Galloway getting closer to return

UPDATE, 5:33 p.m.: Coach Jon Gruden attempted to lower expectations after Thursday's practice when he said the following about Galloway's chances for returning this weekend:

"He's going to have to practice," Gruden said. "He's going to have to test it out a little bit. You can't just go through drills. You've got to go through an entire practice and try to simulate a game. We'll try to monitor his progress.

"You've got to be able to go out there and prove to yourself and every one that you have the ability to play a 60-minute game. Unfortunately, we can only dress (a certain) amount of players. If the injury isn't tested out and we're not all confident he can make it through a game, it really limits a lot of the things we can do."

So, either Gruden is blowing smoke or he honestly isn't confident about Galloway's return against Carolina.

STEPHEN F. HOLDER

POSTED 12:32 p.m.: Receiver Joey Galloway said he's begun running, cutting and catching footballs.

He did not practice Wednesday but says there still is a chance he could play Sunday against Carolina.

Galloway has missed the last three games with a right foot sprain he suffered Sept. 14 against the Atlanta Falcons. Since the middle of Dec. 2007, he has only played one complete game -- the season opener at New Orleans.

"It's tough to sit back and watch,'' Galloway said. "But like I said, finally I'm running. So at least I feel like I'm preparing myself to come back. That's exciting. When you're hurt, it's the little things that matter. That day you finally get to do some cutting and catch a football -- that kind of stuff.''

Galloway said he will be limited in practice today.

"There's always a chance," Galloway said. "To see the offense go through some struggles like we have the last couple weeks and not be able to help. . . I don't by any stretch of the imagination want to say I would've changed those games, but I do my part in this offense and right now I'm not there to do that. That's tough to sit there and watch.''

Comments

[Daniel in TO]

I hate to keep going back to this, but why would the bucs even allow themselves to be put in a situation where they have to rely so heavily on a 37yr old WR. Why not bring in another WR with speed (like BJohnson)just in case. It is very hard to move the ball when the defense does not respect your vertical game and can just focus on the short/intermidiate passing attack all game long.

Well, it's good to see that he is close to coming back. Would be nice to have him against the Pantheres as I am not sure if we can beat them with the kind offense we showed so far this seasson no matter how good the defesne plays.

[DR]

Galloway looked terrible against the Saints so they better not rush him back.
What is the word on Caddy?

[Luke]

He may not of made a difference player wise, but just the deep threat would have adjusted the opposing teams defense enough to open up other opportunities. 27 or 37 if you have a reciever like Galloway your team hurts when they are out.

[Leo in Canada]

Galloway has proven to be the Bucs' MVP of this season by his absence. I can only imagine his worth if he was healthy & played up to his potential!

[bobby r]

the last two times Joey has been on the field he only half heartedly went after balls that were thrown to him. I would rather see him sit til he is ready. He is not a decoy if opponents realize he can't extend for a ball, or finish a route. This is our fault for not going after a WR in the draft. a #2 pick for a returner is a luxury we can't afford.

[Steve L]

DR, given the depth we have at RB Caddy will almost certainly be IR’d by the deadline. In contrast to Williams (and yes, I realize their injury is different with Caddy’s being more severe) it’s amazing how quickly Ronnie Brown has come back, not only to play, but play well.

Galloway should stay off the field until he’s ready to go. For goodness sake, we have another speed WR in Djax. If the concern is to “stretch the field”, he can do that as well as Galloway. He won’t pull the S as much as Galloway because he hasn’t proven that he can catch the deep ball, but he’ll never prove it if he’s never on the field in those situations.

Why do you people not understand that Dexter Jackson IS NOT AN NFL RECEIVER and WAS NOT DRAFTED AS A WIDE RECEIVER! He was drafted to be a returner. Which once again shows the lack of ability of Allen/Gruden to evaluate talent. It was a mistake even picking this kid at all, much less in the second round. Dexter Jackson will never even be a decent punt/kick returner, much less a usable wide receiver.

[mike]

Steve:

Your comments are dead on, however I am not sure that it was only because Joey was out. I do not believe Griese can throw more than 10 yards without the "dying swan" effect that attracts interceptors. Garcia is in now, and he and Galloway can return to intimidating defenses and keeping them honest.

[DR]

Steve, I agree that Caddy should probably be IR'd but the big question is will Gruden put him on the IR or not. If he suits him up, how will he be used?
Galloway hasn't been a big loss. Galloway's big plays are on short crosses when he catches them. When was the last time you saw Galloway catch a ball 50 yards down field? He also gets shut down by any decent CB. Bryant, Clayton, and Hilliard can get the job done if they are utilized better. I still can't believe the Bucs haven't even tested D Jackson at the WR spot. What an absolute waste of a draft pick.

[Erick]

Galloway can help, but the is by no means the answer. HAVE SOME BALLS GRUDEN AND THROW THE BALL DOWN FIELD!!!

