Pewter Report.com is reporting that the Buccaneers will place CB Torrie Cox on the IR this morning.  This has not been confirmed through any team spokesman or on the teams website as of this posting.  Cox will be the 12th player placed on the IR through 8 games this season. 

RAIDERS HOLDING RHODES FOR SPITE?

We recently reported that the Oakland Raiders are thinking about dumping running back Dominic Rhodes. Both Jay Glazer of FOX and Chris Mortensen of ESPN are reporting that the Raiders are hesitating simply because they want to keep a couple of former coaches from grabbing him.
Specifically, owner Al Davis doesn’t want Jon Gruden of the Bucs or Mike Shanahan of the Broncos to reel in Rhodes.
Per Mort, the Raiders have been trying to figure out whether someone with waiver priority higher than the Bucs or the Broncos would make a claim for Rhodes’ contract, [...]

Injuries

Bucs

Michael Clayton and Alex Smith are both doubtful and will not play

Patrick Chukwarah is questionable

Jags

Maurice Jones Drew is questionable and has not practiced in 3 days

Reggie Hayward and Brian Williams are questionable

2 KEY MATCHUPS

1. Ike Hilliard vs Rashean Mathis

I would have to believe that with Brian Williams out, that the Jags will be forced to use Rashean Mathis on Ike. He has become our most reliable short yardage receiver, and Garcia trusts him and looks his way often. He would seemingly be a better guy to cover Galloway, but with our lack of attempting plays down the [...]

QB David Garrard, DE Reggie Hayward, DT Marcus Stroud, and CB Brian Williams all sat out of practice on Thursday for the Jags.

RB Michael Pittman, WR Michael Clayton, TE Alex Smith were out of practice on Thursday with CB Brian Kelly and DE/LB Patrick Chukwarah limited in practice.

This is an important game for each team, albeit a non divisional one, the Bucs are looking to avoid moving to .500 and the Jags are looking to avoid being where were at 4-3. For a game that has little divisional implications, it is a must win for both teams as [...]

”Well, there’s a lot to be encouraged by. Earnest Graham had close to 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in his second career start. Jeff Garcia, I don’t know if he was 20-for-20 at halftime or close to it. It’s hard to imagine him playing much better. He did some great things.
(On if there is frustration involved with losing players to injury every week):
”It’s frustrating. It’s not baseball. It’s not Major League Baseball. You can’t make a trade and just put a guy in your lineup and say, ‘Hey, go play right field and hit fourth.’ No disrespect to [...]

While Ford Field is absolutely gorgeous, a true marvel of modern architecture in regards to stadium construction, it did not feel footballish. While that might not make any sense to those who don’t regularly attend home games, there is an aura about being in a football stadium, and even Lions fans who were talking to us, admitted as much.
How in gods’ name do you lose a game that you outgain an opponent by 150 yards, and had the ball for over 10 minutes more than your opposition.
It appeared like our defense was giving up horribly timed runs.
Ernest Graham was [...]

Michael Bennett hasn’t even been in town for half a week, yet the Bucs‘ new running back is already a walking soundbite. When asked about how his studying of the Bucs’ playbook was coming, here is what he said:
How fast the Bucs can incorporate Bennett into their game plan against the Detroit Lions is uncertain. Gruden’s offense, with the voluminous terminology and multitude of shifts and formations, is hard for most to grasp.
“I mean, it’s like me trying to learn Chinese in 48 hours,” Bennett said. “It’s not going to happen. But that’s why we have the [...]

I will be attending my first Bucs away game ever this Sunday at Ford Field in Detroit.  Needless to say I’m a wee bit ecstatic.  We will post up all the pics we take on Sunday, as long as I don’t die.