SmashMouth

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never played a regular-season game in which Pro Bowl guards Carl Nicks and Davin Joseph were in the lineup together.

That might finally change this week.

Nicks, who has missed nearly a month of work with a MRSA infection on his left foot, returned to practice Wednesday and later said he could return to the Bucs’ lineup Sunday against the Saints.

“I’m MRSA clear,’’ Nicks declared with a wide smile after participating in a limited fashion in the workout at One Buc Place. “I’m all right. I’m just trying to get back out there and, hopefully, I’ll be ready for this game.’’

The Bucs signed Nicks to a five-year, $47.5 million contract in the spring of 2012 with the idea of pairing the two-time Pro Bowl left guard with Joseph, a two-time Pro Bowl right guard.

The two were together for a few snaps in the first three preseason games last year, but Joseph was lost to a season-ending knee injury in the third exhibition game. That was just the start of a string of calamities that included Nicks suffering a season-ending left big toe injury in Week 8 and the discovery of the MRSA infection last month.

Nicks has fought the infection with antibiotics ever since, but said he was recently cleared to return to normal activity after cultures and blood samples came back clear of the infection.

“Anytime you get any kind of injury like that there’s pain, but it was more mental than anything,’’ Nicks said of dealing with the infection. “I wasn’t really scared, just irritated that I couldn’t be out there with my guys.’’

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