Brian

Price

There was fear that Price’s latest setback could be related to his major offseason pelvic surgery. The day to day listing confirms this is just a minor strain.

The team is comfortable with Price’s health after what appeared to be a Week 1 setback with his hamstring, and has now moved Price above Roy Miller on the depth chart. Price finished the opener against Detroit just two tackles, but he was an impact run defender, helping to hold Jahvid Best to 3.4 yards a carry.

“I told him go home. F---. Yeah,” said Morris, using profanity in his post-game press conference. “Because it’s foolish, it’s selfish to your teammates, to everybody in your organization, to your fans. That’s terrible.” Added Morris of his team as a whole, “They’re not listening. They’ve got to listen.” The Bucs are now 4-8 and have dropped five straight games.

Price was on crutches following yesterday’s loss to the Titans, and was in a walking boot Monday. The Bucs are currently ranked 30th in the league against the run, giving up 139.7 yards per game.

There’s no word yet on the severity of the injury. Price went down then rode the cart after making it to the sideline.

Multiple reports suggested Price failed to complete the Buccaneers conditioning test due to a leg injury, so it was far from a given that he’d pass his physical in Chicago. The trade is now official, with the Bucs receiving a seventh-round pick in return.

Price will have to pass a physical, which is hardly a given. Late in 2010, Price became the first NFL player to undergo a radical procedure screwing his hamstring to the bone while also attaching the pelvic bones to themselves. New coach Greg Schiano is running a tight ship, and Price may have written his ticket out of town by punching rookie Mark Barron in the face during an offseason meeting. A cakewalk run defense last season, the Bucs will be thin up front again in 2012. If healthy and in football shape, Price is certainly worth the risk for Chicago. The 2010 second-rounder started 14 games last season.

Per FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer, Price’s release is due in part to his struggle to “get past the recent passing of his sister.” Price’s sister was killed in a May automobile accident. Acquired from the Bucs in July, Price is just two years removed from being a second-round pick. He drew the ire of former coach Raheem Morris during the Bucs’ embarrassing 2011 collapse, however, and wasn’t a fit for hard-nosed rookie coach Greg Schiano. It’s an ominous sign that Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli couldn’t turn Price around, either. He’ll surely resurface, but time away from the game might do Price well.

It’s why Price was absent from Bucs OTAs. His sister was killed in a car accident last week. “It was just a situation where like the stress of the whole situation made him sick,” Price’s agent said. Price is planning to adopt his late sister’s seven- and nine-year old sons. A 2010 second-round pick, Price started 14 games in 2011, notching 24 tackles and three sacks.

The fracas started when Price found Barron sitting in his seat at a team meeting. Although Barron’s face was bloodied, he practiced later that day. Price can be forgiven for the short temper in the heat of the moment. He was hospitalized for “exhaustion and grief” after taking on his sister’s children when she died in a car wreck earlier this spring. He had previously lost two brothers to gunshot wounds. We wouldn’t make too much of the incident, as Price still carries plenty of respect among teammates and coaches.