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Bucs Suffer Big Loss On The Offensive Line

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By ROY CUMMINGS The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 20, 2008

TAMPA - The Bucs just can't seem to get whole.

On the day receiver Joey Galloway, quarterback Jeff Garcia and under tackle Jovan Haye returned to practice, the Bucs learned they might have to start the season without right guard Davin Joseph.

Joseph, a third-year starter out of Oklahoma, underwent surgery to repair a broken foot suffered during the Bucs' victory against New England on Sunday. He could miss a month or more.

Bucs coach Jon Gruden said he didn't know enough about Joseph's status to talk about it Tuesday, but he already was making contingency plans to start the regular season with someone else at right guard.

"We'll look at rookie Jeremy Zuttah over there, and veteran Dan Buenning has the ability to go in there," Gruden said. "We'll adjust if we have to adjust. The show goes on."

It also could go on without Galloway. Although Galloway participated in team workouts for the first time Tuesday, Gruden is still not sure of his status for Saturday's game against Jacksonville, let alone the Sept. 7 season opener at New Orleans.

"He's not 100 percent yet," Gruden said of Galloway, who has been hampered by a sore groin since before the start of training camp. "We're optimistic Joey will be ready for New Orleans, but I still don't know right now.

"We have to be careful with him. We have been careful with him and we'll continue to be careful with him, and we are pleased with the progress he's made. But we're still not ready to go yet."

Garcia is ready to go. After missing the majority of the past three weeks with a strained right calf, Garcia returned to practice Tuesday and took the majority of the snaps at quarterback.

He said he felt comfortable running the offense, and he hopes to play as much as a half against the Jaguars on Saturday. As for the opener at New Orleans, Garcia said he also expects to be ready for that.

"We still have a good, solid three weeks before our season opener, so I believe I can get enough work done in practice to be prepared for the opener," Garcia said.

"I was here the entire offseason, so already I feel like I'm much further ahead at this point than I was last year. It's just a matter of getting back into the swing of things and getting my body right."

Haye's body appears to be right. He also has been slowed by a sore groin, but he participated fully in the workout Tuesday and is expected to make his preseason debut against Jacksonville.

Joseph, meanwhile, figures to miss a season opener for the second time since coming to the NFL as the Bucs' first-round pick in 2006. He missed the first three games of his rookie season because of a knee injury.

Joseph returned to start the final 12 games that year, and the Bucs are hoping for a similar scenario this time around. In the meantime, they are expected to turn to Zuttah, their third-round draft pick out of Rutgers.

Zuttah was drafted primarily to provide the Bucs with depth, but he has proved to be a quick study, learning not only the Bucs' complex offensive playbook, but also three positions (right guard, left guard and center) since workouts began.

Zuttah will have to continue to learn at a fast pace, because replacing Joseph figures to be his toughest assignment yet. The 6-foot-3, 312-pound Oklahoma product has emerged in the past year as arguably the Bucs' best lineman.

He is a heavy-handed athletic guard who moves well and plays with a mean streak. He is a big reason the Bucs are believed to have one of the best young offensive lines in the league.

With Joseph leading the way, the Bucs have averaged 4.1 yards per carry through two preseason games and racked up 114 yards rushing in the first half against New England.

The starting line also has done a good job in pass protection this preseason, allowing just one sack. Behind that line, Bucs starting quarterbacks have completed 71 percent of their passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns.

Reporter Roy Cummings can be

reached at (813) 259-7979 or

rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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