Greg Schiano took quite a verbal thrashing from multiple fans on his radio show last night. Schiano was patient and understanding and let callers vent, but he put his foot down hard after hearing Mark Dominik bashing.

Mad props to the leader of the New Schiano Order for letting fans attack the state of the Bucs on his radio show last night on WDAE-AM 620. Greg Schiano manned up and didn’t have producers cut off callers, specifically two back-to-back angry diatribes that each lasted more than two minutes, and he handled them with class.

Joe hasn’t heard such fiery, in-your-face criticism since Joe listened to The Boomer Esiason Show in 1994, when Jets fans would scream at the quarterback mercilessly every Monday evening.

Schiano didn’t get defensive, except when it came to a shot fired at rockstar general manager Mark Dominik, who Schiano called the best GM in the business.

Caller Brian following his 2 minute and 5 second, uninterrupted verbal thrashing of Josh Freeman, playcalling and the general Bucs experience of the past few weeks: Don’t let that general manager get in the way. Cause I’m hoping he’s next to get outta here. He should have went behind Jon Gruden, really, but I guess they’re going to give him a little bit more longer. Because he ain’t done nothing since he been here. Nothin’.

Greg Schiano: Alright Brian, I appreciate that. You know I’m glad that you were going to lay back on this one (playfully sarcastic) because, man, if Jimmy hadn’t called before, you might have really laid into me. Look, I understand your frustration. Let me just get a couple of things straight. No. 1, at the very end there you made a comment about Mark Dominik. There’s none better in this league. He’s doing an incredible job. He’s been a huge, huge help to me since we’ve arrived. You look at the draft we just had. You look at what we did in free agency. Just give us a chance, OK. Again, I understand the frustration. I don’t want to downplay that at all. But don’t be so sure that we’re going to lose the next two like you said. Just give us a chance and let us go out and play it out. … I strongly believe in our football team and our coaching staff, and I strongly believe in what we do and how we do it and how we approach things. We’re going to bounce back. And we’re going to play good football. And, you know, like I said, go out this week and play the very, very best  that we’re capable. I think that’s going to be something that our fans are going to enjoy seeing. I appreciate the passsion and how much you care. That’s what makes this place special.

Again, Joe has to give it up for the head coach for respecting and appreciating the fans’ passion — even when it’s presented negatively. And trust Joe, there was a load of negativity from these two callers.

As for Schiano’s love for Dominik, it’s not surprising. Dominik dropped three stunning draft picks in Schiano’s lap, and an elite wide receiver in free agency that made the entire offense better. As for the dreadful cornerback situation, clearly Schiano bought into the concept of Aqib Talib’s phony transformation as much as Dominik, so the head coach can’t knock the GM for what happened there.

NFL freelance reporter Dory LeBlanc attended Sunday’s Bucs-Saints game in New Orleans for Joe as a credentialed member of the fourth estate. Below she offers her vision on just how far Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman must go to be mentioned in the same breath as Saints signal-caller Drew Brees.

There was certainly an elite quarterback on the field at the Superdome Sunday, but his name was not Josh Freeman.

Saying I could predict every one of Freeman’s four interceptions as the Bucs’ struggling quarterback released the ball Sunday is a bold statement. But sitting in a press box, high above the field with an overview of all 100 yards affords a powerful point of view.

In particular, on the interception intended for Vincent Jackson, it was obvious when the ball was snapped and Jackson tore off in a straight the line, Freeman assumed the wide receiver would break off and turn into the hashmarks and the pass would land in the hands of Saints safety Rafael Bush, the only player in the vicinity. Clearly there was a miscommunication, and that in itself reveals a serious problem.

It was Week 15, and the Bucs’ offense had communication issues. Of course, communication issues are common across the NFL – but at times it seems Freeman is using a different playbook than his teammates.

