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Bucs Place Phillips On Injured Reserve

Tampa Bay safety Jermaine Phillips sustained a broke thumb vs. Buffalo on Sunday (Cliff Welch)

Tampa Bay safety Jermaine Phillips sustained a broke thumb vs. Buffalo on Sunday (Cliff Welch)

The Buccaneers placed starting safety Jermaine Phillips on injured reserve Tuesday. Phillips sustained a broke thumb in a 33-20 loss to the Bills Sunday. With Tanard Jackson still serving his four-game suspension, Bucs backup S Will Allen will fill in for Phillips. The Bucs also released safety Steve Cargile.



 
After learning starting safety Jermaine Phillips sustained a broke thumb in Tampa Bay's 33-20 loss to Buffalo Sunday, the Buccaneers' worst fear came to fruition Tuesday when the team placed Phillips on injured reserve, ending his 2009 season.

In addition to that roster move, the Bucs also released S Steve Cargile, who has had a few stints with the team this year. Those roster moves create two open spots on Tampa Bay's 53-man roster. Those spots are expected to be filled by newly acquired players within the next 24 hours.

Phillips, 30, has had an injury-plagued career since joining the Bucs in 2002. He missed 18 games in his first seven years in the NFL, including several due to forearm fractures.

According to Bucs head coach Raheem Morris, Phillips injured his thumb on the third play of Sunday's game in Buffalo, but continued to play. He is scheduled to undergo surgery this week.

“That injury is more severe than we originally thought,” said Morris. “He has a significant fracture that’s going to require complex surgery to his hand and thumb. That’s tough.”

After starting 72 games at safety, the Bucs moved Phillips to linebacker in defensive coordinator Jim Bates' system this year. However, that experiment was short-lived as the Bucs were forced to move Phillips back to safety when starting FS Tanard Jackson was suspended for the first four games of the ‘09 regular season for violation of the league's substance abuse policy.

Jackson isn't eligible to return to action until Tampa Bay's road contest vs. Philadelphia on Oct. 11. In the meantime, the 0-2 Bucs have two games to play vs. the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, respectively.

With Phillips' season over and Jackson's temporarily on hold, the Bucs will turn to backup S Will Allen, who has started 24 games at safety during his six-year career.

 

Comments

tdesbien31

wtf? he may not be the player he use to be back there, but hes definatlly better than Sabby and Will Allen.... he could at LEAST played the last half of the season....

5:58pm, September 22, 2009

FilmBuc

Sadly - this probably marks Phillips last game ever for the Bucs. Ronde is the last man standing from the '02 championship team.

6:07pm, September 22, 2009

d.schomburg

FilmBuc ---sir you are probably right about that ......sadly

6:39pm, September 22, 2009

nitey47

Well, if it's considered an honor, then Ronde is a good choice. Hate to see Flip go this way as he's aways tried to be a good team player.

6:44pm, September 22, 2009

jongruden

What will we do without his pass coverage ability, so mush for the heir apperant to Brooks

6:45pm, September 22, 2009

d.schomburg

imagine if we could of got Rex Ryan

6:46pm, September 22, 2009

d.schomburg

and 2 more games until T jackson comes back too.... I hate to be negative but this does not look good

6:47pm, September 22, 2009

elder74

Can we please bring Brooks back, at least that way I will feel better about going to the games.

6:53pm, September 22, 2009

djjustfrank

As far as safeties go, we are screwed. Will Allen is straight garbage. We are going to keep getting burned for another 2 weeks. Lets hope Jackson doesn't have any rust and put some fear back into WRs abusing the middle of our field.

7:25pm, September 22, 2009

Horse

On the positive side, I can't wait to find out who they signed for those roster spots.
Go Bucs! Get Better!

7:52pm, September 22, 2009

1bucfanjeff

Bye Flip..it was nice having you around.
He's done as a Buc. Surprised they let cargile go, with flip injury.

7:56pm, September 22, 2009

JDouble

Wow....really? I've seen guys play with a lot worse than a broken thumb. Put a cast club on there you wuss. Go ahead and start Freeman...this season is toast.

8:17pm, September 22, 2009

JDouble

I'm not trying to be one of the negative fans on here that can tell the future, but we are done. Our secondary is horrible. Now, even when we get Jackson back we have NO depth whatsoever and we will be losing Talib to a suspension eventually.

On top of that Gaines Adams has come out and shown everyone that he is indeed a bust. That may seem harsh after just two games, but he knows this has to be the year and he just isn't doing it.

Our Linebacker corp is decent, and could still possibly evolve into a great bunch...but that's about all we have going for us on defense. Really sad.

It's crazy to me that our headcoach is a specialist in defensive secondary and yet that is our weakest spot. Hope Rheem can keep these guys motivated and playing hard all year. It's going to be a tall order facing defeat after defeat. With better play calling I think our offense can keep us in most games, but in the end our defense can't stop anyone. Hope we get a solid DT in the first next year, and go ALL defense with the rest of out picks.

