Bucs coach Todd Bowles.

So this morning is the second of two controlled scrimmage practices with the Titans. Given what happened last year, Joe is anxious to see what happens today.

Last year with the Titans came to town for two controlled scrimmages, Tennessee seemed to push the Bucs around a little bit. Joe is convinced then-Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians chewed out his team for being soft and ordered them to man up.

The next day, there were fights and tussles all over the place. Arians, who previously would loudly bark how fights would not be tolerated by his players, was asked about the fights, in particular furniture-toss, rock-throwing, bicycle-wining, V-card forging quitter Antonio Brown landed a quality right hook on a Tennessee defensive back.

“Fights? I didn’t see any fights,” Arians said. When asked directly about Brown’s fight, Arians scoffed, “Ah, swattin’ at flies.”

Yesterday it seemed at times tensions were rising between the Bucs and the Titans and current Bucs coach Todd Bowles seems OK with that, to a point.

“I thought the competition was good,” Bowles said. “You are going to get a little close here and there – it can’t be totally clean.

“We’re trying to do the right things on both sides, and I thought we did a good job.”

Joe would be concerned if the Bucs didn’t push back or even lash out from time to time. Tennessee is one of those teams that pushes the envelope on purpose. They are a physical team. The more they push and pound and get away with it, the more they will come after you.

Tough teams do well in the playoffs. Tough teams don’t tolerate getting pushed around without retaliation of some sort.