|
|
 |
Anwar Richardson, The Tampa Tribune, published 8 October 2007
The injury to Colts RB Joseph Addai was supposed to help give Tampa Bay an opportunity to pull off a road upset Sunday in Indianapolis. After all, few people have heard of Kenton Keith, a second-year player out of New Mexico State, unless your last name is Keith, you follow the Aggies or you are a member of a Canadian Football League fantasy league.
However, Keith, who starred for Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL, always will be remembered by the Bucs for stepping in and rushing 28 times for 121 yards and two touchdowns, plus grabbing five receptions for 37 yards, in the Colts' victory.
Team stat
Tampa Bay's running game, already missing Cadillac Williams, is obviously struggling. The Bucs rushed 12 times for 17 yards against Indianapolis. RB Earnest Graham had six carries for 11 yards, Jeff Garcia rushed once for 7 yards and Michael Pittman had five carries for minus-1 yard prior to his injury in the second quarter.
By the numbers
0 - Interceptions Garcia has thrown this season
2 - TD catches for Bucs tight end Alex Smith Sunday
3 - Consecutive games Tampa Bay had won prior to Sunday
4 - Third downs converted by Tampa Bay in nine opportunities against the Colts
12 - Tackles by Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks
26 - Yards S Tanard Jackson ran after his interception before a penalty negated the return
52 - Dungy's age after celebrating his birthday Saturday.
Locker room talk
•'Some guys knew they were going to play all week. Some guys found out an hour and a half before the game they were going to play in certain spots and Coach Dungy often talks about that. Certainly don't like to be missing some of your main players, but when it happens the old cliche is true. Other guys have to step up and a lot of guys did that today.' - Manning on the number of second-team players who stepped up because of injuries
•'Those are my brothers as well as my teammates. Michael Pittman is a guy I admire. He never goes down. We are just a little bit unlucky right now.' - Graham on Pittman's injury
•'I don't know. I don't know if the three backs you're talking about are healthy either. We're going to have to either put in a no-man formation or we'll have to certainly address that somehow, someway.' - Jon Gruden when asked if he will need to trade for a running back
•'Every team has injuries. It's part of the league every year. We have to learn how to deal with it.' - Ronde Barber
•'A lot of teams got their butt kicked today. A lot of teams will get their butt kicked next week. If you have shaky confidence, you will have a shaky career.' - Gruden after being asked if the loss could shake his team's confidence
Game notes
Michael Pittman started the game at running back in place of Cadillac Williams, who is now on injured reserve. It was Pittman's 50th start as a Buccaneer since joining the team in 2002.
The extra point blocked by DE Gaines Adams in the second quarter was the first missed PAT by a Buccaneer opponent since Ryan Longwell was wide left on a try at Green Bay on Sept. 25, 2005. The last time the Bucs blocked an extra point was October 12, 1986, when Chris Washington blocked a try by St. Louis Cardinals kicker John Lee .
TE Jerramy Stevens' five-yard catch in the fourth quarter marked his first reception as a Buccaneer. …
TE Alex Smith had two touchdowns in a game for the second time in his career with his pair of three-yard scoring receptions. Smith also scored twice in the first game of his NFL career, at Minnesota on September 11, 2005.
|
|
|
| |
| |
|