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With Graham Out, Bucs Forced To Improvise

Tribune photo by CLIFF MCBRIDE

RB Warrick Dunn runs after a long reception against the Minnesota Vikings' Chad Greenway.

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By JOE HENDERSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 17, 2008

Updated: 11/17/2008 12:47 pm

TAMPA - When Warrick Dunn re-signed with the Bucs last spring, he quickly debunked any notion that he would only fill a bit player's role. He wanted a heavy load and said he could handle it. He was insistent, in fact.

Well, he is about to get it.

Jon Gruden said this morning that Earnest Graham's ankle injury is bad enough that he may miss the rest of the season.

"It doesn't look like he will play any time soon," Gruden said.

Graham was injured on the first play of the Bucs 19-13 victory Sunday over Minnesota. He didn't return to the game and now it appears he won't return for the rest of the regular season, at least.

That brings it back to Dunn, who carried 20 times for 53 yards Sunday in Graham's absence while catching four passes. Eleven of those touches – nearly half his workload – came in the fourth quarter, when the Bucs held an edge of 12:34-2:26 in time of possession.

Let's not forget that Dunn has been limited in recent weeks by a bad back.

"Any running back relishes that opportunity [to play], and it was tough because I haven't really played a lot in the last few weeks so I had to get a feel for the game again," Dunn said. "It was just stepping up for the team. It is important if a guy goes down that the other guy comes in, steps up, and covers any slack."

They'll need a lot more slack-covering because the depth at running back is non-existent right now. No one can say for certain when Cadillac Williams will be ready to play. Even when he is though, Caddy will only get a handful of carries at best.

Rookie Clinton Smith, brought up from the practice squad as a kick returner, has been fumble prone, while fullback B.J. Askew had his first carries of the season on Sunday after coming off an injury himself.

And, we ask again, why in the world did they release Michael Bennett last week to make room for Caddy? There wasn't another move they could have made?

My guess is that we'll see a similar game plan to what the Bucs improvised on Sunday. They moved Dunn all over the place and had quarterback Jeff Garcia scramble around and try to make plays with his legs and his arm. Garcia was outstanding against the strong pass rush of the Vikings, and the Bucs will need more of the same as the weeks grind on.

They'll also have to find a way to create more of a threat running the ball. The Bucs certainly tried against the Vikings. They ran 33 times overall but gained just 108 yards, a 3.3 yards per carry average. They'll need to do better.

At 7-3, the Bucs are in great shape. They'll be favored Sunday at Detroit, but they lost up there last year and we know the winless Lions represent a major trap game. If they get by that though, the fun starts. They'll have three consecutive division games starting Nov. 30 at home against the Saints before heading on the road to Carolina and Atlanta.

They'll need all hands on deck for those games.

If all hands aren't available though, they'll have to do what all teams do this time of year – improvise.

"We just have to keep plugging away," offensive tackle Jeremy Trueblood said. "We have to get as many wins as possible. It's the NFC. Everyone keeps on winning – 7-3 is good but it's not good enough. We still have a lot of work to do."

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