July 27, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Donald Penn (70) during training camp at One Buc Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Now the way that this news has been portrayed is that Penn strained a calf in California that prevented him from passing his conditioning test, he’s “hurt.”

Roy Cummings tells a different story, one of a coach who demands his athletes be in shape, and of a team that wasn’t where it needs to be at the start of the season.

“It was a rough test, but it was a necessary one,” said Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph, who reported with the rest of Tampa Bay’s veteran players for Schiano’s first training camp and was immediately thrust into a grueling fitness drill for which some were clearly not prepared.

Though he refused to provide names or details of the punishment that will be meted out, Schiano made it clear some of the 90 players on the roster failed the test, which called for 16 110-yard sprints. Players were put into three groups — skill, combo and line — with minimal rest between sprints.

“It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible, either,” Schiano said. “What it does is allow us to get a clear measure of cardiovascular conditioning, and you have to train for it or you are not going to pass it.”

Remember last year all the fuss about Albert Haynesworth in Washington failing his conditioning test? Conditioning tests are not new, players failing them aren’t either, but this is not something that bodes well for Donald Penn.

I’ve said many times Donald Penn is overrated. He’s not a bad left tackle, no, but he’s considered upper-tier (one of the NFL top 100 for instance) and that reputation is still a mystery to me. Donald Penn is serviceable, but wholly unremarkable as a run-blocker and he is ill-suited to defend the edge against top speed rushers…

To me, he’s an above average right tackle in over his head at left. But a lot of people think he’s elite…

Right there, before it even gets to on-field merits, stop the argument because you can’t name another elite left tackle who failed a conditioning test. We’re not talking about injuries, we’re talking about conditioning and while I’ve been stalling for you, a name is still yet to come into your mind.

That’s because elite left tackles don’t fail conditioning tests.

The bit about protecting the edge, struggling with speed rushers, that’s tied into the conditioning and despite some linemen’s ability to look fat and play athletic, some just play fat when they look that way…

Donald Penn may be one of those players.

The team will circle the wagons, call the injury something Penn needs to work back from, but if you read between the lines even battery-mate Davin Joseph admitted Penn needed to get into shape.

But, this may be the best thing that ever happened to Penn, this may be the kick in the butt he needs to really reach that top tier of offensive linemen. If Penn could get his body into peak condition, nobody has ever denied his massive potential. At times in his career he has flashed it, putting together several series, halves or even games at an elite level. But consistently, Penn has never put it together.

It’s well known Raheem Morris ran a loose ship, let plenty of things slide.

Not so for Schiano. Maybe that discipline and what Schiano will demand of his athletes will get Penn to consistently fulfill that Pro Bowl potential.

Or maybe he’ll eat himself out of the league.

Either way, Greg Schiano’s offensive line will not wear down at the end of drives. I will always be in favor of that.

May 15, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Aqib Talib (25) and cornerback Eric Wright (21) workout during organized team activities at One Buc. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

According to the Tampa Bay Times, the NFL is looking into the case and league offices have requested a copy of the dismissal order so that Goodell may mede out NFL justice.

An NFL spokesman declined to close the door on disciplining Talib. He said the league office will, in fact, review the case. He did not suggest what the outcome might be.

Talib’s attorney tells us Goodell’s office asked for a copy of the dismissal order issues by Dallas County authorities. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is probably debatable.

Frankly, things don’t look all that promising, even despite legal authorities admitting there is far too little evidence to prosecute. For starters Talib is a repeat offender having had multiple infractions in his past. Secondly, Goodell doesn’t need to convict Talib, he just needs to prove he embarrassed the league. That’s less hard to do considering gun charges and a star NFL corner, typically don’t connote well together in the same headline.

Thus far the league had opted to defer until the court proceedings played out, now in lieu of court proceedings Goodell and crew can do what they do best, take a few weeks and let a player dangle while they inevitably make a ruling that’s as harsh if not harsher than you expected.

I think Talib gets at least two games from the commissioner, I hope I’m wrong but I think we’ll hear something to the tune of, ‘by even being in that situation you embarrassed your team and the league.’

All things considered, that wouldn’t be terrible, if Talib can stay healthy the other 14 games he’ll still be able to make a nice impact and frankly another strike might lower the talented corner’s price tag to a place where the Bucs might be willing to extend him a couple more years.

I still feel that when he’s on his game Talib is an elite corner in this league, and with all of this behind him and pressure to prove he can return to his productive NFL form, I think we’re going to see a huge season from #25, provided Goodell lets him play the better part of it.

July 30, 2011; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) during training camp at One Buc Place. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Then McCoy hit the NFL where the baseline talent level is much higher than in college and suddenly that lack of technique caught up with McCoy. That’s not to say he hasn’t been good in his first two seasons, actually in spite of lacking polish McCoy has still rounded into a very good defensive tackle and was vital to the Bucs 4-2 start (as well as a big part of their 0-10 finish when he got hurt).

I have a feeling year three is going to be a lot different for #93 thanks largely in part to his new coach.

“We do a tackling circuit before every practice, and I’ve never done anything like that before,” McCoy said of Greg Schiano’s weekend minicamp. “I realize now that, before, I was just playing football. Now, I’m really learning how to tackle and I think it’s going to help me a lot.”

It’s OK if your first inclination is to laugh at that. I did. I mean, Bob Stoops must have read that and cringed. The most famous tackling drill in existence is actually called the Oklahoma drill, McCoy was an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and he claims he just learned how to tackle over the weekend…

But once you get past the fact Gerald McCoy basically just admitted he phoned it in during two-a-days at OU, this is exactly what a player like McCoy needed.

The talent and potential are there, that’s been obvious since before the Bucs drafted McCoy, he has the part of the game that you can’t teach. So it’s probably good that the Buccaneers have finally gotten around to teaching him the rest of it. He’s going to learn the rest now though, the Bucs have hired a guy who will make sure of it.

Greg Schiano, as Ronde Barber puts it, hammers home fundamentals.

Good.

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

This was a team last year that squandered potential on sloppy play and mental mistakes. I think we’re gaining a keen insight into why Mark Dominik wanted Greg Schiano. Dominik believes in the work he’s done on the personnel side of things, he’s brought in several talented draft classes and added free agents from the waiver wire and now (this offseason) from the top of the heap.

He just needed someone to actually coach them.

Raheem Morris, a player’s coach, wasn’t that guy. Being a player’s coach works on a veteran team. When the Giants talk about what’s worked with Tom Coughlin lately, it’s a subtle move towards a more player-friendly approach. Coughlin is never going to be laid back, but he relaxed a little and gave the team some room to breathe, it paid off. The difference is that was a veteran bunch with a lot of experience under their belt. You can afford to do that with an older group.

This group in Tampa needs a guy to stay on them. They need that direction and discipline. This group hasn’t earned a player’s coach yet.

That’s why Kellen Winslow’s comments were so absurd. Of course K2 liked Morris, not only did Raheem traded for him and pay him handsomely, he also didn’t make Kellen Winslow practice for three years. Winslow didn’t want to go because he felt Morris was slighted or Schiano was a bad guy. Hell, K2 knows Schiano from college and his time in Cleveland should have taught him this league is a business.

No truth be told after coasting for three years and only turning it on during gamedays, the idea of suiting up and getting back to fundamentals didn’t appeal to Winslow.

But that’s what this Bucs team needs, it’s what Gerald McCoy needs and it’s going to pay off sooner rather than later.

Greg Schiano is going to turn this group into professionals.