Loss of Brian Price Puts More Pressure On Young Roster

As expected (but not who I suspected), another Tampa Bay Buccaneer is done for the season.

With 2010 2nd Round draft pick Brian Price heading to Injured Reserve (and therefore out for the year), the Buccaneers now have a hole on the regular roster and a hole on the practice squad.  The Buccaneers are no doubt burning some midnight oil these days trying to keep fresh bodies available for Head Coach Raheem Morris and his staff as they prepare to invade Atlanta with a possible NFC South Divisional Championship on the line.

General Manager Mark Dominik has now faced a practice squad promotion three straight weekends in a row.

It started back on Week 6, when RB Kareem Huggins went to IR with a knee injury.  The following week, TE Jerramy Stevens was cut from the team after an altercation with the law.  Last week, G Keydrick Vincent was cut and T Jeremy Trueblood was inactive due to a knee injury.  These moves resulted in the promotion of T Derek Hardman, TE Ryan Purvis, and T Will Barker being promoted from the practice squad.

What General Manager Mark Dominik will do next is . . . pass out from lack of sleep.  Seriously, who knows?  With just four regular defensive tackles on the roster before Price went down, is it time to find a free agent defensive lineman?  Experienced or another young talent to go with all the rest of the youth at that position?  The Buccaneers have won two games since Price went down -- perhaps there is already plenty of talent on the roster and a replacement at defensive tackle is not needed.  Or, maybe, it's time to promote DE George Johnson from the practice squad to the active roster and see what the young man brings to the table.

Another option available to Dominik with the deactivation of Brian Price is to snap up a practice squad player from another team.  Dominik has found some gems in this manner before.  Can he do it again?

And the Buccaneers just keep getting younger and younger . . .

Rumor: A Buccaneer Is Headed To IR This Week

I've been burning up the network this evening but do not have a name.  But from what I understand, there will be yet another Buccaneer going to IR this week.

I have not been able to determine who it is, so let's see if we can figure it out by analysis.

Last week's injury report had the following players not participating in practice:
Keydrick Vincent (G) Back
Brian Price (DT) Pelvis
Jeremy Trueblood (T) Knee
Jeff Faine (C) Quadricep
Preston Parker (WR) Knee

Add in those who did not play last Sunday:
QB 11 J.Johnson

And those who were inactive last Sunday:
QB Rudy Carpenter
RB Kregg Lumpkin
CB Elbert Mack
C Jeff Faine
T  Jeremy Trueblood
WR Preston Parker
DT Brian Price
DE Alex Magee

And we have our list of suspects.

• It is not Keydrick Vincent, he was cut from the roster late last week.
• I doubt it's one of the Quarterbacks, Rudy Carpenter or Josh Johnson, since neither has seen much action and neither has been on an injury report this season.
• Brian Price and Jeff Faine have been week-to-week for a couple weeks now.  If it was one of them, you would think they would already be on IR.  You can't really eliminate them from the possiblity, however, until they get back on the practice field.
• Jeremy Trueblood is recently injured, a possibility on an already thin line.
• Elbert Mack has been hurt but participated last week, which does not sound like a candidate for IR.
• Preston Parker's injury is recent and I do not know the extent.  Parker is a possiblity.
• Kregg Lumpkin and Alex Magee have never been mentioned in an injury report.

So the possiblities are Parker, Trueblood, Price, and Faine, in my estimation.  It would seem that Trueblood and Parker are most likely as they are more recently injured.

Coach Morris did not provide an injury report in his Monday press conference so there are no hints there.

Again, I would classify this a rumor at this point.  We should know if I'm completely mistaken by Wednesday.  In any case, it's still going to be a busy week in the Buccaneer's front office -- not what you want going into a showdown for the top spot in the NFC South.

The February Draft: Players Return from Injured Reserve

On February 10, 2010, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers cleared their injured reserve by welcoming players injured during the 2009 season back to the regular roster.  This is the second round of potential improvements for the 2010 regular season roster (after practice squad promotions).

Notable among the list of returning players:
- Byron Storer, who missed some of 2008 and all of 2009 with a knee injury and re-injury.  Storer started three games each in 2007 and 2008. An undrafted free agent picked up by the Buccaneers on May 3, 2007, they have stuck with Storer for some time.  It will be worth watching to see if the new administration continues to believe Byron can come back from his injuries.  If so, it creates a battle-to-watch with B.J. Askew, who is also returning from injured reserve due to back and neck injuries from a 2009 car accident.  The cupboard is certainly full in the Tampa Bay backfield and keeping two fullbacks seems very unlikely with the versatile Earnest Graham on the roster.
- Two Punters, Josh Bidwell and Dirk Johnson, return to the roster.  Which (if either) of these men will battle incumbent punter Sam Paulescu for the only roster spot?  Again, a possible preseason battle-to-watch.
-  Three 2009 draft picks ended the 2009 season on IR:  Xavier Fulton (T), E.J. Biggers (CB),  and Sammie Stroughter (WR).  Stroughter played very well and only missed a few games at the end of the season.  Fulton and Biggers, on the other hand, missed all and most (respectively) of the season and are basically 2010 draft picks.

Here is the full list of the players returning to the Tampa Bay roster organized by the day they were placed on injured reserve.  Also noted is the start of the regular season and the three games won in 2009:

5/18  Byron Storer (FB) (knee)
PRESEASON
8/17  Josh Bidwell (P)  (hip)
8/24  Angelo Crowell (LB)  (torn biceps)
9/5  Xavier Fulton (T)  (knee)
REGULAR SEASON BEGINS
9/19  E.J. Biggers (CB) (shoulder)
9/22  Jermaine Phillips (S) (broken left thumb)
10/20  B.J. Askew (RB) (PUP - back, neck)
11/8/2009 GREEN BAY WIN
11/10  Rod Wilson (LB)  (undisclosed)
11/11  Will Allen (S) (thumb)
11/17  Arron Sears (G) activated from PUP
11/24  Byron Leftwish (QB) (right elbow)
11/30  Torrie Cox (CB) (hip)
11/30  Dirk Johnson (P) (hamstring)
           Aaron Sears to Reserve/Non-Football Injury
12/8  Clifton Smith (RB) (concussion)
12/20/2009 SEATTLE WIN
12/21 Sammie Stroughter (WR) (foot)
12/27/2009 NEW ORLEANS WIN
12/28  Jimmy Wilkerson (DE) (torn acl)
12/28  Earnest Graham (RB) (toe)