By Tom Krasniqi

 

The 6-4 Bucs were back on the practice field on Wednesday as they get ready for Sunday’s huge game against the 9-1 Falcons at Raymond James Stadium.  It’s the first meeting of the season between the NFC South rivals.

Here’s the Bucs injury report:  CB Eric Wright (Achilles), S Ahmad Black (illness), WR Arrelious Benn (shoulder) and S Cody Grimm (hamstring) did not practice on Wednesday.  DE Michael Bennett (shoulder) was limited.  DE Aaron Morgan (shoulder) and WR Tiquan Underwood (head) practiced fully.

Notable injuries for the Falcons: WR Julio Jones (ankle), DT Peria Jerry (quad) and CB Asante Samuel (shoulder) did not practice on Wednesday.  LB Sean Weatherspoon (ankle), DE John Abraham (back), DT Jonathan Babineaux (neck), K Matt Bryant (back) and RB Michael Turner (groin) were all limited.  QB Matt Ryan (finger) was a full participant. 

News & Notes:

  • During a conference call with the Tampa media, Falcons QB Matt Ryan gushed about Bucs DE Michael Bennett.  Ryan says Bennett has been “awesome” against both the run and the pass and also called Bennett “relentless”.
  • The Bucs are the 2nd highest scoring team in the league over the last four weeks.  That’s catching the attention of Falcons head coach Mike Smith, who says the Bucs have a “very potent offense”.  Smith says Bucs QB Josh Freeman is playing at a “Pro Bowl level”.
  • Bucs RG Jamon Meredith did practice fully today and is a man a few words when it comes to his ankle injury from last week.  I asked him how it was feeling, he replied: “It’s feeling fine.  Appreciate you for asking”.
  • Bucs rookie safety Mark Barron was asked to assess himself after 10 games: “I feel like I’ve been OK.  Made some mistakes but I feel like I’ve been OK so far”.
  • Good news for the Bucs pass rush. DE Da’Quan Bowers is feeling like he’s back: “I’m back to being 100%.  I haven’t had any issues with my leg or anything”.  Bowers picked up his 2nd sack of the season last week against Carolina.
  • The Bucs have until 1pm Thursday to sell 7,400 tickets in order to avoid the blackout.
  • Catch the Bucs-Falcons game this Sunday on 620 WDAE, your home of the Bucs.  Our pre-game coverage begins at 9am.