Bucs Quietly Banged Up
October 7th, 2011The latest injury/practice report below from NFL.com shows a pile of banged up Bucs. And, per a 10 a.m. Twittering from Anwar Richardson of The Tampa Tribune, Quincy Black remains off the practice field today.
Quincy Black LB Ankle Did Not Participate
Zach Diles LB Hamstring DNP
Devin Holland S Back DNP
James Lee T Knee DNP
Luke Stocker TE Knee DNP
Sammie Stroughter WR Foot DNP
Aqib Talib CB Knee DNP
Earnest Graham RB Hamstring Limited Participation in Practice
For Joe, the loss of Stocker is significant in the running game. During his news conference yesterday, Raheem Morris mentioned Kellen Winslow possibly being called upon to take a bigger role. That’s not necessarily a good thing.
Also, per Anthony Gaitor’s Twitter account, look for him to get a helmet on for the first time. Joe assumes that would be in place of Devin Holland.
And finally, Earnest Graham’s hamstring injury is troublesome. Oft-injured old guy + bad hammy by Week 5 = a season-long issue.
October 7th, 2011 at 11:06 am
I won’t be surprised if Black, Talib and Graham are all out for this game. We need to get everyone healthy for the Saints game next week. It’s much more important than San Francisco.
October 7th, 2011 at 11:11 am
As compared to other teams I think were healthy.
October 7th, 2011 at 11:42 am
I think Black’s injury is more of a blessing, same with Graham. Watson earned his spot. And Blount needs to be on the field at all times! The Bucs are in good shape, and will get a W this weekend. GO BUX!
October 7th, 2011 at 12:26 pm
Grahams injury doesn’t worry me. Lumpkin’s production has matched graham if you average out their touches. Plus he’s got much younger legs and can make the first guy miss after catching a pass.
Our injuries don’t worry me too much. Rather have watson instead of black when frank gore starts coming at us
October 7th, 2011 at 12:41 pm
Next man up! GO BUCS!
October 7th, 2011 at 12:46 pm
Silver lining is that Blount might get pressed into 3rd down duty. Go Bucs!
October 7th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
@bucfan66 How is the Saints game more important than the 49ers game? They both equal one win or one loss making them exactly the same importance.
October 7th, 2011 at 12:57 pm
Die Hard has it right. Next man up! It’s why depth matters and we have good depth.
Talib will play, Lumpkin is improving and will contribute as will one of our up and coming TE’s.
The worry is going on the road to the West Coast after a Monday night game.
Youth overcomes it and we win!
October 7th, 2011 at 1:00 pm
@bucfan66 How is the Saints game more important than the 49ers game? They both equal one win or one loss making them exactly the same importance.
Because the Saints game is a division game, division games are always more important for playoff purposes.
October 7th, 2011 at 1:10 pm
@bucfan66 How is the Saints game more important than the 49ers game? They both equal one win or one loss making them exactly the same importance.
@MauhaDeeb You’re kidding right?
October 7th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
The 49ers are in our conference, making it an important win (see tie-breaker that kept us out of the playoffs last season).
The NO / CAR game is of no concern to the bucs as we’re not playing. As long as we beat them when it’s our turn is the only thing of importance. Well, it would be nice for carolina to steal one from the saints.. But if they can beat the saints they can beat us too. My 2 cents
October 7th, 2011 at 1:16 pm
@Travis So, sit some of your players and take a loss against a non-divisional opponent to secure a divisional win? That gives us 6 wins a year. If we beat only non-divisional opponents it gives us 10 wins. Division games count for 37.5% of the season.
Last year it didn’t matter if we would have beat the Falcons once or beat the Lions. Either win would have sent us to the playoffs.
If the Saints win this week and we lose, we are then second place in the division. If the Saints lose and we win, we are alone at first and a game ahead of the Saints entering that game.
I just don’t see how risking a loss at one game is going to help us for “playoff purposes”. Whether we lose this game or the one against the Saints, we would be 3-2 and most likely in second place.
The only time division wins matter is in the case of a playoff tie. But there are more chances for wins in non-divisional games, so I don’t see how that one scenario makes divisional games so important that they are worth risking a loss in a non-divisional game.
October 7th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
@bucfan66 there is your answer to if i am kidding. The more non-divisional wins you have, the less division games matter, not the same the other way around, making every single game just as important as the next. Because we could lose 4 of our 6 divisional games this year and still go 11-5, guaranteeing us a playoff spot.
