In football there is always one thing a team can never seem to escape from, and that is injuries. They are bound to happen at some point in the grueling NFL season. It unavoidable, and there is never really a convenient time for them to make their appearance.
Thus far the Bucs haven’t seen any season ending injuries to key players, but they have seen their share of minor dings and setbacks. The biggest so far is to Donovan Smith (knee) and rookie Vita Vea (leg), but they have seemed to dodge a bullet and should see action soon.
What I have taken away from the injuries that have occurred so far is our depth at certain positions. For example, we might be banged up on the offensive line, but the “fill ins” preformed well on Friday night. One thing I don’t think any fan was expecting. Take Mike Liedtke for instance. He performed remarkably well at the very important left tackle position. Should Donovan Smith be out for an extended period of time, Liedtke should hold it down nicely if he can repeat Friday’s performance.
By game day, versus the Saints, we should have most (if not all) of our key starters ready to go in New Orleans, and that is a luxury some teams won’t have at the start of this year. So Tampa Bay should count its blessings in that regards. In the NFL though, it is a “next man up” mentality when someone goes down, and as a whole Tampa Bay has risen to that occasion in my opinion.
