Advertisement

Bucs minus Mason Foster for Falcons game; Gerald McCoy iffy

 
Bucs Mason Foster (59) can't get to Carolina's qtr back Derek Anderson during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the Panthers at Raymond James on Sunday afternoon 9/7/2014.
Bucs Mason Foster (59) can't get to Carolina's qtr back Derek Anderson during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game against the Panthers at Raymond James on Sunday afternoon 9/7/2014.
Published Sept. 16, 2014

TAMPA — The Bucs defense will play Thursday in Atlanta without starting middle LB Mason Foster, who dislocated his shoulder in Sunday's loss to the Rams.

Will DT Gerald McCoy be joining him on the sidelines?

The Bucs have a short week to prepare for the Falcons, with little time to mend a long list of injuries.

Coach Lovie Smith said Monday that McCoy, Foster and TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins would not have practiced if the team had done so Monday.

The Bucs' official injury list had four players listed as limited — DEs Michael Johnson (who missed Sunday's game with an ankle injury) and Will Gholston, RB Doug Martin (who also missed Sunday with a knee injury) and LG Logan Mankins. Gholston (shoulder) and Mankins (knee) started and played Sunday despite their injuries.

The biggest question mark is McCoy. Smith said he could in theory play with a cast on his broken left hand, though he said it's difficult to play his position with a "club" rendering a person one-handed.

"It's going to be pretty hard. Some positions, you can get by with that a little," Smith said. "On the defensive line, you need to be able to grip and hold.

"That's an option, but hopefully we don't have to go that far down the road. We'll see."

One previously unreported injury of note: Starting C Evan Dietrich-Smith was listed as limited because of a back injury, though he played every snap Sunday.

The Falcons also have injury issues. Rookie LT Jake Matthews, who missed Sunday's game against the Bengals, was limited with an ankle injury though the team expects him to play, and Atlanta's top two WRs are uncertain, with Roddy White held out Monday with a hamstring and Julio Jones limited with an ankle.

Welcome back: To add depth at linebacker, the Bucs made a roster addition, as Brandon Magee, who had been on the team's practice squad, was promoted to the active 53-man roster. Former Bucs LB Ka'Lial Glaud, among the team's final preseason cuts, was added back to the practice squad.

Still recovering: Smith said he expects offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford — limited the past three weeks after undergoing a heart procedure — to travel with the team to Atlanta, though it remains to be seen if he'll call plays. He attended the Bucs' first two games, but the plays have been called by quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo.

Rare call: How rare is to have a running back run on third and 7, as the Bucs did from the 9-yard line against the Rams? The Bucs came up short and attempted a field goal that was blocked in the loss to the Rams.

In 21 third-and-7 plays last season, the Bucs didn't have a single running back run, with 17 pass plays, three sacks and one run by QB Mike Glennon.

Across the NFL, there were 547 third-and-7 plays, and just 21 of them were runs by a running back. Of those 21, only two total picked up the necessary 7 yards.

Contact Greg Auman at gauman@tampabay.com or at (813) 226-3346. Follow @gregauman.