It was not the auspicious start Brian Kelly wanted in his first official week as the unchallenged starter at left cornerback for the Tampa Bay Bucs, but after sufferng a broken hand in a Saturday morning practice, the four-year veteran insisted the injury was just a temporary setback.

“If there’s such a thing as good timing with an injury like this, then this was the best timing,” said Kelly, who sat out the Saturday afternoon session and will not work Sunday when the first mini-camp under new coach Jon Gruden concludes. “I’ll be back for the next mini-camp, I’m sure. It’s not that serious at all. The thing doesn’t even hurt that much.”

Kelly broke his right hand during a passing drill when it became entangled in the leg of wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson. He was taken off the field and X-rays later revealed the fracture, which Gruden said should keep the cornerback out just three or four weeks, and certainly will not affect his availability for training camp.

Gruden termed the injury “a freak thing,” and Kelly agreed, calling it “crazy.”

The health of Kelly is of primary concern for the Bucs, since the team released former starting left cornerback Donnie Abraham last month for salary cap reasons, and all but handed the job to the former Southern California star. Kelly had actually replaced Abraham in the starting lineup five games into the 2001 season and held the job for the balance of the season.

Although he had no interceptions in 2001, Kelly, 26, gained the confidence of the defensive staff and finished the year with 69 tackles.

Tampa Bay officials reinforced their confidence in Kelly last month by signing him to a six-year contract worth $15 million and including a $2.5 million signing bonus. That deal came only four days after Abraham was cut loose.

“He was important to us before and he’s even more so now,” said coordinator Monte Kiffin.

A second-round selection in the 1998 draft, Kelly has appeared in 64 games and has 141 tackles and three interceptions.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.