First-year Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano had to make several tough decisions late last week as the team's roster had to be trimmed to 53 players by Friday's deadline. But if his early track record is any indication, Schiano seems to know who to part with and when.

There are only a few moves' worth of history to examine with Schiano as an NFL head coach, but thus far, the Tampa Bay coach seems to have the instincts necessary for the job, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

Schiano raised a few eyebrows when he let go of safety Tanard Jackson early in his tenure. The Washington Redskins signed Jackson, but the veteran was suspended indefinitely Friday for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Trading tight end Kellen Winslow for a seventh-round pick was also seen as an interesting move, but Winslow was released over the weekend by Seattle.

As Stroud notes, Schiano will need to have the Midas touch if he hopes to build depth along the offensive and defensive lines, where injury issues and a lack of experience are cause for concern. The team added former Jaguars defensive tackle Corvey Irvin and Texans offensive lineman Cody Wallace off waivers.

The Bucs also brought in former Eagles guard Julian Vandervelde, but by Monday, had already made a decision to part ways with him, the team announced via Twitter:

  • Bucs players skeptical about replacement refs: Tampa Bay players got an up close look at the occasionally comical nature of NFL refereeing this preseason when a replay review went awry in the team's last game at Washington, writes Stephen F. Holder of the Tampa Bay Times. Replacement referees have been working NFL games thus far this season and are expected to be on the field for opening week. "Some of them seem a little nervous, tentative," said Bucs safety Ronde Barber. "Most of them are college (officials). Some of them are retired guys. They are out of practice, I think. It's not like they're incompetent. But they're just not used to officiating on this level, which is very different."
  • Depth may be Bucs' biggest issue: Analysis of the preseason as a whole shows the team's starting lineup should give the Bucs a chance to be more competitive than they were during last season's 4-12 debacle, which ended with 10 consecutive losses. But the reserves are cause for concern, according to Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune, who cites the 30-3 loss at Washington to end the preseason (when starters did not play) as evidence. "The Bucs aren't competitive with the twos and threes," said former Tampa Bay safety John Lynch, now an analyst.
  • WR Benn ready for return: Arrelious Benn missed essentially the entire preseason after injuring his knee on the first day of training camp, but returned to practice on Saturday and expects to be ready for action by Sunday's season-opener against Carolina, reports Dory LeBlanc of PewterReport.com. The receiver doesn't expect the time off to be a detriment either. "I feel as though I know the playbook like I'm one of the coaches now," Benn said. "I was staying in it, all the little things."

For more from Tampa Bay Bucs blogger Patrick Southern, follow @CBSSportsNFLTB on Twitter.