For the second time this season, I’ve watched Drew Brees live, which is a much different experience than on TV. Whereas Freeman seemed as if he was on a different page from the rest of the offense through much of the game, Brees was – well, Brees: decisive, confident, and accurate. Brees worked the Bucs secondary like they were candy striping interns, as he surgically maneuvered drive after drive to almost perfection.

When Brees steps onto the field, the whole mojo of the stadium changes. Not just the way the 73,000-plus fans at the Superdome react, but the way the Saints offense reacts. There is no question he is a commander, and if there is a communication discrepancy, Brees has the wherewithal to make something happen and we’re all none the wiser.

On the flip side, no one is sure what happened to Freeman after he led the Bucs to a come-from-behind, overtime victory over the Panthers; I’m not sure Freeman knows. His ability to extend plays has ceased and his downfield bombs have become duds. More important, at this point of the season, there shouldn’t be communication issues between the quarterback and his No. 1 receiver, and if there are, they need to be recognized sooner and the progressions gone through.

As much as Brees has earned the moniker “elite,” Freeman’s performance Sunday showed he is far from it. For the Bucs’ and Freeman’s sake, let’s hope he can channel his pre-Falcons self in the remaining two games or it’s going to be a long offseason for the kid.

Most of the Bucs’ offensive line is manned by backups due to injuries. It’s beginning to show, as evidenced yesterday by no running game to speak of.

Joe has written this before, but the job Bucs’ offensive line coach Bob Bostad has done with a depleted offensive line has been nothing short of a miracle.

But for the first time all year, that offensive line, pretty much put together with bailing wire and duct tape after losing All-Pro Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph, and former starter Jeremy Trueblood, showed signs of being exposed badly yesterday.

There’s a reason Doug Martin couldn’t run the ball. The offensive line, especially the interior, was getting blown off the line in rush attempts. Jamon Meredith, especially, had a rough day.

Now Joe’s not pinning the loss on the offense line solely, but it seems opposing defenses have finally found the Achilles heel of a depleted group.

In some ways, it was only a matter of time before the cracks developed.

Per multiple reports, Western Michigan will hire Buccaneers wide receiver coach P.J. Fleck as its head coach, per MLive.com.

Western Michigan University’s month-long search for its next football coach is over.

The school is expected to hire Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck as its next head football coach on Tuesday, multiple sources have told the Kalamazoo Gazette.

Those sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the announcement is pending.

This could be a loss for the Bucs in that Fleck, a high-energy, high-octane coach, was close to the Bucs wide receivers and just about every receiver Joe has spoken with raved about Fleck.

Interesting that Fleck would leave an NFL gig for a MAC school.

UPDATE: Per CBSSports.com college football expert Bruce Feldman, the reports are true about Fleck.

@BFeldmanCBS: PJ Fleck will be the new head coach at WMU, source tells CBS, as 1st reported by Kalamazoo Gazette. Schiano Tree growing fast

UPDATE II: Greg Schiano, speaking before media this afternoon, wouldn’t comment about the potential loss of Fleck, other than to say lots of great coaches like Fleck on his staff will be in demand for other positions.

A longtime pregame and postgame radio voice of University of South Florida football, Joe’s friend Justin “The Commish” Pawlowski has lots of experience studying Big East football. And it was Pawlowski who said many months ago that Bucs fans should keep an eye on Greg Schiano’s faith in Josh Freeman because Schiano was rather trigger-happy with his quarterbacks at Rutgers.

Schiano recently used three freshman quarterbacks in three consecutive seasons at Rutgers, Pawlowski said, and the coach’s track record was not one of patience at the position.

Given the current freefall of Freeman, Pawlowski astutely reminded listeners of this bit of Schiano history today on his “Gary and The Commish” show on 98.7 FM.

Joe also would point fans toward the comments of the leader of the New Schiano Order on his radio show last week. Schiano was peppered by a caller about Freeman’s future and the coach explained that he believes in Freeman but if a time comes that he isn’t confident in his quarterback that could change.

“I think that, you know, this is a guy who’s 24 years old, he’s in a new system, quarterbacking a new system, and I think he’s had some great, great moments. And I think there’s also been some that he and I both wish we could redo,” Schiano said last week. “Again, this is a guy who is definitely on the come, understands what we’re doing and is only getting better. I truly believe that he’s going to play great [against the Saints]. And if I ever don’t feel that, then that’s a different story, but I do. I believe in this kind and I believe he’s going to do a great job. The best days are ahead for Josh Freeman and for the Bucs.”

How Schiano feels about Freeman after yesterday’s debacle is unknown. But how the Bucs approach the quarterback position in the offseason will tell Joe a lot about what’s in Schiano’s head.

Joe’s supremely confident Freeman will be the 2013 starter, but if the Bucs magically end up drafting a mid-round quarterback in April, and/or upgrade Dan Orlovsky in free agency, that will tell Joe a lot about how the organization feels about No. 5.

Here is a chart of Josh Freeman’s pass attempts vs the Saints yesterday, courtesy of the good people of ProFootballFocus.com. For a larger view, click here.

Hat tip: “The Big Dog,” Steve Duemig.

Was the brave solider who outed the Bucs rookie coaches from college aiming his ire at former LSU coach and current Bucs defensive backs coach Ron Cooper?

The brave soul in the Bucs locker room who wouldn’t offer his name but blew the whistle on a Bucs coach(es) to Mike Florio, the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, claimed the (former) college coaches of the Bucs need to go back to college, so Joe wonders who exactly this stand-up, unnamed knight (sarcasm) was referring to.

So Joe will do a little snooping from his keyboard and see if he can connect the dots.

Greg Schiano: Very likely said player was referring to the New Schiano Order in general, and in particular, head coach Greg Schiano and his hard-nosed ways. To this, Joe says, “Wah. If the NFL is too tough, maybe said player would prefer volleyball or gymnastics.” The NFL is a sport for men, not spoiled children.

Bob Bostad: No Bucs coach, short of perhaps Bryan Cox, has done a better job than Bostad, the offensive line coach who came from Wisconsin. Bostad has proven himself to be one of football’s best offensive line coaches, NFL or college.

Jay Butler: The strength and conditioning coach from Rutgers, well, Joe has not heard a bad word about him.

Ron Cooper: There is no way to describe Cooper’s work with a straight face other than to suggest the Bucs defensive backs coach from LSU has done an atrocious job. The Bucs are on pace to set a franchise-worst record for pass defense and could set an NFL mark for the same. Even when he had the Adderall Twins, Aqib Talib and Eric Wright, the Bucs secondary was getting fried worse than an Artie Lange relapse. Joe has no earthly idea how Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik or Schiano can sell to paying customers and Bucs loyalists a Cooper return in 2013. The job (?) Cooper has done this season reinforces the notion that to win in college, all you need to do is recruit.

P.J. Fleck: Joe has spoken with virtually all the Bucs receivers on a regular basis and not one of them has had a remotely unkind word about the Bucs high-strung, high-energy wide receivers coach. In fact, Bucs receivers regularly laud Fleck in glowing terms.

Bob Fraser: Perhaps the unit that has had the best turnaround since last year is the linebackers, led by their position coach who came from Rutgers. Fraser had done as good of a job as Bostad and/or Cox. If anything, Fraser deserves a promotion.

Phil Galiano: Not much of a feel on the Bucs’ assistant special teams coach, who hailed from Rutgers, either way. The Bucs’ special teams have been average.

Bob Gilmartin: Another assistant strength and conditioning coach, also from Rutgers, is often lauded by Schiano. As with Galiano, Joe has no feel for Gilmartin either way.

Jeff Hafley: From Rutgers, the Bucs assistant defensive backs coach is guilty by association. If you work in waste management, you generally smell like trash. Given the horrendous play of the secondary, it doesn’t bode well for Hafley’s job security, nor should it.

Tem Lukabu: Listed as a generic “defensive assistant,” Lukabu, from Rutgers, may slide depending on where he is working. If he’s working with the linebackers or front line, he is on solid footing. If he works with the defensive backs, welp…

Joe Vaughn: Another assistant strength and conditioning coach, he hails from Kansas. Again, Schiano often lauds this group for their work and Joe has no feel yah or nay on these assistants.

Just judging by the resumes of the aforementioned coaches and the pathetic job the secondary has performed this season, Joe’s just going to guess — nothing more than a guess — that the courageous man who outed coaches to Florio was a member of the Bucs secondary.

Again, just a hunch. Nothing more. Just reading the tea leaves.

It’s easy to say what Greg Schiano did yesterday after the Bucs-Saints debacle, that Adam Hayward shoving and taunting assistant coach Bryan Cox before television cameras was a heat-of-the-moment case between friends that is now closed and behind the club.

Well, Joe doesn’t buy that, as Joe thinks committing a violent act against a coach — no matter how minor — is serious business. In fact, Joe thinks Hayward’s deed should merit an extreme punishment, especialy since it violated two of three Greg Schiano tenets: trust and belief. So the third tenet, accountability, needs to be delivered in a big way.

Joe believes Roger Goodell, who’s been known to be a Schiano-like micromanager when it comes to discipline across the NFL, is likely to get involved in Hayward’s case — either issuing a punishment or behind the scenes.

The more Joe thinks about what Hayward did, the more Joe can’t imagine it just gets swept under the rug. That can’t happen.

Yesterday, Joe barked about the baloney of “miscommunication” between Josh Freeman and his receivers in Week 15 of the season.

And today, former Bucs tight end Anthony Becht went on a long rant on WDAE-AM 620 about how miscommunication is not an excuse in December after all the work Freeman has put in with Vincent Jackson and other receivers this year.

Becht described work he put in with numerous quarterbacks in his long career — and with more complex playbooks than Mike Sullivan’s — and offered that Freeman’s attention to detail and work ethic along with his receivers’ may not be as good as advertised.

“If I’m going to point a finger at a receiver, well, maybe I didn’t do enough during the week to make sure we’re on the same page. He’s the chief,” Becht said of Freeman.

“It’s on both of them,” Bechts said, referring to Freeman and receivers. “You gotta put in the time the night before.”

Dave Moore joined Becht, his former teammate, on the air and Moore said he couldn’t say whether Freeman and his receivers are putting in the work the night before a game and taking their film study to extreme levels that he used to with Becht meeting Chucky’s demands.

In what might give Bucs fans hope, Moore said Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, a guy Moore worked with when he played for the Buffalo Bills, had similar communication issues early on in Eli Manning’s career.

Joe wondered aloud yesterday, based on quotes from various former Bucs players, whether the New Schiano Order and it’s “toes on the line” mantra would wear off once the Bucs are losing.

Well, it sure seems like it is. The Bucs have lost four in a row. Quarterback Josh Freeman has regressed terribly by the week over the past month and is below Blaine Gabbert standards, if you can imagine.

Then, during the 2011-like blowout shutout loss to the reeling Saints, linebacker Adam Hayward lost it and prompted a physical altercation with front-seven coach Bryan Cox, which in Joe’s eyes is totally unacceptable on the sidelines. Unacceptable as in Hayward should find work for another team next season.

It gets worse. An unnamed Bucs player apparently went off on the Bucs coaching staff to the creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, Mike Florio.

“Can we send these coaches back to college?” one player privately said after the game.

Well, Joe has a major issue with this. First, please explain how your babysitter drinking buddy NFL coach did last year? How’s Jim Harbaugh doing? Or Pete Carroll?

This is just a loser mentality, no other way to put it.

Just do your job or ask for a release/trade Mr. NFL player (who is so upstanding, upfront, brave and honorable he declined to be identifed).

