Yes, Joe wasn’t just watching the sweaty cheerleaders.

The early work in today’s first full-pads, full-contact practice of the season brought some noteworthy nuggets:

*Sammie Strougther appears to be No. 1 on the punt returner depth chart.

*Mason Foster laid a big hit on Stroughter, who who held on following an eight-yard pass.

*The Bucs picked up a blitz that included Ronde Barber, which led to a long completion to Vincent Jackson — in stride. A tremendous touch throw by Josh Freeman.

*Quincy Black, yes, Quincy Black, twice was lauded for plays in the backfield.

*Eric Wright had an impressive breakup on Vincent Jackson.

*Jeremy Trueblood was flagged for a false start and was immediately pulled from the first team in favor of Jamon Meredith. After running with the second-team O-line for a bit, Trueblood returned to the first team.

*Tiquan Underwood beat Myron Lewis easily on a homerun ball on the left flank. Throw by Dan Orlovsky.

*Wide receiver hopeful Greg Ellingson made a diving grab laying out over the middle of the field. That brought a rare personal fist-bump from Greg Schiano.

*Blount was beaten soundly by Lavonte David, a bad blitz pickup up the gut. Conversely, Doug Martin had some shining moments in pass blocking.

*Adam Hayward intercepted a tipped ball by Dallas Clark.

*Underwood absorbed a big hit from Adrian Clayborn on a short pass and held on.

*Everything seemed a bit too easy for the Bucs offense in the running game.

Plenty more from Joe throughout the day.

It’s one of the greatest quotes in modern football history, uttered by Raheem Morris when asked what’s different about training camp versus Spring practices. (Here’s the famous video.)

“Training camp is a little bit different. You know to me, that’s when you establish the men. You know you take off your underwear. You put on your big boy pads. And you put your face on people. And that’s what training camp is about.” — Raheem Morris

Well, today is the day. The pads come on for the Bucs for the first time. The crazy new labor agreement in the NFL seriously limits the amount of old school, win-a-job-by-hitting-people-in-camp days available to coaches. So every practice in pads is critical.

Greg Schiano wants a beastly physical team. Well, fans will get to see how that’s interpreted today.

Last week, Joe was asking linebackers coach Bob Fraser about evaluting his unit, and Fraser very candidly said while the Bucs linebackers are working extremely hard and the team can evaluate a player’s pace of learning and his ability to “get there,” it’s a complete unknown whether guys can do more than that.

“Can he make the play? That’s what you find out when you put pads on,” Fraser said.

The Bucs linebackers have more to prove than any other unit in the NFL, and Joe can’t wait to see what they’ve got — starting today.

Beer-guzzling, Jim-Bates-stalking, real-talkin’, multimedia good guy Rock Riley takes command of the WDAE-AM 620 air chair this morning from 9 a.m. to noon at Bucs training camp. What a way to start your Sunday!

Rock will have his share of great interviews and be able to give you a taste of the training camp action if you can’t be there.. So don’t forget to tune in as you stumble around this morning fumbling for coffee and hangover remedies.

Those chained to a computer can listen live at 620wdae.com.

On Friday, the leader of the New Schiano Order said he didn’t want to talk about guys that impressed him because talking about a standout player in a practice is tantamount to saying others did not impress him.  

That seemed somewhat wacky to Joe. What’s wrong with publicly patting a guy on the back? But Joe understood the concept.

Therefore, Schiano speaking today about young cornerbacks and specifically naming second year CB Anthony Gaitor as someone “doing better every day” was significant.

On Friday, Gaitor showed standout closing speed on a deep ball to Sammie Stroughter, a ball Stroughter laid out for and was disrupted by Gaitor. Perhaps Gaitor is one of those 2011 rookies that was stunted by the asinine lockout and no offseason program.

Gaitor clearly is someone to watch as the Bucs search for cornerback depth. And, by Schiano’s logic it might be worth noting that he didn’t mention Myron Lewis today in that discussion about young corners.

You’ll be impressed if you take advantage of the amazing service specials at Ed Morse Cadillac Tampa, and check out their new and pre-owned inventory. It’s a great time to experience a Cadillac, and Ed Morse Cadillac Tampa is the only place you’ll need to go. Joe can’t say enough good things about them.

Speaking to the Tampa Bay pen and mic club after practice of Day 2 at Bucs training camp today, Bucs coach Greg Schiano shed some light on the injuries sustained to wide receiver Arrelious Benn and cornerback E.J. Biggers.

But just a little.

The two got tangled up in practice yesterday. Benn has a sprained MCL and Biggers has a broken bone in his foot.

Schiano was playing rope-a-dope when hit with questions about the injuries, even going so far as to say he didn’t know which foot Biggers injured.

