Yeah, it’s early June, D-Day to be exact for Joe’s fellow history nerds. The NFL regular season is three months away.

Talk to any coach and he will tell you how the foundation of a good season is built in the offseason. If that axiom is true, Bucs safety Dashon Goldson is helping erect one helluva house

After OTA practice Tuesday, Goldson talked long about how he believes he has a responsibility to help out his younger teammates in June in order to win games in January. It’s why he and Darrelle Revis spent a long time after practice with Leonard Johnson and Danny Gorrer working on tipped balls and ball-handling drills.

“During, after, I think is important for the secondary,” Goldson said of the extra work with his teammates. “I’m trying to teach the guys the ropes. Extra work is always good.

“That has been something in me since I was young. I was always a motivated guy. I was always looked at myself as to try to lead out there. I know this is a young crowd out here. I’m just trying to help out and show some of my experiences with them. Show the work that I have [put in] and it is always OK to ask questions. Shine a little light upon them. I have played in the postseason; I have played some good teams and some bad teams. I have some experiences.

Also, Goldson loves the fact he is practicing each day against one of the top receivers in the game, teammate Vincent Jackson.

“Going up against guys like that, it does nothing but enhance our defense,’ Goldson said. “Don’t forget Mike [Williams], he’s a good football player too. Going against those guys will make us a better football team on Sundays. This is like a gametime atmosphere coming out here and competing. We have one goal: to win.”

Seeing Goldson and Revis putting in extra time with younger teammates is not an accident, Goldson explained.

Bucs coach Greg Schiano “brought us in to be good leaders and show the way<” Goldson said. “Communication. A lot of breakdowns in the secondary happens because of a lock of communication. Definitely being on the same page and playing fast. Know what you are doing. Preparation is the key.

“Communication is what it is all about. Learning in the [class] room. Understand why we do certain things and be confident.”

Now this is not a knock on Bucs legend Ronde Barber whatsoever. Barber was sort of a quiet leader. He was more to himself, but never shied away from helping a teammate if they came to ask questions.

Revis and Goldson are much more hands-on. It’s like they enjoy approaching others to explain how things are done the right way so the little things turn into big wins in the fall.