Winston has avoided the injuries of others.
Wednesday, 6 a.m.
It could be worse. It could be awful.
It could have been Jameis Winston who fell in agony, screaming in pain. It could have been Winston instead of the Vikings' Teddy Bridgewater. It could have been Winston who is out for the year, and it could be the Bucs instead of the Vikings who see their season in shambles.
It could have been Doug Martin who was suspended for PEDs. It could have been Martin who has to explain to his teammates
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (its at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
why he cheated. It could have been Martin instead of Pittsburgh's Le'Veon Bell who is really, really looking forward to October.
It could have been Mike Evans who went away to dance with the stars. It could have been Evans who boogalooed away to TV and out of the Lions' route tree. It could have been Evans who twisted the night away.
It could have been Gerald McCoy who blew out his back lifting a really, really heavy pizza. It could have been McCoy, the soul of the Bucs, instead of J.J. Watt, the soul of the Texans, who will be missing from the lineup.
It could have been Vernon Hargreaves who needed knee surgery, not his old Florida teammate Keanu Neal, now with the Falcons. It could have been Hargreaves who is out for a crucial month. It could have Hargreaves who will not bring his instant impact to the NFC South.
It could have been Noah Spence who was embroiled in a ridiculously stubborn contract impasse that cost him all of training camp. It could have been Spence who will try to overcome missing all of training camp. It could have been Spence who is impossibly behind, not Joey Bosa.
It could have been Charles Sims who just stopped into the marijuana store just to look around. It could have been his curiosity, not Dallas' Ezekiel Elliott, who was left to explain just what he was thinking and whether or not he likes Cheetos.
It could be Cameron Brate who was lost for a while. Instead, it was Baltimore's Ben Watson who ripped an Achilles' tendon on the Ravens' first play of the game.
It could have been Mike Glennon, not Chicago backup quarterback Connor Shaw, who may miss the entire 2016 season. Shaw badly injured an ankle.
It could have been linebacker Lavonte David who will miss the entire season, not Buffalo's Reggie Ragland. Buffalo's Ragland injured a knee.
Yes, Ali Marpet has missed time with injuries. But he could be Miami's Mike Pouncey, who is still day to day with a hip injury.
It could have been linebacker Kwon Alexander, not Washington's Junior Galete, who is on the PUP list with an Achilles' injury.
The point? Things are tough all over. Every team is dealing with its own headlines. Every team has invested in gauze.
So feel sorry at your own risk. Your quarterback could be Tony Romo. Your wide receiver could be Calvin Johnson.
It's a minefield out there. A game of attrition, the late George Young used to call it.
If there is anything to be happy about this season, it's that the Bucs made it out unscathed. Pretty much, they are healthy enough for the season to come.
It's a start.
{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }