Mandatory Credit: Matt Stamey-US PRESSWIRE

Once again the Buccaneers defense looked pretty incredible. When they didn’t look impressive (like that last drive of the game) it wasn’t due to a lack of talent it was due to a lack of gas. By the end of the game, the offense’s utter inability to get anything going downfield had the defense running on fumes.

There were hiccups to be had, and this was the first game that saw the run defense savagely breakdown at times, but overall it’s hard to get on this defense for only allowing 24 points to one of the most explosive and dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL. Yes, RGIII statistically had his best game of his young career, but that’s only if you look at the box score.

And if you want to call upon the box score and say yes, Griffin had his best statisical game of the year then consider this: the Buccaneers almost beat RGIII at his best.

Sunday was the first time all season long that Griffin was held out of the endzone in terms of passing and it was just the second time he was held under 50 yards rushing. Griffin, who is known for his cannon of an arm, threw the most passes he has all year long but even with 35 attempts, he couldn’t find the endzone through the air.

There is really no excuse for the breakdown in the running game, but the defense was able to disrupt the Redskins offense early on and had the Buccaneers gotten something going offensively, it’s hard to believe that a regularly rested defense would have been able to harass RGIII better.

But when the Bucs got shots at RGIII, they took them. Mark Barron had two missile-like shots on RGIII, one that was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty. On the 15-yarder, the referees ruled that Barron didn’t have to drop Griffin the way that he did and called a pile driving penalty for the roughness. Many believed that the hit was clean, but Billy Cundiff’s missed field goal sort of helped heal wounds.

If there is a bright spot on this Bucs team it’s the defense. In three of the first four weeks the Buccaneers have held their opponents under 25 points and had they not allowed Eli Manning to blow them up in Week 2, Tampa would have one of the best points allowed defenses in the NFL.

There is obviously still a lot of growing to be done on defense, as the Bucs aren’t fully there as a unit. Penalties killed the Bucs on a few scoring drives and really didn’t help them get off the field — the main adversary to this unit. But if there’s a symbol of the growth this team needs to accomplish the defense epitomizes that.

And if there’s one thing that Tampa knows, it’s great defense.

The Buccaneers wrapped their final open practice of training camp, and it was a nice improvement over yesterday. (Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Ronde Barber sat out the Buccaneers first preseason game with a minor injury but he returned to practice today and head coach Greg Schiano worked him hard.

Barber saw work at what appeared to be every single spot on defense except the frontline as he saw an extra load of reps with the second unit. Roy Cummings of the Tamp Times noted that at one point it appeared Barber was playing linebacker while Dakota Watson slide down to the defensive line.

Interesting defensive look here: Barber at LB, Watson at LDE, Bennett at DT. That could cause a little confusion

— Roy Cummings (@RCummingsTrib) August 14, 2012

As Bucs Nation noted, and I fully agree upon, it’s likely that Barber was the slot corner with run defense responsibilities. But Watson played Michael Bennet played the defensive line a lot last year (well Bennett did because, ya know, that’s where he plays). Bennett played the three-tackle position in this package, something he did a lot last year too.

Ronde also got some regular reps at the slot corner spot as well. While Barber was sort of at home at corner, the safety spot opposite Mark Barron he left vacant was held down by Ahmed Black.

Barron himself was returning from a minor injury. He too, sat out Friday’s preseason opener and is set to make his Bucs debut this Friday against the Titans.

Speaking of safety, Myron Lewis got more first team even though his performance in Friday’s preseason game was less than impressive. Larry Asante and Cody Grimm were both practicing with the second unit and it looked like Grimm was getting reps over Asante. Grimm was also coming off a poor performance on Friday and continued the trend of safeties getting a second sot to prove themselves.

As for the offense, Tiquan Underwood continued to look impressive. But it was Mike Williams who had the best catch of the day, making an amazing catch and converting a 4th and 20 during the two minute drill, at the expense of rookie Mark Barron. Williams pretty much stole the ball away from Barron on the play, one that drew applause from the crowd.

The Bucs wrapped up their final open practice of training camp today and even though the season is just around the corner, there is going to be a lot of changes on this roster before September 9th.

Before he was hired by the Buccaneers, Schiano was a relative unknown to Bucs fans. When he was hired, many asked, “Who is this guy?” and wanted a bigger name. The ones who were familiar with Schiano knew about how he turned around Rutgers football and revamped the Scarlet Knights recruiting power. You see, that’s one of the marks of a great coach in college football; the great ones drive recruits. Don’t believe me? Look at all the quarterbacks who want to play for the Kansas Jayhawks ever since Charlie Weis became the head man in Lawrence; people want to play for good coaches.

May 4, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano during rookie mini camp at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Therefore, the more informed fans who were well-versed in Schiano’s motivational power, solid player evaluation, and sound schematic knowledge were excited by a hire. Greg Schiano represents the best of both worlds. He’s a young, energetic coach with plenty of fresh ideas, but he’s also wise in his decision making and doesn’t tolerate head cases. But he sure knows how to deal with them. After all, it is far easier to find enigmatic players on a college team than it is to find them in the NFL.

But for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, past success in the college world doesn’t mean much. It isn’t just that “talk is cheap”, but it also has to do with the disparity between the NFL and college football. The NFL is for the big coaches, and only the best college football coaches succeed in the NFL. Despite not coaching a major program, it was apparent that Schiano was one of the best coaches in college football. At the very least, it was apparent that he was one of the best to the Bucs.

At first, Tampa tried to hire Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly, who is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. He’s built a powerhouse out west, and the Ducks are a perennial title contender under Chip. He stayed to focus on the Ducks, and one great, young coaching mind yielded way for another.

It’s easy to say that Chip Kelly is the better coach than Greg Schiano based on how their college teams produced, but there were concerns associated with Chip. Although he knows how to motivate a team and knows the offensive side of the ball extremely well, many were skeptical about his ability to manage a defense. It is a reasonable concern, but it was also a little bit overblown.

Even though Kelly is the better-known coach, Schiano fits the Bucs better. The team needed a coach who knows how to turn a team around and has a great working knowledge of defensive schemes. Schiano fits that description, and the “loud” coach has invigorated new life into this Bucs team. He’s also been classy in his first 100 days on the team, and this culminated in the signing of paralyzed former Rutger Eric LeGrand.

More importantly, Schiano has been getting results. He helped orchestrate a grade A draft that yielded three quality, starting-caliber players. The Buccaneers now have a new safety in the cerebral Mark Barron, who will be a solid player at the position for quite some time. Former Cornhuskers standout linebacker Lavonte David has been praised by Derrick Brooks and was a steal in the late second round. Former Boise State running back Doug Martin is an underrated, great all-around back who has a chance to start.

The Bucs also made some great pick-ups in the latter rounds, including versatile defensive back Keith Tandy who starred for the West Virginia Mountaineers in college. Another late-rounder to watch for is running back Michael Smith, who adds a new dimension of speed to this team and was an absolute steal for the Bucs.

The future looks bright in Tampa Bay with a new coaching staff in place, a great draft class, and Greg Schiano leading this ship into the future. He’s a better coach than Raheem Morris could have ever been, and it’s showing in the new aura surrounding this team. He’s the right man to turn around this football squad, and he is showing it. The signings of Vincent Jackson and Carl Nicks are huge, as the two elite players have massively upgraded this offer.

As for Schiano’s grade, it’s difficult for me not to get ahead of myself and give him a resounding “A+” for his work so far this offseason. It may be premature and the regular season results are more important, but Schiano has exceeded expectations in Tampa. He’s done an excellent job and deserves all the high praise that he has received.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

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