The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are close to having all of their starters on offense back on the field. Greg Schiano said today that Carl Nicks was likely to play against the New England Patriots on Sunday, after dealing with a plantar plate injury and then a MRSA infection on his foot. Carl Nicks has been participating in practice on a limited basis for two weeks now, and will be a game time decision -- but things are looking up.
The Buccaneers will need him against the Patriots, as backup left guard Gabe Carimi will not play due to an illness. The offensive lineman has been held out of practice all week with that illness after playing a decent game against the New Orleans Saints.
If neither Nicks nor Carimi can play, Ted Larsen is the most likely replacement and there's a possibility that Larsen moves to center, with Zuttah being the left guard. Neither option would be particularly appealing for the Bucs against Vince Wilfork.
The Bucs play the Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET.