The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and injuries. Name a better duo over the past 18 months.
Todd Bowles’ team was again hit hard by injury this season, this time on the offensive side of the ball with Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin, Jalen McMillan, and now Mike Evans all out of Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. Coordinator Josh Grizzard has his work cut out.
There are a few ways of looking at this injury list, with the most obvious being the “why me” thought, but as we know in football, when one player goes down, someone else has to step up—the next man up mentality.
Granted, it’s a cliche, but it’s true, and while Tampa Bay’s injury list has crippled the offense, Grizzard has a unique view on it.
“I think everybody’s banged up,” Grizzard said. “We’re dealing with injuries, but I don’t want this to sound bad towards the guys that are not in there, Mike [Evans] and Chris [Godwin] and those guys, but I do think as a staff, we find enjoyment in the guys that are now having a chance to play, the Tez’s [Johnson], the Kam’s [Kameron Johnson], who have worked their whole life to get that opportunity, and who knows when that opportunity is going to come again. That’s their shot too.
“They’ve worked really hard to get to the league and deserve the ball, and that’s on us to try to put them in that position. I find a lot of enjoyment in that.”
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Buccaneers’ injury list grows ahead of Saints clash
Already without the handful of offensive stars for the Saints game, when the Buccaneers’ injury report dropped on Thursday, there was more bad news.
Edge rusher Haason Reddick was a DNP for the second straight day, while defensive lineman Vita Vea was also a DNP, while Emeka Egbuka, Lavonte David, and Antoine Winfield Jr. were all limited.
So, the Buccaneers could very well lose a couple more soldiers before game time on Sunday, as this injury list is getting a little ridiculous.
But this is nothing new for Bowles’ team, which nearly had the season derailed last year. Tampa, at 5-2, has a little cushion, but there is always a breaking point. The Buccaneers aren’t there yet, but it feels like it’s coming like a freight train if things don’t improve.
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