Buccaneers vs. Panthers: Friday Injury Report
The Friday injury report is out, and it is not a pretty picture for the Buccaneers.
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It’s not easy to be 1-3 in this league, as the Buccaneers are. All of the teams are good and can win on, as they say, “Any Given Sunday”. Our Bucs have seen that already as they fell to the Rams who are a surprising 3-1 heading into week number five.
You know what makes it harder to rebound from a 1-3 record? Having a long injury list, and that is exactly what the Bucs have. It’s essentially a “M*A*S*H” unit, for those of you out there that remember that show and that expression.
As always, we have the injury report for you, and it really isn’t pretty. In fact, there are a couple of new faces on it for the first time this week.
Here’s the Bucs’ list:
| Player | No. | Pos. | Injury | Thursday | Friday |
| Robert Ayers | 91 | DE | Ankle | Limited Participation | Did Not Participate |
| Brent Grimes | 24 | CB | Hamstring | – | Limited Participation |
| Doug Martin | 22 | RB | Hamstring | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Gerald McCoy | 93 | DT | Calf | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Clinton McDonald | 98 | DT | Hamstring | Limited Participation | Did Not Participate |
| Brandon Myers | 82 | TE | Hip | Limited Participation | Limited Participation |
| Cecil Shorts III | 10 | WR | Hamstring | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Charles Sims III | 34 | RB | Knee | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Evan Smtih | 62 | C | Back | – | Limited Participation |
| Noah Spence | 57 | DE | Shoulder | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Luke Stocker | 88 | TE | Ankle | Limited Participation | Limited Participation |
| Keith Tandy | 37 | S | Calf | Did Not Participate | Limited Participation |
As you will notice, Grimes joins the list for the first time with a hamstring problem, and Ayers returned to sitting on the sidelines. There was hope of him coming back on Monday night, we will have to wait and see his status tomorrow. The one upgrade was Tandy, who practiced for the first time this week on Friday. Everyone else was either the same or downgraded.
There are some glimmers of hope in the Panthers’ injury report:
| Player | No. | Pos. | Injury | Thursday | Friday |
| James Bradberry | 24 | CB | Foot | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Vernon Butler | 92 | DT | Ankle | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Thomas Davis | 58 | LB | Hamstring | Did Not Participate | Limited Participation |
| Devin Funchess | 17 | WR | Foot | Limited Participation | Full Participation |
| Ted Ginn, Jr. | 19 | WR | Foot | Limited Participation | Full Participation |
| Charles Johnson | 95 | DE | Quad | Did Not Participate | Limited Participation |
| Ryan Kalil | 67 | C | Knee | Limited Participation | Full Participation |
| Star Lotulelei | 98 | DT | Shoulder | Limited Participation | Full Participation |
| Cam Newton | 1 | QB | Concussion | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Michael Oher | 73 | T | Concussion | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Mike Remmers | 74 | T | Shoulder | Limited Participation | Full Participation |
| Jonathan Stewart | 28 | RB | Hamstring | Did Not Participate | Did Not Participate |
| Mike Tolbert | 35 | RB | Hamstring | Limited Participation | Limited Participation |
Obviously, the biggest name on that list is the quarterback. Newton was still in concussion protocol on Friday, but coach Ron Rivera has not ruled him out for Monday night so far. We will obviously monitor this when the game statuses are released tomorrow. Many of their guys, however, were upgraded, like Lotulelei and Funchess.
Next: Five Bounce Back Candidates for the Bucs
It’s never easy in the NFL, is it?