Joe’s definitely curious to see how new lunch-pail Bucs defensive tackle Gary Gibson performs. It’s hard not to root for a guy like Gibson who has clawed his way to a long NFL career. The guy showed up to a horrendous Rutgers program in 2000, got a new coach named Greg Schiano in 2001, and then found himself in the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Ravens in 2005. The next year he was out of the league and made his way to NFL Europe to win a 2007 World Bowl with Hamburg before landing with the Panthers.

Gibson, 30, played in every game for the Rams the past two seasons and now stands as the elder statesmen on the Bucs’ defensive line, fighting for a job alongside Gerald McCoy, Brian Price, Amobi Okoye, Roy Miller and Frank Okam.

Joe, along with some other media types, got a chance to talk briefly to Gibson at One Buc Palace on Tuesday.

JoeBucsFan.com: Talk about how you came to the Bucs and how your relationship with Coach Schiano played a role.

Gary Gibson: Being in free agency we were talking to a few teams. And after the draft, Coach Schiano had reached out to me and we’d been talking to him a little bit. It was really good to reunite with the old staff. I know these guys. And I know the program and what he’s all about, and it’s something I want to be a part of.

Q: Has [Schiano] changed at all since you were at Rutgers?

Gibson: Not even a little. He’s the same guy back from 2001 when he first got to Rutgers.

Q: Is the “program” any different?

Gibson: It’s literally, I mean it’s evolved a little bit into some other things, but the message has always been the same.

Q: You’ve been around the NFL for a while, can that system work here in this league?

Gibson: I think his system can work anywhere. You know, you work hard and you get what you put into it.

Q: What’s the best thing about working for Coach Schiano?

Gibson: Just knowing that you’re going to come to work and it’s going to be a grind every day and you know he’s going to get the most out of you.

Q: Not a lot of wasted time.

Gibson: No. And that’s a great thing especially with the new program they have with the new CBA and all that. There’s no time for wasting time, so it actually makes for a good regimen.

Q: What kind of potential do you see with the Bucs defensive line? 

I mean I think we’ve got young great talent. Their best years are definitely ahead of them. And I think that about myself, too. … There’s a ton of competition between all the guys and that’s going to breed good play.

Q. The Bucs don’t have a lot of veterans with your background. What kind of leadership message can you pass on? 

I don’t know about passing on. I think everybody works here. My whole thing, just for my career, I just work blindly and just let the results take care of themselves. That’s how I’ve been through my entire life.