and may need, more than just simply sacks.

“Around here, we don’t say ‘sack.’ We say ‘sack/fumble,’ Bowers said. “We are trying to invent something else. Sacks aren’t good enough. So we are trying to invent a sack/fumble. Of course, having guys like Dashon [Goldson] and Darrelle [Revis] in your pass secondary gives you so much – an extra millisecond to get to the quarterback means a whole lot.”

It’s a philosophy that has GMC on board. He wants to take what Jones established for defensive linemen, and take it a step further.

“A sack is OK,” GMC said. “But when we get sacks, we want to get sack/fumbles. Coach Schiano doesn’t even like sacks because he thinks all sacks should be sack/fumbles, which I agree with because a sack/fumble gives you not just an opportunity for a takeaway, but to score points. And that is the goal of the defense, to get the ball back.”

Questioned today about the wide receivers depth chart, Greg Schiano tossed an unsolicited curveball out there while praising the versatility of free-agent signing Eric Page, the 21-year-old University of Toledo icon who was with the Broncos last season.

Page caught Joe’s eye two weeks ago, and it seems he might have a leg up for a roster spot.

“Page is returning punts and he’s also playing in the slot,” Schiano said. “[Wide receivers] need to have multiple functions if they’re not that first two” on the depth chart. And at times last year we found ourselves in situations where they couldn’t do that, and that handcuffs you a little bit. And unless you study it, you don’t understand the [negative] trickle down effect it has.”

Hmmm, so Page is playing punt returner, which is significant considering the Bucs don’t have one.
In his final season at Toledo (2011), Page returned 18 punts with one touchdown and an average return of 10.9 yards.

Joe has a small piece of advice for Page: Don’t fumble.

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Guys who make a living burying quarterbacks have a fraternity of sorts, and the only way you can get into the fraternity is by putting signal-callers through hell.

So it’s not surprising that soon-to-be Hall of Famer and Bucs icon Warren Sapp mourns the loss of the man widely regarded as the greatest sack artist of all time, David “Deacon” Jones.

“He was an absolute institution,” Sapp said via NFL Media Relations. “”I patterned my game after him because if you can talk that talk & walk that walk, then you can stand beside Deacon.”

Sapp looked up to Jones and had a kindred friendship, mainly over a few beers and their loathing of quarterbacks, as Sapp described in a Tampa Bay Times article back in 2002p. Back then Sapp, Jones and Bruce Smith had a pouring session over pummeling quarterbacks.

“It was one of those nights, then one of those mornings,” Sapp said. “It was just us and the bartender, and he was on point. You had to be there, just to hear their passion for the game.

“I wanted to travel with them. Put me in the car too. You know? I got in the car and traveled the ’70s with Deacon, then I traveled the ’80s and ’90s with Bruce. I came along with him through Bruce Armstrong and all the great ones he played, Richmond Webb, and all the great ones he had to rush. They’re all about a nasty, tenacious rush and inflicting as much pain on the quarterback as possible. I mean, Bruce was talking about hunting Dan Marino as if Dan Marino had just slapped his mama.”

Joe’s football memories go back to the late 1960s. Joe can remember Joe Namath, barely Bart Starr, barely Dick Butkus, Johnny Unitas as a Chargers quarterback, but doesn’t quite remember Deacon Jones.

What Joe does remember are all those wonderful NFL Films pieces of Jones where he prided himself on wanting to send quarterbacks to the hospital “with no remorse in my heart.” It was because of Jones’ bigger than life personality, highlighted by so many NFL Films interviews, that Jones became one of Joe’s favorites.

Feel free to click on this link and fast-forward to the 39:00-mark to get to know Jones, a true character of the NFL that is lost now. When Joe last night heard of Jones’ passing, Joe could remember as a kid watching NFL Films on gray, cold fall Saturday afternoons.

For reasons unknown, former Bucs sack artist Simeon Rice always reminded Joe of Deacon Jones, the personality if not the sacks.

Here are some things Joe saw — and heard — at Bucs OTA practice held under overcast skies this morning.

* Bucs coach Greg Schiano jogging between stations.