October 7th, 2011 at 1:24 pm
Division games meant a lot more in a 14 game season. They will mean even less if we switch to 18 games.
October 7th, 2011 at 1:42 pm
Actually, to settle the argument once and for all on which game is most important, it is the 49er game simply because it is the next game… and it is ALWAYS the next game that is most important. A team spends any amount of time looking ahead or reflecting on what’s behind and they’re going to get beat. The most important game of the year is this Sunday and that is the game the team must be focused on winning.
October 7th, 2011 at 1:44 pm
You play to win the game. We need to win this game this week. No one wants to lose on any given week, but bucs need go pony up and continue go outplY their “rebuilding” title so Dom and Glazers can get a DeSean Jackson “type” of FA this offseason.
In convinced that the Bucs are contenders, so long as Freeman keeps being clutch and Blount gets more touches. On D, our line is getting nastier each game, and this week will be a big test to see where we are at as a franchise.
These young Bucs are still learning “how to” win, and it’s important to not look past this game and at the Saints next week. One game at a time.
October 7th, 2011 at 1:55 pm
That’s exactly why I think NO is a more important game for us to win. We can all agree that there isn’t going to be a team in the NFC South that is going to easily run away with the division. This division is going to go down to the wire and a win against the Saints would be that much more important to us when it comes to tiebreakers.
In no way was I suggesting we throw this game. The reality is NO is going to be a tougher matchup and I would rather have all our top players ready for that game, given the playoff implications.
I’m comfortable with Biggers, Gaitor and Co. go up against Alex Smith and their banged up receiving corps if it means that we’ll have a 100% healthy Talib ready for Brees, Colston, Graham, Henderson, etc.
Wouldn;t you agree?
October 7th, 2011 at 1:59 pm
@Bucsfann66 So it isn’t so much that it is a divisional game so much as it is NO is a strong team.
October 7th, 2011 at 2:00 pm
Looking ahead to the following week’s opponent is a sure way to lose this week’s game. You give it your all with the guys who are healthy right now and let the chips fall where they may. This is the only way to approach it. I guarantee you the Bucs are thinking about one thing and one thing only right now: the 49ers. Nothing else. Period.
October 7th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
None of that matters if the Bucs lose. We want our best players on the field for every game. If “Biggers, Gaitor and CO.” give us the best chance to win, then so be it. I do not believe that to be the case however, unless Talib can’t play.
October 7th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
I’m excited to hopefully see Gaitor in action. I’ve been high on the kid since he was drafted. His potential is sky high. The only positive on that list is Quincy, keep him as far away from the field as we can. Gore will eat him alive.
October 7th, 2011 at 3:10 pm
@MauhaDeeb It’s a divisional game AND against a tougher opponent.
The “we want our best players on the field for every game” thing sounds nice. But you’d be naive to think that coaches don’t consider factors like divisional games and the quality of the opponent in their decisions about whether to play injured players or not…
October 7th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
Gaitor can’t be any worse than Burnt Biggers …
October 7th, 2011 at 10:15 pm
While I haven’t had the time to post a lot lately because of work and family, I must say that it is great that the haters have been dead silent over the past couple of weeks. Nothing but fans of the Bucs on these posts. Let’s keep the streak rolling guys!
Go BUCS
October 8th, 2011 at 8:35 am
Knees need better protection.
October 8th, 2011 at 11:15 am
Of course the Saints game is more important. If we beat the Saints, that means a loss for the Saints. If we beat the 49ers, that has no bearing on anyone in our division.
49ers are going to win their division, so hanging losses on them means nothing to our playoff chances. The more losses the Saints have, the better our chance of making the playoffs.
That said, the Saints are MUCH better than the 49ers. Our odds of beating SF are much higher than of beating NO. Can’t pass up a chance to win.
October 8th, 2011 at 11:37 am
I thought Stocker was supposed to be the reliable TE he’s been injured twice already! You can talk all you want about Winslow, but the man has never missed a game as a Buc, and that’s with being Injury Prone as Joe like to call him. Go BUCS!!!!
October 8th, 2011 at 11:55 pm
Does any1 know anything about the tanard jackson situation?? We need him back imo with cody gone.. Tanad could start this week if you ask me…. Hes a really good player as long as he isnt smoking the weed!