“It’s not certain what [the time missed] will be but it is not a short-term thing for both of them,” Schiano said. “If it is more than two weeks, and you go from there. You never know. I always ask for a worst-case and a best-case and it is usually somewhere in between.

“These two guys will get back.”

Joe’s friend Derek “Old School” Fournier of WhatTheBuc.net resumes his daily video reports on the Bucs, today focusing on Day 2 of training camp.

Joe brings you more photos of Day 1 of Bucs training camp Friday, featuring the work of photographer Kyra Hallett. Enjoy.

Wide receiver Armahd Lewis sprints across the field.

Bucs coordinator of pro scouting and former linebacker Shelton Quarles watches the team intently.

Of course the Bucs cheerleaders were on hand, soaking in the sun and fun.

Doug Martin bolts around the right end.

Cheerleaders treated the fans while the Bucs took water breaks.

LeGarrette Blount bites the football.

Mark Barron, Jordan Nix and Mason Foster running in drills.

LeGarrette Blount meets the press. Hey, Joe’s in there somewhere.

The rookie and the graybeard. Safeties Mark Barron and Ronde Barber take a break.

Jeremy Zuttah follows LeGarrette Blount up a hole

Ronde Barber mobbed by the fans for an autograph.

Quincy Black was supposed to be a manbeast rushing off the edge last year for the Bucs in the famous Redskin package. But that never happened, and it appeared Dekoda Watson had far better pass rush skills. It seems Greg Schiano might feel the same way. Playing SAM outside linebacker in camp, Watson was working on pass rushing in 1-on-1 drills with the offensive line today.

JoeBucsFan.com: You’ve had a nice tipped pass and some other plays early in training camp. Have you had other good moments you want to speak to?

Dakoda Watson: I’m not going to read to deep into anything I’ve done this early positive or negative. You still got a whole lot of days to get better. I’m nowhere close to where I need to be, and we’re not close to where we need to be. I’m not going to sit here and dictate what’s a good day or anything like that. I just want to continue to play better.

Joe: You’re one of the most fit guys on the team, if not the fittest. There’s been a lot made of tougher training this year and fitness. Has it been harder on you at all, or is it a piece of cake given your conditioning level?

Watson: Nothing is a piece of cake. You work for it. I’m just blessed and fortunate to have the body fat that I have. Just hard work and things like that year-round here in Tampa. I’m not going to say it was easy. Conditioning is very much a mindset. I make sure I’m prepared. I stuck to my own regimen, just try to outwork everyone. Work. Work. Work. Eating right is the biggest thing. The center of being fit is nutrition. I live by that code.

Joe: Where are you with your game right now? And what do you feel is different this year?

Watson: For me, there’s just a lot more confidence this year. I know how to study better and smarter. There’s not much different. Not yet. The heat is still the same, and I still have the same work ethic. Just trying to learn the new plays and getting used to the new coaches and getting used to the whole new system and feeling comfortable and buying in. I’m getting more confident each day.

Former Bucs greats, like Batman Wood above, have been accessible at past FanFest events.

Usually held in June, the popular Bucs FanFest was canceled because of the asinine lockout in 2011, and it seemingly was not going to happen this year.

But, in fact, it will happen next Saturday at 4 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium prior to the Bucs night training camp practice, which is supposed to feature an intrasquad game.

FanFest has always been a pretty cool event, with lots of autograph opportunities with current players and loads of former Buccaneers. More information is expected from the Buccaneers soon.

Some quick thoughts on the happenings at One Buc Palace on Day 2 of training camp.

Today Vincent Jackson looks like one of those high school kids playing with his peers that you know is going to make the pros. He just comes off as a few notches better than his fellow receivers and those covering him on the other side of the ball. … And this is hopefully why the Bucs are paying him $55 million.

Despite plenty of cloud cover, practice is a little less intense today, more water breaks, more smiles from Greg Schiano and players alike. But Joe doesn’t want to give the impression there’s slacking going on. There was plenty of early-morning fundamentals work.

There’ll be an official update from the Bucs later today, but E.J. Biggers has a significant foot injury suffered yesterday that will sideline him for a while. Per WDAE-AM 620, Biggers and Arrelious Benn were injured colliding with each other.

Myron Lewis and Anthony Gaitor definitely will get their chances to shine.

Joe realizes many fans might crack a smile at the thought of Biggers getting cut, but the Bucs need the depth at the position. Biggers is not a bad reserve player.

Enjoy some atmosphere from training camp on Friday. JoeBucsFan.com photographer Kyra Hallett was on the scene.

LeGarrette Blount carries high and tight behind massive Demar Dotson.

Leaner, and hopefully meaner, Josh Freeman mingling with fans after practice

Yes, injured Donald Penn was working in the broiling heat with trainers. Penn looks as fit as he ever has in his Bucs tenure.

Wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck supervises a dive-for-a-ball drill. Nobody is on every detail like the high-energy Fleck.

