Bruce Arians Discouraged By Antonio Brown’s Ankle
October 27th, 2021
Return unknown.
Well, today Bucs Super Bowl-winning coach Bucco Bruce Arians shed light on furniture-tossing, bicycle-throwing Bucs receiver Antonio Brown’s injured ankle. And Arians’ words were shrouded in darkness.
Now we know Brown has a sprained ankle. And apparently, it is nasty.
Arians was asked if Brown, who was watching practice today using a crutch, would maybe be available by the first game after the bye week, Nov. 14 at Washington.
Arians couldn’t even give a ballpark answer.
“Shoot, that injury? Who knows?” Arians said. Brown’s return “could be then, it could be a long time. He’s still on a crutch.”
Then Arians said it is an ankle injury but the injury doesn’t appear to be an ankle the way Arians described it.
“It’s still considered an ankle sprain but it is around his heel,” Arians said.
Joe was speaking with a hardcore Bucs fan yesterday when Joe was asked for an update on the injured Bucs corners. It was a Tuesday, of course, so there were no official updates.
However, Joe told the fan to monitor any Bucs transactions later that day, if there were any. Promoting or signing a cornerback would be a tell.
Why does Joe bring up a cornerback in a Brown story? Well, last week it was very curious why the Bucs tossed return man Jaydon Mickens off the roster and promoted Jaelon Darden. Mickens was a proven decent return man and Darden — at the time — had not proven a thing.
Now Joe knows why. With Scotty Miller out for who knows how long and Brown in the same boat, the Bucs needed a receiver who potentially could take the top off a defense.
Enter Darden.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:25 pm
Wouldn’t they know if it’s an achilles heel by now? This seems awful shady. FYI, Brady has played only 22 times in a dome 30 counting post season with a 67% win percentage, higher than Manning & Brees.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:28 pm
They have been doing a LOT of the behind the LOS quick routes. would love to see Darden take one of those to the house. Just make sure Gronk is on that side to block!
October 27th, 2021 at 1:32 pm
Yup bring in darden And have him run go routes all game and get those safeties even deeper.
mike , godwin and gronk over the middle
Sounds like a plan
Need some speed out there
October 27th, 2021 at 1:34 pm
Arians said it was an ankle sprain from his heel — it’s all spelled out in the story. There was no mention of “Achilles” and Brown isn’t even wearing a boot.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:34 pm
It doesn’t have to be a tear of the Achilles tendon, if that is what it is, but rather it could be a strain (tendonitis). If that’s the case we probably won’t see Brown until Thanksgiving at the earliest.
I’m still hoping it’s just an ankle sprain.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:36 pm
AB likely wont get eacalators if out for some time so bucs get for even cheaper
Only positive there cause he has been #1 guy so far for brady.
They may single mike and double godwin so mike needs to step up against lattimore.
On defense , Lvd is key cause he was practicing in pads today.
Need gronk to play for redzone scoring chances. Need tuddies and not fgs
October 27th, 2021 at 1:43 pm
Damn, an Achilles injury too…..wow
October 27th, 2021 at 1:48 pm
Actually, you got to look at the source, BA. He probably hasn’t been to the practice facility since last Friday.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:50 pm
If Brown tore his Achilles, he’d already be in post-surgery rehab. That clearly isn’t the case. If I had to bet, it’s a grade 2 ankle sprain which means he’ll be back anywhere between 3 to 5 weeks. That would explain the lack of a boot.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
Possibly too much game time too soon after his down time, Father Time too
October 27th, 2021 at 1:52 pm
This happened during Eagles game, there was a camera shot that showed him with his shoe off getting his foot stretched out. Funny he played the entire game.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:53 pm
If the Bucs thought it was long term they would have put him on IR.
My guess is there is a good chance he is back for the Redskins game.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:53 pm
Guys:
Where are you getting this Achilles info? Arians didn’t say one word about an Achilles.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:57 pm
It happened sometime during the third quarter of the Phili game. Had it been a high ankle sprain, Brown would have needed assistance to get off the field. He didn’t. It’s either minor tendonitis or just a regular ankle sprain. In the case of the latter, you really don’t feel the full impact (pain, restricted motion) until the morning after.
October 27th, 2021 at 1:59 pm
@Joe
Wild extrapolation around Arian’s vague description, as the Achilles tendon is at the ankle. It’s nothing like OJ’s injury, that’s obvious. A strained Achilles takes roughly the same rehab time as a grade 2 ankle sprain, maybe a week or two longer.
October 27th, 2021 at 2:08 pm
I’m no doctor, but I recently had a grade 3 sprain of my ankle along with a break. It’s taken about 3 1/2 months to be able to sprint again, and I was in a boot and two crutches from day one.
Sounds like a grade 2 ankle sprain given he’s only using one crutch and he’s weight bearing in general. That would put him out probably 4-6 weeks, so he could be back a week or two after the bye.
October 27th, 2021 at 2:16 pm
That’s more of a basketball injury sounds like. Low low ankle sprain. The area under the ankle and above the heel swells up and turns purple. Sounds like he turned it inward. Those are nasty. Been there. Just guessing of course.
October 27th, 2021 at 2:20 pm
Just let him rest. Get Gronk back. Players have to step up. More Tyler Johnson and maybe the rookie Darden starts stepping up. I wanna see more OJ Howard but the guy still doesn’t look 100 percent.
