Position Group With Most Pressure To Succeed In 2025? Bucs’ Medical Staff.
May 5th, 2025
The men who changed the course of football history, not just the NFL but college football as well, are a group of nameless people likely still in South Florida who Joe assumes have toney waterfront homes on Key Biscayne.
That’s the group of Miami Dolphins team doctors who wouldn’t clear Drew Brees medically when Nick Saban, then the Dolphins’ head coach, wanted to sign him as a free agent.
This, despite Saban consulting noted sports orthopaedist Dr. James Andrews, who believed Brees would be fine.
Think of how the game of football changed by that one terribly misguided medical analysis.
If Saban stays in Miami with Brees, there’s no telling how many Super Bowls Miami might win. New Orleans easily could still be without a Super Bowl and whatever would have happened to Sean Payton?
Saban created a juggernaut at Alabama after leaving Miami less than a year after Dolphins team doctors said not to sign Brees. Saban spawned several disciples who have succeeded in college football, including Steve Sarkisian, Dan Lanning, Curt Cignetti, Mario Cristobal, Lane Kiffin and Billy Napier.
Two of Saban’s former assistants, Kirby Smart and Jimbo Fisher, won national championships.
The ripple effects of that one medical opinion 19 years ago are still being felt. It changed many lives. Just think how different the game of football would be if Brees signed with Miami instead of New Orleans?
Joe brings this all up because three very important decisions recently made by Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht about the future of his team have direct ties to the Bucs’ medical staff.
Each medical decision comes on the defensive side of the ball.
If the Bucs are being dinged for the draft, it’s because many people believed the defense should have been addressed immediately in the draft, specifically at inside linebacker.
After the draft, Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney said the Bucs “feel good” about their inside linebackers, in part because team doctors believe inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis will no longer be injury-prone.
Dennis, who has shown promise when he has been on the field, has missed 17 games with hamstring and shoulder issues the past two seasons. People (including Joe) bang on Jamel Dean for missing playing time. By comparison, Dean is an iron horse of stability.
With Lavonte David being 35 and no one knowing if he will return in 2026 (or even if the Bucs would want him if his play dips), the Bucs were in position to draft talented inside linebacker Jihaad Campbell, who once played for Saban. But it is clear the Bucs were spooked by Campbell’s shoulder surgery (the Bucs weren’t the only ones). Campbell had shoulder surgery in March.
It’s hard to believe the Bucs and Licht weren’t advised by team medical staff to steer clear of Campbell.
Then there is second-round pick Benjamin Morrison. In the past four years, Morrison has had three surgeries, including his second hip surgery last year (he’s had surgeries on both hips). On face value, that sets off alarm bells.
Here again, it’s difficult to believe Licht didn’t get the green light from team doctors to draft Morrison. Licht noted last week on “The Pat McAfee Show” that Morrison will likely be held out of underwear football as a precaution and has the start of training camp as a target date for a return.
So there are three major Bucs decisions directly influenced by the team’s medical staff. Joe believes there is as much pressure on the Bucs’ medical staff as there is on Josh Grizzard or even Todd Bowles.
The last thing this team needs is to have another season where the defense is soft in the middle while at the same time, Campbell is raising hell in Philadelphia.
May 5th, 2025 at 4:58 am
This all makes you really think about how medical evaluations can rock the players and teams world when they may have inaccuracies. We will take it day by day with Morrison and do believe the Bucs decision makers and their data.
May 5th, 2025 at 6:12 am
Hard to know what information Licht was actully operating from. We the fans never will know alot of the truth concerning players from the past and the present. Still don’t know all the facts about Josh Freeman for instance. Alot of hearsay and inuendo though. Fact is his play dropped off a cliff.
Go Bucs!
May 5th, 2025 at 6:24 am
The Bucs medical staff is up to their eyeballs in ‘pressure’ every year I’m sure. It’s a violent sport, and players get injured. Our medical staff is charged with keeping them healthy day-to-day, but also getting them back to healthy as quickly as possible once they do get injured. No small task.
Players like Benjamin Morrison represent a higher risk more than likely. Partially because he was a 2nd Rnd pick, and those are quite valuable. And partially because of his existing medical history of 3 surgeries in the past 3 years, and the fact that he’s still rehabbing from the latest surgery.
But the ‘risk’ is behind us (we’ve already made the draft pick), and for now it’s ‘wait-and-see’. I’m HOPEFUL that he recovers 100% plus, and goes on to have a monster career as a Buc. Still, every year stands on its’ own merit, not just in terms of availability, but in terms of performance. Almost all of us are optimistic about the Bucs’ future it seems, but that future is still based on HOPE at this point. Gonna be fun to watch it play out.
May 5th, 2025 at 6:30 am
Great article Joe on how important medical evaluations are to the team. I liked how you demonstrated the importance of accurate medical input with the Bress/Saban story. Surprised you did not include Godwin in this. His was a major injury that we still do not really know how things will turn out. Yet, CG was signed for $20MM per year, so obviously Licht got clearance from the medical team. Interesting
May 5th, 2025 at 6:37 am
The difference is Benjamin Morrison had a successful workout day and needed a common surgery that Brett Favre also had. Jihaad Campbell was a flyer who may not pan out. I’m not surprised at the Eagles taking him cause they probably don’t mind the risk reward coming off a Superbowl Win
May 5th, 2025 at 6:49 am
Back in the early days, the Bucs took a chance in the third round on a middle linebacker who had a history of concussions. Many teams were spooked. Still remember the hit #52 put on Detroit QB Eric Hipple, whose helmet flew a few feet in the air. No word if his head was still in it.
May 5th, 2025 at 7:47 am
HaHa – Imagine hearing a Head Coach or Coordinator blaming the Medical staff for a player’s injury status…not happening
May 5th, 2025 at 7:56 am
Thanks. Good point about Godwin. Was really focused on the defense.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:20 am
Excellent article, Joe.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:47 am
I had a friend that was a doctor that sometimes Bucs players were sent to him back in the early and mid 1980’s.
I think he generally agreed with other specialists that the Bucs used.
However, apparently in 1986 or 1987, the Bucs sent Jeff Davis to him for a 2nd or 3rd opinion. Davis had a bad foot injury. I guess the Bucs main doctor or doctors had an opinion that Davis could play through the injury.
Davis felt like the foot was getting worse and wanted the 2nd opinion.
My friend clearly felt like playing on the injury was causing more problems and potentially long term problems and his medical opinion was that Davis should not be playing on that bad foot. So a different opinion than the team doctors. Someone from the Bucs staff called him and asked him to change the opinion — a person that he had never heard from before. He did not change his medical opinion.
That turned out to be the last player that the Bucs ever sent to him. I think that was a different time with more control by the organizations on players.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:47 am
Morrison’s 2 hip surgeries were to correct a bi-lateral hip defect that he’s had since birth…..
The surgeries required to permanently fix the defect had to wait until his bones and growth plates were no longer growing….
Morrison had the 1st hip surgery done while still in high school and delayed the 2nd surgery after he burst onto the scene with 6 INTs as a Freshman at Notre Dame and quickly became one of the Irish’s best and most valuable defenders.
He had arthroscopic shoulder surgery prior to the 2024 season that was a quick heal – so that was “surgery” #2….
Morrison then suffered a labrum injury half way through the 2024 season and decided to go ahead and get the other hip surgery to finish correcting the birth defect at that time since he would miss the rest of the season already….
So – yes – technically – it is correct to say that Benjamin Morrison has had “3 surgeries” – but when you understand the context that 1 was minor on the shoulder and the other 2 were to correct bi-lateral hip defects that he’s had since birth – its less concerning….. Morrison is not “injury prone”…..
Both Brett Farve and Ed Reed had the same hip defects and surgeries – and I believe Brett played more games in his career without ever missing a game than any other player in NFL history….
May 5th, 2025 at 8:50 am
Morrison did not have an injury to his hips. He was born with a hip problem that many people have, but it is easily fixed. He will be fine.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:52 am
It really comes down to percentages with injuries, past surgeries, what was corrected and so on. Some guys have early injuries in their career’s and have no problems after that or different injuries that have nothing to do with the first one. At some point a Dr. give’s their opinion on what could happen and it’s just that, it’s 50-50 or whatever. Not saying some aren’t red flags because of the nature, frequency, ability to heal and so on. SVD’s shoulder was a lingering thing that finally got fixed, his hamstring is another issue, we have had a LOT of hamstring issues here, maybe hydration? Maybe just a thing. Morrisons, from what we’ve heard, was corrective and both hips needed it done and should be good to go. Campbell maybe a different story. He could wind up being the Eagles JTS.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:55 am
Geno:
Wild story. And not surprising.
May 5th, 2025 at 8:58 am
Scubog:
This play?
May 5th, 2025 at 9:19 am
Love the commentary by the announcers on that Brantley hit Joseph….
“Look at the separation of Eric Hipple and his helmet – and a good, clean shot by Scott Brantley…. we must emphasize that – Eric Hipple was IN BOUNDS when that hit was made by Scott Brantley.”
Back when football was football…. If the guy was in bounds – go try and knock his block off. Brantley almost did exactly that on that play – LOL
May 5th, 2025 at 9:23 am
More important is the training staff.
They need to figure out the hamstring problems.
May 5th, 2025 at 9:24 am
this is why depth is so important. not just to replace injured players, but to rotate and give starters a breather especially in 4th quarter blowouts or in games with big early lead. if you’re on the 53 man roster you should be good enough to play in a couple of series per game.
May 5th, 2025 at 9:25 am
Joe: “Bucs assistant general manager Rob McCartney said the Bucs “feel good” about their inside linebackers, in part because team doctors believe inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis will no longer be injury-prone.”
Did McCartney say “team doctors believe inside linebacker SirVocea Dennis will no longer be injury-prone”, or is that your interpretation of McCartney saying doctors “feel good”?
May 5th, 2025 at 10:01 am
I believe a medical decision was a factor on John Lynch departing the Bucs for Denver. That still aggravates me every time I think about it. Sapp getting ten sacks one season for the Raiders is another one, but that decision was on Gruden, not the medical staff, if I recall correctly. I give Gruden credit for the SB win, but I blame him for the failure that followed..
Anyway, a bad diagnosis cost us Lynch IMO.
May 5th, 2025 at 10:03 am
Pickgrin Says:
May 5th, 2025 at 9:19 am
Love the commentary by the announcers on that Brantley hit Joseph….
“Look at the separation of Eric Hipple and his helmet – and a good, clean shot by Scott Brantley…. we must emphasize that – Eric Hipple was IN BOUNDS when that hit was made by Scott Brantley.”
Back when football was football…. If the guy was in bounds – go try and knock his block off. Brantley almost did exactly that on that play – LOL”
And how is Scot Brantley now? Multiple strokes and early onset Alzheimers. The safety changes and player protection they’ve implemented over the years is the right call. Brantley is a living proof of why this was necessary.
May 5th, 2025 at 10:18 am
WOW
What a hit!
May 5th, 2025 at 10:42 am
May be back when football was football but I still agree with eliminating it from the game on the sideline. What gets me is the ticky tac stuff in the middle of the field.
I feel good about our injury situation and all the players selected.
6 draftees played last year. Let’s see what the number is this year.
May 5th, 2025 at 11:28 am
Thank you.
May 5th, 2025 at 11:31 am
JimBobBuc:
McCartney said what he said. But if you really, really, really must know (apparently you don’t trust Joe), here is the question and full response, word for word from the Bucs’ media relations staff.
May 5th, 2025 at 11:34 am
excellent new layering to add to on an old story
May 5th, 2025 at 11:36 am
Sparky
I think Gruden used medical misinformation ( or created it) to run Lynch out. Obviously John was good to play.
Considering Lil Napoleon’s well documented preference for older veteran players, my take has always been that lil Jon couldn’t stand being less popular than Lynch.
I’ll never forgive him for it either..
May 5th, 2025 at 1:23 pm
That last line there Joe says it all for me. In a fun and nice way Ima say I told ya so if Campbell does great in Philly and if he doesn’t I don’t mind eating crow lol