Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Joey Galloway's broken foot point of irritation?

Tampa Bay Bucs receiver Joey Galloway missed five weeks with what the Bucs orginally described as a right foot sprain he suffered against the Atlanta Falcons.

For weeks, coach Jon Gruden bemoaned the loss of Galloway, whom he referred to as the 'White Tiger,' for his rare appearance this season. Remember, he missed all of training camp and the preseason with a groin strain.

Now Galloway has come forward to admit that in fact his foot was broken against the Falcons and the club did not want that information public because they wanted other teams to prepare for the speedy receiver.

It's hard to imagine that was much of a competitive edge for the Bucs, but so be it. Now that Galloway is completely healthy, he rarely gets on the playing field. Antonio Bryant has taken Galloway's split end position and Michael Clayton is playing well at flanker. Because the Bucs rarely use three receivers, Galloway is the odd-man out, a tough position for a player who has enjoyed three, 1,000-yard receiving seasons with Tampa Bay.

But the Bucs and Galloway's reluctance to disclose the foot was broken made him appear like a player who didn't have the toughness to play with a foot sprain.

In the past three games, Galloway has four catches for 60 yards and did not have a reception last week against the Vikings.

"I'm sure it is tough on him,'' Gruden said of Galloway's new role. "It's been tough on us. We've had to make a lot of adjustments, not only at running back but in our receiving corps. But he plays the same position that Antonio Bryant plays and he can't deny the fact that Antonio is playing great. Not good, he's playing really outstanding football. They're kind of stacked at the same position. We're trying our best to utilize them both and we'll continue to do that.

"But Mike Clayton is having a solid year. His statistics may not say so, but put the tape on. He's really playing well, as is Ike Hilliard. Joey missed a lot of time late last season, missed a lot of the preseason -- all the preseason - he missed five or six games. We're in the process of doing the best we can to use everybody.''

When asked Thursday if Galloway's injury was more serious than he portrayed, Gruden said, "It was a six-week injury. I don't know how you portray anything. It was a six-week injury. I'll let him answer those questions. All I know is we play Detroit Sunday.''

Then Gruden ended the news conference.

Comments

[CW]

I agree with Gruden. I'd rather see Antonio Bryant starting right now! He is playing great. But, there's got to be a way to work Galloway into the fold. At least give him a shot now that he's healthy.

[Valrico Rick]

Subterfuge! Now I get it! The whole plan is to make the other teams think he doesn't know how to coach a football team! Boy won't they be surprised!!!

[Jay]

I wasn't that impressed with Galloway's performances when he was healthy, or at least playing, so I don't believe he's going to be an asset to the team any longer. Thanks for the memories Joey, but it's time to move on.

[WS]

Valrico Rick- please go away! There is no way someone can dislike Gruden as much as you and still be a TRUE Buc fan! The bucs are 7-3 and all you can do is hate. I hope you were not happy watching tampa hoist the Lombardi, because without JG it would have never happened. I'm understand that Dungy built that team, but he probably could have not put it over top. In indy he had Manning. The Bucs are competitive year in and out under JG. There are not many teams that can claim that. Who are you going to hire better...Cower? Do you know how long it took him to win a SB? I'm sure there were morons like you crying about him for years in Pittsburg too. Start supporting the Bucs fully or get some Giants gear. You are dumb and tiresome. GO AWAY wannabe Buc fan.

[chrisslooter]

ATTENTION STAFF - REMOVE VALRICO RICK.
Valrico Rick, all that you do is insult the Bucs. Are you 12 years old and think that this is cute? Let's let football fans post thier comments, even sometimes negative. All that you do is try to piss people off. Haters like you need to be banned. Go Away!!!!

[Leo In Canada]

The Bucs are in an enviable position with their WR depth. Not that long ago it appeared to be a main concern for many. It would be preferable to see all the WR's show off their individual talents. Don't forget, we are still waiting to see what Jackson can do at that position. Nice to see them lined up on the runway.

[IdahoBUCfan]

Finally, the opportunity to mention that Gruden has won our division every other year since coming here, has more division titles in the past 7 years than all but what, 2 coaches? Won a Superbowl, is in position to win another championship, and once again, does anyone else remember that the knock against Dungy was that he wasn't winning the division, just making the playoffs? How many years, as a franchise, have the BUCs scored more points per game than this year? 1 or 2?
And one of those was likely under Gruden! Valrico rick, you are simply a miserable person, otherwise you would root For a team, Any team, rather than just rooting Against MY team (Not yours)the Tampa Bay BUCS!

[Matt Venis]

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[itch]

What is this? If you do not agree with chrisslooter or WS you are not allowed to be on this blog? Its like the Republican party calling me a RINO because I do not agree with everything they do and say. GROW UP!!!!

In my view please ban chrisslooter, WS, IdahoBUCfan and everyone wlse who wants to gang up on someone who has a counter view to them. Start your own blog called the BUC CUDDLE CLUB and you all can have a sweet little love in.

Now onto the Bucs. Why has Gruden not used Bryant as a deep threat in the absence of Galloway? He has speed, he can run routes extremely well and he would open the field for the rest of the offense. It seems like we are not using his talent to the extent it could really benefit the team. I think he and Clayton have really stepped up and LOVE to see it.

[itch]

Per Caddy, I think he should continue to get his strength, confidence and prowess back in practice. I have not seen him practice, nor do I know how well he has healed. All I know is that he had a career ending injury that any human body will take time to heal to the point of playing at full speed in the NFL. The NFL has a history of pushing players to get back in the game before they are ready, and if he came back and got hurt this season (kind of like Earnest) it would look very bad on the Bucs, Gruden and the NFL. I would like to see Caddy in a Bucs uniform for many years to come. No need to rush his come back.