Fleck often sneaks up on receivers and tries to rip the ball from them

Bryan Glazer was a presence on the practice field. “So Mark, who are we cutting today?”

And Glazer mingled among the common folks

“Toes on the line!”

Hopefully Freeman and Dallas Clark were discussing directions to the team hotel and not crossing routes

Bucs wide receiver hopeful Tiquan Underwood, who played for New England last season, stood out during Day 1 of training camp Friday. And he didn’t even have to take his helmet off to do it. Underwood caught two deep balls and seemed to be a tireless worker while others wilted in the heat.

Joe caught up to Underwood for a few questions.

JoeBucsFan.com: You were in Bill Belichick’s training camp last season. How does Greg Schiano’s compare?

Tiquan Underwood: Two great coaches. Very demanding, very strict. Similarities and differences. But they’re two tough camps, so I see why both coaches have had the success they’ve had. The toughness is for a reason. It’ll pay off in the long run.

Joe: You had a great standout day [Friday]. How do you feel about your play?

Underwood: I thought it was ok, some high points some low points. I’m just going to go out and try to get better and be more consistent. Take away some of those bad plays that I had.

Joe: Wide receivers coach P.J. Fleck is one of the wildest personalities on the field. What are your impressions of him?

Underwood: Very energetic and he loves his job, man. He’s very passionate. As receivers, we feed off of him. He gets us hyped, gets us ready for practice, and we’ve all grown to love it and embrace it.

Joe: Does he think he can still play? (Fleck spent 2004 & 2005 as a 49ers WR)

Underwood: Absolutely. He’s out here with his cleats running up and down the field challenging us all the time. He definitely can still play, I believe.

Channeling his inner Johnnie Cochrane after a question about a recently dismissed wide receiver on WDAE-AM 620 this morning, Greg Schiano talked about how a player must fit his coaching staff and the team way, “To me it’s all about a fit.”

Enjoy the solid interview below, with Schiano talking about “fighter” Gary Gibson and Amobi Okoye, his thoughts on how “discipline for discipline’s sake” is not the answer, and more.

Price still must pass a physical in Chicago

BSPN Chicago has penned a story about the Brian Price trade that includes three anonymous and allegedly neutral scouts saying the Bears scored very well in the deal.

The piece also quotes Adam Schefter saying the Bucs’ compensation was a seventh-rounder in 2013.

Three NFL scouts with other teams unanimously deemed the Price acquisition a strong personnel move for the Bears, who have a need for depth at defensive tackle and may have landed a potential starter. One scout considers Price to possess “Pro Bowl talent,” and another said he’d be “surprised” if Price doesn’t crack Chicago’s starting lineup “provided he’s healthy.”

“(It was a) very good move,” said one NFC personnel evaluator. “(He’s an) athletic guy that just needed a change of scenery.”

Price still must pass a physical, which still gives the Bears time to have buyer’s remorse. Joe wonders whether the Bucs would cut Price if the deal fell through, or bring him back to the team and put him on the PUP list and let him rehab in hopes of trading him later.

It’s much more likely they’d release him, but nothing is certain.

Dezmon Briscoe has moved on to a new home, where the core beliefs and things of that nature seemingly better suit his lifestyle.

Per the Washington Post, Bricoe was picked up by the Redskins today after getting cut by the Bucs yesterday.

Joe’s hardly surprised that Briscoe has a job. The kid is 22 years old and caught six touchdowns last season. And he should be real yungry in a new environment.

That Bucs-Redskins game in Tampa in late September keeps getting more and more intriguing.

Arrelious Benn, seemingly still trying to bounce back from a knee injury during his rookie season, suffered yet another setback today with a sprained knee and is expected to miss the next four weeks.

The creator, curator and overall guru of ProFootballTalk.com, Mike Florio, has been tipped off by the always popular “league source” that Benn suffered a sprained MCL today.

The Buccaneers’ final preseason game takes place on August 29, so if he does miss four weeks he could return for the end of the preseason, although it’s possible that the Buccaneers will show caution and hold him out of live action until the start of the regular season.

A 2010 second-round draft pick out of Illinois, Benn started 14 games for the Buccaneers last season and caught 30 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns. The arrival of Vincent Jackson in free agency this offseason has likely bumped Benn out of the starting lineup and into the No. 3 receiver spot, and this injury won’t do anything to help Benn compete for playing time in the Bucs’ offense.

This bums Joe out tremendously. Benn was just starting to blow up as a rookie when he blew out his knee against Atlanta. Last year he was still trying to recover. Now this.

Of course, Joe knows the haters will blame this on Bucs rock star general manager Mark Dominik because he is not a deity and therefore does not have access to a crystal ball that tells him when players will get hurt in the NFL while they are still in college.

Feel free to pile on during this steamy summer night in three… two… one!