Bucs receivers have a lot to prove

The Buccaneers' receivers have established one thing heading into this season.

Each of them has a lot to prove.

Maurice Stovall is entering his fifth season and has yet to establish himself as a reliable target. Sammie Stroughter is a former seventh-round pick who had only 334 receiving yards and one touchdown last season. Micheal Spurlock has four receptions in three NFL seasons.

Then there are rookies Mike Williams, Arrelious Benn and Preston Parker, who have to convince skeptics they can execute during the regular season.

Tampa Bay's receivers will begin their quest for respect against Cleveland on Sunday in the season opener.

"It's a chip on our shoulder," said Stroughter, who will start opposite Williams. "Talking to Mike, Regis (Benn), Maurice Stovall, Micheal Spurlock, everybody has something to prove in that room. That's the standard in our wide receiver room."

Disappointing performances have been the norm for Tampa Bay receivers.

Stroughter, Stovall and Spurlock, who rejoined the team in late December, combined for 55 receptions for 700 yards and two touchdowns last season. There were 54 NFL players who had more receiving yards than those three combined, and 46 who had more receptions than the trio last season.

If not for tight end Kellen Winslow's 77 receptions for 823 yards and four touchdowns, Tampa Bay's 24th-ranked passing offense could have been worse.

"From Day 1, when (receivers) Coach (Eric) Yarber got here, he said one thing people said about our receiving group is we were at the bottom," Spurlock said. "We were not the leaders of the team. We were bringing up the rear. The first day he got here he wanted to make sure he changed that mentality.

"He set a precedent that we're going to drive. However practice is going to go is because we're going to drive practice. We're going to turn up the tempo. From Day 1, that is what we have been trying to do to change the mentality around here."

Tampa Bay's unproven group will not have any veteran leadership to spur development.

The Bucs elected not to re-sign receiver Antonio Bryant, who was recently released by Cincinnati. Tampa Bay also released veterans Mark Bradley, Michael Clayton and Reggie Brown.

While Stroughter, Spurlock and Stovall looked up to Bryant and Clayton, they are now forced to look to each other for support.

"It's a gift and a curse," Spurlock said. "Yeah, you would love to have an Antonio Bryant or Michael Clayton here to say that's your No. 1 guy, but right now we have six No. 1's. On any given day, when the ball touches our hands we feel like we can make a play.

"There is not one guy saying you're our No. 1 and we'll fall in line. We're all in line and we're all trying to make plays to make this team win."

Williams is one player Tampa Bay expects to have an immediate impact.

The fourth-round pick excelled during voluntary workouts and training camp to become a starter. His potential excites his teammates, including five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Ronde Barber.

"I've never seen a rookie come in here and know how to run routes, how to stem guys off the point, how to beat press coverage consistently," Barber said. "Maybe he had somebody working with him. I haven't asked him, but somebody coached him up pretty well. Either that or he has a high football IQ and he figured it out himself. The guy has talent.

"He's playing that position now, the X position, where in most offenses is the guy you dial up when you need a win, and we saw that a little bit in the preseason. He has great hands and is not scared to make tough catches. Those guys usually win for you."

Tampa Bay's receivers want to be known as winners.

Right now, they are recognized as underachievers and unknown commodities.

They have a lot to prove.

"I won't judge them on their first outing. They are going to be judged on their body of work," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said.

"These young receivers have to be judged on their body of work, their group, their mentality, what they bring to the game, how they want to play and how hard they play. The effort they put into every single day is what's going to make those guys and what's going to judge those guys."