* An errant Josh Freeman throw to the left sideline is nearly hauled in by Kevin Ogletree as he leaped high and got a hand on the ball. It seemed as if Freeman was trying to get the ball over Danny Gorrer, who had good coverage on Ogletree.

* Early, Freeman seemed to be off on short passes. On a short crossing pattern from the left side for Mike Williams, Freeman’s pass was too low for Williams to handle.

* If there is a free agent who is making a splash this early, it is Arizona wide receiver David Douglas. On what looked to be the exact same route Ogletree ran previously, where Freeman overthrew him, Douglas skied for a pass and hauled it in before hitting the ground.

* A Michael Smith sighting! Last year’s captain of the inactive list took a pass from Freeman in the backfield and darted and weaved his way through and past defenders.

*Not the way to make the team, son; free agent rookies have scant opportunities to prove themselves and Jheranie Boyd botched a perfectly thrown ball to him from Mike Glennon, right in the numbers that bounced off his chest into the air where cornerback Branden Smith, in perfect coverage, picked it easily.

* Glennon with a pump fake and throw to wide receiver Jerry Johnson for a nice gain.

* “Situation: Left hash mark, 16-yard line!” bellows Schiano. Later he could be heard instructing his players “Let’s go, five-on-four in the end zone” for red zone work.

* Keith Tandy thought he had an interception of a Glennon pass along the right sideline but couldn’t hang on. Tandy, with a roundhouse right, punched the air in frustration.

* Mark Barron had solid coverage in red zone drills and nearly had a pick of Freeman, knocking the pass down.

* Tim Wright (of all together now: Rutgers!) hauls in a pass from Freeman on the right sideline.

* Freeman beautifully connects with Williams on a screen to the right side.

* For reasons unknown, the pace of the practice really picks up without any hollering from coaches, largely because it’s two-minute drill practice.

* “Rally, rally, rally!” Freeman yells after each play to get his teammates lined up quickly for the next play.

* Freeman is flushed to his right and the right defensive end (Da’Quan Bowers) is the only defensive lineman to get a hand in the air.

* Despite Johnthan Banks draped all over him, Chris Owusu catches a pinpoint perfect pass from Freeman along the left side. The very next play, Freeman hits Owusu for a bomb and six points down the left sideline.

* Schiano is directly monitoring defensive backs during a loose-ball drill and is wearing a big smile on his face.

* Here comes the piped in crowd noise…

* Ouch! Freeman is flushed out of the pocket to his left and terribly overthrows Williams, who was coming back to the ball along the left sideline. It was Merry Christmas for Tandy as he easily intercepted the errant throw. That simply cannot happen this fall.

* Glennon is chased out of the pocket to his right and tries to connect with Douglas but the pass is broken up by Banks.

* On the next play, Glennon again is flushed out of the pocket to his right. Once again, the culprit is a strong rush from right defensive end Steven Means.

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Greg Schiano and his staff are not shying away from big praise and big expectations for right tackle Demar Dotson

Those holding out hope the Bucs might jump on a veteran right tackle to replace and/or compete with Demar Dotson should probably give it up.

Two weeks ago, offensive line coach Bob Bostad said Dotson had “catapulted” his game after early work this offseason and starting all 16 games last season.

But today at One Buc Palace Greg Schiano took it a step further, saying he expects big improvements from Dotson, who is taking advantage of his late-bloomer opportunity.

“Here’s where he can make a huge jump this year, having that experience in his back pocket,” Schiano said.

Schiano went on to explain that Dotson, a hoops-first guy before taking up football in his senior year in college, didn’t have the benefit of endless live reps in high school and college and is now a blossoming from his 2012 action.

This is very high praise — almost as high as not acquiring competition for Dotson in the offseason. Damn, if Dotson pans out and the rest of the Bucs’ offensive line stays healthy, the Bucs should have the best O-line in the NFL.

Darrelle Revis talked to reporters at One Buc Palace today. Joe will have more on that fun later. However, Greg Schiano acknowledged that his $16 million cornerback is a bit of a wizard off the field when he’s not rehabilitating his surgically-repaired knee.

A reporter relayed to Schiano Revis’ take that he’s got his role in the Bucs defense down pat. And Schiano agreed.

