Gonzalez rolls ankle on sloppy field at Raymond James

By D. Orlando Ledbetter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

TAMPA -- Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez suffered a left ankle sprain late in the 28-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, with the slick surface likely causing the injury.

The field at Raymond James Stadium had forced Gonzalez to wear extra long cleats, and blamed them for the ankle injury. 

The stadium had hosted a Big East college game between South Florida and Connecticut the night before. The field's appearance was fine, but several players said the footing was treacherous.

"That's the first time I've worn long studded cleats this season," Gonzalez said. "I used to wear them all the time. They just roll over like that, and that's what happened."

Gonzalez said he expected to be able to play in next week's game at Carolina.

The secondary also had a tough time with the field conditions.

"It was a little slippery," safety Thomas DeCoud said. "It's professional football. You have to be as sure-footed as you can. It didn't look bad, but it was a little slick. It was slick out on the field."

On a late play, cornerback Dunta Robinson, normally a sure tackler, and safety William Moore appeared tentative over their footing as they closed in our Tampa Bay receiver Arrelious Benn, who was able to turn a short swing pass into 28-yard gain.

Weems into the record books

Eric Weems' 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown was the first by the Falcons since Allen Rossum ran back a kick 91 yards for a touchdown against Seattle on Dec. 15, 2002.

"At about 90 yards, I got tired but the guys kept giving up blocks," Weems said. "They were right behind me."

His return also broke the team record of 100 yards, which was held by Dennis Pearson (1978), Deion Sanders (1991) and Darrick Vaughn (2000).

The Bucs challenged the play, suggesting Weems had stepped out of bounds.

"It was no doubt in my mind that I didn't go out," Weems said. "I didn't even think twice about going out of bounds. I knew I didn't go out because when I looked down on the sidelines, I could see that I didn't go out of bounds."

It was unclear whether the Bucs gave up on the play.

"They must have thought [Maurice Stovall] pushed me out of bounds, but I tight-roped it, maintained balance, cut back and kept going," Weems said. "The guys were with me all the way."

Not looking past Carolina

The Falcons will guard against a letdown when they play at 1-11 Carolina next Sunday.

"We have to stay focused," Gonzalez said. "We know that we can't slack off. Nobody is going to go easy on us."

Fourth-quarter magic

Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman (97.7) and Ryan (96.4) entered the game ranked 1-2 among NFC quarterbacks in fourth-quarter passer rating. In the final quarter, Freeman has completed 60 of 93 (64.5) passes; Ryan has completed 67 of 99 (67.7) passes.

Johnson fills role

Gartrell Johnson III was the Falconsbackup running back against Tampa Bay. Jason Snelling, who normally handles that job, was declared inactive for the game after suffered a hamstring injury from taking a hit to his leg in last week's Green Bay game.

Johnson, who was signed on Sept. 21 after Jerious Norwood went on the injured reserve with a knee injury, has one carry for 23 yards this season. Against the Bucs, Johnson had no carries, but caught a pass for 10 yards.

Other inactive players for the Falcons were cornerback Dominique Franks, running back Antone Smith, tackle Garrett Reynolds, guard Mike Johnson, defensive end Lawrence Sidbury and defensive tackle Trey Lewis.