Joe’s going to guess there will be another purge of players this offseason, guys who want to go MMA on the sideline with coaches and dudes who whine about “college coaches” yet grossly tanked games for an alleged NFL coach.

Freelance football writer Dory LeBlanc attended the Bucs-Saints game as a credentialed media member for Joe. Her quotes are used in this post.

Joe wonders whether Bucs players realize how much is at stake in these last two games. A good showing in both, with at least one win, should be enough to bring a night home game back to Tampa in 2013, which means a national showcase for the community and at least one locally televised home game.

But if the Bucs keep tanking, Joe’s confident TV executives will pass on the Bucs, like they did after the heinous 10-game losing streak of 2011.

There’s also the hope and pride legions of fans on the line, most who are/were really on board with the New Schiano Order. You can’t feed a fan base back-to-back collapses and not lose a load of people. Joe knows fans would reveal scant Bucs pride during what would be a torturous, long offseason if the Bucs lose out.

So Joe was encouraged to hear D.J. Ware insist his teammates care about the big picture and didn’t just give the it’s-on-to-the-Rams-season speech.

“These last two games are very important for us. We’ve got to go out there and show our next two opponents what we are all about. We’ve got a lot to prove and we are going to have to do that to finish the season strong. We have a lot of pride here in this locker room and now we have to prove it on the field,” Ware said.

Ronde Barber talked more about pride and responsibility.

“You don’t expect this to happen but it did,” Barber said. “But looking ahead we have two games left to play and every game we play is important. You sign up for 16 games every year and you have to play 16. And we are going to go out there and play hard because tomorrow is not promised to anyone.”

Joe really wants to see what the Bucs are made of these next two games. It’s scary, but literally, they can lose a majority of what was accomplished this season with continued poor play. Joe will join the ranks of the devastated if that happens.

Josh Freeman says his mechanics are not an issue

Josh Freeman disagreed with an assessment that his mechanics aren’t what they were a month ago, during a chat with media following the brutal beat down in New Orleans yesterday.

“From a physical-mechanics, throwing-the-ball standpoint, I feel like I’m as good as I’ve ever been,” Freeman said.

Ok, well, Joe can’t argue with how Freeman “feels.” However, Joe would not stomach an earlier comment Freeman made about what he considers the most important element to repairing the Bucs offense.

Asked how critical a factor falling into 3rd-and-long situations has been in this recent offensive freefall, Freeman said, “First and second down, you know, that’s the key to this whole thing.”

Sorry, but Joe can’t accept that for a second.

Freeman threw four interceptions yesterday, and not one had to do with down and distance, and every ball was tossed into the red zone. They came on the following downs, 2nd-and-10, 3rd-and-14, 1st-and-10 and 1st-and-10. Plus, the 3rd-and-14 pick was nowhere near Vincent Jackson and was immediately after Freeman missed Mike Williams in the end zone on second down.

“The key to this whole thing,” to use Freeman’s words, is Freeman himself. He’s simply letting down his team with bad throws, bad decisions and failing in his leadership role when he’s most needed.

Joe’s really not sure what Freeman’s mindset is at this point. He looks shellshocked on the field, and some of his takes to the media reflect that.

It is “toes up” time as veteran columnist Gary Shelton has strong words for the Bucs after their fourth straight loss in this Tampa Bay Times video.

Fans saw the ugly, embarrassing sight of linebacker Adam Hayward restrained on the Bucs sideline after getting into a heated, finger-pointing, pushy, arm-waving spat with Bucs’ front-7 defensive coach Bryan Cox today in New Orleans.

Hayward stayed in the game, but this was not a typical coach-player disagreement. Here’s the video.

Greg Schiano acknowledged the faceoff and closed the incident to media after the game.