8:26pm, September 22, 2009

vegas

@JDouble - Gruden was an offensive coach and that was our biggest weakness as well. I guess that's how the Bucs roll, with the head coach strengths being the team's weaknesses.

Man, I really the Bucs had done the smart thing and drafted defense!

8:40pm, September 22, 2009

jcostello

Dude needs to drink some milk for strong healthy bones...didn't grandma teach him that

8:40pm, September 22, 2009

IdahoBuc

Philips may have had more talent but these last two games have not been his best. After a bad first game he started off the first D play of the game by wiffing an open field shot at TO. That pissed me off. Allen may not have the top side but I think he can do better than what we've seen in the last two games.

8:44pm, September 22, 2009

david17

Man that's sucks! I'm not going to question anybodys man hood here but I recall many players in NFL history playing with broken hands and thumbs! They put a cast on and still continue to knock wrs heads off. Ronnie Lott actually removed a finger so his season wouldn't be lost. Phillips must have broken ever bone in that thumb? With no pass rush and now one less Safety opposing Qbs are going to treat us like going to the playground with your boys and the only play you run is go deep..."ill find ya" lol. After all the things our team has gone through I still love the Bucs! I still look forward to watching these guys play despite the record or inconsistant play. I'm a true fan and ill always be. I just want our boys to give effort and never give up. One last thing before I go, we are ranked 31rst on D! Somebody has to man up and get to the QB. If were not going to win a lot of games because of "rebuild mode" that's one thing but. Come on man you can't week after week get beat up! Man up Gaines, Talib, Hovan, Styles G, Sabby, Will Allen, and Let's play some damn Buc ball! Go Bucs!!!

8:54pm, September 22, 2009

sunrisejeff

I'm with ya J Dub not looking good at all....one thing all of the "positive" people on here have wanted to see is some progress and signs of good things to come in the future which we have seen some bright spots on offense however the holes in defense easily overshadow them. Makes you wonder which way they will think about going in the draft next year as well....do they take a DT or one of the stud Safties...berry or mays...that will be coming out? I'm sure not jumping ship though still a loooongg season ahead of us and who knows what may develop. I do think if we enter the bye week with 1 or even 0 wins that Freeman should get the remaining starts to see what we have in the kid. Either way I know this Sunday I will be sitting in my FAV bar smack dab in the middle of about 30 Giant fans getting some shit talk...but who cares Bucs are MY team so I can take my lumps :)

10:19pm, September 22, 2009

King207

You girls are all being a little over dramatic tonight.

You are sayig that there is a bar in Tampa that has 30 Giants fans in it? Reallly? NOT.

As far as Flip being out, he is a guy who has rarely made it through an entire season healthy in his career. His playing to start this season has't been all that well either.. I don't see him being gone for this year being as big of a hit as if we had lost another secondary starter for the year (which he isn't a starter is he?).

10:34pm, September 22, 2009

cremdonado

Not to be a jerk,but another weak brick has crumbled...Phillips inability to remain healthy has cost enough,unfortunately we must move on..That being said...
I am excited to see whom the Bucs find to sign..Hopefully there are a few hidden gems riding around the leagues practice squads..One can only hope..
We are going to need a veteran WR sooner than later-I believe we have the second coming of the white tiger in Bryant...The guy was unhappy he didnt receive a huge contract-dont be fooled,this might just be the easiest way out for him...I dont think we should expect much from Bryant,his past issues kept him out of the game before and guys dont change over night..This might be a "pout and sit out" situation with the knee..Either way,he has exposed his weaknesses,we need to begin to get ready for a team without him on the roster..The weak links are starting to show themselves..Adams.Phillips.Bryant..All guys we had high hopes for coming into this season-all have been a let down..Sabby blew it against Dallas,but had a decent showiing against the Bills-THIS is the turn around we need from guys to carry this team forward...Guys will be lost along the way but we must move on..

See you later Phillips,thanks for the time..


So when do we find out about the 2 NEWEST Bucs-Im ready to move along !!!

11:06pm, September 22, 2009

cremdonado

"Bucs WR Antonio Bryant is unsure when he will play again because of a knee injury. Bryant, who missed Sunday's loss at Buffalo, has a bone bruise. Doctors have no prognosis for when he will be able to play, Bryant said. The injury is unrelated to the preseason surgery he had to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. "I'm trying to put myself in a position where I don't have to be on and off it during the week," Bryant said. "We'll definitely let it heal completely. It's not necessarily anything with the surgery.

Doent that leave the situation open ended??Doesnt seem to me like these are the words of a guy dying to play does it?Smells funny to me...Kinda like tiger pee...White Tiger pee..


Throw his ass on IR and move on-let him spend the season nursing his bone bruise back to complete health-at home !!He doent want to get up,dont make him-sign another receiver..

