Phillips out 4-6 Weeks

By JC De La Torre

The Tampa Bay Bucs received the news they feared the most after last Sunday's disappointing loss to the Dallas Cowboys. They've lost the services of hard hitting Strong Safety Jermaine Phillips for at least 4 weeks with a broken forearm. Its the second such injury of his career for the safety. The Bucs do have good depth at safety, as 2007 2nd Round draft pick and the perceived heir apparent to Phillips, Sabby Piscitelli will take over the position. While not as ferocious a hitter as Phillips, Piscitelli brings atheleticism and playmaking ability to the position. The scary proposition for the Bucs is that Piscitelli himself has had to deal with significant injuries during his career and have the injuries have stunted his progress into the Bucs lineup. Phillips will not be place on injured reserve, so no roster spot will be opened up for him.

If Phillips cannot return before the end of the season, it could be the end of "Dirty Dawg"'s career with the Buccaneers. Phillips is a free agent at season's end.