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Wake-Up Call: Clark ready to be Bucs' third receiver

Entering his fourth NFL season, Clark has spent more time on the practice squad than the active roster.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 16, 2009

Updated: 06/16/2009 10:00 am

The Wake-Up Call greets you each weekday with news, views and a few Tampa Bay area sports offerings to anticipate for the day and night. We encourage suggestions and contributions.

Good morning!

Do the Bucs have a sincere interest in troubled Plaxico Burress? Can Michael Clayton finally turn the corner? Will Antonio Bryant build upon his career year? Is there life after Joey Galloway and Ike Hilliard? Will another veteran be signed for the third receiver spot?

There are questions, questions, questions at wide receiver.

As Tampa Bay's three-day mandatory minicamp begins today at One Buccaneer Place – the final activity before things start for real in July – there's an on-site receiver hoping to be part of the answer.

"I'm still here,'' Brian Clark said.

Not that anyone would notice.

Then again, Clark is accustomed to that treatment.

Entering his fourth NFL season, Clark, from Chamberlain High School, has spent more time on the practice squad than the active roster. He has five career receptions – four with his initial team, the Denver Broncos, and one with the Bucs, who signed him in 2007.

Can Clark discover stardom? Probably not.

Can he make a difference? Absolutely.

He's a prime candidate to become Tampa Bay's third receiver. Already, he has established himself as a capable special-teams player (his fourth-quarter blocked punt at Atlanta last season set up the game-tying field goal).

"B.C. is definitely one of those guys who has stepped outside the box and into a position to play,'' Bucs coach Raheem Morris said. "When you talk about wideouts, you've got to talk about taking off the underwear, putting on the pads and letting him go do it. So we've got to wait and see a little bit.''

The other day, Morris was chatting with Clark. He stopped short, raising his eyebrows.

"Wait, B.C., you didn't get drafted?''

"No, Coach, nobody took me.''

Clark was a productive player at North Carolina State with an NFL-style body (6-foot-2, 204 pounds). At first, he was upset at being bypassed. Then he signed a free-agent contract with Denver.

Then he met Broncos receiver Rod Smith.

Smith wasn't drafted out of Missouri Southern State in 1994. When he retired last year, Smith had 849 career receptions for 11,389 yards and 70 touchdowns – along with two Super Bowl rings.

"The greatest thing for me was just being around Rod Smith,'' Clark said. "He made me realize when you're undrafted, there's no need to carry a huge chip on your shoulder. Your work doesn't stop. You shouldn't get all droopy-faced about it.

"When I grasped that, I realized the idea is to do whatever you can to be valuable, to make yourself last in this league. There are top picks who are out of the league in a few years. There are undrafted guys who last for 10 years.''

Clark wants to be one of those guys.

Special-teams play, obviously, is the key.

"Versatility has to be the name of the game,'' Clark said. "You have your franchise guys, your star guys. Then there are the workmen, guys like me. But the role players are the ones who help you win championships. You have to have those guys, even though we don't get noticed a lot.

"Somebody will introduce me and say I play for the Bucs and the other person will be like, 'Did you play last year? What position?' Then they try to soften it over, like they don't want to hurt my feelings. Look, I know what the deal is. I have to keep proving myself. But I'm not afraid to work and if there's an opportunity, I'm going for it.''

In the meantime, Clark still gets a kick out of playing for the Bucs – "I'm in the new facility and I say, 'Hey, this is where the Tampa Bay Mall used to be' and nobody even knows what I'm talking about'' – and building his family. Clark and his wife, Shawntae, have a 7-month-old son, Christian, and a new home. Life is good,'' he said.

And it could get even better, especially if Clark becomes part of the solution for a wide-receiver position riddled by questions.

Gomez honored at Michigan State

Michigan State University junior wrestler Franklin Gomez (Brandon), who won an NCAA title at 133 pounds on March 21, has captured his school's most prestigious athletic honor.

Gomez was awarded the George Alderton Male Athlete of the Year, given annually since 1982 to Michigan State's top athlete in all male sports.

Gomez, also an All-Academic selection by the National Wrestling Coaches Association after earning a 3.14 grade-point average in human resources, was 27-2 this season, bringing his career record to 91-12.

"Franklin is very deserving of this prestigious award,'' Spartans wrestling coach Tom Minkel said in a Michigan State news release. "He is the consummate student-athlete as he's an honor student and is very involved in his church as well. He is everything you would want in a student-athlete, and we're thrilled for him that he is the recipient of this award.

"Winning an NCAA championship is the ultimate college experience. There are so many student-athletes aspiring for the same goal and for him to reach it is a real credit to him and his family. We're thrilled for him that he is the recipient of this award.''

Past winners of the award include Charles Rogers (football) in 2003, Mateen Cleaves (basketball) in 1999 and 2000, Shawn Respert (basketball) in 1995, Steve Smith (basketball) in 1991, Lorenzo White (football) and Scott Skiles (basketball) in 1986, Sam Vincent (basketball) in 1985 and Carl Banks (football) in 1984.

Clippard's ERA: 0.98

For the ninth straight game, Syracuse Chiefs relief pitcher Tyler Clippard (Mitchell) did not allow an earned run. Clippard (3-1, 0.98 ERA) tossed one scoreless inning as Triple-A Syracuse defeated Buffalo 4-2 in Monday night's International League game. Clippard has 41 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings. Certainly, the pitching-starved Washington Nationals are taking notice of this, right?

Tampa Catholic's highly rated duo

Tampa Catholic High School offensive lineman Chaz Green is No. 17 and quarterback Christian Green is No. 25 on Florida's summer football recruiting rankings, assembled by veteran scribe Bill Buchalter of the Orlando Sentinel.

Others from Hillsborough County include Hillsborough defensive back Terrance Mitchell at No. 32, Leto running back Jeremy Deering at No. 36, Armwood defensive back Khiry McQuay at No. 59 and Blake tight end Mike McFarland at No. 75.

Gulf offensive lineman Leon Orr is ranked No. 69.

From the Tampa Bay area, Bradenton Southeast defensive back Jonathan Dowling is No. 13, Frostproof defensive back Nickell Robey is No. 15, Venice quarterback Trey Burton is No. 20, Lake Region defensive back Marvin Robinson is No. 21, Kathleen defensive back Chad Abrams is No. 35, DeSoto County running back Marcus Shaw is No. 51, Manatee quarterback Brion Carnes is No. 57, Lakeland linebacker Quayshawn Nealy is No. 70, Lakeland athlete Jarred Hagins is No. 78 and Manatee athlete Tracy Sanders is No. 87.

Brandon Linder, an offensive lineman from Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, is ranked No. 1.

Birthday wishes

Happy birthday to former Rays pitcher Dewon Brazelton, who was taken with the third pick of the 2001 draft (ahead of Mark Teixeira). He was 8-23 in his star-crossed major-league tenure with the Rays before being traded to the San Diego Padres' organization in 2005 (where he went 0-2 with the big-league team). Brazelton, who now pitches for the Camden Riversharks in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, turns 29 today.

The Answer Man

Here's the answer to Monday's trivia question:

First baseman Carlos Pena set the Rays' single-season record for slugging percentage with a .627 mark in 2007.

Tuesday trivia

Here's our daily sports trivia question, featuring a Tampa Bay/Florida spin. Try your luck by commenting below.

Who is the only graduate of a Hillsborough County high school to score a touchdown from scrimmage in a regular-season game with the Bucs? (Hint: It occurred in 1987 in a replacement game during the 24-day NFL players strike).

Check for the answer in Wednesday's Wake-Up Call.

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