Rookie WRs preparing to make positive impact

There seems to be no question that Bucs rookie receivers Arrelious Benn and Mike Williams will receive significant playing time this season.

Antonio Bryant was Tampa Bay's No. 1 receiver last year, but when the Bucs let him sign with Cincinnati this offseason, his spot was up for grabs. With Reggie Brown, Maurice Stovall and Michael Clayton the only veteran candidates for Bryant's job - Sammie Stroughter is a slot receiver - Benn and Williams are instantly in the mix.

Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman could achieve major success with Benn and Williams, but there also is huge potential for danger.

"In this league, if you're not running crisp routes, you're prone to turnovers and interceptions," Bucs receivers coach Eric Yarber said. "If you're supposed to go 15 yards and you break the route off at 13, the quarterback is not ready to throw. If he throws it, he's late and that's when interceptions occur."

One aspect many young receivers struggle with is learning how to protect their quarterback. Running crisp routes is something Yarber has stressed to all of his players this offseason, especially Benn and Williams.

It has been suggested that many of Freeman's 18 interceptions last season were because Bryant did not finish his routes.

During Tampa Bay's second game against Carolina, Freeman threw five interceptions, and most of those mishaps occurred while trying to get the ball to Bryant. If Benn and Williams struggle to give full effort on every play, Freeman could have more multiple-interception games this year.

"We definitely have to protect the quarterback," Stovall said. "You have to run your routes on the right angle, coming downhill so the cornerback can't undercut you if you're running an in route or an out route, basically knowing the fundamentals of being a wide receiver so you and the quarterback are on the same page."

The other thing being emphasized to Tampa Bay's young players is what to do when they can't make a catch.

"When you have a deep ball and you're not able to get position to catch it, you want to make sure the defender doesn't catch it, so you yourself have to become a defender," Stovall said. "You want to either knock the ball down or draw the penalty by grabbing the defensive back."

Yarber said offensive coordinator Greg Olson recently showed his guys highlights of former St. Louis Rams receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. Olson wanted to reiterate the importance of fundamentals by using Bruce and Holt as examples of receivers who ran patient and precise routes.

The Bucs expect Benn and Williams to have an immediate impact this season, and they are optimistic it will be positive.

"You over-train with the young guys. You don't let them get a lot of leeway," Yarber said. "When you're doing things right, it gives the quarterback confidence. If he's confident, he will keep coming to you.

"A lot of young guys want the ball, but they're going to have to do things right."

Training camp start set

The Bucs will report to training camp July 30 and will hold their first practice on July 31. Practice is normally open to the public, but the team has not released its training camp schedule.

Reporter Anwar S. Richardson can

be reached at (813) 259-8425 or