Week 5

Midway throught the second quarter

Hightower blasts Jameis on a sack and he had to helped off the field.

8 weeks the docs said. 

The Bucs continued to get destroyed by the Pats but the big picture got a little murky. Sitting at 3-2 and losing the captain? It didn't look good. The coaching staff opted to go with Griffin and things have been far from smooth. Both Ryans have experienced quick hooks and a much different offense than what Tampa would like to run. Yet somehow they have managed to survive the injury. Sitting at 7-3, the Bucs are a game away from having Jameis back for the stretch run and the owner Sammy33 couldn't be any happier:

"We had a number in our head and that's what we were optimistically hoping to hit. We have surpassed our hope and still are hanging around in this NFC playoff chase. Not having him has made the entire offense look different and evolve not only game to game, but series to series. The big thing that has carried us through the first five was that everyone took it upon themselves to do more. The defense got more splash plays, special teams added a few scores and vastly swung field position, Sims had big runs, Evans converted critical hird downs, etc, etc. Everyone is doing a little more. We'll take the bye week to really rest and getaway from football for a bit. After the Falcons game we'll have five let with our captain and *knocks on wood* a healthy offense for the first time all season. It could not come at a better time. Rest for now and we'll be ready for Atlanta in a few days."

After surviving multiple injuries throughout the first quarter of the season, the Bucs offense was happy to have the group healthy heading into a TNF game with the Pats. Unfortunately, the same curse that the Bucs have had under Owner sammy33 continued: a blowout loss. This particular one would be more costly than most though. Marpet and Evan Smith were lost for the game but are expected to return to action next week. The captain of the offense though was the big loss. An early sack led to a broken collarbone and will sideline Winston for half the season. The locker room was pretty somber after the game and the media was not allowed to speak with the players or coaching staff. The owner though, did take some time to address the media:

"Obviously this is a huge loss. He's the future of our franchise and will be here for the long haul. Definitely a devastating blow that is going to be tough to overcome. Injuries have prevented this offense from really getting a chance to gel so far as it has always been one guy here or there. I can count on one hand the about of plays the offense has had with the original 11 on the field in 5 games! The season is not lost though. I'm not allowing this group to make any excuses. Jameis will be back and it's up to them to hold the fort down until he returns. I've talked with Dirk and he has already let me know that Griffin will start in his absence. The motto is still the same: NEXT MAN UP! Griffin can be successful if everyone does their job. It isn't his job to make up the difference. The onus is on everyone to do a little more."

The Bucs will travel to Arizona to start life without Jameis. He is expected to miss six games thanks to a bye week.