TAMPA - With Edell Shepherd now on the injured reserve list and out for the season, the Bucs receiving corps continues to dwindle.
Keenan McCardell is holding out. Joe Jurevicius is recovering from back surgery. Joey Galloway and Tim Brown are playing limited reps and Charles Lee is slowed by a sore hamstring. But the Bucs expect others like Frank Murphy and Bill Schroeder to take advantage of what likely will be increased reps in the preseason.
"To be a player in this league, year in and year out, you have to succeed when you get opportunities," Schroeder said. "You always tell the younger guys, when somebody goes down, you have to be ready to step in at any moment, at any position. You have to step in and make plays right away."
In the opener against the Bengals, Schroeder and Murphy had good starts combining for five catches and 88 yards.
"As far as I'm concerned, I have forgotten Game 1. I don't know what you're talking about," Murphy said. "I keep it in perspective. It's an opportunity that comes rarely and when it does come you have to take it and grab it. You can't walk into it slowly. I'm walking into it with a full head of steam."
For Murphy, Friday night's game has an added twist. A native of Jacksonville, Murphy is returning to Alltel Stadium with something to prove.
"You know what? I dropped two crucial balls that I was supposed to have caught," Murphy said, referring to a preseason game there two years ago. "They were slants and they stick in my head. We're receivers, we're going to drop balls. But those stick in my head. ... So, I know how it goes. I have to treat this like a whole different game. Going back to Jacksonville is exciting to me, but I can't look at it like it's my home town. I have to go out and give everything I have."
Shepherd, who was having a strong camp and playing himself into consideration, will have to wait until next year to make an impact.
"It's crushing in some ways because I think he's going to be a heck of a football player," coach Jon Gruden said. GRAHAM MAKING WAVES: Last year, running back Earnest Graham had caught Gruden's eye before a left shoulder injury in the preseason ended his hopes of making the team.
But against the Bengals, the former Florida Gator showed that he still knows how to get into the end zone, scoring twice in short yardage situations.
Will it be enough to secure a roster spot?
"He's got to keep doing what he's doing," Gruden said. "He's got to keep catching, keep running well, keep making the right decisions at the right time. I really do (like what I see). ... He makes yards, picks up blitzes, catches passes, plays football. He might not be a first round draft choice but he's a good football player and he's proven that in the games he's been in."
The Bucs have no shortage of backs so Graham must improve his play on special teams.
"That's an area he's got to pick up," Gruden said. HELPING HAND: Defensive end Simeon Rice is hosting a party at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino at 9 p.m. Saturdayand a portion of the proceeds will go to those affected by Hurricane Charley.
"It's unfortunate that it hit so many families and was so destructive," Rice said. "Those who it was supposed to hit, and didn't hit, should feel fortunate. We need to come in and help those who were not."
The event will also launch Rice's new program, "Simeon Sacks Sickle Cell." Rice will donate $1,000 for each sack to the Children's Cancer Center's sickle cell anemia program.
"It is an overlooked illness and it's big in the African American community," Rice said. "It's something that I really wanted to attach myself to."
The function, expected to feature a number of teammates and other professional athletes, is open to the public. Tickets cost $40 in advance and $50 at the door.
INJURY UPDATE: Lee, linebacker Jeff Gooch, right guard Matt Stinchcomb, left guard Kerry Jenkins, defensive end Lamar King and defensive tackle Ellis Wyms returned to practice in limited roles. They likely will be a game day decision. Linebacker Derrick Brooks (left knee) and left tackle Derrick Deese (foot sprain) are likely to miss Friday's game.
