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Bucs' Bryant Likely To Keep Starting WR Role

Tribune photo by CLIFF McBRIDE

Antonio Bryant caught a 47-yard TD pass and finished with 115 receiving yards against Seattle.

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By ROY CUMMINGS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 21, 2008

TAMPA - A lot of NFL teams may be regretting their decisions to pass on free-agent wideout Antonio Bryant last spring. Joey Galloway may soon be regretting those decisions, too.

Bryant has done such a stellar job filling in for the injured Galloway the past few weeks, he probably will keep the starting split end job even after Galloway returns.

"I'm not going to move him at this point in time," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said of Bryant, who lit the fuse on Tampa Bay's 20-10 victory over Seattle on Sunday by hauling in a 47-yard touchdown pass six plays into the opening series.

Bryant went on to catch five more passes and finished the night with a team-best 115 receiving yards, his second 100-yard game this season.

Galloway, meanwhile, continues to ride the slow track in his return from a right foot sprain. He appeared close to playing late last week but was shelved for the fifth straight game.

That decision, Gruden said, was based largely on the fact Galloway still is not healthy enough to run all the routes and his lack of practice time the past several months.

"You've got to practice," Gruden said. "He hasn't practiced the whole training camp. He missed a lot of practice late last season. He really hasn't practiced very much in a long time.

"He's picked it up the last couple of days. Hopefully, he can go out there and move around and have no restrictions. That's what I'm looking for: no restrictions, zero restrictions."

Even an unrestricted Galloway may find it hard to unseat Bryant, who is displaying the ability to get deep, make tough catches in traffic and perform in the clutch.

Three of Bryant's six receptions against Seattle, including the 47-yard touchdown and a short pass he turned into a 19-yard gain in the third quarter, converted third downs.

"He's everything we're looking for in a receiver," Gruden said.

Veteran receiver Ike Hilliard suffered a concussion after taking a double helmet-to-helmet hit from linebackers Leroy Hill and Lofa Tatupu while making a catch near the goal line early in the second quarter Sunday. He was released from an area hospital after tests proved negative for serious damage, but his status for Sunday's game at Dallas and that of flanker Maurice Stovall (hamstring) are in question.

Galloway could fill the void, but he's not accustomed to playing the role of flanker, which usually calls for players to work between the numbers and in heavy traffic zones.

Gruden, though, makes regular use of multiple-receiver sets and often groups his receivers in bunches so the defense can't tell who's going wide and who's going short. He may do that with Galloway.

"When he does come back, we'll be creative in terms of how we get him going again," Gruden said. "We obviously need him in the lineup."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979.

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