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Daniels, Young hurt as camp breaks

By ROGER MILLS, ERNEST HOOPER, RICK STROUD

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 15, 2000

TAMPA -- The Bucs were looking to conclude training camp Monday night on a high note, but that wasn't the case for rookie receiver Chris Daniels and fourth-year cornerback Floyd Young.

Daniels, a Clearwater High grad, dislocated his right shoulder during nine-on-seven drills after colliding with Brian Kelly. He's out for Sunday's game at New England and could miss at least the rest of the preseason.

Young is questionable for Sunday's game with a right ankle sprain. He is the seventh defensive back injured since camp opened.

Defensive end John McLaughlin, who did not attend either practice Monday, has been in St. Joseph's Hospital since Wednesday receiving antibiotics for a right knee infection. McLaughlin is expected to be released this morning and should rejoin the team Wednesday when it resumes practice.

ON THE MOVE: Today they pack up the shoulder pads, tackling dummies and crow's nest video cameras and ship the whole kit and caboodle to One Buc Place.

Coach Tony Dungy said he was pleased overall with camp.

"I think we've gotten a lot of things done," Dungy said. "We'll get back to One Buc now and get some work done on New England ... try to fine-tune our game and get ready to go."

"But I always shed a little tear when we leave camp. When you see the old shows, classic sports and things like that, this is what it reminds me off, summers, training camps, no air conditioning and things like that. Back to the way football used to be. I guess I'm just old school."

SHEVIN'S WORKLOAD: With Dexter Jackson out for a few weeks with a severe right ankle sprain and Damien Robinson recovering from a left hamstring strain, reserve safety Shevin Smith could be in for a long afternoon Sunday.

"When you're a football player, you don't worry about the number of reps you're going to get," said Smith, who will start alongside John Lynch. "I'm not complaining. I want to be out there all night long."

With Lynch also nursing bruised ribs and sixth-round draft pick David Gibson suffering from a thigh bruise, Smith is likely to see considerable time playing with free agents Jeff Popovich and Ashley Cooper.

"He'll get a lot of work this week," Dungy said. "Shevin has played a lot for us in the past and we have confidence in all those guys that they will go in and execute and play well. He'll be fine and ready to go."

The rash of injuries is particularly helpful to Popovich, who will get increased chances to show coaches what he can do. A long shot for the final roster, Popovich could play a lot the next two games.

"When you get to play, you get to show what you can do and I always joke about (former Yankee) Wally Pipp having that headache and going out of the second game of that doubleheader and then 2,130 games later not getting back in the lineup," Dungy said. "Injuries are part of the game and usually when one guy has misfortune, someone else can step up and take advantage of that and Jeff's done that he's played pretty well."

MAKING CHANGES: After having an outstanding rookie season, kicker Martin Gramatica got the preseason off to a bad start with two misses in the opener against the Redskins. He didn't have a field-goal attempt in the Dolphins game but Gramatica has made an adjustment.

"I felt like I wasn't hitting the ball the way I should," Gramatica said. "So we looked at film, coach (Joe) Marciano and I, and I guess we corrected a couple of things and I feel like I'm kicking a lot better now.

"I have to push off my plant foot more, I wasn't doing it. I was digging in and I have to use my whole right leg and not my whole body. I guess, it's like when a golfer gets in slump, that's what I was in. I feel like I have gotten out of it."

Gramatica said he is in no rush to have multiple opportunities to work his new form. He would rather just kick extra points.

"We do enough in practice to get my leg in shape, if I get in a game, great, but if not, fine," he said. "I would prefer touchdowns. I only want to kick extra points."

ALSTOTT RETURNS: Running back Mike Alstott returned to practiced and did more than originally scheduled. At one point, he carried on three straight snaps in 11-on-11 drills.

"I looked a little sluggish, I looked a little fatigued,." Alstott said. "Obviously, my breathing is not there because my game shape is not there, but as far as my hamstring, it held up and functioned. I felt really good."

Alstott did not practice in the night session and the players are off today. Dungy said the goal is slowly to ease Alstott back into everyday action.

"He'll get another 36 hours off and we'll see how he is on Wednesday," Dungy said. "But we don't want to bring him back too fast. If he does play in the game, we'll probably have a certain amount of plays that he will play so we don't get him fatigued."

INJURY REPORT: Tackles Jason Odom (lower back) and George Hegamin (knee sprain), running back Aaron Stecker (shoulder sprain), defensive end John McLaughlin (knee infection) and tight end Patrick Hape (right foot) did not practice Monday. Others nursing injuries include defensive tackle James Cannida (shoulder sprain), defensive end Mawuko Tugbenyoh (left ankle sprain), defensive tackle Anthony McFarland (shoulder sprain), Cooper (patellar tendon) and tight end James Whalen (right hamstring) are probable for Sunday.

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