[itch]

Per Gruden. Yes he has fielded a consistently competitive team and the Bucs are clearly a team to reckon with. But there is plenty of room for people to feel he won the Superbowl based on the defense that Kiffin and Dungy built (and yes the Colts do not have a great defense, but they do not have Kiffin). My biggest knock against Gruden, that I think would make him a better coach and produce a better team, is if he simplified his offensive playbook and ran a broader array of actual plays, not just "looks". We are easy to defend because we in the end run slants over the middle or run up the middle. Since Galloway has been out we rarely run any plays that stretch the field or keeps the defense honest. I think Gruden hurts the team with the complexity of his plays. He tries to present all sorts of shifts and disguises centered around the same set of plays. The complexity limits our ability to bring in new talent when someone gets hurt, and allow them to quickly become a credible threat in the offense. We bring in someone new and they cannot play until they learn a new language and hundreds of subtleties. That hurts us. It also is confusing for many of the players, per statements by the players themselves.

For the sensitive ones on this blog...I am not a Gruden hater. Just someone with an opinion that thinks things could be done better with the objective of seeing the Bucs win. Blind fanhood does not make you a better or more real Buc fan than someone who has a critical perspective on aspects of the team that can clearly improve. DON'T QUESTION MY FANHOOD!

[WS]

Itch- Just because I am sick of Grunden bashers does not mean i am submitting to blind fanhood. People like Valricky Retardo will bash gruden just to bash him. Do I thing john is the best coach that has ever lived and has no flaws? NO! I understand that his playbook can be overly complex, that he has difficulty fostering healthy relationships with players, and that has a problem being completely truthful to fans-media-player. But let's at least give him credit for what he is- a brilliant intense football mind with a fantastic work ethic! There is a reason that he still has his job and is respected among the coaching fraternity! When a guy like VR refers to him 5 times per week as a fry cook it does tick me off and I have a right to question their fanhood! These morons are not putting up valid points such as yours. Do you think fans in Green Bay bash their coaches like some of our fair-weather fans do-no! They are loyal educated fans. There is something to be said for having an undying support for your team. When Leeman Bennett (and Richard Williamson)was our coach I screamed for change. If these brilliant arm chair qbs are going to never let up on Gruden at least tell us who the Glazers should hire that would be better and are worth retooling the whole team for! Last time I checked we were 7-3 and a ton under the salary cap. You don't have to love John to give respect where it is do. By the way Gruden haters, we are probably not going to win the super bowl this year (so you probably will have an opportune moment to trash him), be he does have us on the right course. I will support this team till the end of the season, because that is what TRUE FANS do! GO BUCS!!!!!!!!

p.s. Gruden did built the other 2002 SuperBowl team. Why would we even want to give a little credit for that?

[Aaron Law]

i dont like the new account sign in deal. it takes too long. besides i liked the DR impersonators...

[JD]

The whole Galloway situation is pure Gruden-Allen -- but it is also the way the NFL works. If you can get a competitive advantage, even a minor one, you are least try. That said -- I do appreciate people calling out Valrico Rick.

I am not sure anyone reads pewterreport.com, but here is an interesting article posted this week. http://www.pewterreport.com/articles/view/4895
The bottom line is a thorough review of Garcia's play and squarely points the finger at him. Anyone who reads it can make their own judgement call on its accuracy, but what impressed me was the detailed review of the plays. When people are being critical of Gruden not taking shots downfield, its a bogus one sided view. The article pretty clearly lays out that Gruden HAS been calling shots downfield (and good plays in the red zone) and receivers have been open. The problem is that Jeff "Happy Feet" Garcia doesn't take the shot even when people are open. Instead, he bounces around the pocket risking his life as the play gets covered and melts down. Fortunately, Garcia is creative and sometimes makes things happen. If you want to knock Gruden-Allen it should be for not finding a long-term solution at QB. GO BUCS!!!

[D'ave]

Valrico Rick is really Steve DUImig in drag. Thanks for the update JD. I have always thought the same thing. Garcia is our best QB, but he has a history of always blaming others. Look how many times he drops back in play action and then dumps off to a first level safe receiver. Gruden is doing a good, not great job. Only play I had trouble with last week was 4th and 1 and we hand off to Dunn. Defense is always to fresh in the first quarter to do that. Pass it next time in the first quarter if your going for it on fourth down.

[James]

Galloway will be there to be utilized when needed the most. As will Caddy in the NO, Car and ATL stretch. That's all I care about. I'll take the loss of any player on our team except for our O-line and Jeff Garcia.

[skp]

how about getting galloway AND bryant out there together? they can both run 30-yard streaks, which should give the checkdown man plenty of room once garcia dumps off to him.

[Aaron Law]

i am not Aaron Law.

[Yoshi]

Man this new system sucks. I wrote a whole comment and for some reason it said that the system was having problems. Then it erased the whole thing. This system is BS

[DR]

The Galloway deal saying at was an advantage to say he might play so teams have to game plan against him is stupid. The opposite would be effective saying he won't play and then he does.

[itch]

I would generally agree DR, but it would make them spend some time preparing for something that they would not prepare for if he was not expected to play. I think it is a matter of the options, If Gruden knows he is not going to play then you might as well do something. Certainly not as effective as saying he will not play if he actual would be playng, but tat was not an option. Unless it is just another "shift" and "disguise".

[itch]

MY KEYBOARD SUCKS!