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Bucs Notebook: More Red-Zone Shots

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The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 19, 2008

TAMPA - They didn't come off sounding disgruntled or demanding, but two Bucs pass-catchers made it clear this week that they'd like to get the ball a little more often, particularly when the Bucs reach the red zone.

"I'd like to be involved more in the red zone, to be quite honest with you," WR Antonio Bryant said Thursday. "A lot of receivers would like to be involved more."

TE Jerramy Stevens is apparently one of them. Stevens said Wednesday he also would like to get the ball more when the Bucs get inside their opponents' 20.

"I would like some more opportunities there," Stevens said of the red zone, where the Bucs are next-to-last in the league in touchdown production. "We feel like we have athletes that can go get the ball, so I'd like to see it."

Bucs coach Jon Gruden traditionally has involved his tight ends a great deal in the red zone, but Stevens said that has become more difficult this year because of the way defenses are playing them.

"A lot of times they're bringing blitzes, and that's keeping us in protection instead of allowing us to get out into routes," he said. "We just have to work with what they're giving us.

"Hopefully we can put our opponents into a position where they have to cover us and we can spread them out and get some one-on-ones against them, because it's all about opportunities."

INJURY REPORT

LB Derrick Brooks (ribs) moved another step closer to getting on the field for Sunday's game against the Chargers when he returned to practice Thursday. Though he was limited, Brooks practiced for the first time since he injured his ribs in the Bucs' game last week at Atlanta. "He sounds better and looks better," Gruden said.

P Josh Bidwell (illness) also returned to practice and QB Jeff Garcia (calf) continued to show improvement, according to Gruden. DTs Jovan Haye (knee) and Chris Hovan (knee) were both full-go Thursday, while DE Gaines Adams (ankle), DE Greg White (shoulder) and OL Jeremy Zuttah (ankle) were limited.

WHITE TIGER UNCAGED

He won't know if he can do it until Sunday morning, but Coach Jon Gruden is definitely leaning toward activating WR Joey Galloway for this week's game.

"I think so," Gruden said when asked if he thought Galloway would be active for Sunday's game. "I never really know, to be honest with you, sometimes until I get to the stadium."

Gruden seemed to suggest again that filling roles on the Bucs' special teams units will be the determining factor with Galloway, who was deactivated in favor of special teams contributors last week at Atlanta.

"Whether we like it or not, we have to protect our punter and find somebody who can cover kicks and punts," Gruden said. "But hopefully this will be the week that we can find our friend something to do, because he's a great receiver."

PRO BOWL, SCHMO BOWL

If WR Antonio Bryant and MLB Barrett Ruud want to go to this season's Pro Bowl, they're probably going to have to buy a ticket. Neither was voted in as a starter or reserve, and neither was selected as an alternate either.

"Yeah, I really got the shaft," Ruud said with a laugh. "But I'm not going to throw a tantrum or anything. I mean, everybody would like to have that Pro Bowl tag, but now I just go ahead and concentrate on getting us to the playoffs."

That's Bryant's focus, too. And while he now ranks 10th in the league in receiving with 74 catches for 1,044 yards he doesn't feel as if he was snubbed by the Pro Bowl voters.

"I didn't get snubbed," Bryant said. "I already knew what time it was. I knew they would never let a person like myself come back from not playing, a year removed, and get accolades like that.

"But that's OK. I'm playing for my teammates and my coaches and for the fans. I just want to go out here and make this playoff run, which I've been talking about all year. I wasn't named anything. It doesn't matter to me."

RATINGS SLIDE

Chargers QB Philip Rivers will roll into town this weekend bearing the league's best passer rating. If a current trend holds, he won't be holding that honor when he leaves. Only one of the six quarterbacks who have started games against the Bucs at Raymond James Stadium this year have left the game with a better passer rating than the one they had when the game started.

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