Tanard Jackson, right, walks to practice with Aqib Talib Wednesday at IMG Academies in Bradenton.

Yesterday was an interesting day at Josh Freeman’s minicamp, the second of three such two-a-days.

First, there were far less members of the pen and mic club attending than the previous day. Joe wonders if that is because the Rays played Wednesday afternoon?

Seeing NFL chieftain Roger Goodell being tooled around in an IMG golf cart and then seeing IMG security flip out when reporters tried to approach him was funny.

But the biggest item yesterday was the return of troubled Bucs safety Tanard Jackson. Since he was suspended last year for violating the NFL’s substance abuse police, a second-time offender (that is known), he was put on the shelf for a year. Couldn’t practices with his teammates. Couldn’t go to One Buc Palace.

So if for only a couple of days, Jackson was back with the Bucs, details video star Anwar Richardson of the Tampa Tribune.

Wednesday marked the first time Jackson had seen or spoken with his teammates since his suspension.

“This is a major part of my life and I’m grateful to be back out here with the team and that is the most important thing for me right now, which is to get back out here with these guys,” Jackson said.

Tampa Bay’s minicamp wraps up on Thursday and it could be the last time Jackson practices with his teammates for several months. If the lockout ends before his reinstatement date, Jackson will not be allowed to have any contact with his friends.

Now whether Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik chooses to keep Jackson is another story. He’s potentially eligible to return to the Bucs Sept. 22, provided the season starts on time. Then, he has the rest of the season under contract with the Bucs before he is a free agent.

Joe paid a very seasoned videographer to attend the Bucs’ players-only minicamp yesterday, a guy who knows how to use his fancy HD equipment and knows how to make people feel comfortable and get access.

Here are some sound bytes, if you missed them. But Joe will have more video later today.

The point here is Joe came home last night and watched about 90 minutes of raw footage from Tuesday’s minicamp. Very interesting stuff, from drills to player conversations around the Gatorade coolers.

Joe’s not about to go all TMZ or Hard Knocks on the Bucs, but Joe will share some interesting observations.

First, the body language from rookies Mason Foster and Adrian Clayborn screams of two guys who are a little nervous and a little lost. It’s perfectly understandable, but it underscores the value of rookies joining their clubs in early May and acclimating before training camp.

Jeff Faine said yesterday the impact of the lockout on rookies is an untold story. Joe’s has to think he’s on the money.

Second, Joe hasn’t heard that much foul language in a long time. Joe’s hardly offended. It’s more funny than anything else. Once guys let their guard down and got used to Joe’s videographer following them around, the free speech was flowing. It gave Joe some unique perspective into what Hard Knocks could have turned into.

Lastly, Joe’s camera guy spent a good share of time on Aqib Talib in various scenes around minicamp. It’s obvious that Talib is well liked and a leader. He’s bringing a high level of energy to the practice field. He’s eager to coach, and he seems to be a magnetic personality among his teammates.

Remember, more video to come later.

Joe got a chance to chat with Bucs defensive tackle Brian Price at Josh Freeman’s minicamp this morning. Price is trying to rebound from a fractured pelvis in which he has screws surgically inserted. Price wasn’t able to participate in drills but was able to hit the weights with his teammates.

JoeBucsFan: How are you doing right now with your rehab?

Brian Price: I’m taking it easy right now. Don’t want to come up here and push it too hard. Just lifting weights right now and started jogging a few weeks ago.

Joe: Are you still in the early stages of your comeback?

Price: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not trying to rush it now.

Joe: Let’s say training camp starts on time, what would be the prognosis for being able to go full out on, say, Aug. 1?

Price: I’m just trying to take it day by day, just taking it day by day.

Joe: Tell me about this zumba class you were in.

Price: Well, there were a bunch of ladies there..

Joe: That’s not a bad thing, right?

Price: (laughs) Nah, they were older ladies. I needed the support. It was a good sweat trying to keep up. I was walking into rehab one day and I saw them in there and I thought I would try it and they said it would kick your butt. And I was tired after one song, i’ll tell you that. Eventually, I was able to do the entire hour. It’s a pretty tough class. It’s crazy. you get tired so fast.

Joe: When were you able to first start working out?

Price: Oh, I was working out. It was all upper body after my first surgery.

Joe: When was that?

Price: November and my second surgery was in January but always maintained my upper body in the weight room. My lower body, I started about a month and a half ago. I get stronger every day. It’s getting better.

Joe’s happy to give you some of the raw sound bytes — video style — from Day 2 of the players-only minicamp in Bradenton.

Yes, the JoeBucsFan TV camera crew was sweating it out today. Even more video tomorrow and through the weekend. Check back often. Enjoy!

