Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Antonio Bryant's career night at Carolina sent a message to opposing teams, and perhaps his own organization.
He's the established go-to guy.
With nine catches, Bryant pulled in 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a one-handed grab as he was diving into the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Veteran receiver Joey Galloway, meanwhile, did not play Monday.
Today, Coach Jon Gruden said Bryant's success has diminished Galloway's impact on the offense. The two play the same position, split end, and Gruden is not about to take Bryant out of the lineup.
Using both at the same time, Gruden said, is not a good option, either.
"It sounds easy, sounds achievable, but Joey is not the kind of guy right now, in my opinion, that's comfortable coming off the bench and playing 18 to 20 plays a game," Gruden said. "He's a guy who functions better when he's playing. Being a third receiver, a guy who comes in and plays situationally, is not for everybody. It's something he's never done. It's hard."
Bryant, 27, is in his sixth season. Galloway, 37, is in his 14th hasn't played much this season because of a variety of injuries that have plagued him since the end of 2007.
Bryant leads the Bucs with 936 yards and five touchdowns. Galloway, who has been battling a right foot sprain, has 12 catches for 134 yards with no touchdowns.
"We've missed (Galloway) for a long time and kind of moved on a little bit," Gruden said. "We want to play our best guys and right now, that's what we're doing."
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