The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be without arguably the best player along the offensive line with the announcement that guard Carl Nicks did not travel with the team to play against the New York Jets in Week 1 of the NFL season.
Carl Nicks injury: Buccaneers guard will miss opener vs. Jets
The offensive lineman has missed much of the NFL preseason battling MRSA, a type of staph infection.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The team has been cloudy with any forecast surrounding Nicks’ condition while dealing with MRSA, a type of staph infection, and clearly has no real timeline of when he will return.
According to the Mayo Clinic, "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection is caused by a strain of staph bacteria that's become resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections." Nicks contracted the MRSA after an outbreak in the team's locker room that also affected kicker Lawrence Tynes. Tynes was subsequently placed on the team's non-football injury list and will sit out the entire season.
The 28-year-old is one of the best offensive guards in the NFL, and signed a big money contract as a free agent after coming over from the New Orleans Saints after the 2011 season. He's a two-time Pro Bowler, but has been an injury frustration so far with the Bucs after playing only 7 games in his first season with the team in 2012.
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