| | TAMPA, Fla. -- If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers make the
playoffs, they'll have to do it without Trent Dilfer -- a prospect
that wouldn't have fazed fans or even some of his teammates just a
month ago.
|  | | Bucs quarterback Trent Dilfer is swarmed by the Seahawks defense. |
But after helping the resurgent Bucs (7-4) to four consecutive
victories and a share of the NFC Central lead, the loss of the
sixth-year pro to a broken right collarbone could threaten the
team's playoff hopes.
Dilfer, expected to be sidelined four to eight weeks, was
injured Sunday when he was sacked by Seattle's Phillip Daniels
early in the second half of a 16-3 win over the Seahawks.
Rookie Shaun King replaced him, and will likely make his first NFL
start when the Bucs face the Minnesota Vikings (7-4) with first
place in the division at stake next Monday night.
"I'm just excited for the opportunity," King said after the team announced he would probably start ahead of Eric Zeier, who is recovering from a rib injury.
"Shaun's going to do a good job for us," coach Tony Dungy
said, shrugging off the second-round draft pick's inexperience and
how it might affect an offense that's struggled much of the season.
"He's a guy that we have a lot of confidence in," Dungy said.
"And I think more importantly, his teammates have confidence in
him. He's been in some tough spots in his athletic career and he
always seems to manage to do the job. We feel like he can do that."
King led Tulane to its first unbeaten season in 67 years as a
senior and is part of the most heralded class of rookie
quarterbacks to enter the NFL since 1983.
|
Bucs sign Milanovich
|
|
Tampa Bay, in need of help at quarterback because of injuries to Trent Dilfer and Eric Zeier, signed Scott Milanovich to a one-year contract Wednesday.
Milanovich was with the Bucs for three seasons from 1996-98,
appearing in one game three years ago in which he completed two of three
passes for 9 yards against the Detroit Lions. He was selected by
Cleveland in the expansion draft last winter, but the Browns
released him May 24.
The Bucs also worked out Steve Matthews, but coach Tony Dungy said Milanovich's familiarity with Tampa's system was a prime consideration in bringing him back.
To make room for Milanovich, the Bucs waived receiver Yo Murphy. The Minnesota Vikings then claimed Murphy.
|
Five quarterbacks were selected before him, all in the first
round. Still, King insists he wouldn't trade places with any of the
others because he's not in a situation where a team has to rush his
development.
So while Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb, Akili Smith and Cade McNown
have been given an opportunity to play, King's experience was
limited to mop-up duty in preseason games before he completed three
of seven passes for 32 yards and a touchdown against Seattle.
"Watching them wasn't the hard part because none of their teams
was having success," King said of the quarterbacks drafted ahead of him. "I didn't want to sacrifice the team's success
for me to develop. So I was sort of glad that I wasn't in a situation where I was playing and we were losing.
"It shows a lot of wisdom on their part," he said of his coaches, "because as much as I
wanted to play at the beginning of the year, I probably wasn't ready."
Dilfer made 70 consecutive regular-season starts before being
benched for one week after the Bucs got off a disappointing 3-3
start. He regained the job after Zeier injured his ribs in a
loss to Detroit, and has helped Tampa Bay win four straight to grab
a share of the NFC Central lead with the Vikings and Lions.
Fans grumbled about Dilfer's inconsistency early in the season,
and some teammates conceded that the quarterback's poor play was
threatening to drive a wedge between the offense and one of the
NFL's top defenses.
In victories over New Orleans, Kansas City, Atlanta and the
Seahawks, Dilfer redeemed himself while throwing for five
touchdowns against two interceptions. In Tampa Bay's first six
games, he had six TD passes and nine interceptions.
"I thought, especially the last four games, that he played
well," Dungy said. "The first part of the year, we weren't in sync.
"He did some good things, and led some good drives, but as a
whole we weren't where we needed to be offensively."
Dungy said he hasn't given up on the idea that Dilfer could
return before the end of the season. But it seems doubtful.
"He's definitely going to be out four weeks, could possibly
play in six and that's kind of what we have to look at. ... I know
Trent wants to keep that hope alive that he'll be back," Dungy said.
Eventually, the Bucs will face another important decision on
Dilfer. The team has to determine this winter whether to exercise a
$4 million option to keep him from becoming a free agent -- a
decision that appeared to be an easy choice until the last four weeks.
While Dungy and general manager Rich McKay said it would be
premature to speculate, Dilfer made it clear he hopes he hasn't
played his last game in a Bucs uniform.
"I hope I'm here for the rest of my career," Dilfer said.
"But those are things I can't control right now.
"It's been frustrating, but we're 7-4 and in first place and
I'm 7-3 as a starter and ultimately you're judged by wins and
losses. Because of that, I feel like I've done my job."
King, meanwhile, is short on experience but not confidence. One
of the first things his teammates noticed about him in training
camp was his poise.
"The team sort of feeds off the quarterback," King said. "So
if you get rattled, then they get rattled. But if you stay calm and
composed, they tend to do the same thing.
"They see me on a daily basis in practice and see the things
I'm capable of doing. So now they feel a lot more comfortable with me in."
"I'm not worried. This kid's cool," Bucs defensive tackle Warren Sapp said of King. "I like him." | |
ALSO SEE
Punchless in Seattle: Bucs defense smothers Seahawks
Week 12 wrap-ups
Week 12 infirmary report
TJ's Take: Jags back on offensive
PrimeTime Players
Week 12 stats leaders
Training Room: Collarbone injuries
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Trent Dilfer talks about his injury.
wav: 102 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
 |
