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Receivers Finally Could Be A Strength

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By ROY CUMMINGS

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 17, 2008

Updated: 08/17/2008 12:11 am

TAMPA - The preseason is almost half over and Joey "Air" Galloway has yet to take so much as a test flight. Don't think the Bucs aren't concerned.

They expected Galloway to return to practice weeks ago. They still expect him back in time for the start of the regular season, but what if they're wrong? What if that groin strain keeps nagging Galloway?

It's a doomsday scenario the Bucs have to prepare for, and many inside their camp believe they are better prepared for it now than ever before.

"In my opinion, it's probably been one of the better camps the receivers have ever had," veteran linebacker Derrick Brooks said. "Each day, one of these guys is stepping up and doing something really unprecedented.

"He's either making a catch or making his quarterback look good or throwing a key block. They're all recognizing defenses and calling out blitzes; I mean, you name it and our receivers are doing a pretty good job of it."

The Bucs aren't surprised. They had a feeling their receiving corps was a little better than it appeared to be on paper last year. That's why they passed on the chance to add a lot of high-priced upgrades during the offseason.

The thinking was that players such as Chad Lucas and Micheal Spurlock could give them the added speed they need and that someone from a vast group of flanker candidates would emerge as a viable complement to Galloway.

It's far too early to say for sure, of course, but there's reason to believe the Bucs might have been right on both counts. The play of the receivers has so far been one of the highlights of their preseason.

At Miami last week, nine wide receiver candidates combined to catch 14 passes, and not one of those catches was made by the two receivers (Galloway and Ike Hilliard) who led the Bucs in receptions in 2007.

Lucas and Antonio Bryant, who was the most notable addition to the receiving corps, each caught three passes. Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall caught two each, and Brian Clark caught one for a touchdown.

Clayton would have had three catches, but after separating from a defender deep downfield he dropped a perfect pass from Luke McCown. Not even that could shake the Bucs' confidence in their receiving corps.

"Mike's had a good camp," Bucs coach Jon Gruden said. "Maurice Stovall's had a really good camp; Spurlock has played well; Brian Clark has played well; so has Cortez Hankton. I really like what I've seen of our young receivers."

It seems there's a lot to like. Gruden says Bryant might be the most talented receiver he has coached since joining the Bucs, and receivers coach Richard Mann says the rest of the group is brimming with ability.

"We've got everything you need here," Mann said. "We've got speed, we've got size, we've got youth and we've got a lot of talent. It's a good, competitive group."

The competition is one reason holdovers such as Clayton and Stovall are playing so well. Both say the play of contenders for their jobs has forced them to play at a higher level this year.

"I knew it would be like this," Clayton said. "But that just goes to show you what we have here. It's a young group, and so we have a lot of guys with bright futures here."

That's in contrast to the Bucs' recent past. Tampa Bay has not sent a receiver to the Pro Bowl since Keenan McCardell went in 2003, and in the last three seasons only Galloway has stood out.

While gaining more than 1,000 yards in each of those seasons, Galloway has caught 23 touchdown passes the past three years. All other Bucs wide receivers have combined for seven touchdowns during that span.

It was rare, then, when Clark caught a touchdown pass for the Bucs last week against Miami. If the likes of Bryant, Clayton and Stovall keep playing the way have in this camp, though, moments like that might not be so rare anymore.

"I've been very impressed with them," Brooks said. "I mean, you can go all the way down to Spurlock and see that when their number is called they're making something happen.

"You don't want to get too far ahead of yourself, but we're seeing it every day now; these guys are taking advantage of every opportunity they get, and they're making the decisions on who makes the team very difficult for our coaches."

Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or rcummings@tampatrib.com.

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