Sadly, too many Bucs fans remember former Bucs wide receiver Michael Clayton for dropped balls.

In recent weeks, Clayton did anything but that for his old team.

Since not making the Bucs roster last season, Clayton, who calls the Tampa Bay area home, has kept in close contact with his former Bucs teammates, including Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman.

When Freeman decided to muster as many teammates as he could for a minicamp this week, it was Clayton who turned Freeman on to the IMG Academies in Bradenton.

Largely because of Clayton’s influence, the Bucs quarterback chose IMG to host this week’s minicamp.

“This is really my home, where I have been since 2007,” Clayton said as he exited the practice fields this morning after a Bucs workout. “Trevor Moawad has been great to me. I had the relationship with Trevor so I could have Josh bring the team. I always come here in the offseason.”

Moawas is the IMG institute’s director.

“I’ve been coming here year after year since Tampa drafted me,” Clayton said. “This is the best place you can come, especially during a lockout [when players do not have access to team facilities]. They have trainers here, they have coaches, they have it all in-house. It’s a tremendous place for athletes to come and take care of their bodies.”

Clayton, who already went through a minicamp similar to Freeman’s with his Giants teammates, has worked out with the Bucs this week, as he has for various gatherings of Bucs players this summer that Freeman has organized. But when the Bucs went to team-like scrimmages this week, Clayton bows out.

“I get some reps in but when they get in their teams [situations], that’s their time,” Clayton said. “I am here just to help them get better. I am a big bro. I have a lot of respect for them and the feeling is mutual. That is why they embrace me.”

Joe considers Raheem Morris an absolute gem of a speaker. He’s passionate, and compared to his head coach peers, never-boring Raheem lets it all hang out at times and then some.

The guy’s priceless. He makes fans laugh and gets them fired up all at the same time, all while simply being real.

Plus he often gives a lot of good Xs and Os answers for those paying attention. No wonder the guy’s a rockstar around town.

Today, NFC South blogger Pat Yasinskas even awarded Raheem an accolade for best postgame interview in a post on BSPN.com.

Best postgame interview: Raheem Morris. The Bucs’ head coach is animated and doesn’t hold much back. There are some in the organization who wish Morris would throttle it back a bit. But, from a media standpoint, there’s not another NFC South coach who is nearly as good a quote as Morris. There aren’t too many coaches around the rest of the NFL who are in his league.

Whoa!

Joe was taken back reading Yasinskas’ unsourced claim that some important people at One Buc Palace want Raheem to “throttle it back” and fire off more coachspeak. Joe doesn’t want to believe it.

Don’t do it, Raheem!

Keep being your best self. It’s working.

Yes, that's a Longhorn logo on Roy Miller's t-shirt.

Roy Miller lives in Texas. He grew up in Texas. He played for the Longhorns. And he’s even doing some phenomenal charity work in Texas in July.

He’s a Texas guy.

And, as Joe stuffs his face during lunchtime at the Bucs player-only minicamp today, Joe wants to share this nugget from an interesting interview Miller recently did with the Longhorns official football website. It seems Miller loves teaming up with his Texas buddies on the Bucs to spew annoying Texas love all over the locker room.

What is it like playing with Tim Crowder and Frank Okam in Tampa?  

At first it was just me and I saw Tim, and he said that they had just worked him out. And then when he jumped on board me and him started talking to everybody about how the Longhorns are better than everybody in the locker room. Then Hunter [Lawrence] came and now Frank is there. So that is all we do. We talk about how great this place is and people get tired of it, and on game days we wear our Texas shirts around and always try to do a good job of promoting this great place. We are proud of Texas and being part of this organization. Just to have those guys out there, it feels more like Texas. It made things a little bit easier for me. 

Joe’s got nothing against Texas. And surely Joe doesn’t want to upset the Texas courts, which hold Texan Aqib Talib’s fate in their hands. But Joe’s a Florida guy. Hopefully, all those Gators and Seminoles and Florida natives on the Bucs can beat down all the Texas love in the locker room.

Just a quick morning update from the thankfully cloud-covered Bucs players-only minicamp in Bradenton today. 

Pals Tanard Jackson and Aqib Talib walked onto the field together earlier. Joe will have a photo later. Anybody got a caption?

Jackson, per BSPN.com, can be with the team during the lockout but once it’s over it’s right back to excommunicated status until he’s reinstated by NFL hatchetman Roger Goodell.

Speaking of the hatchetman, he’s here with DeMaurice Smith, first buzzing around on a golf cart and now watching practice.

Of course, you’d already know most of this if you followed Joe on Twitter.