[Steve L]

DR, correct, the emphasis to “throw the ball down the field”, whatever that means, is misguided. Galloway’s speed advantage is to outrun the DB’s and LB’s, as you noted, primarily on the crossing route. If the post pattern was the primary concern, Djax would already be doing so since it’s the least difficult pattern to learn (it might also help his punt returns if he runs the post – get him used to running north and south).

Mike, your point is taken as well. The first time or two Griese threw a pick (with the exception of tipped passes, etc), the decision to throw the ball wasn’t in question; it was the lack of authority with which the ball was thrown. I had presumed at the time that he’d correct this with some more time, but it hasn’t happened yet. Arm strength is largely overrated, but it will be nice to get another QB one day who can throw the out patterns with authority.

Coach call me.

Roy Williams

[Kalind]

He's not enough. This offense needs a STUD someone you see tear another team apart on SportCenter Monday Morning. I'm 21 years old, and Tampa has NEVER had that kind of offense. When? WHEN???! I want a Tom Brady at QB find one. I want a Roy Williams at WR trade for him. We've got an emerging OLine, we have a stable of stable RBs. Lets open this thing up with some deep talent. Let the 'Broken One' go, and lets get some young studs in here!

[Mack]

We have access to some speed at receiver. Didn't we keep Clifton Smith and Brian Clark on the practice squad. I think Smith is considered competent at returns also. I saw we picked up Moffitt-that would be devastating if we lose Ruud long term.

[Larry]

Jackson may not have been drafted as a WR, but he has great speed. Put him in the slot so he can't get bumped at the line and let him run deep. Safety has to drop back to cover him and it should open up the underneath routes. The deep crossing route is run by the WR on the opposite side of the field, moving into the gap created by the dropping safety. To really make this work, though, you need a reliable WR to work underneath (which we have in Ike Hilliard) and another player with enough wheels to threaten the other side of the field. I think we have this player, too, in either Warrick Dunn or Antonio Bryant.

You've got to given the Saints credit, even though they're record isn't great (but where would they be with better kicking) they spread the field and zip the ball around. We don't need to get quite that agressive, but bringing the offense out of it's shell should yield big dividends.

Agree that Cadillac will probably head to IR - RB isn't the problem this year and there's no sense in bringing him back too fast and risking another injury.

[Michael]

I cant stand the people out there who say they know what they are talking about, but really dont. If anyone who is criticizing Gruden and the Allen for not upgrading the wideouts, name one free agent who is having a good year. Lets see.... Randy Moss is at the top of this list, and his numbers arnt great. Yeah, Bradys out, but also dont forget Moss said he wanted to stay with the Patriots. Donte Stallworth? He has been injured all year. Bryant Johnson? He has been on, but nothing to write home about. Antionio Bryant? He has prolly been the best free agent pick up of any reciever, other then maybe Musin Muhammad, who NOONE thought could be a Starting wideout anymore. Bernard Berrian? Yeah, he is comming on, but still, hasnt been that great. I know your going to say well, The Vikes had QB issues, well, Garcia got sat down after week 1, and Griese is out now, and were back to Garcia. Think were much better off? Both Garcia and Griese are ok QBs, but neither has great arm strenght. But the thing that really annoys me, HAVE YOU PEOPLE BEEN WATCHING THE GAMES???? Espically durring the Broncos game, they made a point to mention that the Bucs had SERIOUS intrest in Eddy Royal, but the Broncos got him first, and by the time the Bucs choose, Dexter Jackson was the best option.

[Big Pat]

I agree with Michael that the free-agent class was worthless last off-season. Bernard Berrian will save us? Please. He leads the leauge in drops. I'm betting Allen figured that the grass wasn't greener and decided to hold on to capspace for next year - when real WR's will be available. Roy Williams, Houshmandzadeh, etc.

[john]

we need to realize that we will not be that good of a team until we start tossin the ball around. jeff has no arm but he still made big plays last year. maybe when he gets in there he will try to go deep a few times. if nit we will lose bad.

[Sonny]

Joey = unreliable. Why don't we just move on?

[Brandon]

Hey Daniel in TO... you want a deep threat... like Bryant Johnson? "Deep threat" is one word that CAN'T be used to describe "Bryant Johnson". He is a big, physical WR with below average speed...gee, don't we already have two of those now in Clayton and Stovall? Perhaps leave the GM'ing to somebody that actually knows a little about the players.

Sonny, unreliable? Your post is unreliable, Galloway has posted 1000 yard seasons for the past 3 years straight, how reliable do you need to be.

Kalind, you want this and you want that, oh it is so easy! It is so easy to forget that great talent grows on trees. You sound like Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.

Fellas, Dexter Jackson has only played 5 games in his NFL career. It is WAAAAAY too early to call him a bust at this point. Sure, his sliding tactics make him resemble Vince Coleman more than Devin Hester, but it takes time to develop at EVERY position in the NFL. If he breaks just one kick or punt, EVERYBODY will be talking about how good he is or is going to be... that is the life of a returner in the NFL. At the very least, his ball security has been top-notch and his decisions of whether to fair catch, take a touchback or run have been good.