Among many injuries, McFarland's costliest

The Bucs defensive lineman will miss 6-8 weeks with broken arm.

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 29, 2002

TAMPA -- The Bucs will do everything possible to try to end their streak of eight quarters without an offensive touchdown Sunday against Minnesota.

If nothing works, they can throw their crutches at the Vikings.

Though his Bucs are tied with New Orleans for first in the NFC South with a 6-2 record, coach Jon Gruden found it hard to remain upbeat with his team so beat up.

The biggest loss is defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, who will miss 6-8 weeks because of the right forearm he fractured in the first half of Sunday's 12-9 win at Carolina. McFarland might be available for the postseason, if not sooner.

"It's a terrible blow for our football team, a terrible blow for the Buccaneers," Gruden said.

Tampa Bay also lost rookie linebacker Ryan Nece, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee playing on the punt-return team late in the fourth quarter and will miss the remainder of the season.

And don't expect things to get much easier for the offense.

Quarterbacks Brad Johnson (broken ribs/stomach virus) and Rob Johnson (sprained right gluteal muscle) are questionable for Sunday's game.

"We'll get a good read on that in the next 48 hours in terms of Rob Johnson's status and Brad Johnson's," Gruden said. "If neither one of those guys can go, Shaun King will be the starter against Minnesota."

No matter who plays quarterback, he will have some new targets.

Joe Jurevicius, unable to finish Sunday's game after spraining his right ankle, and Keenan McCardell, inactive with a fractured shoulder blade, are "very questionable."

Left guard Kerry Jenkins, playing despite a broken left fibula, fractured his left orbital bone and probably won't play.

Special teams were not immune. In addition to Nece, long-snapper Ryan Benjamin has a hamstring strain but said he expects to play.

Though McFarland was injured in the second quarter, he didn't leave until he was unable to wrap up Panthers quarterback Randy Fasani on a 9-yard scramble in the third.

"It happened midway through the second quarter and I finally figured it out in the third quarter," McFarland said. "By that time, there was nothing I could do.

"I was making a move on the guard and using my arm on a rip move and my arm hit his arm or elbow as I was ripping up. I remember hitting it but didn't think anything of it at the time and continued to play."

With McFarland out, the Bucs will rely on defensive tackles Chartric Darby, Buck Gurley and Ellis Wyms to fill the void.

"He's just having a great season," defensive line coach Rod Marinelli said of McFarland, who has 26 tackles. "He's been a real force inside. He's kind of hit it full speed right now, what we expected him to be. So yeah, that's tough. That's really tough.

"You move right on. I thought Chuck (Darby) came in, after I graded the film, and he played extremely well. Wow. I mean, I was really surprised, he really played well inside on first down and second down for us. And we've got to get Buck ready. Buck is a big, physical man. He had really a great preseason for us. And Ellis has got to be able to help us inside, maybe more passing downs, and still play the left end, too. If you try to coach every man as if he is a starter, he will react that way. I expect them to all react like starters."

The only healthy starter at receiver is Keyshawn Johnson, who had an MRI Monday for a left foot contusion but will play against the Vikings.

"Reggie Barlow and Karl Williams were two guys that played a lot (Sunday)," Gruden said. "Charles Lee is on our football team and is a guy that we might have to lean on to activate and make plays for us. Who knows? We'll see the official status of Keenan McCardell and Joe Jurevicius (today) after one more day of sleeping on those injuries."

"Kerry Jenkins is a major concern. He has had a rough year. He played with a fracture in his leg and now he has a fractured orbital, so it's a very concerning issue. Our receiving corps is beat up right now. We played the game with our third flanker for the most of the second half without Jurevicius and McCardell. So there are issues, we well as your starting quarterback."

Rob Johnson aggravated a sprain after a scramble for a first down on the drive that ended with Martin Gramatica's winning 47-yard field goal. Johnson was replaced on the final offensive play by King, who completed a 6-yard pass to Williams.

For the second straight week, Gruden found himself talking about an offense that failed to score a touchdown.

"We are going to play better and we are going to prove that to you," he said. "All I can do is stand up here in front of Buccaneer fans and promise that we will work hard to get that done. I'm not going to stand up here and defend the offense.

"(The injuries) are very deflating. But at the same time, it is part of football."