Bucs' Warren is out, but not down

The receiver focuses on positives and says he'll be back from a season-ending ankle injury.

By STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published September 4, 2007

Bucs receiver Paris Warren knew something felt wrong with his left ankle after catching the game-winning touchdown in the final preseason game against the Texans. His broken left ankle leaves him out for the season. "When I turned over, I saw how it looked and I just said ... 'Well, I guess that's it for me.'"
	[Times photo: Brendan Fitterer]

BY STEPHEN F. HOLDER

Times Staff Writer

TAMPA - Paris Warren knew right away something didn't feel right. So, as soon as the Bucs receiver finished cradling the football after diving into the end zone, he rolled over to tend to his throbbing left ankle.

Not only did it not feel right, but the gruesomely twisted joint, which left his foot facing away from his body in one of the more stomach-turning injuries you'll see, didn't lookright, either.

A tackler "pushed my heel to the left and my momentum was already going that way," Warren said from a place he is spending a lot of time nowadays, his sofa.

"When I turned over, I saw how it looked and I just said ... 'Well, I guess that's it for me.'"

The play, which proved to be the winning touchdown, happened in the closing minutes of Tampa Bay's final preseason game Thursday against Houston. It was Warren's most memorable game as a pro. The 24-year-old finished with seven catches for 110 yards, both game highs, making a compelling case to make the final roster.

It was a crushing blow to learn he had a dislocated ankle and sustained ligament damage, too. But Warren's perspective is still intact.

"It's six to eight weeks before you can do anything, really," he said. "But I'm not tripping. I can't hang my head. Some people would give up a body part to be in the NFL. I still feel lucky.

Seems the injury was more an issue for everyone else.

"My teammates were more bothered by it than I was," Warren said. "They were turning their heads. A lot of guys were sitting there like they were in shock. Everybody's different. I'm just laid back."

A lasting image from the incident - outside of Warren's mangled ankle - was that reaction from teammates. Warren was touched by the show of encouragement that included nearly the whole team encircling him as paramedics tended to him in the south end zone.

One of the first to make contact with Warren was quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who had thrown the pass. He initially ran over to congratulate Warren. Then Gradkowski noticed the ankle.

"He was so calm. He was just pointing to it," Gradkowski said. "I told him, 'Just don't look.'"

Gradkowski tried to lighten the mood with a few jokes, which actually produced a laugh from Warren.

"Just trying to get his mind off it," Gradkowski said.

What's foremost on Warren's mind now is making it back. He said he was relieved it was his ankle and not his knee that was injured. "My knee would have been bad news," he said.

Warren thinks he can return to full strength and speed, at which time he wants to move on to the next phase of his career.

He'll spend all of 2007 on injured reserve, but Warren believes he opened eyes in the preseason. He led the Bucs in receiving with 15 receptions for 191 yards and four touchdowns. While Warren won't say he felt assured of a spot on Tampa Bay's final roster, he is confident he made enough of an impact to find meaningful work somewhere in the league after playing in just eight games in two seasons.

"I had a good feeling that I would have been playing somewhere," he said. "People asked me if I felt threatened about making the roster. I didn't. The good thing about preseason is that it's not just the Bucs watching. Everyone is watching."

His hope is that people across the league will be watching him play again soon.

"I'm going to be back, and I'm going to come back even better than I was," Warren said. "I really feel that."

Stephen F. Holder can be reached at 813 226-3377 or sholder@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 3, 2007, 23:45:26]