“In the meeting room and in the walkthrough he’s doing very well,” Schiano said. “He understands the concepts.”

Pressed on whether live action was important to getting Revis ready for opening day, Schiano explained that “cuttin’, breakin’ and runnin'” were more important to Revis’ readiness than lining up from a real live receiver in practice or a preseason game.

It’ll be darn interesting to see how much the Bucs protect Revis. The more Joe listens, the more Joe wouldn’t be surprised if Revis first takes the field wearing his Bucs colors at the Meadowlands in September.

The Bucs have no established NFL kick returner or punt returner on the roster, which is a bit odd considering how much rockstar general manager Mark Dominik and Greg Schiano talk about craving fourth down success.

Last year’s returner collection — LeQuan Lewis, Preston Parker, Arrelious Benn, Michael Smith, Roscoe Parrish, Jordan Shipley and Sammie Stroughter — didn’t pan out, but the Bucs passed on adding a proven return specialist this offseason.

Joe’s often lobbied for the return of one of the great figures in Bucs lore, Micheal “Run Micheal Run” Spurlock, who was a hard worker and a successful returner in 2010 for the Bucs, a solid wide receiver for a guy at the bottom of the flanker depth chart, and a legitimate third quarterback (his position in college.) And yes, Spurlock delivered one of the great moments in Bucs history, (seen here with Gene Deckerhoff’s famous call coming at :34 of the video.)

With the Jaguars and Chargers last season, Spurlock returned a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown.

Today, Spurlock signed with the Lions.

If Spurlock is returning kicks and punts for Detroit when the Bucs head north in November, Joe will be holding his breath and crossing all fingers and toes. Will the Bucs have anyone that will make Lions fans do the same?

Kellen Winslow wouldn’t block, couldn’t block, or had no interest in blocking. Dallas Clark probably just couldn’t.

And it seems the Bucs have had enough of one-dimensional TEs, so claims Luke Stocker, who is vying for a starting gig in Mike Sullivan’s tight-end unfriendly passing attack.

“My goal this offseason is to build the confidence in the coaches and myself, and use these past two years behind Kellen Winslow, Jr., Dallas Clark, guys that are really established pass catchers, all the small things I’ve learned from them, try to put that in my own game and be the all-around tight end this organization is looking for.” Stocker told Buccaneers.com.

Joe’s always interested to hear from a player about what the organization wants. But can Stocker meet the Bucs needs in his third season?

Perhaps. Rockstar general manager Mark Dominik said Stocker has rocked up to 270 pounds from 250 pounds, and Joe’s always considered a Stocker a solid pass catcher, though he’s not quick, or a big threat up the gut of a defense, by any stretch.

Joe must give Bucs rookie quarterback Mike Glennon credit. If he’s going to fail, he wants to go down guns blazing, almost like a gunslinger’s mentality.

In a recent NFL.com video, Glennon was interviewed by (unemployed) safety Jordan Babineaux, who asked him if he had the courage to go after star cornerback Darrelle Revis in training camp.

In so many words, Glennon said, “Let’s go after Revis.”

Jordan Babineaux: Let’s talk about [Darrelle] Revis for a minute. Here it is your first day of training camp, or whenever he decides to get back on the field, when he is healthy. Do you go at him?

Mike Glennon: (Laughs) I like to test my limits and going against the best. As a rookie, you don’t really know how good you are until you go against the best. I think it would be good to test my limits and see if maybe I can fit a ball in against him and see what I am capable of doing.

Joe likes that attitude. Test yourself against the best. Know if you can hang with the best and if you can’t, learn how to grow. There will be no better measuring stick for Glennon than trying to squeeze a throw past Revis.

Between that and Josh Freeman helping Glennon adjust to life in the NFL (as both Freeman and Glennon have gone on the record saying), it should help make for a fun training camp, which will get going in late July.

And, yes, Joe will be out at One Buc Palace today for OTAs and, naturally, you can expect all sorts of stuff posted throughout the day

Donald Penn may not be as large as some have claimed, but he does talk real big.