The buzz among Buccaneers at the players-only minicamp yesterday was that the asinine lockout is nearing its final hours, so reported Tom Korun of local ABC Action News fame.

Korun chimed in on the TV station website that Josh Freeman is getting great signs from his agent and union man Jeff Faine is talking the talk.

Mood:  Rather upbeat. I do believe that the tone of the labor talks has a lot to do with their attitude. An agreement in principle can come any day now, at least that was the sentiment at IMG yesterday.

So much so, that Freeman told us that his agent (Tom Condon) is telling him that a resolution ” is very close, very close.”

Bucs player rep Jeff Faine told me yesterday morning ” that he expects the players will hear more in the next few days.” He is encouraged.

Freeman went on to say that he thought the only part that might be missing in preparing for the upcoming season would be ” possibly a few days of training camp.”

Who is Joe to urinate in the face of such optimism from two Bucs very plugged in? Fingers crossed.

Video star Anwar Richardson and Woody Cummings of the Tampa Tribune give their take on Day 1 of the Josh Freeman three-day minicamp held at the IMG Academies in Bradenton.

Some interesting insight here, and Richardson let’s us know he’s rockin’ the J.J. Walker look, not Gilligan.

This has been an offseason like no other for the NFL, both for the suits as well as the players.

Imagine being a suit in the NFL: The draft is over with and then… nothing. You can’t even talk to your players. Just about the only thing to do is to study film, both college and pro.

Once reason why OTAs became popular roughly a couple of decades ago was to shake off the rust from players so that players can progress quicker when training camp starts.

But all that is gone this year since there has been no official offseason in this asinine lockout. No OTAs. No bonding at the team’s weight room. Nothing.

Some NFL pundits suggest there will be a lot of injuries in the first few weeks of the season thanks to no OTAs. The same learned souls also believe there will be sloppy football as well.

It doesn’t seem like Bucs tight end Kellen Winslow would disagree. Speaking during a break on Day 1 of Josh Freeman’s three-day minicamp at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Winslow noted that “everyone will have to catch up.”

Winslow has been one of the most dedicated Bucs working out with Freeman this offseason, despite being locked out of One Buc Palace and having a gimpy knee.

Winslow noted that it will take some work for all players to get to the level normally expected of an NFL player for Week 1 of the regular season.

“You can lift weights all you want, but it doesn’t matter,” Winslow said. “For myself, I have to run routes and catch the ball and those types of things. Nothing replaces that.

“This is only walking. We are not full-go yet. We’re just trying to get back in the swing of things. Everyone will be behind. Even when we are back, everyone is going to be behind.”

If the asinine lockout ends in July, it should temper the damage somewhat. Of course, if that happens, then the Bucs will play the Bears in London rather than The CITS.

So what the heck are the Bucs actually doing on the field at the IMG Academies?

Well, aside from the obvious drills and position work, Josh Freeman said they ran “40 scripted 7-on-7” plays yesterday. And some were repeated if they didn’t go well, so he told the dean of Tampa Bay sports radio, Steve Duemig, on WDAE-AM 620 Tuesday afternoon.

Among the other interesting nuggets Freeman shared, were that some guys were already complaining about two-a-day practices. No surprise there.

Freeman said today the Bucs will do some red zone work. And Freeman said while Raheem Morris might believe second-year players will be most affected by missing OTAs, he’s not worried.

Freeman said he and his soon to be second year offensive players have put in so much work that he believes they’ll be ready to roll at a high level.

Freeman, who’s not one to single out players, said Mike Williams looks like “a complete animal” while referencing his conditioning and sharpness.

Joe loved the sound of that. The more Joe thinks about it, the more Joe’s realizing how critical Williams is to the offense. The Bucs can’t afford to have him take even a quarter step back.

Davin Joseph is good people. He could big league damned near anyone, and not because he’s bigger than most people.

If one were to see Joseph at the mall or walking down the sidewalk, he’s more apt to stop and talk then give someone the brush off.

Though he’s a South Florida kinda guy (despite playing for Oklahoma), the Tampa Bay area is his adopted home. The free agent right guard would love to retire a Bucs player. But more often than not, that’s a wildly naive thought in today’s NFL.

That’s why when discussing his uncertain status for the 2011 season, Joseph gets visibly depressed.

“You know (sighs), gosh it’s tough,” Joseph said during a break in Day 1 of Josh Freeman’s three-day minicamp at the IMG Academies in Bradenton. “If you ask me what I want to do versus what is going to happen is two different scenarios.

“I want to stay. But, I have to do what’s best for me and my family. That is the hard part about free agency. You built something here. You love the players and you love the coaches. You love the community. But at the end of the day, it’s a tough decision to make. Hopefully, everything will make sense to stay here.”

