Double opening at WR, returner

Mark Jones is outfor the season, leaving the Bucs even thinner at receiver.

By Dave Scheiber, Times Staff Writer
Published October 23, 2007

As a brawl breaks out behind them, Bucs quarterback Jeff Garcia checks on receiver Michael Clayton during the first quarterof Sunday's game against the Lions. If Clayton is out, the Bucs will be down to three healthy receivers.
	[James Borchuck | Times]

ADVERTISEMENT [James Borchuck | Times] Bucs kick returner Mark Jones tore his left patellar tendon.

TAMPA - The latest casualty for the banged-up Bucs is kick returner Mark Jones, whose knee injury Sunday in the 23-16 loss to Detroit will end his season, coach Jon Gruden said Monday.

Coupled with the ankle injury to Michael Clayton, and with Paris Warren having been lost for the year in the preseason finale, the wide receiver corps is down to the threesome of Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard and Maurice Stovall.

Clayton had an MRI exam on Monday, but the results are not expected to be made public until today.

Meanwhile, Gruden acknowledged that the team will scour the waiver wire for help in the pass-catching department.

"We have a couple of guys that we'll look at, I'm sure," he said.

The Bucs have three receivers they could sign from their practice squad - Taye Biddle, Chad Lucas and Micheal Spurlock. Chas Gessner, who spent the past two training camps with the Bucs, was recently released from the practice squad.

And Gruden will look at potential replacements for Jones, who was averaging 28.6 yards on kick returns, with a long of 36, and 11.9 on punts, with a long of 35.

Jones, placed on injured reserve, suffered a left patellar tendon injury similar to the one that ended tailback Cadillac Williams' season Sept.30 at Carolina, Gruden said.

"It's unfortunate," Gruden said. "He was one of the top return specialists in football. ... Somebody will have to pick up the slack in the punt return and kickoff returns."

Possible candidates would be Galloway, Hilliard or cornerback Phillip Buchanon - and even newly acquired tailback Michael Bennett.

"I do know this," Gruden said. "When we get somebody back there, I would hope that we can continue to do the things Mark Jones did, because he's going to be a big loss for us."

Bennett carried three times for 22 yards, including an 18-yard burst that nearly went for a touchdown, against Detroit.

"We liked him," Gruden said. "Obviously he got into a situation on short notice. I don't even think he knows most of his coaches or teammates by name or number yet. But he got in and got three carries and was in on a couple of play-action passes. He's a guy who I think has kickoff return capabilities. ... We'd like to expand his role. Clearly he's a guy with some speed and he's a great guy and a good learner, and hopefully we can get him out there more."

Gruden was particularly complimentary of tailback Earnest Graham (19 carries for 92 yards and a team record-tying 13 catches for 99 yards in his second pro start), and quarterback Jeff Garcia, who completed 37 of 45 passes - including a team record-tying 18 straight in the first half - for 316 yards and two touchdowns, though he lost a costly fumble at the Lions 1.

"It's hard to imagine (Garcia) playing much better," Gruden said. "He did some great things. Obviously losing Clayton on the second play of the game didn't help. Hopefully we can get a full supporting cast healthy and ready to go for the second half of the season."

Gruden's assessment nearing the halfway mark, with the team at 4-3: "We like our team. We're disappointed in the outcome of the game (Sunday). Four of our first seven games have been played on the road. We'd have liked to have won the ball game (Sunday). I would like to have more wins than four.

"But we're right in the thick of this thing. We have to roll our fists up and fight right now."

Times staff writer Rick Stroud contributed to this report.

[Last modified October 22, 2007, 21:55:13]