When Joe talked to Penn last week, Penn said emphatically of his beloved Bucs, “We’re about to shock a lot of people [this season].” He went on to say media and fans need to be focusing on the greatness of the team and how offseason moves have “put us above the level.”

The use of the word “shock” stood out to Joe, especially considering most observers (outside of Las Vegas) already believe the Bucs have a playoff-caliber roster.

In Penn’s world, does “shock” mean winning the NFC South, winning a playoff game, rolling out a top-5 offense behind a bruising offensive line?

Joe’s not sure what would constitute a “shock” to most Bucs fans. But Joe knows a revived pass rush, a top-10 defense and a division title sure would take Joe by surprise.

Joe snagged the photo above from new Bucs linebacker Jonathan Casillas’ Twitter feed. Casillas (left) was a guest waiter recently with Dashon Goldson (center) and Darrelle Revis (right) at an event supporting Shelton Quarles’ charitable foundation.

Yes, Revis can walk and not have to worry about tripping over banquet chairs. Joe even saw Revis at practice last week walking around without a knee brace or a noticeable limp.

This is hardly fascinating stuff, but it’s noteworthy because the Bucs’ hopes for the playoffs very much ride on Revis.

The Bucs are paying Revis crazy cash not only for his talent, but to improve the entire defense, much like what the mere on-field presence and professionalism of Vincent Jackson did for the Bucs’ offense.

Based on dates Joe’s seen for other NFL teams, the start of Bucs training camp could be a mere 52 days away. Hopefully, Revis will be doing more in August than working on his own with trainers and carrying dessert trays.

Yeah, the Bucs want him ready for opening day, but it’s unrealistic he’ll be ready after a year off and no physical practice time.

Yes, you can do something fun tonight!

Head over to Derby Lane in St. Pete for live greyhound racing. It’s always a fun night. And you can watch and wager on races around the country and enjoy Derby Lane’s various dining and bar areas, as well as Tampa Bay’s finest card room.

Much has been made of the faux quarterback controversy between Josh Freeman and rookie third-round pick Mike Glennon in recent weeks. As Joe has stated before, there is no controversy. If Freeman, in the last year of his contract, stinks up the joint, he’s gone. No controversy.

Well, Woody Cummings of The Tampa Tribune appeared on Sunday Sports Extra with WFLA-TV raconteur Dan Lucas last night to talk Bucs, and Cummings said he believes Freeman is still learning offensive coordinator Mike Sullivan’s system.

“This is the first time – it really started last year – that Josh Freeman has not been in a West Coast system,” Cummings explained. “That’s a big difference for a guy who went through college playing basically a West Coast scheme. Obviously had had a West Coast scheme here at first. Now with Mike Sullivan, it’s a completely different approach. Josh Freeman, I think, even said it that he is making that adjustment and I think that’s where people forget he’s still a young kid, not just learning the league but under a completely new system, something completely different than he has already played before. I think it suits his skill set a little better because it is a downfield passing game and it really takes advantage of his strong arm.

“It’s a different dynamic and even he admits he still needs time to learn that scheme and that’s why theses OTAs and minicamp are so important for him.

“The Bucs have told him to just go out there and relax and play the game, don’t think that you have to go out there and save us. He’s the key guy, obviously, but if you are down by 10 points, it’s not all on him, just get the ball in people’s hands, move the ball and manage the offense and make the plays you can make, don’t try to make the plays you can’t. That’s what he’s been guilty of. When he has struggled in the past, that’s what he is guilty of, trying to do too much. That’s what they are trying for him to do.”

Well, don’t look now, but that learning curve for Freeman is rapidly approaching a brick wall. He has maybe less than six months to get his offense in gear or to manage it enough to get to meaningful January games.

Joe also is on record not demanding rolling out the guillotine at One Buc Palace if the Bucs don’t make the playoffs (so long as it’s not another losing record). The NFC is as tough as Joe has seen in since Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs, Bill Parcells and Mike Ditka roamed the sidelines. There are going to be good teams watching the playoffs on TV, and the Bucs’ schedule is not a cakewalk.

If Freeman doesn’t master Sullivan’s offense by the time, say, Halloween comes around, his next residence may have a different zip code.