It appears the Buccaneers may have avoided a serious injury in Friday’s lopsided loss to the Titans, as running back LeGarrette Blount -- who went down with an apparent groin injury -- returned to action for Monday’s workout.

Not only did Blount join the team for the morning session, he was not limited in any way due to the injury, according to Tampa Bay Times reporter Stephen F. Holder:

Blount and rookie Doug Martin are entrenched in a battle for the starting job at running back. Martin finished with 23 yards on seven carries, while Blount managed 11 yards on his eight attempts against the Titans.

No ad available
  • Physicality one of many problems against Titans: Coach Greg Schiano said the Bucs' lopsided loss to Tennessee was partially his fault, as the team went in with a plan to try to allow quarterback Josh Freeman and receiver Vincent Jackson to work extensively on their chemistry, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. But even though Schiano didn’t deviate from the plan when the Titans defense was geared to stop it -- he said “there was a little bit of, ‘It’s preseason and we’re going to do this no matter what’ mentality.” -- the team’s lack of physicality on both sides of the ball was problematic in the head coach’s view.
  • S Black provides one of few highlights in loss: Ahmad Black made an impression in the loss to the Titans, writes Ira Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune. The Florida alum intercepted a Jake Locker pass and ran it back 29 yards, giving his team a short field that led to Tampa Bay’s only touchdown in a 30-7 defeat. Another young player in the secondary (only in his second year as a pro), Black was injured in the first preseason game of 2011 and didn’t survive the final cut to 53, but was signed to the practice squad and ultimately activated for the last four games of the season. Now, Black gets to learn from a veteran, as he is backing up Ronde Barber, who is playing safety this season after 15 years as a cornerback.
  • DL Miller impressing in preseason: After fighting knee and back injuries last season, nose tackle Roy Miller has had a strong start to 2012, writes Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times. Heading into the last year of a four-year, $2.52 million contract, Miller hopes to earn a new deal with stronger, more consistent play. So far, his teammates have been impressed. “He’s been putting some highlight-tape kind of things on the field,” said fellow defensive lineman Frank Okam.
  • Noble embraces opportunity at TE: Looking for an underdog to potentially make the 53-man roster? It could be undrafted tight end Danny Noble, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. The Toledo alumnus replaced Dallas Clark early in Friday’s preseason game and had a respectable outing with two catches for 11 yards -- no small feat given the Bucs’ offensive struggles in the game. With the injury issues of Clark and backup Luke Stocker, there could be a niche for Noble. "I think Danny has done some good things here and he's getting better,'' Schiano said. "They say you're lucky when preparation meets opportunity, so we'll see what happens there.''

For more from Tampa Bay Bucs blogger Patrick Southern, follow @CBSSportsNFLTB on Twitter.