First-year coach Greg Schiano didn't waste any time last week establishing who was the boss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first voluntary workouts.
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"He's re-establishing order," defensive tackle Gerald McCoytold the Tampa Bay Times. "And he's doing it immediately, on Day 1."
"Nobody's exempt. That means it's going to be a whole organizational turnaround. The whole building is under new rules, and we all have to follow them if we're going to get back where we want to be."
According to the Times, players will be held accountable for things as minor as not having their toes on the yard line during a pre-practice drill.
The Bucs started last season with a promising 4-2 record, but they lost their last 10 games, which cost coach Raheem Morris his job.
Schiano hopes to improve the Bucs through discipline, and so far, the team's veteran leadership appears to be buying into the concept.
"A team that has as many young guys as we have definitely needs that because it's hard to police yourself," said cornerback Ronde Barber, who's entering his 16th NFL season, all with Tampa Bay. "And there aren't enough veteran guys around here to do it. So this is what we need."
Players arrived at the team facility for workouts at 7 a.m., and some didn't leave until after 9 p.m.
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" said guard Carl Nicks, who joined Tampa Bay this offseason on a five-year, $47.5 million contract. "We joked about it in the locker room and said it's kind of like a college atmosphere. But at the same time, if we keep at it at this pace, we'll be the best-conditioned team in the league. It's kind of grueling right now, but it's for a bigger purpose."