October 27th, 2021 at 2:59 pm
I’m concerned about the secondary, not the offense.
October 27th, 2021 at 3:05 pm
Seems to me the medical and coaching staff want to make sure he’s healthy for the back stretch of the season.
October 27th, 2021 at 3:19 pm
Big loss, TB12 is very relaxed when he is on the field. Dec 12, can he be ready??
hopefully so.
If we can get Gronk after bye, that will be reasonable satisficing for TB12.
Looking @ the teams we face till Dec 12th, based on present performances, we should kick their a$$es.
I hope he recover 100%… is that AGE factor that can’t be ignored.
October 27th, 2021 at 3:27 pm
SMB, Miller & Carlton Davis on the IR…….never put LVD, Gronk, Sherman there & it’s only for a minimum of 3 games….
Obviously, Bucs were hopeful and didn’t want to place them there because they might have been available before 3 games.
Arians is always the same with injuries….never specific….always hopeful, fingers crossed….could be sooner…might be a long time…..who knows?
October 27th, 2021 at 3:37 pm
Nothing more than severe athletes foot
October 27th, 2021 at 4:03 pm
Profootball Doc seems to think he will be out this week but could be back next week. If not it seems to me now that he will be back after the bye.
ProFootball Doc tends to be correct in my experience.
October 27th, 2021 at 4:04 pm
I’ll look at it this way that Bruce has said Gronk and David were pretty close for the last 2 weeks and we still dont know that they are going to play this week.
So it sounds to me like AB is going to be out for a long time. Luckily we are very deep with recieving weapons…….We might even be able to add Fournette to that group. He has been danged good catching out of the backfield lately.
October 27th, 2021 at 4:10 pm
Not good. Lattimore is going to lock Evans down like he always does. AB’s absence will be felt this week.
October 27th, 2021 at 4:15 pm
I am starting to worry more about AB’s mental state. As far as I know this was his first time on crutches, so maybe the injury is healing. When I get hurt it starts to pitch a fit as it is getting better.
Ab has some dark corridors in his mind and has so far astounded me that he hasn’t done the Diva thing. Maybe not wanting to step up is his way out.
I hope he is still happy here, but I wonder.
October 27th, 2021 at 4:42 pm
Can Darden take the top off a defense? He only clocked in at 4.46, which is slower than Godwin.
To me, in the limited time we’ve seen him, and watching his college tape, looks more quick than fast. Not saying he can’t break something, but he’s not a straight line speed guy from what I’ve seen of him.
This is why you add depth, like AB and draft someone like Darden. Just think if Brady had to roll out there without Evans and Godwin like at the end of 2019 when the top receivers were Breshad Perriman (out of football now) and Justin Watson (out of football now).
October 27th, 2021 at 5:17 pm
Stop trying to help people’s fantasy decisions and give me a Dean and Delaney update Joe.
October 27th, 2021 at 5:55 pm
lol… yeah this team has problems…
Hasn’t really showed up in the stats
So that’s a good thing
Still want see the running game show it can dominate too…
October 27th, 2021 at 6:55 pm
he will be back in time for 🐃 Buffalo
Which, realistically, is the next time he will officially be needed
October 27th, 2021 at 7:00 pm
Rest him. Have him ready for the last 6 games if need be. We are deep at WR, so let’s get TJ some run.
October 27th, 2021 at 7:27 pm
Reading all these JBFers comments about what MIGHT be going on with AB has my head spinning. I mean all these ‘diagnoses’ run the gamut from his foot fell off to no big deal, he’ll be back Sunday. As fans (and NOT the Bucs’ medical staff), all we can do is take it at face value: AB needs a crutch to get around & it’s hard to stretch the field & run deep like that. Next man up; that be you young Jaelon Darden. Here’s your chance to strut your stuff. Make us proud.
October 27th, 2021 at 9:58 pm
Scotty was on the field running today so maybe he returns in a few weeks? Would love to see Darden stretch the field and actually catch a deep pass. More worried about AB.
October 27th, 2021 at 10:53 pm
Yawn…welcome to championship football. S&#t happens. Brady can and duz more with less than any before or since. Blocking has been exceptional…keep him off the turf, and experience how he makes ALL around look like super subs. Play calling needs to be clever, and perhaps a trick play…just to keep N.O. off balance. Remember A.B. was always more a luxury than necessity, (but a truly nice asset). While I like Cameron Brate, I don’t think T.B.fully trusts him, he and O.J. had a budding chemistry prior to injury last season…also if Gronk is back…this offense…is fixed, voilà. This is a formidable challenge…not the apocalypse. Sighhh.
October 28th, 2021 at 12:56 am
To me, Darden needs to grow bigger balls. On his great run he finished it by running out of bounds instead of trying a stiff arm and more yards. In his very first return he looked plain scared. He got better but doesn’t seem tough enough yet. He needs more confidence and technique, and needs to stay vertical.
October 28th, 2021 at 8:17 am
Cricket… I didn’t see any of that.
Running out of bounds, overall general arm tackling is the way the game is played today. In my high school days you wouldn’t see the practice field for days if you played like that!
October 28th, 2021 at 11:40 am
This would be really bad news if it were last year. But this years team seems to be playing at a very high level without AB. Love his game but The Bucs can win without him. GO BUCS!