11:13pm, September 22, 2009

sunrisejeff

Not being dramatic at all King...just as depleted as our secondary is atm this does hurt. And trust me bro I wish I was lying about the New York Fans...I live about an hour north of Tampa and they are everywhere up here......though the Jets fans are much more annoying.....really need to spell your damn team name every time you do anything??? lol! Like I said though I'm not giving up on the season yet...way to early for that!

11:52pm, September 22, 2009

JDouble

I'll tell you what I think. I think if we were a super bowl contending team, Phlip puts on a cast and deals with it. However, he sees just like we all do that our defense sucks and the secondary is going to get torched all year. He doesn't want to be a part of it and face the embarassment so he took this thumb injury as a way out. Later. Never a fan of Phlip anyways. He won't be back next year. Don't need that type of guy on our team anyways.

1:30am, September 23, 2009

JDouble

You think guys like Sapp, Lynch, or Alstott would go on IR over a broken finger? Gimme a break.

1:32am, September 23, 2009

amnion

Why are we acting so surprised. The season didn't look good from the beginning. We all knew that. Jermain PHillips's career was in jeopardy the minute they tried him at linebacker. We knew that too. Gaines Adams was a bust coming in to this season..he especially showed that in preseason. We knew that too.

So we may as well strap up and brace ourselves. All the die hard fans will be cheering all the way through while the bandwagoneers will fall off and and load up on someone elses team.

I hope Josh Freeman stays on the bench the entire year. Leftwich is doing a pretty decent job out there. I love what the offense is doing. People aren't giving Lefty the credit he deserves. The guys comes in here...takes all the criticism....loses reps over the offseason and preseason.....and plays good enough to be the number seven quarterback in the league right now.

Oh yea....I believe there is more to the Jermaine Phillips saga than meets the eye. You're not going to tell me he couldn't play because of a thumb. I believe they were done with him to began with.....this just made a better excuse.

1:39am, September 23, 2009

mjmoody

Thank You amnion. I cringe and am dumbfounded everytime I read a, "we should start Josh Freeman now" post. I do not understand what would be accomplished by putting a rookie QB behind an Offense that has not jelled as a unit. Is it to punish the Defense in the same manner Gradkowski did. There is a reason they weren't in the top ten that year. I liked the analogy from an earlier post about another crumbling brick. I am seeing exactly what I expected to see, and some of it is very possitive. I don't taste Kool-aid or crow, and I do not have a Giants jersey in the mail. Go Rah, Go Ollie, Go Bucs.

5:39am, September 23, 2009

rayehnle

If Brooks comes back the Bucs should put Doug Williams in at Quarterback. He would be a major upgrade on Leftwich. Bring in some little people who can run around and run into each other . Find a replacement for Adams sooner rather than later. Sounds like a plan to me.

5:59am, September 23, 2009

scubog

Sadly this probably ends Flip's career with the Bucs. While he never fulfilled the promise of replacing legendary John Lynch, he proved to be a pretty good 5th round pick who just couldn't keep from breaking bones (his or opponents) with his style of play.

My daughter and husband were out to dinner several years ago and were surprised when the waiter told them their dinner had been already paid by another patron who thought they looked like a nice young couple. The benefactor was Jermaine Phillips.

It's hard to imagine a position getting hit harder than the safeties due to T-Jack's suspension and the team's failure to find adequate depth. That's why this team is re-building.

6:09am, September 23, 2009

1bucfanjeff

Will Allen will do fine. He can be a little injury prone too, but he understands the Safety position. All is not lost without flip. Allen just needs to hold up for 2 games until TJax returns.
Incidentally, without a pass rush it doesn't matter who's back their anyway - all pros or rookies - they'll get beat. We HAVE to get pressure on the QB. The Bills game reminded me too much of Kiffin's Tampa 2, sitting back - and they kind of had to some with the no huddle - but I want to see the aggressive blitzing Bates can draw up.

9:06am, September 23, 2009

PoundThatRock

Will Allen is not that bad. He'll be fine. This defense will slowely get better as the year progresses.

I really liked Flip. Personally I'm gonna miss him and it's another spot we have to fill next year. However, if you really look at his play this year, he's been fairly bad.

Any honestly, until we get a pass rush it doesn't matter who's back there.

9:37am, September 23, 2009

austin1211

All you haters out there, listen up. If your a 'true' bucs fan then pull it together and have some faith in our boys. Yeah they're playing like crap right now, and the last couple sundays have been difficult to say the least, but c'mon man..giants started 0-2 couple years ago, but finished the season pretty darn good. don't have that high of expectations but I honestly think that this start to the season will really help bring out the best of our players. And we DO HAVE A LOT OF TALENT on our team, they just need to pull it together and start playing buc ball. True fans always stand tall and back their team, even in a time like this. So to all you out their that want to jump off, do it...but when you decided to get back on, don't...your not welcomed!!

10:50am, September 23, 2009

tummler1

o too think this is fishy, IR for a broken thumb that will be healed in 6 weeks?.....hmmmm

10:51am, September 23, 2009

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