While some may suggest the defense would crumble without fellow free agent linebacker Barrett Ruud, Joe cannot emphasize how important it is to have a deep offensive line. That showed last year when three Bucs starters on the offensive line went down with an injury, including Joseph.

Joseph is a solid player if not a Pro Bowl player. A smart player. A good guy.

This is the kind of guy a team should keep, playing on such an important element of a football squad.

Like virtually every person in the Tampa Bay region that calls himself a sportswriter, Joe was at the IMG Academy for the first day of Josh Freeman’s three-day minicamp, replete with classroom sessions, weight training and the dreaded two-a-days.

Joe could hardly find a player that was hating life, though Gerald McCoy did admit he was struggling with the Florida heat compared to the California heat he was battling throughout the offseason.

The players Joe spoke with generally seemed excited to be back with their teammates and to be on a football field again, albeit in shorts and T-shirts and using IMG football coaches rather than Raheem Morris and his staff.

Two things struck Joe: How players not thought to be leaders accepted leadership responsibility with the absence of their normal position coaches. They took over as substitute coaches of sorts.

One was GMC himself. He physically took rookie Adrian Clayborn under his wing, often showing him how to perform stunts and moves and putting an arm around Clayborn’s shoulder like a father figure.

It really took Joe aback. Here was a guy who didn’t even play a full season his rookie year, had many games where he was frustrated with the (lack of) coaching from Todd Wash, and now there was GMC giving Clayborn whatever knowledge he had.

Impressive.

Then, Joe had another surprise. Joe was talking with cornerback E.J. Biggers and Joe asked Biggers who was coaching up the secondary, like Freeman was the offense and GMC was the defensive line.

Biggers’ answer? Aqib Talib.

“We are all young, somebody has to be the leader,” Biggers said. “Somebody has to step up to the plate. What [GMC] is doing for his defensive linemen, we have guys doing that for the defensive backs, Talib. Yeah, he’s doing that for the defensive backs. We help get each other better.”

Like his teammates, Talib really seemed to be enjoying himself following the afternoon session. He was laughing and joking as he walked off the IMG football fields.

Sure didn’t seem like a guy buried with worries.

Joe’s good friend Justin Pawlowski has a surprise for you, thanks to the good people of Clear Channel Radio.

Justin will be subbing for Dan Sileo Wednesday and can be heard from 6-9 a.m. on WDAE-AM 620. Joe is confident Justin will talk about the Rays and of course, Justin will discuss Day 1 of Josh Freeman’s three-day minicamp at IMG Academies in Bradenton. Justin was with Joe there all day Tuesday.

Justin will also replay Steve Duemig’s interview with Josh Freeman and a little birdie has told Joe that he will be interviewed by Justin as well.

Those chained to a computer can listen to Justin streaming live online from the station’s website.

Now Joe doesn’t normally get into the social lives of Bucs players (unless it’s funny, such as the smoking regulations of an Arizona clothing optional establishment.) So why is Joe writing this post?

It explains why Cadillac Williams was absent from today’s first day of Josh Freeman’s three-day minicamp at the IMG Academies in Bradenton.

Cadillac is getting married this week. Joe’s not sure where but that is why Cadillac won’t be seen around Bradenton the next few days.

Now Joe cannot confirm this but scuttlebutt was LeGarrette Blount, who was also missing from today’s minicamp, is in Cadillac’s wedding party. Again, Joe cannot confirm this.

Nor can Joe confirm if Cadillac is marrying the lovely lass pictured in this post.

Barrett Ruud? Like the rest of the Fourth Estate that descended upon Bradenton today, no one knows for sure.

Fit and feisty, Davin Joseph told the media he wants to stay in Tampa.

Joe knows most free agents want to remain with their teams or at least want to talk the good game to keep their options open and negotiating power in tact.

But Davin Joseph sure seemed genuine in his desire to stay with the Bucs today while speaking to a gaggle of media at the Bucs’ players-only workouts in Bradenton.

“I want to stay,” Joseph said.

But he admitted the NFL is a business and he has to look out for both himself and his family. Joseph suspected that if the asinine lockout drags on, that will mean very short window for teams to sign free agents after a new CBA is reached and, subsequently, there won’t be much of a free agent pool.

“I think you will see a lot of guys stay with their teams,” Joseph said.

Joe’s a big fan of Joseph, but Joe keeps coming back to him getting injured quite often through his career. 

The Bucs would seemingly be wise to lock him up, but Joe’s not going to cry if he’s gone, assuming the rest of the offensive line depth stays in tact. Derek Hardman fought off Ndamukong Suh quite well starting for Joseph, and the Bucs have other guys that can step up.