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Tampa Bay’s season-long injury bug found its way to the Buccaneers coaching staff this week with head coach Bruce Arians’ inflamed Achilles.
Arians, 69, appeared with a scooter and walking boot for the press conference after the team’s practice on Wednesday, Dec. 8. He also used a golf cart at practice, Greg Auman of The Athletic noted.
Arians first showed signs of injury when he limped off the field on Sunday, Dec. 5, after a 30-17 win over Atlanta.
“Not very good. I inflamed my Achilles running too much trying to get back in shape and it’s not feeling too good,” Arians told the media on Monday, Dec. 6.
And it’s not just Arians with the injury bug. Bucs assistant defensive line coach Lori Locust had crutches at practice on Wednesday.
Ali Marpet: ‘It Just Proves That We Can Fight Through Adversity’
Bucs guard Ali Marpet, who practiced in limited capacity on Wednesday due to an abdomen injury, drew inspiration from Arians coaching through injury.
“He loves football, and it’s tough to see him in that boot,” left guard Ali Marpet said. “It just proves that we can fight through adversity from the top down, bottom up, throughout the rotation — all hands on deck. It’s really inspirational.”
Marpet recently played his first full game since suffering the abdomen injury against the New York Giants on Nov. 22. He played all of the Bucs’ offensive snaps in his return against Atlanta.
“There’s some injuries you can kind of game and get away with, try and sauce it up a little bit, but I really couldn’t do that with the oblique, so I had to wait until it felt good enough to actually go,” Marpet said.
Marpet was one of several Bucs players impacted by injury at Wednesday’s practice. Nose tackle Vita Vea also had limited participation due to a knee injury.
Defensive lineman Will Gholston didn’t practice while dealing with wrist and knee injuries. Cornerback Jamel Dean sat out amid recovery from a concussion. Safety Jordan Whitehead also didn’t practice due to a calf injury, and center Ryan Jensen also missed due to an ankle injury.
Arians: ‘Got a Hell of a Challenge in Front of Us’
Besides challenges in getting healthy, the Bucs have a Buffalo Bills team coming to Tampa Bay in desperate need of a win on Sunday, Dec. 12.
“Got a hell of a challenge in front of us. They’re a very, very good football team with a great quarterback,” Arians told the media on Wednesday. “So it will take everything we’ve got.”
“They can throw it 40, 50 times and win,” Arians said of Bills quarterback Josh Allen. “He’s just so unique in the way they run the ball with him — backside sets when it’s supposed to be a pass by any other quarterback.”
Allen has 3,216 yards passing, 26 touchdowns, and a 65.7% completion rate. He also has 422 yards rushing and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Bills pose a threat to the Bucs with its speed, Arians said.
“They’ve got great linebackers, good front, good secondary,” Arians said. “This is an extremely well-coached group.”
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