Bucs receive a huge boost on Friday that could certainly help them beat the Falcons in their Week 1 matchup

And, obviously, having Vita on the field Sunday would go a long way in helping the Bucs beat the Falcons in Week 1.

Christian Izien's injury leaves a question mark at the Bucs' nickel position against a good Falcons offense

With Izien most likely out, one figures the Bucs would turn to rookie Jacob Parrish after he was the one taking a lot of the reps at nickel during training camp, right?

Wrong. According to Todd Bowles, at least. And I'd say his words have some weight in all of this.

Bowles threw a wrench in the line of thinking Wednesday when asked about who'd take over for Izzy and his answer certainly makes this a topic worth monitoring after Sunday's kickoff.

"It still remains to be seen," Bowles told reporters. "[It’s] probably between Tykee [Smith] or Zyon [McCollum].".

Smith was the team's primary nickel last year when healthy and Bowles has stated in he past that he's "always a nickel" so it makes sense for him to take that spot over and for Kaevon Merriweather and/or Rashad Wisdom to take some snaps beside Antoine Winfield Jr. McCollum has been cross-training at nickel during training camp, so he at least has practice reps there. Although, it's not as clear who'd take over on the perimeter for McCollum, unless he and Smith swap spots on the inside throughout the game.

Either way, the Bucs need to have answers because the Falcons offense has had a lot of success against the defense over the last couple of years. Another big game from Drake London and Co. could easily lead to an 0-1 start, which is certainly something Tampa Bay does not want.