“I’m not happy about it, but I do know that it’s been resolved. I think you chalk it up to heat of the moment. Guys are very passionate. Adam is a passionate player. Coach Cox is a passionate coach. I know they’re very close. And they’re, I think, more of a family spat in a frustrating time than, you know, anything that I’m deeply concerned about,” Schiano said. “I know they’ve already smoothed that over. But again, it’s not what a football team that I’m the head coach of I want to see. So certainly it’s been addressed, and it will be addressed and we’ll move forward from it. But it need not happen again.” 

Joe gets the passion, but Latrell Spreewell  Hayward is a Bucs leader and a true veteran. You can’t have guys in that role going after coaches under any circumstances. It’s beyond unacceptable.

Joe needs two hands to count the former NFL players, including Derrick Brooks, Booger McFarland and Shaun King, that months ago made it very clear that Greg Schiano’s micromanaging, heavy-handed approach needed to be accompanied by early winning and sustained improvement.

If not, they said, Schiano’s dictatorial style absolutely would wear thin relatively quickly, mutinous thoughts would permeate the Bucs locker room, and play would spiral downhill.

Now Joe’s not saying the Bucs have quit on Schiano and collectively are doubting their leader, but it’s likely that at least some Bucs — and possibly man — aren’t “buying in” like they were a few weeks ago. Maybe that’s just part of the process; Schiano learning which players are weak and which can thrive and battle when December stress rolls around.

Joe’s not concerned right now about a mutiny. But the question must be asked and the situation examined.

There’s no doubt in Joe’s mind Schiano will turn up the heat in these last couple of weeks like Bucs players have never seen before.

“We’ll see what kind of fight is in this team, and in this coaching staff and in this organization,” Schiano said on the Buccaneers Radio Network after the game.

Hopefully, the Bucs will respond.

Joe hopes to have something a bit more detailed by tomorrow night about Mark Barron, but on paper Barron came to play big time today.

With the success of fellow rookies Doug Martin and Lavonte David, some Bucs fans are thinking Barron is a bust because he hasn’t shined like two guys who ought to be in the Pro Bowl.

To that, Joe says, balderdash!

Barron led the Bucs with 10 tackles today, eight of them solo tackles. He also tied for the Bucs’ lead in passes defended with one. And of course, Barron dropped rib-rattling hits on Saints players, which Joe dearly loves.

Has Barron made people forget John Lynch yet? No, but he still played a good game today.

“Yes, sir. Yes, sir. As you wish, sir. We’ll kill that one.”

Yes, Joe busted a remote control when the Bucs opted to cover Saints super tight end Jimmy Graham today with backup defensive end Aaron Morgan on a third-down play in the first quarter.

What the hell was that? Of course, Graham got free and caught a first-down pass.

To close his Wednesday news conference, defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan was asked about Morgan and said his speciality is that of a straight-ahead, speed pass rusher. That’s his game.

So what was Sheridan tyring to do with Morgan on Graham? That’s like Joe trying to outmuscle Carl Nicks en route to a buffet line.

Did Sheridan think he would fool Drew Brees? It’s that kind of decision-making that drives Joe nuts. There was no sound logic to it.

The leader of the New Schiano Order, Greg Schiano, took a break from dealing with college football and NBA fans in the locker room to discuss the nauseating shutout loss to the Saints on the Bucs radio network.

Schiano made no excuses and pulled no punches calling the loss “unacceptable.”

“We went on the road in a division game and did just what we cannot do. There were not any big errors, we just didn’t play well on defense at times. There were no busts, nothing glaring, just got outdone today.

“With the turnovers and these things, that is unacceptable. We can get it fixed. We know what to do. It is frustrating and I know it is frustrating for our fans.

“Drew Brees, hey he is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He will get his passes. He is elite.

On Josh Freeman’s terrible day: [Interceptions] severely impacted the game but is it just Josh Freeman? No. He doesn’t block. He doesn’t run routes. When we lose it is a group effort. And we didn’t coach as well as we needed to.”